Monday, December 29, 2008

Hamlet

Doubt thou that the stars are fire;
Doubt thou that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt that I love.
~ William Shakespeare
Hamlet

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day


Riles tracking Santa on the Norad Tracker on Christmas Eve.


Riles sprinkling reindeer food in the front yard.


Ryan & Austin's new puppy, Holly


Jake & Holly


Aunt Lynn, Riles & Holly


Riles & Butterscotch


Riles & Jake seeing Butterscotch for the very first time!


What a SWEET helmet!


Can you tell she's excited??




Wayne, Nanny Betty & Brad


Nanny & Papa


Lauren, Brad & Wayne


Riles checking out the new trails.



Riles & Santa @ Willow Lawn


Riles & Santa @ Leah's mom's home in Mechanicsville.


Riles & I before a day of Christmas shopping!


Riles @ Leah's mom's home.


Leah's mom's home.






How cool is this home?? We visit it each year. Leah's mom and step dad have their grandchildren's names written in lights on the rooftop. It's difficult to see it in this photo. It's so cool though. They truly are Mr. & Mrs. Clause!






Wednesday, December 17, 2008

~ Dennis ~


Everyone's first Christmas without you....
We all miss you...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Drama Queen and Mini Drama Queen

Riles and I were goofing around tonight after dinner. She learned how to record short videos on my digital camera this past weekend. Therefore, she's been filming EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING!! I found a video of the toilet flushing. My child is rather creative, don't you think? I'm hoping the video that we filmed tonight will upload correctly. It is taking forever to upload. I wonder if I am doing this right......I have NO CLUE and I can't ask Wayne because he probably does not even know how to access my blog! He's not much into the computer except to check his email from his friends. Oh and of course to check out hunting websites. Yippee!!

This thing is STILL uploading. (tapping fingers) I wonder if I will be sitting here until 5:00 a.m. and it will still be uploading.... Perfect for the insomniac in me! However, I do have my limits. I must be doing something wrong..... Maybe I cannot upload it directly from my pc. I think I have to save the video to a site first, but my blog would be a site. Crap, I can't remember!

Well since I'm here literally twiddling my thumbs... I am currently reading The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. It's....interesting. I doubt I will read anything else written by Bernhard. No offense buddy, but this book truly is not my cup of tea. The thing that grabbed me was on the back of the jacket cover. "A novel of emotional awakening that you'll never forget." Now that sounded pretty darn intriguing to me! I'm so ready to put this book down. I'm half way through, but I'm stuck. Do you ever get stuck with a book? I think I've discussed this before. I am truly stuck. sigh... BUT.... there are some gifts wrapped under the tree and I know I have several books under there!!! I bet if I unwrapped one and read it in front of Wayne, he wouldn't even know it was a gift he got for me! I could always take THIS book here, The Reader and wrap THAT one up!!! He'd never know the difference. Although I told him which author to buy. I want EVERYTHING by Jodi Picoult. Which reminds me I need to check out her website. I finished reading The Pact and am passing it on to Jahnay. I hope she loves it as much as I did!!!! It was suspenseful, romantic, tragic, family oriented.... I don't even know how to explain it. I think I felt every emotion possible throughout the entire novel. It was amazing! I'm so glad I bought it. The jacket cover grabbed me first. Isn't that sad??? If a book does not have a great title or great cover, I pass right by it. Unless it's an author that I like, but pooh, if you do not have an eye catching cover or a title that just jumps off of the cover begging me to buy it, I keep walking....and searching....and searching. Then I come across The Reader and now I realize it's not all about appearance, but what's on the inside. The appearance of this book looked and sounded good, but grrr...I'm so frustrated by it. OMG! Am I going on and on and on about this freakin' book???

This video is STILL uploading. I did something wrong. What the heck?? Finally, I looked up the help information!!! It basically said I'm going to sit here until the cows come home. Probably till 5:00 a.m.

