Pneumonia and wise words from George Carlin

So... Merry LATE Christmas to me!
Yesterday I was diagnosed with pneumonia!  LOVELY!  Thanks Santa!  :)
I had a cough that I couldn't seem to kick and my sweet sweet (cough cough) boyfriend convinced me I needed to get it checked out.
I work in a medical clinic and I just don't GO to the doctor.  I'm never sick and I just don't go unless I'm dying.  BUT being the good sweet loving girlfriend that I am (uhhh hummm) I went.
and came back with a freaking diagnosis of pneumonia!
(Thanks to Adam for making me go......I guess.....LOL)
Anyway - I am NOT - I repeat - NOT a good sick person.  (thank God I don't get sick often)  Anyway - I'm a big baby and I don't follow directions well....I pout, I cry, I'm contrary....  (bet you're glad you're not Adam right about now.....)
AND - freaking New Years Eve is upon us.......GREAT - I get to be sick on New Years too!
BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Anyway - I found something this morning that I wanted to share with everyone.
Coming from the grouch that I am - trying to make myself in a better mood.......please read below, Wise Words from George Carlin on how to stay young  (and hopefully in a better mood!)  LMAO!!!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (don't drop me though...my grouchiness will pass - I promise!!)
3. Keep learning. ! Learn more about the computer,crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's family name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.. (not hard for me right now since laughing induces coughing which makes it hard to breathe! LOL)
6... The tears happen.. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. (Crap - I'm working on it....taking meds as directed...sheeeeesh!)
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is. (**ummm... this one.... THIS will be my New Years Resolution!!!)
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.  (I love you Adam - thank you for making me go to the doctor....{grrrr})

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
{{cough....cough....cough}}

Post It Note Tuesday!

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Motivational Monday :) my favorite Christmas Moments

Well - it's Monday and all the fuss and fun is behind us.  Everyone can breathe again.. and luckily it's a short work again to get us slowly broken back into the routine.  (I'm actually off today - but I am NOT rubbing that in your face....wink wink)
I personally had a GREAT Christmas... so today - my motivational Monday post will be to share 2 of my most favorite (although there were lots..) moments from my Christmas this year..

FIRST would be that Adam spent the night with me Christmas Eve.  As per routine, Zack and I watched Christmas movies and drank hot chocolate on Christmas Eve...this year Adam joined us!  We watched 8 crazy nights (which if you have never seen, I highly recommend.  I love Adam Sandler and it's HILARIOUS!) and we watched It's a Wonderful Life.  Zack even watched it...all of it.  What a great classic!  After that, Adam helped me wrap (well....he watched while I wrapped anyway - HA) and then he stayed.  There was not much that could top waking up Christmas morning in his arms.  My BEST present this year..... finally having the man I have waited my whole life for  :)


My other favorite is actually a bunch rolled into one....added together to remind me what a great kid I have.  If you remember, Zack's present this year was going to the UK/UNC game.  I told him the game was his present and not to expect anything more on Christmas day.  Well of course, I couldn't allow there to be NOTHING under the tree...so I had a few gifts...some jeans, a new basketball, an AWESOME UNC hat...and then of course he had stuff at my parents.  Anyway - after all was said and done, Z looked at me and said this was the best Christmas ever.  He said "I wasn't expecting to get anything for Christmas after the game, so everything I got today was like gravy...."  I'm just glad to have a child that doesn't EXPECT life to be handed to him on a silver spoon...so he appreciates the things he does have.  I'm just glad to know I have raised a son with a heart....and I will pray every day that he never loses that gift.

This was my BEST Christmas yet!  Adam also got to spend time with my ENTIRE family...playing Rook.  Wonder if this was HIS best Christmas yet?!!??   LOL    my family is alot to handle  ;-)

Hope everyone has an awesome week....What was YOUR best Christmas present/moment??

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidayz, Happy New Year....

To ALL of you out there in bloggy world.....
like alot of others, I will be MIA for a bit to enjoy the holidays with my family and loved ones!  I soooo look forward to this time of year....
no worries though - i'll take LOTS of pictures and report back on all the fun (and craziness) that occurs!  HA!  you don't KNOW my family.........there will be LOTS to report!  {wink wink}
maybe I should take a notebook....????

