It's Good to be Home

Big Sigh! It feels so good to be back. I really had a great time in the Sunshine State but I am definately a home girl and I love being home. I had great intentions of posting while in CA but we had no internet access in Carmel and it was $12.95 a DAY at our hotel in San Francisco. I'm not sure if you know, but I'm a tish frugal...

What hapens in Carmel and San Francisco doesn't stay there - I'll be glad to tell you all about it:

Donna and I flew out of Bham at 9:55 AM Saturday morning. I didn't stress about what I packed as much as I thought I would which I thought was really a great thing but now in hindsight... not so much. (More on that later.)



The flight was great. It was really nice catching up with Donna. I haven't seen her since Kay's wedding which was about 7 years ago. We flew into Vegas (ya'll, there are slot machines everywhere in the airport!), had a little over an hour to grab some lunch and catch our next flight to San Jose. We met up with Kay in San Jose where we were renting a car and driving to Carmel.


How can it possibly be that renting a car could be an ordeal? Well, I'll be glad to tell you. TAke 1 - Kay got in the wrong car but didn't realize it until she sat in a line for what seemed like forever and a day. Take 2 - Kay got the right car, waited in line for what seemed like forever and a day and then decided it was trashed and went back inside to get another one. Take 3 - they gave us a brand new SUV that only had 6 miles on it.


We got all our luggage in and finally took off. We had been on the highway for all of about 5 minutes when a guy in a truck pulled up next to us and wanted us to roll down the window. He promptly told us that our SUV was smoking really bad from the back. LOVELY. After about 5 minutes of discussion about whether we should turn around and take it back or keep going we decided to get off on the next exit and assess the situation. Kay and I hopped out while Donna drove up and down a parking lot. We didn't see any smoke but the smell of burning rubber was really bad. More discussion. I won't bore you with the details but we basically decided to pray over the car and keep going. No more problems. Thank you, Jesus.

Carmel was absolutely beautiful. Here's a pic of Donna and Kay on the beautiful beach.

It's hard to explain Saturday. It felt like it lasted about 72 hours. We got up and walked to a cute little place called The Village Corner for breakfast. Right about the time we sat down I started feeling a little queasy. We ordered our food and while we waited, I really started feeling like I might throw up. I went to the restroom but nothing happened. I had been back to the table for a couple of minutes when I threw up a little bit in my mouth. Right after that the waitress brought my plate of bacon, pancakes and you guessed it, scrambled eggs - back to the bathroom. I broke out into a cold sweat and ya'll, I puked up my guts. I couldn't stop. It was beyond gross, but I will say that I felt much better after that.

We got back to the room and I layed down for a bit while the girls took a walk on the beach. By the time they got back, I was completely fine. We all got ready and drove to Monterrey. We ate lunch at a little pub and then walked down this long pier and saw the cutest seals you've ever seen! What I didn't know was that you really shouldn't get anywhere near them. This was me right after I stooped down for Donna to take my picture and this baby seal barked at me.


This Marine worker girl ran over and said we should NEVER get that close to the seals because they will bite you with their very sharp teeth and their mouth is full of all kinds of gross bacteria. Who knew? Obviously, not me.

After Monterrey, we drove to Big Sur which was amazing. I told the girls that when I see the ocean and the mountains I'm reminded about how big God is. It was just unbelievable to look on one side of the road and see the most incredible mountains and then look on the other side and see these beautiful cliffs with crashing waves.


We went to a restaurant called Nepenthe. Again, it was amazing. It was way up on this cliff that overlooked the ocean on one side and had seating all the way around so that you could see the mountains too. It had this really big shop downstairs with some really beautiful things. I got this beautiful Jade ring which as they say in Jerry McGuire, "had me from hello". I really love it.

The next morning we got up and drove to San Francisco. I'll save that for next time.

Where's the Love?

Here's what I see when I boot up my laptop.

That's Jay's face on Captain Stubing. He gives Gavin MacLeod a run for his money. Crack me up! Jay put this on there and I actually laughed out loud the first time I saw it. He's a mess!

We Can Read People Like a Book

Daddy and Mama passed the reading gene onto all of us kids. If you could stack up all the books that we've all read throughout our lifetimes, you could probably make it to the moon. I like all kinds of books but my favorite is Christian Fiction.

Some of my favorite Christian authors of all time are Francine Rivers, Dee Henderson, Terri Blackstock and Karen Kingsbury. Karen Kingsbury was the reason I signed up to go to the Extrodinary Women's conference last weekend. I took my most favorite of her books hoping that I could get an autograph.

Mama and I pretty much stalked her table and found out that she would be meeting and greeting at 10:00 on Saturday. We stood in line for about an hour and were rewarded with this:

This is Karen's Mama. She was just as sweet as she could be.



and this:

and... she signed my book... and called me her friend. Yes, you heard that right. Not only are we sisters in Christ, we're friends too. I was giddy with excitement.

We also got to meet Stormie O'Martian. If you haven't read The Power of a Praying Wife, you really should. It will change your life and your marriage.