How long does it take to upload and process a video?Uploading a video may take a while, since videos tend to be very large files. However, the exact amount of time required will depend on the size of your specific video and the speed of your internet connection. The processing stage usually takes about five minutes. Blogger will display a status message below the post editor to let you know how this is going, and there will be a placeholder icon in your post to show where the video will appear.

Okay, so maybe Riles singing a song from The Nutcracker and her and I goofing around with a Taylor Swift song was entirely too long! The size of this file must be ginormous!!! Okay, I'm going to watch Dr. Phil or Oprah or something. I obviously need to get in touch with my inner self because if I was an alcoholic, I'd have drank an entire bottle of Merlot by now or if I were a drug addict, I'd be done with my crack pipe! This is taking WAY longer than the anticipated 5 minutes. So I'm off to do....something....I can't close this page or it will delete the video uploading "in progress". Gosh, this video better be worth it! I know that's what you're saying! And no, it's not worth it to you, but it is to Riles and I. She's going to love seeing it!!

I went outside to continue reading The Reader and I come back in and the video is now uploaded!!! Woo Hoo!!! I'm going to finish this book! No unwrapping gifts and rewrapping The Reader in disguise!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Phantom of the Opera

I am supposed to be working on Wayne's Christmas gift online while he and Riles are out and about today. But I cannot resist watching Phantom of the Opera!! Thank goodness I am superb at multi-tasking!
http://www.phantomoftheopera.com/

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Dear Dad...

Hi Dad~

I've been thinking about you a lot lately. It's not because of the holidays as I think of you all of the time. I wonder what you're doing. How you are feeling. Which book your reading at the moment. What kind of wines have you and Judy been tasting lately? I like a nice Merlot. Do you like reds? I don't even know... I do know you like Coors Light!!! :) But of course you are partial to Coors since you live in Colorado. I wish I lived closer to you. I'm sorry I would not move to Colorado. I've always said I would move to Mesa, Arizona. Mindy still lives there. She has 3 children. Did you know that?? She has two boys and she just gave birth to a baby girl. They're all adorable. I'm so happy for her. She married a really nice man who is about to go on another tour to Iraq. Please keep him in your prayers.

Remember Jodie??? How could you forget Jodie? You've known her since we were in the 4th grade when she moved to Richmond. She is married and has 2 girls. You would not believe how beautiful they are! Harley looks just like her dad and Emily is the spitting image of Jodie. Every time I see Emily, it's like looking back in time at Jodie when we were younger.

Things in Richmond are pretty much the same.... I guess. I wish you were here to knock George around. He has put Lynn through so much Hell I can't even fathom the pain and anguish she has and is going through. Not only does she have to deal with the death of Dennis, but she has to deal with going to court every day it seems to deal with George's shenanigans!!! I'm so sick and tired of him hurting my sister!!! But what comes around goes around. I firmly believe in that. He is definitely not the "brother" that I felt I had for 20 years. It breaks my heart that he is not a part of all of our lives. It hurts that he does not know my daughter.... I wish she could have seen the fun playful guy that he used to be.

Time just goes by so quickly. Sometimes I wish I could make it stop. Just for a minute so I can catch my breath. I sit here remembering all of the fun times we all used to have. Remember the first day you bought us a 3 wheeler and the first day you bought us a dirk bike? That baby was mine from the moment I laid eyes on it. I would wake up and jump on that thing and ride it until dark. I would fly around with the wind blowing through my hair and listening and thinking about nothing but the power I had and the sound of bees buzzing around me from the 2 stroke engine. I got such a rush riding that bike.

Remember when Heather or Jodie and I would take the dirt bike and three wheelers to the cow pasture and we'd ride them all day long flinging cow pooh all over each other when spinning our tires? I don't know which was more fun. Kicking pooh all over Jodie or hosing down the bikes and getting soaked! Did you know that we carved our initials in a tree in a secret spot in that pasture? I don't even remember which initials besides our own that we carved into that tree. I wonder if it's still there...

