well, it's official, this is my last day of summer break!  I was going to try to spend the day at the pool, but I am not so sure mother nature is going to comply!  oh well, surely I have reached my vitamin D quota for the year! LOL

So, my husband has decided he wants to be a non-smoker. I am glad. I would really like us to live to be 100!  I have no problem not smoking, but it is hard when he smokes. So, they are calling him in some Chantix.... so non-smoking is gonna be the new smoking! LOL  I think it will make him feel better and be around longer, so I am all for it!!

I just want to get on a little rant about marriage... not mine, other people's! LOL  I think all of these people have this warped image of what marriage is supposed to be, so when it turns out not to be what they think, they quit and run for divorce court.  Here is what I have to say about it.

1. Marriage is not some sort of daily fairy tale.  And for those of you saying, "but mine is," it really isn't.  If it seems that way right now, you are in for a real shake up when the real world sticks it's ugly little head in.

2.  Marriage is not about one person getting what they want all the time. It is about a 50/50 partnership. If you are still workin a 70/30 system, you are screwed.

3.  Marriage is not a competition of who's is better or who's life is more glamorous..... marriage is not glamorous... it is everyday!!

4.  When the going gets tough, you cannot quit.  The grass really isn't greener on the other side. I am not sure what all of these people are thinking.  It seems like all anybody wants to do these days is give up and go have a good time.... sometimes what you have is great and you are too damn stupid to see it!!! 

5.  The first year of marriage is not all rosey like people want you to think. Although it is mostly wonderful, it requires a great deal of adjustment and work to make it a good fit...... 

6.  The people around you have to be with you as a couple.... not for one of you and on your side. All the people you surround yourself with have to be in support of you as a couple... there are no sides to be taken in a marriage. And although it may make you feel vindicated that someone is "on your side," it is really not good for your marriage. If they are "on your side," they are against your partnership!!!

So here is what I have to say to sum it up.  When you make a commitment before God and the people you love to be married to another person, you are making a commitment to tough it out through good and bad times..... unless you are abused or cheated on.... then by all means get the hell out!!!  And about that.... Cheating.  Here is my take on cheating. There are two kinds of cheaters. Those who cheat because they are cheaters, and those who cheat because they have lost there way. I believe that sometimes people get lost in their marriage and may stray off course and cheat once.  I think those people may need to do that in order to realize their love for the person they are with... if you are this person and have done this, and it makes you realize where you are meant to me, then leave it in the past and move on with a new commitment to your spouse.  If it really was just a reality check, do not destroy the person you love by telling them.... if you can move forward and be committed your spouse forever... do it! After all, we are all human!

Now, for all of these people in fairy tale land. Those Disney like fairy tales that we grow up dreaming of are not reality.  Reality is the everyday.  Some days are going to be great and some just ok and others really crappy.  The trick is to remember why you fell in love with that person and keeping on loving them.  Real love is day to day. It is working in the yard, and playing with your kids, and watching movies, and paying bills.  Sometimes we misplace our fairy tale. I have decided the trick to a healthy lasting marriage is finding ways to keep falling in love all over again.  It can be as simple as a comment or doing a project together.  But, you have to find a way to keep falling in love. It is not ok to just love a person.... you have to be in love. These are two completely seperate things!  So, the thing is, it may not be "work" to be married, but it does require an effort and a commitment everyday, not just when things are good!!  

So, that is my rant on marriage. I am so sick of people giving up or constantly bitching about their marriages.... all that time spent searching for something to be perfect or bitching when it's not could be better spent finding quality ways to renew your commitment to each other!  And for those of you who are not married.... think about who you are committing to and do you really want to wake up next to them everyday. Cause if you are not sure, you cannot do it. You cannot get married as a result of convenience or circumstance. It won't work if you do!!!

I am glad I chose the person I chose.... for all of his faults I love him. I love him everyday.  I want to choke him sometimes, but I always love him.  I love falling in love with him every chance I get. I love being in a crowd of people and catching a glance from across the room that makes me melt into him again. I love when he acts stupid and goofy and makes me laugh. I love when he really irritates me and then acts silly to make forget he irritated me.  I love the way he looks at me when I sing. I love the little glimmer I get from him when I know in that moment he is falling in love with me again. I love when he walks in the door after being at work all day. I love sitting in the garage all sweaty after we have worked outside together. I love watching him cut up with my Mom and picking at her. I love the way he laughs like a little kid when something is really funny.  For all the times I have wondered why, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he really loves me.... not in a fairy tale kind of way, but everyday!!!  So, people if you have not found this kind of love.... I am sorry. Start searching now and hopefully you will find it. I wish everyone could have 1/2 of the happiness I have found.... because it is really something!

