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At 2am this morning, we slept through the 35th anniversary of  Bobby's wreck. I was reminded again this holiday season of what a horrific time that was for his family. We deal with the daily grind stuff that is now routine and "normal" to us and unthinkable to others and the occasional bumps in the road. His family? They went through horrors that I would not wish on anyone - That am phone call, the ER doctor's blunt "He is alive, but will never walk again.", the medical mistakes, the emotional roller coasters. I cannot imagine my senior year of high school being disrupted by a sibling's accident. I cannot fathom at the age of 12 watching the older brother who constantly picked at me and called me "his little monkey" go through heart-wrenching experiences (This Christmas she talked about the moment she was informed his traction devise actually went through his head). I simply cannot comprehend how hard it was to be the younger brother (who

Do ya love me?

In an ultimate test of love, my husband sat through TWO nights of High School Musical (one and two) for his 14 year old music loving niece. I couldn't decide which was funnier: her reciting all the lines and singing all the songs, or her 13 year-old brother rolling his eyes and grimacing every few minutes. I had more fun watching the two of them than (intercepted by Bobby's bizarre expressions while watching his niece) I did watching the movies. Though I have to admit the funniest face award went to Bobby when she informed him that she "might" be able to part with her copy of HSM3 which was "the absolutely best ever" and mail it to him once she returned home,  as long as he promised to immediately watch it and return it to the post office (back to her) the next day. And thankfully, for several years now we have at Smithfield's Chicken-N-BBQ for his nephew's birthday. I think it's safe to say the Chuckie Cheese days are officially over. :) Chr

ever changing

The holidays are always that circular mixture of joy and sorrow. Joy because we have a respite from the "normalicy" of life; of seeing loved ones we don't encounter often; of reminders of why we live and believe - of who we are.  Sorrow because we're reminded of those no longer with us; of seeing time literally pass before our eyes; the reminder of how our barren lives are so very different from everyone else; and the ever present struggle of expectations. We've laughed a lot this week. From phone calls hearing excitement on the other end to seeing family pictures on Facebook to seeing the shock that an almost 60 year old uncle knew what a "groupie" was (I didn't!) AND had actually seen the movie Mockingjay, we've made a lot of memories this year. My in-laws were sharing last night how they were shocked the other day to realize someone they thought was incredibly old when they got married was actually the age they are now. And I totally under

new Christmas decor

Growing up, one of my many favorite Christmas memories was helping my grandparents decorate their gumdrop tree.  PawPaw would go out into the woods, and come back with what he called a "thorn bush".  It didn't have real thorns on it, but the sticks on the end of each branch were pointed and thick.  He would put it in a dish, pour rocks around it to hold it up, and we'd put gumdrops all over the end of the branches. I thought it was beautiful. And throughout the day, people who liked gumdrops would pull them off and eat them. Several years ago, while visiting Meadow Lights, they had tiny plastic versions of a gumdrop tree stand. I didn't buy one that night, and we went back later to get one, and they were sold out. The next year, we went early, and she said they were only able to get five and they sold the first day. I tried to find some online, but didn't have any luck (at least nothing in the price range I wanted to pay).  This year I had the crazy i

changes

I've often heard/read stories about people who started out as one extreme in their college days and ended up the opposite by the time their children were in college. I've never considered myself one to change core principles, and I don't have children so watching and teaching a maturing teen certainly doesn't enter into the fray.  Perhaps groups have changed their positions, so I'm really still the same and others have simply moved to more extreme positions. Whatever the reason, I find myself on the fence or somewhat over the fence on many political issues these days. Topics like gun control, mental illnesses, police brutality, government overreach, public education, homeschooling - more and more I find that my views don't line up with people I know. And I'm okay with that, but what shocks me is how vitriolic people are when you dare to disagree with them on the smallest of points. It's almost as if our nation with its free speech principles is actuall

discrepancies

My brain is always thinking of projects for the future - quilt patterns to make one day, a different way to decorate, something new I'd like to learn, etc. My body is telling me - do it now. Very contradictory messages. The night before we headed to Alabama for Thanksgiving, I began having muscle pain in my thumb/wrist area. Not the stiffness I have in my knees, but muscle weakness (as in it I couldn't grasp anything with my thumb and it had little tingling and sharp pains). While there, and after a few nights of waking up in pain, we bought a thumb/wrist support splint, and that helps some. But the support means you basically can't bend your thumb, which eliminates a lot of activities. After we returned home, I started taking some different vitamins (ones that are supposed to help joints). Today is only day three, but I've already noticed some difference. (Down side is I'm having headaches again, though that could be due to the change in weather.) The crazi

has it really been a month?

