I have officially been to the "South"!

It's always fun to travel to new places, take in your surroundings,

marvel at tree houses not quite built to spec.

Welcome to Alabama and Georgia Colleen!

How was it? I had a blast~ I didn't have to see the bigger attractions/cities to enjoy myself.

If you look around you, there is always something to be fascinated about.

My favorite shake your head in amazement/can't look away/ are we coming up on it yet? was, yep, the "tree house".

Oh My. I know you love us all Lord, but where were these people when you were handing out common sense?

"Ima gonna cut that tree down in the front yard. You know, the one up aginst the driveway? Then I am gonna paint it white with blue and pink polka dots, make it purty. Then Ima gonna put a piece of plywood ( I'm sure it's waterproof) ontopa it. Hand me that little tykes doll house, will ya? Up she goes! Tah Dah! Oh, hold up, I need a ladder for the stairs. There. Good to go."

True story folks. I found myself looking for it every time we drove by,kinda like an accident.

You don't want to look, you just have to.

Secretly, I wanted to see kids climbing up the ladder....

Now I have been in military installations for the first 18 years of my life and I have never seen one as big as Fort Benning. It was pretty cool. I especially loved the military museum that is there.

Danny was telling me there was an IMax theatre inside of it...I thought he was trying to see if I would believe that. He was right. ( he was right a lot of this trip....hate that) And a restaurant upstairs. But I loved how they showcased the wars with memorabilia from those times. In the center of it, in glass room,( this place was huge) they showcased medal of honor recipients.

Yeah, I read every placard inside that glass walk in display. I found it very moving to read of the heroics and sacrifices these men made. Made me cry. But, history with details ( mens names make it personal to me, I don't know why) always puts me "there", and the tears always follow.

(I don't think my face was ever dry when I was in Normandy ,France , at the American Cemetery.)

After hearing all the amenities this base provides, I want to speak to someone at Fort Lewis and ask them why they don't offer the same things~Not like they don't have the land, sheesh.

I discovered football in the south is a whole nother animal. Another watch in amazement moment. Now, remember, I grew up moving around but when we settled, we settled here. In the Northwest. That being said.....

I have never seen so much football paraphernalia in my life! On cars, homes, mailboxes, clothing, cars, homes, mailboxes, clothing....it is a religion. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to imply that it's wrong.

Not at all. I am just not used to seeing it all the time, every day, in such abundance. I was thinking at first it was because I was in ( or close to) Auburn country, but no, I don't think so.

These people are serious about their football! I kinda like it. Camaraderie is great!

Next stop: The wildlife Safari~

It was about 40 minutes away from where Danny and Breanne live. But you have to look for this place, it is not easily identifiable and/or marked. If I owned it, I would have gigantic signs on the freeway telling you not to miss it!

Because it was a blast. We rented a zebra striped van they provide ( where else would I find one?) because you just don't want these animals freely rushing your vehicle.

And rush your vehicle, they do. Continually.

Which I loved. I mean, come one, how many times does an elk ( a "tirty point buck") stick his head into your car? Or a zebra? Or a Bison?

You wouldn't think it, but these guys have it down to a fine art, sticking their heads in as far as they can for that tasty pellet you have to offer! We bought two big bags of food pellets. I thought we might need only a large cup per person. Wrong. ( another "you were right" moment for Danny and Breanne)

We had two bags, four bags each inside those, filled with food. These pellets were about the size of your thumb. So, do the math....500 animals to feed, with Breanne and Colleen in the car. Yeah, your on the right track...EVERY animal must get some! No favorites! Feed them all!

Wait! There's a deer back there, who's pellet bounced off his head, he still needs one!!!!

So...deer, zebra, bison, elk, longhorn cattle ( very impressive rack...yeah, I said it) pigs, emus, ostriches, rheas ( look it up) mules, assorted cattle/gnu like beasts all wanting to be fed.

