Vote! It matters!

My democratic roots run deep...... I am proud to say this man was my grandfather. Here is Pappy's original campaign ad as it was in The Star-Herald back in the 1940s.  It is too bad he is no longer around. I think he'd be a GREAT candidate for president! :-) Anyway, as a result of this headline,  I have been researching segregation and voting rights in the south back in the 40s and 50s. I encourage you to do some reading as well.  I can't imagine living in those times. The purpose of this post, though, is for me to show what a REAL MAN is. Here's to Johnnie Bertram Poole.  LOVE and MISS you, Pappy!

Btw, he won the election and served with integrity and grace.  As a result of his position, he became aware of two little abused and neglected baby boys.  My dad was one of them....Johnnnie and Loree Poole adopted Danny and Bob Poole in 1954. LOVE!

Alyson's Advice for the Asinine

I was talking with my sister-in-law earlier today and found myself uttering the following words:  "I am 40 now, so I don't have to care about what others think." Yes, she laughed.  We all know I didn't wait until 40 to speak my mind.  However, I've gotta tell you that I do feel much more liberated lately.   Anyway, I have recently begun keeping track of little things that are a cross between humorous and annoying.  I've labeled them Alyson's Advice for the Asinine.  I know that not everyone agrees with me all the time.  That's ok.  Remember, I'm 40 now and I no longer care! :-)  

Alyson's Advice for the Asinine(in no particular order):

• If half your toenail polish is off your toes, please don't subject the rest of us to viewing them.
• The left lane on the interstate is for FASTER traffic. Move out of the way!
• If you aren't going to discipline your children in public, be prepared for others to do it for you.
• If you are over the age of 35, you aren't doing yourself any favors by wearing pants with wording plastered across the behind.
• Teach your children to answer adults with "yes m'am and no sir" or "yes and no." Yeah and Naw are just unacceptable.  
• Please wait until seated to sample the food you have taken from the buffet line.  It's just gross to eat it while hovering over the chafing dishes.
• The word "retarded" is not an appropriate word for poking fun at someone. There are people in this world who truly were born mentally retarded.  It is a real condition and they deserve respect. 
• Differing political views are fine. Personal attacks are not.
• Use the sidewalk.
• Throwing your cigarette butt out the window is littering.  You deserve a fine.
• Someone who doesn't speak your language isn't necessarily an idiot.  
• Just because something has always been a certain way doesn't make it right.
• Saying please and thank you is a common courtesy that goes a long way.
• It won't kill you to smile.
• It is fabulous that you are fit and cute and just went to the gym.  However, if you are heading to your child's school, put some clothes on!
• Some of us have severe reactions to pollutants in the air.  Your cancer stick happens to produce the one that sends me into an asthma attack. I don't care if you have your feelings hurt. Smoke in private.
• If you are an able-bodied adult and still live with your parents while collecting free stuff from the government, maybe you should cancel your smartphone plan and buy your own groceries. Nope, I am not saying we shouldn't help those who NEED it.
• When in a restaurant, please have your children stop running around like they are in a park.
• Sunglasses are made for the SUN.  The sun is not indoors.  Take them off.
• If you sneeze, try not to sneeze into your hand.  Use your arm instead.  If you must use your hand, please wash it before touching common areas or someone else.
• If you are going to spend your money to get into a movie, why would you spend the entire time talking with your friend???
• I do not care where you live, what your last name is or how much money you make.  A dumbass is a dumbass.
• Why does it bother you for someone else to be given the same rights as you? 
• Using improper pronouns is irritating.  The pencil belongs to me. The pencil does not belong to I.  Therefore, the pencil belongs to my husband and me.  The pencil does not belong to my husband and I.  
• What you allow your children to do, say and watch may be your business.  However, when they begin to introduce my children to inappropriate things, it becomes MY business.
• There is a fine line between clothing you CAN wear and clothing you SHOULD wear.

That will be all for now.  Alyson's Advice for the Asinine is an ongoing list and will be updated as needed. Love, Peace and Laughter to y'all!

