Carpe Diem

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask 'How are you?'

 Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.'

 And in your haste, not see her sorrow?

Ever lost touch?

Let a good friendship die?

 Just call to say 'Hi'?

When you worry and hurry through your day,

it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away....

 Life is not a race. Take it slower.

Hear the music before the song is over.

~Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!

Six Flags or Bust!

Last Friday we took a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia.  We had a great time...but, it WAS SO HOT!!!  I am not one to complain about the heat.  I am a summer person.  But, when I have to be out in it all day, THAT'S a different story.  I survived without having a heat stroke!  (It's a wonder.)

We decided to ride all of the roller coasters first. I had made a pact the last time I visited Six Flags that I would NEVER ride the Ninja again.  It wasn't because it was scary.  It was because it jerked my body so much, and the seats were uncomfortable when you have a big butt and big hips like mine!  So, that is the only coaster that I declined.  I did add another coaster to the "do not ride ever again" list.  The Great American Scream Machine.  These older coasters were obviously designed for skinny butts!  I could not concentrate on the ride because it was so dadgum uncomfortable.  I'm sure I stil have bumps and bruises! 


















My absolute favorite ride was The Goliath.  20 stories high with speeds of 70 mph.  It was smooth, just like I like it.  My body fit into the seat just right.  It was scary, too.  Several times, I arose out of my seat during the zero gravity & floating drops.  I kept hoping that that bulky triangle thing that locked me in would not give away.  If so, I would've gone flying over Atlanta. 

My second favorite ride was The Superman.  You sit down.  (Another comfortable ride)  Get fully strapped & locked in.  (Always a plus)  And, then they flip you over to where you are facing the ground. Then you take off as if you are flying.  It was awesome!  So fun!  I love roller coasters...at least the comfortable smooth ones.

So, after we made it through all the roller coasters, there was one more ride that I wanted to do.  The Monster Mansion, formerly The Monster Plantation.  I have ridden through it many times in the past.  Chase and Jordan boarded the boat in front.  Kevin & I were in the middle.  And, a lady with her two small kids sat behind us.  Can I just say that The Monster Plantation is not necessarily kid-friendly?  When your boat takes the "wrong turn", as according to the sheriff monster, you are greeted with darkness, eerie sounds, and red eyes.  Those two little kids behind us were terrified.  My two teenage boys were making comments like they were scared, just trying to be funny.  But, let me tell you, right before we exited the tunnel, red-eyes glowed out of a huge mouth we were entering, and a loud air horn blasted my boys almost out of their seats!  It was the funniest thing!  They cracked Kevin & me up, as well as the lady behind us with the 2 terrified kiddoes.  I thought, out of all those roller coasters, who would've thought that The Monster Plantation would have been the scariest ride? 

We had a wonderful time...aside from the unbearable heat.  I highly suggest a trip to Six Flags if you never been.

Short and Sweet

I've been out of the blogging loop a little bit, lately.  We are having computer issues around our house, and we are down to my one laptop, which isn't doing too well, itself.  So, my time online is limited.  That's my excuse.  I have to pry my laptop away from my boys whenever I need it.  So, I thought I'd do a little list to get you caught up on the happenings with my family.

Me:  Dreading the start of another school year, but ironically, looking forward to getting back into a routine.  (Just gotta get caught up, first!)

Kevin:  Doc upped his psych meds when he started sleeping too much & being tired all the time.  He's feeling better now. 

Justin:  Still unemployed, but applying & looking.  Still in Scottsboro. :(

Chase:  Getting ready to start the next phase of his life: college.  Going locally, so he will still be home. :)

Jordan:  Getting ready to start 11th grade.  Band camp starts this week.

Chelsea:  Working at Ruby Tuesday.  Registered to start back to college at Athens State.

Millie:  Crawling, pulling up, & will surely be walking soon.

Events:  Kevin, Chase, Jordan, and I went to Six Flags on Friday.  It was fun, but dang! It was hot!

