"Take Me Out To The Ball Game"

After we play ball tonight, I'm positive my teammates will be singing a different version.... * I can hear them now. * "Take her out of the ball game, take her off the field......buy her some peanuts and cracker jack, we don't care if she ever comes back..." * **Sigh** *Tonight is our first softball game of the season. I do not feel prepared at all. On a good note, my softball glove got some practice over the weekend! I however...did not. Autumn Lynn and one of my favorite little girls in the world, Alexa Lynn, came to spend time with us over the weekend. We had so much fun catching up and laughing at the crazy things that a four year old will say! On Saturday afternoon Sev and Adam wanted to play ball with a friend from our softball team. Adam used my glove...so that counts for some practice time, right?! Whatever. * Honestly, I'm excited to see what all of this softball hype is all about. Everyone is so excited, it was all they could talk about outside of church service yesterday. The game, the game! "Are you coming to THE game!?" If I remember to take a camera, I'll take pictures from the dugout. I'm fairly certain I'll be spending a good bit of quality time in there.

Why I Don't Write

I have no excuse.
I just haven't.
....too tired, too busy, too consumed with other things...you pick.

Lately, I've been too busy blowing my nose and sitting on my hands in an effort to keep from clawing my eyeballs out.
I don't know about anywhere else right now, but currently, right here in the arm pit of the state....the pollen is CRAZY! I don't mean, a little pollen dust here. I mean BIG, BILLOWING, PUFFY, DENSE, THICK, EYE BURNING, NOSE ITCHING, THROAT CLOGGING, CLOUDS of pollen. They say it's a record year for pollen here...I think they said that last year.
All I know is I can't get away from the stuff and my car...well, it's currently blanketed in a thick coating of the horrible yellow substance.


Severyn and I were asked to play on our church softball league a few weeks ago. At the time I thought it sounded like the most awesome idea!
Two weeks in to practice and...not such a great idea.
I suggested I trade my glove and ball in for a pom-pom...no I have never cheered but I've GOT to be better at cheering than softball.
I was informed there are no cheerleaders in softball and then I was directed to the outfield and told to "stand...there, right there...that's right...now look alive and be ready."
After a good five minutes I started looking for four leaf clovers.
After ten minutes I heard "HEADS UP!" and watched as a ball landed a good five feet from me with a loud THUD.
I silently gave thanks that it didn't land any closer, because then I might have been expected to catch it.

So, I'm not all that great at softball.
I'm more of the extreme sports kind of gal.
However, if anyone wants to make a bet that dirt bike riding is more dangerous than playing softball...I'll take that challenge.
I've got two bruises where a softball whizzed straight past my glove and made contact with my body.


If you need me, you can find me in the outfield...I'll be the one with the puffy red eyes, picking clover and rethinking my grand idea of playing softball in the spring.

Hot Pink

My parents came for a visit last weekend.
I haven't seen them since CHRISTMAS!! Which, is funny because for awhile there we were stuffing a bag of clothes, Ali and fifty pairs of shoes (yes-all mine) into the back of our car just about every weekend, only to stay for two nights before traveling back.

It was a LOT of traveling!

At the start of this year, I vowed to stay home more. We needed to stay home more and after doing so for a few weekends in a row, we got into the swing of it and just never really felt like leaving. Well...that and the fact that we found a church home, Severyn started a new internship, and we began to feel like we fit in here in Columbia-along side our precious neighbors.

My mother did not like it.

Not one bit.

So she finally stuffed her clothes, my dad, his clothes and their two pairs of shoes into THEIR truck and traveled south.
Wasn't that sweet?
They can be.
Sweet.
When they want to be...
for instance, my mother took me out for a day of shopping Saturday, a day full of leisurely strolling the mall together, laughing in the dressing rooms, a Starbucks mid day run and lunch. We ended the day with a manicure-my fingers are now Hot Pink.
That was sweet.
On Sunday they went to church with us and then took us out for lunch.
Very sweet.
but before I get carried away-I don't want anyone thinking I'm spoiled-they still won't pay off my student loans...something about "it's good for you to work for something you want" "this is a life lesson!" "You'll thank us one day"...etc. etc.
I'M KIDDING
I'm kidding...I totally-100%-respect the fact that my parents are letting me pay my own student loans, it has definitely helped me to appreciate my degree more.
and if truth be told, I probably am a little spoiled (keep that between me and you) so I really can't complain.

