Where has the time gone?

Has it really been 5 years since I even looked at my blog. Or a blog.  Well, where to begin.  I got married 4 years ago.  I met my husband while working in retail in FL.  It was a whirlwind romance and now here we are.  We moved back to VA almost 2 years ago to be closer to my family.  I'm glad we did because not only was my niece born 2 years ago, but we lost my grandmother 7 months ago.  It was unexpected, shocking and the most difficult thing I've ever had to go thru.  My grandma was more like a second mom to me and my brother. I am so thankful I was able to spend more time with her in her last months.  But, she is healthy and in a better place now so I try to focus on my family that is here, mainly my neice.  She is a mini-me.  Its like the fun part of having kids but then sending them home when they start acting up.  Its kind of awesome.  I'm not sure if I will have children of my own.  I'm not sure I want to bring an innocent life into the madness of the world today.  It wouldn't be fair to them I don't feel like.  

So for now we have our 2 cats to raise and take care of.  We are starting to look at our options on buying a home and settling down.  I happened to stumble across my old blogs and realized how much I missed writing.  Hopefully I'll remember how this all works and I'll find time to post!

Advice...or no?

So its been 2 months since I've written a word. And sadly, I don't have much to report. I have decided to give FL one more year and see where it takes me. I'm just not ready to call it quits yet. I still miss home, but I'm having fun, so I'm staying. Although, I do not look forward to spending my birthday, tomorrow, without my family. I think its the first time ever I have not been able to spend it with my family. But I'm sure I will be alright. I'll just have to make up for it the next time I'm able to go home.
And here's my thought for the day. Recently, I've been seeing a lot of young couples, teens or early twenties, profess their undying love for each other and post it all over Facebook/MySpace for the world to see. And then a few months later the whole world gets to see the breakup and the heartache that follows. Or, as in one case, this incredibly young couple decides they need to get married. Right away. Now don't get me wrong, I wanted to get married as soon as I turned 18. Thankfully, the Lord knew that would be a crazy idea and let me be single at that time. If you've read my blog before, you know that I have the best example of marriage in the world as my parents were one of those crazy young couples who got married right after graduation. And 30 some years later they are still together. But I feel like the times and people have changed since then and I'm just not sure its a good idea for most kids to run off and get married or make their significant other the reason for their existence. And my dilemma: should I say something to these kids, just give them a word of advice, or would that come across as bitterness?
I hate to see broken hearts, especially if it can be avoided. So I'm hesitant to voice my opinion. At the same time, I feel like I have an obligation to ask them to just take a breath for a minute and realize the world really does not revolve around the other person. For instance, I know a guy who is still in his teens and he proposed to his girlfriend. They are planning the wedding for next year, yet he still makes comments about how he can't stand her sometimes and he is unsure about the relationship. If you aren't sure you can stand her you most certainly DO NOT need to be married to her! I tried to explain that, but it fell on deaf ears and the wedding is still on. Hopefully my friend does not end up another statistic.
I am a hopeless romantic. I wish things were as wonderful as we all seem to believe when we're young and "in love." I've learned the hard way though that its not that easy. I guess I see myself in these starry eyed kids and don't want to see them go thru the pain that I went thru, and that is in the end inevitable. But even if I do say something, would they listen? Would reason make it thru to their heads so far up in the clouds? Who knows.

55 Years and Counting

This past weekend I went home to visit family and friends. I have spent 26 springs in the mountains of Virginia but I believe this is the most beautiful springtime I have ever seen. As I flew into the mountains I could see all the white and pink dogwoods in bloom. The trees are starting to get their leaves and the grass is green. I was actually kinda surprised at all the color I could see from the plane alone. I got off the plane and walked outside looking for my Mom who was picking me up. But...she forgot about me. Well not really, but she thought the plane came in later. No big deal as that gave me a few minutes to sit outside the airport and soak in the sunshine.

The day before I came back to my second home my Mom, brother and myself went to visit my grandparents who are in far Southwest VA. It just so happened to be their 55th wedding anniversary. What an inspiration they are! My grandparents met when they were both in their teens. After dating for 3 months they decided it was time to get married and off they went. They, like many couples, have endured a number of things that test any marriage. Time apart, the death of a child, serious injuries and illnesses. But what sets them apart is instead of allowing these things to come between them, they allowed it to bring them closer. For the first 10 years of my life my grandparents lived with me and my family since they were truck drivers and away from home so much. But what an example I got during a pivotal time in my life. Seeing my grandparents and my parents together and how a marriage is supposed to be. I realize now how blessed I am since this is definitely not the norm for relationships.

So we spent the day with my grandparents in the beautiful springtime colors. As they get older and I move farther away, I cherish each moment more and more. We drove to lunch at a tiny out of the way place somewhere in NC. On the way we found an old gospel CD in the car that I thought my grandfather would like. So we drove in the sunshine, through the colors, listening to old church songs that remind me of my childhood. My Mom, grandma and myself were singing the hymns while my grandpa and brother just sat quietly. It sounds cheesy, but it was one of those moments in time that seems frozen in my memory. And I hope it stays there forever.

Do I really want to see that?