It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since I last blogged.  So what's been happening? My Mom had surgery, so we made a quick trip to AL to be there and help out. I had a unique opportunity to teach training classes for poll workers for the upcoming election. Worked an election...and I think I'm getting too old for a 20 hour work day. I'm just now starting to bounce back. Planned the kids quarterly activity at church. Got a new cell phone. Tried to organize the kids' Christmas program at church (and that one's on-going!) Have cut grass for the LAST time in 2014! :) Ended the garden (though still have some clean-up to do) Started picking up pecans Keeping up with women's Bible Study at church (first time I've succeeded and will finish the book on time!) Started my woefully behind Christmas shopping (not only am I usually a year-round shopper, but my family only gets one holiday together a year and we try to celebrate it all then.

sometimes we laugh; sometimes we cry

This is my last week of teaching classes for the upcoming election, and I must say I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Yesterday, I walked among some of the students during an exercise. Mind you, the class is 2/3 over. A fellow coordinator leaned over her table, took me by the hand, and told me she loved my new blouse. I was baffled, but said "thanks". I asked her how she knew it was new, and she said "You're still wearing your tags." Yes, in my haste that morning, I had grabbed a shirt from the closet I bought on clearance last year, ironed it, wore it, taught in it...and I was still wearing the tag.  We tore the tag off, and class went on. Last night, I was disheartened to read news reports out of Houston, TX. It still bothers me so much that I don't even want to post it here. But I will say this, America is not the same country I learned to love growing up. And it breaks my heart.

and WHO is footing this bill?

While we were in AL for Mom's surgery a few weeks ago, my sister shared that at the age of 14, children have to sign a waiver for their parents to stay in the room with them during the exam or to see their charts or receive health information on their child from the doctor. Yes, you read that correctly. At age FOURTEEN. As in, they are not legally old enough to drive. Most boys do not even have facial hair. They cannot work part-time at a fast food place. They cannot drop out of school. And yet, our country thinks they are old enough to make their own medical decisions, even though they cannot pay their own medical bills yet. I'm still aghast. On a slightly funnier note, my sister said on the way out of the office, my nephew wasn't slouching. His head was up high, his shoulders pulled back. And what was he so happy about? He didn't have to accept a shot if he didn't want one. To him, that's what making his own medical decisions was all about.  We all l

medical precautions

The last few years there have been several studies out about how American hospitals are not the safest places to be when you are sick. Quite a few people come out worse than when they went in to the hospital. While we've not had that happen, we have left a few times with a different problem than the one we went seeking treatment for. One of those problems, we learned the hard way, is quite common in hospitals and nursing homes. It's a bacterial infection called C-diff . It is often an extended result of antibiotics destroying bacteria in the body, including the good kind of bacteria your intestines need. C-diff is highly contagious, and if your body is missing those good bacteria, well you get it. The craziest part of C-diff is that nurses or doctors transport it from room to room. If a patient has it, anyone visiting is supposed to don a gown and gloves (in extreme cases a mask), and trash those supplies between the curtain and door while scrubbing hands before exiting the r

pumpkins

Pumpkins are EVERYWHERE. As are mums.  And I think they're beautiful. But I've not bought any. Not a one.  And I probably won't. A few years ago I did buy pumpkins, but I didn't have the heart to throw the insides away, so I made a ton of pumpkin sauce and pumpkin pies.  Okay, maybe not truly a ton, but it seemed like we ate pumpkin pie FOR-EV-ER.  And I can't bring myself to buy a pumpkin and then throw it out. Just when I think I've reasoned with myself enough to do it, I remember two things: Buster and Little Dog. Those dogs will eat or chew on anything. If they see me touch, their mouths or tongue must go to it. Tomatoes, pecans, apples, pears - they've eaten/sampled them all. I can't imagine the dogs treating a pumpkin any different. I've been amazed to see all the beautiful fall decorations at homes I've visited recently. Even my Mom had me pull out ceramic pumpkins for the table while I was at her house last week. I don't remember

