I am a nerd. I have always been a nerd. I will probably remain a nerd for the rest of my life. I like to read- a lot (if you haven’t caught on). I enjoy cooking, & even more than that, I love eating. I tell the lamest jokes & then laugh at them uncontrollably. I am not a trendsetter for the latest fashions, I prefer the classic tried & true pieces. I have worn glasses since I was in fifth grade even though I heard the mantra “boys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses” way too frequently. Even those who loved me would go so far to say, “Why don’t you try contacts? You would be so pretty!”
Really.
I was only popular by association (to Meg) in my school years –as several of you could attest to. I didn’t really fit in with people my own age until I went to Walters State due to my addiction to horseback riding. I never really cared about going to concerts, or out clubbing, or having a new car. I am not ashamed of any of these things. And I’m aware its no small miracle that I’m married to such a cool, good looking man. I didn’t marry the first guy to ask me out. Don’t settle, y’all. I would say “ladies” but the guys don’t need to give up, either. Just be yourself. There’s someone out there. I don’t know what brought this on, but I felt led to share. Oh, & you’ll probably do better with meeting the love of your life doing what you love or in church than you will at some party you inwardly dread going to, anyway. Shug & I had our first date hiking in the mountains-me in a grubby t-shirt, no makeup, & sweating. It was awesome not having to dress up & be uncomfortable for hours on end. Just hang in there y’all. Marry someone who doesn’t mind you wearing your pajamas all day long on Sunday while laying on the couch with your My Little Pony & books. Or whatever. Just sayin’ 😉
I still don’t have anything nice to say. But I will tell y’all about my lunchtime adventure today, because y’all seem to enjoy them. Its going to sound like complaining, but stick with me, its worth it.
Went to Buddy’s BBQ because I was craving bar-b-que something fierce. Of course I have to drive like a demon to get there & back in my allotted lunch break time. I pull up at the drive thru.
Silence.
I back up & pull forward.
Nothing.
“Hello?”
*cricket, cricket*
There were cars in the parking lot, so they were open.
I’m expecting Ashton Kutcher to come out of the bushes, but time is of the essence, so I grumble & whip into a parking space & stomp in.
Grouchy lady takes my order, I inform her of the faulty service of the drive through speaker. She tells me it’s plugged in & shrugs. Whatever, give me my food before I have a stroke. I won’t go into how she didn’t want to supply me with both ketchup AND extra barbeque sauce, nor a lid that fit my coke, but I got back into Patsy & sped back to the other side of the river, frantically trying to eat my sandwich.
This is where things went tragically downhill.
My little sauce cup was working out great. I’d dribble a little onto my sandwich, take a bite. Dribble, bite. Dribble, bite. You get the idea. My fries are nestled between my legs in their cup, drink in the holder. I would only set the sauce cup on my leg when I was stopped at a light. Otherwise I would hold it & set the sandwich down. Now, this system was working great all the way back to the store. I had pulled in & was working my way around the building, giving myself a little congratulatory speech about not spilling anything when my phone rang. I reached for it and…bar-b-que sauce EVERYWHERE. ALL OVER my khaki pants-between my legs, no less. I was trying to hurry & grab it & the fries went flying to the floorboard. A few creative words later, I righted the cup & salvaged what I could of the fries. Somehow, the cup went sideways AGAIN & spilled the remainder onto the center seat & my pocketbook. Then I got to parade in work & try to clean that mess up. People stopped to stare.
Six hours later, I still smell faintly of barbeque. The dogs greeted me exuberantly.
You’re welcome.
I’ve got the January blues. In an effort to cheer up, instead of listing various woes & grievances, I have decided to compile a list of specific things that make me happy. I encourage y’all to do the same. Honestly, Facebook could use more happiness & less bitterness.
75 degree sunny spring days
Sitting in the front row at church with Johnny
Pinterest (big surprise there)
Having girls night with Lisa
The middle of an excellent book
Touring historic homes & plantations
Well mannered children
Hiking Porters Creek Trail in the month of April
Book of Romans NKJV
Songs where I know every single word (this is very limited. Truth be told, Ice, Ice, Baby is about it)
Movies that are SO funny I’m afraid to laugh in case I miss something
Cupcakes. Thats all. Never had a bad one.
Riding tall & well-trained horses in my old jumping saddle
White Star’s vanilla soft serve ice cream
Watching someone type very fast & accurately
Alliteration
Top Gun roller coaster
Sweet seedless tangerines
Sea otters
I feel better so I’m quitting. Have a good day.