We really did have a lot of fun with my parents over the weekend.
I was sad to see them go on Sunday afternoon.
I think, regardless of how independent someone is sure they are, a little bit of "homesick" feeling is good to have...it keeps you grounded, reminds you where you came from and who you are.
Right now, I'm a working girl, just trying to pay off my student loans, while sporting hot pink finger nails.

Happy Wednesday.

"I'm lovin' It"

This warm weather we've been having -Spring is my favorite time of year and I'm happy it feels like spring may come early this year.



My new Mac -seriously, I may have to say this a few more times...I really adore this computer!



My church -say what?! Yep, Sev and I have officially found a new church home and we're loving it!



To learn -though, sadly this week marks the end of two of my classes. I've learned a great deal from the both of them. Furthermore, they have helped inspire me to try new things and step even farther outside of the box. I have already begun a new online class, a follow up to the writing one.


Web designing -YES!
I'm constantly starting something new, trying something different and then dropping whatever I started by the wayside. It's a bad habit of mine...or at least I used to think it was a bad habit. I've decided it's just who I am and it's NOT bad to try new things, even if you don't continue on with them...it helps you figure out what it is you DO like along the way! It also makes life very interesting.

So, back when I signed up for my online writing class, I also signed up for a web design class. I didn't blog about the class, or talk to many people about my decision to take the class. I was afraid it would be another one of those "things" that I would start and then stop...and then have to answer for (and it still could be! So don't hold me accountable).

However, my web design class ends this week and I'm happy to announce that I. LOVED. IT. I loved every second of the class! I soaked up every word, every lesson, every assignment and LOVED IT. It was just a beginners class, there is a world of information left to learn, but it has definitely peeked my interest. I'm signing up for another class, hopefully starting this summer, and maybe this time I'll post along the way.


I still don't know what I want to be "when I grow up"-but I feel like I'm getting closer ;-)
Happy Monday!

Is it a bug?

I hope not.
I'm typically a fairly healthy person. If I catch a cold, it's usually once a year and it doesn't last long.
I've already had my one cold for the year, back around the first of January.

Apparently my body forgot...I woke up this morning and quickly realized that I had slept through the night with my mouth open. I always breath through my nose, unless I'm catching a cold and my nose is stuffy. I felt okay, besides a little tenderness in the back of my throat, but I brushed it off and refused to believe a cold could be coming on.
Slowly, I'm starting to feel more and more worn down. I keep sneezing and now I have a lovely roll of toilet tissue, keeping me company, on my desk. My eyes feel weak and there is an annoying little tickle in my nose.

I hope it's not a bug!
It is going to be a B-E-A-UTIFUL weekend, entirely too enjoyable to have a cold!
....excuse me while I sneeze....

I hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend!!

Random FYI

There is a free online typing test that you can utilize if you ever need to know your average WPM (words per minute).
Here's the link: WPM test.

I googled typing tests and found the one mentioned above to be the most user friendly.
You know, just in case you ever get really bored and want something mindless to do...or you want to impress your friends by telling them your WPM typing speed...or you need the information for a employer...

Whatever reason you have, this was just a friendly, random, FYI.

Happy Day After Valentines Day

Some people really do not like Valentines day, I am not one of them.
Show me the person that does not like a box of assorted chocolates, fragrant flowers and the feeling of love in the air and I'll show you a very sad person!! (come to think of it, a person that dislikes chocolate alone is just SAD!)

However, all of that being said, Severyn and I do not go above and beyond on Valentines day. We do celebrate it, but for different reasons than others probably do. We celebrate Valentines day as a "anniversary" because it was on Valentines back in 2005 that Severyn returned home from Iraq, 5 months after we had married and he had redeployed. Valentines day really marks the first day we actually spent as a married couple.

blah blah blah....this is getting WAY TOO mushy for me.

