Friends...

I've spent some time this week thinking about friends and the meaning of one.... I came across this in a passage I was reading and couldn't shake it from my mind.... I thought I would share..

Then there are old friends. Friends that you have had so long you don’t remember meeting them. Friends that are more like family, they’ve always been there. Sure you may not see them every day. You may not see them more than a few times a year. But when you do see them, you just pick up where you left off, as if there had been little or no time-lapse.

Oh, you might spend a few minutes catching up. How’s the family? How’s work? That kind of stuff. But in just a few moments you are laughing about some dumb stunt one or the other of you pulled. Maybe some joke you pulled on a mutual friend. But it’s mostly about the good times and the fun you’ve had together. And on some level, even though neither of you mention it, you know that, no matter what, no matter how much time has passed since you last met, the bond of friendship still holds tight. As they say these days, you know you have each other’s back.

I hope this makes you think of someone.... shoot them an email, text... or phone call...... I did

Eat Pray Love

A friend and I had a dinner and movie date last night... and we were both excited to see "Eat Pray Love." I love Julia Roberts and thought the story line of this movie (based on a book--- which I haven't read) looked great, so I knew I would enjoy the film...... and I did!!   I want to watch this movie again and again to pick up on more of the inspirational quotes that I missed the first time.....

As soon as I got home, I jumped online to find quotes from the film, but it's new enough yet, that they're not listed on IMDB....but while I was online, I saw that the movie had a less than favorable rating and not so good reviews...... and I began to wonder why that may be.... I wondered how someone could walk out of the theater unhappy and un-inspired by that movie.... wondering if they liked it or not.....

First, the obvious-- most of the users of the site are men--- and this is definitely a girl movie.....

Two....this movie is one that makes the viewer analyze his or her life, and really THINK about where you're headed, what they want to do, who they want to be....... It is so full of interesting metaphors, quotes, lessons, and so on that left me wanting to travel the world---- "to marvel at something." I want to see what other cultures are like. (I love the freedoms of America, but I think we are one lazy culture....) If a viewer realizes that they aren't happy with their life is---- they may not like the movie for pointing that out....

Three... And I realized this--- I wonder if some people in this world don't know HOW to analyze their life----- or even---how to THINK about what they want or who they want to be....so this movie wouldn't make sense to them....
There seem to be people out there that are trying to convince themselves and others that they are happy in their life, their relationship, their job...rather than analyze it and be true to themselves (and others) that maybe this isn't what they need or want..... Are they too scared to get out of a relationship that they know in their heart isn't where they should be because they are afraid of being alone?!?!  Do they think they don't deserve any better?!?! Are they just following the trend of what everyone else is doing their age (wedding, house, babies...)?!?!  "'Tis better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly"
.


Anyway, I found some quotes from the book to coincide with the movie..... I LOVE them..

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection."

"Your problem is you don't know what the word means. People think a soul mate is our perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life"

"That's just your ego, trying to make sure it stays in charge. This is what your ego does. It keeps you feeling seperate, keeps you with a sense of duality, tries to convince you that you're flowed and broken and alone instead of whole."
"But how does that serve me?"
"It doesn't serve you. Your ego's job isn't to serve you. Its only job is to keep itself in power. And right now, your ego's scared to death cuz it's about to get downsized. You keep up this spiritual path, baby, and that bad boy's days are numbered. Pretty soon your ego will be out of work, and your heart'll be making all the decisions. So your ego's fighting for its life, playing with your mind, trying to assert its authority, trying to keep you concerned off in a holding pen away from the rest of the universe. Don't listen to it."

"If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind".

"To find the balance you want you must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that its like you have 4 legs instead of 2. That way you stay in the world but you must stop looking at the world through your head you must look through your heart instead.That way you will know god"

"If you clear out all of that space in mind you would have a door way.."

"I want to go some place where I can marvel at something."

"This is my no carb left behind experience."

"'Tis better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly."

  "Guilt’s just your ego’s way of tricking you into thinking that you’re making moral progress."

"You have to swim through the moat to get to the castle."

"Americans know entertainment, but they don’t do pleasure."

Slacking....

Well.... Looks like I am officially a slacker in those whole "blogging" department.... Every post seems to turn into an update! haha


First--- We got our wedding photos------ and we ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!!!  You can check out all of our wedding photos--- professional and those from family--- on our Shutterfly account. The password is June12 and it IS case sensitive. You'll probably have to open an account if you'd like to view them... Also, if you took pictures at our wedding, we'd LOVE to see them--- so upload away!!
 
