IT IS WHAT IT IS

So everyone is tired of hearing me say this.... it is what it is....but this is how I have coped with my latest news. I lost my job on Aug 6th. They eliminated my position, down sized or whatever it is called, but the bottom line is I'm out of a job! After 8 years and two months it was a shock. I know lots of others in various departments have been let go, but just was not expecting it in my position. Can't say for sure why me and not someone else, but... it is what it is. Carter has been such a wonderful partner and giving me great comfort and support. Devastated is the word for how I felt (and sometimes still feel) but as time goes on I'm healing. I got a months severance pay and I do qualify for unemployment so I am not in a HUGE PANIC about money at the moment. I am glad I am in such a good financial situation, no debt except for the house and I've got to have someplace to live...LOL. The sad thing is I loved my job!! I miss my co-workers in Atlanta and California. I have heard from many and they have been shocked and sad to see me go. I hope to remain in touch with several who have become good friends over the years.

So where do I go from here? Good question. Not sure right now. Taking some time to heal and then I will start looking for a job. It is very scary in this economy and with my age (let's face it being 59 is a factor). So I will just take a step at a time, a day at a time. My family and friends have been supportive and loving so I am blessed. I know there is a reason and one of these days i'll be shown it, but for now... well... IT IS WHAT IT IS.....

MOVING IS NOT FUN!!

That's right we've moved. The commute proved to be too long for me and started to effect me in many ways none of them good. We had discussed moving closer to my job and the time had come. We started looking at homes and found the most wonderful old 1969 ranch in Lithia Springs. It was a foreclosure and was in pretty good shape and at an excellent price. I love it! 3 bedroom, 2 bath with screened in porch and all on one level. A full basement so lots of storage and Carter can have a man cave. We closed on May 1st and here we are 3 months later. Most of our things are here, still in boxes and so much work yet to do but we love the house. I am 20 minutes from work. I am so much happier at work and not as tired that is for sure. So our summer has been taken up with moving, work on two houses (we hope to sell Carter's old house) and just working on getting settled. Maybe by Christmas? Carter and I are not quick about any of this.

One sad note is that we have lost Emily. She made the move just fine and we were letting her outside ( she is just not a happy indoor cat). After two months, she just disappeared. Carter and I are both very sad and I miss her every day. I hope she has found a new home and is happy. She was a very moody strange cat, but we love her. I still dream she will just show up one day.

So to end on a high note, next weekend is one of my favorite things...THE LONGEST YARD SALE. We will have a long weekend this year to enjoy it. Last year we had a blast and plan on doing the same this year. It is a junkers dream. I'll share any good finds with you later.

TOO LONG GONE....

Yes I've been too long gone from my Blog. I have read my previous entries and find I like having a written history of things. So I'm back...I may only Blog once a week but I will try to not miss as many months as I have. that said...

Last Blog was Carter and I heading for Sanibel Island for Thanksgiving. Let me tell you that was one of the best vacations I have ever had. It was beautiful, warm and our condo was on the BEACH! We rode bikes (yep I rode over 10 miles in total all week) and we walked the beach and saw every sunrise and sunset. I fell in love with the beauty of Sanibel. We had our Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant called THE BUBBLE ROOM, it was this great place with memorabilia aka junk all over the place. Just our cup of tea. They had a traditional Thanksgiving meal and Carter ordered that and I got a specialty of the place and we shared. At the gift shop I found a beaded flamingo key chain that i turned into a Christmas ornament for our tree. A remembrance of a wonderful week.

Christmas was so much fun. We got a tree and decorated and had lights (bubble lights like from the Bubble Room Restaurant). Sara and Blake came over the weekend before Christmas and we celebrated with a meal and opened presents. We gave Sara a KitchenAid Mixer and she was very excited. We are looking forward to her baking us something. Blake received this awesome old radio Carter and I found on our Longest Yard Sale trip and Carter restored to working condition. Blake loved it and later told us he showed it to everyone on their trip down to the south Georgia families. The kids gave us some very nice gifts but my favorite was a blown glass vase by Sara's cousin Olivia Cash Agle. It is beautiful.

Carter and I had a special Christmas morning all to ourselves. We exchanged many fun gifts but my BIG surprise was an awesome new camera. Carter said after Sanibel where I was having some difficulty taking the pictures I wanted with my film camera that I really needed a good digital. Well I got it! Cannon 10D, AWESOME! I have had one outing with the camera and I was amazed at the photos I took. We went to the Botanical Gardens and I took some beautiful (if i do say so myself) pictures in the orchid garden. wow! Most of you have seen those pictures from the website but if not here is the link http://cartermartin.com/Snapshots/LindasBotanicalGarden of course Carter helped me with the settings, but i'm learning. So all in all it was a wonderful holiday.

