cold

it all started with a couple sneezes at work yesterday and by the time i left work, i had a full blown sore throat. dang it! i haven't been sick in who knows when. the irony is that i just started taking this wellness supplement that is supposed to BOOST my immune system. i just remembered that dear old dad had a cold this past weekend. thanks dad! so this morning, my head is aching. i would love to just crawl up in my bed (really, what morning would i not like to do this?) but i only have 6 hours of PTO time left until the end of the year so i'm going to have to buck up and get over this quickly. hopefully, i can find some soup to eat for lunch today. mmmmm soup. we all know soup makes everything better. well, soup and Jesus.

returning

so, i visited my hometown this past weekend. i've been gone for over a month now and i decided to visit the ol' stompin' grounds of fletcher and a-ville. it was good to be with my family again. really, nothing has changed except that maybe i love them a little more. there's nothing like a little distance to make you love people you already love a little bit more.

driving home this evening, i was even more thankful that i had the opportunity to live in western north carolina. although the peak color for the leaves was 2 weekends ago, the color was still hanging on. the sunset cast a pinkish hue on the mountains. as i was whizzing by in my car, i caught glimpses of fiery red leaves, bursts of yellow leaves and then trees that had leaves with multi colors. the dead leaves were interspersed with the live ones and it reminds me of life. all of the leaves are going to wither and die eventually-- i realize that i need to appreciate them while they're living. the color of the leaves is a sign of their end that is to come soon, but there's hope for new life and not very long from now. winter is only a season that is to be endured. and even winter serves a purpose for these trees.

so, that's what i'll end on tonight. i'm appreciating the life/lives around me now. i'm not waiting.

oh my word

this is unreal. although i totally disagree with how this guy is running his campaign, it's a well done commercial, in the TECHNICAL sense. but he's not getting points for any kind of sensitivity or tact -- that's for darn sure

blog envy

so, yeah, i admit it. i am envious of a friend's blog. it just seems so much cooler than my own-- more funny, more photos, more humor. and it gets a heckuva lot more traffic than my very own. what does that say about me? well, it shouldn't make me feel bad about my blog. my life isn't boring. i think i'm somewhat interesting. i think i post cute photos. no, i'm not a popular blogger. i'll get no rewards for "coolest blog ever", but it's mine. their my thoughts, my photos, my dumb ramblings. that's worth SOMETHING. i needed to write this so i could see it. i'm tired of feeling that my blog is no big deal. i know people have read my blog. i don't get a lot of comments, but that shouldn't matter. i'm blogging for me, not for the readers. i hope that you, whoever you are, get something out of this. maybe you share my sentiments about something. maybe you think the photos are nice. maybe you see through a small window into my life. maybe something i say makes you smile. i can only hope.

holy cow, i can draw a spiritual parallel here, folks. hold on to your hats! in the daily christian life, it's easy to get distracted and think we have to live for others. we live for their approval of what we do, say, etc. as a Christian, the only approval i need is that of Christ. everything, everyone else is just fluff. but man, it's so hard to live like that on a daily basis.

i love the lyrics of the hymn "Come Thou Fount"

there's this line, "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love"

that's me...most every day. and the sad thing is that i do leave Him. the good news is that He doesn't behave the same way I do.

okay, so that was a tangent. but it works. i am happy with this post tonight. and i hope you have sweet dreams wherever you are. adieu.....to you and you and you.

more vacation shots

here are some more shots from my vacation

gunshots....

rang out like a bell.

at 3:15am, i woke with a start to the sound of 5 gunshots. i'm currently living with my friends Randy and Emily in their suburban home here in Charlotte, NC. they often don't lock their doors and i have felt pretty safe until now. Randy called the police to report it. I'm pretty positive they were gunshots. i haven't personally heard gunshots before, but I have no idea what else it could have been. I'm pretty sure firecracker season is over. I hope that no one is found dead nearby -- or that the shooter is anywhere in proximity to here. Geez. I haven't felt my heart beat like that in awhile. The funny thing is that I went right back to bed because all I could think of was, "oh my gosh. it's 3:15am. i only have 3 more hours of sleep!"

anyway, good times in the city.

vacation

for real. i vacationed in the true sense of the word.

a respite or a time of respite from something : INTERMISSION2 a : a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended b : a period of exemption from work granted to an employee3 : a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation 4 : an act or an instance of vacating

so yeah, i did all of that.

here's where i did it. hee hee.

Curacao: www.sunsetwaters.com

it was 5 days of reading, swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking, eating, resting, and more resting. it was the type of vacation where you actually feel rested and ready to return to your real life afterward.

i loved it.

Coffee

I REALLY miss this place. There's NO place like it...not even close to being like it here in Charlotte. I am lost without my Soy Lattes from Izzy's.

vacation

i'm heading to Curacao this Wednesday morning! I can't wait. Holly and I are going on this trip because we felt that turning 30 was worth celebrating in a big way! I hate packing (and unpacking for that matter), but at least it makes it all the more real. I'm flying to the Dutch Antilles! WOooooo hooo.

grrrrrrrrrr

i really hate traffic here in charlotte. it's reminiscent of traffic i experienced in L.A. in august, but not to that degree. it's maddening that it takes me 30 minutes to go 10 miles to work. today, it took me 45 minutes. if you make one impulsive decision to go one way (thinking you've found a shortcut), you're WRONG. there is no shortcut. sorry.

so, i'm on my way to steve's tonight at 6:45pm. i still get held up in some congestion. geez! i sat there at one of many stoplights wishing that i was in asheville driving to fletcher. at least you can actually DRIVE and not sit. i hate sitting in the car at stoplight after stoplight.

wow, today i'm so irritable. i'll stop my ranting now.

Sandy

So, this week and part of next, my housemates are out of town. I am dog sitting Millie. She is making me really miss this favorite pooch of mine back in Asheville. Sandy the Wonderdog. I heart her.