Hiccups and Blessings

I am truly thankful for the past week.  I was able to spend an entire week with my family. 
We had some hiccups on the trip down, we
...met-up in Indianapolis later than we had originally intended
...followed the GPS which took us down a goat trail.  ~ It reminded me of The Office when Michael drove his rental car into the lake. 

Once in Georgia, we had several blessings...
...an affordable hotel with comfy pillows.  ~ I'm fairly certain that ANY pillow would've been comfortable at that time of night.

...warm weather -- 70's and sunny
...since it was soo warm, I spent several mornings on the porch in my jammies with a steamy mug of coffee in my hands and praise in my heart.
...EMAIL!
...laughed together
...prayed together
...stayed up way too late watching sappy Hallmark movies.  (Oh how I miss love the Hallmark channel!)
...slept-in
...Mom had coffee brewing for us
...Dad, Bryan, and I went out to lunch
...Black Friday gallivanting just Mom and I

On the roadtrip home, blessings still flowed abundantly...
...singing along with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Bryan
...in Nashville, declaring "We had a dream" when we drove on the Martin Luther King Blvd.  (Hearing Bryan say "Boulevard" like some crazy Southerner still makes me laugh OUTLOUD!)
...EMAIL!

...talking to my friend Nancy for the last hour of my very LONG trip home.  I'm so thankful that she was awake and alert.  Nancy is extremely creative sooo we enjoyed chit-chatting about our upcoming Stamping Extravaganza!  We have been talking about having a marathon stamping extravaganza at the cottage and we are finally going to do it! 

A - Thursday is December 1st. 
B - Christmas is December 25th. 
C - Neither of us have our Christmas cards made. 
D - We refuse to send out store-bought cards when we both have Christmas stamps, cardstock, stamp pads, and envelopes.

We laughed about our past card bloopers...oh, there have been sooo many. 

Nancy was a bright spot on my roadtrip home.  :)  I'm so thankful for her friendship.

Date:  November 25, 2011
Character:  Bryan Lee

While setting the table, Bryan picked up a plate and began acting like a goofball.  This picture makes me smile.

Starry night...

Tonight I stood on my parent's back porch and attempted to snap a picture of the evening sky.  It's beautiful.  There are a handful of stars twinkling brightly.  I was unable to take a decent picture.  

As I stood out there looking at the stars, the song from American Tale came to mind. (Do you remember the movie?  It was a cartoon with a mouse named Fievel.  He had those big ears and was as a cute as a button!)  I haven't heard the song in years...  It was performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram.

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight.

Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer

That we'll find one another in a big somewhere out there.

And even though I know how very far apart we are

It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby

It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there if love can see us through

Then we'll be together somewhere out there

Out where dreams come true

And even though I know how very far apart we are 

It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby

It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there if love can see us through,

Then we'll be together somewhere out there...

Out where dreams come true.

"Easy" knitting project

Tonight I ended a very frustrating knitting project.  It was a cowl-scarf.  (For those of you who do not knit or who have not seen the super cute scarves at Target, this type of a scarf is a round scarf that you pull on over your head.)  I had approximately 20 rows completed (each row contained 60 stitches).  Somewhere around row 10, I skipped a stitch which caused a hole.  My only pet-peeve with knitting is that once you make a mistake, you cannot just rip out the rows back to your mistake and then re-knit.  You have to start all over.  ALL over.  Soooo while sitting in the recliner tonight, I sadly pulled the project off the knitting needles.  (Sigh.)

Too combat my sadness over losing the time I had invested in this project, I decided to start a new one.  I mean, it only seemed right.  And this new project has a little blip describing the project and it says, "This is easy and simple."  It's even in the chapter titled, 2 to 4 hour projects.  I do hope that this 2 to 4 hours applies to me...  It would be nice to get this scarf completed in the allotted time.

The repeating pattern is a total of four rows.  The first and third rows contain yarnovers and a series of slip-a-stitch, knit 2 together, pull the slipped stitch over the last stitch...(For you non-knitters, I imagine you are thinking, blah-blah-blah.  Rightly soooo...)

Too keep my place, I read outloud each stitch.  When I got to the point of the picture, I said to Bryan, "Yep - this is what you are going to hear on Saturday for six whole hours!!!"

I actually am looking forward to working this pattern...A) they claim it's easy; B) the finished picture looks delightful; C) I think the friend who will be receiving this scarf will cherish it.

As I get more of the scarf completed, I will post pictures.  

I absolutely love to knit for others.  My mom was commenting on the cuteness of a scarf that I was wearing.  She said, "Did you make that?"  My reply, "No.  I bought it at TJ Maxx dirt cheap.  I usually knit and give those things away and end-up having to buy scarves for myself."  Isn't that sad that I, the knitter, cannot find time to make myself something cute?  Goodness...

Wednesday

Dear Blog Stalkers,

I want you to know what it means to me that you, my fabulous blog stalkers, take the time to check-in with my blog to see what in the world I have been up too.  It means alot that you care and want to know what sort of ramblings I will post for today.  So on this eve before Thanksgiving, know that I, the girl with curly hair, am truly thankful for YOU!

Most Sincerely,

The Girl with Curls

We call it "Shugga's"!!!