Anyway - before I go - I wanted to share with you one of my most favorite songs....not my traditional favorite (which is White Christmas) but more of a reason for the season kind of song.  I'm NOT shoving religion down anyone's throat....but it IS what I believe and I think this is one of the MOST powerful songs out there.
ENJOY!
and I hope everyone has a VERY Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!!!

and ya know what - OK - I couldn't resist.....sharing White Christmas with you too!

what!?! you don't HAVE to listen to it.........but just in case it's YOUR favorite song too, I like this version (NOT that I'm a big Destiny's Child fan...LOL)

{{Hugs and Kisses}}
Tami G

Post It Note Tuesday - bring on Christmas

Welcome back to Post-It Note Tuesday

Feel free to comment - or link up and post your own Post-it Notes!

You can make your own Post It Notes << HERE >> yes - that's right.....just click and go be creative!
Also - run over and check out Supah Mommy's post its and you can link up there too!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I HOPE YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU EVER DREAMED OF AND THEN THE THINGS THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU WANTED!

I ALREADY GOT BOTH THIS YEAR!

MUCH LOVE & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

TAMI G

Motivational Monday :) The value of a tear..

“There is a sacredness in tears.  They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.  They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...AND unspeakable love.”  ~Washington Irving~

Some people speak of tears as though they are some sign of weakness or vulnerability.  I beg to differ.  

There have been times in my life when things got so overwhelming that I just HAD to cry in order to heal.  That is not a bad thing and I don't think it implies weakness.  THAT, the TEAR, the ability to cry,  is a gift from God.  How else could you release all of that sadness and emotion from your body.  Sometimes there is just nothing better in the world than just having a really good cry... and letting it all out.  

And cry WITH someone, it's more healing than crying alone.  Call a friend, call your mom, call your sister, call ANYONE and just share...

My mom questions my openess all the time because she says that I share too much.  My mom is very private and I am the COMPLETE opposite.  It's my way of healing.  It IS empowering;  share and cry.  Is there ANY better therapy out there?!!

 

Not only are tears a great way to heal, but recently I have come to realize that sometimes, when life is just sooooo good, you overflow and guess what that makes...TEARS.  Tears of JOY.  TRUE tears of joy.  Did you even know that was possible??!!  There are times that I look at my son or my son says something to me, and I can't help but think about how far we have come in life and sometimes, it's just too much.  And I cry.

Sometimes I look at Adam and wonder how God can love me THAT much to give me all that I have in my life right now.  Sometimes, I look at Adam with his daughters and you can just FEEL how much he loves them and it's just overwhelming.
.....and I overflow.

YES - there are many many times when I cry.... tears of desperation and tears of true and utter JOY.... that no one ever knows about but me and God.
I am most thankful for the gift of tears....
(well ok - AND for the unspeakable love in my life that catches me by surprise from time to time...)

If you are overwhelmed this year.......Christmas is just around the corner.. your shopping is not done, your out of money, your family is driving your crazy - WHATEVER the cause....  Take a minute....alone... or with a friend or your husband or wife ...and just cry!  Let out the stress and the anxiety and leave it behind.  Those tears of overwhelming stress....will leave you with only TEARS of OVERWHELMING JOY!  I promise!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful SHORT work week this week and I wish you ALL a VERY VERY Merry Christmas and I pray that you will take the time to remember the true meaning of Christmas and maybe you too might overflow this Christmas season!!

Six word Saturday

 (copied this from MATTY)

Yes I know it's a bit late on Saturday to be posting this - but I'm doing it anyway.  I'm CRAZY like that..... It's Saturday SOMEWHERE  - right?!!

God just keeps on blessing me!

Every day gets better and better.... I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life.  I will never take one single day for granted.  God is GOOD!  =)

Merry Christmas to the girls I never knew I could have never lived without!

