A Few of My Favorite Things

It's been a long time since I've talked about the things I am loving so I thought maybe I should share... and let you become addicted along with me! Try not to be too amazed at the high quality photos included in this post... I literally just snapped a few quick pics on my phone to give you an idea of what things look like... I made zero effort to get nice, bright, quality photos. You know, professional blogger that I am.

the fire stick is in the middle

Amazon Firestick - So..two and a half years ago I bought a smart tv because I watch a lot of internet driven content. From the very beginning the sound would periodically go out and I'd have to unplug and plug back in to get it back. Then... about a month or so ago we had a power outage and it screwed up the internet capability of the tv. Basically, my smart tv became dumb. You know how it is with these modern tvs... it costs more to fix them than to buy a new one and I just don't have the spare cash for a new one. I spent a few weeks being really bummed about having to watch broadcast tv or navigate my laptop hooked up to my tv to watch Netflix or Amazon Prime... then I realized that an Amazon Firestick could bring the smart back to my tv. It's relatively cheap around $40 - in comparison to a new tv, anyways - and it allows me to again watch Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and YouTube on my tv easily. I just know enough to navigate so I'm probably only making use of a fraction of the things the Firestick can do BUT... It has changed my life. I'm not good with technical things but this was easy enough that I was able to install it myself.

Blue Diamond Almond Crackers... love these with roasted garlic and fresh mozzarella - but I had to give up garlic because my sweetheart could smell it on me days and days later, even after brushing and mouthwash and... well, I choose kisses over garlic but they are amazing with chicken salad. Or spinach dip. Or hummus or just by themselves. Love love love!

bathbombs - we have two bathtubs at the house here at the lake. One is too shallow for me to properly submerge and the other is in my dad's bath so I don't use it. But Marvin has a great soaking tub and I enjoy a nice long bath every time I'm at his house. I had heard so much about Lush bathbombs but had never tried them. However, when I noticed that Walmart was carrying bath bombs I picked up a few and YES! Best bath ever! Tasha gave me several for my birthday and now every week I really look forward to my bath bomb bath. I would recommend avoiding any with glitter in them as you will get out of the tub looking like a kindergarten craft project. A month later and I'm still cleaning glitter out of Marvin's tub. I think I need to order a few Lush Bathbombs still... and if I do, I'll review those for you.

Bolthouse fruit smoothies - I don't eat a balanced diet. I love fruit and veg but I just don't ever cook. Fresh produce goes bad so quickly in our house because it doesn't get used fast enough SOOOO... I try to have one of these smoothies every day. They have 2-3 servings of fruit in them and even though they are not low calorie, I feel like it's worth the extra calories for the nutritional benefits.

powerade - I must drink powerade every day of my life or I will get a migraine, plain and simple. I've tried NOT drinking it and the results are the same every. single. time. I don't know what it is that makes the difference but something does. It can be either powerade or gatorade but usually powerade is cheaper so...

ELF cosmetics - I love makeup. I love wearing makeup. I love trying new makeup but it's expensive and because I only wear makeup 2 or 3 times a week, it's not worth spending lots of money on stuff that will eventually go to waste. Then I discovered ELF Cosmetics. They are sold at Walmart and the Dollar Store and online. Products are priced ridiculously low... seriously... $1 for the mascara I use! Twice now I've seen them have 50% sales online and you bet your bottom dollar that both times I stocked up. That 50% sale may still be going on if you want to check them out. Their makeup remover wipes smell fabulous. I love their creamy eyeshadow sticks because the colors stay on ALL DAY for me which few products ever do. But the best thing for me is that I can afford to try new things and not worry that I've wasted big money if I don't like it or it doesn't work for me. If you're curious, ELF stands for Eyes, Lips Face.

photo of my actual refrigerator

Chobani Flip yogurt... I COULD LIVE ON THIS STUFF! Actually, I sort of do. I end up eating two of these a day most days. It's greek yogurt with a little side car of stuff that you add to the yogurt... usually nuts and chocolate bits and... really good. I also add extra almonds, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to mine because if a little is good, a lot is DIVINE! My favorite flavor is Almond Coco Loco but I also love the Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake and Nutty for Nana and there's a Salted Caramel Crunch one that is really good... seriously... running out of these = running out of toilet paper. It's that big of a crisis in my book.