We ate at Sugar's Ribs tonight which provided us with not only an excellent meal but with an amazing view of Chattanooga.  Nestled on the side of hill overlooking the city, this fabulous eating establishment provides a diner-like setting.  The barbecue chicken and a side of fire-roasted onions were incredible!!!  Onion rings minus the breading -- who would've thunk!!!  

Flamingos, Bermuda Shorts, and Palm Trees...

Ooooh the funny Christmas sights in the south!!!  Flamingos wearing Santa hats.  Santa wearing Bermuda shorts.  Palm trees decorated with twinkling lights. 

It is warm enough for flip-flops.  And today, we actually had to turn on the air conditioner while traveling to Fort Olgethorpe. 

It's rather delightful wearing summerish clothing while on vacation!  :) 

 We made a quick stop at the cutsie coffeeshop in Ringgold, Georgia! 

This picture of Bryan took several takes to get his eyes open and his smile genuine.  I'm not opposed to snapping several pictures to get a good picture!  I believe the direct quote was, "I will keep snapping pictures until you smile!!!  Show me some teeth, handsome!" 

Bryan Quote #1

"Sis, you are really a good driver."  (insert pause)  "Well....that's what the rumble strips are there for." 

What will $59.99 get you in Cookesville, Tennessee?

What is this?  A used Kleenex crammed in to the peephole

I just don't understand.

I, also, don't understand why we didn't notice this last night when we checked-in.  Apparently exhaustion caused us to overlook this nastiness.

Here's hoping there weren't an boogers in the Kleenex.  ICK!

We were hoping someone else would stop and take our picture....

Plan B

Have you ever planned a trip that from the get-go just doesn't seem to be working out and lining up with your timetable?  For me -- it was the Georgia Hillbilly Thanksgiving trip that began TODAY...much later than originally intended...and much more unpredictable...

First - our departure time got bumped...  This delay allowed for an extra errand or two.  Woodman's to get chocolate chips for a Southern friend...and Starbucks for the girl with curly hair.  Starbucks was a must because early this week, said girl with curls ran out of coffee creamer.  And let's just be honest -- a roadtrip without coffee is like peanut butter without jelly.  Like Yogi Bear without BooBoo.  Like cinnamon without sugar.  It is just unthinkable. 

I was thrilled to embrace the extra 60 minutes.  I used the hour to sit and people watch.  At the coffeeshop, there were three delightful characters...

First - I noticed a boy sitting across from a girl.  The boy was trying to woo said girl and being overly impressive.  I wanted to say -- look, just be yourself.  If she doesn't realize what a great guy you are...then you are just wasting your time, my friend.  'Tis true. 

Second - a girl grading school papers.  She had a read pen in hand and a stapler on the ledge next to her piles o'paper.  It reminded me of my teaching days.  Most of the time, I would grade papers at the apartment or Barnes & Noble (the former location before they got all snobby and moved to the mall). 

Third - there was a girl with curly hair who spent nearly an hour people-watching...and then she fiddled around with her cellphone...perhaps she was replying to a text or an email.  Either way, she seemed to enjoy conversating with someone via her cellphone device.

After people-watching, a phone call was received which informed me that the time of departure was imminent.  To-go coffee cup in hand (and it was one of those red Christmasy cups with a cute ice-skating snowman & snowgirl.  The cup said something resembling When we're together, I won't let you fall.  Well, let me just say -- it's been my experience when ice skating that if I am about to fall down, the other person is going to let go of my hand as if I all of the sudden have the plague.  SERIOUSLY -- BE WILLING TO FALL WITH ME.  It's all I'm asking...not much.  Just be willing to take a chance at falling.)...I sauntered to Rosie and headed to the interstate.

The majority of the journey to Indianapolis (first leg of the trip) was uneventful...actually it WAS uneventful -- except for this cute pair of pink flamingoes.  It seems that these birds have taken over Indiana!!!  They were everywhere.  Faux flamingoes...at the gas station, in a churchyard, at other places of business, homes, etc. 

Once Bry and I met up in New Whiteland, Indiana, we purchased supper at Panera.  Soup and salad for me.  Bry had soup and a sandwich.

For dessert, we ordered coffee...and we both forgot to say "decaf"!  True story!  We realized the error and then laughed about it.  This picture (below) cracks me up!  Bry was sooo excited to have coffee and too finally be together that he threw up his arms and shouted!!! 

We decided to travel and use the Garmen to guide us on our merry way.  Little did we realize that it was set for "Shortest distance" -- and it took us down some winding road that kind of creeped me out.  (Me, being the driver and author of this blog.)  Bry spent a good portion of the time on the phone with our dad trying to explain that we really didn't have a clue where we were...we were blindly trusting a computer.  The straw that broke the camel's back was the jaunt (and I mean that lovingly) down a one lane (NARROW LANE) dirt road.  It resembled a camel's hump and THAT WAS IT!!!!!  We voted and decided to stay in Cookesville, Tennessee at the Red Roof Inn.  The cost of the room was irrelevant -- our sanity was a small exchange for Room 122. 

Tomorrow we have 2 hours to go to our destination.  I, for one, am thrilled to be at a warm hotel...snuggly in my jammies...happily blogging (in hopes of de-stressing from the day's travels)...listening to Bry's contended snoring...

This trip has by no-means gone according to MY timetable...but I know that the Lord has orchestrated every single step...and tonight, I am going to rest in that notion.

Hugs from the South!!!

~ Angie

P.S. It is 63 degrees outside...with highs in the 70's tomorrow.  :)