overthinking

I'm one of those crazy people who sometime over-think things. Today was my first day of conducting a training session, and I went a little long (meaning we had to eliminate the last exercise) so tomorrow I need to watch time as I talk and not answer so many questions during exercise time. Sometimes during feedback (whether after a session or during the trial one) someone will review things for 5 minutes, and one phrase will stick with me the next few days as I ponder "What did they mean by that?"  Sometimes it's something totally innocuous; but I can't help but wonder if the speaker was implying I crossed a line or talk too much or if they were politely telling me to get my act together. Despite my self-absorption (Let's be honest - that kind of stuff is really nothing but selfishness and pride), I'm mostly enjoying this process. I was exceptionally nervous before we started today, but once we got going, it was awesome. I don't think I would want

lunar eclipse

Due to the dogs, we didn't drag out the telescope to look at the moon. Therefore my pictures are from my small camera (it has a better anti-movement/hand shake censor). I was amazed at how red this turned out. It certainly didn't look red with the naked eye, and only had a pinkish hue with the binoculars, but the camera captured it as looking quite red. At this point we moved over to my mother-in-law's house because the moon dropped behind the trees at our house (she's a little higher up on the hill). We could still see the moon here, even better through the binoculars, but my camera didn't capture it all. :(  And by the time the sun started coming up, it all but disappeared from view through everything. So we can now say we've watched the moon disappear.

quickly changing!

 The scene early Monday morning: And the scene Monday evening: The construction of South Garner High School has begun!

who needs cardio class?

As if my intense dislike of exercise wasn't enough to make me think gym classes were non-essential, I came up with another reason this week: I get enough cardio at home.  While it was only between 6-8" long, this little booger scared my heart rate into a high aerobic level this week when I stepped towards my car, and realized it was hanging out there in the garage...in my path. And of course, I was almost running late, wearing flip-flops, and yet I knew that thing had to be dealt with before I left. Thankfully there was some metal thing in the hall corner (left over from when they put the stove in years ago....so glad now it was still there!), so I grabbed it and started smushing.  And no, I didn't examine its head to see if it was diamond shaped (which means poisonous) or not until I was done. I DID know that it's little head was up in the air when I walked out and its tiny tongue was flickering like crazy. And these guys? Little Dog and Buster TOTALLY ign

speech class

I hated speech class in college. I'm not jesting. I actually H A T E D it. On the days new speech assignments were given, I felt as if a huge weight descended on my shoulders. When the morning my speech date rolled around, I would quickly head to the bathroom before class, sick with nerves. Only after the person after me had been called (meaning I was through with public corrections and critiques from the teacher and the dastardly deed demanding a grade was done) would that weight somewhat lift. This week, for the first time ever, I was grateful for that speech class and my teacher. Oh how I disliked him during my college days. It irked me that he was from my home state, and yet so callously picked apart every single word I said and how it was pronounced. I felt humiliated, as if I had temporarily crawled to the button hole of that proverbial pocket of ignorance one high school teacher told us we lived in, saw the world, showed them my crumb and dust-covered face, than slid back

slow, not quite steady

Fall is a whirlwind. It always is. And with some unexpected events, this fall seems a little busier than normal. Some events are positive. I was asked to teach some training classes for our county's Board of Elections. So far I'm enjoying the preparation process (though my real prep work begins this weekend), but the thought of being the official "trainer" is also a little intimidating. I don't feel old enough to be in this position. It seems unreal that I have worked as a poll official for more than 10 years, but I have. Other events are necessarily bad, just requiring an adjustment of our schedules. I'll be posting more about that in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how to finish up the yardwork while having very full days the rest of the week. I'm reminding myself of the mantra "little by little" as I tackle small projects in small time frames. And on days like today, I remind myself that I know what has been accomp

turning off my brain

This past Thursday night and Friday I joined a friend (Thursday my husband actually joined me) in Quilt Carolina . If you've never participated in a Shop Hop before, you basically have a set amount of time to visit a certain number of stores. There are prizes and coupons and discounts for the shoppers who are participating. I hadn't planned on buying fabric (famous last words) as I have way too many projects queued up and in progress to add to that growing pile. But in one store, they had a discount for that day, and there was a fabric there I've had my eye on for some time. If you're not a fabric lover, batiks are hand dyed fabrics, usually from Asia, and they have patterns and multiple colors in them. Think tie dye, but more professional and elegant looking. There's also a pattern designer named McKenna Ryan that I've admired for years. Her backgrounds use batiks, and there's one pattern set that has had my mind whirling on our pond and a quilt that i