Good Thins Beet Thins - if you like pickled beets... which I do... you will love these crackers. If you don't like pickled beets, you will think they taste like dirt... which Marvin does. They're a favorite snack for me and I always have them on hand. I eat them by themselves but I can see how they could be yummy with maybe some goat cheese or cream cheese based spread.

Voltaren Gel. This stuff has changed my life. When my pain doctor realized I had a new area of pain related to ulnar nerve damage, instead of increasing pain meds he prescribed this cream for me. It is like bengay on steroids. But there are no steroids. I use it on my back when the pain is bad and I'm in between doses. I use it on my elbows (where the ulnar nerve is). I use it on my boyfriend when he has aches and pains. It's just an extra weapon in my arsenal for me to use in my never-ending fight with pain. Ask your doctor for it! It's amazing!

Thus concludes this round up of my favorite things... I'd love to hear a few of your favorites! Comment below or on my Facebook page.

Love and hugs, y'all!

The Week In Review - Reflections on Things

Me and my sweetheart... New Orleans 12/17

Check out my comments on the post about the Royal Wedding. I thought there was great input there regarding the minister in the Royal Wedding from my cousin Melissa (who knows these things). My friend Stacey who is  a home ex teacher backed me up on the fit of Meghan’s dress, so yay! My blog community is a vast sea of knowledge and I’m just a dinghy in the midst. On the Facebook link my dear friend Linda called me out on the naughty meme with the Queen. I know. It was borderline inappropriate but that’s what makes it funny. I warned you that fifty year old Heather is a bit more edgy than the previous, younger versions. It's inevitable.

My week with Marvin was a bit different than usual. Softball was postponed so he picked up an extra night hosting trivia on Tuesday night. I was able to go with him and y'all... he does such a great job!  It was my first time going with him because it is a lot of sitting for me. I didn't really know what to expect and went alone (well, alone with him but he was on stage and I was sitting at a table by myself). I, of course, had my phone to keep me company and worked on some blogging and other things. I didn't play the game because it was just me and... I'm only so-so and I wasn't sure if it was kosher since I was with the host and... all that... but I did enjoy being there and chatted with a few people who were playing. The food was awesome... the venue was sort of loud and there were a few drunks who were giving my guy a hard time which I did NOT appreciate. He's used to it and just ignored them. Usually Tuesday night date night includes a softball game or two (for him while I watch) and/or dinner. Going to trivia was like softball without the dirt and with food. It was a little rough on my back and I crashed as soon as we got home but... still really glad to go with him. I would totally go again, especially if I could convince a friend or two to tag along with me.

Sidebar: IF YOU ENJOY TRIVIA... I'm playing an online trivia game called HQ. Games are played at 3pm and 9pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday they play at 9pm but don't play the afternoon game. They ask a series of multiple choice questions and you have 10 seconds to pick your answer. If you get all the questions correct you win... the prize is usually $5000 but that pot is divided between all the people who win. Occasionally they do games with a larger prize amount. I think the most they've done is $250,000. Sometimes they play until there's only one winner. It varies. Today they did this thing where you could see your friends' answers - which would have helped me immensely because I only missed one question and it was a sports question so Marvin would have almost certainly known the answer. You can play by downloading the HQ app. Enter my name as your referral and I will get an extra life (it will make sense when you play). My screen name is just my real name - heathergant . Then you can friend me on there and whenever they do the special "friends games" like today, we can help each other out. More often than not, Marvin and I play together so if I'm sharing my answers, I'm sharing HIS answers and he is GOOD with trivia! 

Anyways... back to my week. On Wednesday, Marvin usually just hosts trivia in the evening and has the whole day free for us but this week he pulled an extra shift delivering pizzas during the day. Obviously, I was bummed not to have as much time with him but I will still take a day in the cool, quiet of his nest over my noisier, busier nest. It feels like a vacation to be curled up in his bed, even when he's not with me. And the bonus of being here, even when he's working is that he comes home eventually and we get to have some quality time together, even if it's not quantity time together. Here's the thing... I'm never gonna get upset with him for working. He's a hardworking man. That's just who he is. I respect the heck out of his work ethic. We make it work when he has to work, plain and simple. He brought me breakfast in bed before he left for work... He brought me dinner in bed before he left for work in the evening and I had my usual Wednesday night spa night with a nice soak in his big bathtub while he was gone. I feel so spoiled when I'm at his place.

