As days go by...

Yes I realize that I haven't blogged in a month...a lot has been going on...

On August 25, 2010, Heaven gained one awesome angel. After my last post about my grandfather, it was a few days later that he went to be with his Heavenly Father. That week I did two of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I watched my grandfather take his last breath with his wife of 52 years holding his hand and his family surrounding him, and I spoke at his funeral. I miss him SO much. I still cry for him everyday (and I'm not a cryer), sometimes a couple of times a day, but I know that he's in a better place. I just can't wait to see him again! I see him in my dreams almost nightly; I never knew how bad this was going to effect me, but it has been really rough. I just put on my brave face and get through the day at work, but mornings and nights when I'm alone, it hits and it hits hard. Mom & Dad, it may be Thanksgiving before I come home...just not ready to do that yet because it won't be the same without him there. This picture of us was taken at a banquet for my brother when he was chosen as Peanut Farmer of the Year for the state of Florida. My brother is an awesome farmer and I know that he learned so much of it from my grandfather and my dad. He had to, because you don't learn how to farm from text books...it is truly something that is passed down generation to generation.

One thing I had to look forward to when I got back to work was a practice burn with the TFD!!! I LOVE THIS!! I really cannot fathom any adjectives that would do my emotions justice in regards to this!!! I like to think it's a way for me and Paw Paw to bond. He helped start the Volunteer Fire Dept at home...although, realistically, he helped put something into place to help prevent or put out fires....I like to start them and watch the flames engulf everything that surrounds it. It consumes structures like an empty stomach consumes items on a sweat and stop station (that's what I call food buffets). Guess the saying is true...Firemen keep it hotter! Side note: I said that to my Aunt Cathy and she was quick to inform me that my well drilling uncle would have no problem putting out those fires. LOL! And a special shout out to Tim...I think we make a great destructive team (although I think he gets concerned about how much enthusiasm I have for fire!)!

Last weekend, I traveled to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. That's right, WDE Baby!! It was great to be back on my old stomping ground. It has changed so much from last year when I was there. I'm ready to go back this weekend, and next!

Monday night I cooked Shrimp Creole for my cousin Ashley's birthday. It was good...I was really nervous about it though! I deleted my pictures I took with my camera phone because Ash took some with her real camera...I still haven't found my cord to my camera since I moved...a year ago! ugh!

Anyway, Bentley is doing great. We are almost house broken...I have also found that he LOVES carrots! Here is his preciousness waiting for a carrot!

So, that sums up the life of this Auburn loving, emotional wreck firebug this past month!

Grandpa, Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ole Days...

I heard this Judd's song on the way back to Thomasville tonight after being home this weekend to see grandfather. The following lines in the song are "Did lovers really fall in love to stay? Stand beside each other come what may? Was a promise something people kept, not just something they would say? Did families really bow their heads to pray? Did daddy's never go away?" I am very certain that PawPaw would say yes to all the above. Through thick and thin, good farm year and bad, he has been with my grandmother for over 52 years. As a great christian man, we all bow our heads to pray. Hearing my grandfather pray is one of the greatest sounds my ears have ever heard...as well as hearing him sing in church. Sure, he sings to his own tune and beat, but that's what I like to hear.

Ninety percent of my memories of my grandfather are from our farm in Alabama. We spent our summers in Dutch Bend and I have very vivid memories of that wonderful place that I will cherish forever. Riding the four-wheeler everywhere and going fishing or to the weird and scary cemetery that was in the middle of the woods. I never liked to go there alone, because it was spooky. Sometimes, PawPaw would go with me and we'd look at the grave stones from the early 1800's. We'd pick wild plums as we went across the very crooked bridge going over to the fish pond. I swear we only made it over that thing on a wing and a prayer! I remember sitting at the dinner table at my grandparent's trailer and leaning back to touch PawPaw's bald head as he sat in an old black vinyl chair that had duck tape all over it to cover up the rips and tears. He'd just laugh as I would touch his bald head and would tell me every time that he's always been bald cause he fell in a fire when he was younger. I guess that's true, I never questioned it. My favorite memory is from when I was in middle school. I, like all other middle school girls, stayed on the phone constantly. However, the main rule was if someone beeped in for my parents I had to get off. Especially if PawPaw called from Dutch Bend to talk to daddy. If PawPaw was up there, he called every night. I'd answer "hello?" and he'd say in his abrupt voice "let me talk to Brett" I'd simply say "OK." The person on the other line, which was usually Natalie, Amanda, or Ashley, probably never new what happened until they received the tone of silence from being hung up on. However, one particular night, he had just called to talk to daddy, so I knew the phone would be free. Yes! I thought, I can get back on the phone...only to have it beep again. Geeze, I thought..."Hello?" "Stacey" I heard in that familiar voice again. I said "hang on, I'll get daddy." Then he said what I can still heard today, clear as can be "No, I called to talk to you. I realized I haven't talked to you in a while so I wanted to see how you are doing."

