Friendships

I have been sick this week so my apologies for the lack of post.  I did have a little surge of fever induced inspiration so I did a little playing on the Picnik and here are the fruits of the labor.
Just a few photos of the people I don't see enough, but can't live without.

And to the girls I see whenever I need to but never want to be found taking them for granted...

Happy Birthday Sherrie Lee!!!

Dearest darling, oldest friend you are in fact getting quite old. I can say this as I am, and always will be 2 months and 13 days older than you. :)

We have had quite the adventure you and I, from 11 year old girls to 28 year old women.
From the old days shooting looks at each other across the church sanctuary that could speak volumes to these modern times when we text a novel across town during church.
We have gone from me watching you play in the band at high school football games to driving to Cola for Gamecock football.
We have stood on the sidelines through one another’s most joyous moments and also stood to bear witness to the saddest times.
We can quote deleted scenes from Juno and dance to Sandstorm.
You are in fact my opposite on so many things and yet you are always equal to the task of being there for me.
We have shared many years of friendship, a few years of geographical separation, many pepperoni and mushroom pizzas, and even a car. (Maxie sends her regards.)
Dearest, I wish for you many more birthdays because in the words of the great Winnie the Pooh if you live to be 100, I want to live to be 100 minus one day (or in my case minus 2 months and 14 days) so that I never have to live a day without you.
Thanks for everything and everything to come!

FRUSTRATION!!!!!!!!!!

OK, so...
Sherrie and I have tickets to go see Wicked tomorrow night in Greenville at the Peace Center.  Getting these tickets was a an amazing feat back in OCTOBER!  Totally involving Blackberry's on a church bus and people trying to help us on computers.
Fast forward and after months of anticipation and the fact that we deserve to see it because we actually read the book as opposed to people who just jumped on the bandwagon and never learned to speak any of the native languages of Oz, now the are calling for SNOW!  Not just a little but a lot of snow and ice and ick!  I am flipping out about this!
To add to the ick factor, my family all has some nasty stomach virus with what appears to be a 2 day incubation period, so I may end up dog sick at any moment in spite of my best efforts of Cloroxing everything stationary.
Stay tuned for updates but for now the excellent Wicked weekend looks to be in grave danger. BOOOO!

A here comes the Sun(day)! and adventures at the Lemon

Tomorrow is Sunday and that means the end of the long sad week.  Praise the Lord for seeing me through this one.
Miss Maxie Lou is doing much better now after a visit to Clyde Johnson.  Clyde is a friend of Robin's from his hunt club and honestly I should have just taken it to him to start with, but lessons learned.  One radiator and water pump later and she is no longer running anti freeze like a river glorious.  Happy Snappy!
Yesterday was Shirley's funeral.  It brought so many people together.  So many people loved her so very much.  There is a bit of trepidation on my part as I know that woman prayed for me for years and the idea of walking through life without those prayers is a little scary.  She was closer to God than any person I have ever known and when she prayed for you, you knew God was listening.

On my way home today I stopped by the church and walked out to her grave.  I get the feeling I am going to have to do that for a little while to make me believe that she is really gone.  Standing looking at the mound of flowers covering the ground it still felt as if I could walk across the street knock on her front door and talk for hours.  Sinking in is going to take some time.

I promise my lighter more ridiculous post will be back next week, but I needed one more day of public mourning for my dear friend.  As a prelude to insanity here is a picture from The Lemon with Sherrie.  We went after the visitation and...She

thinks that mild is greater than hot...she's WORNG!!!!  HOT is where it's at!

Further more, on a philisophical note, why does one buld a 6/8s of a wall and call one side smoking and one side non?  The smoke rises...and falls on our heads and we aren't amused.  We do not care that you want to plant flowers in the middle of your wall.  We want a full wall, or Sherrie' suggest you put the other 2/8on the floor instead of the ceiling but I think that would lead to cross smoker footsie games...very scandalous!
Keep your cancer to yourself and build a real wall!...and eat HOT salsa!  (unless you are Robin or Sherrie and then I love you anyway :)

2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010 and we rang it in BIG!!
I went out with Sherrie, Erica, Adam, Heather and David and we had a blast.  By the way I totally recommend the Black and Blue at City Range.  It was fantastic!

Saturday Amy & Trey and Ashley & Jen came to town and we went and ate lunch at the Beacon and recalled all the great times we spent their as kids with the grandparents.  The grease is thick enough to clog your pores when you walk in the door, but oh man there is nothing like a fried ham and cheese a-plenty!  I sort of think you have to be from Spartanburg to understand the romance of this place, either that or really love you some grease. 
After lunch and ice cream from the most depressed hateful ice cream server in the world, we took the $.25 tour of the city of sparkles and drove by Cleveland Park, the Carolina Panther's training camp and our grandparents old home on Alamo.


