TGIF

Fill In the Blank Friday---My first EVER.  Here we go...

 

 1.  I am a terrible procrastinator.  Not something I'm terribly proud of and I've been making attempts to reform but still kind of struggling.  

2.  I have always wanted to be wife and mommy, from a child on into teen years I never wanted another type of career.  I loved having kids at home and all that went along with it. Every stage with my girls was a grand adventure and I miss not having a ball practice or music lesson to attend or someone needing a costume or special party dress that meant shopping or crafting for a week to come up with the perfect thing.

3.  I hope to some day travel to Europe. 

4. I can tie a cherry stem with my tongue.  This is obviously not the ONLY thing I can do just a random little tidbit not everyone who knows me knows about me! :o)

5.  I dream of owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast or small Inn.  I am a decent cook and a very good baker and love to have people over and cook for them. What better way to quench my "mothering" need than taking care of guests.

6.  The way to my heart is a surprise - whether it be a friend dropping by for an unplanned visit, someone showing up at my office with an unexpected sweet treat or a spur of the moment lunch date, all these make me feel special and thought about!  These types of unplanned interruptions to the norm make me smile and add a little spark to my day.

7.  I am passionate about my family.  They are the ones I would rather spend time with, the ones I hope understand and love me for me when no one else does and the ones who will some day take care of me when I've been declared totally incapable of looking after myself. (I just know one day I'll need them to repay me for all the care-giving I did for them back in the day)

So, there you have it.  If you only know me through reading this blog (whoever you might be) this gives you a little glimpse into another side of the woman behind the keyboard.  Hopefully, this will not be my last Fill in the Blank Friday.  Thanks again to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for hosting such a fun "get to know more about you" link-up.

Perspective ~ Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Well, my baby girl was right, her big sister beat me to it!!  My "life lover" so enjoys sharing her life she frequently shares some of mine too.  Which is a great way to expand our following of readers so I'm totally on board with the ever so frequent story sharing.  That was exactly the case with her most recent blog post regarding our exciting weekend of falling trees, power outages and unexpected welcomed house guests. 

During all of these unexpected yet sovereignly ordained occurrences I was reminded over and over again how very blessed I am to have a Father who appoints storms and struggles and then gives grace as we walk through them with Him.  Blessings and grace surrounded me and my family during every minute of these outrageous happenings.  

I was NOT at home when this tornado (or whatever they're trying to call it now) occurred.
I was enjoying a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant and didn't have to experience the noise and drama first-hand or alone.  Very kind of my Father, he knows me so well.

I received information from my neighbor that a mere six inches to the left and my brand new car would have suffered severe damage from our basketball goal falling right on her.  She is still wearing her lovely temporary tag, still just a baby.  She is such a grace treasure provided just for me and I was actually more worried about her than the tree falling on the house!!  (I know, I'm a little cray-cray)

I HAVE ELECTRICITY!!  Not kidding, of the estimated 500,000 individuals in our
surrounding area who are dealing with power outages I. Have. Electricity!!. 

My daughters and son-in-law can duly attest that even WITH air conditioning,

I am frequently stating the fact (that's what I call complaining) that I am hot.
and considering the over 100 degree temperatures we've been having~

OH MY, again, what a kindness, He knew it would be too much for me!

I've been able to "mother" my children and some of my adopted sons this entire weekend, 

because none of them have electricity and I do!!  What a wonderful time I've

had just being in the house with them, having people there to interrupt my

rather lonely quiet empty-nest environment.

My scheduled trip to deliver a very important and much needed bed to my youngest
 did not have to be postponed because of the weather.  It actually went rather swimmingly!!
  I experienced absolutely no trouble obtaining gasoline.  This may not seem overly significant,
but apparently there was a run on the gasoline stations!  I've never seen anything
like it, EVER...the lines were 20-30 cars long and almost every station in our area
ran out of gas and closed at some point during the weekend.
When I got to the town where she has rented an apartment for the summer,
 it didn't even seem they had had a storm at all, business as usual.

AND
 

I enjoyed a lovely lunch with she and her roommate at

a restaurant they talk about all the time that I had never been to before

(one thing I love, visiting new restaurants - i like to eat, what can I say).

I'm sure for many of the folks in my little town the memories from the past several days are not filled with positive uplifting and praise worthy happenings, but then again, maybe they are.

"Two women stood behind iron bars
One saw mud, the other saw stars"

Maybe it's all about perspective!