I remember riding on the boat every weekend in the dirty James River. Note to self: NEVER wear a white bathing suit to the James River!!! :) We all had so much fun on the inter tube and who was the master of the hydro slide??? Oh yeah!!! That was me! Heather may beg to differ, but that's the way I remember it. Remember when Heather almost going run over by the Annabelle Lee while skiing?? That was frightening although we laugh about it now.

I wish you lived closer so that you could see your amazing grandchildren growing up. I know you see their photos on my blog, but Dad, REALLY you have to hear how sassy my little girl is!! I have NO idea where she got that from!! She has the most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen. They get prettier and prettier with each passing day. Dad, she is growing up so fast and she amazes me each day with how well she's doing in school. With the silly things she says, like "SNAP!" I laugh every time I hear her say that! She loves to dance, Dad!! Loves it!!! She sings and cannot wait to go on American Idol. She keeps asking me why she can't do it now!! She definitely got her dad's gift of singing and his rhythm for dancing as I dance like a white girl from Varina!! And the only time I sound good singing is when I'm drunk off of my butt and singing karaoke to a bunch of other drunk strangers, but that was back in the day. Now I'm a plain old boring wife/mother. Don't get me wrong, I still have fun and I absolutely love my life! But you know some things that I will not write on here.

But I miss you dad. Terribly.... I can't even express into words how much I miss you and how sorry I am that I don't call. Every time I talk to you I hang up and cry. It just kills me that I cannot see you. I'm not one for talking on the phone much, just ask Lynn, Heather and Mom. So even though I do not call often, please do know that I think of you all of the time and I miss you more than I've ever missed anything or anyone.

I love you, Dad.

Love,
W~

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Rapid Thoughts

 This sign made me chuckle first thing this morning on the way to the office.
“Exspect Delays on 12/3” -- I’m thinking someone needs spell check!

 Must get to Mrs. G’s on time tonight!

 Need to silence cell phone

 What kind of homework will Riles have tonight?

 I’ve always wondered where Tina Fey’s scar on her face came from….Apparently when she was 5 years old, she was in her front yard playing and a man walked up and slashed her face with a knife! My God, that is horrendous! What an animal!!

 Is Heather feeling better?

 What is Jake doing right now?

 Why is my husband silly enough to string Christmas lights outside tonight????

 Man, I do NOT feel like cooking tonight!

 Brrr…it’s cold!

 Wow, did you see that??? Jupiter and Venus!!! How cool!!!

 One of my favorite movies “You’ve Got Mail”
Favorite Quote:
“What will he say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer;
I wait impatiently as it as it boots up. I go on line,
and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three
little words: You’ve Got Mail. I hear nothing,
not even a sound on the streets of New York,
just the beat of my own heart. I have mail.
From you.”

 I’m so thankful that Chris and John were available this morning!!!

 Riles better NOT have told her teacher she had a Nutty Bar for breakfast!!! Bad mom!!

 Why am I not a morning person?

 I can’t wait to pick up “The Pact” by Jodie Picoult again tonight! I feel a bubble bath coming on!

 My day always gets brighter and brighter with each email I receive from Jahnay and Chris!!

 Boy did I have chest pains today when a co-worker pissed me off!!!

 Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens is so beautiful during Christmas.

 Happy Birthday, Britney!!

 Current release “Womanizer”
Love the lines…. “You say I’m crazy? I’ll show you crazy!”
LMAO!!!

 Do not slam on brakes in front of me while I am writing down my random thoughts!!!

 It sure is dark!

 Kings Dominion……finally….

 Chinese take out?

 Remember to order Wayne’s Christmas gift on Saturday.

 Need to write up a Christmas list.
That will be a short list!
Sparklies!!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Garrett's 1st Letter to Catherine - "Message In a Bottle"

Yes, I watched this movie AGAIN the other night....