the garden that wasn't to be

Every year at this time I tell myself "I am NOT having a garden next year."  and then spring comes with all its seed catalogs and advertisements and...I plant a garden. This year I even branched out a little and tried a few organic things I read about on pinterest...planting in small beds instead of rows and putting marigolds around the bed.  It looked beautiful, but it did NOTHING to keep the bugs away. Zilch. Worms, wasps, beetles, bugs I can't identify, and even a RABBIT  all enjoyed the efforts of my garden this summer.  But I must say, it was the prettiest garden I've ever had. :) Strangely, it seems I've spent the least amount of time in the garden this year, but I've also had the most productive garden of any I've ever planted. Unfortunately, I didn't plant a whole lot of anything, so there wasn't a whole to put up for the winter. But we have enjoyed this summer! As for the beds made out of pallets...mixed results. I followed the instr

political ads

This is only September, and I am ready to beat my head against a wall. I hate political ads. Most of them, both sides, slant the truth so bad it's not funny. They clearly play on emotions and hype and not fact. It's insane. Here's the standard line of what we've been seeing: Hi, my name is X (or Y) and I'm running for US Senate. My opponent hates education/poor people and only loves rich people. So support me for US Senate. Really?  Both candidates worked in the NC Senate. Both candidates voted for the same tax package (yeah, the same deal that limits the taxes on yachts to $150,000), although they served in the Senate at different times. That tax break really and truly has been around that long. And the accusation that one opponent doesn't care about poor people?  The one making the accusation grew up wealthy; the one being accused grew up poor.  Go figure. If I were queen of the world, and I'm thankful I'm not, I would require that political

a thankful Thursday

I am thankful... to live in America, where car parts and mechanics are available for friends who will drop everything and come assist when you're hot and sweaty and soaked through and ready to throw things for families, in all their uniqueness for a husband who is also my best friend for quilt shops (not every town has one within driving distance, you know) for my sewing machine.  That may sound trite to those who don't sew, but my husband could have balked at its price, and he didn't. for thunderstorms. I don't know why, but being inside while the thunder rolls and lightning lights up the darkened sky has always been a bit reassuring (unless the lightning gets too close to the house) for children...their honesty, their curiosity, their excitement for books, and a nation that doesn't censor what we read for Facebook. It's not the same as everyone being together for the holidays, but it's the next best thing to not hear football stuff 24/7 that

super cool dishes

Villeroy & Boch make some very interesting dish sets. From Germany, a lot of their settings are contemporary country designs.  Many of them have a rural feel, all of them are very cheerful and airy, and some of them have that European flair to them. I've looked at many sets from gift registeries, but not until this week have I seen a set from them that made me think "Oooh! I really like that! I could see us actually using that!" I don't think these pictures do the set justice. They yellow is not super bright, but it's not a pale yellow, either. And the flower patterns, diamond patterns, and ink sketched farm scenes are absolutely amazing. (Disclaimer: I'm not crazy about the plate with the horse rider, but the cows, sheep, and harvest scenes are absolutely incredible.)  And unlike my current fine China, they are dishwasher safe, something the sales clerk didn't mention to us when we picked our pattern out. And seeing as I grew up without a di

not for me

While shopping Monday (yeah, you can tell I've not been "out" in a while), I saw something that totally baffled me, but it also made my head turn - metal dishes in the high dollar section of Belks. The brand name is Wilton Armetale, and according to the website, it's an "alternative metal" that you can take from the fridge to the stove to the table. What caught my eye, not shown online or in this picture, was their egg platter.  I cannot even begin to fathom going to all the trouble of making deviled eggs, only to put them on a metal platter. I'd use a flat dish where the eggs slide around all over the place before I resorted to metal. I suppose for people who like the look of silver but hate polishing silver this would be a nice alternative. I imagine that people who are wanting the antique look would find this very fitting in their kitchen, as it does look quite cheap in real life. I don't know if it's dishwasher safe. I can think of seve

boots

I love boots.  Sadly, it's not an easy feat to find boots to fit my feet. Yesterday while out shopping, I saw some boots several aisles over that looked like they were sporting a very familiar logo. Then I mind corrected me - you now, the  "can't be; wrong state; you don't find that here" train of thought. So I quickly moved that direction, and sure enough, there were several SEC boots on a display table in ACC country. I immediately started laughing, called my husband over, and shocked him.  I then turned the boot over to find the price sticker, and the shock became mine. $399.00 Yep. You read that right. Four hundred mackeroos (plus some when you finish adding taxes) for cowgirl boots that have a school logo embroidered on them. That's just absolutely insane. And the even crazier part? I can think of two girls back home who would save up their money for them. I went to double check the prices this morning before I typed this, just in case my visi

