immortalized

39 Things update

updated 12/31/09

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom & me - Damascus, VA - August, 2007

Today I would like to wish my mother a very Happy Birthday! Today is definitely a day to celebrate! What better way to start my day than with a phone call from Mom at 7:30 this morning. I thought something was wrong, Mom is never up that early. Nope, everything was fine. Maybe she was just excited because it was her birthday? She thought I would be up that early because it was my daughter's first day of school. Silly, silly mother. My child is 15 years old and gets up at 6:00 to leave the house by 6:55. Yeah, um, I was definitely still sleeping when she called. However it was great to catch up with her since I just got back from our trip to Philadelphia.

What can I say about my mother? Do you have a couple of hours? No? Ok, then I'll give you the Readers Digest version. My mother is amazing. She always has been, but as any adult child will tell you, one doesn't really begin to fully appreciate their parents until they are adults (or parents) themselves.

My mom knows me better than anyone. I can go to her with anything on my mind or in my heart and she will always tell me truth, always put it in perspective, always delight in my stories, always share adventures with me, always cut me off mid-conversation if I am whining too much. She will always pray for me and with me. She will always give me her point of view and has NEVER butted in with criticism, or been pushy, or tried to tell me how to live my life.

She is wonderful to my husband. He is so blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law, not every guy can say that. He loves her lots even if he teases her all the time. She loves, loves, loves her grandchildren and showers them with her love and kisses.

It seems as if she knows just the right time to give us a push, and just the right time to pull back. Several years ago I must have been whining a lot or been unhappy with life, because she showed up at my house one day with a little window suncatcher (Mary Engelbreit, I think). "Isn't it so cute"? she asked. On the top of it were the words "Snap out of it". So subtle. I didn't even get it at the time, but that's mom gently nudging without coming on too strong.

She is a wonderful wife to my Dad. He's a lucky guy too. And I know he loves and appreciates her as much, if not more, than I do. She is the mother of 7. She has wonderful relationships with all of us and is always there when we need her. She has selflessly taken care of a sibling that has needed extra help in life, and for all she's done for and with him, I consider her a Saint.

She touches everyone that is blessed enough to have her in their life. I've never known anyone with as many friends as her. I've even had a couple of girlfriends that want Mom to be their freind too. "Your mom is so nice & sweet". I've heard that my entire life and it is so very, very true.

I love you Mom. You are my mother, my dearest friend, and I treasure you with all of my heart.

Happy Birthday!

Love,
Stephanie

Yo Adrienne!

Well, I have been busy this week. Amish country last weekend (FYI - Never go to Amish country on a Sunday. It is the "Lord's Day" and everything, I mean EVERYTHING is closed), working all week, and now after I get home from work tonight I have to rush to do load of laundry and pack for hubby and I. The 2 of us along with Lizzie are heading to the City of Brotherly Love. Which I guess is appropriate since we will be visiting hubby's brother and his family. I will try not to get in the way of all of the brotherly love that will be flying everywhere. At least if the city lives up to its moniker.

So I will be gone for a long weekend. I'll be back on Tuesday. So please my faithful 4 (or 5) don't miss me too much. I really won't be gone much longer that my self-imposed exile of last weekend. At least this time my absence is for a good reason and not just because I am kooky.

I am just rambling on and on avoiding the 3 baskets of laundry that are awaiting me and the ironing board (wait till I get my hands on the someone that turned off the wrinkle control on the dryer).

I am now off for Philadelphia where I will try to cross off the more obvious items on my "39 Before 40" list. Later.

39 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40.

I have less than a month....yikes!

Thank you to Michelle My Belle for inspiring me to create my list. I might not get it all done by Sept.15, but it's a great way to get those goals on paper.

Hobbits always return to the Shire, as do I. (a.k.a. Getting to know me & my mood swings).

I'm baaa-aaack! Yeah, for those of you that know me, you are probably not surprised. When I wrote my post on Saturday I was going through one of my little funks & well, I guess it wasn't so little. Lucky for me, my mama came to the rescue and helped me swim to the surface and climb out of my funk. If you want to know how Super Mama managed that feat you can read about it at my other blog. You know, the shiny happy blog.

Two more reasons that I am back are 2 of the reasons why I said goodbye just four short days ago: my hubby & my mama. Hubby said, "Please don't give up your blog. You write so well". Mama said, "I won't let you quit your blog. You aren't even 40 yet. It's called Ready, Set, 40! for a reason, so you must blog at least till then". So between his flattery and her scolding here I sit posting away.

I know my count-on-one-hand readers are simply ecstatic!

So speaking of 40, I am off to compose a list of 39 things to do before I turn 40, which is coincidentally exactly one month from when I grew pointy ears and big feet, and made like a hobbit and vanished.

I'm out like a hobbit.

