I try and I try...

...to keep up with blogging. It just isn't meant to be a weekly (or apparently monthly) activity right now.

Lorelai and Legare are fine. She is enjoying her counseling internship and her new part time job working in the tutoring center for student athletes at Clemson.  He's on a unrelenting quest to furnish his new house.

School has started for me.  Fabulous group of new students this year. Dream team of a staff. It's all good.

Hank is busy supervising work on a bedroom remodel, bathroom addition, and new roof at the summerhouse and, as the most patient person in our family, still heads up the highway once each week to check on the little old ladies and Ned.  He's busier in retirement that he ever was when he went to an office every day.

Our Clemson Tigers did good work on Georgia last week. Have to share a "smile" story with you. We have four season's tickets. When Hank and I realized that it was going to be an 8:00 p.m. game, we decided to watch from home. I love night games, but not ESPN Game Day games where people start their parties at the break of dawn. All of the hullabaloo makes me a little nervous.

Anyhow...Lorelai wanted two of the tickets and I sold two on StubHub. Here's the smile part...the face value on each ticket was $75. SOMEBODY bought those two tickets for $590!!  Maybe they got their money's worth because it was a fabulous game (unless they were Georgia fans). All I know is that Legare, Robert, Hank and I sat in our comfortable chairs in our cool den, eating wings, BBQ, rice and hash, slaw, and homemade ice cream... and after StubHub took their cut, I deposited $501.50 in my checking account.

Happy, happy, happy.

Legare's New House and Our 30th Anniversary

It's been a busy two weeks. On July 4th, Hank and I loaded up a U-Haul trailer and he left for Clemson where he unloaded said furniture at Lorelai's and reloaded some furniture she was using to take to Legare and his new house. On July 5th, we met up in Charlotte at Legare's new house to unload furniture and help get things settled there. Hank painted and I cooked the first decent meal anybody'd eaten since the move. In a moment of brotherly love, he invited Lorelai to come for the weekend also. Fried chicken, collard greens, tomato pie, peach pound cake. A really good comfort food sort of "first" real meal in a new home.


Hank and I left about dark to settle in for the weekend at the Ritz. We looked like poor old country come to town dragging in there after working hard all day. When we got to our room we found this waiting for us. Legare had called to tell them that we were celebrating our 30th anniversary.

On Saturday morning, we headed back over to the house. It's a lovely little neighborhood...he's less than ten minutes from his office in the Bank of America building...the one with the crown on top, but it feels like a small town neighborhood. Robert was working on getting the big television mounted on the wall in the den and Legare was walking around supervising.

While Hank started back in on the painting (and Legare continued to supervise), Lorelai and I headed in the vicinity of SouthPark Mall to look for some clothes for her and for MY anniversary gift. Sue and Louis were in Charlotte checking in on Sue's mother and they joined us for a bit. I found the gift and Hank joined us later to seal the deal. I'll show you the earrings later...I'm wearing them and do NOT do "selfies." Later, Sue and Louis, with her mom in tow, came by to check out the house.

Late in the afternoon, Hank and I went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Lorelai, Legare, Robert, Hank, and I went to The Capitol Grill for the most delicious dinner I've had in awhile. Drinks...appetizers...beautiful porcini rubbed delmonico steaks for the gentlemen, parmesan crusted sole for Lorelai, and a filet and lobster tail for me. Delicious sides to share... and a wonderful surprise champagne toast AND dessert, compliments of the establishment. When the check came, Legare and Robert each whipped out a credit card and dinner was on them. SO SWEET! We were so enthralled with all of the food that we didn't take a picture!

We got up on Sunday morning and packed to head back to the Lowcountry, while Lorelai got on the road back to Clemson. It was a wonderful WONDERFUL weekend.

Bingley waved goodbye. He loves his new house and his fenced in back yard.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

Snap Crackle Zizzle Zazzle Pop Pop Bam

I found a section on blogger that I didn't know was there...some spot where it looks like spam comments were sent pending approval.

One said that my post titles weren't "catchy" enough.

How's this one for catchy?

How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Back on Easter Sunday, Legare leaned over to me before church started and pointed out a memorial to a church member long gone on to glory. There are a number of such on the walls on both sides of the sanctuary. He remarked that he hoped to be remembered similarly...and I have to agree. I'd like to be remembered this way as well...

What say you?

Installment #2..Anybody Miss Me (I'm Baaaack!)

We'll make this installment a family update.

Hank...is just winding up his first year of retirement. Our yard has never looked better. We have a beautiful little vegetable garden. He has several improvements underway at the farm. God bless his kind and caring heart, he has visited our mothers and Ned every week...I don't believe he missed three weeks the entire year. Recently, he was elected to the Aldersgate Special Needs Ministry Board of Directors, the organization that built the house Ned lives in and another one other for disabled women up in Columbia. He will be a blessing to the group.

