Welcome Autumn!

I love the Fall, especially Fall in the South. What a gorgeous time of year! The trees explode with fountains of color. Fallen leaves begin to cover the ground, ready to be crunched with each step. The weather turns cool and brisk, getting ready for apple cider and pumpkin pies! Everything seems to be calming down, preparing to nestle in as Winter watches from the horizon. I am so grateful to be in this beautiful part of the country and enjoy the changing seasons around me.

What Home Means to Me

Past the paint and trim, beyond the appliances and countertops lies a peace and comfort that can only come from one little word, Home. That small word concocts whirling images of weeknight family dinners, crazy holiday gatherings, messy bedrooms and the smell of cookies baking. It's a word I never really understood, but desperately wanted. Home was something far away for me, not ever my current living situation.

Having moved a running total of 24 times in my lifetime, I have experience with living situations. From tiny apartments to converted basements and friends couches, I've been there and done that. I've learned that 'house' does not equal 'Home'. House is temporary, with no real emotion or comfort connected to it. Since I've only lived in few actual stick-built houses, I never had the chance to connect to any of them. I have that chance now.

For you Harry Potter fans, remember in the first book or movie when Harry stood before the mirror that showed the deepest desire of his heart? He saw his family that he had never known. Ron Weasley saw himself as the most successful of his brothers. I've pondered on that mirror many times. I've wondered what it would show me. What is the deepest desire of my heart? Certainly not fame or wealth as I disdain both, so what could it be? Did I want a large family, like Harry? Did I want success, as Ron did? What would I see if I looked at the deepest desire of my heart?

It wasn't until I knelt in the empty living room of our little white country home, asking God to bless our home, that I finally realized what that deep desire had been. A Home. A real home full of comfort, love and matching furniture. A place I could be proud to invite my friends over to and show off. A place I could put my feet up and relax. A place I looked forward to dusting and wiping, sweeping and mopping and enjoying the shine of clean. A place we could raise a family and grow together. A place I never had to leave, never had to pack up and drive away from. A place where I feel safe and secure and, finally, feel like I'm home.

As a child I would always draw pictures of my image of Home. A crayon drawing of a two story house with a steep pitched roof and three windows, 1 up & 2 down. A large tree with a swing and a hose extending into a kids pool in the yard. I live in that drawing now, I just need some kids in the pool! I understand why I always drew the same picture, it was the deepest desire of my heart, I just didn't know it yet. To have a real home and share it with my family. Loud and messy, or calm and quite, it doesn't matter as long as it's home.

Years ago, my mother had a keychain that read "Home is where you hang your keys." I now have a place for my keys. And yes, Mom, I kept that keychain. It has a special place in my heart, and in my home.

A Backyard Wedding?

We close on our house April 19th, and a backyard, home-grown, country wedding sounds just right. 50 or so of our closest friends and family enjoying our new home and celebrating our new life together. I've been reading blogs on thrifty weddings, garden weddings, backyard BBQ wedding, antique & vintage weddings and they all have tons of real life appeal. I'm excited about planning this To-Do and know that even if everything falls apart and we end up in the garage cuz it rained, at least I'll be with the people I love, and married to the man I'm head-over-heels for. Isn't that all that matters?

Feels Like Home to Me

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

Look at the middle picture, see those little trees way in the background? They're not so little, they're just 5 1/2 acres away. And all of it's mine.

Play Ball!

Saturday was double-header night at the Charlotte Knights stadium. Our new home team, the Knights, played the Toledo Mud Hens. Yes, the same Toledo Mud Hens that Klinger from M.A.S.H. always rooted for! The Knights won the first game and the Dirt Chickens won the second. Proceeds from tickets sales and a silent auction during the game went to Charlotte Radiology to fund breast cancer research, to the tune of over $12,000!

D played his well-earned role as token male

to the group of lovely ladies below.

Andrea, me, Darci and Kiki.

Yes, I am sporting my Padres jersey.

I have to represent, even in the South!

We each got free pink baseballs and ate way too many sweets!

Cotton Candy is a must at all baseball games!

The Knights wore pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research. The jerseys were auctioned during the game to raise additional funds.

Even the Knights mascot, Homer the Dragon, showed his support.

The national anthem was sung by the boys and girls choir from a local elementary school and the crowd sang along. The after game fireworks were awesome and D & I played frisbee in parking lot as we waited for the sea of brakelights to meander on down the road. It was a great night of friends, baseball, sugar-highs, home town hero's, home runs, cheering, hot dogs, booing and people-watching. We're already looking into season tickets. See you at the game!