Let me just skip to the good part...
My Valentines Day gift...
This Valentines, I got a new toy!!!

"Hi, I'm a MAC"
...no longer a PC....
I have seen the light, the better side, the side that promises fruit and not frustration!!
I'm the proud owner of a Macbook Pro and I. Love. It.

The end!

The Lesson I Learned Beneath the Dining Room Table.

Huh?
I'll explain.

I do not consider myself a clumsy person.
I don't know that I would consider myself "graceful" either, I struggle with stilettos, but I'm not usually the one that trips over my own feet when I walk.
However, last night, I managed to pull off the most ungraceful maneuver possible.
I fell down our entire flight of hardwood stairs...and I never saw it coming.

I had just gotten out of the shower and wrapped my wet hair in a towel, turban style.
My feet were cold so I put on a pair of ragged, but warm, fuzzy socks. Later I would discover that the rubber pads on the bottom, placed there to prevent you from pulling off any Tom Cruise (Risky Business anybody??) moves, had worn slap off.
Deciding that I needed a glass of ice water before heading off to bed, I made my way down the stairs.
You see where I'm going with this, don't you?
I had just cleared the first, carpeted, flight of stairs and was rounding the landing when it happened...my foot slipped off of the top stair.

First, I went airborne.
My feet flew out from under me and my arms, instinctively, flung out to the side, hands grasping for anything to prevent the inevitable crash my coccyx (who am I kidding..my BUTT) could sense coming.
It was no use.
My left hand grabbed on to the cast iron piece of death trap artwork displayed on the wall.
My right hand tried to cling on to the banister but to no avail, I managed to grasp nothing but air.
The next thing I know, I'm partially under the dining room table, that sits across the room from the bottom of the hardwood stairs. My, over grown guinea pig of a dog, Ali was ferociously standing over me barking his little head off. I would like to think that he was trying to protect me from the ungraceful alien that had taken over my body, but really, I think he just thought I had lost my mind and he was there to let me know he would eat me alive if I dare move.
Such a sweet dog.
Not two seconds later, Severyn is swatting Ali away from me and looking down on me with fear in his eyes "oh my gosh! Lindsey are you okay!!??" "Get up" "Are you okay? Did you hit your head??"
Part of me wanted to answer "I'm fine, I just thought this would be quicker than actually walking down the stairs"...but another part of me (probably my tailbone) was screaming "Ouucccccch!!!"
Tears sprung to my eyes and I just laid there.
I told Sev not to move me while I wiggled my toes, tried to push up on my arms and twisted my head from side to side. In the end, with the help of Severyn, I climbed to my feet.
My butt hurt, my back hurt, my head hurt and my left arm hurt. My left hand was bleeding from my efforts of trying to cling to the cast iron wall piece.
I was a mess.
Thankfully, I decided later, that the towel I had wrapped around my wet hair, had actually provided a bit of protection from the stairs...as I did manage to hit every one of them with the back of my head on the way down.

Severyn, who had been sitting on the couch and witnessed the entire thing, said all he had time to see was a white blur (I had on a white sweatshirt) come crashing down from top of the stairs, by the time he looked I was already under the table.

After I realized I would be just fine, I started to laugh...I mean, how comical it must have been to bare witness to my stair tumbling act. It brought back memories of the times I would convince my brother to climb into moms laundry basket and then let me push him, head over heels, down the stairs to our basement...."cummmonnnn Chris! Just do it! Let me push you down the stairs, it will be fun, like a roller coaster ride!!"

Today, I'm sore. I hurt. I can hardly sit down.
Daddy always said "payback is painful".
Last night, I learned that lesson while staring up at the bottom of my dining room table.

I'm Simply Wrote Out

I am loving my creative writing class.
Loving every second of it.
I now carry an entirely different bag, along with my purse, filled to the brim with notebooks, pens, highlighters, pencils, my nook, a clip board, small slips of paper and my net book.
I'm a writing fiend.
I simply can't get enough of it. Crazy plots, characters, dialogue and ideas are constantly streaming through my mind.
Until....
I sit down to write a quick blog post.