Between us stalking Karen's table and scouting out potential terrorists, I think Mama and I would make great detectives. Let me know if you need us to do any investigating.

Good Times with Mama

I had a great weekend. It was tiring but really good. Mom and I went to the Extrodinary Women's conference Friday night and Saturday. I'll be posting more about it later in the week but I did want to tell you about a couple of things that Mama said that cracked me up.

We knew that we were going to have a couple of hours for a lunch break on Saturday so we took some snacks in a cooler so we could go back out to the car and eat. (Of course, we did pick up some nachos at the snack bar but that's beside the point.) It was really nice because it was raining and we were able to doze, read and chat.

While we were eating, Mama all of the sudden says, "Oh no, I see terrorists. I hope they don't go in there and blow everybody up." Ya'll, she was serious. I looked up and it was 3 men with an Arabic look walking across the parking lot. She thought the one in the front looked really suspicious. She was concerned but that didn't stop us from finishing our nachos.

It wasn't too long after that when we started discussing Farrah and different people's views on whether or not she should have made the documentary about her struggle with cancer. Then Mama said, "I'm so worried about Patrick."

The funny thing about that statement is that she didn't use a last name but I knew immediately that she was talking about Patrick Swayze. Mama has loved her some Patrick Swayze since the first time she saw "Dirty Dancing". It would be interesting to know just how many times she's seen that movie. Bless her, she is very concerned because he doesn't know Jesus.

She was talking about her concern and then looked over and wanted to know what I was doing. I told her I was making notes because she was giving me really good material for my blog. I wish you could have seen her face. I laughed until I cried.

I'm Back

Yesterday I was pondering what to blog about and I realized I have nothing to say - so I deleted it (not a post, but the whole blog itself). Maybe that was harsh but sometimes I've been known to act without a whole lot of thought.

It wasn't long before my phone was ringing with Mama and Daddy expressing their sadness. So, here I go again. Sorry to all 5 of you who were interested.

The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Normally, my mind takes a hiatus when I lay in the tanning bed (yes, I still go even after it burnt me up), but tonight it seemed in overdrive. Here are a few things I pondered:

The Biggest Loser - I had really grown to like Helen alot over the season but she grated on my nerves last night. I'm not sure what look she was going for when she sported that pose, but it was just silly looking which is sad because I'm pretty sure she practiced that in the mirror.

Shar at the Gym - ya'll - this lady is a ray of sunshine after I've sweated my bootie off and feel like I just got run over by a bus. After I get ready and start to head out she always gives a super compliment like, "Oh, you look so good in that color!" or "That color shirt really makes your eyes pop!" If I could bottle her up I would make a fortune.

Diet Mtn. Dew (affectionally referred to as DMD) - I'm can't believe I'm saying this but I'm giving it up. Pepsi sponsors some things I don't agree with and I started feeling convicted. It's a huge breakup although I do intend to finish off my last case. But after that, I plan to give my aspartame allegience solely to Diet Coke. (It's kind of like when you know you need to breakup with your boyfriend but you decide to wait till after the prom.)

Will The Closer continue to make my heart happy this season???

Am I gonna have a scar on my arm where I burned the mess out of it with the curling iron this morning? (Thankfully, it wasn't my neck and I don't have a burn hickey like my friend, Kathy.)

What am I going to wear tomorrow?

Clearly, the heat got my brain juices to moving and made a big ol' V8.

Another Day, Another Blog

I woke up this past Saturday morning and realized that my California trip was only 2 weeks away. I'm pretty sure someone stole April because the last time I checked I had about 8 weeks to lose 15 pounds. I know there can't be any other reason that Weight Watchers is telling me I've only lost 2.8. (I know, I know - I should be rejoicing over my 2.8 pounds, but I'm not at a meeting right now and Patsy is not one of my 4 readers.)

I also realized I needed to get busy thinking about all the things I need to get done since I have one more weekend and I'm going to a Women's conference for 12 hours of it - no pressure. I did get my list started and have managed to get a few things done.

Two things at the top of my list have to do with my hair - imagine that. I haven't had my eyebrows done in a sweet forever. I was close to looking like this:



Thankfully, Katie could see me after work and fixed me right up.

Now one thing that is just sad is gray roots. It's a curse for dark brown hair. Because I'm such a go-getter I decided to take care of all my hair issues tonight and came right home and washed that gray right out of my hair. I gave it a little Loving Care and 20 minutes later... I'm sitting here with some sweet Hazelnut coverage.

Obviously, I'm done for the night because it would be ludicrous to try and get some more things crossed off my list when the season finale of The Biggest Loser is on.


Before I sign-off, I need to apologize. I have neglected to keep you updated on my beloved Yankees like I promised at the beginning of the season. Sadly, they are just 3rd in the AL East and 5 and a half games back. DON'T DISPAIR! It's early yet, we still have 4 more months of glorious baseball to go. My boyfriend, Jeter, is out of the lineup tonight due to a sore right oblique. Ya'll, that just hurts my heart. OK, not really, but I felt like it was the Southern thing to say.

Keep it real, ya'll.

