Fall is getting closer..

I love fall. By mid August I am completely over summer and ready for fall to start.

I am not as bad as some people but this does describe some of my friends and family. My own daughter is the queen of fall decor.

Pumpkin Spice is everywhere.

My friends are posting on Facebook that as soon as Starbucks starts with the pumpkin spice lattes they are going to decorate.

I am getting excited about decorating because fall and winter are my favorite times of the year. Everybody got me so excited that yesterday I broke protocol and put out two little things for fall. After all it is my house; my rules. And nobody hardly comes over to see my house anyway. And those that do would already know I march to my own beat. 

I'll admit it felt good.

Retirement Rules

I saw this today on Facebook. A lot of people were commenting on it and saying things like "I can't wait to retire." or "Just 2 more years and this will be me." Upon closer inspection of the list, I got to thinking. Hey, this is me NOW! Why do we think we have to wait to retire to do things? Why can't this be a list for life and how to enjoy it. So I am going to comment on each item on the list and how I fulfill it at this point in my life and still manage to work 40+  hours a week. 

The wake up smiling is easy. I try to get a good night sleep every night. Then when I wake up, I stretch and let myself lay there a few minutes before I get up. Of course, I am blessed because I'm a morning person and always wake up fully awake. I never even set an alarm unless I have to be somewhere before 8:00 a.m. If you can't wake up smiling, try to think of something that made you smile lately. For me it was a lady walking her horse down the streets of Pigeon Forge. Oh the humor around us!

Go for a walk. I have spent many mornings take a leisurely walk early in the morning hours or shortly before the sun starts to set. I put my ear buds in and list to music from my phone and walk about an hour or so. It is so relaxing and really helps with weight control.

Read a book. Since I post every time I go to McKay's to do a book exchange, I guess you have concluded I read a lot. There is not one single day in my life that I am not reading. Sometimes I will read for an hour or so and sometimes I will read from evening till the wee hours of the morning. It all depends on the book and what else I have going on.  

Travel the world. Obviously, with working a full time job I can't travel the world. And I really have no desire to travel the world. Although, I do like to travel for quick trips. I did fly for the first time this year when I went to Miami. Next year, I want to fly to New England in the fall. And sometime I plan to think about going to see the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.  Not sure I want to fly that far just yet but it is something to consider. I'm planning a trip soon to Nashville, TN. So see you can still travel the world even if it is only 3 hours from home.

Make memories. This is something I do constantly. That's one reason I blog. I have a place to share my memories and record them. I have tons of photos from all the things I do with family and friends and even things I do by myself. I like to squeeze as much joy from my life as I can.

Take naps. I do this once in a blue moon. I'm just not a nap taker. But I do like to sit in front of a warm fire on cold winter nights and just relax. When I take a nap it is because I make the mistake of laying on my couch which is extremely comfortable. It is hard not to fall asleep when you are on it.

Visit family and friends. This one is a hard one. My family has busy lives and we don't get together as much as I would like. This summer my schedule got changed due to staff changes and I haven't had the time off with the Grands that I wanted to have. But I did get to do several special things with them and have them over some this summer. Colby has been in sports most of the summer and my days off ended up a lot on the weekend when he was traveling for ball. I didn't do much with friends over the summer either. But for the next couple of weeks, we are in our off season and I am not working as much. So Friday, I went shopping and out to lunch with my friend Sherrie. Sunday I had to work, but I have several of my senior friends who decided to go with me to Shoney's for the Senior Buffet special after work. Yesterday, I hung out most of the day and went to out to eat with my friend Aaron. Today, I am meeting my friend Catherine at Cracker Barrel for lunch before I have to go to work. And recently when I went to the Stampede on my day off for Shelby's birthday, I got to visit with my friend Sharon for awhile. So even though it comes in spurts I do still get to visit with family and friends.

And last but definitely not least....BE GRATEFUL FOR THE DAY! I am one of those Pollyanna type people who find happiness in the simplest things. I recently went to Dollywood with my grandchildren, Alexis and Colby. We had a wonderful day. Alexis stopped to look at some hats in a shop and I realized it had Steampunk themed items for sale. I have recently come to love Steampunk stuff. All the cogs and gears fascinate me. I saw this shirt in that shop and I fell in love with it. So I bought it. See? Just some little something can make you happy and bring you joy. So be grateful for each day you have. If you really want to enjoy your life, don't wait for retirement or any milestone. Simply take the time to do things you like and find joy in every moment.

