Book-a-Holic

Hmmm...am I the only one that feels this way?  I must admit I am a book-a-holic.  You can find books of just about any genre on my Kindle and in my basket patiently waiting to be read.  I don't ever remember a time when I didn't love books which is strange to me because I had no public library near my house, no library in my elementary school, and my parents weren't particularly big readers.  I played outside from daylight until dark so there was no time to read.  Where did this love of reading come from? I don't really care where it came from but I am happy books are a part of my life.  I can't fall asleep at night until I have read a few pages.  Before I travel I read books about where I'm going.  That's how I discovered Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews.  When I need something light, Janet Evanovich books make me snort out loud no matter where I am...on a plane, by myself, or in a crowd.  The Pilot's Wife, Sea Glass, and Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve take place in three different time periods but as I read them there was something vaguely familiar in each of them.  Then it dawned on me...the same house was prominent in each book.  While we're talking about houses...have you read The Painted House by John Grisham or maybe Saving Monticello by Michael Popek? 

Oh, stop me!  See what I mean about a book-a-holic???  But if you need suggestions, I have a few for you.

Life's a Roller Coaster

"Life's a roller coaster.  You can choose to live your life with the joy of the front row or solemness of the third row.  The choice is yours"  ~unknown



Some days it is really hard to remember this.  That's when I try to envision this picture.  I don't want to be the third row people.  I want to be on the front row, laughing like crazy, my hair flying in the wind.  And on those days when things are really difficult I at least want to be the people in the second row...the choice is mine. 

Nudge the Grudge

Hmmm, nuff said! 

Never Forget

"Thinkin’ of those who simply went to work one day or got on a plane & lost their lives, the heroes who gave their lives in service, the families who still live with the pain, & those who survived. May God bless them all & may God bless America"~  Shannon Wilson, FB friend

Hmmm, does it seem that things have been mighty quiet this year leading up to 9/11?  Have we become complacent?   I hope not.  I will never forget.  I was in my library at school and for some reason had flipped on the television in the back office before my first class of students came in.  That's when I saw it, smoke billowing from Tower 1 of the World Trade Center, a plane had hit it.  My initial thoughts:  how tragic...how many people were on the small plane that hit it...how ironic, the same thing happened years ago to the Empire State building...I wonder how they will repair the building...we had champagne at sunset on the observation deck last time I was in New York, guess that won't be happening again...I wonder if people were in those offices yet.  Then the second plane hit and even I understood something totally out of the ordinary was happening. As the day progressed I walked around in numbness and disbelief.  As soon as I got home I dug out and proudly flew my flag.  After a day of feeling totally helpless there was power in that...that was the only statement I could make.  Eleven years later I still remember.  Thank you Shannon for your post this morning.  Simple and to the point, I could not have expressed my feelings better.  May God bless America.  May we never forget!  May we never become complacent!

Sorry...Out to Live

Hmmm...I'm not sorry.  As I have mentioned in "About Me" I am living as fast as I can.  I firmly believe you're as old as you feel and usually I am in my late 30's early 40's even though my birth certificate informs me that my next birthday will be a BIG one.  Age is usually just a number to me...but this next birthday...there is a little flutter of,  "Oh, I'm not 18 anymore!"  I felt a little insulted when I started getting emails from AARP and the scooter store! I really am young for my age.  And then, today, I read something in the Huffington Post,  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-hannah-grufferman/what-every-post50-woman-s_b_1864921.html,  that informed me that I was considered a Crone.  What?!?  This needed some further investigation...what was Barbara Hannah Grufferman talking about?  And read it I did.  Guess what, it is an honor to be a Crone and I missed my Croning Party!  Ms. Grufferman left me with this these thoughts...

"Embrace your age, engage with life, take control of your future, and live. Care for your body, exercise your mind, be a part of the world, stay connected with people who are supportive, and you'll discover a secret that many women over 50 who are doing these things already know: If you feel good, you look good. And if you feel and look good, age will be the furthest thing from your mind."

I consider that good advice for anyone from 8 to 80.  I will celebrate my Cronehood. I will take more college classes.  I will take a few more Shag dance lessons. I will continue to hike. I will learn how to use my big girl camera. I will zip line the Smoky Mountains. I will go parasailing. My bucket is deep on my Bucket List.  Gotta go now, headed out to live...be back soon!

She of the she said...

I am a Mom, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend...traveling a new, unexpected journey in life and I am amazed by all of my blessings! I love travel, brake for flea markets, love decorating with the unusual, have my fingers in so many pies (that's Southern for "everything interests me") and am always collecting something.  I have been collecting quotes for a while now.  Have you ever noticed how just the right quote seems to pop up just when you need it and it seems to go along with whatever is happening in your life at the moment?  Happens to me all the time.  So, this blog, an assignment for my Web 2.0 class, will be as eccentric as my tastes...it will cover a variety of my interests...but all tied to quotes.  Hmmm....