It’s a beautiful summer day and I’m gradually embracing summer although still a little apprehensive of the heat that no doubt will be back. I think at the most we’ve run the ac 4 days so far this summer. We’re having a beautiful high of 73 today and it’s been so nice to have these windows open.

When I think of summer I think of the grill and I’ve always been a big fan of burgers. So today I made one of my very favorite summer lunches. It consisted of a seasoned burger, sautéed peppers and onions and a nice fresh vine ripe tomato. When I make the peppers and onions, I prefer eating the burger just like it is without the bun and stuff I would normally add to the sandwich.

So now I’m back to my little drawing and I’ll be back when it’s finished.

I guess this is going to be a bit of a goose chase as I’m going back to Thursday evening. It was then that I received a call from my girlfriend Michelle (from the couple Donnelle and Michelle that we met in the hotel last August). Michelle was calling to see if I would be up for a trip Friday to the big Outlets.

I threw caution to the wind and everything I had on my list went out the window and I signed up for that exciting trip with my friend. Michelle was here at 9:30 a.m. and we were off to great adventures in shopping. It was a beautiful drive and the company was wonderful and the trip didn’t seem to take that long to get there as we had so much fun visiting.

We hit the ground running in and out of some really fun shops. Michelle nailed quite a few things and the sales were amazing! I didn’t have anything in particular that I was shopping for but I did get 3 pair of socks. We literally shopped ‘til we dropped at a wonderful Italian Restaurant that evening for dinner. The food was prepared by the real deal Italian chefs and as a matter of fact the whole staff was Italian (could’ve been family owned) but one thing for sure, the food was divine!

We made it home by 8 p.m. where I collapsed in a heap ‘til we went to bed that evening. We both slept in pretty late Saturday and then I had to get that afternoon nap as all that shopping wore me slap out. I wanted to make Bobby a nice dinner that evening but he wanted to take me out and that’s what he did. And then he even wanted to go with me food shopping after dinner. That was so sweet of him as food shopping was one of the things on my to do list Friday but he insisted I go shopping with Michelle.

So that brings me to the rest of my Friday’s Chores which is cleaning and laundry. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about the weekends and evenings when Bobby is home that I do not clean or do laundry. Sure I do the dishes when he’s home but I’m talking about clean, cleaning. I just don’t do that stuff as I much prefer to spend our time together. So now’s the time for me to play catch up on all my Friday to do’s and I’m not regretting it one bit.

My little cough is still ever present and going into the second week of this here coughing spell. That little tickle returned yesterday and the coughing continues. I started on the Claritin again yesterday and continued with it today. The tickle doesn’t seem so bad this afternoon and I’m praying this doesn’t last too long.

I did find a site to check on the pollen count for this area and it’s very high right now. I had allergies so bad when I was a kid and thought I grew out of them. I didn’t have any trouble in TX whatsoever but I guess this new area has awakened an allergy I didn’t realize existed. I’m getting lots and lots of sleep too as I went back to bed after Bobby went to work and slept a good two hours and then I took an afternoon nap and that should carry me through ‘til bedtime. I forgot how exhausting allergies can be and I’m so thankful for the rest.

Didn’t want to speak too soon, but I’m finally starting to feel like my “Old Self” (40 never felt so good)! I’ve been taking the Claritin for 2 full days and noticed a difference right away. The nagging tickle was gone by yesterday afternoon and I didn’t have to rely on NyQuil to help me sleep last night. (Insert a huge Praise) I still have a bit of a cough left but nothing like what it was. I believe it must have been an allergy as that Claritin kicked in again this morning and by the end of the day I had so much energy.

Bobby called to see how I was feeling and to see if I would like to go out. He has no idea how nice it was for me to get some wonderful fresh air. Of course I thanked him telling him how this was just what I needed and that my batteries finally feel recharged.

We have our first official meeting with the builder Saturday morning so we will be narrowing our favorite plans the rest of the week to present it to the builder Saturday. It’s wonderful that we are finally crossing off this first big task. And we’re going to enjoy each step along the way of our journey to Home Sweet Home.

It was one week ago from this evening I got just a little teeny tiny tickle in my throat causing me to cough when I breathe. Silly little tickle is still in my throat and at times I’m in one continuous breathe – cough – breathe – cough – cough – cough – cough – cough cycle. I’ve been taking NyQuil at bedtime and that helps coat my tickle down there and allows for great sleep all night. But the moment I wake the nagging tickle/cough is back. I’ve tried throat lozenges, cough drops, honey and things that I feel would coat it back there to stop the tickle but the NyQuil is the only thing that has worked thus far. It is really getting annoying as all that’s causing it is that little tickle in my throat. I’m beginning to wonder if the tickle will ever leave or if I’m going to live with this.