A Day without Sunshine is Night

I have had writer's block. I'm not sure what the deal is, as I never seem to run out of things to say.  I have attempted to blog several times, but I always end up with a page full of mess that even I don't understand! Yesterday, as I found myself in my backyard baring it all(except for a swimsuit) and staring into the eyes of a very tiny hispanic man holding a tree trimming tool, I realized that I missed my true calling.  I should have a sitcom.  My entire life, I have just been a magnet for hilarious situations.  I can't explain it...but it's a good thing I inherited a good sense of humor!

Isn't it funny how Murphy's Law seems to work?  Our family has been so very busy as the new school year has finally begun.  Miss Abby Grace is playing freshman volleyball and has been going non-stop since August 6.  Cole became a teenager on August 11, I celebrated my 29th birthday(for the twelfth time)on the 26th and school began for my 7th grader and freshman on August 27.  Add an ailing father-in-law and a new business to the mix and you have EXHAUSTION! With the Nowell bus leaving the garage at 6:50 am, our day begins at 5:30.  My little princess has a disorder called "I can't get up with my alarm clock, so my mom has to come upstairs and yell at me for half an hour every single morning," so I set my alarm for 5:29am M-F.  Yes, 5:29.  I also have a disorder called "I don't like to end my alarm setting with an even number."  My day has been ending somewhere around 11 or so every night.  This is NOT enough beauty sleep for me! Yesterday afternoon, I decided I was going to take an hour to myself before picking up Abby from volleyball practice.  I raced to my closet and threw on a swimsuit and hightailed it out to the pool...ahhhh....I can't tell you the last time I had the entire house and pool to myself.  After a quick dip, I retired to the lawn chair, sprayed my spf and closed my eyes. As I felt myself drifting into oblivion, I was startled right back into reality by the sound of a tree limb hitting the walking path below us.  I jumped up and was face-to-face with a landscaper(no, not from Kevin's company) holding a long pole with shears on the end.  He said,"Hello." Yikes! What in the world?  WHY, of the 23 other hours in this day are they maintaining the small area around my house during the one hour I have taken for myself?! Soon, this guy's boss was pulling up on the walking trail in his four-door Dodge truck. So....the hour that was mine had turned into ten minutes of me time coupled with a near-heart attack and a quick jog back inside.  It was then that I realized this was so very typical.  I seem to find myself in situations that others could only imagine.  It is a curse, I tell ya!

As I celebrated a milestone (29) this week, I began to look back on the great life of Donna Alyson Poole Nowell.  Yes, in case you didn't know, my parents thought it was a fine idea to plague their first-born with the first name of her mother and then call her by her middle name.  Brilliance, I say. Anyway, I can only smile when I look back at my years of laughter.  I grew up with a dad who taught me how to find the funny in everything.  Sometimes, I admit, we both sort of take that to the extremes.  However, the two of us sure do think we're pretty dang hilarious! I have always been very hap-hazard. My mother never really knew what to do with me...at the age of three, I decided to run away from home.  I just couldn't listen to Donna Jean for another minute!  I owned a ride-on toy that was made to look like a duck.  That duck was my vehicle of choice that afternoon as I grabbed my raggedy ann doll and took off down the road toward Mrs. Burrell's house.  She was the most grand babysitter in all of McAdams and I knew that if I could just make it to her front door, I would be free as a bird(or a duck with wheels anyway).  Somewhere between the Perry's house and the White's driveway, Donna caught on to me.  I know it seems crazy that I remember this day as a three-year-old, but I do remember the look on that woman's face as she scooped me up and carried me back to the blonde brick house on that beautiful country road leading to Coleman Cemetery.

At the age of four, I visited the ER for an extraction of fine pearls from my ear canal. At six, I crashed my go-kart and demolished the family swing set.  When I was eight, I convinced my four-year-old brother to capture a bumblebee with his bare hands while we sat in the backseat of Donna's Ford LTD waiting to go to church.  When I turned nine, I was informed that we would be welcoming a new addition to our family.  I answered,"No thank you."  At ten, I called my mother every single day for a week because I had a stomachache at school.  She refused to come get me after the third day.  Therefore, I called my sidekick, Loree Wyatt Poole(aka Granny).  Granny came to get me every time I called and took me back to the comfort of her house on the hill.  On that Saturday, I planted myself in the floor of our bathroom while my mother proceeded to call me melodramatic. I know, right?! Granny convinced Mama to get me to the emergency room.  A few hours later, I was under the knife with Dr. Coleman Pickle removing my appendix. Back in those days, an appendectomy was a big cut with 7 to 9 stitches and a week in the hospital.  Granny refused to let Donna stay with me.  She stayed by my side that entire week as we both decided that it was us against the world! The age of eleven found me watching as my dad's brother went into an alcoholic rage and held a gun to my father's face.  THIS, I will never forget.  It is a defining moment in my life.  It was at that young age that I realized how precious life is.  I realized that I must seize every single second and enjoy it.

