friends

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust



I am fortunate to have so many friends.  Thank you to all of my friends who took time out of their schedules, and provided material needs, to family members of mine who you've never met and don't know.  

I have so many amazing friends...so many beautiful people in my life.  I love you all.

our roots run deep

Our roots run deep in Alabama, on my side......this week was a Stewart strong week.  One of my cousin's wife's mom passed away, from the very same thing that my dad passed away from.  One of my aunt's oldest daughter, who passed away less than a year ago, has a son that gave my aunt a great grandchild.  And a couple of nights ago, while my family was mourning the loss of my cousin's wife's mom, another cousin's house burned, and they lost everything.

Stewarts get back up.  They don't back down, ever...but that's a whole other story.  They get back up, and we all get up with them, stand beside each other, behind each other, and get each other through all of it.  There are times in every family's history in which family is fighting, this one isn't getting along with that one.  That's true in our family, too.  But the second we need each other - we're there.

Thank you to all of my friends who have helped our family get through this, and thank you to all of my friends and family who have prayed for my family.  I love you all.

Tonight is a night I'm thinking of roots, family, memories, & what's ahead for all of us.  And thankful for every minute of it.

b-town

It doesn't matter how big Brandon gets, it's still a small town in so many ways...sometimes I get so tired of being here, with the development & growth, and Brandon being so different than it was when we were growing up.  Other days, I relish the fact that I still live in my hometown...I pass streets I used to bicycle down, houses we used to go to parties at, schools we went to, streets I learned to drive on...places and times so ingrained in my memory that I get to celebrate, almost daily, what a wonderful place Brandon was to grow up in.

Went to Publix today...a Publix that wasn't existent when I was growing up.  When I was growing up, the entire property was an orange grove.  Kingsway & Windhorst.  While there, I saw a friend's teenage son stocking shelves...had a nice chat.  Turned the corner around by the deli and saw the dad of a friend we grew up with, literally grew up with, she lived down the street & we got into all kinds of silliness with her.  I said, "Grandpa Jett!" (I saw this past week on facebook that he and Mrs. Jett are expecting their second grandchild), to which he responded, "I'm about to be a grandpa AGAIN!".  I said, "I know!  I saw on facebook".  He pulled out a kickass phone, said he doesn't do much with it, really just wants to use the phone part.  He said he doesn't really get on facebook.  I told him, "I know.  I sent you a friend request like forever ago and you haven't accepted it".  He shrugged.  I love my parents' generation.

Got the fixins' for tomorrow's bbq ribs and corn risotto dinner, and headed out.  On Windhorst, blasting my radio, singing along, and, yes, dancing along, I put my blinker on to turn left on Kingsway.  There's still no arrow at that light (remember when it was a stop sign?), and as I was waiting, the car coming through the intersection threw the sign of the horns at me.  She saw me, hell yeah.

Got into our neighborhood, my neighbors got to listen to GNR, whether they wanted to or not.

Hells yeah, I still love B-town.  This is my town.

this isn't mine

Read this and it rolled itself over and over in my head, my body...not sure why I"m sharing except that maybe it will remind some of us that we aren't alone.

Death was now a daily presence, blowing over me in cold gusts. Mysteriously and in ways that are totally remote from normal experience, the gray drizzle of horror induced by depression takes on the quality of physical pain. But it is not an immediately identifiable pain, like that of a broken limb. It may be more accurate to say that despair, owing to some evil trick played upon the sick brain by the inhabiting psyche, comes to resemble the diabolical discomfort of being imprisoned in a fiercely overheated room. And because no breeze stirs this caldron, because there is no escape from the smothering confinement, it is entirely natural that the victim begins to think ceaselessly of oblivion.

--William Slyron

writing

Started writing again, a little, last night.  Need to sit my ass down and commit.  I love it.

Today was a busy day...funny how what I think of as a busy day involves visiting friends, shopping for things we need, & PTA.  I wonder sometimes what other people's accomplished days include.  World peace.  Solving problems.  Providing a necessity.  Then I feel like hash tagging myself...  #whitegirlproblems

Not that today was busy in a problematic way.  I quite enjoyed it.  Coffee with Tatum......skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks, yummmmmmm.....and the company is always fun.  Tatum makes me smile.  Then off to Goodwill where I poked around and found nothing of consequence.  Off to Ross, which is now open in Valrico.  It's nice and clean.  Clean.  It's not all ghettoed up yet.  It's clean.  Did find a couple of things there, including b/day gift for baby Jack for tomorrow's b/day party.  Off to the bank & Walmart.  Then McDonald's - a treat for the kids, spring break lunch.  Then home.  Chill for a few hours.  Then PTA at Beef's.  My days do not usually consist of any real stress, and I know this.  I try to remember that there are people hurting and struggling everywhere.  Traffic & high prices are not something to be a bitch about.

Did encounter trashy 20 somethings at Ross.  Gosh I hope I wasn't so trashy when I was that age.  Jackwagons.

Going to Irish night at Jonalynn's tomorrow night...have printed off a shepherd's pie recipe that sounds amazing...I'll put Stephen to work tomorrow.  And then I'll eat goodies.  And hopefully drink an Irish car bomb.

what time is it?

Went camping last weekend & the time changed on us...stupid frickin' time change.  Of course, it's only stupid when we spring forward.  Too much food and cupcakes galore...celebrated our March boys' birthdays with Aunt Jonalynn's chocolate cupcakes.  Yummmmmmmmm

This week is spring break in Hillsborough County.  Ahhhhhh.....sleep in late.  Every day.  Except Wednesday.  Little man had his birthday party sleepover/LAN party Tuesday, so I had to be up Wednesday.  But that's okay.  What a fun, lazy week we've had.

Found out today that we lost another  BHS alumni.  Made me sad.  Life is short, live, laugh, and love, friends.

Also found out that a young cousin of mine is heart broken because of a personal issue in her life.  Sending love and hugs her way.

And, found out Stephen and I are going to be great uncle and great aunt again.  Feeling a little young for that, but babies are a blessing, so can't wait to meet the newest member of this family!

Life is good.  Mandy is smiling.......  :)

too tired to blog

I'm not too tired to blog!  Sucker!

What a week already.....busy and fun.  Stephen left Sunday for a work trip, and I miss him so much...he did put Skype on David's computer, so now we can video chat with him.  It's good to fly into the 2000's, says the 38 year old mommy (who has been done a disservice by her technically genius husband, because he is such a genius........she doesn't need to be).

Had Weston from Monday morning about 4:30 a.m. until today about 5:00 p.m.  It was fun having a baby in the house, but exhausting.  I don't think I slept 5 hours last night.  You'd think I'd be too tired to blog......

Google Chrome is down, so I'm using shitty Internet Explorer.  If I knew how to troubleshoot it, I would......see technically genius husband paragraph above.

Having a baby in the house was fun.  I looked at the calendar, and tomorrow is one year since my miscarriage.  Hard not to wonder what our lives might be like right now, but it's okay.........I had a good day, and I will tomorrow.  We are right where we are supposed to be.  And I'm glad I can enjoy the time I get to spend with babies now.  It was hard at first, but much easier now.

Tucked baby girl and little man in, waiting for Bug to finish up for the night and then I'm headed to bed.

Sweet dreams, friends!