Bobby went out and purchased some Robitussin and some Claritin and a few other miscellaneous things last evening. My friend back home in TX who teaches nursing said it could be an allergy and recommended a whole list of things and also recommended I try some Claritin. The Robitussin seems to help some and I just tried the Claritin this morning. And since I don’t have my humidifier here with us, I put my large stock pot full of water on the stove top adding lots of vapor in the air.

I said yesterday “if I’m not feeling any better tomorrow, I’m calling the Dr.” Well, I’m not feeling any better and don’t really feel like calling the Dr. just yet. Hopefully the tickle will leave soon.

The other thing is that I’m aching so much inside from all the coughing and I have completely lost my appetite. I only had 300 calories yesterday and I’m just forcing myself to eat something. That’s a shock as I’ve had an appetite from the moment I was born! Bobby made brownies last night thinking I would be up for a hot fresh batch but they didn’t interest me in the least. He’s been taking such great care of me as I’m feeling weak from all this and he continues to ask if there is anything he can do.

So I think I’ll give this a few more days and hopefully I’ll have some improvement. If not, I’ll have to call the Dr.

This truly has been perhaps the very best birthday of my life. From the moment we got up this morning Hubby would not allow me to do anything other than get myself ready. And he has done nothing but give me the royal treatment all day long.

We enjoyed a few hours of shopping and had a wonderful dinner and desert later on this evening. And to top all of that off, he surprised me with a special gift! He treated me with a gift certificate to a local resort and has purchased quite the spa package for me. I get started off with a 50 min massage, then a 50 min. European deep cleansing facial, a pedicure and Lunch! I think I’ll let this sink in for a couple weeks before I indulge. I’ll say I’m one excited old lady!

Ok people, I keep hearing now that I’m 40 that I’m over the hill. To be quite honest, I don’t look at it like that at all. On the contrary, I feel that I’ve climbed this wonderful hill with many wonderful stops along the way. Now that I have reached the quote unquote top, it’s such a peaceful feeling for me. And when Hubby asked how I felt about 40 this morning, I said. “I think the years to come are going to continue to get sweeter and sweeter. I love these years of my life. I look back in awe and wonder at how I got to where I am. And I look ahead with such excitement with many more wonderful days and years to come. I love life, I’m quite alright calling myself an old lady and it doesn’t bother me in the least. And by the time I reach the valley and my time on earth shall be no more I know I will have a lifetime of joy to celebrate and I will be ready to cross the river and pass to the other side and on over to Glory Land. Amen!

And the very worst birthday I can ever remember was turning 20. That was exactly 20 years ago. I remember how I didn’t want to get out of bed to face the day. Man that was a rough year for me. Ya wanna know why? Silly me didn’t like the fact that I was no longer a teenager, and that’s the year it hit me that I was turning into an adult. O I was not ready. I’m so happy 20 years later I woke celebrating 40 with gusto! I’m lovin’ live!

Many thanks to you my friends for making this my “Big 4-0” entry a success and without further ado, here are your Q’s and the A’s from the bottom of my heart.

For LaDonna –

• How did you and Bobby Meet ~ Country Dancing and our first dance ever was the two-step

• What is your favorite main dish recipe ~ Fried Rice is right up there. There are times I like to leave out the shrimp in this dish and make a nice Cashew Chicken mixture to pour over the top of the fried rice. Unfortunately I can’t put my fingers on that Cashew Chicken recipe. I think it’s in storage.

Note: Bobby’s has reservations made at my favorite Japanese restaurant where I’m going to have some yummy fried rice with my favorite filet mignon, medium well please, with some wonderful veggies too.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Servings Per Recipe – 4

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked white rice

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 small onion, chopped – “I prefer scallions”

1/2 clove garlic, chopped – “I like to add more than just that”

1 and 1/2 cups small shrimp – peeled and deveined

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot – peeled and diced

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green peas

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons soy sauce – “We prefer the low sodium kind”

DIRECTIONS

Cook rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking, heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in sesame oil and stir in onion. Fry until golden, then add garlic. When garlic is lightly browned, mix in shrimp. Fry until shrimp is pink.

Lower heat to medium and stir in celery, carrot, green pepper, and peas. Fry until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in beaten egg and cook just until egg is scrambled and firm.