 At twelve, our family went camping at Holmes County State Park the week before school started.  I was disgusted at the fact that my brother Jason had not yet mastered the monkey bars at the age of eight.  SO, I took it upon myself to demonstrate for him.  During my demonstration of monkey bar skills, those darn things threw me to the ground.  I landed on my right forearm. **sounds an awful lot like a certain blonde boy's events on the second grade playground, doesn't it?** As I lay in agony, my parents told me to stop screaming and come eat supper.  I cried all night.  The next day, Donna found herself being chastised by Dr. Hartness as he fitted my arm into my brand new cast.  Yep, I had slept in a sleeping bag on the cold, hard ground with a broken arm.  Poor me.  Two years later, I was carrying out my weekly manual labor at home while Jason sat leisurely in the arm chair watching cartoons after school. I guess Justin was still at the Pee Wee Patch daycare as Mama and Daddy were still at work.  Somehow, that stinkin' Tilex bottle got turned around as I was spraying the sink and that stuff went directly into my right eye.  I, being the quick thinker, immediately turned on cold water and washed out my eye.  Jason came to my  rescue and called Mama. Having learned her lesson by this time, she raced home! We headed back to my home away from home and were greeted by the ER staff at MJMH. I was treated and given some ointment and pain killers before going home to await my appointment with the eye specialist the next day.  Fast forward to the next morning...as we were preparing to leave for Jackson, I was walking down the hall and suddenly found myself in my bed looking up at Dr. Gilliland.  I had passed out and Donna Jean called our neighbor, Dr. G.  He arrived in pajamas with a stethoscope around his neck.  Talk about a house call! I spent the next five days in the hospital.  My parents were told that I may never regain sight in my right eye.  Weeks later, the glamorous black eye patch was removed and we were given the news--a miracle had occurred and I could see!!!! For the next 20 years, my right eye had nearly perfect vision! To say I was a precocious child is putting it MILDLY!!! My poor parents  did the best they could with me.  I was probably a hopeless case!!!

Believe me, I am leaving out many glorious details that I will probably share later.  I have so enjoyed reminiscing and solidifying the fact that I have ALWAYS been exactly who I am now.  I have matured(a very little)and realized that some of the core things that I thought I believe in are actually much different from the way I was raised back then...another story for later...but for the most part, I have always been a bit brassy and sassy.  I've always had a special knack for finding excitement even when there doesn't seem to be any around.  I don't know why I was blessed with such an eventful life, but I am certainly thankful for it.  I mean, how much fun would the days be without laughter? After all, isn't a day without sunshine just night? Put some sunshine in your life.  Find the funny.  It is so much more enjoyable that way!!!

Choose your Battles

John Wyatt Poole--beloved child of Loree and Johnnie Poole born October 22, 1959

Now that I am living in my fortieth year of life, I have truly come to grips with what it means to "choose your battles."  One might assume that this means I have become less vocal and less battle-ready. Quite the opposite, I'm afraid.  I am tired of choosing battles based on what others may think.   I am tired of standing back and pretending that what others say about those I love doesn't matter. I am choosing my battles.   I made a promise years ago that I would NEVER again let anyone hurt those I love without speaking up. I feel like I am beating a dead horse by continuing to explain my reasons for the way I feel and the events that led me to my core beliefs.  Let me give you a small introduction to my family.  I was born in 1972 in Attala County, Mississippi.  I quickly became the apple of my grandmother's eye.  Granny, aka Loree Wyatt Poole, was a force with which to be reckoned.  I wish reality shows were around back then.  I swear, she could have had her own!!! As a young child, I spent nearly every single day with my grandparents.  Not only was I spending time with Granny and Pappy, but I also got to know my first best friend.  John Wyatt Poole was born in 1959 and was adopted at birth by Johnnie and Loree Poole(Granny and Pappy).  John was my daddy's baby brother and was not quite 13 when I was born.  I became his little "Barbie doll," for lack of a better word.  He enjoyed dressing me up and teaching me all about life.  He did my hair from the time I had any and was my very best friend.  **Feel free to look back over previous posts for the details of our special relationship**

