Whoa! Spending the day with Tucker & Moe!

Today, Frank and I went horseback riding in Candler at Fordbrook Stables. Mike and Rhonda Ford run a pretty cool horse farm just off Sardis Road. Our ride was two hours long ~ straight up a beautiful farm to views of downtown Asheville, the Grove Park Inn, and the Biltmore House. There were eight of us on the ride plus our trailguide, Rhonda. She was pretty funny, telling us they hoped we enjoyed the "two day" ride we had signed up for. We did enjoy it it, but I'm glad it wasn't two days ~ we were a little sore after the two hours we did ride. Frank's horse was named Moe, and he was a biter (which Frank thought a bit ironic since I am the biter in the family) and my horse was Tucker, a sure-footed, take your time and do it right (like Frank) kind of horse. They gave me Tucker because he was so gentle and smart, she said he usually gets the kids in the group and she had even used him to take a blind woman on the tour. Mike, the owner, knew me from advertising with me at the Town Tooter, so he took extra care in getting a good horse for me when he found out it was my first time. We really did have a great time and got some pretty neat pictures. I think we will have to put this on our list of things to do again ... and soon!

Click here to see more photos from today:

Horseback Riding

Fore!

Today was our second day of vacation and I am trying to have a little something for us to do each day without going out of town. Cummings Cove Golf Course was our choice for today's activities. We got to the course just after lunch, got to see our favorite member-employee, Jim Fagen. He is the best! I always enjoyed working with Jim and I don't think he has aged one day in the 7 years since I started work there. Before heading on the course, we saw Mr. Carlson and Mr. Campenella in the grill room. Again they hadn't aged a bit - must be golf course living! So we headed out to check out the new holes on the course and just as we hit #1, Nancy Carlson, Sue & Pat Robinson, and Ruth Webber were coming in on 18! It was great to see them, too. We had a wonderful time - the course was really in good shape and the day was just gorgeous.

After we played we went over the mountain and down into Hendersonville trying to find a place to eat. We got on 25 and headed north all the way through Fletcher and into Biltmore. I thought we would go for the CHEAP pizza buffet at CiCi's but it was packed (a bus full of teenagers had just disembarked!) So we headed out towards River Ridge and saw a new restaurant, Cheddars, we went in even though it was packed, too, headed straight for the bar (a trick we have learned - you can eat at most bars even if you are only drinking tea and water - it saves a lot of time waiting in line and works great when there are only two of us!) We looked at the menu - but the lady next to us was having the best looking chicken tenders I have ever seen so I ordered those and Frank ordered the Hickory Smoked Ribs and they were to die for! Really good (I sneaked a bite) and tender. Afterwards, he had the COOKIE MONSTER dessert - a warm, just baked chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, nuts and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I stole a bite of that, too and it was delicious. It wasn't so much that I didn't WANT to eat more as it was that I didn't want to get my hand STABBED while reaching for another bite! Frank really, REALLY liked it!

3.4!

HAPPY 43rd ANNIVERSARY, MAMA & DADDY!

Yea, I did it! I made my goal of 40 pounds by the year's end! I was getting a bit worried after last week's "0" but I was glad to see that had changed this week. Now for my next goal ~ 50 pounds by January's end (that's 5 Wednesdays away.)

So Christmas has passed and what a wonderful week it was! I had last Thursday off to finish up shopping and wrapping and the kids came over on Friday to get an early start on the holiday weekend. All night long we had to smell the delicious aroma of Frank's pinto beans cooking in anticipation of Saturday night's Christmas Eve Eve party.

Saturday we got to have a wonderful Christmas breakfast at Mama & Daddy's. Eggs, gravy, bacon and a biscuit with homemade strawberry jelly ... yum yum! I am so glad I didn't have to give that up because I was on a diet! Angie and Gene and all the kids were there and we all had a wonderful time. Brett read us the Christmas story, then Hannah and Katie played Santa and handed out the goodies. Thank you, Mama & Daddy, for the wonderful homemade canned goodies ~ can't wait to get into the beans ~ already opened the jelly ~ think we'll have vegetable soup this weekend! Frank makes really good grilled cheese and that soup will go great with them!