Letter #1

Dear Catherine,

I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you in so long.
I feel I’ve been lost…no bearings, no compass.
I kept crashing into things, a little crazy, I guess.
I’ve never been lost before.
You were my true North.
I could always steer for home when you were my home.
Forgive me for being so angry when you left.
I still think some mistake’s been made…
And I’m waiting for God to take it back.
But I’m doing better now.
The work helps.
Most of all, you help me.
You came into my dream last night with that smile…
That always held me like a lover… rocked me like a child.
All I remember from the dream…is a feeling of peace.
I woke up with that feeling….and tried to keep it alive as long as I could.

I’m writing to tell you that I’m on a journey toward that peace.
And to tell you I’m sorry about so many things.
I’m sorry I didn’t take better care of you…
So you never spent a minute being cold or scared or sick.
I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to find the words…to tell you what I was feeling.
I’m sorry I never fixed the screen door.
I fixed it now.
I’m sorry I ever fought with you.
I’m sorry I didn’t apologize more.
I was too proud.
I’m sorry I didn’t bring you more compliments…on everything you wore and every way you fixed your hair.
I’m sorry I didn’t hold on to you with so much strength that even God couldn’t pull you away.

All my love,
G

Cool Tune

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving 2008




So much for watching Oprah's Christmas List special.... I was so excited to see it. I plopped down on the couch with NO ONE around. It was heavenly. BUT!!! Someone stopped the recording of Oprah for Sponge Bob!!!! I wonder who that was!! I was a bit miffed as I wanted to get each and every one of you the "free" gift Oprah was going to show everyone.

However, my mom saw the show yesterday. She arrived at my home for Thanksgiving...fashionably late....as usual, God bless her! :) Anyway, we're all running around getting things finished up and I see a small box lying on one of the many tables we had set out. I asked my mom what it was. She said, "it's a secret". Okay...my mom loves to keep me in suspense and knows it drives me crazy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE surprises!!! So I got about my business.

Then my family and our friends gather around in a circle and hold hands while my mom prays. After our prayer, each year it is tradition for each of us to say what we are thankful for. Well, everyone takes a turn and says what they are thankful for and then when we are all finished, my mom says to everyone that she saw Oprah yesterday. (YES!! The show I missed!!!) Oprah told everyone about a gift you can give anyone that is FREE!!! I'm thinking to myself...yes, yes, yes!!! I get a free gift....and it's from Oprah...well sort of!

My mother explains that she brought a small decorative box with small cards within. Oprah had explained to everyone that the greatest gifts that she receives are small notes from her friends. Mom asked that everyone write a note to Wayne, Riley Morgan and myself since we were hosting Thanksgiving. I was so moved by the gesture, but not as moved as I was by the notes....

Note#1 From Jeneane & Kaylee
Wendy, Wayne & Riley,
Thank you all for inviting me and Kaylee into your home! The food and the "atmosphere" is awesome! You guys ROCK!!! Kaylee wished to stay longer (I wish she could have too!) We'll come back soon! Happy Thanksgiving!

Note #2 From Lynn
Wayne,
Thank you for having us over. Love the grass! For being a great brother-in-law (except the Miller Beer needs to go (Budweiser is the best) For being a good uncle to my boys. They need a role model. And for being a friend to Dennis, especially when he felt like he didn't have any. He always loved you though! Love, Lynn
PS: I will never forget Nags Head & hope we do it again.

Note #3 From Sarah
Thank you for having us to your house. I love being around you, Riley and Wayne. The food was good.