So that's it.... that is what I have to say about marriage. For those of you thinking this is about you, it's probably not. I am just really sick of watching marriage crumble because people a looking for something that may be right in front of their faces!!!

That's all for today, my last day of break!  Back to reality tomorrow.

I spent the day with my Mom yesterday at Vanderbilt visitng a friend of hers. It is so sad she has renal cancer. I seems like everybody you come across these days has cancer.  It is just so sad and scary. It was a nice visit though. She has a really good attitude despite having a tumor cut off her brain a few days ago. I guess attitude is everything when you are sick like that. Hers is good.... so maybe that helps!

I have been trying to get my life back in order to go back to work. I am so not ready. I am just trying to convince myself that it is not that bad and I can do anything for a few months.... it is just hard to go and me trapped in a building when it is 90 degrees and sunny outside! oh well, this is the life I picked! LOL.  I am sure I would be bored at home anyway (probably not). I am just not sure I am ready for all the miscommunication and drama that I am afraid I will be facing! Oh well, such is life!

I am going to lay by the pool with Emily and pretend it is June and we are not two days away from the schoolyear! The sunshine will certainly help!

I am waiting to hear back on the estimate for hardwood for my living room and get the install all set up. I cannot believe I have waited six years to take care of this when it drives me crazy. I will be glad when it is installed and done! I am sure it will look a thousand times better. Then on to deciding what carpet I want to put upstairs and getting that all installed. I really dread the part where we have to move all the furniture out~ that part does not thrill me..... but it will be worth it to have some nice, fresh, new carpet!!! I may have to wait till fall break so I do not go crazy from all the mess. I am not sure I can jack up my entire upstairs and go to work without freaking out! we will see though! Maybe it wont be that bad. I should get it done soon before I am really hating on this carpet (more than i already do) LOL.  Having a house seems to be a never ending project. I can see how all of these people let their houses go to crap.... I just can't do it!  

I wish Brent and I could sell our house and move to some remote little island and set up a tiki bar on the beach or something... wouldn't that be heaven. Maybe we will one day! LOL  

Oh well, I guess I am off to basque in the sun......

Whew!

What a busy couple of days I have had! I have been going nonstop to prepare for my friend Sandra's wedding. I was really nervous that we would not pull it all off, but miraculously we did!  I was a little skeptical that we could convert her back yard to a simple serene wedding backdrop.  But, somehow it all came together! It sprinkled a little off and on most of the day making it really difficult to get the tables and flowers situated under the tents.  Luckily it stopped just in time to prepare everything.  The tables were very pretty. I used white table clothes and centered hot pink broadcloths in the centers in a diamond shape. Then centered small bud vases filled with Eucalyptus (sp) and boxwood with yellow, hot pink and orange roses and lilies.  Then there were two round cakes and I decorated them with pink hydrangea blossoms and multi colored rose petals.  I made Sandra a bouquet of hydrangea, Eucalyptus, boxwood,  multi colored roses and lilies. It was spectacular if i do say so myself!!  The food table was decked out with buffet servers warmed with sterno, acrylic bowls filled with potato salad, etc. Then I sprinkled tortilla chip all around the food. It looked good and was quite functional.  BBQ is always a good way to go for an easy backyard wedding.  The only little issue was when the county commissioner who was going to marry them was not there and we were five minutes out from ceremony. I was all set to get up there and perform a fake ceremony for the guests( Not enough time to get ordained online, but I should go ahead and do it for future reference!) Fortunately, he arrived just in the nick of time! I was stressin that for sure!!  But, he got there and performed the shortest ceremony in history.  It was beautiful and Sandra and Mike were very happy.   So, all in all it worked out Great!!!! I am glad it is over!! I will definately be charging for these services from now on!!!  It is a lot of work and stress!!! but, I am super glad I did it. Sandra and Mike were very appreciative!  And my WONDERFUL husband was super helpful as usual! we had a great time together.  I am super lucky. I hope Sandra and Mike can be half as happy and lucky in love as Brent and I are.  I some times forget just how lucky we are.... Brent seems to always swoop in, in the last inning and remind me though!!  He is a real trooper!!  Lucky me!!!

So, today I plan to rest and do a few chores.  I guess I will spend my last 4 days of break baking in the sun, (if the weather will let me) and getting my life back in order to return to work. So sad!!!  Summer break has been WAY to short!!!  Oh well, at least I get a summer break I guess!!