Disclaimer: I joke with him that I'm hesitant to brag on him too much because I don't want to make him look TOO attractive to someone who might want to steal him away from me. I should probably list a few of his faults here so that I don't face any competition... but honestly, whatever shortcomings he may have are just between us and I'm hoping he'll return the favor. He could probably complain that I just lay around in his bed all day while he's working... ha! But I'm also gonna keep the BEST stuff private just in case. *wink*

Another disclaimer: this is why this whole part-time gig is working for us. I'm pretty sure he'd get sick and tired of my broke down self lounging in his bed 24/7 and honestly... the fun of being in his space would get old if it was the only thing I ever did. I like the balance we have ... a little bit of my world with my White County family, my kitty cat and the rotten little dog. I like being a small town girl and I love living on the lake and keeping close tabs on Pop and Austin and Cosy. At the end of the day I'm still an introvert and I have to isolate myself a bit to recharge my batteries. We're old dogs and as much fun as it is to be together, being apart some every week just works for us. We talk every day, several times a day so I feel like we're always in touch. If something happens good or bad, he's the first one I tell. I say all of this just to say I spent a lot of years avoiding any relationship at all because I know that I'm a lot to handle. When one partner has to have mandatory down time just to function, it can really drag you both down. I just never wanted to drag anyone else down. If you're intentionally isolating yourself because you feel like you don't have enough to offer someone else, maybe you just need to think outside the box. I don't know if this will reach a point where it no longer works but I don't let the fear of that possibility steal the joy I have in this season of life. And the bonus for him is... if you're not feeling good or want to have a lazy day, I'm your huckleberry! Nobody excels at resting more than me.

Tuesday night we finished watching Evil Genius on Netflix. It's the story of the pizza deliveryman who had a bomb strapped around his neck when he robbed a bank in 2003 in Erie, Pennsylvania. This show digs into whether the guy was a participant in the crime or a victim. It's really interesting! Then we started watching a show called, Safe, staring Michael C Hall (from Dexter) about his teenage daughter going missing. We had two episodes left when I left his house yesterday and I was going to wait until next week to watch the rest with him but he said I could go ahead and finish it. IT IS SO GOOD! Safe has so many twists and turns your head will spin!

Thursday was my mom's youngest brother, John's funeral. It was held in Okeechobee, Florida, too far of a trip for me and Pop to make although we were certainly with the family in thoughts and prayers. Uncle John was such a character! One of my earliest memories of him was going to the grocery store with him when I was maybe 8 years old. He was an egg farmer. He asked if I knew how to tell if an egg was fresh (obviously, I didn't) and he took one out of the carton and dropped it on the floor letting it do what raw eggs do when you drop them. It was so funny / shocking / crazy... I'm not sure I ever got the point but it was definitely memorable.

He was such a Godly man and devoted so much of his life to helping others. He suffered from the after effects of Agent Orange from his service in Viet Nam and ultimately, that is what cost him his life. Mama always loved John dearly. John had three sons, one of whom I've become closer to over the past few years. I have literally dozens of first cousins... so many first cousins once or twice removed... countless second cousins... and I'm in touch with many through the magic of Social Media. I have several cousins who have lost a parent in the past few years and my heart breaks for them to walk that path of grief, so I am particularly sad for my cousin Jason to go through this. We believe that we will be reunited as a family one day in Heaven and that hope sustains us, of course. You just miss 'em, you know? John's last visit up here... we knew was probably his last visit. Mama was not well either, so we knew it was probably their last time together on this earth. They fished... and had a decent catch... and fried 'em up... and those are memories I will cherish. We will probably catch more fish from our lake and we may even cook them but they won't ever taste the same.

