What Is Joy To You?

What is Joy to you?  I was given the stone on the right by a friend/mentor,  I had talked about how I just wanted a simple christmas lettering that said "Joy", and Christmas morning, there it was in a stocking.  I don't know if she craved it in there herself or exactly where she found something I so deeply wanted.  I will tell you what my Joy is, next time.

Catch-up

Last Week...

Today we drive home to Charlotte after an early dinner at my grandparents’ with my brother.  We’re hoping to be home around 10-11, and to come home to our bed.  Don’t get me wrong, my grandparents have a wonderful king size bed here for us, but nothing, I mean nothing, beats your own bed.  I have actually gone without Starbucks for a whole entire day, and yes I did leave the house.  Today is day two, I may end up going to Starbucks so I can upload this post.  But I am enjoying regular Maxwell House coffee, and enjoying the beautiful Gainesville landscape.  My grandfather had this house built, I believe for my grandmother, it’s on my grandmother’s –mothers, land.  It’s a beautiful house with perfect lighting, and beautiful screened sunroom, I wouldn’t call it a porch because it’s not an add-on looking thing.  There are several potted plants, but it doesn’t look like plant hoarding.  Some of them hang from a plant hanger that comes up to my belly-button, others that are placed here and there on tables, but they are all well taken care of.  Even though my grandmother seems to think that “It looks just awful”, it doesn’t. 

Pumpkin Farm

While going up to Alacoloagords, jack-be-little pumpkins, miniature pumpkins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin candy, sugar-pumpkins, old fashioned pumpkins, pumpkins with warts… they didn’t have a name, we bought a blue pumpkin, a few miniature pumpkins, butternut squash, and some acorn squash. We left with paying a little over $20. It was fun, and a nice break honestly.



Post 5

Alacoloa Falls

My brother told us about a nice place to go, a very short hike but beautiful. Alacoloa falls, a beautiful waterfall in the town of Dawsonville, GA. We drove in, our GPS very confused as to where we were going (my grandfather had given us directions; which is good because it didn’t recognize the address Alcolola falls state park rd.!??!) but the map was still following us. We reached the bottom of the falls, which ended in a large pond which was full due to the large cold front that had come through the previous week. Then we recognized that you could hike about halfway up the falls, via steps. 175 steps later we were at the middle of the falls. A long bridge stretched across the furious water below. After picture taking, we followed across the bridge, figuring it would circle back around, but no… there were more steps (425) to the top of the falls! So of course we went up! That was strenuous, and boy did it make me realize I need to work out! Thankfully it was cool and the falls were beautiful! As we went on the bridge across the falls, we see… a parking lot. Where we could have driven up to the top! Exactly as my brother had told us! But alas, we enjoyed the exercise. We went back down the 425, then 175, steps but not without me going off the trail and risking my life to take a drink from the falls, which was very good by the way, and while I was climbing across the rock, a large rock about the size of a person’s head, fell from the top of the falls right in front of me. I saw it bounce continue down the falls, hum… I then decided, better do what I came here to do and get back to the main trail! So I did and the water was fresh, clean and cold! At the bottom of the falls we got to the car, once again, I was grateful for Rich’s insesent need to bring a cooler on trips. We had some drinks and sat, because, by this time, out legs were jelly and shaking! We cleaned up the car a bit and headed back to my grandparent’s. Once we got there my grandfather was outside with the dogs, I asked my grandfather if I could drive the Honda CRX (manual), because I've always like the CRX and then the image of having a pearl white one with such power etc... it intruiged me... but alas, i was a horrible driver and realized i love the luxury of my 2006 honda civic.

Vaca, making our way back up... to the South

September 27, 2010


On the road headed to , eventually, Gainesville ga to see maternal grandparents. Trying to remember that we are on vaca.

Called my mom to ask how the puppies were, they are good, but it is raining there.



Rich and I were thinking about this, come feb when our lease is up and this is still in the air, and my mom’s house is still on the market, we may move in with her and help with some face-lifts. The porch needs painting, the back deck may need to be replaced, maybe real gutter-guards put in all the way around, The back yard will need tending to. It’s a freakin’ forest, maybe I could talk ray into helping me with that, we would probably enjoy pulling those trees out, or I could even ask josh. To use his truck and pull them down with a wench or towing, then a bonfire! Gosh, I’d like to do this without moving in. but we would only be paying her mortgage which is around 700/month which is a lot less than 1070 a month. Hummmmm. All just thoughts about random possibilities. Plus I LOVE OUR APARTMENT; now I do which it was on the bottom floor, but hey you can’t have everything.