I can't remember a time when I DIDN'T know John was gay.  I also can't remember a time when it mattered.  While in the safe haven of Granny's house, I was taught that it was a non-issue..... I didn't see Uncle John as any different from anyone else......except for one thing:  he was truly the only person with whom I felt completely comfortable to voice my thoughts and I knew he would love me anyway.  He was the one who taught me the meaning of unconditional love, and I am so proud to be his niece.  Uncle John and I had a relationship that nobody else could ever understand.  We were just close enough in age that we "got" each other and just far apart enough that I still respected him as my uncle.  As a teenager, I began to realize what being gay meant.  Believe me when I tell you that we just never discussed sexuality in my home or my grandparents' home.  John was John and my daddy loved his little brother.  My dad NEVER, EVER spoke ill of his little brother.  Their middle brother, however, is a different story.  Maybe I'll touch on that another time.  Anyway, as I got into high school and began to hear words such as "fag, homo, gay," I began to realize that Uncle John was among those being targeted with the hateful way of thinking.  So, I(being the unfiltered girl that I am) decided to ask him point-blank.  I guess I was around 13 or 14 when I approached him.  

We were sitting at Granny's kitchen table looking out into the gorgeous backyard.  I think we were eating Raisins, Rice and Rye.  Anybody remember that cereal?  Granny, John and I devoured box after box of that stuff...I said,"Are you gay?" My witty uncle looked me straight in the eyes and said,"Are you?" I am laughing out loud right now as I recall that moment.  I said,"Ummmm, no...but I know you are."  He said," Would that change anything?"  I said,"No.  I just wanna know."  He said,"I can't be who I am around here. I am hated for who I am."  He told me that he didn't want me saying anything to anyone about him or my support of him.  He told me that it wasn't accepted around there and it would just bring me heartache and hurt.  So, I kept quiet.  I listened silently as others made wisecracks and remarks about gay people.  I NEVER joined in, but I also never spoke up.  That is a regret I will always have.  I regret not going against John's wishes on that.  

A few days after my conversation with my uncle, I had a discussion with Granny.  We were sitting on her screened-in front porch.  My granny was my rock.  She told me things when nobody else would.  She treated me like a person who mattered.  Even as a child, I felt that she respected my opinions.  Maybe it was mostly because I usually agreed with HER...hehe...I said,"John's gay."  She said,"And?"  I asked her what she thought about it.  She told me that John had been "John" from the time he was a toddler.  There was no mistaking that he was born the way he was.  There was no choice in who God made him to be.  Straight from Granny's mouth,"God made him the way he is for a reason.  He is no different from my other sons and I love him and want him to be able to have the same things my other two have in this world."  There is not a doubt in my soul that if she were here today, she would SO fight for marriage equality.  No doubt.  I KNOW.  I actually had the guts and the courage to ASK her how she felt.  Others, it seems, just chose to talk about her and her child behind her back.  

So.....I say all that to bring me to where I am today.  I have found myself in the middle of a vicious cycle of babbling ignorance.  I have sat quietly(believe it or not)as I have received countless---seriously, countless---emails and facebook posts stating that gay people are "satanic, filthy sodomites who are burning in hell."  It amazes me that someone else's sexuality can take up that much of some people's time.  Why does it offend these people so much?! If you truly believe that only those who believe and interpret the Bible exactly the way you do are going to Heaven, why do you also find the need to constantly degrade and de-humanize other people?  If you were a true Christian who believed these people are going to hell, would you not be approaching them with love, understanding, compassion and desire to share the gospel with them?  Spouting off hateful, bigoted remarks is not really the Christian way to be.  I, for one, have chosen to live by what I have read in Matthew as Jesus' own words.  This is quoted from Jesus:

Matthew 7:1-5

King James Version (KJV)

7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

² For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

³ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

⁴ Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

⁵ Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Please, if you are going to blast hate, don't do it in Jesus' name.  