Seeing My Mother's Good Side

I went with my mom to the nursing home today.  She went to visit her sister, my aunt.  Mom has been very worried about her sisters, lately.  She has another sister who has been battling cancer for quite awhile, now.  My mom doesn't do well with worry.  When she's worried about something, she takes it out on those around her, and I am not immune to her snide remarks, at these times.  I have learned to take it as it is and to realize what it's all really about.  I've tried to tell her that there's only so much she can do about a situation and not to worry so much.  But, she does.  Her brothers & sisters are getting older, and she is having a hard time dealing with it.  She has always been close to them.  She has told me that she wished I would go with her sometime to visit them, so when she came by today, I didn't make excuses (like I usually do); I decided to go with her.  After all, my mom won't be around forever.  I know that.  And, this would mean more to her than any other thing I could ever do for her. 

When we walked into my aunt's room, mom asked her if she knew who I was.  She mumbled something about me being someone's wife.  Mom told her that it was Sandra.  She just looked at me, not recognizing.  I went over and sat in a chair while my mom proceeded to ask my aunt questions, to which she did not get the responses that she should have.  My aunt kept talking about getting ready to go to church.  I soon realized that, in her mind, she was back at home, probably on a Sunday morning, and trying to get her family ready for church.  She kept talking about her shoes, and she asked my mom which dress she liked best.  It was the saddest thing.  It helped me to know that I never want to be in that situation.  I never want to exist if I don't know what is going on around me.  I know that I don't really have much control over it, but that's how I feel, at least. 

It was very touching watching my mother caring for her sister, a worried look in her eyes.  My mom has not always been the most loving mother in the world.  As a matter of fact, she has been known to be gripey, most of the time.  We have just tolerated it because she's always been this way.  We know that she loves us.  She just gets frustrated with things that she can't change, and, as I said before, she takes it out on the ones she loves.  But today, I watched her rub lotion on my aunt's dry arms, with loving touches.  I saw a side of my mother that is rarely seen.  And, I am glad to have witnessed it.  I hope that my mom never gets to the point to where her sister is.  It's something that I really don't want to deal with, seeing my mom helpless, not knowing who I am.  I know lots of people have had to deal with it, whether they wanted to or not.  I just hope things work out better for my mother and me. 

Cookouts, Ice Cream, & Fireworks

We had a nice laid back holiday weekend.  Thank you, framers of the Declaration of Independence, for enabling us to have a nice holiday to reflect on what it means to be free by having cookouts, making homemade ice cream, and just enjoying a nice summer day.  By the way, why do southerners call it a "cookout" and others call it a "barbeque?"  In Alabama, it would be totally weird to call someone up to invite them to your "barbeque".  At least, it would be weird to hear that coming from me.  It's a cookout, which means there is no telling what we will end of eating!  Granted, it will be something along the lines of hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, or steak.  We might not necessarily even use barbeque sauce.  But most of the time we do.  Throw in some tater salad & baked beans, and you pertneer have you a dadgum feast!  Sorry, I got off on a tangent. 8)

We decided to have a family get together on Saturday night and just make homemade ice cream.  Besides a few watermelons thrown in, it was as simple as that.  It was nice.  We didn't have to do a lot of planning, just to decide what kind of ice cream we were going to make, and go get the items to make it.  We opted for peach & used a peach Nehi to make it.  It turned out pretty well, but I am by no means an expert ice cream maker.  Sadly, the whole family couldn't make it.  Our town was having a small town celebration, and Bucky Covington and Restless Heart were putting on a concert right downtown, so they had gone to enjoy some good country music.  We made our way back home, and around 10:40 p.m. the fireworks started.  We live close to the area where they were shooting them, so all I had to do was walk outside to the neighbor's driveway, and I stood there and watched.  It was awesome.  I love fireworks.

Sunday we spend the day at home.  We cooked out steaks.  The boys asked for fireworks to shoot, so I took them to the local fireworks place, and we picked out $23 worth of fireworks.  They had a good time shooting them that night. 

So, the time is winding down, and it's back to work tomorrow.  I've only got a month of quietness at work before it all starts up again.  We've definitely had a shortened summer, thanks to all those tornado make-up days.  So, I'm going to enjoy this next month.  Plus, there's a trip to Six Flags in our future.  More on that later...

Independence Day

Never Forget

Ragged Old Flag
Johnny Cash


I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."

He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag,
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing 'Oh Say Can You See.'
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packenham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams.

"And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.

"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.

"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land she's been abused--
She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.

"And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in.
'Cause she's been through the fire before,
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning,
Take her down every night.
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I do like to brag,
'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."