Right in My Own Backyard

As D and I enjoyed a peaceful Sunday afternoon in our backyard, I was struck by the lush and beautiful landscape surrounding me. Having spent most of my life in a chaparral desert, Spring growth is new to me. I am continually astounded by how quickly leaves sprout and flowers bloom in this rainforest-like place.

White roses climb, bringing life to an old trellis.

Wild red strawberries dot the green leaves.

New maple saplings reach toward the sun.

Irises and grapevines play with the breeze.

Clover buds shoot up from their lucky beds.

Our forest canopy.

Flowers everywhere!

Symmetry

Pale peach Irises seduce the buzzing bees.

Tiny white blooms peak out from dark green coverings

Queen Cleo reigns.

Princess P.B. commands

in her backyard kingdom.

The Lengths One Will Go To...

So here's the plan... I already have to have a layover coming home from my cattle drive in Denver, and I already have a free ticket from San Diego to Charlotte (on the not-so-customer-friendly US Airways), so....I booked a flight from Denver to San Diego and will have a one day layover. During that time I will obtain 5-10 pounds of REAL carne asada from Colima's and REAL burrito grande tortillas, freeze the meat overnight and take with me as a carry-on back home the next day. Genius!!

All this due to the considerably sub-par food that is maliciously proffered as "Mexican" here in the South.

Now all I have to do is find a proper cooler and make sure the TSA will let me bring my goodies on the plane. The research begins...

Learning How to Ski!

With the Scouts we went to Winterplace, West Virginia and I put skis on my feet for the first time!

Getting off the chairlift for the first time. I did not fall on my butt!

At least not when the camera was around.

This is easy, anybody can do it!

Me and some of the girls, deciding which run to own next.

Wait. How do I go uphill?

Oh No! Don't slide backwards!! No Brakes!!

I did take the Ski School on the bunny slopes. I ended up ditching my class because I just wanted to ski. School and I never really got along to too well, I learn better by doing. I learned that man-made snow is about as soft as concrete, only colder and wet. After spending many turns sprawled across the path, I finally got the hang of it. I made it all the way down the mountain twice without falling!

Finishing up my last run, just as we were getting ready to leave, I overcame my fears and bombed the steepest, longest hill in the park. I decided that if I fell, I fell and oh well...I was going for it. I swung down and started picking up major speed, telling myself to leanforwardleanforwardleanforward.

A kid biffed it right in front of me and I knew I was going to crash straight into him, but I maneuvered past him and made it to the bottom safe and sound.

Last run of the day and I nailed it!! I am so stinkin' proud of myself! Go Me!!

SNOW!!!!

SNOW!!!

It snowed about 2-3 inches last night! So beautiful!

D and I ran outside at 3am and played in the snow. I built this tiny little snowman in my PJ's!

Back yard this morning. Rain is starting to melt the snow, but it's still there.

Front yard and my car. D is in my car, warming it up. What a nice guy!

Looking down our street! It's so crazy! I love snow!

Cheap Date

Charlotte has this cool free newspaper called Creative Loafing (ala the Reader for you San Diegans). I was perusing their website today and found this way cool list called Cheap Thrills: 50 Fun Things to do in Charlotte for less than $5bucks

A few of my favorites are:
#3 Thrift-store scavenger hunt: Anyone who's a regular at the area Goodwills, Value Villages and the like knows that there are some items you'll find at any thrift store in America. Other items can be found with regularity but are far from sure things. Look for a copy of Rush Limbaugh's wretched The Way Things Ought To Be -- every Goodwill in America has at least one. The same holds true with What to Expect When You're Expecting.

#7 Free billiards: A handful of places in Charlotte offer free pool for folks on a budget. Elizabeth Billiards, a smoke-filled favorite among certain past and present CL staffers, is known to give out free pizza on Fridays. Of course, they probably want you to shell out a couple of bucks for beer (that free pool ain't paying the light bill). Invite your friends and look thirsty. They owe you money anyway.

...and of course:
#8 Greyhound station sightings: Snobs may sneer, but for my money (or lack of) the bus station on Trade Street provides excellent fodder for people-watching. Remember: Bus stations don't typically employ metal detectors (though I have seen a drug-sniffing dog or two) so the bus depot is where you see the seedier side of interstate travel. Nor do people take buses on business trips, so their travels are more likely to involve a story. And if they're going Greyhound, they likely have plenty of time to wait and might not mind telling a tale or two. Sit around and look bored. You'll see things (601 West Trade St.).


