Lowcountry Livin'

I had the opportunity of a lifetime this past weekend - to spend some time in the Lowcountry. My first true visit to South Carolina gave me an opportunity to connect with some incredible women.

Let me go back a bit ...

I won a chance to attend a girls' weekend getaway for me and a guest hosted by the lovely and gracious Kim Boykin. Kim is an author who you're going to want to introduce yourself to, and not just cause I say so. Her southern hospitality knew no bounds this past weekend, as she welcomed a group of us into her Isle of Palms home.

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Rainy morning recap.

It's raining.
It's pouring.
The old man is snoring.

I am not.

Not right now, anyway.

This might be the first Saturday in a few weeks I am actually awake at a normal hour.

I've been sick for a bit. A long bit. I'm doing better, so that's a good thing. A very good thing.

I'm having trouble titling this post. It's a sort of recap, but I'm also looking ahead. So there's that.

Is rainy morning recap something that works?

Do you have trouble coming up with titles for your blog posts?

I find it might be the worst part. Seriously.

So here's some recap for you, that looks ahead a bit, too.

Recap

This week I was lucky enough to receive a page critique from Melissa at Momcomm. She pointed out to me that my links become TEENY TINY and I totally agree. Seriously tiny. I'm not sure I know how to fix that, though. I need to do some digging so do me a favor and let me know when you notice that they're better, m'kay?

And check out her page critique for me and let me know what you think. Any extra input to offer? Ideas? Questions? I've got an in with Melissa, I can ask her for you if you're too shy to ask yourself!

Also, do you remember that I'm doing a weight loss challenge? If not, no worries. I'm always talking weight loss and fitness, so you're bound to be confused. It's all good.

Anyway, I'm working at it. And this week I did better. Though I'm not sure if it's because I was so sick I was unable to really eat anything, or what, exactly. So we'll see at Tuesday AM's weigh-in. I also fasted on Wednesday, but I think I made up for that on Thursday and Friday, which is also a part of why I think I'm going to try to make a switch where eating is concerned. Keep reading and you'll find out how!

Coming soon!

I've got a huge batch of coupons for Frush products. Do you remember my review? They're pretty good. My daughter loves them. I've got $1 off any two FRUSH smoothies and usually they're 1.99/each at our local grocery. Sometimes I can find them on sale for 2 for $3, and then the $1 off makes them a buck apiece. Which is a decent deal. Stay tuned for that post, or let me know if you're interested here. First come first serve and all.

I've got some more book reviews coming up. Have you seen my last two?

The Unfinished Garden ~ the author commented! The author commented! The Author Commented!

and Sharp ~  an intense read.  Definitely. Written by David Fitzpatrick.

I'm also going G-free. For two weeks. I'm looking for gluten-free recipes, blogs, guest posters, etc. I've got myself involved in the Udi's 14-day G-free challenge. I'll fill you in on more once I know what the heck I am doing. Stay tuned, y'all. This should be interesting.

So - what's up for you peeps? Share your favorite posts of the week, whether they're your own or someone else's. I want to be totally and completely filled in! Go!

And stay dry - or warm - or cool - or whatever! And work up a sweat as best you can. Gotta get movin!

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I'm a little bit country ...

Let's face it, by now I'm a lot more country than anyone would ever imagine me being.

Let me walk you through my day yesterday.

We got up fairly early and left the house. Hubby stayed home from work as we were headed to test ride a boat that we have had our eye on.

Longish drive. Boat is good. Kiddo shouted "woo hoo" and "wheeee!" the entire 10 minute ride. Or so.

Prior to heading out we stopped at Sheetz to pick up breakfast. It's a gas station. Seriously.

We don't go there that often, but enough in the last week or so that my daughter looked up and read the signage: SHEETZ. When the time is right we'll explain to her that bed sheets have an S and not a Z at the end.

So, let's continue.

Driving along towards the marina, later in the day, and I hear my daughter shouting from the back seat.

"Go! Go! Go! Run! Go!!!!"

I turn from where I was looking just in time to watch a turkey cross the road.

What the WHA? A TURKEY! That gives a whole new spin to her favorite chicken-cross-the-road jokes.

Now, I can't remember if it was before or after the turkey, but hubby pulled down a certain dirt road and we watched a batch of birds fly off. All except one. Hubs hit the brakes and that little fecker DID NOT MOVE. For real. We started backing up and he eventually flew away. It was a he. I mean, I just know that much has to be true. (A girl would have gotten her behind OUT of there.)

A while later, leaving the marina? Off to the side of the road I find myself gasping as I see two deer running. Fortunately in the other direction. Whew.

