And We Give Thanks...

Perhaps it’s a little boring to read another post about giving thanks...but its THANKSGIVING…it’s a good thing to do. I don’t have a gratitude journal, so I, unfortunately, don’t always take the time to sit and think about the things I am grateful for now. We are usually too busy thinking about the future to think about what is so good about life now. The thing I am most grateful for is the fact that I am alive. There have been events in my life that have occurred that by all means I should not be…but I am, for whatever reason. I am very thankful that I survived them. Many people have not.

I am also very thankful for all of the people in my life, even the ones that I don’t consider friends or family. They all have a lesson to teach. I may not see their value or see the lesson right away, but I do eventually.

I am even more thankful for the people that I do consider family and friends. They are not large in number, but they are all VERY important. They love me for who I am, even with all of my craziness and faults. I am not perfect…no one is. I’m stubborn and selfish at times. I worry (i.e. obsess) a lot about things that aren’t important. I try to hard to be perfect, and often fall short, despite my efforts. Regardless of that, they still love me. I think that is what makes me love them even more. They all understand better than anyone that no one is perfect, everyone has their faults and everyone makes mistakes sometimes…and it’s okay. Besides, who would want to be surrounded by perfect people all of the time? That would be way too boring. That’s an even bigger lesson for me to learn from them. They are not perfect either, but I love them too. They drive me crazy and irritate me sometimes, but at the end of the day, they have added value to my life, on a regular basis, and made it better because they are in it.

And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t give thanks for the three most important people in my life…my Mom, Maria, and Doug. My mom has been my best friend from day one. Has loved me when I thought no one did, and always been there NO MATTER WHAT was going on, or what I did. I have never seen anyone love as unconditionally as she has loved me. Maria, has brought one of the most important gifts in my life…laughter. When it seemed like nothing was funny about the world, she found a way to make me laugh. Her encouragement, and amazingly, her admiration, kept me going through some pretty hard times. And then there is Doug. He is my rock, my voice of reason, when I can’t hear past the crazy voices in my head. He makes me a better person, even when I stumble. He reminds me of the person I want my kids to be. “Don’t follow Mommy’s example, she’s a bubble off center…go see Daddy.” He also encourages me, and that is the greatest gift a person can give. He doesn’t bullshit me, but he does encourage me. I only hope that I do for him all of the things that he does for me.

These people have given me that most important gifts in my life…unconditional love, laughter and encouragement, reason, and honesty. They are my best friends. They love me. Period.

There are a lot of other people (family and friends) that have taught me other lessons about life that I have not forgotten in my heart, but will not mention here. I may mention them in the future. They each have a story to me. They are all important and I am very thankful for each and every one of them.

I Don't Need No Stinkin' Comfort Zone

I created this blog with a purpose. It is to serve as a way to force myself to “journal”, and also to serve as a place to document the process and lifestyle changes that my family is going through while we transition from life in the city to the life in the country that we want to have. The only stumbling block has been that I didn’t want to mention anything about the property we are currently trying to purchase because I did not want to jinx the whole thing. Not that there has been a shortage of things for me to ramble about, but you know…it has felt like I am keeping this dirty little secret. So without further ado, here is a picture of the property we are currently attempting to purchase:

So there it is. Our goal for this place is to make is self-sufficient. All of the things we do on it will generate revenue, will be beneficial to the planet, and support the family. This means a lot of things. I want to grow produce, and raise chickens. My mom wants goats. Doug wants to have deer and cattle, among other revenue generators. This has been quite a learning process for me…being a city girl and all.

As Doug, our neighbor, and I were sitting outside talking yesterday, I really got why I want this. My ultimate goal is to take the things about city living and incorporating into the country and vice versa. This means a lot of things…starting this blog is one of them.

The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

So I am going back to school…gonna be hot for teacha. Moving on…I have signed up for a Designing Effective Websites and Photoshop for ABSOLUTE Beginners continuing education course. ABSOLUTE beginners as opposed to “Beginners Who Don’t Sit In The Corner Eating Their Hair When They Open Photoshop”. I would be in the first group…who does. I’m gonna get edumacated. WOOHOO!! Y’all beware of my skillz! Okay…I’m gonna stop and go eat my hair. But first...with an update...drum roll please...here is the first picture I have created in Photoshop...I'm tellin' ya....be afraid...be very afraid...

Time Marches On

I want to take a moment to discuss the events of our Veteran’s Day Weekend, since the last year has been spent leading up to this. We go in to Bryan early Thursday morning. We headed straight for the library, hoping to get a chance to meet the President George H.W. Bush. We did…and…in my exceptional brilliance, I turned the camera off, instead of taking a picture, and he was gone. Whisked away, by the spooks. I want to look cool and talk into my sleeve. But that’s another story. Then we wandered around town, checked into our hotel room, visited some friends, had dinner, and then went back to the room.

Friday was spent setting up computers, and waiting for the rest of the family to show up. Saturday was the reopening of the George Bush Memorial Library and Museum. We stood out in the sun for way too long and watched the former president jump out of a plane. After several people talked, and the president spoke, they finally opened up the museum. We went in and walked through. Then we got to the “Voices of the Gulf” section. To sit there and hear Doug’s voice was awesome, and unnerving at the same time. It is quite the dichotomy. On one hand, I am so proud of him to be a part of that. On the other hand, it is quite disturbing to hear the things that he has told me late at night in the privacy of our home being told to anyone who walks in and wants to listen.

Then we got to the memorial. Everything was fine until he saw the first person doing a rubbing of a name. It was one of those moments that there are no words for. And as Murphy’s Law would have it, my decrepit camera couldn’t take a picture of that moment. I guess in a way, it is something that I will just have to keep pictured in my head. I wish that I could share the feeling of what I saw, but I can’t. We left and went back to Bryan , ate, and relaxed. Then we had dinner at the VFW.

Sunday was the day of the parade. We met a lot of people and made a lot of friends. I couldn’t help but tear up when Doug told me about some of the people he met and their stories. This world is really full of a lot of amazing people. Sadly, all we ever hear about are the bad ones, but the good ones are out there, you just have to find them, and be willing to open up and talk to them. Everyone wants to share their story; they’re just trying to find someone to listen. I hope a lot of people listen to Doug’s; it is a pretty amazing story.

The whole weekend was one of those events in your life that really makes you step back and think about what is really important. It’s sad how much stuff is not important but takes up a lot of our time and energy in our lives.