Last day of thankfulness. I could go on a good bit, but I will just be thankful for y’all today. I’m thankful that facebook has renewed a few friendships for me. I’m also thankful it’s a quick way to get in touch if I don’t have your phone number or email. I really enjoy seeing your life events & even just the little day-to-day things that make up your story. I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to read my thoughts, & I thank you for liking & commenting on my status’, pictures, whatever. That’s what it’s all about! That’s how we stay in touch. That’s what makes facebook FUN.
I’m running out of days to be thankful before running out of things to be thankful for! I’m thankful for material things today, though. My pickup Patsy, for one. She’s not much to look at these days, but I still love her. She serves her purpose & I’m not intimidated by people on the road, as I would be if I drove something smaller. I’m also thankful for my KitchenAid mixer. (thanks momma, great wedding present!) I don’t know how I survived without one all this time.
Today I am thankful for rain. One of my customers called it a necessary evil today, & I don’t entirely agree with that. Sometimes it can be a hindrance (like when I’ve spent an hour straightening my hair) but for the most part I really like it. It promotes growth. It brings life. It gives us something to drink. It helps put out fires. It gives me a break from crazy busy don’t-have-time-to-eat spring rush days. I am thankful for liquid sunshine. 🙂
Thankful for my pets today. Especially Crockett, who is officially as old as the hills. 16 in human years, 87 in dog years, according to this chart I found. Wowzers. He has brought me a lot of joy and a lot more laughs than I can count. He’s not been hearing so well for a few years & you can walk right up on him if he’s asleep. I always hold my breath & watch his sides to see if he’s still drawing air when I catch him sprawled out somewhere unusual. And who would have thought Wally, the little blue beta would be so much fun? He starts swimming frantically if he sees us pick up the little canister of fish food & centers his body under his dinner (bloodworms) & then attacks like a shark. Lastly the pits, Sugar & Lightning (Booger & Bug as I call them affectionately), are so goofy I can’t help but love them. And we have EIGHT of their offspring ready just in time for Christmas if anybody is interested 😉 Thankful for this menagerie.
Today I am thankful to be alive. “I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” ~Agatha Christie. (This stems from Johnny running the light at Food City & pulling straight across the highway like a tourist.)
Today I am thankful to be alive. “I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” ~Agatha Christie. (This stems from Johnny running the light at Food City & pulling straight across the highway like a tourist.)
Thankful for a soft spot to lay my head. And thankful for the one on the pillow next to mine. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, hope none of you have to work & everyone gets enough to eat. Be safe in your travels. Love, Amy xo
11-21-12 9:43pm
First & foremost, I’m thankful I’m not a vegetarian. Thankful I don’t have to go into work tonight or some crazy hours tomorrow with this full belly. Thankful I’m not desperate enough to go out in the ungrateful masses storming the stores to save another almighty dollar. I, unlike mainstream America, am completely content staying in watching movies & decorating trees. How ’bout you?
11-22-12 7:12pm
This is the first time in twenty years that I will be off until Monday. A life of retail, with a few years at dispatch, guaranteed no consecutive days of rest.
I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with myself, but I’m reasonably certain it will involve several bottles of wine, books, & maybe a Christmas tree. I’m not leaving the house.
Thank you emergency services for breaking up the fights of too much togetherness & the saving of lives after overindulgence all around.
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone gets plenty to eat & time to relax.
11-24-16 11:11am
Thankful for a day to get caught up on housework, as weird as that sounds. Sometimes life is busy & I don’t even have kids! Not that I would be willing to eat off the floors, mind you. Also thankful for my other mother across the hill who provided lunch for Shug & I today- Mary Adams her bar-be-que is dee-lish-ooouss 🙂 And, as an added bonus, I got to see my bestie who lives in a whole ‘nother time zone now!
11-24-12 8:19pm
I’ve made it through the day without a nap, any major catastrophes (although for an intense few minutes I was terrified I had put vanilla in the green beans instead of soy sauce…I had them both on the counter), stress, or pie.
Until now.
It’s time for pie.
And I’m excited.
11-27-14 7:03pm
Thanksgiving.. When you get ‘wishing you well’ texts from numbers you don’t have stored and you’re not sure if they’re reciprocating to a bulk text from a mutual contact & have the ‘reply to all’ option selected so you don’t want to ask & make them feel unloved, or outdated.
I’m cooking Thanksgiving for just me & Johnny today. I kinda wanted to see if I could do it & didn’t want company in case I blow it lol. A whole turkey is kind of disgusting looking, fyi. So far, so good…as far as I know. Ask me again around two. The only thing I’ve done crazy as of yet is leave my phone in the fridge. I could hear it pinging but couldn’t find it.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Hope it’s cozy & stress free. Xoxo 😘💓💗💕
11-27-14 11:17am