Mish Mash Monday

I was web surfacing the other day and found the Happy Planner I want for 2020. First year I had the Big Size. Last year I had the Classic. I liked the Classic better but it was hard to take with me everywhere. This year I am going to try the mini.

I love Disney's Descendant's movies. The third one just came out on DVD and I went and purchased it the other day. It is my favorite of all three of them. 

There is one song they sing at the end that says....

I see you (you see me)
Imperfect (perfectly)
Face to face 
We can see clearly our similarities...

We will never be perfect, but I love that it is okay to rejoice in the fact that we are imperfect. So I went in search of a t-shirt with the words Perfectly Imperfect. Found this sweatshirt that I loved. 

And there was also a t-shirt. I may put both of these on my wish list. 

For a little humor today, I thought I would close with this. 

Sunday's Song

He takes the brokenhearted, those who are hurting, those who have nowhere to turn. He takes the sinners, the imperfect, the ones who have strayed, the saved who are struggling, the ones who just have nothing left to give. He will accept you as you are. You don't have to "be right" to "get right". Give it all to God and He will take you where you need to be. 

A lazy Saturday morning...

I have been having a lazy Saturday morning. I have tried to do a few things, but just can't get into anything. I did redo my blog header. I know it isn't officially fall, but I was tired of what I had and wanted a new look. In just 15 days I will start decorating for fall so I figured I would get a head start with my header. I figure that if Walmart can start selling fall candy this early, I can decorate when I want.

I have been "web" window shopping for a new fall purse. I am going to try to find a Donna Sharp purse. I love anything quilted. This one hit my fancy. We will see what I decide about it after I look more.

But I also want one that is small wristlet style but over the shoulder. This is definitely going to be one I get. I love it. 

It's also when I start looking for Halloween t-shirts to wear in October. I love this one. I love anything with black cats.

I watch Hocus Pocus so many times during the Halloween season that I love anything around the movie theme. This is a cute shirt.

But this is my favorite line in the movie so I will probably order this one.

My niece, Amy, told me this morning about Pillsbury having the place and bake brownies now like they do the cookies. She says they are amazing. I can't wait to try them. 

Well, that's it for today. Have a happy Saturday.

Faith filled Friday

In January 2017, my at-that-time 29 year old friend faced a difficult decision. Her Cystic Fibrosis was at the point that medicine was just working for short periods of time as she was in and out of the hospital with her breathing problems. It was time to start deciding about a double lung transplant. The only option left. This beautiful young lady faced many struggles, many deep discussions with God and many, many hours of prayers from her and everyone that loved her.

In January 2017, she posted this on Facebook. 

Hi, my name is Stephanie and I have Cystic Fibrosis. I am to the point of my life with this horrible disease that I am in need of a Double lung transplant, at the point I am at I cannot stay well for more than a week without IV antibiotics.......

She overcame her fears and started the process of procedures to get on the list for a double lung transplant. Around mid-July, she was at her all time health low and everything was in place as she was placed on the national register for a new set of lungs. 

The middle of August, just a little over a month after she was placed on the list, we got the church call saying that our sweet Stephanie, who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis received the call she had been waiting on. Vanderbilt University Medical Center contacted Stephanie. They had her a set of lungs. She headed right out for Nashville for her double lung transplant.

She finally got in her room and the lungs had arrived. Now began the wait for the doctors to check them out to give the final okay. There was still that chance that for one reason or another, they would not be accepted by the doctors. But she is a lady of remarkable faith and felt 100% sure they would be just right. A little later, they got the word that they were perfect and it was time to prep for the surgery. She showed no fear and had her faith firmly in God as the process began. 

The biggest fear from the doctors were the removal of the old lungs. Cystic Fibrosis can damage them to the point that they are hard to remove and many things are happening during the process that can cause complications. Here were the updates throughout the night from her Mom....  

 A little after 1:00 a.m. - Just got a call from Operating Room. Surgery hasn't started yet still checking out lungs to make sure they are good and will work.

A little after 2:00 a.m. - Just got the call from surgery. Lungs good; it's a go.

A little after 3:00 a.m. - Old right lung out, just starting to put new one in.