I am saddened because I never believed that old saying,"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."  However, maybe it is true.  Maybe focusing on the real future of this country  and  teaching our children love and acceptance of ALL of God's creations, we will finally begin to see some equality in this world.  Until then, I say,"This is for you, John.  I love you and I miss you with all my heart.  Thank you for teaching me how to love without conditions."  

Happy 4 month "My Husband Works from Home and I Need a Valium" Anniversary!

Happy Four Month "My Husband Works From Home and I Need a Valium" Anniversary! Yep...we are coming up on our four month anniversary of the day that changed everything....

On February 7, my cool-headed business man of a husband waltzed into our kitchen just as he has done for as many years as I can remember. I had his coffee mug full and waiting to accompany him on his hour-long commute into the city for work. He has traveled into the city to work for the last 18 years(minus the year and a half we spent in North Carolina...but even then, he did the commute thing). During the coffee hand-off, I heard these words:  TODAY IS THE DAY I RESIGN! I thought maybe we were celebrating April Fool's a couple months early. I mean, surely he wasn't seriously thinking about quitting his job.  Don't get me wrong. I am far from fond of "The Man Who Didn't Follow Through," but I was NOT prepared for this! I will not go into specifics(because I have been told to let go of bitterness and if I get started, bitterness will be ooooozing from my veins), but the hub definitely had just cause to walk out and not look back. Heck, in my opinion, he had just cause to knock somebody into next week(but I choose to be BETTER, not BITTER).

Ta-Ta Traffic Nightmare!

The first day of "togetherness" was sort of fun. It was different and I kinda enjoyed his company.  The second day, I was already starting to feel smothered. Now, here we are a full 119 days after The Day That Changed Everything.  Can we say,"Hook me up to an IV and start the crazy meds?!" I am telling you, if you have never been home full-time with your other half home at the same time, you have missed out on a sure 'nuff treat! Anybody that knows us knows that Kevin and I are total(and I mean T-total)opposites. He is very, ummmm...OCD. He likes things neat and orderly and he believes there is only one way to do things. This way is lovingly referred to by me as "The Kevin Nowell Way." My husband watches FOX NEWS. If you know me, you know what I think about FAKE NEWS. Anyway, all that being said, it has worked for us since 1990. Several years ago, we just came to the understanding that our political votes will always cancel out each other. Still, we both believe in exercising our right! I am digressing.... I am also a looooong way from a neat-freak. I like to blare my 106.1  music while I do just enough cleaning to get by. ;-). So, we spent the first couple weeks trying to get used to being together 24/7. It is one thing to brag to others about your years of marital bliss. It is another to be able to say you literally spend TWENTY-FOUR HOURS a day with your chosen other.

After the first several days of togetherness, we began to develop our plan for starting our own business. Oh boy....THIS is some kinda fun, let me tell you!! I poured myself into learning everything I possibly could about what it takes to get a business off the ground. We filed necessary papers and began the task of writing a business plan. I was livin' the dream I never had! I watched Kevin's stress level drop drastically. Even though this is hard work, he was doing it HIS way and he was doing it the RIGHT way. So....I began to go through my day in silence because my husband can only work when he has a very muffled 92.5 playing in his office. There can be no television , vacuum cleaner running, dog barking, phone ringing, flip flops flopping, sneezing, dryers buzzing, conversations being had or doors slamming anywhere in the house while he is conducting business in his office. No, I am not kidding.  Not only have we spent countless hours working together(remember, the previous 18 years of marriage were spent with him being at an office for at least 10 hours a day), but we also must attend meetings with the CPA, the bank, the tech folks, the graphic designer for the company logo, etc...ALWAYS TOGETHER! I love my husband and really do enjoy spending time with him.  I just wish that time could be broken up a bit. Before school dismissed last week, we even had "Family Trips to School" every single morning!!!! That is correct. We BOTH drove the kids to school in the mornings. This became pretty irritating to the daughter as her dad doesn't allow food or drink in the vehicle. OPPOSITES, remember.