So January was pretty quiet for us, some junking and collecting but mostly quiet. February more of the same. We had a sweet Valentine's day at home. There is so much stress for us right now, both of our jobs are in industries that are considered luxury not essential so we both worry about work. So far so good, but the economy scares us and is in a BIG MESS. I feel cheated by my belief that Obama would lead us down a middle path and look at both sides, so far it has not happened. It scares me even more as i'm closer to 60 and looking at my "not so golden" years.

So to end this Blog on a high note, last weekend it SNOWED IN GEORGIA! yep lots of snow. It was so much fun (well for us anyway). Sara and Blake lost power over in Athens but did ok as they had gas heat and candles! Anyway, Sunday morning as it's snowing Carter and I get in the hot tub with cups of coffee. It was just awesome to look up and have all this wonderful white stuff falling from the sky. We laughed and just had a great time being warm and cozy in the snow. One week later? It's in the 70's....welcome to Georgia in the spring!

So I guess that's enough for this Blog....Later!

A TIME TO BE THANKFUL!

I am going on vacation next week. Yes it's the week of Thanksgiving and no I won't be visiting family. This year I am going with my Honey Honey Carter to Sanibel Island, Florida! I've never been to this lovely spot but It is one of Carter's favorites. We are driving down in the Miata and taking our bikes, suitcase on a luggage rack, several cameras and a big smile on both of our faces! This trip is just for us. Time to relax, read, ride bikes, take photographs, collect shells and enjoy the beach. We have rented a Condo right on the beach, this is my idea of heaven! This is not the traditional Thanksgiving I usually have, but this year my children are spending the holiday with their South Georgia Families. Carter and I have decided to get away on our own.

I have so much to be Thankful for this year. I don't think I have ever been happier or more content then I am since meeting Carter. He is my best friend and my partner for life! I am Thankful that my Mom's health is stable and she is doing well. I am Thankful that I have such wonderful memories of my Dad and that I can smile, laugh and sometimes cry about it all. I'm Thankful that I had the oppurtunity to meet and know Jack before he passed away. I'm Thankful I have brothers! The one I grew up with and the one i've met as an adult! I'm Thankful I have wonderful sister (in-laws). I'm Thankful both of my children have good jobs and good health and are independent and happy adults! I am Thankful for a wonderful Son-In-Law. I am Thankful I have a job and good health. I'm Thankful for the many friends I have! I am Thankful for the beauty around me and that i've met someone who shares his love of the outdoors with me and has shown me how to appreciate it all the more. I'm Thankful to have someone in my life who shares my love of Junkin!(and never complains about what I bring home). I am Thankful for my furry children. I am thankful GAS prices have fallen (really!) and that it doesn't take 1/2 my paycheck to get to work. I'm so very Thankful that God has given me this life I have. I am blessed!

A Loss In My Family

The Monday following my last Blog started out as a typical Monday. Up and get ready for work and have a busy day. Head home,dinner and some TV. But as i'm getting ready for bed my phone "beeps" i've missed a message. I listen and a very bad feeling comes over me. The call is from Mike a very close friend of my Bio-Dad Jack. I call and he tells me that Jack has passed away. He was out feeding the animals and he fell down, a neighbor was walking his dog and saw him fall, he ran to help him. Jack got to the porch and said i'm just so tired and slumped over. He was gone! So many times we thought we had lost him with so many heart surgeries and the latest scare of pancreatic cancer and then suddenly he is gone. I cry and cry and Carter holds me trying to comfort me. I call David my 1/2 brother and he is in tears also and heading to Ottumwa. I say Carter and I will leave the next day and get there as soon as we can. Following a very sleepless night we throw clothes in the car, arrange for a neighbor to check on the cats and off we go. It is a very long drive from Norcross,GA to Ottumwa,IA. Over 15 hours and Carter and I drive straight thru getting there sometime in the early hours of Wed. David and I have discussed the arrangements and have decided on Wed visitation and Thur morning burial. The next few days are a blur of tears, sadness,love,comfort,stories of Jack,smiles,laughter and always more tears. The kindness of friends and extended family can never be thanked enough, it makes such a difference. I only got to know Jack a few years, but I am so very thankful I had that time with him. He completed a piece of my puzzle that was missing for so many years. I will always thank my Mom for encouraging me to find him and get some closure. Of course I have regrets, I wish I could have visited him more often, had more years and told him just one more time, LOVE YOU DAD! But our last conversation just a week before his death was a wonderful one. He had come back from his check up in Iowa City and felt great. We discussed a get together sometime soon and as always he ended the conversation with, LOVE YA MUCH! I can still hear his voice in my head and see him in my mind and he will always be in my heart. He was not the Father who raised me and that Dad can never be replaced in my heart. He was my real Dad, but Jack had a special place in my life and in my heart. He too will be missed.