Saturday night we finally got to dig into those beans! Yum Yum, again! Good food abounds during the holidays. Tiffany and Helen brought Harmony over to open her presents ~ the picture above is her with her Opa and the Old Fashioned Top he bought her. The look on her face is priceless! The kids had drawn names and they got to open their presents to each other and then it was time for bed.

Christmas Eve morning they all woke up, opened their stockings and said their "Thank You's" to Mr. & Mrs. Santa and they were off! Frank and I had to get up to Art & Helen's new property to get their sign put up. It was a much better day than the day we dug the hole for it! We let them know about the sign with a puzzle of a picture we had taken of the sign. I think they enjoyed putting together the puzzle as much as actually getting to see the sign! Frank put out another great spread of food at Art & Helen's with parmesan onion puffs, mini deli sandwiches, delicious jumbo shrimp, and more! We all ate 'til we popped! It was nice to have Ethan, Joanna, Harmony, Shawn, Tiffany, and Justin there to celebrate!

I took most of my pictures on film this year, so you'll have to wait a bit longer for the pictures to develop. Will put 'em up soon as I get 'em! Thank you to everyone for a wonderful 3 day Christmas celebration! We love you all and hope you have an equally nice New Year's weekend!

O! (Well, Sort of)

Only 2 more days 'til we start to celebrate! Can't wait! (BTW, I have not cheated on any presents this year .... so far!) Wish it would snow like in that picture up there! Those are my three happy kids in the snow in Maplewood-I think it was 94 or 95. That is Frank and his dad in Balsam Grove in the mid 70's. It sure seems like a long time since we had a good snowfall! Let's all keep our fingers crossed! (Side note: Frank just saw those two pictures together and bust out laughing! He called the snowman my kids built a "SNOWSHROOM" ~ he said, "Look at 'em standing behind it so proud!" I told him snow was made different in the "old days" when he built his, that 20 years later the snow is smaller just like computers, laptops, and tv's. It's called Technology! Okay, it's really called the difference between him having a Dad with a shovel and my kids having a Mom with camera!)

So I must confess it took two weigh-ins in one hour to get me to "0" weight loss and "0" weight gain today. Confused? Well, I usually weigh in around noon and I don't usually have a lot to drink beforehand, however, today I was extremely thirsty and about 11 am I gave in and drank a 20 oz. bottle of water. When I went to weigh in, I was .2 on the plus side - which I just didn't want to see, so I waited and waited and listened patiently through the meeting. Most of the time, I was thinking, "I wonder if she will let me go to the potty and weigh me again?!" So after Miss Julia was through, I went to the potty and then asked to be weighed again, and GUESS WHAT? Drink 20 ounces of water an hour before you weigh in DOES make a difference. She weighed me again and I was at the same weight as last week!

So, tell me, should I go with that? I think so, it is more positive for me and afterall, a lot of my weightloss as been a big mind game already! So I will stick with my zero! I called Mom and told her and then I told Frank the whole story, so I guess as long as I am being honest with all my encouragers then it's all good! This past week was hard for me for a couple of reasons 1) I'm a girl! Sometimes that's all you have to say. I craved salty and sweet all week long. 2) I gave in to eating some of the most delicious cake I have ever had: Lynelle's wedding cake - a very little bit of chocolate (thank goodness, Amanda & Frank polished it off to quickly for me to eat more than one very small bite) and more than I should of the white with white icing (this plain ole' vanilla girl's favorite). The white had strawberry jam between the layers and it was out of this world. Pastries, Etc. in Arden made them both and let me tell you, if you ever need cake, they are the people to call! Needless to say, I was glad when Matter came down the stairs and took it away from me to finish. YIKES-WHITE WEDDING CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES? Big TRIGGER FOOD for Paula.

