2021: Think Positively for a Better Year!
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I took yesterday off because I wasn’t feeling so great. I spent the day resting and went to bed at 7:30 instead of my usual midnight. It must have worked because I feel more like myself today.0
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I took yesterday off because I wasn’t feeling so great. I spent the day resting and went to bed at 7:30 instead of my usual midnight. It must have worked because I feel more like myself today.
Sorry to hear that but glad you feel like yourself.
Midnight eh? Wow, you're a night owl. DH goes to bed around 6 (holdover from his schedule at his last job) and me around 10.0 -
I'm trying to be serious. I lost a pound and a half last week.
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Great job. Two of my meals yesterday were tea and toast. I was trying to go easy on my stomach. Yet I lose a few ounces.0
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I feel sure I am gaining weight as I seem to be eating my way through the South. Last week we were in Laurel, MS, then drove through Atlanta on our way up to NC to see my sick cousin. We spent 3 nights with them and really enjoyed our visit, though it made me sad to see my cousin so debilitated. He has a good attitude, but he is pretty much paralyzed on his left side now and requires a lot of help for all of his activities. His wife, daughters, and granddaughters are amazing in helping him and keeping him engaged and hopeful.
From there, we went to Williamsburg and spent 2 nights with my niece and her family. They insisted on taking us out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant where they had arranged a surprise for me for my birthday. My niece works at a private school and one of their 6th grade students has a small bakery business, so she ordered an Italian Creme cake for me, which was waiting at the restaurant. The young lady was there that night with her family and they stopped by our table before the cake was brought out. She had never made this particular cake before but she did an excellent job.
We left on Sunday and drove to Charlottesville, where we toured Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, then we headed on to Pigeon Forge, TN. We will be here in PF until Wednesday when we plan to drive to Nashville. We have tickets to tour The Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson, on Thursday. After that we may move on to Memphis for a night before we do the final leg back to Texas.
This morning we drove to Cade’s Cove, which is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is a one-way loop road that is almost 12 miles long with stops to see original cabins, churches, barns, etc. that were built in the 1800’s by the original settlers. It was very slow going as most of the traffic was traveling at around 5 mph so they could take pictures. And there was a lot of traffic! The views were spectacular, although the leaves have just started to turn colors. In another week or two, it will be ablaze in vivid yellows and oranges, but we won’t get to see that. After we got back to our hotel we went next door to the Sunliner Diner, which is a 50’s style diner and had delicious burgers and onion rings for a late lunch. We managed to restrain ourselves and did not order the amazing looking milkshakes, but we wanted to, lol! Tonight we are attending a show called The Soul of Motown, in a theater that is right next to our hotel.0 -
That sounds like a wonderful trip. Isn’t Laurel the town where Ben and Erin film the zHGTV series Hometown? They renovate old home to be historically accurate. Did you happen to see any of the homes?0
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Helene, yes that is where the show is filmed and my sister is a big fan so that’s why we went. We didn’t see any of the actual houses they have renovated because there are no maps indicating where they are. We were told that there used to be signs in the yards of them, but they had to remove them because strangers would come to the door and ask to tour them. We did visit The Mercantile and The Scotsman, which are their stores. Neither Ben nor Erin were there because the show is currently filming somewhere in Laurel, but they of course didn’t give out the location. After we left Laurel we drove to Wetumpka where they filmed Hometown Takeover. We had planned to have dinner at Coach’s Corner which was one of the businesses they helped renovate, but it was a Monday night and the restaurant was closed.0
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From the show, the town sounds really charming. It’s too bad the restaurant was closed. What were the shops like?0
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The shops had an interesting mix of merchandise. Erin’s store had lots of pillows, candles, etc. and a large selection of her signature head bands, which are billed as being more comfortable than others. I’ve never found a headband that didn’t make my head hurt, but I decided to give one a try. I bought one for $24.95, which was a lot more than I would normally pay. It actually is very comfortable, so I think it was a good purchase. Ben’s store was much more oriented to things that would appeal to men. There were lots of leather items and a lot of things printed with slogans or expressions that seemed like things he says. At the back of his store there is a large picture window where you can watch Ben and/or his workers doing their woodworking.
We have been in Pigeon Forge, TN since Sunday but tomorrow we are moving on to Nashville, TN. We have tickets to tour The Hermitage Thursday morning, then we will probably try to drive to Little Rock, AR to spend the night and then try to get home on Friday. It’s been a good trip but I think I am ready to get home. I. Getting tired of living out of suitcases. Today we drove to Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest peak in Tennessee. We stopped several times to take pictures but when we reached the dome there was so much “smoke” on the mountain that we weren’t able to see much.