*People watching is one of the best sports ever. Not a sport, you say, oh foul naysayer!? Of course it's a sport. Much effort and concentration is put into effective people watching. And it is not just the watching. The creativity and skill required to evoke believable (or not so much)KGB/007/Jason Bourne type stories is a unique talent not owned by the teeming masses. Catching the drops, watching the eye contacts, seeing the acknowledgements and understanding the hand signals is a gift. Truly it is. Try it sometime, and see how much the CIA really is watching you. (the conspiracy theorist in me rears it's well masked head)

I thought I could add a few of my own favorite cheap dates to the list.

1. Wal-Mart Super Center: Everything from Big Screen TV's to yogurt can be found in this mecca to the consumer gods. Strolling the aisles can open new worlds of people-watching as Wal-Mart cuts a large swath out of America's hierarchical cross section. From welfare folks to Saks 5th Avenue types, everyone needs something at Wal-Mart. The toy section is the best place. I once got chased by a security guard as I did laps on a Razor Scooter. During the summer, you can try out all the different kinds of lawn furniture and dream of your perfect sun-room.

2. Shopping Mall Window Shopping: Near my home there are two large shopping malls and multiple shopping centers. I love to wander the shops and check out sales and people watch and try things on and sample the "Try Me" items, listen to the sales pitches from the kiosks and go in stores in which I have no interest in buying things just to make sure the minimum wage earning teenager is not playing on their cell phone. I rarely buy things unless I'm actually on a mission for something, but the energy that I gain from the interaction is invigorating. The sounds and scents and eye candy is great entertainment. And it's free (as long as you're not duped into buying something you don't need anyway). This last point does not count for shoes. There is never a wrong time to buy shoes.

3. Going for a drive: Where does this road go? I think I'll turn right here. There's a sign for a park, let's check it out. Wonder what the houses on this street look like? I love to wander around town and look at houses and trees and find out what roads connect to what. Charlotte is set up like a wagon wheel, with Uptown as the axle and main arteries spreading out in all directions. The 485 freeway is the tire as it circles the entire city. The rest of the roads are a maze of curves changing direction and name at will. Some roads, you actually have to turn left or right to stay on the same road, if you go straight through the light you will be on a different road. Driving around Charlotte is always an adventure. *Always travel with a street map in case you get lost. I don't trust Garmin's. Also, with the price of gas inching up, this date might not fall under the $5buck range. If not, you should probably buy a new car.

4. Tour Uptown and Check out Hotel Lobbies: D and I spent the last 3 days Uptown and wandered the streets taking pictures of architecture and Christmas decorations.We toured the grounds of an old church and graveyard. There are many hotels in the city and they all have nice open lobbies. You do not have to be a guest to sit and enjoy the lobby area. Most connect to some type of restaurant and bar area with a TV set on and possibly a water feature. You can relax on a couch and read the newspaper, catch up on the sports news and maybe partake in the buffet (again this would be more than $5bucks but you could do it if you wanted to). As long as you are unassuming and do not draw attention to yourself, you could hang out in a lobby indefinitely as they are open 24 hours. I do not recommend spending more than a few hours in one, then move down the block to the next fancy hotel lobby and try out their sofa's.

5. Open Houses and Model Homes: Viewing Open Houses and touring Model Homes is a good time waster with some fun, cruel and productive results. Not only can you create fantastical stories of your Southern California real estate market pre-bubble bursting bankroll that is burning a hole in your pocket, thus raising the hopes and dreams of a struggling real estate agent, but you can get great decorating ideas as well. You can also see why Martha Stewart should have stayed behind bars as the perfectly themed rooms vomit their excess into the hallways. And see why the mover-outers are moving out when you hear the next door neighbor screaming at his ever barking dog, and the teenagers across the street revving their rice rocket engines. Usually there are some kind of goodies to partake of and brochures & flyers galore.

These are just a few of my favorite things. Dear Lord, I am bored.

Christmas in Charlotte

City nights and Christmas lights twinkle and shine throughout the Queen's city. Leaves cover the streets and yards. Trees hibernate for the winter and squirrels run from nut to den storing up for the cold. The temperature drops and frost sparkles on my car each morning.

Christmas started early for me this year. D surprised me with tickets to see Handel's Messiah at the Belk Theatre on the 19th. I had never heard the full version of the Messiah before. It was so dramatic, with the orchestra and soloists and choir. When the audience stood for the Hallelujah chorus, tears pricked my eyes. The dedication and obvious enjoyment by the artists was striking.

We had dinner before the show at Morton's Steakhouse. I had the double cut Fillet Mignon (yum)! D wore his suit and I wore my fancy maroon velvet dress. A drunk lady in the restroom told me I looked fabulous. Always nice to hear.