I am not saying that this together time has been all bad.  I truly do enjoy his company. I like sitting down together and having lunch most days.  I do not, however, love the fact that at 11:30am I hear,"Baby!!!! What are you makin for lunch?" I like being able to yell into the other room when I have a question or having him run by the store when he is out at a job or something.  I like that he is finally able to see that I truly don't sit down very much during the day.  I am always walking back and forth doing something.  I do not enjoy hearing him say,"What are you doing now?" every time I walk past the office.  I like that he is now able to take Cole to the golf course or run Abby somewhere after school(rarely, but still more than before).  Prior to February 2012, "The Man Who Didn't Follow Through" dominated my husband's time.  Hubby gave countless hours to "The Man Who Didn't Follow Through" and missed lots of family time.  The family time available now is TOTALLY worth my need for a valium and a few bottles of wine. I will probably miss him when he finally gets an office outside of the house.  I am sure I have become more dependant on him than I realize.

As if having my husband home with me every single day isn't enough to drive me insane, he has now acquired himself a partner! Yep, I have TWO MEN working from my home office every single day!!! I have threatened to report them to some type of zoning board, as I know this has got to be against some code. Surely! They are in the process of getting into an outside office, but until then, I am stuck with them.  I have spent the last several days trying to encourage them to speed up the relocation process.  If there is a dish to be dropped, a phone call to be made, fuzz to be vacuumed, dog tricks to be performed or  clanking of silverware, glasses or any other hard object to be done, I have accomplished it in these last few days.  I am truly trying my best to get them the heck outta here. I can NOT WAIT for that lease to be signed! I will be FREE, free, FREE!!!! I will still be responsible for several aspects of the business, but I will be able to do 90 percent of it from home(MINUS the men). As I grab the corkscrew, I would like to propose a toast.  Here's to 2,856 hours of total togetherness!  If you ever hear me complain again about my husband working too many hours and not being home, please slap me. I mean it. Hit me. HARD. Remind me that on this date, I said MY HUSBAND WORKS FROM HOME AND I NEED A VALIUM!!!

It's All About Me!

Baby Alyson--ready to conquer the world!

I can't pull myself out of my funk and blog! I love blogging...but with starting a new company(YIKES...I know)and all the fun stuff that goes along with that, I just haven't had the time. To ease myself back into this, I thought I would throw out some random facts about myself...just a list....no particular order...
 1.  I was born weighing 5 lb 13 oz. (that should have been an indicator of my future shortness).
 2.  I do not enjoy horror movies or books.  AT ALL!
 3.  I once sprayed Tilex in my right eye and was told that I may never have vision in that eye again.  The
      vision was restored and I was blessed with the perfect excuse to never again clean a bathroom.
 4.  I had appendicitis in fourth grade.
 5.  I met my husband when I was 17.
 6.  I've always wanted to live in a highrise.
 7.  I skipped kindergarten.
 8.  I finished college in three and a half years.
 9.  I developed asthma in my thirties.
10. My Uncle John is with me....he turns lights on and off to let me know that. Believe it.
11. I love plain white rice.
12. I have been to Hell.  (it is an actual place on Grand Cayman)
13. Cats scare me.
14. I read every single Laura Ingalls Wilder book at least three times when I was a kid.
15. I probably read Charlotte's Web ten times cover to cover.
16. I have never NOT had at least one book that I am reading.
17. My mom once told me I was born into the wrong family. I will never forget that.
18. Hairy backs gross me out.
19. I hate feet.
20. Publishing a book is on my bucket list.
21.I don't especially enjoy pizza.
22.I am no good at pretending to like someone if I don't.
23.I am brutally blunt, honest and opinionated(see number 22).
24.I believe in the right to bear arms.
25.I absolutely HATE guns. My mom's mother died as the result of a gunshot. Although I believe it is
    every American's(after extremely thorough background checks) right to bear them, I do not like them and
    they scare me.
26.I take a bubble bath at least four times a week.
27.I just can't make myself drink wine from a box. I know, I know...but it just doesn't seem right to me.
28.Mushrooms make me want to puke.
29.Tomatoes are gross.
30.One of my vices is fried catfish from Attala County, Mississippi. It MUST be from there...nobody else
     knows how to cook it. NOBODY.
31.In college, I was Student Teacher of the Year. Yes, that's correct...I rock.
32.I told my husband(then fiance) that I would never live in Texas.
33.I have lived in Texas since 1994 and can't imagine being anywhere else!!
34.I cried for three straight days  when I found out I was going to have another baby when my daughter was
     8 months old.
35.When my son was 2 months old, I found out I was ill and should not have any more children.
36.I cried when I realized that God's timing is always right.
37.I grew up in the red dirt of a softball field. I still remember the name of the bat that my teammates and I
     LOVED.....The Shady Lady...and then there was a Shady Lady II. Odd how things like that stick with
     you.
38.My first car was a Mazda RX-7. We called it the 'naz because half the "m" was off the word mazda.
39.I am a full foot and two inches shorter than my husband.
40.My eyebrows are two different colors. Yes, I was born that way.
41.I broke my arm the summer before 7th grade while teaching my brother how to properly maneuver the
      monkey bars. Obviously, it was not the success I had hoped it to be.
42.My first kiss was at a church.
43.I could easily be an activist.
44.I have no tolerance for cigarette smoke. I do not hate the smoker---I do hate the second-hand smoke.
45.I think marriage should be a right afforded to everyone. I will not back down from that.
46.What others think of me doesn't make or break me. It just doesn't.
47.I had two imaginary friends when I was little. Their names were Lulam and Doddam and both hailed from
     California.
48.My precious Granny totally made me believe that she saw Lulam and Doddam as well. I love her for
     that.
49.I will never forget seeing my thirty-two-year-old  Uncle John in his coffin. I wish I had not gone against
     his wishes and looked.
50.Uncle John was my first best friend.
51.I don't like peppermint. I do, however, like peppermint lattes.
52.I wish I had long skinny fingers.
53.I once drank from a thermos after someone else had discarded his tobacco drippings into it.I still get a
      little queazy over that one.
54.The fact that I type everything I say in my head shouldn't frighten you.  Really.
55.I learned to whistle before I could talk. I can't whistle now.
56.I love caramel apples.
57.My favorite color is green.
58.I still check under my bed at night.
59.I have never seen an episode of Glee.
60.I never watched Grey's Anatomy.
61.I run the other way at the sight of blood.
62.I talk to my dog all the time. He sometimes answers me.
63.My husband and I play practical jokes on each other at least once a week.
64.I want to go to Italy.
65.I can't think of any other facts, so I am ending this post.