Thursday Marvin slept late and then we went out for brunch at Waffle House. I'm not sure you can consider Waffle House "brunch" but we had breakfast at noon so... there's that. I needed to pick up a few things at Walmart so we shopped together and then went back home to "Netflix and chill" some more. Yes, I know what it means. All too soon it was time for me to head back home. I was really dragging so I sent Austin out to pick up dinner. OH MY GEEEEEE how much do I love that Austin can drive? It's the best thing ever!

This morning I set my alarm for 6:30 so that I could do a food shop before Austin went to work. I'm set for the weekend. I don't HAVE to leave my house again until... well, until next Wednesday when I have a doctor's appointment. My blood pressure was pretty high today so I definitely need to take it easy. They added a new blood pressure med for me a month ago and apparently, it's still not enough.

Today I finished watching Safe, I watched Mamma Mia and I've watched a few random documentaries. I completely forgot to post this blog until just now even though most of it was already written. I hope you had a great week and I hope you have a fun/peaceful/restful holiday weekend (except for Wendy in Oz because... well, it's not a holiday for you but I hope you have a good weekend anyways!) Love and hugs, y'all!

Throwback Thursday - May 24

It's that time of week again... time to look back over my blog history and see what was going on in my life that was blogworthy on this day.

If you take this link from this day in 2009, it will let you follow a link to an old Youtube video of my niece Jamie singing the Backyardigans. She was home sick from church and I was watching her... and she was just so darn cute! She's already, just nine years later, become quite the performer and I am proud to say I have a video of her way back when she was just an adorable little four year old who already had perfect pitch!

On this day in 2011, I was already struggling with the back pain and struggling with my responsibilities as a single mom. Fortunately Austin was helping out a bit and I was as grateful then as I am now. We have had to lean on each other a lot and it doesn't always look pretty but it works.

In 2012, we were looking forward to Austin's graduation from high school. I wrote my own commencement speech and I still think it's pretty durn good advice. You can read it here.

On this day in 2013, I was adjusting to disability and mom was adjusting to life at the mountain house. It breaks my heart to pieces that she had such a short time in this beautiful house and was sick for so much of the time. She worked so hard all of those years in the little house on Sherwood Drive and finally she had the time and space to do whatever she wanted. As much as I miss her... I'm more sad for what she's missing. And of course, she probably has so much better now... it's selfish of me to want her back but I can't help it.

We had a brand new Cosette back in 2015 and I was struggling with migraines... as usual.

I don't know if any of you are following these links to read the old blog entries.. I know it's quite the rabbit hole to chase... but for me, it's good to look back. I've had a hard time lately allowing myself to feel all the feels because it does hurt to not have my mom around any more. But it's good to see how precious those last few years with her were. Thanks for allowing me to reminisce a bit! Love and hugs, y'all!

Cute Cosy Moments

 I took Cosy to Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning to get our usual... iced coffee with hazelnut for Nana and a pink donut with sprinkles for Cosy. I have a blue tooth apparatus in the car I'm driving because it allows me to do handsfree on the phone and also play the iPod that Marvin has fixed up for me over the car sound system. When I first turn on the car the blue tooth says, "pairing... pairing... pairing" until it matches with my phone and then it says, "paired." When we got in the car as we were leaving Dunkin' Donuts the blue tooth started up with it's, "pairing... " and from the back seat Cosy hollered, "PAIRED!!!". It totally cracked me up.

Marvin started this game with her in the car when we got through traffic lights. If it's red he will say, "goooooooo green!" and it turns green. The trick is that he watches when the other side is changing and doesn't say, "green" until just before it's about to turn green. This absolutely amazes Cosy! She is sure that Marvin is magic. Even if Marvin isn't in the car with us she will say, "goooooooo.... green.... gooo... green..." until it turns green. If it takes awhile she will say, "Marvin says.... gooooooo green" and usually by that time it does turn so she is convinced that Marvin has done it.

Well, today while we were on the way home from Dunkin' Donuts, as we approached the intersection at the Courthouse the light was already green. Cosy said, "THANK YOU, Marvin!!!". Because he is, after all, the keeper of all traffic lights everywhere. As we were driving away I said, "Did you know that Marvin is Nana's boyfriend?" Cosy responded with, "Did you know that Marvin is my BEST FRIEND?"... Of course he is! He's the Magic Man who pulls the car off the road when we pass pastures with horses and cows so she can get out and see them. He took her to see an emu and a Brahma bull and then... on her birthday he took her to see all the fishes at the Georgia Aquarium (all of us took her but he drove...) So there you go... want to be Cosy's best friend? Show her lots of animals and make the traffic light turn green for her. It's all she requires.

