Like the new look?

I'm not a real frilly kind of gal.  (Shocking, I know.)  Actually, to those who don't know me very well, that might be surprising considering I grew up in the land of big hair, painted fingernails, and sweet tea.  In the south, ladies are ladies, after all.  Anyway, in preparation of Valentine's Day, I decided to shirk my tomboy tendencies and give the blog a little "girl time". ;)  So, how do you like the pink?  Eh, it's not really my favorite color but I like the simple daintiness it brings.  Something new and fresh, in my opinion.  I hope you enjoy it while it lasts!  I'm liable to change it again right after the anticipated 14th! :)

Happy 31st, Bro!

Today is my brother's 31st birthday.  It's still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that he is no longer with us.  How can that possibly be so??  But I don't want to talk about his death today.  We can save that for another time.  On this date, January 28th, I want to talk about his life.  I choose to remember happy memories shared with him.  So today I'll share a story...

Whirlwind Wedding Weekend: Part 1-The Arrival

This past weekend was quite a whirlwind.  Sadie and I left around 5:30 a.m. on Friday to begin our nine hour trek to Atlanta.  We would only be gone for a couple of days, but naturally we packed for more like a month.  First of all, traveling with a 3 year old by yourself for over 500 miles sort of necessitates having 1) plenty of snacks and 2) enough entertainment to keep the native from getting restless (toys, books, crayons, etc.).  Then, crossing 4 states usually involves changes in weather patterns which require packing for various elements...rain, sun, wind, etc.  Those things alone can result in an overly packed suitcase but I think I can safely say for most of us women out there that when planning to attend a wedding or other formal occasion, we can easily empty a closet trying to decide what to wear and then either only be able to narrow the choices to a "select few" or declare that we have absolutely nothing for the occasion and we must go shopping for something appropriate.  As for me, I packed my "select few" and planned a fashion show with my friend later to help me with the final decision. :)

Behind Every Raincloud...

*Disclaimer:  I did it again...I wrote a novel.  Sorry.  ;)

I have always considered myself to be an optimistic person.  Unfortunately, I have not had a very good attitude lately.  Stress is catching up with me, I guess, but that's really not a very good excuse.  A wise man once said, "I find that most of the things I end up complaining about are actually blessings."  That's been true for me recently.  It's also true what "they" say..."If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  Are you glad to see that I haven't lost my sense of humor? ;)  I'm trying to make a conscious effort to be more thankful and to notice just how blessed I truly am.  So, here's the scoop for those who are interested...