Good times. Altho, they did ask you not to feed the horses and ostriches/emus/rheas. Said they were aggressive. Which we had no doubt of ,when one gave Danny the evil eye at a slow trot past the van, very up close and personal. He got it in video.

In the back of my mind, I kept holding onto this thought: "Headlines! Couple mauled at safari park!" Danny would be feeding an extra large elk, whose whole face was blocking out Danny's. While Breanne was marveling at this, a zebra stuck his whole head in on her side of the van wanting to know where his food was. These things are BIG and it was a little scary at first.

But we got over it.

So if your ever in the area...go there. Experience the fun!

Real estate: A lot of inexpensive smaller homes, in the area where we were. Found myself wondering what the price was on a couple of them! I noticed a majority of the homes do not have garages. The newer built ones do. But not many, unless your in a development. Lots of brick homes, which I love. But more importantly, land. Lots of land. The "I need a riding lawnmower" kind of yards.

Weather: I never want to hear another Pacific Northwester complain about rain again.

Our rain is gentle ( with the exception of the occasional storms) and constant.

Their rain is......brutal and continual for a day. Then it stops. And then, like in a movie, the birds come out and sing, the skies are blue and clear. And all signs of the gulleywasher the night before are gone. The small creek in Breannes front yard was about 4 feet across, at it's widest. When it rained, it grew to about 25-30 feet across. After the rain stopped, the water receded and all that's left is a beach. Woohoo, beach front property Breanne!!

Vultures: hmmm, they SAY they have them...I never saw one. They SAY their always around the roadkill....I never saw one.

Ponds: Lots of them! Everywhere~ Some folks have a pond for their front yard, complete with dock and chairs. ( Are there alligators in Alabama?)

I recall Cint's father telling us we talked fast and to slow it done a tad when we got to the South. So I tried to remember that when we were shopping and around employees. Sometimes I forgot to and would get caught up in a conversation with Breanne and then notice the person at the cash register looking at us in, well......, looking at us. For the most part, I don't think I weirded too many people out with my hundred mile an hour speech impediment. But I did find it extremely easy to speak with a twang...even when I wasn't even hearing it! What's up with that?

Summing it up, I leave you with these choice words to explain my trip:

Treehouse, vultures, bar-be-que, Cracker Barrel , carports, Opelika, Fort Benning, 73 degrees, RAIN!, football, Big lots ( complete with furniture!) Wedding registry, dining out, safari, Chatahoochee river, the dam, BMW, areas largest bridal store, UFC on pay for view, superbowl and good food. Especially Rogers Bar-be-que in Hogansville, GA (Do not miss that store!)

And yes, I am looking forward to going back!!

Like a crow, I tell you!

Sometimes, just sometimes....I get distracted.

(Don't start with me~ )

I think I'm really a crow in human form.

Seems I am on the path with a great directive and then, BAM!

"Oooh, what's that over there?" Something shiny? Ooooooo.....

Yeah, pretty much sums it up.

I have come down with the crud/cough that Mitch brought into my home.

Thank you Mitchell.

I am prone to bronchitis. BUT, I have been bronchitis free for about 2 years now.

It might have something to do with taking Gueyafenisun for my Fibromyalgia. What the heck it that you ask? Pretty much Mucinex.( The side effects tend to block pain.)

Until your body catches on and one day, says, Nu..uh..no more.

Which is where I am at. So I am leaving to visit Breanne and Danny in 4 days and I do not want this crud to go with me.

So I am racking my brain trying to figure out how in the heck I have avoided colds for the past few. And, like a crow, I have gotten so distracted with other things, I can't see the zebra from the horses!

Until, one shining moment this afternoon, I remembered!

* angels singing Tahhhhh dahhhhhhere*

Peroxide!

I swear by this. I had done so much research into this that I am pretty sure I have a grant somewhere.

Anyway...peroxide.

