Diversity

Today I had off from work (day after Christmas 2011) so I decided to take a much needed walk around my neighborhood in attempts to work off some of this heavy Christmas food. haha So as I was walking around looking at all the different types of houses I thought to myself wow..there are so many different types of people who live in this area...there are conservative, funky liberals, artistic and war hero houses in this area. One house will have a bunch of junk (tables, mattress, dead plant and blanket) in the front yard and then right next to that one there will be a "conservative" looking colonial house with pale yellow siding and stark white columns on the front porch. I tend to like looking at the cleaned up cute "so called perfect" houses more than the junky yard ones with their dead plants and junk. I like to think about what the people in the house are like too. I know my neighbors are very nice, yet the woman has about 3 teeth total and lives with her brother who is somewhat slow. They are on social security or disability or something and she likes to gossip about all the neighbors due to lack of anything else to do. She told me one day, "You sure do run to and from a lot dont ya!?!??" I said ummm yep! hahha I guess I dont know any other way really. I'd like to slow down though and be able to take long walks like I did today. Love my little diverse neighborhood (good and bad) and feel somewhat safe.....there is a cop that lives down the street! hahha and I do have my weapons in here just in case. Maybe someday I'll own a house but for now renting is just fine for me. You know....I heard a song the other day that said you can't buy a house in heaven, which is true so why buy right now!? :)

Christmas was fabulous this year. Christmas Eve I spent with Mom, Michael and Brooke at her place and we had a nice breakfast brunch with biscuits and fruit and egg souflee! Got lots of great things and I enjoyed giving my gifts out to them. Michael got cologne, mom got a gcert to get her hair "did" and Brooke got candy and a candle. We had a lot of laughs and at the table we each said what we loved about Christmas. Yesterday I went to my uncle Ken's house and then over to my Dad and Steph's...it was very nice and fun as well. :) My favorite gift this year is the Brookstone pillow my mom got me!!!!! I never thought I'd actually get that, it was going to be a gift to me from me in January when I got some $. She really surprised me! Thank you Jesus for blessing me with such loving family and friends, I can't get over how much I have and have been given. :) So very happy and will continue to try to do His work throughout my life.

To be continued........

Cars and SUV's

Ok so I "traded" my cute lil Honda Civic for a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport a few weeks ago. I bought my Civic brand new in 2003 as a graduation present to myself despite what my parents may have thought at the time (they were none too happy with my extravagant purchase). Hell, I dont need anyone to give me cars, I just buy them for myself! haha They should be happy. Nonetheless, that lil Honda served me VERY VERY well over the years until recently I decided I wanted a small SUV just for kicks. I put an ad on Craigslist thinking no one would truly want to actually TRADE for my sedan. Well....wonders to wonders...some college girl emailed me and we made it happen! She had just purchased the Ford used and needed a sedan that was more gas efficient for her commute. We just traded titles, simple as that. I must admit though...I was and still am a bit sad that I let my cute maroon 03 Honda Civic LX go. That car was me, I practically lived in it! I drove it back and forth between Richmond and Charlotte many many times and it was just a great trustworthy car! I do miss it but my new SUV ROCKS my socks off. It is so much fun to drive and makes me feel bigger on the road and its just FUN! Now.....the downside of course, you guessed it....the gas is expensive and it seems I do need to fill er up much more often these days. My commute to work is literally 5 minutes from my house so the gas situation is not that big of a deal really. I have to drive to Pennsylvania for a friend's wedding soon and I'm dreading the gas bill for that trip so we shall see how much that hurts the purse!

Isnt it cute though!??!?

Now I'm beyond the Late 20's....

Ok, so I have to admit I was absolutely TERRIFIED of turning the BIG 3-0 this month. I had been dreading it since the new year and got pretty anxious up until the actual date....APRIL 7, 2011. Now that it's come and gone I can breathe more freely. I've decided this is the year to get fit, get my shit in gear and really LIVE LIFE. I've been living just fine up until this point but just recently I realized I need to get out there. I need to plan trips and get into crafts and take classes and maybe just maybe I'll learn something else about myself along the way. I'm embracing my 30's and not looking back bc really arent the 20's about dating loser guys and drinking mostly anyways?

11 lbs down and many more to go. I'm proud of myself.

Crocheting Fun!

So my coworker/friend Anna taught me how to crochet a couple weeks ago and I'm now officially addicted! I find myself in a trance almost when I'm working away on the little yellow baby blanket and find it very calming. I've always been in awe of those crafty people who can make jewelry, knit, crochet, needlepoint and mold clay pots...I've never really been the arts and crafts type of girl but it does intrigue me. I wish I was more artsy-those people are very laid back cool...the effortless kind of cool ya know? At first this whole crochet business was a bit hard I must admit but with patience Anna was able to teach me how to single crochet and then work into the basic stitches. I have this "beginner" book and really I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to do the pretty flower loopy or zig zag stitches but this regular stitch is already pretty so I'll stick with that for a while. My great grandmother, Bee Bee, was an avid crocheter who made blankets for our entire family. She even crocheted nativity sets one time! I love my pink, white and navy blue blanket she made for me years ago. Bee Bee is in Heaven now with all the rest of our loved ones and the Lord, and it brings me great comfort to be able to wrap myself up in her love each winter. I hope to be able to make something so beautiful one day to give to my friends and family. It may seem a lil crazy but I am making this soft yellow baby blanket for my future child...he or she will like it I think. One day. No, I'm not pregnant...dont freak out. It's cool...there's a long road to travel before that happens, but in the future I hope to be. Next on the agenda-a red blanket for Bella to use in her bed!! :)