Now, where does that leave us? I talk to my brother and explain the boat. He defines me as a country bumpkin. In the nicest possible way.

I don't tell him it's our most recent mission to try all of the pickle chips available in North Carolina. That's a whole 'nother story!

I laugh, and our girls get into a Why did the turkey cross the road discussion. This can last for hours if we don't intervene. Seriously. City child. Country-ish child. Doesn't matter. Five-year-olds will make the joke their own for hours. HOURS.

Lookie how cute mine looks at the Got to be NC fest this past weekend? Feeding the animals at the farm? Yeah. She's ALL country. Born here and NC-blooded!

Let's wrap up the day with a 50+ minute walk around the 'hood with a friend.

I spy a bunny rabbit running (hopping?) across the street like wildfire in the darkness of the night.

She points to what I thought was a shadow of a leaf and we pause in our tracks as a toad jumps off out of our way.

I don't live in the boonies. I don't. I just live far enough away from the world of my youth that this city girl is turning a little bit more country by the day!

Oh ... and stay tuned for more on that boat!

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Today. What I'm thinking.

We woke up this morning, got ready for soccer, headed out and made it there in the nick of time. It was so crowded I stood for most of the session. It was fine, though. I'm cool with it. I did tell my husband - when he reminded me that my ILs will probably see our daughter play when they come through here in October - that we won't be one of those families who take up the whole bench with 4-5 family members seated at a time. I mean, maybe if you have a ton of kids. But five adults to one child that's out on the field seems a bit much to me. But I'm nice.

Have I confirmed for you all that I'm a soccer mom?

Bwahahahah!

But I am. I mean. I'm a mom. And my daughter plays soccer. So there's that, right?

Or no? Do I have to drive a minivan to make that an accurate label? Or, I suppose, I should have to drive at all. Right?

But then there's that Mommy Blogger terminology, as well. I'm a mom who blogs. So therefore, I must be a mommy blogger, yes? No? Does anyone really know? Does anyone care? I don't mean this with any sarcasm nor am I being facetious. I wonder, to whom the term matters more. Women who are mothers who blog, or women who call themselves mom bloggers, or what, exactly?

After soccer we went for lunch at IHOP. It really is one of the greatest places on Earth, I tell you. Oh, is that supposed to be Disney? Sorry. I might have mixed those two up. Just a tad.

And speaking of, we're home now. And my husband said to me, 'I recorded U-P.' And I took a moment, and said, 'So did I.' Great minds and all. I laughed to myself. Did I record it upstairs and he down? Did I go to record it, see it was already set and think I'd done it earlier and forgotten? Any of these could be the case. When you're getting on in years as I am who knows, right?

And so my daughter is watching it right now. Which is the only reason I can write this at the same time. And I'm not watching the opening scenes, because though I haven't seen the entire movie these early spots bring me to tears. Just can't do it. Oh, and the movie is UP, in case you didn't catch that earlier.

Oh! And let's talk for a moment about getting on in years. We went to a birthday party today and the young lady (ha! Girl!) at the play place who worked there, after she asked me how old my daughter was, proceeded to tell me she is 18, and her mom is like, oh ... wow. We chatted some about her being in high school, applying for colleges, and how the essays suck. I remember that well. I offered support and thought to myself that I am exactly twenty years older than she is. Dear G-d. When did that happen?

Anyway, right now I'll say bye. Sign off and wait for the Papa (John's - that is) to bring us pizza for dinner. $11 for a large pie with up to seven toppings. Why is it that when there are such deals I can only think of one or two that I'm in the mood for? I mean, tomatoes and extra cheese of some sort. What else really would I want on my pizza. Except for broccoli. It'd be nice if they started carrying broccoli there, like Domino's does. Ah, well. Another time, perhaps.

I hope you all are enjoying your Saturday, and that you squeeze your loved ones tighter and give them all an extra hug or two tonight before bed. I've got lots to say tomorrow, and I have some of it drafted, as I've mentioned, but some of it is just laying there. Still. Dormant. Waiting. Deciding if it should or shouldn't bubble up to the top of the still surface. I suppose we'll see.

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What to talk about?

I wrote a reflective post last week (I think) and was not planning to post it ON September 11th here in my hood. It will go live on another blog I write for that day, but I just wanted to hold this in reserve. And then I read it just now. Today. September 8th. And I realize, I don't have that many days left before the anniversary. Before I should probably hit publish and make this go live. And I can't figure out when the best time to do it will be. The day before? It's right or wrong? Today? It's still too soon. Is that crazy? It's just too soon for me to post this a few days before the actual anniversary. And so, I wait. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. Maybe when I'm ready.