I got to meet up with my girls tonight (minus one).... we are all so busy these days that we rarely get to see each other anymore.  I hate that - but I do understand such is life!  (being a grown up sux sometimes - HA)
These girls have played SUCH an important role in the last several years of my life!!! 
Anyway - so I took my Christmas presents, small as they may be to give to them tonight.
What I got was jewelry.... matching necklaces with our initials and birthstone pendants on them.
I'm typically a "first name" initial girl.  BUT - not this time.  This time I got everyone's last name initial.  At first I struggled with that decision - but tonight ... as I drove to meet my friends....I knew the last name initial was the best fit for us this year.
Time marches on and these girls will ALWAYS be a part of my life.  Not only will they remain in my life no matter what - BUT these past few years together... with them.... my very own single "sex and the city" group of girlfriends will live on forever.  There are nights and conversations and nights that turned into mornings that will forever be engrained into my life. 
But - as we all get busy with our lives, and we slowly meet men that will eventually CHANGE those last names, I wanted us all to have something that forever holds our initials now.  Our single years.  The good times and the bad times when we sat around and went on and on and on about boys and life and boys and work and boys.....well - you get the picture!  ha ha

So I just wanted to take a moment to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to my single girlfriends who have loved me and tolerated me all these years!!!!  ha ha
To all you ladies out there - single or not - never ever ever take for granted the love and support from your girlfriends.  Make sure you tell them how much you love them and how much they mean to you this year!

Post It Note Tuesday!!! this is to all the things I love....TO HATE!

Welcome back to Post-It Note Tuesday

Feel free to comment - or link up and post your own Post-it Notes!

You can make your own Post It Notes << HERE >> yes - that's right.....just click and go be creative!
Also - run over and check out Supah Mommy's post its and you can link up there too!

Here we go..........
to all the things I love in life!!!!!

 

OK - see..........see how I started all happy and fun and sentimental....

Yeah - THEN I got up this morning (those were from last night)

I changed my mind.....

So far - I just wanna say a big......

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A {insert sarcasm} FANTABULOUS DAY!!!!

(bite me!)  :-D 

Motivational Monday :)

Happy Monday everyone!!!
good news:  we only have to get through this FULL week before we get to some much deserved holiday time off again....YAY for short work weeks!
So - let's just get through this week together.....on a happy note!
Don't get frustrated because Christmas is soooo close and your Christmas shopping is not done.  Instead, be thankful and look forward to the time you will get to spend with your family and loved ones!
Thank God for them and use that extra time away from work to relax and just breathe.. instead of stressing yourself out!

Holidays can be the happiest or the most depressing time of the year for us.  YOU make the choice every day of how you want to look at your life.   We have all made mistakes, we've all spent too much money and put too much pressure on ourselves, we can ALL look back and see things we regret.
This Christmas....instead of looking back with regret, look forward with hope.  No one has any control over that but you!
I know Thanksgiving is over and Christmas doesn't really come with the same focus, but that too is a choice.  I am going to use Christmas as my second Thanksgiving this year.  Rather than focusing on gifts and where I have to be when......I vow to instead focus on the blessings in my life.
IN FACT, my son and I usually sit around Christmas Eve and drink hot chocolate by the fire and watch Christmas movies.  I think this year, before we turn on the tv, we will just sit by the tree lights and actually hand write a list of the good things in our lives!
What better way to put the focus of the holidays where they SHOULD be, instead of on things that in the big picture, just don't mean as much.

I found this gift list to share with you all:

 Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy - forgiveness

To your opponent - tolerance

To your friend - your heart

To a customer - service

To ALL - charity

To every child - a good example

&

To YOURSELF - RESPECT

I hope everyone has a wonderful week...and take the time to stop and breathe this week   =)

Hangin at the farm....love me some FO-TO's!!!

One of my very good friends did a photo shoot for my son and I for Christmas.  I'm SUCH a photo junkie, so this year we took pictures and that's what my family will be getting for Christmas... because WHAT could be better than MORE pictures of me and the Z man sitting around your house?!!  ha ha

Anyway - I'm sharing the link with you all if you wanna check out my pics.  Morgan is SO GOOD!

Morgan Marie Photography
If you have time, browse through her photography blog and check out her other pics. 
*She does GREAT wedding photos!  =)
just a side note if you are looking for someone or know someone looking for a wedding photographer*

So.... there's this boy... {Part #3} - the kissin and huggin and luvin!