That's all for today!

Pooped

Had a great day yesterday. I went to the pool and got to spend some great time with Andrea and Joshua and Alex.  They were precious!  Alex is just too sweet.  Then dinner and drinks at 5 senses with Andrea, Kelli, and Darla.  Also great! My fav restaurant with some of my fav people.  

Today was a a different story.  I got up and went to work for a retreat.  Ok, seriously I am not sure how I am going to go back there next week. I am pooped. It was a little sad too.... I really missed Carla being with us. I am not sure I am going to like going back there without her next door.  It was fun catching up with the other girls but just not the same without Carla! Sad!! I did get to see Beth for a minute and that was good, but only for a minute. We have much more catching up to do. I am just not sure I can handle another year. Oh well, I am in now so I will figure it out. I would be a great housewife that is for sure!!!

I think I am going to take a long bath and go cuddle up with my sweet husband.... and try to pretend my break just started!!!  Then I think I will sleep extra late tomorrow, drink lots of coffee, and spend a relaxing day at the pool tomorrow. I guess I need to get rested up. I am going to be a BUSY BUSY girl Friday and Saturday trying to coordinate Sandra and Mike's wedding. I am sure I will have to hibernate Saturday night and all day Sunday when it is over.  

That's all for now!  

well, let's see.... Today i accomplished VERY little. I slept late. Brent and I watched two movies and played The Price is Right on the wii last night! LOL So, I then drank coffee for an extended amount of time. Then I watched Brent hang a fan in the garage... that took a lot of effort on my part.  Then I laid on the coach and read sTori Telling by Tori spelling. (Cute Book)  Then I mowed with Brent. Then I finally showered at about 4:00 and ran to the store.  I made a salad while Brent cooked steaks, while also sipping wine.  And now I am pooped... I really did nothing today. No reason to be pooped..... hmmmm..... what a non productive day!!  Oh well, I guess I will bake at the pool tomorrow. Maybe then I will feel productive! LOL

Great 4th, sad day in Nashville

We had a great day yesterday celebrating the birthday of our nation.  We spent the day at the Holland's pool. We had a beach reunion and a yummy beach shrimp boil.  We got to play with the puppies and the kiddos and just had a blast.  Then we jetted outta there in a flash to go pick up my Mom and Norval at the airport. They had a blast in Napa, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe. I am so jealous. They brought us a yummy bottle of wine and a beautiful outdoor copper prism. I am excited to get it hung up!  Then we rushed home to grill burgers (in the rain).  we had a break in the rain long enough to see the Murfreesboro fireworks shooting off across the neighborhood. Lots friends showed up to watch and visit.  Mom and Norval even made it with Jetlag~  Altogether a very fun day!

However, a sad day for Nashville with the discovery of Steve McNair's apparent murder suicide. I feel terrible for his wife and 4 children. What a horrible day for them.  Also, a tough day for Titan's fans and the Nashville community, where McNair was a great community figure.  So much scandal and death lately in the celeb world. Very tragic! Makes you really grateful for your simple life!!!!

Anyway.... Gonna spend a great day with my honey. Maybe we will go and look at some hardwood for the living room. I have to get off my butt and get that done. I have put it off for 6 years now. I am really starting to get irritated with me! LOL I guess I should accomplish something at my house before I am locked up in a classroom again! only a week and 3 days left! What will I do without being able to lay at the pool everyday?  I can do it.... it is just one more schoolyear ( or less...LOL) I can do it!!!!  

Why?

I had a pretty good day today. I borrowed my Mom's Convertible (since she is on vaca) and went to Hendersonville to have lunch with my honey. It was super relaxing to drive down the highway at high speeds with the top down.  I need some quiet time like that. So that was good. I think Brent was glad I went to Hendersonville to see him. 

Then I came home and scrubbed my nasty house. I am not sure why it takes so long. I spent 4 hours just scrubbing downstairs. That is ridiculous.  WHY, oh WHY do I spend hours cleaning like a maid in order for it to get dirty again and then I have to clean it again? I might like it to stay clean for a long time so that I do not have to scrub again. I am just not sure why it has be so much damn work!  And while I am on this.... let me just give some advice. Although they are beautiful, Brazillian Cherry hardwoods are NOT the way to go. They show every little speck of dust.  Oh well, that is the price we pay I guess!

Ok, I guess I am off to finish my chores and go have dinner with Brent. Maybe after that I can finally finish this book.... it seems to be the never ending book. It is so good, I just can't seem to read it fast enough!