family history

I've been looking through family history off and on for the last six months. It started with a gift subscription to ancestry.com for someone whom I thought would love it but hasn't used it at all. I've learned a lot. Had a lot of questions raised that I'm still hoping to get some answers for (but am reconciling myself to the fact that they may never be answered), and am learning some very interesting facts. So far I've found documented proof that 2 people fought in the Civil War for the CSA, and their father refused to support them in any way, housed Union troops and won a small settlement (though only 1/5 of what he asked for) from the Federal Government for all the crops the troops supposedly confiscated. I'm still sorting through the papers and trying to read the blurry print. I've not had time to verify other stories of ancestors who fought, and am finding it is necessary to verify things others have researched.  For example, there were 20 Nathaniel Guyt

gearing up

Monday was an epic off-and-on battle with the "ME-Monster" as our pastor calls it, today has been good, but I've also been trying to focus as and prioritize as the craziness of our week approaches. I think I shocked some people tonight by not attending the visitation for the high school senior at WCA, but I'm thankful I have a very understanding and supportive husband. I do plan to attend the funeral tomorrow, but I knew tonight would be absolutely packed, and as I knew neither the girl or the parents (Bobby taught both her parents) I felt like my time would be better spend playing catch up on the endless stream of things I'm behind on around the house.  And when our new neighbor from Michigan stopped Bobby at the mail box this afternoon to let him know his wife died yesterday (diagnosed with cancer last fall), I was glad I had already made that decision. We knew there had been a lot more cars than normal the last few days, and he said they had called hospice in

one more set

Finally recharged the battery in my small camera, and there was a set of pictures from our last trip that I had forgotten about. I don't remember what town this is, but I do know it's in Pennsylvania. We were taking a slight detour for a quilt shop, and as we passed the local Department of Transportation, this is what we saw:  Not that I've traveled the US a lot, but I think this ranks as one of the most creative fences I've ever seen!  Excuse the reflection of my directions on the dashboard. Don't you just love those balloons?  And this flower garden...no watering required!

hoop jumping

I am very blessed and fortunate to live in America where we have adequate healthcare, medical supplies, insurance, working telephones and efficient electricity service.  Sometimes I take that for granted. Today was one of those days that happen for those who live with medical needs. A medical supply company we've worked with for many years informs us as we go to order supplies that they no longer have a contract with our insurance company. So we spend almost two hours on the phone and on the internet talking to administrators and sales associates and researching options and information, trying to find a place we can order supplies necessary for living with a disability that insurance will also cover a vast portion of the cost. And I'm grateful. We've talked with four very nice and helpful ladies and within two hours had a semi-new to us company to work with, an order placed and we never even left home to do it. I remember students overseas spending half-a-day waiting to

my inner liberal child

I'm very conservative in many things.  I have a lot of ultra-conservative friends. But the older I get, I find my eyebrows wrinkling and my inner child saying "Huh?" when I hear/read comments on current events. For instance: "the President is on vacation when..." My uber conservative friends who show nothing but disdain and disrespect for our current President were complaining on social media yesterday how the President, even though he gave a press conference and met with his aides, was on vacation after the beheading of an American journalist. I'm really not sure what they expected him to do. He's already made a decision on what our country's position will be (airstrikes and weapons deals only), has talked with the family, is getting briefed daily (at least), and received multiple phone calls from allies all over the world about the situation. We're already bombing and will continue to do so. I'm not sure what more canceling the family

kicking and screaming

As the back to school sales wind down around here and folks back home start school this week and the homeschoolers from church are either now in a routine are prepping to start back (even if the kids didn't tell me when their schools started, I think I could figure it out by the disappearance of Moms on Facebook), I find myself wanting to dig my heels in and kick and scream for this year to slow down. I wasn't ready for July to end, and now we're almost to September. I'm not ready for fall activities yet! I'm also not ready for the reality that all these projects I was going to complete this year must now be done in three months if they're going to be finished. I had a temporary job offer come my way recently. I filled out the application, and after I hit send, pondered whether or not I made the correct decision. I received an e-mail this weekend that I've made it through the first round with instructions on what I need to do for the next step.  So sometim