Blogs and articles have spoken about how the peroxide, once poured into your ears, travels thru the canals and attack the cold bugs ( for lack of medical term) and end your cold misery.One guy said his mom started when he was a wee lad and as an adult, he has continued once a week. And to this day, has never had a cold/bronchitis, strep etc

.

When you pour it in, you must have your head laying flat.

Then you will hear a fire crackling sound...this means it is working. Stay lying down for 10 minutes. Switch sides, apply same.

So, by this time tomorrow, I anticipate being MUCH better than I feel right now.

If I could, I would send locusts to plague Mitchell for bringing this into our home. But since I live here, that might not be the best answer.

To top it off, I recall Danny having a coughy cold thing for forever and all this time, I could have corralled him and put peroxide in his ears and he would be better! Watch out son, I am coming to Alabama and I WILL put peroxide in your ears if Apollo and Breanne have to hold you down!

Unless, I continue on in my crow vein and become distracted once again.....

Adapt, Adaptable, Adapting

The dictionary tells me the definition of the word

Adapt is:

"to make suitable to, fit for a specific situation".

Welcome to my world.
I am all about adapting, conforming, accommodating, adjusting, fitting, altering, changing, varying and reconciling.

How's that for a word of the day? Or I should say "words".

Either way. they are all verbs.

And like it or not, they are me right now. I am those verbs.

I used to think that John Lennon's quote "life is what happens when you make plans" was a good one.

Now I AM that quote.

When I gave birth to my children, I had dreams for them.

Grand dreams. Wonderful lives filled with no strife, no pain and no worries.

And then they grew up. And became owners of their own dreams.

How does that happen? What do you mean I am no longer in control of such?

When did I become a verb?

When I became a mother of adult children, that's when.

So now their lives are in their hands and their futures are for them to plan and nurture.

I am learning to adapt. To adjust to stepping to the side and watching these things happen and not make them happen anymore.

It has been a sad transition, but more importantly, it is filled with possibilities and hope for them.

Because it really is "all about them" now.

This is their time.

A time for marriage, a time for relocating, a time for adventure.

So I am changing how I look at things and reconciling myself to the fact that I can still be a part of those adventures, just not the key player.

And that's ok.

Because it means I am gaining a son-in-law whom I love, a daughter who has joy, a son who I will live vicariously thru in his European travels and life beginning adventures and possibilities of grandchildren to spoil and adore.

So maybe change is not such a bad thing after all.

And I can only say this because I have had my pity party.

Decorated with tears and ugly crying, as Misty calls it. But, that party was a dud.

And I am ready to get better invites to much better parties now.

Bring it.

Road Trip!

December 12th 10 am~ I left on a cross country trip for a LeBlanc Christmas with Danny and Breanne. Destination: New Hampshire.

Let the fun begin~Danny and I took turns driving. Don't even ask why Breanne didn't drive, that might be a sore subject. Just sayin....

So we started the drive down into Oregon to avoid the snow that was sweeping our mountains. It was all clear and good until I hit the fog from Hell. Danny was sleeping in the backseat while Breanne was listening to me slightly freak out. I could only go about 40 mph and could not see the lights directly in front of me. It was hairy. Then I would come out of it, breathe and BAM! It would hit again. Sheesh. I thought Oregon would never end. From there we entered Idaho, Wyoming and then to Nebraska to pick up Zailey, Danny's daughter. We got there Monday night at 9 pm.

We left Tuesday morning and drove thru Iowa, Illinois and Indiana towards Ohio. And then we picked up Cindy, Danny's sister on Wednesday. By the way, I want it known that Danny may possibly be a traveling nazi. So many, ( well, maybe not THAT many) places I would loved to have pulled over to see or take pictures of, but we were on a mission to get to New Hampshire by Friday. Some of those long stretches of road were just traveling behind a semi, passing him in the left hand lane and then pulling back into the right lane to travel behind another semi. Repeat as neccesary. Loooonng stretches. Where we saw antelope, cool mesa's, sang Christmas songs to the top of our lungs, pulled into truckers pit stops to run to the bathroom and or eat.

