refresh

My hair had grown out. Time to refresh the cut. Decided to go even shorter.
Whatcha think? I call this my Rocker-Bob!

Today is our 22nd anniversery. Nice if I had a piccy of TT and me together. Will get those in Costa Rica. We leave Wednesday 6:15 a.m. Return Sunday.

I can hardly believe we get to have such an amazing vacation. Sweeter still because Dot and Boyfriend are coming with us. All tickets paid for. I hate debt. Nice to go and have bills paid.

Had the biggest week of my career yet. It feels so fabby to still be growing in my profession at age FIFTY!!!! Wow. And so many of my clients are in college. How cool is that?

I have been a bit out of the loop. Not visiting all of you the way I normally do. Please know I love you all. Just been so busy with all the changes that are to come. Lots of planning. . . my back has been bad with all this stress. Makes me mad I cannot seem to find peace in this change.

In the past ten years, I have been at one salon and lived in four houses. I am not committed fully to the move. Want to know it will really be right for me before I formally announce it. Where I have been has been a very good place. I have loads of friends there.

I may be scarce for a week or so. I love all of you and will be back as a faithful, regular blogger friend, very soon! Wish us Bon Voyage! 

atlanta

Atlanta. Home of the Braves, Buckhead and Best shopping!

TT drove me to Montgomery Friday night. L and I left TT and her husband M to do movies and dining out while we journeyed to Atlanta for shopping and a visit with her (our) friends J and M.

With my back suffering so, we went to the Walking Store in Lennox and found three pairs of Earth shoes with Negative Heel Technology. My back instantly felt so much better.

We were close to exiting when Express called my name. I bought the new skinny jeans in black, brown and deep blue. Skinny cargo pants in black and brown and great tops and a cool jacket.

On to an amazing accessory store for belts and bags and then off to J and M's for dinner. It turned so cool while we were sitting on their deck that we actually needed BLANKETS!!!! Can you believe it?

After a fine lunch Sunday, L and I headed back to Montgomery. Then TT and I pulled into Pcola about 10 Sunday night.

Unpacked, headed to bed and up for a very busy Monday, including cutting two of the youngest stylists hair at the salon. What a compliment!!

Back to the normal grind tomorrow! Hope you all had a fabby weekend!

lines

Usually the thought of lines brings to mind the impatience we feel while being behind scads of people . . .
for a Latte
making a bank deposit or cashing a check
getting our drivers license
trying to mail off our taxes in the afternoon of April 15
buying gas before or after a hurricane
Walmart on a Saturday afternoon
buying tickets for a concert
buying shoes at a Dillards 75% off sale

I try to avoid lines like the plague. Or, I multi-task. I have been known to pull out my knitting at long traffic delays. Phone calls are good. Most likely my favorite is to clean out my purse/wallet, of course if I have a place to dispose of the unmentionable items I usually find at the bottom of my bag. Eeeewwww, and I thought I was a clean person?!

But there is another type of line I find fascinating.

Like have you ever driven through the line between sunny and rainy? Isn't that magical?

I understand somewhere in north Kentucky, there is a line between sweet tea and plain brewed tea. Too far north, you have to add sugar to the icey beverage and just hope enough of it manages to dissolve to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Farther east, there is the line between "you-all" and "yous guys". And "soda" and "pop". Now in the deep, deep south is another line you cross and all sodas are called "coke"!

"Y'aaaalllll, I wanna coke. No, not a Coke coke, I wanna 7-Up coke." And that's the same place that when what you have said is not understood, the standard quiery is, "Dew-waaaaa???" When I first moved to North Carolina from Michigan, I went home from my first day at East Hendersonville High School and asked Mother, "WHAT is a dew-waa?" We had certainly crossed a big line with that move!

What about the line between like and love. . .
hope and discouragement
joy and sorrow
hatred and love
trust and distrust?

Some lines use up a lot of our time as we have to wait to spend our money. Other lines are boundaries between two realities, allowing us new experiences.

Then there are the lines in our hearts. Invisible yet nearly cavernous. To cross bitter waters to living waters can take time. Seems the only vehical that carries me over is mercy/forgiveness.

I'm there!

furious

So, why would anyone reject or do her wrong?
A fierce love I have for her and she has for me.
She has stood by me in my worst and best times.
How can I not stand with her?

I have really not liked my blog for a while.
I used to have some posts that I actually enjoyed re-reading myself.
I have felt uninspired, flat and self-centered.

How boring is that?
Been wanting to have some happy, funny,
insightful stories. . . kind of a gift back to all my blog friends.


Splat. Not tonight.

I debate writing my true feelings
for fear of repercussion.
This is really about how I am dealing with life
more than what I am dealing with.
(So, for any of you who are local friends,
don't even ask me about this post.
I won't discuss it. Period.)

I am angry, furious, disappointed, deflated, raging.
A non-family person who has a place of leadership in my life,
or could have some leadership, just trampled on my trust.
It hurt my dot and that brings out the mama BEAR in me.
Don't you mess with my young-un.

I cannot do a thing to change the situation.
I cannot injure my own career over it.
I just have to keep my mouth shut,
take it and learn to live with it.
Talking about it does no good.
I was already assured what just happened would not happen.
We are as reliable as our word. . .

I have to face that my hopes for this relationship
will never be realized.
I have to keep a guarded heart, mind my own business,
forget about work being a team with a real leader. . .
all this is so opposite of me.
I love projects and jumping on board
and giving extra time and effort and heart.
They may as well have run a front-loader into my chest cavity.

This is not the first time.
I have recovered from many disappointments from this same source.
I come back to hope. . . I nurture their crumbs of change and hope
that one day we will dine
on the bread of mercy and mentoring, present leadership.
Oi, I am such a sucker.

No, I just don't know how to give up.

Which is why I can get up every day for the past eleven years
and keep working when my back is killing me.
It is why I am still married.
It is why a year before she was dying,
Mother and I had a miraculous reconciliation
after years of estrangement.
It is why I won't quit believing that TT's dot
from his first marriage will one day come back to us.

Damn. It would hurt a lot less if I could just give this one up.