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I’ve never found a comfortable headband either. And now my hair is too short for one anyway. It sounds like a really interesting trip. I’ve never been to those states except NC when my sister lived there.0
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Pam - I'm sure you're tired of living out of a suitcase but it does sound like you're having some great adventures!0
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There are some pretty wild Halloweeen decorations in the yards around us. Never saw this one before (eyes light up! Amazon $36):
There's also a yard with a 9 or 10 foot standing skeleton. I looked that one up last year and found it on Home Depot.
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Pretty funny. I figure that people who go big on Halloween decorations probably do the same thing for Christmas. We saw a couple with purple and orange blinking lights on the house and fences. And a bunch of places with multiple inflatables.0
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Pretty funny. I figure that people who go big on Halloween decorations probably do the same thing for Christmas. We saw a couple with purple and orange blinking lights on the house and fences. And a bunch of places with multiple inflatables.
Those inflatables get me. In the daytime they pull the plug and there's just this pile of plastic lying there.0 -
Around here, they stay inflated 24/7 until they take them down0
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Thoughts of Dog®
@dog_feelings
we are on our way home from the pumpkin patch. and i got to pick out my very own. it is every pumpkin’s first halloween. so remember to make it special0 -
Home at last! Two weeks is a long time to live out of a suitcase. I will enjoy sleeping in my own bed tonight. I’ll have a lot of laundry to do, but that can wait until tomorrow.0
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What was your favorite part of the trip?0
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My favorite part of the trip was seeing my NC family. My cousin has been battling brain cancer for the last 3 years and recently had his third surgery for it. He’s always been one of my favorite family members. It’s sad to see how debilitating his illness is, but I’m so glad we got to spend time together while he’s still able to enjoy visitors. He has an amazing family and many, many long-time friends who are making every effort to stay in touch and engaged with him. Their 4 best friends have arranged several trips to the beach, which is their favorite place to be. In fact, one of the 2 couples drove down from Ohio this weekend, and on Monday they will drive them to Myrtle Beach where they will meet up with the other couple for a week at the beach. The men will help take care of him while the ladies will try to give his wife some much needed rest and relaxation.
We also visited Monticello and The Hermitage, which I found very interesting. We had nice weather for both visits. We also visited the Bentonville Battlefields in NC, which was the site of the last major battle of the Civil War in NC. I’ve never been especially interested in battlefields, but my sister and cousin are very interested in ghosts, so visiting a battlefield appealed to them.
Visiting the Smoky Mountains was also very enjoyable and relaxing. It’s been a long time since I was there and the only thing that has changed is an increase in traffic and crowds. It’s a shame that the popularity of the area makes it more difficult to enjoy the beauty.0 -
Pam - I'm so glad you got to see your cousin. What a sad situation but fortunate he has family and friends that care!
I've never been that interested in battlefields either which is embarrassing to admit having grown up 8 miles north of Gettysburg.
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We toured Gettysburg about three years ago on te trip home from FL. It was a really hot day so we bought a audio tour. The CD took us through the battlefield in chronological order. I didn’t know much about Gettysburg before we went there. I came away with more appreciation for what the soldiers went through. On the other hand, while I lived in CT, I was only a few miles from Mark Twain’s and Julia Ward Howe’s home. They were neighbors. I never managed to visit either one in the 20 years I lived there.0
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I have a huge stack of books and CDs about Gettysburg. One of the "summer projects" I've got all ready to go if I ever get a summer. LOL!
Another is digging further into my ancestry.
So I guess I need at least TWO summers!0 -
I have an appointment with the female endocrinologist on Thursday. I got a voice mail today from their office that my appointment with some man has been moved. He's now in Fayetteville GA. Say what? I guess "Portals" are great when they work but other times......LOL!0
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I just can't get into Dancing with the Stars this fall. So many of the pros that are great choreographers are gone and the newer ones aren't impressing me plus even more than usual I have NO idea who most of the "stars" are.0
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Maryanne, I’ve also found this season to be pretty lackluster, although I did enjoy last night’s show. Like you, I don’t know who most of the contestants are, and I think the choreography has been a little boring for most of the dances. Every time I think Tyra is improving as a host, she says something stupid and I remember why I dislike her as host. I still haven’t watched all of the episodes I missed while I was on my vacation.0
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Maryanne, I’ve also found this season to be pretty lackluster, although I did enjoy last night’s show. Like you, I don’t know who most of the contestants are, and I think the choreography has been a little boring for most of the dances. Every time I think Tyra is improving as a host, she says something stupid and I remember why I dislike her as host. I still haven’t watched all of the episodes I missed while I was on my vacation.
Yes, that's it - boring choreography as well as people I don't know and am not getting to know it seems. I didn't start last night yet (haven't finished Disney villain's night; maybe I shouldn't bother). I think it's a sin having to see Derek sitting there judging instead of choreographing and dancing. He and Mark Ballas and Max were some of my favorites.0