And now........the good stuff.  (no puking on the computer monitor)  try to contain yourselves!  ;-)
{just in case you are just joining me on my adventure - catch up at Part 1 and Part 2!}

on to the story.......
As if the Thanksgiving weekend wasn't enough......this past weekend was surreal.
Friday was my work Christmas party.  I can only say this.... I have never been so at ease and so excited for someone to meet my coworkers.  I have never BEEN so happy!  The night was great.
Saturday (of course in the afternoon was the basketball game with my son) but after the game, we rushed home to meet Adam and his precious little girl.  We all loaded up and headed to a local night Christmas parade.  We FROZE to death, but it was great  :)   After the parade we stopped by my brothers to visit for his birthday.  Once there, we ALL, kids included played a game together on Wii.
Moving on to Sunday....
Adam is a preacher and has recently begun a church.  My son and I got up Sunday morning and went to his church for a visit.  The ENTIRE experience was fabulous!  My 14 year old son who I can barely drag outta bed on Sunday morning actually enjoyed the message {BIG smiles for mom}  After church, we met my entire family for lunch for my brothers birthday.  Again - the day could not have been going better.  After lunch, Adam and his little girl went home to pick up his other daughter.  Later that night - I picked them all up and we headed to my church for our Christmas program.  The feeling of sitting in church... me, Adam, his girls and my boy....it was just almost surreal....  He described it as strangely comfortable.  Afterwards we went by my parents to show the girls the horses (the oldest one takes riding lessons) and then headed to Wendys for some grub.  The girls were soooo sweet.  The oldest asked if she could draw me a picture of a horse.  HOW freakin sweet is that?!?!  And then as we walked out of Wendy's to the truck, my son looks at me and says "Watch this mom, they are gonna try to lock me outta the truck"  and they did.... giggling the entire time like sweet little girls do.  My boy thought it was adorable.  The night could not have gone any better  :)

So in summary, this weekend, Adam met my boss and my friends from work, he met my ENTIRE family (mom, dad, brothers, SIL's family and even my aunt who happened to show up), met my preacher & I met his daughters.  And everything was perfect.  The weekend was just .... as I said before.... oddly perfect.

Here's the weird part (not so much weird, but more new for me... I have never felt this way before) - I love the weekend we had with the kids.  I love his little girls... and my son has never been so happy and in such a good mood  (HELLO - good mood & hell didn't freeze over!  LOL)  Anyway the thing I missed the most over the weekend was mine and Adam's chat time late at night.  You see - with the girls, he can't stay at my house late and talk.... so no late night talks.  I couldn't WAIT till Monday for him to come over so we could talk again......
reminder:  we have shared no real physical intimate moments.  Up to this point it's just been getting to know each other and I have to say....it's been so great!
But Monday night finally came and I got my one on one time  :)   We spent hours on the love seat, talking, laughing and reminiscing over the weekend....
and then it happened.  YUP......  the....."I LOVE YOU!"
Suddenly I couldn't breathe....and then came the kiss........
Do you remember part 1?  the part where he leaned into my ear and whispered and I realized at THAT point I wanted to kiss him!??  do you remember that??!?!  Do you KNOW how long I have been waiting for this?!?!!  it could not have been more perfect and I. could. not. breathe!!!  My heart pounded from my chest and I had to concentrate on where I was....
WOW!
Some of you may remember, some time back - I posted this blog about kissing.  On and on about that kiss that just blows you away.  That kiss that just tells you, the one that makes your heart race and stops you from breathing at the same time, the one you want to last FOR.EV.ER!!........this is the one.   :)  {Read my other blog for full details on The Kiss}
This might have just been that kiss  :)
I have never felt so much love and emotion in a kiss....
Where do I sign?
I love this boy......just so we are clear, I have never looked so forward to my future!!

I'm sure I will have plenty more stories to share......we have big plans for this weekend actually!!!!  (Adam's birthday has already passed and we still haven't gotten to celebrate it... just the two of us, so I can't wait to do that this weekend!)  Lots of other things going on too!!!
Life is good.
God is good.
I have never been quite so blessed as I am right now.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............