Another really funny moment for us... I got partials Monday, which somehow Austin didn’t realize were false teeth until that day (that's a funny one in itself)... on Tuesday I was showing Cosy how I can take my teeth out. She studied on it for the longest time and kept trying to figure out how to pull her own teeth out. When that didn’t work she tried to take her dad’s teeth out to no avail. Then Pop pulled his out and really blew her mind. I’m not sure how long it will take her to sort it out but it’s sure a fun party trick! Later that night her mom told me she asked mom to take Cosy's teeth out after she brushed them. Ha! That kid is a deep thinker, I'm telling you.

I also love that she knows our small town really well. When I pull up in the Ingles parking lot where our little in store Starbucks is located she starts asking for Starbucks. When I turn on the dirt road she lives on she tells me that her mama lives on that road and starts looking for her house. She asks to stop and see the horse who pastures near our house and if she can't find it, she tells us to shhhhh! because the horse is sleeping. If Pop's car isn't in the driveway she says, "Pop's playing golf" which, about 80% of the time is correct. If she hears a car in the driveway she runs to the window to see who is there... and if it's Pop she has to run downstairs to give him a hug.

She's definitely a bright spot for all of us and I feel so blessed to be her Nana. I'll put together some Oliver stories for you soon! I'd love to hear your favorite kid/grandkid moments! Love and hugs!

When Harry Married Meghan

Oh, dear, I do love a good Royal Wedding, don't you? The way I see it... the next big televised wedding will be when Prince George marries which... he's turning 5 this year so probably in nearly thirty years, which would make me 80 so... who knows, this may have been my last. If we're still around for the next one, let's get together to watch it, ok?

My first Royal Wedding was Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer back in July of 1981. I was 13 and still believed in fairy tales. Di was only six or seven years older than me which seems insane... such a baby. Of course, I was 17 at my own first wedding so... eh.

I know I watched Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's wedding but I don't remember being particularly moved by it. It happened just a few months after my own first wedding so maybe I was beginning to get over the whole fairy tale thing by then, who knows?

The truth is I am pretty much a devoted Anglophile. I'm interested in all things royal, even way, way back in history. I can trace my lineage back to a few direct ancestors who were queens and kings and things and quite a few more Lords and Ladies and such. There is something about the tradition and history of it all that appeals to me, although, I'm sure in reality... if I were paying taxes to support them and such, I might not exactly love it. Benefits of my ancestors having left the Island many centuries ago, I suppose.

My impressions of Harry and Meg's wedding are as follows:

• Getting up at 4am is harder than it used to be.
• I was insanely excited and did a lot of pregaming the day before by watching lots and lots of documentaries on the British Royal family.
• I watched the coverage mostly the BBC America channel but also some CNN and some of the E! coverage. Too much fluff on the second two channels, more straight to the chase on BBC. Maybe that's what I like about Brits. No, honestly, if you've read my blog you know I'm way more fluff and bother than I am likely to get straight to the point. Who am I kidding?
• If you watch my Instastories, I did a little coverage during the wedding. I made a point of explaining why Marvin wasn't joining me for the viewing party... because he DOES NOT CARE.   I said that because he was so very much over hearing about the Royal Wedding that he started playing me this little soundbite from... Kevin Meaney's stand up routine... of him singing this "I don't care..." song. I don't mind him not caring. Obviously, I want to date a man, not a clone. I hope this link will work for you, if not, try this 
• I was really, very sad for Meghan about how her family acted in the week before the wedding. Maybe they did need a bit more public relations training but honestly, her half sister and half brother are perfect asses. Her dad had known about his need for surgery for quite a while and even had the surgery scheduled for the week after the wedding. With family like she has, who needs enemies? I can absolutely understand why she only invited her mother. 
• Seriously, with her father... as a dad you have ONE JOB on your daughter's wedding day, ok, maybe two jobs... write the check and walk her down the aisle. Since he didn't have to pay for it he had ONE JOB and he couldn't manage. That's poor planning. 
• My stone cold heart toward Prince Charles melted a tiny bit at him walking her down the aisle. It melted a good bit more at him escorting her mom and Camilla the Hun out afterwards.
• I'm sorry. Camilla is still the Other Woman in my book and her hat was completely excessive. Too extra, as they say these days.
• The Duchess of Cambridge, on the other hand, (Princess Kate for those who aren't up to date on these things) was completely gracious. She wore a dress that she has worn in public at least three times before, way to go not trying to upstage the bride! She did look a bit puffy still but she has just had a baby in the past month sooooo... I'll give her some leeway.
• How much do you love Princess Charlotte's outgoing personality? I love that George is reserved and shy and Charlotte is waving like a queen. It will serve her well.
• Kudos to Prince Philip for recovering from hip replacement well enough to attend. He's aces in my book. 
• I didn't love Meghan's dress. I would have like to see it fitted a bit better. It seemed like the fabric in her arms and torso was a bit too loose. Maybe that was the look they were going for, what do I know about such? I just liked Catherine's wedding dress better. 
• I wish the television coverage had shown more of the children in the wedding. 
• I also hate that the television coverage missed Meghan's curtsy to the Queen after the ceremony. That's a big moment and it made it seem like Meghan DIDN'T do it when reportedly she did. 
• 
• I loved Meghan's low, loose bun. I thought it was a good look for her. Some people were bothered by the loose strand of hair but I thought it made her look more relaxed and natural. I also thought her makeup was good. 
• While I thought the chapel was beautiful, I missed them being at Buckingham Palace on the balcony afterwards. Those photo ops after Royal Weddings are iconic. Yes, the kiss outside the chapel was lovely but it wasn't the same. 
• I liked her second dress more than the first. 
• I know lots of people loved the American preacher but ... meh. I thought his energy was fun but his remarks wandered quite a bit, in my opinion. 
• I also didn't really love "Stand By Me". It was too choral. 
• I'm really happy for Harry. He's always seemed a bit lost since his mom died. I watched a documentary from last year where he said he had only cried a few times over his mom's death. That seems terribly unhealthy to me. I cry a few times a week over my my mom's death and I'm grown and it wasn't a shock and... well, you get it. The same documentary really made me feel that William and Harry HATE the press and who can blame them... except I feel like the press is for us, the weird Americans that go nuts for the Royal family which makes me feel guilty and a bit rejected. 
• I fully expect them to have a baby in the next year. 
• As much as I love the big royal affairs, I fear that the next big thing will be the Queen's funeral and that makes me sad. And then of course, King Charles' coronation and I'm still not over him not loving Diana like he should have. I'll be happier at William's coronation if I'm still around for that but I realize that makes me sound like I want both the Queen and Charles to be gone and that's not true at all. I love the Royal Family. At least I love watching them.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the wedding, Harry, Meghan and all things royal. Love and hugs, y'all.

Reasons To Love Monday

This Monday started too durn early after too little sleep. I was dreaming that I was working at State Farm and it was close to the end of the day. A client's family came in wanting to add coverage for a newly acquired vehicle and had lots and lots of questions. In my dream I didn't remember how to work the quoting system and all my co-workers had left/were leaving for the day. I panicked and then remembered I just had to wake up to get out of the situation. Ahhhh!

My life doesn't involve dealing with last-minute demanding customers any more... it doesn't involve co-workers who sneak away leaving you to deal with stuff beyond your pay grade... would I trade all of this fabulous life of living with pain for the opportunity to work again? In a heartbeat.

But then I got up and took the pain meds I need to even think about getting out of bed... I realized that once again I'm starting my day with a migraine for the upteenth day in a row... and I remembered that line from Les Miserables that says, "Truth is given by God to us all in our time, in our turn."  I'm living the life I was meant to live and therefore, even in the painful, early mornings, I need to find reasons to embrace every day as it comes... I need to find reasons to love Monday.

