Vacation is coming!!!

12 days left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Grateful!

Something about this time of year makes me stop in my tracks and take a look around. The crisp air, the smell of wood burning, the leaves beginning to change...all of it. It is no secret that fall is my favorite time of year. I love every aspect of it. This year I have learned a WHOLE lot too. We have had some major rifts in our family this year. (Not immediate family) People who we thought we were very close too and who "had our backs", are pretty much gone. We also realized how important our church family is. Isn't it amazing that the people you end up being the closest to are not even related? I have always been the type of person who is very cautious when developing friendships. I have always had an issue with trust and with loyalty. That's why when I finally call someone friend, it is a huge deal to me. Don't get me wrong, I have tons of acquaintances. But the people who I actually chose to let into my life and my heart are few and far between. I had been cultivating a friendship with my sister-in-law for over 13 years. I felt that we were very close and would be there for each other no matter what. When that friendship fell apart this year, I thought that I would completely shut down and not let anybody else in - ever! But that is not the way it happened. If you love people unconditionally and allow yourself to be vulnerable to them, you run the risk of being hurt. If you don't, you never have the opportunity to develop a close bond with anybody. This is where I had put myself for so long. Yes you are protected in your little box and no one can hurt you or back stab you. You are also alone in your little box. I am making a choice to love differently. I am chosing to put myself out there. The strange part is, I would never had chosen to "let down my walls" if this had not happened to me. So while it was painful to go through, the outcome will be worth it. Growing pains hurt, but allowing hurtful things to change you for the better is what it's all about!

19 Days!!!

Only 19 days left and I will be on the beach!!!! A much deserved vacation awaits me on the warm, sunny beaches of Florida. Me and 3 members of my immediate family will be traveling by car to Indian Rocks Beach where we will sit, stare, and do nothing. I don't care if the salon burns down while I'm gone...I will deal with it when I get home!!!!! The count down begins.

Identity Theft

So I get the mail today and I get a letter from the mortgage company we used with our last rental house that sold in October. Come to find out one of their employees had been selling personal information off of the applications. The letter goes on and on about how sorry they are and how they will allow us to monitor our credit report free for two years...blah, blah, blah...then I turned the page. The title? PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE TO KEEP FROM BECOMING A VICTIM. This goes on to explain how I need to be careful with my mailbox, don't write your SS# on checks, don't give out information over the phone, report lost or stolen credit cards, and destroy and shred all personal papers. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I didn't screw up, you did!!! You're going to lecture me about what not to do when you're the one who was careless with my information? Unbelievable. I seem to have made it 35 years without being a victim...until I did business with you! (By the way - our credit report was clean) But still...

My baby is not a baby anymore!

Happy Birthday Jessi!!! My baby turns 13 today. Jessica Tonette Arnold entered the world a little past 8 in the morning on September 5, 1995. She was such an easy, happy baby...alot has changed! LOL!! She is absolutely the most artistic, creative, funny, different, and caring person I know. I love you Baby - Have a Happy Birthday today!

Birthday

I turned 35 today...I don't want to talk about it.

We don't always understand

So last year at Christmas I showed you the pictures from our work Christmas party at my house. This was one of them. The lady to the right is Martena and she works for me at the shop. The man in the middle is her husband Gary. He just turned 60 not too long ago and is a wonderful, funny, compassionate man who "puts up" with all the women in his life. A few weeks ago he was forgetting a couple of things and decided to go to the doctor. Nobody thought much of it because he LOVES going to the doctor. He was just diagnosed with two malignant brain tumors and has not been given very long. It has already completely changed his personality and his memory. The doctors say there is nothing they can do. The family needs some major peace right now. They are saved and attend Highview Baptist church. Please Pray!!!!