BLANK

That's what my mind does. It's like it just shuts down.
I guess it could be a form of writers block, only...I have no problem writing anything and everything else.

It's such a rush writing.
I love having others critique my work, I'm learning so much...and when I get a "oh my gosh, that's phenomenal you need to run with this idea!" or "keep it up, I love this"....I'm literally on a writers high! It's fun, rewarding, challenging and keeps my creativity flowing.

Then it comes time to jot a little something down, to keep up with my blog and...
I think I'm simply wrote out!

I'm so glad it's Friday!!

Always The One With An Active Imagination

My creative writing class started yesterday!
Really?
Okay, I realize if you read this blog, then you already know I started class yesterday...considering it's all I've blogged about in my past few entries.
Moving on.

So far, after day one, I love it!
It's more about the practice of writing and how to separate the creative mind from the critical mind.
Ha! and I thought I was the only one that had different voices constantly clattering, crashing and clashing around in my mind!
Alas, it turns out, I'm not the only one.

The first assignment was to introduce ourselves.
Easy enough.
After reading my fellow students introductions, it got me thinking about what it is I like about writing.

I'm still not sure!

All I know is that, from a very early age, I've always had a VERY active imagination. I always have a cast of characters running rampant in my mind, or some plot unfolding in my day dreams. I also found, again at an early age, that I liked the way writing evoked feelings from the reader. I wrote poems for friends and family to make them smile or laugh or just to make them remember a time that we shared together. For fathers day one year, I wrote a poem for my dad. I remember sitting patiently, waiting for him to open my framed "masterpiece" and read my words out loud. I couldn't wait to see him read the words that I had worked to piece together to show my admiration, gratitude and love for my dad. The moment came, he read my work out loud, my mother cried (they do that, moms, they cry at anything their children create from the heart...I've learned this over the years), my dad smiled and I was beaming with pride.
Just a few months ago, I was visiting my parents, and I happened to be sitting upstairs in my dads home office. We were chatting...well, to be honest I'm sure I was doing all of the chatting, I tend to do that (me!? yeah it's hard to imagine, huh!?)....I glanced over his meticulously organized bookshelf and spotted the framed poem, displayed beside a few other trinkets dad deems important enough to keep on display. It made me smile and it made me realize that it didn't matter if I was a great writer. It only matters that I do what I enjoy and maybe along the way, for brief moments in time, I can make someone smile, laugh, cry, or think.
I don't write because I'm a word master.
I write because it's fun.
I don't blog because I think anyone with access to the world wide web should know (or heaven forbid, agree with) what I think.
I blog because it's a creative outlet for me and maybe, as a reader, you'll appreciate (even if just a snidbit) my crazy, sometimes random, imagination.


Toodles!
I'm off to write the REALLY JUICY stuff in my PRIVATE journal!
Ha! I kid...I'm pretty much an open book and what the heck could I have that would be considered "juicy" ;-)

I Knew There Was a Reason

In the process of getting my office organized for 2011, I opened my box of old college notebooks and began to sort through them.
I tend to do this once a year.
I pull them out, dust them off, reminisce...decide that there is really no point in keeping them...only to put them back in the box and stuff them back in the attic.

Well, as I was doing the above, this past weekend, I came across my old Creative Writing notebook.

I actually enjoyed sitting down and reading the bits and pieces I wrote for the class and decided I could probably benefit from keeping that particular notebook out and referring to it for my class that starts...TOMORROW! eek.

I knew there was a reason I was such a pack rat when it came to keeping old college notebooks!

It even gave me a little boost of confidence as I read the comments my previous professor had noted on each of my writings.

I think I'm ready to be a student again.

Swamped!

I'm swamped at work...and I'm waiting to go completely under, no return in site.
Until then, I'm still chugging along and treading water.

My writing class starts next Wednesday! I'm very excited and starting to get a tad nervous!
I've been jotting down writing ideas all week, so hopefully I'll be a prepared student on my first day.
Yes! I realize that sounded dorky.