Vaca... well at least trying to be on vaca,

Why is it that the first thing I feel I need to type is “resident is alert…” it’s about the only time that I am on a computer lately. Right now Rich and I are on vacation in Florida, staying with Melissa’s aunt and uncle. I slept for 7 hours today between 3pm-10pm. I’m sure as soon as I finally get into vacation mode aka not waking up at 0630 and go to sleep at 9 pm, if not earlier, that I won't require such long naps, then ambien to help me sleep and stya on a normal schedule.  I do wonder how my long term resident’s are doing… Sad thing is the morning we left I made Rich stop by my work to give my manager a brief on my entire resident’s. Plus there happened to be a few things that I forgot to chart, that I felt were important. Different things like, make sure they speak with this resident because his speech is seeming to come back, and when you talk with him, he truly enjoys it, and give him a choice for what or when he goes to do something,


I tried to talk Rich into maybe leaving a day early going to my grandparents’ house earlier and leaving earlier, to go home earlier and not tell anyone, so we can just relax. I feel like I have to do what the other people we are with want to do, even if it doesn’t interest me, like I’d like to go to downtown Naples and look through shops because I like doing that, I even suggested we drive down to the key’s! Rich insists it’s too far and we don’t have enough fundage. We have enough fundage… and what’s another 5 hours when we drove over 12 to get here? Might as well go where the water is clear and blue… that’s just one thing I want to see; clear blue water, white sandy beaches. I told Rich we will just have to get a time-share, so we will be able to go different places see different things and still stay in beautiful places


IBC Cream Cream Soda at 5th st coffee house, Caesar wrap and Italian pesto panini for Rich

Back to what else I like to do when I travel, I like to “see” my way to places, see everything that in between. I want to stop in Savannah, or Kissimmee. We don’t have to stay more than 2 hours, but gosh it’s seeing more than just what the tourism bureau wants you to see. I guess long trips are something I learned from my aunt and uncle; they just took a 2 week vaca and had certain places they wanted to hit... but if an attraction or town sounded interesting, you got off the exit and saw what there was to see. That’s where I first learned I loved to scramble across rocks, we had to stop somewhere, noticed there was a river, lots of rocks to sit on, and a few other cars, must be something interesting… And it was. Some of the best pictures we took on that trip were on those rocks, overlooking waterfalls, standing in from of beautiful Lake Louise… since my middle name is Louise, its cool. In that picture, I’m standing in front of the beautiful blue lake and beautiful mountains behind me!  But alas, My Aunt Jeanne is no longer with us, and the two weeks of vaca in the summer where we took off to random places is over.  Last night i came to a realization that i, also, need to compromise.   And that's my plan.  Right now we are heading to Gainesville Ga for the maternal grandparents.   Rich would like to stop and the museum of natural history at UF in gainesville Fl.  so we will try. hope to update more often and soon!!

Birthday Present...

On Friday I got to my mailbox to find that I had a package that was waiting for me inside he rental office, but b/c it was after-hours I was unable to retrieve it.  So I thought about what it was, probably a shipment of my prescription medications. So I waited for my package until Tuesday (Monday being Labor Day), after I got off work to pick up my package, and as I am helping the agent look for my package, This very colorful package caught my eye.

  And there it was, ZIEGLER.  Caroline Ziegler to be exact.  I saw the handwriting, and recognized it to be my uncle chris' handwriting.  My Aunt died last year and Chris and i have kept loosely in touch, I've called him for random nursing advice *he became a nurse before I did.  So I took the package back to the apt.  Immediately  got a razor blade.  The wrapping was covered in packing tape, so I had my work cut out for me.  After about 5 minutes... I got the package open, and just like my uncle, he recycles... So the box had many other memories and other people eagerly opening their package.  When I opened it I saw a card immediately, opened it was was very, very confused.  It said :Thought you could give these dogs a good home"  inside the card read happy birthday and a 24 behind it.   Passing the card, I found an antique letter.

Which I recognized to be my grandfather's wife.  So I carefully opened the letter, trying not to disturb the already ripped envelope.  Inside there was a apiece of parchment between to pieces of hard card stock.  It was this:

Daughter's of the Confederacy, My Great, great grandmother Mullins.  Who they though had come over on the Mayflower, because on the passenger list, there was a Mullins.  My grandfather told me that my great, great grandmother immigrated here from Germany.  Although it would be wonderfully awesome to think that my ancestors where on the Mayflower... they weren't.  This is a wonderful keepsake, and I plan on keeping it.  A little piece of history of America, just for me.  

It's been Ages

It has been AGES since I have written, and even longer since I've a computer worth typing on... Max, my puppy is still with me, even with a long, break up with my ex-boyfriend, I am now living in my own apartment, and loving it!  I'll post pics soon.  I'm 24 now.... whoa, that came fast, I thought about how I'll have to change the name of my blog... i shouldn't have named it twenty something...ehh we'll see.  I've decided one thing, I want to learn how to decorate cakes.  I have one problem, Rich isn't much of a sweets person... so, I don't have much of a guinea pig.  Now to find out where I can buy glycerin....