When rice is done, mix thoroughly with vegetables and stir in soy sauce. Adjust seasoning to your preference and serve immediately. I always have to add more soy sauce to mine and Bobby likes it just the way it is.

My Two Cents Worth (regarding rice) – I don’t care for overcooked gooey rice so I keep an eye on it (and there is a difference between the wonderful sticky rice that I so loved in Korea and overcooked gooey rice), I love cooking any and all rice in chicken broth – brings out some kickin’ good flavor, let me tell ya. My favorite rice is Jasmine – just love that stuff cooked in chicken broth and eating it just like that served with vegetables on the side. Back to this stir fry recipe – I like to chill the rice before the stir fry. I think the chilling part allows the rice to firm up. Sometimes I make up the rice a day ahead so that it’s nice and chilled for the stir fry part.

• If you graduated from college, what was your major ~ I didn’t finish college but had a really big start in Graphic Arts. College ended for me when Bobby and I moved to Korea some 8 + years ago – then pottery came along about a year after our return from Korea (a little over 4 years ago) and I never looked back.

For Mary Ellen-

• Who was the teacher who had the most influence on your life ~ That Teacher will always and forever be my fourth grade teacher Miss Lucas. She reminded me of my mother and that’s why I loved her so much. She was always kind and pleasant and she exuded sunshine from within. She never picked favorites, she believed in us and she inspired me to always do my very best! I still remember wishing I could keep her for my teacher forever.
• Who did you have a crush on in high school ~ No harm, no foul but I prefer to leave it at that in here.
• If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world – where would you go ~ Hawaii – so far we’ve been there 3 times and have stayed on Oahu, The Big Island and Maui. So this time I would like to try Kauai ~ There are many other places we want to visit too but I think Hawaii will always be at the top of my list.

For Rochelle –

• What is your favorite Book – Pottery On The Wheel by Elsbeth S. Woody – I was told by a professional potter (before I even took my first pottery class) that this was the book that taught them everything they learned about pottery. I rushed out to make my purchase and continue to pick it up over and over again. When I was a kid my absolute favorite book was Curious George Flies a Kite. But anything to do with Curious George was always a favorite of mine.
• Who is/are your heroes – Bobby is my #1 hero; I look up to him each day to make the big decisions of our life. I’ve followed him to the ends of the earth and back with excitement around each corner and look up to him for guidance all along the way. Bobby, He’s my #1 daily Amazing Hero! There are other heroes like my parents that I look up to and am so blessed and thankful for their love and support in my life. There is another very personal hero that touches my heart. Krysia Stronski, she’s a potter with passion – she’s a potter with passion, I say! Her work lives up to her name and every gallery in the area knew her and the best galleries carried her work. Her work is also displayed up and down the east coast. But there was one thing about her that no one could capture (IMHO) and that was her way with clay. I could ALWAYS point out her work in a room full of pottery as could her following; and know it was hers without even seeing her signature. And I gravitated to her pieces like none other. I was honored to take 3 of her pottery classes and learning from this remarkable master is priceless! She is my hero, she believed in making a positive difference to those around her, she believed in me and spent extra time alone with me, she’s made a great impact on many lives; she gave of her time to mentor others when she could have been creating masterpieces of her very own. And she shared her knowledge freely to help others advance. She is one amazing lady, my hero, Mrs. Krysia Stronski.
• What is your least favorite household chore – Ironing

For Anita –

• When is your spiritual birthday – Around 8 years of age
• What is your favorite hobby – At the moment, looking for a house plan. This is a lot more fun than I ever thought possible! But in about 6 or so months from now when our home is complete, pottery will be the ultimate favorite hobby.
• If you could get in a time machine who would you like to see from the past – I’m a genealogy nut – so it would have to be my Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather (that’s 5 greats for the record) Alexander Born in Scotland in the year 1745. That’s as far back as I can go. I would love to visit with him to see what his life was like, who his parents and grandparents were. And why he sailed the deep blue to Virginia all those years ago. I would love to ask about his voyage and who he came with. Who were his friends and what he did during his life. And of course I could not leave out asking him all about my 5th great grandma too! And I’m sure upon meeting with him that I could come up with loads more questions and I’m sure he would have many wonderful stories to tell. Details, details, I would want to know all the details!

Welcome and thank you for stopping by, my big 4-0 birthday is coming this Saturday, May 24th. So I thought I’d do something a little different to celebrate this year. I’m planning something for myself but I need your help to make this a success. The directions are as follows.