I love Facebook. I too have become addicted to the strange little community where people you haven't talked to in 10 years suddenly want to be best friends and pretend all those mean things they said about you in high school were never spoken. But whatever. Its fun, its interesting to see what people are up to and it helps me stay in touch with my friends I left behind. Here's what I don't get...why do people put up crazy pregnancy pictures?? I'm glad you are pregnant. Congratulations. But honestly, I do not want to see that pee on a positive stick, I do not want to see your expanding belly, nor do I want to see your sonogram. I mean, really, thats kinda weird when you think about it. Anyone can look you up and anyone can see your profile pic. And you have your pee on a stick out there for the world to see. Now, posting those pictures inside your profile in a photo album, thats great. That way far away family and friends can keep up with your progress. But setting your profile picture to show your bare belly...I don't know. It kinda freaks me out. I only want to see the belly's of my friends, my closest friends. And I certainly would not want to show my pee to perfect strangers. Its just weird!

MIA

I've been gone for a while. Not because anything took me away from my computer, just because I've been a slacker. So, since my last post some exciting things have happened. My brother moved down to FL and is staying with me until he gets all settled. Sharing a one bedroom apartment with two cats and a brother definitely takes some getting used to! But its kinda nice having family here. However, I'm kind of a neat freak....and he is not....some issues going on there but we will work thru them.

Shortly after my brother arrived, we drove to the coast and watched the space shuttle Discovery take off. For some reason my whole family are NASA nerds so this was quite exciting for us. Brad filmed the launch on his cell phone and I called my parents and let them listen to the scene while they watched on TV. For some reason, most other people aren't as excited as I was about this! But, I think the coolest thing was the patriotism I felt. The beach was full, the most people I've ever seen on a beach. Right when the shuttle took off everyone started cheering and more cheering when the sound barrier was broken. It was awesome. There we all were, watching our astronauts fly into space for our country. And we all just stood there watching the small ball of light cross the sky. It almost reminded me of the 4th of July. I saw kids, I saw elderly people and everyone in between. I don't know, it was just a beautiful site for me. One of the most exciting memories for sure.

And finally, due to the economic crisis, I've had to get a second job in retail. Wow what a shock! I haven't been in retail since my college days. Although I must say, its not as bad as I thought it would be. I almost enjoy it. I work with college kids, as is expected, but they crack me up. I feel like I'm in college again. I don't like working nights and weekends, but beggers can't be choosers and until the economy gets better for my consulting job, retail it is. I have found several co-workers in the same position. Thankfully, there are still retail positions out there for people like me, and others who only have that one job to rely on. It just reminds me that life is full of surprises. No matter how much we plan, life can, and probably will, throw you a curve ball. Make sure you can keep up!

Old Country Roads

OK Holly, here goes.

I grew up in a small town in southwest Virginia. And when I say small, I'm talking no stoplights in the town. Only one gas station and one fast food joint. Since I've grown up, there are a few more restaurants and local businesses, but still no stoplights. So I'm talking SMALL town. My parents live outside the town down a long dirt road. Beyond state maintenance. So when it snows, Dad gets out the tractor so we can get out of the house. When we get potholes in the road the neighbor goes and buys some gravel to fill the hole. Way out in the boonies. Moving there at the age of 10 after growing up in a neighborhood was horrible. They only kid to play with...my brother. Terrible. But I think it ended up working out quite well. I have awesome memories of playing in the leaves with Brad, the older brother, and our black lab Black Jack. Memories of riding the four-wheeler thru the woods to a clearing where we could see all the mountains. But I think the best memory is walking down the dirt road with my Mom. Spring and summer meant longer days. Days when there was still sunlight after dinner was cooked and the dishes were done. So after the dishes me and my Mom would take walks down the road. It was only about a mile long, but it was beautiful. We would walk and talk about school or work in her case. And listen to the birds sing and watch out for deer and rabbits eating their dinner. At the end of the road it was clear, no trees in the way, and we could watch the sun set behind the mountains. The day was over and it was time to head back home and get ready for the next day. When we would walk down the road again.

The next memory of my country roads is perhaps the best one. When I was young, under 10, I had an uncle who owned a large amount of land on a creek. My grandparents would set up camp there for several weeks during the summer. After several years, it would end up with all the grandkids there and some local families too. So, my Papa built this campgroup up. He made 2 huge picnic tables, set up a nice little cooking area for my Nana, built a shower and even an outhouse. So it was camping on another level. But we would go and stay with Nana and Papa for a time during the summer. It wasn't too far from my house, but it felt like it was. The campground was on my uncle's land maybe 3 miles from the house. And of course, it was down an old dirt road. As kids we would walk up the road and go to the barn to see the horses or walk to the house just see what was going on. We would play in the spring, look for arrow heads or my favorite was lay in the hammock with my Papa. We spent several summers at camp. Then, due to divorce, our family didn't own the land anymore and we never went back to "the creek."

Those are my memories of my old country roads. I was telling a friend the other day, what a shame my kids won't get to experience that. Maybe parts if my parents still live in the same house. I guess each generation makes its own memories. But I just feel like things are heading for a change and memories won't be as wholesome as they once were. I'm not sure kids today or my future kids could appreciate spending weeks away from TV, cell phones and computers. I'm not sure if they would find the meaning in listening to birds sing and watching deer eat their dinner. But times change and so must we. I, however, wouldn't change my memories for the world.

Spring Forward

I love daylight savings time. I'm not one of those people who looks at it as losing an hour of sleep. I look at it as more sunshine in the day! Longer days, which reminds me of summer. That in turn reminds me of my childhood and for some reason dirt roads in the country. I actually almost get giddy when daylight savings rolls around. Maybe its because I'm afraid of the dark, no really, I am. Maybe its because summer brings those feelings of carefree childhood. Maybe its all of those things but daylight savings rejuvenates me just like the spring flowers. So long winter...and hello spring time!