Go. Be. Do.

Leaving Canada the same day we arrived, we camped at Niagara Falls KOA in Upstate NY. After a late dinner of pizza, we settled in for a good night's sleep with visions of a day on the lake for the morrow.  Our dreams were fulfilled beyond belief.  I managed to get in a workout and the boys a day of school before setting out, however.  Life of a homeschooling family. It was a gorgeous day, unseasonably warm, and not crowded at all.  Perfect. Lunch with a view. We rented a pontoon boat for a couple of hours.  The view from the middle of Lake George was even better than from the banks.  The boys swam and fished while Scott and I soaked up some much appreciated sunshine. We spent some time in the town browsing the stores, mailing postcards, and people watching before heading out to our campground for the night.  We hiked through one campground and found some interesting handmade signs.  The scent of pine was so fresh and sweet ...

Moved on from St. Louis and headed for northern Indiana to spend the night with my aunt and uncle before heading into Canada via Michigan. Along the way in Illinois, we stopped at a state park to let the boys fish. Tim caught a bass. After a wonderful breakfast out with my aunt, uncle, and cousins, the 2nd cousins enjoyed a riveting ball game. A chilly morning, but they were all sweated through by the end. So fun to watch and visit with family we do not get to see very often. It was a long driving day, crossing the border, stopping at the infamous Tim Hortons, and discovering that Canada has just as much corn as Indiana. We arrived in Niagara Falls as the sun was setting. Made it to the Falls as dusk fell. The spot lights on the Falls made for great viewing even at night.

The first leg of our Roadtrip 2014, was from home to Indiana to meet up with my family.  From there, we headed West to St. Louis for some of America's favorite pastime, baseball.  Not just any baseball, but some St. Louis baseball. Growing up in So. Indiana, positioned almost directly halfway between two baseball cities, St. Louis and Cincinnati, one would think that I have been a Cardinals or Reds fan all of my life.  While I grew up hearing so much about the Cardinals, their games carried on a local radio station and all, I was not a die hard Cardinals fan. While I have been to a Reds game or two, I was not a Reds fan. I truly enjoy the sport, so I watched as many games as "free" tv would carry and admired good players in the sport from all teams. During the glory days of the 80's, and perhaps more because I was the youngest in the family, being a fan of either of those teams seemed too easy.  I was a Mets fan first.  Dodgers fan second.  Never been to ...

“It's a waste of time worrying about something that worry won't fix;  it's about as useful as trying to feed your pet rock.” ~Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year So, here's the deal. In 2013, I whispered a prayer for help in becoming healthier.  That prayer has been answered through a number of ways including inspiring people, hard work (aka sweat and tears), and a new way of eating. Do you know what the number one response is to me? "Girl, you're wasting away." Really??? Really. To those of you who have not said this to me, thank you. To those who have, you're forgiven. To those who have thought it, but have not vocalized it, read this all the way through and then comment. Let me explain what I hear when the words "wasting away" are spoken. Expressed concern...passed judgement...unfounded admonishment. Although slightly misplaced, let me assure you, the concern you ar...

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.   Psalm 119:105

She's the places that she has a desire to visit. She's the pieces of quotes that are splattered in ink in her favorite books. She's the road trips she hopes to go on. She's the beautiful characters that mesmerized her in her favorite books. She's full of dreams, and I hope they one day come true. ~Alexa Evangelista

You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. Isaiah 26:3 Some days I awaken from dreams that are simply of the "good ole days" kind. Friends and family and I enjoying life together. Sometimes crazy things; others believable. Yesterday morning, however, I awoke with lingering thoughts of the dream I had throughout the night. You know, the one that begins, wakes you up in a cold sweat, and then resumes where it left off as soon as you fall back to sleep.  It seemed so real. It was so believable.  It was so incredibly frightening.  It was also directly related to my morning's appointment taking place at 9:30 AM. This does not often happen.  Most of my dreams are of the ridiculous kind...people and places intermingling in random situations.  When I do have a dream related to reality, I know my mind is consumed with whatever it is that is happening. I knew this first appointment back at the women's imaging clini...