Note#4 From Heather
May all your turkeys
forever be moist

May all your mashed potatoes
forever be fluffy

May all your eggs
forever be deviled

And may your home
forever be filled with family

Note# 5 From Nana
Hi Wayne, Wendy & Riley,
Thank you all for having us for our Thanksgiving feast. I always feel so welcome and comfortable in your lovely home. May God bless your dear sweet family. I pray God will watch over each one of you in everything you do. Remember to always give thanks to our Lord for his blessings on you. Love, Nana

Note# 6 From Lynn
Wendy,
Thank you for being my sis! For being there for me especially the past year. I don't know how I would have made it through. For the daily phone calls when I was so lonely. For knowing where I am $$ wise! For all the fun things we do together! I look forward to many more! Thanks for being close to Dennis. I know he loved you and Wayne and you could help relate to him which meant a lot. I hope 2009 is better! I want to do another vacation soon! Love, Lynn

Note# 7 From Alli
It's all written in Japanese. Alli 15 and is taking Japanese!!! Yikes!!! I cannot translate this one, but I'm sure she said I am the most fabulous person ever!!! :)

Note# 8 From Lynn
Riley Girlfriend,
I love my girlfriend, Riley. You are the girl I never had. We have had some fun times together like Colorado, Nags Head and dancing in your kitchen! Everytime we go to the mall I see cool clothes that remind me of you! I wish I could buy them all! Dennis loved you too! Don't ever forget him! Love, Aunt Lynn

Note# 9 From Aunt Sandra
You are so seet to have us to your home. Thak you for the fun and family food! None better! Love You, Sandra

Note# 10 From Danny
Thank you for being such a great family!!! Danny - "Merry Turkey Day!"

None of the notes above are in any certain order. I simply pulled them from the box. Each of them mean the world to us!!! Even the notes that were not written (by the shy ones).

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Oprah

I have been on FaceBook all evening!! That site is soooooo addictive!! So much fun though! :)

I'm off to watch Oprah that I dvr'd today. It's the Christmas gift show. The huge gift is a gift that costs nothing.....hmmmmm I wonder what that could be. Whatever it is, you ALL will receive one from me! Just because I'm nice like that! :)

As for me, you can all give me something small, diamonds. I love diamonds!!

Good night~

Friday, November 21, 2008

Dream A Little Dream

It's not even 9:00 p.m. yet and I am so exhausted. I think I'm going to grab my book and lay down. Hopefully I will fall asleep quickly and dream....I want to dream. I wish I could remember my dreams.

Dream experts say that if you think about something hard enough and will yourself to dream about something, then you will. I am going to try that theory out tonight. We'll see if it works. Hmmmm....let me find a photo or 2 and see if I focus on it hard enough....if I will actually dream about it.


"Fall" by Clay Walker

I've always been envious of the person that this song was written for. Wishing someone had written it for me. I cannot even begin to write Hallmark greetings but this song is for my friend is who currently struggling within. You may have said that I cheered you up a bit with my "words of wisdom" or by my silly little jokes, but this song says it all. Just fall baby!! Don't worry about C for a while... This one's for you J/S! Can't wait to see you Saturday!!!

Lyrics to "Fall". Performed by Clay Walker

Hold up there you go again
Puttin on that smile again
Even though I know you’ve had a bad day
Doin this and doin that
Always puttin’ yourself last
A whole lotta give and not enough take

But you can only be strong so long before you break…

So fall go on and fall apart

Fall into these arms of mine
Ill catch you every time you fall
Go on and lose it all
Every doubt every fear every worry every tear
Im right here
Baby fall

Forget about the world tonight
All that’s wrong and all that’s right
Lay your head on my shoulder let it fade away

And if you wanna let go baby its okay

Fall go on and fall apart
Fall into these arms of mine
Ill catch you every time you fall
Go on and lose it all
Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear
Im right here
Baby fall

Hold on hold on hold on to me...

Fall go on and fall apart
Fall into these arms of mine
Ill catch you every time you fall
Go on and lose it all
Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear
Im right here
Baby fall

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Twilight Trailer

What is Happiness?

Bath Tub Thoughts

What do you do in your bathtub? I take showers each morning, but sometimes when I really need some "me" time. I find solace in a bathroom with the door locked and a tub full of suds.