Legare...is wrapping up his second year at his law firm. He's traveled quite a bit...mostly Houston, Boston, Seattle, Philadelphia, Manchester, NH and DC.  Good thing he doesn't live awfully far from the Charlotte airport. Two big things...he got a dog. Bingley is an English Springer Spaniel and he is absolutely adorable...and this coming from a person who doesn't really like animals..at all. We kept him for a weekend recently and he and Precious did not get along. Since she will hardly let Hank out of her sight, he slept in Legare's old room with her and Bingley slept with me. Yes...at the foot of the bed...the same one I was sleeping in. People who know me well think I'm telling a fib. Second big news...Legare is buying a house. He closes on July 1...photos to come.

Lorelai...completed her second year of grad school. Next year this time, she will have an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in School Counseling and be more credentialed than her dear old mama. I stopped after my Masters, but then again I was 36 when I was done. She'll only be not quite 24. Lorelai's boyfriend, Whit, lives in Columbia so they're about 2 hours apart. Lor and her kitty cat Sophie still coexist with her friend Candace and Candace's big old sweet pie of a dog Remi. Candace is getting married on New Year's Eve so Lor will be moving into a nearby apartment to wrap up her last semester of school in Spring 2014...unless she decides to stay for her Ph.D....I think, though, that she is ready to get out into the workforce for awhile.

Ned is fabulous. Hank's mother is up and down. My mother is on a slow but steady decline. She can no longer recognize the children in any photographs and thinks I am Dorothy...her older sister who passed away in 1981. We have to chuckle...

Here are a few photos... 1. The day Legare got Bingley  2. Bingley on the boat...it looks like he just told Legare a funny joke  3. Lorelai with us at church on Mother's Day  4.  A much bigger Bingley trying to see what's cooking.

Anybody Miss Me-Installment #1

I'm baaaack!  Was not away for any terrible reason...life just got in the way of blogging. Work...and work. More work.

SO...it's been more than six months since I posted my New Year's resoloutions. In a nutshell, we did yoga for three days and I didn't walk a single step on the treadmill. Pitiful!

I haven't lost a single pound...but I haven't GAINED a single pound so I'm considering that a victory all things considered.

The only resolution fulfilled is that we joined Second Presbyterian in March. It's such a loving and caring church home. I've joined the choir and had a fabulous time serving in the Tea Room two Saturdays during the Spoleto Festival in Charleston. I've even filled in for handbells a time or two. What a blessing to worship in such a beautiful place on Sunday mornings.  I'm taking a rare vacation day. Got to scoot to an appoinement. More later!  I hope you're still out there my friends. I've got a lot of blog reading to catch up on.

January 2013 Resolutions

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm making/revising my resolutions one month at a time. The January goals are starting a little late...although I've been tweaking this and that for the last week. It's all about being more healthy and calm and patient. Here goes...I'll be updating on January 31st.

1.  Yoga three times a week.  Hank and I are doing yoga together and this is the one resolution we started on January 1. Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday are our yoga days. We did a different video each day and finally, today, settled on a good intro that we're going to stick with until we feel comfortable with the basics.

2. On Wednesdays and Fridays I'm going to do a mile on our treadmill. Mondays and Saturdays will be my off days. I know a mile doesn't seem like much but for me, it's huge!

3. This morning, we declared our intention to join Second Presbyterian Charleston, where we've been visiting since summer. Hopefully, by the end of the month we will be members in our new church home...our "second" family at Second Presbyterian.

4.  I weighed myself this morning and will be using a couple of apps that I've discovered to pursue a goal of losing 2 pounds a week.  My goal is 40 pounds. More on the details when I update at the end of the month.

That's it for January...

How are things going for you and yours?

This and That

My nerves are still frayed from last night's Chick-fil-A Bowl...formerly known as the Peach Bowl.

Our Clemson Tigers were their best selves in the end, winning over LSU by one point, earned by a field goal in the last two seconds of the game. It was a humdinger of a ballgame and a sweet win, as I don't think many people were expecting it. I had a teeny tiny good feeling at kick off but never would say it out loud. Can't tempt fate...no siree...no jubilation until the win is in the bag!

I've decided on several resolutions; however, because creating short-term goals is more conducive to success for me personally, I'll be creating monthly resolutions. The list will get longer as the year goes by because while some goals will be met, others will continue for a time. I'll be putting said resolutions into effect beginning Monday, January 7th and report out at the end of each month.  Not that I expect you, my friends, to be overly interested...it's just that reporting publicly will keep me honest.

More on the resolutions over the coming week...I'm still formulating plans.

This is my last afternoon of vacation. I'm sad...but I'm happy...but I'm sad...but I'm HAPPY! 

Have a great rest of your New Year's Day!