• 1. Today is THE DAY I get my partials. After years and years of smiling very carefully to try to keep people from seeing gaps in my teeth... after lots of pain and lots of dollars, today I'll leave the dentist office with more teeth than I went in with. That's a good feeling. I know it will take some getting used to. I just feel very blessed to have been able to get to this point. I will be grinning like a Cheshire Cat in future photos. Hope you don't mind. Somebody needs to buy me a steak this week! 
• 2. I have to take Austin to work this morning as we're a two car family and have to go in three different places this morning but that won't always be the case. Matter of fact, I could just have him run me back home after my appointment and then he could have the car for the rest of the day and drive himself home. He's doing a great job and growing in confidence and I'm confident in him. It's a whole new world for us! 
• 3. I am starting the day with a headache but once the dentist appointment is over, it's a quiet day for me. I can rest and maybe this series of headaches will end. If not... I'll be heading to Urgent Care tomorrow for a toradol shot - or something - to get this thing in check. And for once in my life, if I'm not well enough to drive myself there, Austin can take me! 
• 4. Tomorrow is Tuesday! There have been several moving parts as we looked forward to this upcoming weekend (which starts on Tuesday night for Marvin) and fortunately, his schedule works out this week that if I can't go to him, he will come to me. We've only done that a few times over the past 8-9 months that we've been hanging out. I usually go to him because it's easier... he's usually playing softball on Tuesday night and working Wednesday and Thursday night but this week he can come up on Tuesday night and I love that our weekly date night(s) are important enough to him that if Mohammed can't come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed (metaphorically speaking). He's a good egg. I'm glad that our time together means as much to him as it does to me. That's the part that warms my heart the most. Most of my past relationships have meant me working my butt off to keep things together, putting the other person first but not being put first. I don't feel that way with this man. I feel like he works just as hard (probably harder) at making sure we have time together, whether on the phone or in person. It means a lot to me, maybe even more than he knows. 
• 5. Barring another migraine, tomorrow is another Cosy day. We had a really great time with her yesterday (Sunday). She did a great job going potty. She helped her dad wash the car which made for an adorable photo op for me. She is just an adorable, funny kid. I feel so blessed to be her Nana. 
• 6. I'm also still basking in the joy of a great FaceTime with Oliver last night. He had tried to pull his shirt off and it got stuck on his head. I got tickled at him and the more I laughed, the more he performed. He has a brilliant sense of comedic timing and he is also a very, very, funny kid. I posted a picture on Facebook and Instagram of his predicament. Marvin said his favorite part of the picture is how much I'm laughing... I love that even at a very young age my grandkids have a good sense of humor and actually like making me laugh. What a treasure they are to me! 

Although I'm going boldly forward in optimism, embracing the new week... it's with sadness in my heart. My mom's brother John passed away last night. He is the fourth of her siblings to die. I'm glad that he is reunited with mama and David and Linda and of course, their amazing parents... but I'm sad that Uncle John is lost to us here on Earth. I'm sad for his kids, especially my cousin Jason who I have had the opportunity to get to know better and visit with in the past few years. I'm sad for my sweet Aunt Ginger who has lost the three siblings closest to her in age in the past three years. I'm sad for John's lovely wife, Gerri, who has been such a joy to him in his later years and such a blessing to our family. I'm sad to lose another link to my mama, who I miss more and more every day. Marvin called right after I got the news last night and I was a tearful, snotty mess. He and I have had to walk through so much death in the short time we've been together: his son, my mom, his grandma, my Uncle... and I know that we are at the age and stage of life where that happens more often... and I'm glad that we have each other to turn to in those moments. My biggest RTL this Monday is that I'm not walking this path alone... I have my sweet man, who brings me so much happiness... my hilarious grandbabies... so many loving family members and now, once again, I feel reconnected to all of you. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll find plenty of your own Reasons to Love Monday this week!

Weekend Recap

Yikes.... I didn't blog yesterday! I had things swimming right along last week, with all of the weekday blogs written by Monday afternoon and then... Harry and Meghan got married and I was so caught up in the magic that I couldn't even stop to blog. That's not entirely true. Last week I struggled quite a bit with migraines. I had a significant headache almost every day. FORTUNATELY... I had already written several blog posts so it didn't matter. I did not have one written for yesterday and I had a miserable headache so... there ya go. Real life strikes again.