Generally I will do this to read whatever my favorite book is that I am engrossed in at the time. I’ll touch on my most recent favorite reads in a bit.

Tonight is a first. I’m actually writing my next entry for my blog…in the bathtub. No interruptions as of yet! Knock on Wood!!

Hmmm…I think I should shave my legs while I’m in here. Kill 2 birds with one stone! Right? It’s so much easier to shave your legs in the bathtub than while you’re showering. Especially first thing in the morning when your equilibrium is off anyway. You know what I mean, ladies?

Anyway, I’ve had several thoughts over the past couple of days of what to blog about. I had the best idea yet while taking a smoke break in my car at the office today. Of course that was around 10:00 a.m. Naturally my thoughts change constantly throughout the day and boy what a day it has been! It’s been super busy lately. Well, every day is busy, but at this time of year in my industry, it’s exceptionally busy.

After debating with myself, I’ve chosen to write about happiness. This was not even CLOSE to my other ideas, but after the day I’ve had, I feel the need to write about it.

What is happiness?
Webster’s Dictionaries definition of happiness is as follows:
happiness
noun 1. state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy [ant: unhappiness] 2. emotions experienced when in a state of well-being [ant: sadness]


Contentment to intense joy….Today I have experienced an intense joy. No, it was not because I was skipping down the hall today and ran into a wall (true story…most humiliating and I really was not skipping but the witness to this embarrassing incident of the wall meeting my body said I was.) And perhaps I was skipping. I did not think I was. I thought I was merely light on my feet or floating down the hallway. I felt exuberant! Till of course I ran into the wall, then I lost it and laughed for close to 5 minutes as my coworker told everyone we passed.

What do you do when you experience intense joy? Obviously most of you do not run into walls like I do. And how about contentment? I do not picture contentment as a meaning of happiness. I think of contentment as so-so. You’re not happy, nor are you sad. You merely exist in your world. You’re comfortable, safe.

I do not want to have that kind of happiness. I want the happiness that makes me feel like I can do anything! The type of happiness that inspires creativity! The kind that raises your endorphins where everyone can see this light beaming from you by the way you carry yourself, the expression on your face or if you’re on the phone, the way your voice sounds. While emailing, you may use a smiley face to show how you feel. You don’t do these things when you’re merely content. I feel like writing Webster’s and demanding that they change the definition of happiness! People overwhelmed with elation, euphoria and a supreme sense of well being is what happiness is all about, not humdrum contentment.

I experienced a true sense of happiness reading the last 2 novels I read over the past 3 weeks. They are both by Karen Kingsbury. The first is One Tuesday Morning and the sequel is Beyond Tuesday Morning. They were both inspired by the World Trade Center attacks. I cannot tell you how many times I cried throughout each of these books. Karen Kingsbury watched the tragedy of that day unfold on television. During that awful day, she immediately thought of the story for her first book. Exploring the way so many people felt while they were in those towers. The way the firefighters heroically marched up those stairs in the South Tower while the building was shaking knowing that they were literally walking into a death trap. She walks you through 2 families lives that were shattered by this awful tragedy and the good things that came out of it. They are both amazing reads and I highly highly recommend reading both of them. Trust me, you will not want to put them down!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Needle And Pins

I thought about you, Jahnay when Riles and I were reading tonight. One thing we read were poems from Falling Up by Shel Silverstein. Needles and Pins reminded me of the first story you shared with me that you wrote.

Needles and Pins

Needles and pins,
Needles and pins,
Sew me a sail
To catch me the wind.

Sew me a sail
Strong as the gale,
Carpenter, bring out your
Hammers and nails.

Hammers and nails,
Hammers and nails,
Build me a boat
To go chasing the whales.

Chasing the whales,
Sailing the blue,
Find me a captain
And sign me a crew.

Captain and crew,
Captain and crew,
Take me, oh take me
To anywhere new.

Sunday, November 16, 2008