Stormy Weather

Tonight, as I sit looking out at the stormy skies, I am reminded of something my dad used to say about certain people in our small southern town.  "I sure hope a big rain doesn't come 'cause that woman would drown with her nose stuck so far up in the air!" That always made me laugh... I have so many words of wisdom from my daddy. That man is a riot. What makes him even funnier to me is that he doesn't even TRY to be funny.  He just IS. I inherited my love of issuing nicknames for everyone from him.  I will refrain from being specific, but we had an acquaintance that Daddy liked to call "Booksatchel Booty." Ok, now THAT is funny. I still giggle when I think about him saying that. My brother's name is Justin. Daddy called him Timey Joe. Why? "Just in time." Timey. I still don't know where he came up with Joe. Daddy is just one of those people who can come off with a witty remark without even blinking.  I digress.....

I started this post because of the storm in our area tonight. I was standing outside chatting with my neighbors this afternoon when we saw and felt the front come in. The gust of cold wind came out of nowhere with the dark, dreary skies.  I am reminded that this is the same way storms roll into our daily lives.  Everything seems to be going smoothly when BOOM! We are hit by a cold gust of wind followed by a bolt of lightening and a downpour of rain.  It feels like we may never see sunshine again, but the sun always comes. Of course, there will also be more storms. Storms aren't all bad.  They cause us to seek shelter, to take stock of emergency items, to ensure that our children are safe. I've learned that even in the sunshine, we should be prepared for the storm.  We can't pretend that it will never storm.  We must be prepared for sudden storms. If nothing else, I have been taught that in the past couple months.

preparing for the storm

I have learned that when a storm is coming, we are responsible for taking care of our own belongings.  Nobody else is going to secure our patio furniture, put the dogs inside or make sure the cars are in the garage.  We've gotta have sense to get ourselves in out of the rain.  Lord, thank you for that sense. Thank you for showing me that storms aren't all bad.  Once this storm passes through, our grass will be green and our flowers will be nourished. Storm on, storm on.  Sunshine's a comin!