Niagara Falls, NY

Several years ago Bobby made out a "bucket list" of places he wanted to visit. I dutifully wrote them down, and within a year I had lost the list.  Yeah, I'm such a good wife. He does remember most of the places on his list, and since most of them are local (as in the state of NC or within a day's drive of NC), we've been trying to visit at least one year. North Carolina is participating in "Row by Row" this year, which is a HUGE but different type of quilt shop hop. Basically, you go along to see what stores are participating in the state, and if you're visiting that area during the summer, you can go to the store and get a free pattern. The first person from each state to complete 8 rows and use them in a finished quilt wins a grand prize, and the first person to return to a shop with a completed quilt that uses that store's pattern wins a small store prize. While browsing through the states and their Facebook pages, I realized there were TWO

home

Tuesday morning we began a journey to Niagara Falls, NY...one of the places I've always wanted to visit. We've not quite been home two hours, and I still have a lot to do, so I will just say this: it was worth it, both the drive and views. :) Pics and thoughts to come later.

electronic files

Today at Bobby's dr's appt we got to go through the process again of verifying/updating his electronic chart. We were starting to get a little concerned they had confused him with one of the other 4 Robert Bryan's charts, even though they had his birthdate and part of his medicine list, as they had him listed as allergic to a medicine he's never taken, and they also listed him as being admitted to the hospital with "back pain".  We laughed and told the dr that was the year of his major surgery for bladder cancer. The doctor insisted it was back pain and I just laughed and asked "How can we go to the hospital for back pain when he has no feeling in that part of his body?" At that point I think the doctor realized why were so flabbergasted and omitted the entry. And I was reminded again of how telling a doctor/nurse that Bobby is a quadriplegic doesn't always register in their brain. I sometimes wonder if they see him semi-motioning with his arms

whirlwind

Today as friends from all over are posting Facebook messages about back to school shopping, starting teacher-in-service, and homeschooling preparations/startings, for the first time ever I'm in a bit of my own whirlwind. Usually this time of year is a little hard, as my life is still slowly puttering at it's normal pace, only my friends' lives suddenly take on this somewhat temporary insanity, meaning my people contacts decrease considerably. Not complaining; just stating a fact. But this year is different. We left for our trip last week with several chores/jobs I needed to do still undone. So I'm playing catch-up in addition to the many things I have coming up in the next few weeks. Add to that the normal unexpected things of life (a funeral, a dead chicken and a dog in time out, a chicken that hung itself by its toe in the pen's overhead hawk prevention netting - which is recovering quite well, I think) and life gets even crazier. And I'm reminded a little

conjoined at the eye

I was quite surprised while shelling to find two peas didn't separate.  Turns out their eyes were connected! I don't think I've ever seen this before!

Woodrow Wilson Library and Frontier Farm Museum

Prior to last week's vacation, I had never visited a presidential library. I was expecting a museum, but also, well, a library. I knew you wouldn't be able to check books out or anything like that, but I did expect to be able to read or view copies of the President's writings. Turns out, it's just a museum. Perhaps his writings are stored there, but we only saw one example of them. One very cool story we did learn, though, was that Wilson was homeschooled by his father, who was an Episcopalian pastor. Many people advised him to give up on Woodrow, then called Tommy (his first name is Thomas), as he didn't master his alphabet until the age of 9.  He wasn't really reading until the age of 11 or 12. And yet, he later learned to read in other languages as well. Scholars today tend to think he might have been dyslexic. Whatever his learning disability was, writing was difficult for him. He taught himself how to write in shorthand, and found it much easier. All of h

last week

For our anniversary last week, we headed towards the Shanandoah Valley in Virginia. It was awesome. In many ways it reminded me of Tennessee (the steep hills and pastures), and the huge houses in the valley areas reminded me of the houses in Washington DC and Richmond, VA. There were quite a few mansions and plantation style houses, but in the smaller outlying areas, there were also small farmhouses on vast pastures and farmland. As far as small towns go, Staunton and Culpeper are two places I would gladly spend two days in checking out. As Bobby said, our half a day at each place barely scratched the surfaces. Well, we actually spent almost a whole day in Staunton, but still, we could have spent much more time there. But my favorite pictures from the trip come from our one hour on Skyline Drive (the same road as the Blueridge Parkway, only you have to pay to get on it). and this is the second deer from the ride out...his antlers look so fuzzy! Sadly, there'