All in all it was a great start to what feels like it going to be an incredible year.  There is something in the air that feels positive and like something amazing is beginning.  It will be a big year for sure as there are many things on the horizon to look forward to, but more on that when the time comes!!

Love to all who have been and all that will be in this year we call 2010!

Goodbye "09 and all your "Huge Times"

Well that was the mantra, "Huge Time in '09."  Did I live up to it?  Who knows, but I do know I have loved much and been loved more than I could have been asked for.  I have come together and fell apart in so many areas of my life, but sitting here at my desk drinking my super strong cup of hot organic peppermint tea I think I actually lived under the radar this year.  I kept waiting for something big and I missed alot of little, which is not very me. 
But the truth is...
I bought and paid for my first car that I actually bought myself.
I said goodbye to Blanche, the greatest gift I ever recieved.
I bought what might be the last of my host of bridesmaids' dresses.
I saw two of my best friends get married to wonderful men.
I saw two Carolina Gamecock football games with the greatest girl in the world.
I met an awesome girl named Sarah and then watched her move away to an amazing job in DC.
I made a bazillion scarves for the people I love.
I watched the person who is suppose to love me the most desert me.
I loved someone so much it hurt.
I watched my dear friend lose her dearest friend and sister.
I got back a sister I had lost years ago and with her the most amazing kids in the world.
I spent a year without laying eyes on one Wild Woman.
I used up 90% of my alloted cell phone minutes talking to Wild Women.
I dressed up as Marilyn Monroe.
I realized I have the best cousins in the world (even the dorks who pull for Clemson.)
I bought a Clemson tie (yes, this was big)
I bought two Gamecock boas (best money ever spent)
I did the Macarena with the best church family in the world.
I went to see the Wild Things with my little sister.
I saw the best guy I know move away to Baltimore and leave me with a bunch of Grandmas.
I sang second soprano (badly)
I cried in the rain.
I danced in the rain.

All in all not a blow out year but certainly not a bust.  Thanks for the memories 2009.
Cheers!  and let's live it up in 2010!!!!

Football Season!!!

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I chose to go the University of North Carolina at Asheville for college, but how I ended up at a college with no football team is still beyond me. It's fall and fall means Gamecock football!

There is nothing like screaming your lungs off during the last two minutes of a game hoping that your team will come back for a win. And in those events when you lose, it's still a great time. I love the camaraderie of those who pull for the same team. The mutual love for black and garnet and the fact that complete strangers become friends for the day.

Next Saturday Sherrie and I are going to Columbia for the game and I can't wait! It has been years since I went to Williams Brice for a live game and I can't help but recall being a very little girl about 3 or 4 and standing in front of the elevators and seeing Cocky come out of them. I have to admit that the prospect of seeing Cocky still excites me as much now as it did then.

Here's to a new season that has started off pretty promising and to enjoying it with friends old and new!

For Sherrie

Sherrie says I need a new blog, and I can't exactly argue with that so here goes.

The winter is for all intents and purposes gone here in South Carolina. I spent my day laying out in the sun hoping that I might escape the Casper syndrome that my legs had succumbed to. Of course, I and my lily self am still lily with fabulous tomato red knees that should look lovely peeking out from my Sunday church attire in the morning.
The winter wasn't exactly long, but eventful. A new car, old friend and family reentered my life and of course a few left this life forever. Most recently and fresh to the heart, my Momma Dorcas. I haven't even come to terms with knowing I will never have her kiss my cheeks or give me one of those amazing bear hugs again. This like all seasons has been life changing. We never face two seasons as the same person. The events of one always change how you enter the next, but this time it's a little different. This winter was unassuming really. Nothing really knocked the wind out of me or made me elated beyond all reason, but all the little pieces together are huge.
Here's hoping that all of this has changed me for the better, made me stronger and that I will live out this spring and enter the summer a woman much more equipped for life. I have lost much, but I have loved more and I have been loved more than anyone could ever imagine. It's still a very good life.

Sex education at Walgreens...

I stopped in at the drugstore yesterday to purchase some Junior Mints and Twizzlers to smuggle into the movie theater. Sherrie thinks I am genius because I smuggle movie theater boxes of candy into the theater. I suppose I am just that cool.
Anyway, in my wanderings at the Walgreens I noticed something new and slightly humorous. On the same aisle in consecutive order are condoms, pregnancy test, diapers and baby toys. How had I missed this? Someone in the marketing department for Walgreens has the most fabulous sense of humor. Here is your birth control, and if you think it didn't work, here's your test. Positive? No problem, we have the supplies to take care of you for the next couple of years. Amazing! All this to wonder, is this a subtle statement to teenagers? Are they trying to send sublemenal messages to the youth of America by making you look at diapers while buying condoms? Sneaky enough, but I personally just got a really good laugh while buying bootleg movie candy.

Goodbye 2008

I can't get my head wrapped around a year end review so here are a few memories worth revisiting.