Earlier this summer, our church had an opportunity to help a smaller church in Atlanta with a VBS for their community.  We met in a school every evening for a week.  The boys and I missed going the first night due to being out of town, but we joined in the second evening in order to answer a plea for help mowing the grass at the location. Little did we know that God used that to draw us in that night and keep us returning for the remainder of the week.  You see, having missed that first night, I felt a disconnect, not sure it was our place to jump into after it had already begun. He showed me differently. The boys and I had chosen to ride the church bus with everyone else. We were there to help mow the grass, but remained there for the VBS in order to catch a ride back on the bus. The boys were given tasks in which they could help serve. I took a seat in the assembly area, not for sure of what I would be doing, until... A young girl comes in, in tears, and has a confr...

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.    Acts 14:19-20 Can you imagine what it took for Paul to get up and go back into that city?  The very city where the people who had stoned him within inches of his life, lived? Courage is defined online at merriam-webster.com  as "the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous." When Googled , courage is said to be "strength in the face of pain or grief." Life often presents hardships, failures, vulnerabilities... You put yourself out there and wham!  Out of the blue something hits you that you never saw coming. Perhaps you saw it coming and you could not or did not swerve out of its way. Or, just maybe, you opened yourself up to a new idea or tried something n...

Sitting on the couch watching the news and browsing fb at the same time, my eyes did not want to believe what the headlines were saying.  I really thought it was a cruel hoax going around on fb because the tv news had not reported it yet. Then, it hit the screen as breaking news. Robin Williams was found dead; apparent suicide. That night, I sat numbed by the reality of it all; saddened by the disease that dictated this was his only way out. Mr. William's death has affected me deeply, unexpectedly.  I have been asking myself what has made his death different than, say, that of Andy Griffith, another of my all time favorite actors. The answer most assuredly lies within this tragedy's cause itself...depression...or as I refer to it, the unspeakable struggle.  Not many want to talk about it and even fewer want to hear about it or believe it to be worthy topic for conversation. If you have never suffered from depression, whether situational or clinical, stop right now...

"But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer."  Psalm 66:19 As one who has struggled with weight all of my life, seeing the ups and downs in jean sizes became my reality.  I would lose some pounds only to face a stressor in life and see them return and bring friends along for the ride.  I spent years believing lies, yet secretly hoping for a better reality.  Lies that I am not capable of overcoming my sweet tooth and that I am just not the workout type, topped the list.  I have never really lacked self esteem or self confidence; I know who I am.  However, I know from personal experience, others define me by what they first see.  Having been a plus-size lady for years, I was treated differently, intentionally or not, when I dropped pounds. My health journey to where I am today began back in 2010. It is amazing that things do not happen accidentally, even if they seem to in the beginning. Actually, as the pieces of my story have come ...

Last week, we drove the hour over to Locust Grove to visit the animals at Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary .  We were hoping the cooler temperatures would lend to us seeing more of the larger animals, but alas, most stayed in or near their shelters in the shade.  It has to be tough being a bear living in mid-Georgia in the summer.  The animals we did see were worth the trip.

This is the first year since I began blogging in 2009 that I have totally missed posting during an entire month. What happened?  June happened.  And it was awesome...God directed...and totally on the go.  Someday I hope to catch up on posts with June's grand adventures, but today is about yesterday. It can be summed up pretty well with a few words and a few more pics. Early morning Walmart run to prepare for a new week...newness with the workout/healthy eating routine begins Monday. Office runs...Atlanta and Byron. Business is going strong. God is good. Me time: long overdue pedi for this gal while Scott was busy at the office. Drive to and from Byron = traffic jams Evening spent at Piedmont Park at the Atlanta Street Food Festival. Once home, sat down to shell out freshly picked pecans from yesterday, which happens to be National Pecan Pie Day. Which is why the final deed of my Saturday was baking a pecan pie with those newly shelled pecans.