I'm not sure what I felt Monday morning when I got the call that there would be NO WORK....due to SNOW!!
WHAT?? A snow day? Are we even allowed to have those as an adult?
I won't lie, it was one pretty sweet day of being L-A-Z-Y.

We were also told to come in at noon on Tuesday and then I couldn't have been happier when I was told that on Wednesday I would get to sleep in AGAIN and come in at 10!
It was nice.

Then I was told that I will need to make some work time up by staying later and...
reporting to work at 7am this Saturday morning....way to ruin my good Snow day mood.

Oh well, guess being an adult really ISN'T all it's cracked up to be.

Investment Numero Uno

So, in order to follow my own advice and "invest in myself", I came up with a list.

First, I came up with a list of things that interest me.
This took me awhile and required a lot of paper, lots of things interest me.
I enjoy learning and trying new ideas.
I tried to narrow the list down into things that were really interesting enough to spend my (limited) free time on.

Then from that list, I came up with a list of things that I want to try to accomplish in 2011.

Then, I sat back, closed my eyes, took my index finger and randomly placed it down on top of my list

"THIS is what I will start with! This is what I'll try first!"

I opened my eyes, I was full of enthusiasm as I glanced down at my first "investment" endeavor.

"Bring it on!"

My finger was on the bottom left portion of the page.
My list didn't extend into that area.

"Figures"

So I took my list to the computer and sat down to do a little bit of research.
I guess if I wasn't going to pick my first "investment" blindly...I was going to have to make an educated decision.

I finally concluded that my first endeavor will be to work on my writing skills.
Skills?
Okay, so I'm not 100% confident that I even possess the "power of the pen", a way with words, or the skills to succeed.
All of heaven knows I don't have a lick of grammatical or spelling sense,
but dang it, I have fun when I write.
I've kept journals, notebooks, a diary, word documents, and this blog for years.
It's a creative outlet for me.


I signed up for a creative writing class today at my local community college.
I start this month.

Investment Number One: Write more.

I'm SO, VERY Excited!

and for absolutely no reason, what-so-ever.
I'm just happy.
I have been telling myself that 2011 was going to be a good year, MY year! Great things are going to happen this year, wonderful, happy, fun, interesting, different THINGS are going to happen.
Nope, I can't see into the future. Nope, I have no clue what tomorrow will bring. Nope, I don't have some, off the wall, perfectly thought out, plan of adventure that I'm about to partake on...unless you consider the plan that I do have all of the above.
My plan for 2011 is to just BE HAPPY and to INVEST in myself!

I jotted this quote down in my Moleskin (that's a journal for you non "journaling" people..I just felt super important and cooler than I really am by saying "Moleskin") yesterday and thought I would share.
So I shared it with Severyn.
Severyn laughed at me and then said "I've heard that before, where did you copy that from?!".
Well...I don't care if he laughed and for his information I did not copy from anyone or anywhere...I just thought about it and it made sense and I decided it was Moleskin worthy material, ha!

So...because this year I have decided not to care about what ANYONE says or thinks, because I have promised myself that I am NO LONGER going to allow myself to fear failure, and because I've decided that 2011 is going to be MY YEAR.....here is my quote:

"The secret to success is investing in yourself...then getting others to buy into you"

I'm dedicating 2011 a year of investing in myself.

We'll see where this year takes me!

AAAAAAhh chooo

I was trying to think of a title and could NOT stop sneezing...so I found the above appropriate ;-)


Lately I have been:

WORKING my hiney off! If the economy is doing bad...my company has yet to catch wind of that! (please note this is NOT a complaint!)

On a tapioca pudding diet. Well...pudding, jello, chicken noodle soup, and ...basically anything mushy diet. It's the only thing I feel like eating with this lovely little cold I have.

Going through an entire box of puff plus (with lotion) a day! Yuck!!

Trying to organize my house for the start of the new year! It's a work in progress.

Reading on my new NookColor....LOVE it!!! I can hardly put it down. I don't know what took me so long to finally come around to the hand held reading device idea.