Good thing the cake is gone and all the celebrating for the year is finally over .... NOT! Check back next week and see how I survived!

Brian & Lynelle's Wedding

Click on the picture below to see some of the photos I took today at the wedding. It was so beautiful and there was such a sweet spirit there. When she walked in, he looked at her and walked straight down the aisle to meet her, as if he just couldn't wait any longer .... I swear I had tears!

Lynelle & Brian's Wedding

Going Out On Limb? Nah!

Today, Lynelle is getting married! She has labored long and hard over the decision and finally decided to trust God as he directed her to trust this new love, Brian. My wish is for her to be happy, cared for and loved!

And a blessing from above:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

First Love!

I have been meaning to upload this picture of Nick with his girlfriend, Courtney. It was taken the Saturday after Thanksgiving when we celebrated Turkey Day at Tiffany's. Courtney is really cute and she just happens to be the daughter of Tamara Johnson, a girl Angie and I went to school with. Sometimes I think the kids are right, I do know everybody! I think it comes with the territory, afterall, I have lived here all my life! Love this picture, if anyone wants a copy, let me know. Happy Friday!

1.4!

Okay, so Frank says I never admit it when I am wrong - well, this time I am happy to report I WAS WRONG! Wrong about how much weight I thought I had gained this week - I hadn't gained any and I lost 1.4 more to bring me up to 37.6! Our scales here went a little goofy and from Saturday morning through last night (when I jumped on the them and broke them) that had been saying that I had gained 3 pounds. For the life of me I could not figure out how I had done it, and I was terrified to go weigh today. But I decided I had to suffer through it and if I had to post a plus, it would be okay. Thank goodness, I lost!

Did ya'll see this headline, "S.C. mom has son arrested for playing with present before Christmas?" Click on the headline and it should take you to the story if you've not already seen it. When I read it all I could think was, "I'm glad my mom is soooooo nice!" 'Cause man, if anyone knows how that boy was feelin', it's me! (Right, mom?) I found my typewriter and my camera and used both before Christmas morning when I was in the 5th and 6th grades. I remember the year, I only asked for a denim jacket and the game, Payday, I just had to know if I got them, so I opened them up and made sure, then wrapped them back up. I also found out I was getting a pink robe and a few more things. It was a GREAT Christmas. One year, Mom decided to number the presents so I wouldn't know if they were mine or Angie's ... didn't help. I checked them all - then I knew what everything was, just didn't know who was getting what! My very first Christmas as a married gal, I made a big boo boo in what I said would make a "really stupid gift for me" (a watch, because I always lost them) only to realize that was what Billy bought me. As soon as I had the opportunity, I unwrapped it and made sure, and then proceeded to "mention" every day until Christmas how much I "needed a new watch." :) Sneaky? Well from that year on, my presents were taken to mom's or left at Eckerds. It didn't always work, afterall, I knew where Mom hid stuff when I lived there, what had changed? I will tell you what changed me for good ... FRANK! He told me, straight up, if he found out I cheated and looked at it, it was going back and I wouldn't be gettin' nothin'! Well, I believed him and I have NEVER opened, or even tried to sneak a peek at his gifts for me! I am glad he wasn't around to offer that advice to my mom. As for being arrested, I can only hope there is a statute of limitations on such crimes and that the time has passed to press charges!

Atta Boy!

Last night we went to Frank's company Christmas Party at McGuffey's in Hendersonville. I finally got to meet his boss and some of the folks he talks about all the time. In their newsletter they said there would be karaoke, door prizes and some awards. I wasn't looking forward to the karaoke, but I am always up for a door prize and I had my fingers crossed that someone would FINALLY recognize Frank for all that he does on the job. He never and I mean, never, calls in sick, he is never late, and he always works so hard. He recently took on the shipping office manager job and he is learning to type faster, he has learned to make spreadsheets and even made "tables" in Word - which is not that easy. I am very proud of him for taking on a new job and making the extra effort to learn new stuff.