I got my all cut off and donated a 9 inch ponytail to Pantene. They make wigs for women who have cancer, and I donated in honor of three very important women in my life whom I admire for their fight with breast cancer.

I forgot how much work short hair is when you can't pull it back in a ponytail and am counting the days until it grows back out, but I try not to dwell on it... They are so many women out there that don't have a choice and I did it for them : )  

Before...

After...Horrible posture and my sleeves are messed up,
but you get the idea

We finally got to see DMB... We've been wanting to buy tickets for 4 years now and FINALLY made the purchase. We were a part of a first time music festival in Kentucky and we cannot wait to go back. In that one afternoon, we got to see the Black Crowes, Steve Miller Band (Front row), Zach Brown Band, Tonic (Front row), and of course, Dave Matthews.... We also saw Dwight Yoakam on the screen from a distance... but couldn't hear him :(

We celebrated the birthday of a good friend at Los and then back at her house to play games....

We have babysat our nephew over night twice now... It's a nice learning episode about parenting! haha... I'm not sure if Cam is more ready to be a father, or if he wants to wait a little longer!??!

Having an art session!

And now to the crazy part of the update..... My family has been planning a huge 3 night family trip to Gatlinburg for about 6 months now.... We got a huge cabin for everyone to stay together and made plans of what we wanted to do while we were there..... Well, it didn't quite go as planned.
Cameron came down with some sort of bug (from dehydration?? a true bug?? we don't know) and was feeling less than able to travel the morning of the trip... I was sad to leave him, especially with this being our first vacation together, but the cabin was prepaid, so I went....

About an hour- into the trip, I wasn't feeling so well.  I had been texting and playing a little bit with Karter.... I got really car sick and felt dizzy..... Then I could feel it..... the nausea was setting in... That's right.... just as we crossed the bridge into Kentucky, I knew I was going to be sick... My sister pulled the van over and I got sick on the shoulder of the interstate... Classy, I know! Oddly enough--- I felt 100% better after that..... so we kept going....

Then, about an hour later, it hit again..... This time at a tiny gas station..... We got some food in my belly and a cold drink, and again--- I felt much better.... We even took my temp and it was 97.8! No fever, no aches, no NOTHING..... We headed further south, not sure WHAT to do....

But it got worse...  We got lunch at a Hardeez and food actually sounded GOOD--- until it was in front of me..... Long story short... I got sick a few more times--- still feeling fine in between "episodes"...... but my parents finally got a hotel room for me to rest in, and we ended up staying the night.... I woke up exhausted and sore, but never got sick the rest of the trip. I was so tired and worried about getting sick, that I couldn't enjoy much of the trip.....Cam and I kept in close contact on our illnesses--- neither of really felt SICK.... we don't know if it was food poisoning, a short lived stomach bug, or if it they were totally un-related.... but we do know that we both felt awful!!

I like to refer to it as the "vacation from hell." It is definitely a vacation that I will never forget! It was fun spending so much time with the family, but I missed Cam and just didn't feel like myself....

Headed to the arcade...

In the Smokies....

We walked to the top of Clingman's Dome....

At the top!!

Stopped for some pics on the way back down..

Went to the Titanic Museum...

And how cute is this--- Karter can show us "Shark Teeth" after his trip to the aquarium...

This year was my dad's turn to host his family reunion..... We had a great time planning and my dad was really happy with all the changes we made--- colored table cloths, new building (with air conditioning)....overall, it was a great change..... I don't have many pictures, and all that I do have were before the family got there....  It was a lot of work and we were all exhausted afterwards---- but it was worth it!!

We set up some small photo displays--- this one was "in progress"

Made and bought gifts and door prizes...

Had tables for the kids--- with coloring books, crafts and puzzles

We made tissue paper poms for the tables..

My dad and me....

My momma and me

The room.....

Cam and I have had a pretty calm start to marriage.... but with some exciting news!!! After a stretch of unemployment, my amazing husband got an awesome job as a salesman for a company here in town!! He had an email from the boss on a Thursday afternoon asking if he was still interested in a job he applied for months before... He called back immediately, was scheduled for an interview the next morning, and was hired just hours later, even after he was told there will still others to be interviewed the next few days.... I don't mean to brag-- I'm just so PROUD of him!!!

He is still in the long training process, and it includes hot manual labor, but SOON--- he will be trained in the sales department and get to show how good he is... I always say that he could sell a red popsicle to a woman in white gloves! We hope this is the start to wonderful path for him!!!



We have started to casually do some "house hunting." We haven't been lucky enough to find what we're looking for yet.... I  know it could be a long process, so I'm trying not to get frustrated....



Until next time....