Researching classes offered at my local technical college. I've decided that I'm going to register for a new and exciting class to take this year! It's a small treat for myself...YEAH! I'm THAT girl, the one that really loved school and dreams about going back....so much so that I'm willing to take a class just for fun! Ohhhh if only my highschool self could see me now.



okay...well that is all I've got for now. The pile of work on my desk is starting to block my view, I better get back at it.

Like Death Warmed Over

THAT is exactly how I feel!!!

UGH.

Not exactly how I wanted to start this new year...but what do you know? Here I am, nose stuffy one minute and the next I can't find enough tissues. One minute I'm coughing my head off, the next I can't see straight I'm sneezing so hard.

Yuck.



Regardless of how I feel welcoming in 2011, I am positive this is going to be a good year!
I have my list of resolutions, maybe I'll get around to posting them later...
if I survive the first week.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

"The Grinch hated Christmas - the whole Christmas season. Now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small." or maybe, he knew not how to bake and no one had ever gifted him with his very own cake!!! (yeah, I went there, haha)

~*~~*~MERRY CHRISTMAS FELLOW CAKE LOVERS~*~~*~

(I have more pictures and will update later, I just didn't want to let too much time pass before I shared my latest creation...I wasn't wanting to wait on Christmas, you know ;) )

***If anyone can spot the picture that is just a little off, something just isn't quite right, post a comment and show off just how observant you are!***

I'm glad it's Friday

because I'm tired.

I'm always tired, but that is besides the point...I think I have low iron, again, besides the point.
I'm tired because I stayed up entirely too late working on a cake.
Then I crawled out of bed (after hitting the snooze button no less than nine times) and spent the morning stuffing Christmas cards into envelopes, addressing and stamping each one.
No, not my Christmas cards, I don't do Christmas cards...not that I don't think they are lovely, they are...but they take up too much time.
They also cause nasty paper cuts!
and dry hands...
I have both now, nasty paper cuts on my fingers and dry hands!
However, last night, before I started on my cake, I painted my finger nails a pretty taupeish/greyish..maybe even slightly purpleish color. So at least my nails looked nice while I stuffed envelopes.

(please ignore the random website in the bottom corner of that picture...It was the first image that popped up when I googled the color)

That's it, that's all I've got...have a happy Friday! I hope it's loaded with Holiday cheer and no Christmas card stuffing!

I can't think of a good title...

but I wanted to share a link to a National Geographic documentary that Sev and I watched last night (you can order it off of Netflix if you're interested).
It was....humbling, eye opening, heart wrenching....I can't think of how to describe it.
http://movies.nationalgeographic.com/movies/restrepo

I won't go much into it, in case you have the guts to watch it, but ya'll...it brought back so many fears, memories, and feelings. As I sat and watched, my stomach churning, I glanced over at Sev and it hit me "what is HE thinking??".
Most everyone knows that Sev spent over two years of his life as an infantry soldier in Iraq. Sometimes I wonder what he saw and experienced that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. Thankfully, Sev was blessed with the type of personality that the Army needs and he was able to carry out his time in the service with little to no signs of PTSD, but after watching this movie...I can't imagine how hard it is to be a soldier in the United States Army. The things they see, smell, taste, feel, remember and try to forget.

I've watched a few different documentaries, movies and clips featuring deployed soldiers, but this one by far hit the hardest.

If you get the chance to watch it, let me know what you think! I promise you will gain an even greater appreciation for our veterans. I'm sure some will think this is too graphic and many will probably say it should not have been shown on national TV, I personally wish everyone in America was required to watch documentaries like these. This is not "the movies" there is no sugar coating, this is real life.

Here is a brief description found on the National Geographic website:
"RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo". It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you."


and

"The war in Afghanistan has become highly politicized, but soldiers rarely take part in that discussion. Our intention was to capture the experience of combat, boredom and fear through the eyes of the soldiers themselves. Their lives were our lives: we did not sit down with their families, we did not interview Afghans, we did not explore geopolitical debates. Soldiers are living and fighting and dying at remote outposts in Afghanistan in conditions that few Americans back home can imagine. Their experiences are important to understand, regardless of one's political beliefs. Beliefs are a way to avoid looking at reality. This is reality."