Ordinarily, a survey/meme would have me listing facts about myself. Where do you live, what’s your favorite color… Your assignment, o Dear Reader (and yes, that means you, even if this is your first time here…you’re all precious to me.) is to provide at least 3 questions that you would like me to answer about whatever. All questions need to be submitted by Friday, May 23rd no later than the stroke of midnight right here. All questions will be answered on Saturday May 24th. So brainstorm and ask away, as you will play a part in my big 4-0 entry!

Today was one of those days that I did not start my coffee while preparing Bobby’s lunch. And when that occurs, Bobby knows what is at the top of my list ~ more sleep. So early this morning hubby said as he was almost out the door “I sure wish I could go snuggle with you for a few more hours”. As a matter of fact, I went in, put my head on my pillow and slept so sound ‘til 11:32 a.m. That was a shocker but I have felt fresh as a daisy all day long and I didn’t finish my coffee ‘til nearly 12:30 this afternoon.

Last night Bobby was up late doing bills and such in the office so when I announced I could no longer keep my peepers open, he asked if I would like to keep him company. Man, when my loving hubby wants me to keep him company, no matter how tired I am, he’s the one I want to spend that precious time with. So I settled in with my chair, propped my feet up and settled in for a nice long visit with hubby. A second wind shortly followed and we were up ‘til nearly 1:30 last night.

Some of our discussion centered around a big to do on our list. And the to do last evening was finding all the Dr’s we need to make appointments for. We searched his company site to find the providers near us and Bobby printed out all the providers last evening. I’m going through pages upon pages of providers to hopefully find the best. But you know how that goes, it’s like finding a needle in a hay stack and then you don’t know if you have the best.

So after my coffee, I settled in to make both of our eye Dr. appointments. And now I’m trying fervently to establish a Dentist for us.

Another major thing on our list is coming up with a floor plan. We just received two of the books Bobby ordered and another two should be arriving shortly and Bobby is also going to be ordering even more books before this day is over. It seems like we are finding several plans we really, REALLY like and now we are narrowing the options and hopefully we will have something soon as we really want to get started on the house as soon as possible. Yet we are in no rush to push the foot print as Bobby and I are pouring our hearts into this, it truly is a labor of love.

And the really cool thing ~ My mom just sent me the most AWESOME, AWESOME EST EST ~ is that a word? 3D Floor Plan program that I LOVE so much. The program is so user friendly and I’m creating plans left and right. The program allows you to add furniture, windows, doors and all the cool kitchen and bathroom stuff right down to coffee pots, toasters appliances and shower curtains, bath towels, towel rods… and can change dimensions and colors on any and all of this stuff. I’m even painting the walls and choosing the floor color, it’s awesome! And the cool thing, it tells you how many feet each wall is that’s created and also tells you the square footage of each room! Bobby has been using another program and lets just say I am not sophisticated enough to run his program, I would need a whole years worth of training on it to be able to use it, I’m sure. So, thank you mom for this totally Unexpected ~ Perfect 40th Birthday gift. Sorry I opened it before my Birthday ~ no, I’m not sorry in the least! I’m having a BLAST!!!

What to do when the snow is falling, the roads are completely covered in snow, ice is in the forecast, ICE is in the forecast people and plans have already been made with friends for a night out on the town? And to top it off I had just driven in the stuff late afternoon and it gave me an indication of potential trouble one could get into.

Next thing I know I’m talking with my friend Jennifer late afternoon and we’re talking about the road conditions and with that I made my mind up that I was NOT going anywhere the rest of the night. Then when I got a call from my friend Kay (the lovely lady I was going out with) she says “hello” in her sweet up beat voice saying “We’re leaving right now and we’ll be to your place in 45 min.” I kinda do a BIG GULP, a really big one people and utter “Ya, ya, you’re driving in that stuff tonight?” I was stuttering, gulping and the nerves were right at my throat. Then she says in that same up beat cheerful voice “Get yer boots on girl, we’re on our way”! Uh huh and click went our phones and at that moment I wondered “what kind of ride am I getting myself into.”

Well I was in for nothing other than the ride of my life to make it plain and simple. A winter wonderland awaited as Kay arrived in her 4 wheel drive (and in my mind, there is nothing too impossible it can’t plow through) with the really good tires too! Why – it was like we were out on a boat heading out over the most beautiful white seas I had ever seen in all my live long days. And In seven words I would sum it up something like “I would do it all over again”!

Kay and Theresa introduced me to a down home mom and pop restaurant where we enjoyed fresh homemade cornbread, Sweet ~N~ Sassy Wings, pulled pork and sweet potato fries. That dinner was truly amazing and what great conversation we had around the dinner table. Then off we went to the Christmas Tree Shop and had such a riot in there. We were practically the only ones crazy enough to be out shopping which made for such a magical evening.