Around 5:30 a.m. - New right lung is in, inflated, pink and functioning. Praise God

Around 7:30 a.m. - They are done. Both lungs are in and looking good. She is on a ventilator hopefully for only a short time. Should be a couple of hours then back to her room. They are going to do a bronch before bringing her back. Less than 24 hours since getting the call and she has her new lungs!!

Stephanie was put on the transplant list on the 14th of July. She was warned it could take months or even a year or more. But she and her unshakable faith kept telling us God wouldn't make her wait that long because He knew how bad she needed them. And 5 weeks later to the day, she had her new lungs. . Her friends and family are now declaring August 18th as Happy Breath Day for Stephanie.

She was to be in the hospital for up to 2 weeks. Six days after surgery, she was declared fit enough to go "home" to the temporary apartment that would be near the hospital with instructions she could be there for up to a year. Three months later, with a clean bill of health and many shocks from the medical community, she was cleared to come home to East Tennessee. So NOT a year like they thought, NOT six months like they hoped, BUT THREE MONTHS after a double lung transplant she was back home with new lungs and a new outlook on life. 

Fast forward to this past week, she has done so much in the past two years since she got the new lungs. She has been on bike rides, outings with her family and friends, hiked up the heights of the Great Smoky Mountains. And she has done it all with something she never had before....the ability to breath normally like the rest of us. She had her two year check up this week and passed with flying colors. 

Throughout every moment of this journey her faith has been unshakable, her fears were placed with God. But not for one moment have any of us ever forgotten that wonderful person who had made a decision for their lungs to be harvested so they could help someone in need someday. It is sad to think of the loss someone was suffering when we were all moving forward with great joy. But some family somewhere out there can rest knowing that those beautiful pink lungs are functioning every day and bringing more joy to Stephanie than she ever imagined she would have. 

She was a little baby born with a horrible disease and not expected to live past 16 .... BUT GOD had other plans. Happy 2 year anniversary next week to my beautiful friend, Stephanie. We love you girl!

Miami Trip Day 2 & 3

Day 2 was by far my absolute best experience of the trip. The Go Miami pass had an option for a day trip to Key West, FL. Another one of my dream vacations I thought I would never experience. But 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning found us boarding a bus for a 2.5 hour jaunt down to the Keys.

We picked the first seat which happened to be a table with benches on both sides facing each other. It was really a fun bus ride.

We stopped in Key Largo for breakfast at a little dive that had the best scrambled eggs and bacon I think I have every had. Then we broke out into the Beach Boys song....Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go...

Then we crossed tons of bridges, including the 7 mile bridge as we past through the various keys. 

We arrived at our destination around 10 or 10:30 and it was absolutely beautiful weather. The girls went parasailing. I had no desire to do that but just wanted to walk the island and browse some shops. It took some convincing to get them to go without me. But they had a great time. 

I walked down to watch them take off on their trip and snapped a cool totem pole type picture.

Then this junk shop caught my eye and it was really big on the inside so I spend quite a bit of time in there looking at all the unique stuff.

Outside one store I went to, they had a Big Foot statue made completing out of sea sponges. It was pretty cool.

I walked down the streets of some of the residence and B & B's. It was really quaint. 

The foliage in the Keys is so beautiful.

And of course I saw a ton of roosters and chickens just hanging out. 

We did a little "train" ride around the island, stopping off when we wanting and getting back on when we were ready for the next stop. There were great shops and we had an amazing meal. We stopped at the lowest point but it was too difficult to get a picture with so many people around so we got pics of strangers.

And I got to actually see Ernest Hemingway's house. One more thing checked off my bucket list. I would love too live there. It was like an island oasis.

And we went to the very end point of the coastal highway Route 1 at mile marker 0.

We got back to Miami about 9:30 or 10:00 that night and just grabbed groceries and went back to the room and ate. Sunday morning, we loaded up and went to Sawgrass Recreation Park in the Everglades. We took an air boat ride and actually ran into an alligator up close and personal. 

After a quick lunch at a Japanese restaurant (my first time for Japanese and OOO YUCK), we headed to the beach. The foamy water felt great on my feet since it was close to 100 degrees that day.

Spent some time just relaxing in our chairs on the hot white sand.

And enjoying the blue water and the clear skies.

Ended the day with one of the cruise ships going by us as they headed out to see.

Probably the most jam-packed, exciting, fun filled weekend I ever spent in my life. We flew home the next morning. I had a great time but it felt good to get back to my mountains.