~Remember, we live in the home of the Free because of the Brave~

EXHAUSTED!

I'm back from Texas!
I arrived at noon today!! Finally! It has been a longggg 24+ hours.
We had the best time, spending time with family and meeting our brand new nephew. He is a doll and it was very hard to leave him...maybe that's why I ended up staying an extra day!? (not really, I had NO intention of staying an extra day).

Sev and I took two different flights to and from Houston this past weekend. He flew from Raleigh, NC and I flew from Charlotte, NC (long story, I'll spare you).
His return flight home was scheduled for Monday, he made it home safe and sound.
My return flight home was scheduled for Tuesday, I...just now made it home...it's Wednesday.

At 4am on Tuesday morning I crawled out of bed, packed my belongings, dressed, kissed my nephew goodbye and headed for the airport. We knew something wasn't right the second we pulled into line at the airport, the line was long. I jumped out of the car, grabbed my bags and high tailed it to the check-in counter. I stood in line. I made it to the front of the line. My bag was two pounds over weight, ugh. I fumbled with the zipper and removed the first two items I could grab, my hair straightener and a blouse. I was handed my boarding pass and off I ran to the Security line.
I waited.
I waited.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the next.
I waited.
I checked the clock.
I waited.
Oh my word, I have NEVER stood in a security line this long.
I made it! I tried to rush through security, but you don't RUSH through security by any means...and you don't try and rush through security with your jacket on either. I learned this the hard way.
I had my bags, I was running.
My gate was the last gate in the terminal, the one at the FAR end of the hall.
I dodged, swerved, apologized and ran all the way to my gate.
The door was closed.
I missed my flight.
I was not the only one to miss the flight, whatever the hold up was in security had caused a good handful of passengers to miss that flight.
I waited until they could find me another flight.
I was booked to leave at 10:45am, it was 6am.
My sister-in-law insisted she come and take me to breakfast. After breakfast I went through the whole ordeal all over again (only I gave myself more time to get through security-the line was still beyond ridiculous) I finally made it to the end of the security line, only to have the lady checking my id stop me in my tracks, look me in the eyes and say "and who is ceicilia?"
"huh?!" I don't have time for this! I've got a plane to catch!
Again she says "where is ceicilia??"
I want to cry.
She holds up my boarding pass and shows me the name printed across the top, I read it "Ceicilia Jones". Now I'M asking "WHO is Ceicilia!!??"
I explained that the boarding pass had been given to me earlier that morning, at the gate, when I had missed my first flight.
I was escorted back to the ticket counter and then, for a third time, made my way through security.
I made my way through the metal detectors, grabbed my bags, pulled one arm into my jacket, I pulled my shoes on while I ran for my gate.
My flight was delayed.
I was now scheduled to depart at 12:41pm.
I sat down and started to make myself comfortable.
"Any passengers with final destination to Charlotte, NC please make your way to the counter"
I made my way to the front counter.
I am told that my connecting flight from Atlanta to Charlotte has been cancelled and all though they now have me a flight out of Houston and arriving into Atlanta at 1pm, I have to wait in Atlanta until the next available flight to Charlotte, which...is at 11:30pm.
This would have me arriving to Charlotte around 1 in the morning, only to have to drive all the way to Columbia.
I made the decision to stay in Houston for the night and just catch the first available flight out in the morning.
I woke up at 3:30am this morning. I felt a bit like I was trapped in that movie ground hogs day.
Only this time I made my flight!
Only to sit on the plane for 45 minutes past original take off due to FROST!!
I still managed to make my flight out of Atlanta and land in Charlotte on time (only a day later).
My checked bag, which made the flight that I had missed yesterday morning, was waiting for me.

Here I sit, at work, after I rushed down I-77 after landing a full day after I was originally scheduled to arrive.
I won't complain though, I got to spend an extra day with the sweetest, baby nephew in the world!
Pictures to come!
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!