My sister came down for the weekend and we had Christmas morning early on Sunday. We opened presents and ate pancakes and laughed. She flew out to Texas the next day, I'm so glad I got to see her and spend time together. Our friendship really has grown.

I only had two Sunbeams in Sunday School, but we had a great time making paper chains with the Christmas story pictures on them. My kids got to take home the decorations for their own tree and they can tell their family the story of the Saviour's birth.

D had yet another surprise for me, a 3-night stay in the Marriott in Uptown Charlotte. We checked in on Sunday night and I was speechless when I saw the jacuzzi tub!! It was big enough for two and I took full advantage of it. D and I toured downtown and took pictures of the Christmas decorations. We relaxed in our hotel room and soaked in the tub. I feel so spoiled!

Weekend at Linville Gorge

D and I went camping this weekend for the first time out here. It was beautiful. The sunset on our way out to the mountains was breathtaking.




We camped at a private little campground where the owners lived in a house right on the campground. It was their property and they let people camp there. What a dream job! The campground was very well taken care of and the bathrooms had hot water and clean showers! We will definitely be going back.





Saturday morning we drove out to a trailhead at Linville Gorge "The Grand Canyon of North Carolina". The trees were so dense it felt like a rainforest, not like hiking in Cali at all.

The trail was pretty easy as we started, but got steeper the closer to the Gorge. There were some pretty crazy switchbacks that didn't seem like trail at all. Then you come around a corner and see a huge wall of basalt columns and water trickling down.

The moss grew everywhere and the ground was soft with layers of leaves and pine needles.

Beautiful flowers of all colors sprung up out of crevices in the rocks. Trees grew between cracks, the never ending battle between wood and stone.

This is our first view of the Gorge floor and Liville River. We hiked down about 1000 feet. The trail was a bit treacherous in places. There is so much rainfall here that the trail has to be rebuilt regularly. It is cut out of the side of a mountain and the fall is straight down.

It's September and the river is low. In the spring these rocks would be covered with water. The river runs about 10 feet deep during the spring. We played around down at the riverbed and took pictures and ate some snacks. There were little fish in the river too. A little trout, a catfish and a sucker-fish that D called an Oscar. I also saw a huge millipede. It was longer than my finger and had a thousand little tiny legs that moved in waves down it's body. The hike back up took my breath away, literally! A thousand feet ascent up a steep, switchback, mountain trail. The rocks and roots made for interesting footfalls. But it was worth it. Back to the truck, we're off to check out the waterfall at the head of the Gorge.

Linville Falls has an easy trail from the parking lot and there were a lot of visitors on Saturday. I heard a few different languages and saw some interesting folks on the way down and back.

The falls start with a little rapid spilling into a large pool. This would be a nice place to swim and play in (if the people who owned the National Forests, ie, us, could actually use them, but I digress). All we could do was take pictures. When I first saw these little rapids, I hoped the Carolinians had a better definition of 'waterfall' than this. I turned to my right and saw...

This picture is straight down. The gentle pool of water funnels into a tight crevasse and spirals down this chute of chimney rocks. This would be an awesome inner-tube ride! In the spring, the water finds it's way down a few different routes.

Here is a shot from Erwin's Viewpoint. The falls are gorgeous, the hiking superb and the scenery enveloping. We ate lunch at a sweet little restaurant called Famous Louise Rock House Restaurant. It is situated on the border of 3 counties and has signs inside indicating what county your table is in. I moved across all three counties to check out their brochure rack. I felt like such a traveler!

We had a great weekend away from the world and computers and phones and bills. There are few things in this life that are more rewarding than sitting by a campfire listening to the sounds of the night. Hiking down a trail to turn a corner and see the beauty that God has created for us.

I hope that we will step outside our front doors and look around. Take a walk down the street, a drive to the country, a weekend in a National Forest. The world is waiting.

Home Sweet Home

Today it took me 8 minutes to get home from the parking lot of my work to the driveway of my house. Why did we wait so long? I'm glad to be here now. It is so beautiful. I sat in my backyard and listened to the birds sing as I read my book. There is a chipmunk living in the tree outside our kitchen window, driving the kittens crazy. The lightening bugs come to dance for me at night and our neighbors stop to say hello. There is a park within 200 feet of my front door and a shoe store down street. This is pretty dang close to Heaven, and I couldn't be happier!