My Mama

It's 5:33AM and I'm faced with the daunting task of trying to put my love for my Mama into words. I wasn't given the gift of writing like Mama and Sister but I'll do my best.

I've often wondered why God decided to give me the most wonderful Mama in the world. Obviously, He could have saved her for a future President or the next Billy Graham, but He gave her to me. I am beyond blessed. I don't think there's another woman out there who loves her kids more than my Mama. And I just want to say to you, I don't think there's another daughter out there who could ever love her Mama more than I love mine. I thought I would share some memories:

Mama, do you remember??

When you used to let me skip school just because sometimes a girl needs to get away for a day? (Daddy, this is why I sometimes just need to "take a day" away from work.)

Loving all my friends and letting them spend-the-night at our house ALL THE TIME?

Coming to every football game to watch "your girls" dance at half-time?

That time we were in the car and you thought you had pee'd in your pants because the straw busted a hole in the bottom of your coke? We laughed so hard we really did almost pee in our pants!

When you would cut the back of my hair because I would do the sides and then couldn't reach the back?

When you ended up making me a white dress for my sorority convention because I waited till the last minute (imagine that) and couldn't find one anywhere?

Listening as I sobbed on the couch because Jay broke my heart? (Obviously, that all worked out.)

Giving me the most wonderful growing up years a girl could ever have?

I love that you're my Mama first and my friend second - Happy Mother's Day!

The Jury's Out

For all of you wondering (all 2 of you), Jay did not get selected for the capital murder case. In fact, they let him go completely yesterday. Bless his heart, his decade long wait for Jury Duty lasted 1 and a half days.

I got this Meme over at Sister's blog - it's my first one EVER! Note: These are in no particular order.

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. My trip to California in 2 and a half weeks.
2. Going on a trip with my mom and sister to Amish country. (who knows when this will happen, but we are excited)
3. The day my cats go to kitty heaven.
4. Abbie's wedding day.
5. Growing old with Jay.
6. The day I get so old that I can wear a pink sweat suit everyday.
7. Sitting on the couch with Jay and watching "our shows".
8. Getting a hug from Jesus.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
2. Worked out at the gym.
2. Went to work.
3. Went to a funeral.
4. Bought groceries.
5. Watched The Biggest Loser with Jay.
6. Folded clothes.
7. Thought about blogging and then didn't.
8. Was sad because the Yankees lost yet again.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Meet Derek Jeter.
2. Sew at least once a day.
3. Be completely confident in my own skin.
4. Go on a cruise
5. Work part-time
6. Eat whatever I want with no consequences.
7. Blink my eyes and make cat vomit, pee and poop disappear
8. Have a super power that allows me to be invisible.

8 Things I Watch on TV
1. The Housewives of New York City
2. The Biggest Loser
3. The Celebrity Apprentice
4. The Unit
5. NCIS
6. Heroes
7. House
8. America's Next Top Model

The Jury's Still Out

It's a momentous day at the Sharpe house. Jay reported for Jury Duty this morning. Bless him, in his own words, he's "waited for this day for decades". I myself, have had Jury Duty 6 times and cannot understand anyone wanting to do it. To me, it's a week long prison sentence. The only upside is the hours of reading I get to catch up on, but it's just so uncomfortable in those horrid chairs and all the chit-chat.

Last night I answered about a hundred questions about the parking deck, the room you sit in, lunch breaks, etc. And then there was a whole deal about what magazines he should take. He decided against taking his new NRA magazine "just in case".

He sent me several texts throughout the day just letting me know that he had just been sitting in that room waiting to get called up, was back from a 2 hour lunch, blah, blah, blah. Then I got the text where he had hit the mother-load. He got called up for a capital murder case. I couldn't tell from the text whether or not he just got called up for selection or if he actually got selected. I'll keep you posted.

As for me, it's pretty much the same ole', same ole'. I worked, I'm home, I'm doing laundry, I have about 3 loads to fold and for the love, all I want to do is watch another episode of Friday Night Lights. So, I think I will. Take it easy ya'll.

Friday Night on Saturday

I wish I could put into words the depth of tiredness that I'm feeling right now, but I'm just too tired. Sister had her Yard Sale today. I drove to her house straight from work last night so we could make postors and get our "game plan" on. Abbie graciously let me sleep in her bottom bunk which for a brief moment made me think of dorm life.

Sister and I started this morning at 5:00 and then realized it might be a good idea to actually let the sun come up before we put stuff out. Anyway, we got everything done and she had a good sale. I dropped Mama off at her house and came straight home. I'm showered, PJ'd up, on the couch and waiting for Jay to get home from work. I talked to him a few minutes ago and told him I may or may not be awake when he gets home - THAT'S HOW TIRED I AM!

I do want to let you know that I've fallen in love. I keep reading on
Big Mama's (my bloggin hero) blog about how much she loves Friday Night Lights so I watched the first 2 episodes online. FABULOUS! It makes me super happy to know that I have 3 seasons of all this goodness to watch!

The bad storm sirens are going off now so I better wrap this up. I'll probably be in sleepytown soon.