I loved it. All of it. The conversations, the singing, the staring at landscapes while Danny drove.

I have never been to the East coast with the exception of waaayyy down there Florida.

Now I have.

New Hampshire was pretty. Danny did his best impersonation of a tour guide and hit all the spots. There was snow everywhere BUT the roads. (What? How cool is that? )The roads were totally clear. Now, THAT is a great way to have snow!

And I discovered that when it snows.....they call it "spitting". We call it snowing. Go figure.

No schools closure, no traffic snarls. What, with clean roads....they have it made.

Celebrating Christmas and meeting all Danny's brothers, sisters, Mother and all the nieces, nephews, cousins and friends made for a busy schedule every day.Different cities and restaurants and gift shops galore!

And each day ended in our hotel rooms playing Uno for money ( try it before you judge) and a game called Encore.

Turns out that when you are pressured to remember a song......you can't. Fun and frustrating game.

Out trip ended with a delay at the Boston airport for our flight home. We voluntarily got ourselves bumped and in return, were rewarded with a 500 dollar voucher, an overnight at the Embassy Suites and food vouchers, and first class to Seattle the next morning!

A good ending to a wonderful 12 days! As soon as I figure out how to upload pics from my camera, I will post the pictures!

Famous, rich and homeless

Today I sat down and became totally addicted and mesmerized and enthralled with a t.v. show.

Yes, all of that with one show.

It's called " Famous, Rich and Homeless" and it is on the planetgreen network.

The premise is this:

Take 5 famous and or rich people and remove everything they have on their person and drive them to a location in London and drop them off with what you give them. For 10 days. No phone calls allowed to family and friends and no credit cards to be used at any time for any reason.

What do they get? They get a sleeping bag, no money and some clothing not necessarily appropriate for the weather.

I watched as they were dumbfounded as to what to do next. It was cold, it was wet and they had to beg for food or money to buy food.

One of the women who shops at Dolce and Gabana ended up sleeping in their doorway after hours.

What was enlightening was how they were perceived by the general public.

Much like I perceive those who beg from me.

I either walk on and say I have no cash or I ignore them totally while looking another direction. "Since when did we stop being human beings?" she said in tears.

One gentleman ( owner of a company) said that he has a lot of hope in mankind that was slowly, no, quickly being stripped to nothing after a day of begging for money.

Another was smart and decided to take tourists pictures ,of them together, for some spare change. He ended up being able to buy himself a pint of beer and stay warm in a pub for the night.

But the one man I detested was the man who checked into a hotel for a night. He used the excuse that he was afraid if getting ill and he had no. 1 to think about first, not some t.v. show.

Man oh man, you are sooo missing the point dude! He actually agreed to sleep on the street the next night in return for this priviledge. When the show's producers came to make sure he made good on his promise the next night, he blew them off and quit the show all the while calling them nasty names and berating them.

Oh, if only the homeless had that option.

The experience was humbling and alarming to these people.

At one point, one of the women walked up to a group of men and asked them why they were all gathered around waiting. They told her it was a place that handed out food. So she waited with them. While she waited, one of them gave her a list of all the places in London that give out food to the homeless.

I witnessed tears, frustration and the stripping away of the human spirit.

And this was only day 3.

The series is based on a ten day experience.

I don't know how I can watch it. Or not watch it.

Makes me think twice about ignoring the next person, whomever it may be, and for whatever reason. We are all human beings and when we stop treating each other as such, we fail.

This is what they write as an intro for the show:

Most of us think homelessness is something that happens to ‘other people,’ but as a consequence of the credit crunch, homeless charities are predicting an acute rise in the homeless rate.

Suddenly, losing a home is becoming a very real prospect for many more people. To bring this daunting fact to the wider public’s attention,Famous, Rich and Homeless challenges five well-known celebrities to experience homelessness firsthand on the streets of London – in the middle of winter.