Sincere Change of Heart

Today I had the blessing of going to a women's conference with my church. There were wonderful speakers and a beautiful lunch. One of the classes was entitled Straight from the Heart. I did not know what this class would be about, but felt prompted to go. I am so thankful that I listened to that prompting. The class was taught by a beautiful woman who is a foster parent. She and her husband are currently trying to adopt their 8th child and have been foster parents of 28 years. In that time, over 100 children have come through their home in the foster system. Most children are placed in foster care because their parents are on drugs and cannot or will not care for the children. Some are taken into protective custody because of abuse, and a small few are placed there because of the loss of one or both parents.
My husband and I have always felt the inclination that we should adopt children or be foster parents, though I had my reservations. I was worried that an adopted child would not relate well if we had a natural child. I was also concerned that foster children would be too hard to deal we with and that I would not be strong enough to fall in love with and care for a child only to see that child taken from me. I wanted to protect my heart and have the option to have a baby without worrying abut causing strife in my home. Basically, I was feeling selfish and scared. I got over those feelings today.
I now see that God has changed corporate policy, advanced timelines, rearranged financial obligations, bypassed legalities, softened hearts and moved mountains so that we can move to Charlotte, get our house in order and open our doors to foster children.
Our goals as of May 12th, 2007: Within 2 years we will have no debt except for a reasonable mortgage payment and will have completed all court required training and obligations to become foster parents for multiple children.
I see that this move is in preparation for these children to come into our home. There are children in this world today, perhaps being born today, waiting to come to our home. Our plan is to move and live on D's paycheck alone. My paycheck will go to debt reduction and savings for a down payment. In 1 year we will have all old business debt paid off and will have a very nice savings to look for a large house on a piece of property. The house will be at least 4 bedrooms with room to build on additions when the need arises. By the end of the second year we will have acquired all the furniture, car seats, clothes, strollers, diapers, supplies and whatever else we need to have children come and be able to provide for all of their needs. Many of these items we will get from garage sales, thrift stores and donations from friends and stores.
We will also have completed all court required training including CPR, health care and parenting classes. Our backgrounds will be thoroughly checked and our fingerprints taken. We will have registered with the county foster care program and will have researched all local, county and state resources available to foster parents and foster children. North Carolina has different laws than California and much research will need to be done. We will have to find advocate groups and get in touch with other foster parents to understand their experiences and be able to ask questions to when the time comes.
I see the future so clearly and know that this is the path we are meant to take. With God's help, we will make our home a sanctuary for these children who are in such desperate need. We will help them to learn to trust, we will help to heal their wounds and teach them of their great worth. We will teach them of their Saviour and His sacrifice and love for them. I thank God for His trust in me. He is trusting me with his most precious children and I am humbled that He chose me.

What I Learned in Charlotte

I learned that Charlotte is absolutely beautiful.

I learned that not all Harley biker gangs are white guys.

I learned that doing situps while balancing on a ball works your abs better ( I watched an infomercial because it's 3 hours later here and I can't sleep. Right now it is 1:42am)

I learned that Gladys Knight has an amazing testimony and is an awe-inspiring choir director. Yes I saw Gladys Knight sing with her choir, Saints Unified Voices, and heard her testimony. She truly is an inspiration.

I learned that Daymon will not have a problem getting hooked up as a finish carpenter here.

I learned the streets and main thoroughfares and feel somewhat comfortable that I won't be completely lost.

I learned that BBQ is a noun, not a verb and it is pork.

I learned there is at least one decent Mexican food place here, Phat Burrito, and it is not cooked by Mexicans. And they put white rice in the burrito's which is kinda wierd.

I learned that even though there is a HUGE lake, you can not actually get to it at night. At least not Sunday night. At midnight. Bummer, because I can't sleep.

I learned that they still have Drive-In's here, where they bring your food out to your car and everything. And the onion rings are mouth-watering good!

They really do say Ya'll.

Drug stores do not have trial size sections.

The creeks really are creeks. With water and everything!

The "mature" neighborhoods are like parks, with full grown trees that cover the streets and squirrels running across the road.

There is no stucco in sight.

Nor any red-tile roofs.

I learned that our $3000 a month mortgage payment would buy us a freaking MANSION out here.

I learned that I will miss this place, but I'm looking forward to making it permanent!!

North Carolina

I may have a REALLY good job opportunity in North Carolina. The position is not quite ready yet, but it is in the works. My boss wants me to go to the new Charlotte offices and head up Transitions there. I would do all the HOV's for rep's in the Southeast. I would be pretty autonomous, and would eventually get to have people under and work as their supervisor. Because the offices are on the southeast side of Charlotte, I could live outside of the city, in a town called Gastonia, and commute a short distance. That way I can be close to a big city (Charlotte has about 250k people) but not have to live in the city. Gastonia has some very nice houses and lots of parks.
All I have to do is get out of the house here and move on up. I'm working on that.