I am happy to report that Stewart Solutions feels the same way! The first award given out was an "Atta Boy" award and it went to Frank! He didn't seem surprised! LOL! Of course, I know he knows he does a good job, but this time, EVERYBODY knows! I was really proud for him. His boss, Roger, said some wonderful things about him including that he was actually jealous of the way Frank was always professional at his job. He really showed a lot of respect for Frank last night. Anyway, next time you see Frank, you can pat him on the back and give him an "atta boy" for his "atta boy."

As for the door prize, neither of us won. And the karaoke? As long as Gary, the DJ, was singing all was well, but do you see who actually got up and sang? This picture may well serve as blackmail in the future! Yep, that's Frank with Dee, his boss's wife and human resource manager; and Roger, his boss. They all joined in for a good and hearty version of Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler." Undoubtedly, no one ever told Frank that "you've got to no when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em and know when to walk away" was from a COUNTRY song!

First photo is of Frank with his buddy, Big Bird, I mean, Russell (he's the little fellow on the right-haha!) Russell and his wife, Vicki, have a 14 month old son that the left at home for the first time in a year. Vicki is from Haywood County and most likely went to school with some of my cousin's kids. She mentioned a Lacy Deaver as one of her best friends and that name sounds familiar. Her mom is Opal Mashburn. Hey mom, do you know her? She said her mom grew up on Dix Creek. Anyway, we met some other folks and had a great time with them, too. I especially liked Tony Zachary, a good ole Brevard boy, who can clog like you've never seen. Frank says he actually goes to competitions. He was really good and when they played "Rocky Top," I even joined in and clogged a few verses (which explains the third picture up there.) Let me tell you, it was great exercise, and much more fun than a treadmill. Maybe I will take it up again!

2.0!

I lost 2 more pounds! That makes 36! I got another 5 pound star. Isn't it funny how stars appeased us when we were small? You know we got them for doing our chores, for reciting memory verses, for homework, and for attendance. Somewhere along the way we traded stars for dollars. Don't get me wrong, I really like the dollars, but sometimes one of Julia's stars is all I need to bring me joy! Today was a good meeting about staying on track while so busy during the holidays. My goal by the end of the year is 40 pounds, so wish me luck, and please, whatever you do, don't offer me too many temptations! :)

Ra pum pum pum

My Little Drummer Boy! Isn't this a cute picture? EVERY DAY, Frank listens to his Christmas music. He loves that stuff! He says his favorite song is "The Little Drummer Boy," so that's what I named him in this little picture. I came home today and the television was on the SIRIUS Christmas tunes channel and playing full blast! And it's like that every day he has off. He also listens to it on the radio non-stop from Thanksgiving on. It's obvious he never worked retail or he probably wouldn't be so taken with it. AND GET THIS ... AMANDA FEELS THE SAME WAY! She is actually the one who gets him started every year. This year she came home in the first week in November saying they were playing random Christmas songs on MY 102.5. And there it started. It really is kind of cute. I am sure they both know the words to every song playing. Next time you see either of them, hum a line, I am sure they'll join right in! Ra pum pum pum!

Another 2x2 Quiz

Since tomorrow is the 2nd ~ How About a 2x2 Quiz to Take. The easiest way to answer is to highlight and copy (highlight, ctrl +c) the questions on this page and then click "O Comments" and paste (ctrl +v) into the big box that pops up. Then you can answer the questions. Be sure to click "OTHER" and put your name and then click "publish your comments." Would love to hear from all of you!

1. Two people you'd be lost without

2. Two nicknames you have been given

3. Next two places you want to go on vacation

4. Two everyday things you couldn’t live without

5. Two of your favorite songs

6. Two things you want to do before you die

7. Two things you worry about

8. Two stores you shop at

9. Two things that scare you

10.Two snacks you could eat every day

Have a great day and HAPPY DECEMBER!