Tattoos, body art, piercings & nicknames.... what's YO thaaaang??!!

  

Alright - calling all friends, freaks, bloggy buddies, & anyone else who has an opinion....  ha ha

So...here's the deal....

Adam has decided for his birthday we should get tattoos.

Yes No?

matching?

any ideas?

astrological signs? (I'm rather fond of mine!)

location?

I'm just curious to see what others think.

He has lots already.

I have ONE on my lower back.... (which I absolutely adore by the way....)

Ideas....thoughts....examples....

I have 69 followers here, I expect AT LEAST 69 ideas to choose from!  ha ha

throw me a bone here people  =)

the latest idea today is ... I thought maybe get both of our signs somehow weaved together and we both get that ??
I'm Aries - he's Sagittarius
thoughts?!!

So.... there's this boy {Part #2}

and now for.....The rest of the story.... which I'm going to condense because I want to get to the REAL good stuff  :)
Adam and I spent the following nights together, (Thanksgiving and every night after, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday....) on my love seat, listening to music and TALKING until about - oh 2 or 3 in the morning!  :)
For anyone that knows me, I'm sooooooooooo NOT a good communicator in person.  I can write you a letter all day long - but actually speaking the words - YEAH - I suck  =(
Ask me a question, I can answer  (well.......ha ha - unless it'san  A or B question, in which case my answer is almost always C with an addendum.)  But - actually putting my feelings into spoken word, its just not my forte.  I hate that.  But it's who I am.
LUCKILY - Adam is a phenomenal communicator  :)
thus the HOURS of conversation we have shared in the actual short time that we have been together!

So.......let's fast forward.  I wish I had written down ALL the things we talked about - but it would be WAY too much to share.  The summary of it is this:  I can't even count as high as the number of things that we shared that somehow always linked back to each other.  Whether it be music, moral beliefs, family, past circumstances, I mean just unbelievably astounding.  Through out this getting to know you time, I got phone calls, I got texts, I got flowers (with the sweetest card).....all "just because".  You have to understand that these are all things that I want, but never expected to find.  I had given up on that. So every day, every thing just blew me away more and more....this guy is real.  :)
Now - I'm still scared - right?!?!  As is he.  BUT the connection, the feelings, the....ok, just the connection was too much for my scared little self to ignore.  So I slowly gave in.  (ummmm - not slowly........it actually has happened pretty fast.....WAY faster than I ever imagined)  But through out this short period of getting to know each other - I feel as though 10 years have passed.  I feel like I have known him my entire life.......  kinda like I have been living the counter part to his life this entire time.  (hmmmmm...insert song - "when god made you he must have been thinking about me")

Weird....& so hard to explain, but so easy to FEEL if you just stand still and let it be.

So one night Adam said "where have you been the past 15 years?"
And my response was this:   "I think I had to go through what I've been through and you had to go through what you've been through in order to make us truly - a match made in heaven"
And that's what I believe.  I believe God has been working on "us" for a long time   =)

So - it only gets better from here.  The decision was made to actually take a chance and "roll the dice" as he said... we officially became a couple.  (Even on FACEBOOK!  LOL)
For the record - at this point.........just a few short weeks into this - I am absolutely 100% crazy about him!  I see no turning back......
People may think me crazy, but that's nothing new!
  ....AND I have always been told.... when you know - you just KNOW.
guess what....
I know  =)

Stay tuned for part 3 - mmmmmmmmm - my FAVORITE PART!!!!!!
{well - really the whole story is my favorite.......but just you wait!}

Post It Note Tuesday!

Welcome back to Post-It Note Tuesday

Feel free to comment - or link up and post your own Post-it Notes!

You can make your own Post It Notes << HERE >> yes - that's right.....just click and go be creative!
Also - run over and check out Supah Mommy's post its and you can link up there too!

Yes - I'm just as HAPPY today as I am every other day lately (finger down the throat again....GAG!!!) 
However - it is a yucky yucky BLAH nasty day out in Kentucky today.  I hate rain.  Have I ever mentioned that?  HATE RAIN!!!!!!!!
ok then......moving on........

Ummmmmmmm......Wishing everyone a good DRY week where ever you might be!!!
ha ha