But nothing can describe the sheer beauty of the night. It was so cold that the snow sparkled and it looked like glitter sprinkled throughout the beautiful white blanket of snow. I know my northern friends at this point can tell that I’m not from ’round here. Even still there aren’t enough words to describe just how I feel on this beautiful winter’s night. The pictures I have don’t do justice but here’s a sneak peak for you.

The Christmas Tree Shop – The perfect place to be on this beautiful winter night.

The empty parking lot – Not a trace of anyone returning carts to the little “Cart Return” place.

I finally found a pair that not only fit just right but they are oh so comfy too! And on top of all that they were 40% off making the deal even sweeter.

Sometimes I have difficulty finding comfy shoes. I have a really wide foot limiting the shoes that I can actually try on. And then sometimes when I get the perfect fit width wise, I have trouble with my heal slipping like I’m in a flip flop. Not the idea I have in mind when wearing a shoe, so I pursue until I get it right. I was beginning to think my shopping efforts were going to drag on into next week. But I’m so glad I can cross that off the list and get on with some other things.

The plan for next week is to discover that pottery studio and I’m so thankful I thought to pack all my favorite tools so that I can play dirty.

I still haven’t found a pair of shoes so I’ll continue to explore today. When I packed, I didn’t think about packing any closed shoes for myself. All I packed were sandals and flip flops. Mind you, we left TX when it was 102 degrees and I was no where near thinking about covering my feet. And it’s already half that here at night time. So in my quest to locate a pair of shoes, I was completely caught off guard when my eyes caught a glimpse of boots ~ just that in itself was enthralling, how often does one stumble upon such a thing when coming from my neck of the woods? I found myself lagging considerably behind as I meandered through the many different styles of boots. Every square inch of the shelves boasted of nothing but cute looking boots (alright, not every single square inch). For one thing, I’m not used to seeing boots and another thing, I have a hankering for a pair. I’ve tried on at least 10 pair thus far when I should be trying on shoes. The boots have definitely contributed to me not finding a pair of shoes. Yup, they’ve been a distraction ever since I started my pursuit.

I’ll have to say, my shopping spree was dedicated to finding shoes. But there have been some other distractions along the way. The other day when I met Jennifer on the sidewalk, she pointed me in the direction of another shoe store in another plaza just down the road from where we were. Well, Home Goods so happened to be in that same plaza and I got caught up in there for who knows how long. All the pretty fall decorations were displayed so nicely and I got lost in the array of autumn color. Silently I wished I had a home for some of those pretties and at that moment I felt sort of homeless. True, I could decorate the hotel room but I do not wish to start a buying frenzy having more stuff to box and carry out of here. Now the plan is to stick to purchasing the things I really need for the time being. Let’s see if I can come home with a pair of shoes today, preferably the closed toe and heal kind and no I don’t need boots yet! (Talking to myself again.)

I went to Pearle Vision this morning to have them take a look at my sunglasses. They did a minor adjustment and I hope that works. The glasses don’t bother me when I’m in my car driving, but if I’m out walking the ground seems to be dipping down when it’s actually flat. Hopefully the adjustment worked and I’ll be off enjoying happy trails with my sunglasses.

Each day I’m thankful for the man I married, the man that my husband is. He is tender, he’s sweet, he’s patient and filled with love. He also respects me as a person. He’s supportive, and is a good father. I guess it’s just the realization of how wonderful a person he really is that makes me appreciate him more and more each day. I love him so much, for being my very best friend, my buddy, my pal. The man I love to spend my evenings and weekends with. I look forward to seeing him come home at the end of the day; it’s the best part of my day. Our evenings are spent together doing whatever it is that we enjoy and it’s such a warm feeling to know that he’s right here next to me loving me.

I will be spending the next four evenings here without Hubby as he has gone to meet Sis in New York City. I know this will be a great time for them to spend together, just the two of them. They have quite the agenda and will be adding things to the list as time permits.

My days will be spent doing the normal things I do around the house and I may take Sis up on that day spa treatment that she suggested that I do. My nights will be spent just me maybe watching some TV and I may check out our “Movies On Demand” and watch a few girly flicks at night. When it comes time for me to put my head down for a good nights sleep, I find myself on Hubby’s side of the bed. I love to snuggle up on his side of the bed using his pillow and sheets. For some reason, I feel closer to him at night over there while he’s away. I’ll be here loving him and holding him close to my heart.