They are all familiar with the city, but until now they have only seen it from a privileged point of view. Now they’re going to experience a whole new level of engagement. What will they learn by sleeping rough for 10 days and 10 nights? Moreover, what will it teach us about the realities of homeless life?

Overseen throughout by two experts in homelessness, each celebrity is stripped of their cash and possessions and dropped off in a different part of the city. With no money, and hunger growing, they must decide how to eat. Do they lose their dignity and beg? Or dip in bins for discarded food? Where will they sleep? And how will the public react to these familiar people who are usually seen on their television screens?

It's time for Cranberry Fluff!

The time has come for me to sit down and decide the Thanksgiving menu.

Not entirely a tough ordeal.

Ok, not at all.

I seem to either be stuck in a recipe rut or I am dead on with my choices. So I went in search for the top ten Thanksgiving dishes.

Lo and behold, I have 5 of them in my line up! Thas right, five! Paula Deen and those other food network chefs can't be wrong, can they?

So now I don't feel so " in a rut" with our family favorites. Alright, I really mean MY favorites.

I figure, I am cooking, I might as well make what I like, right?

Don't throw the selfish word at me if you're sitting at my table. Just sayin.

So the line up is as such:

Turkey

Ham

Green bean casserole

Sweet potato casserole ( complete with brown sugar ,butter crumb topping and pecans)

seven layered salad

Company mashed potatoes ( complete with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and sour cream)

and...wait for it....

Cranberry Fluff! Yay!!!

Ever had it? I don't know what it is about this dish but I love it!

I just read on someone's blog that her man friend ( really?) just discovered it last year and is insisting she make it for him this year. No prob Bob.

So, I am content to stick with those favorites again, this year.

Is it Thanksgiving yet?

For those of you who have never partaken, here is the recipe!

(drum roll please)

Cranberry Fluff

1 can ( 14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 C lemon juice

1 can ( 20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

1 can ( 16 ounces) whole berry cranberry sauce

2 Cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped pecans

8 ounces fresh whipping cream ( cool whip in a pinch)

In a bowl, combine milk and lemon juice; mix well. Stir in the pineapple, cranberry sauce, marshmallows , pecans. Fold in whip cream.

Spoon into cupcake liners in cupcake pan. ( yay for individual servings!)

Freeze until firm.

(Taste of Home Cookbooks)

So, if you make this and end up poo-pooing it...I don't want to hear about it.

Serious.

Don't burst my bubble.

Or my cranberry fluff.

Facebook status~

In the last 2 months, I think I may have achieved Facebook status.

Yes, I have managed to get myself deleted from two FB friends!

No worries as you read this, this is not going where you think it is~.

I am actually quite relieved.

Ok, happy. Maybe even estatic!

I truly believe that in the course of a lifetime in a relationship, there are ebbs and flows.

Duh.

But sometimes, just sometimes, you meet a person that serves a purpose in your life for that particular time in your life. And we grow. And we change. And we move on.

Not to say that the relationship wasn't fun, good, and so on. Just that it has reached it's peak and it's time.

( insert evil sound of " dum, dum, dummmm")

Time to move on.

And I have been trying to move on from these particular people and just did not have the male parts to take that step.

So when I discovered that they deleted ME.....I was thrilled.

As I have said in past blogs, friendships are not about owning someone, being accountable to them when they dictate it to be so and be so demanding. ( Listen, you don't get to have the last word in my life, I do. You don't get to shut me out because I am not reacting like you want.)

The true and best friendships can ride the waves of time and change and morph and adapt along the way. I have those. You know who you are.

That is one of the things I like about Facebook. I can be as in depth or as casual as I like with whomever I want to talk with....or don't.

But if you think for one moment that I am going to be all hurt and weepy that you have deleted me. . . uhm, no.

I am not.

I am not into drama and that's why I have no stage.

Thank you for kicking me off yours!

*skips away happily*