Today my head is a tad bit better but there's still a headache lurking. I can function to a certain degree with a headache but one problem I have is that I can't focus my vision. This makes blogging or reading really tricky. Please overlook any spelling mistakes in this blog post. I have a theory that every time I stop drinking powerade/gatorade, I get headaches. Last week I thought I'd try flavored water instead and... it may very well be a coincidence but all I know is I have had a headache every day. You better believe I'm pounding back the powerade today!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this in my blog - I've definitely mentioned it on Facebook - but Austin got his drivers license last week! For so many years he has just not felt confident enough to take the test and all of a sudden on Monday he decided to go the next day. He was off on Tuesday so we picked up Cosy and headed to Toccoa, a small town near us where there is a Department of Drivers Services office. Honestly, I thought... no way he goes through with it... but he did. And I thought for sure, if we just show up without an appointment there is no way they'll fit us in... but they did. And then we realized there wasn't current proof of insurance in that car but they gave us a fax number and I was able to call one of my lovely former co-workers at State Farm who kindly and quickly faxed over proof of insurance. I figured with as little experience as Austin has had driving, he surely wouldn't pass but I hoped that they would help him know what he needed to work on and we could return in a few weeks but... he passed. He actually did very well, including parallel parking which he had never done before. And lastly, I thought that even if he passed he would probably not be ready to start driving right away and would still take quite some time yet to be confident enough to drive independently. Well, that has just not been the case at all. He has driven himself to work and back twice, he has driven to friends' houses, he has gone into town a few times and he even picked Cosy up this morning all by himself.

Austin driving is a GAME CHANGER for me! I have struggled so much over the past few years with  being unable to take medication on schedule because I had to wait until after I picked up Austin as a few of my meds make it impossible to drive. I have had so many days where I really just had to suffer until he got off work. In turn, he has had many days where he would have stayed later at work but he knew I really needed to be "finished with my day". My dad helps some, especially if I'm struggling but my dad is gone ALL the time! He plays golf more days a week than not and he has so many obligations at church and in the community that he's just not available a lot of the time. It has been such a blessing the past few days for Austin to be able to get himself where he needed to be because my head has hurt so bad and driving was not going to be safe or comfortable for me.

I am definitely struggling with letting go of my last baby. I've been responsible for my kids for nearly 32 years now - literally my entire adult life. I don't know how to NOT have to worry about getting folks where they need to be. It's an empty nest syndrome that I wasn't prepared for because I truly had no idea that Austin would be driving NOW all of a sudden. I've had to be more involved with Austin than the others and I've had to be involved so much longer but he is definitely ready. I was a bit bummed last night when Austin told me he was going to pick Cosette up this morning because... that's MY THING... getting my sleepy girl first thing in the morning and having our little chats alone in the car on the way home... it's a very precious time for me. I felt... like nobody needs me anymore. But Marvin was sweet and practical and reminded me that I am still very much needed in their lives and of course, today Cosy ran straight to my room as soon as they got her and I still dressed her and fixed her hair and helped her go potty today (no accidents the whole time she was with us! Yay!). It's an adjustment but it's time for me to be able to take care of myself (and maybe finish the embroidery project I started for Marvin back before Christmas...)

Yesterday while I was feeling so awful Austin was able to run to Walmart for me. It's been so long since one of my kids has been able to do the shopping for me. Pop picked up meds for me this weekend while I was feeling poorly but I hate to send him with a list, especially a specific, picky one. I literally took pictures of the products I needed Austin to buy for me and, of course, he shops with me frequently so he knows what I buy and roughly the price range I find acceptable. He's a good shopper. I had thought so fondly of the potential of not having to take him back and forth to work but I completely forgot about the awesome aspect of having someone to run errands for me. WHAT a bonus! And as much as I love my sweet time alone with Cosy when I pick her up... by the time I take her home I'm usually absolutely wiped out. To get a break from THAT chore is awesome! And... also good for her to have time alone with her dad which is really, really rare.

Tomorrow I have a very important appointment that I'll talk more about when I blog in the morning! Hope you've had a great weekend. Tell me about your own empty nest moments... when that last little chick stopped needing you as much... love and hugs, y'all!