Much to the chagrin of my family I have been in a quiet mood lately. By quiet I mean moody, contemplative, and restless. Not my usual self. I find myself wanting to journal about all of these thoughts and feeling rambling around in my head. However, I find myself holding back. Why hold back? Well, my journal of choice these days is the lovely blog. This is ideally where I can spill my thoughts, share my ideas, and just let it all hang out.

So what's the problem? Well the problem is that I have 3 regular readers (that I know of). Sure I get comments from random strangers and an especially nice "Amanda" that I have never met. But basically my faithfuls consist of a) a co-worker - and there's that whole pesky work vs. personal life thing to hold me back, and b) my husband & mother - I mean can you really just let it all flow knowing that they are reading your every thought? Not at the risk of offending one of them, or hurting someone's feelings, or getting questioned on your feelings, or teased for a goofy comment. I really just want a place to let all the shit hang out. I suppose ideally that would be with paper & pen under lock and key. But my hand doesn't flow as fast as my mixed up mind, and the typing comes more natural to me. So what to do, what to do?

I can't honestly say I'll be back at Ready, Set, 40 for awhile. If you are really craving my blogness, you'll just have to visit my shiny, happy blog. The one where I go on & on about my home, and love of decorating, and fun field trips, and don't blather on and on about things that make no sense and are just rumblings of my soul.

These things will remain in my head, or in my heart, and I will sort them out through thought and contemplation rather than through keyboard & blog.

And in the words of the endearing Bilbo Baggins, "I regret to announce, this is the end. I'm going now - I bid you all a very fond farewell".

summertime, summertime, wherefore art thou summertime?

For 9 months out of the year I yearn for summertime. I can't wait until the flowers bloom, the sun comes out for more than 11 days per month, the temperature climbs above 65, and I don't have to wear long sleeves. So when summer arrived this year I was determined that this summer would be amazing. I would do so many things, enjoy the outdoors, see new places, experience new experiences. Well I guess I forgot about work, being a chauffeur, cleaning, errands, & general mundane yuckiness.

On August 1st I heard so many complaints from others lamenting the fact that summer was over. "Over?", I gasped, "You're crazy! We still have another full month!". Well here I am on August 13th, and my month is half over. The month when the hot weather would finally arrive. The month when I would do all of those things that I had been waiting all summer to do. Yeah, OK? I finally give up, summer has passed me by. I have been in the Metroparks approximately 3 times this summer, I could probably count on one had the number of walks I took in my neighborhood (unless you count the daily 30 min. treadmill walk). How did this happen? How is it gone? How will I survive the crap Ohio weather from September through May? I feel a baaaad winter coming on. And by bad, I mean "momma-done-lost-her-mind" bad.

I guess I will try to make the most of my August. My goal between now and the big 4-0 (which is right about the time of Sept. when crap weather will settle in) is to do at least 3 summer-inspired things per week. Starting with tomorrow's drive to Amish Country with my parents to enjoy the antique flea market. That'll be 1 thing this week, 2 more to go by Sunday. Wish me luck, for the sake of my sanity, please wish me luck.

Happiness is...

19 years...wow...hard to believe. We were so young then - you & me & baby makes three. These years have been so wonderful to me. It's hard to imagine, and it sounds cliche, but I truly do love you more now than I ever have. You are the most kind, generous, loving, supportive, loyal man I know. Your love for me seems endless. You know how I can be (and I'll just leave it at that), but no matter what, I always feel nothing but unconditional love from you. You put up with my occasional tantrums & my mood swings as if you'd been living with me half your life. Oh wait - we have been together half our lives! Oh my gosh, half our lives. And I am ever so grateful for all of the days we have yet to come.

Thank you for cooking dinners for me, for being my mr. fix-it, for being such a patient, wonderful father to our children. When I am sad, you are there. When I am mad, you make me smile. When my back is acting up, you reach over in your sound asleep to rub it for me. You are patient, ever so patient. Please don't give up on me, I am getting there. With you I feel loved, I feel safe & secure, and I feel happy. You are my best friend, & OMG how you make me laugh.

You are my everything in my every day. You are my sunshine that warms me, and heals me, and brightens my day. I couldn't live without you & I am so blessed, and lucky, and ecstatic that you are mine!

I love you baby with everything in me. From my toes to my head to the depths of my soul.

Happy Anniversary.
I. LOVE. YOU.

Road Trip!

I'm hitting the open roads of Ohio this Friday. My bestie Denise & I are road trippin to the 127 Corridor. U.S. Rte. 127 is host to the World's Longest Yard Sale!

4 days long.

Over 600 miles.

Across 4 states.

Endless miles of yard sales & fun!

We are just doing this on Friday, so we won't even make it out of Ohio, but the sale does cut through Kentucky, Tennessee, & into Alabama. How fun is that?
I'm really looking forward to some "girl time" with Denise and riding the country roads of Ohio. I love to see all of the quaint little farm towns & the beautiful Ohio scenery. Not to mention that I am a Yard Sale fanatic!!

Wish us luck & hopefully we won't get too tempted to stop at a country inn and continue on down 127 on Saturday as well.