Maybe I won't ever be ...

I'll wait until I wake up on the morning of September 11, 2011 and I'll open my eyes. Roll over and kiss my husband. Walk to my daughter's room and peek in. Or - who am I kidding? I always sleep later than everyone else on the weekends! Rewind and try again.

I'll open my eyes. Wipe the sleep out of them. And listen.

Will it be quiet? Upstairs, maybe. Will I hear them? I'll listen as I hear my daughter and husband downstairs, talking, chatting, laughing, playing. Watching TV. I'll hear the start of a brand new day. And I'll trudge downstairs, itching for some lovin'.

And I'll walk over, give my baby a squeeze and remind myself that this ... this is why we wake up and face another day. Despite the sadness and lost we will remember. Despite the emotions we feel, as we did the year before. And the year before that.

And then I'll look back into these eyes, and at this crazy hair, and burst into giggles. Or tears. Or both.


And that'll be OK. Whatever I choose.

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Stream of Consciousness: I'm still here

I seriously think I am getting a cold and it stinks. I woke up this morning (it is Saturday night as I type/write this) and I was coughing a bit and I am, as usual, pretty stuffy. My kiddo had a cold last week, so I hope I'm not really getting something. I want to go swimming tomorrow! I want to get back into our Sunday routine. It's been a few weeks. At least two, but maybe three, I guess it was three Sundays ago that we went, so it's three weeks. Anyway, I miss the water. Honest, I do.

I'm also in the mood to move. You know. Move my body. I'm here, but I don't move nearly as much as I would like, and I'm hoping that this week is a good kick-start to getting me on track to moving some more. Even if it is inside the house. That's what the Wii and Wii Fit are for, right? I'm #NIntendoEnthused and I should move it!

I like to move it - move it!

How memories flash at me now and then, like lyrics to a song, it's pretty funny how it all works. The mind. It's a brain dump, like this meme, and yet, it's all connected. A long-strawn (is that a word, I don't think it is but I will leave it anyway) drawn out tangent. And it keeps going and going, on and on. It's fun, but at night when I just want to go to sleep it's really quite the pain in the a$$. Seriously. Almost literally because if I lay there that long with various aches and pains and complaints my a$$ will eventually be among them. The complaints. Or the reasons I complain, that is.

Anyway - my five minutes are almost up and I wasn't in the mood to post today so I decided to do this tonight and can face the week freshly tomorrow. Or tomorrow night. Or whenever actually works for me.

I hope you all had a good weekend, and that you got to do whatever it was you wanted or had planned to do. And I hope I get to go swimming tomorrow. Just like I finally got the chocolate chip pancakes I wanted last weekend when we went to IHOP for dinner last night! Finally! Yum. Best. Dinner. Ever!

p.s. My "E" key still sucks.

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I'm back and I'm Lazy

I really didn't get into the whole *I'm getting ready for the Type A Parent Conference* type of details out here in bloggyland. I think I mostly spoke about it on Twitter, which was where the action was as far as chatting, planning, packing and carpooling. And so on and so forth.

And so I'm back, and I'm lazy and I'm whirlwinding through the ideas and information, the connections and new friendships, the actually meeting people in real life, and so I am on overload, and wanted to just post, say hey, I'm here, and I'm not nearly as together as so many bloggers appear to be, who have already posted their first recaps (and yes, my oh-so-functioning roommate, Lisa, over at Two Bears Farm is totally one of those people - so go take a look, while I sit her eating the chocolatey goodness she made me ... yeah, I know you're jealous!).

And while you're at it, here's a picture of us enjoying one of the parties there in Asheville.


Yeah, our eyes are looking at the phone in my hand that was acting as a camera, but honestly? This picture is awesome-sauce. I love it. It's an award-winning cell phone shot, if you ask me.

So that's my first post about the conference. I have lots more to say and lots of ideas, I'm just not put together that way. My laundry *first load* is waiting to be moved to the dryer, we haven't had lunch - but we only ate breakfast at like one o'clock (OK, maybe not that late - but still ...) and I'm avoiding the couch at all costs or else I'll be asleep on it.

Hope you're all well and stay tuned for more details on the incredible long weekend I experienced. My first blog conference was a successful one and I definitely would love to do more of them in the future. AND be sure that I return to Type A, as well. Because you know what? You don't have to BE Type A to attend Type A. Cool, right?

p.s. It seriously just took me seven minutes to write that post - picture and all. How not Type A am I!?!?!

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