As PawPaw continues to age, I still can see him as the gruff grandfather that I grew up with. He has changed over the years, and I'm sure Heath and I see him completely different that the other grandchildren (they have no clue), but as I tell my grandmother "he's my pawpaw!" no matter what he does! When I was still living in Walnut Hill, he'd tell me I needed to move away to a bigger city for more opportunities. One day, he stopped by my house to check on me and I had the classifieds out on my coffee table (I can't remember from where) and he saw it. He looked at me and asked if I was moving. I told him if I could find something decent I wouldn't mind moving away. His piercing blue eyes looked at me and he said "I know you need to, but I'm sure gonna miss you."

In January 2006, PawPaw wrote a little article and submitted it to our church's news letter. Of course, I kept it like I keep everything else of sentimental value, so I thought I'd share it.

"Thoughts of a Farmer"

In 1968, I began farming in Lowndes County, Alabama in a community called Dutch Bend. The land I farmed was on a creek bottom and had a very strong smell when it was plowed up after laying there all winter under water sometimes and wet all winter.

In March, and April, the trees and vegetation growth on the hills and along the creek would "come alive" from the winter's dormancy and it was my privilege to smell the greatest fragrance coming from those trees and plants as they put on new leaves and flowers that foretold another year of life.

As I worked my way across those fields, I was very aware of God's Creation. African Egrets (cow birds) would follow my tractor all day long searching for frogs, insects, and any other object they could swallow. Deer would graze along the edge of the hills and next to the creek. Some days I would see turkeys as they searched for food along the tree line and if I was real lucky I might see a gobbler strut and show his feathers as he tried to impress his lady friends.

God's creation was all around me in the day as it was no different at night. My mobile home was under a huge oak tree and I would sit on the deck at night and gaze into a night sky filled with the brightest stars a person could ever see because there was no man made lights around. you could feel that you were the only person on earth looking at a star filled sky that had no end. A full moon, coming up over the tree tops will be a memory that I carry forever.

A thunderstorm at night would turn that night sky into the darkest foreboding sky a person could ever see. Thunder in the bottom was very loud. It would roll down the creek bottom like a drum roll without end. It was just fade away. Lightening was very crisp and bright, breaking the night sky into many pieces before the sky would turn black again. The rain would be very loud on my mobile home and I would be happy or sad. It depended on what stage my crop was in.

All of the above was written with one thought in mind. On page 209 of the Baptist Hymn book is a song "My Lord is Near Me All the Time." Each time we sing that song my mind flashed back to all the things I've talked about. I've touched God's Creation, "I've heard it in the thunder, saw it in the lightning and felt it in the rain."

Little did I know that during this period of my life God was preparing me for what was to come later in life. I was growing in spirit and faith by His wondrous works all around me. As I lay in the hospital in Birmingham, AL, I knew that "My Lord is Near Me All the Time."

God is near us all the time. I know that I become to busy with the everyday things and forget that, but I am well aware of it tonight because as I type this blog entry, it is storming outside my window...how wonderful it is to hear the thunder, lightning and rain as I typed this. Nothing else could have made it any more perfect!

I love you PawPaw!!

Soaking up some sun!

Because I have an awesome co-worker who lives in the subdivision next to me, I don't have to do the gross public pool thing. Bentley and I spend both Saturday and Sunday at the pool with them. At first, Bentley was a little sketchy of the water, but then I taught him to swim the same way my parents taught me...you get in and you sink or you swim! However, today he did almost sink. He was goofing off on the edge and fell in. It took me a little while to get to him! It's been a bad week for him...I also dropped him on his head on Friday...oh well!

Where is he now??? Asleep!

Bentley

Last weekend, Bentley was brought to Georgia! At 6.5 weeks old, this little Scottish Terrier has already found his way into my heart... before I get to enthralled into his cuteness, here is what the other dogs in my life have to say about him...

JR and Brutus (Ashley and Joseph's puppies) are thrilled that there is another pup around. Brutus has taken Bentley under his wing and trys to hug and squeeze him to death...literally, we have to watch him! JR is more of an observer and will eventually come around...hopefully!

Oscar (Ashley and Joseph's older dog) is just happy I have some other poor sole to drag around Cherokee Lake in the afternoons...this picture was from lap two (one lap is about 1.25 miles) and he had enough!

Dixie (Heath's dog) has yet to meet him, but I think the note says it all! :)

Now on to his preciousness...so far he has been a good little dog. Hasn't whined too much and we've only had a few little bathroom oopsies...otherwise, he has been really good about going outside. Although it could be my neat freakness of taking him out every hour so he doesn't have an accident! Here are a few more pictures...

I think he dreams of being "Wonder Dog"

"Mommy wears me out with this 'lets go outside and pee pee thing'"

Back in Black...cause I have too much grey...

Yes, that's right...another birthday has come and gone! Number 27 is in the books! This was my first birthday in GA and my awesome cousin made it wonderful...here is a sneak peek of that lovely evening in Georgia...

Ashley had a gorgeous table scape complete with a fresh arrangement of flowers! Absolutely beautiful! She and I share a passion of cooking and cookbooks...well, its really more I like getting cookbooks and she likes to cook... I'll cook on occasion, but it's no fun when you're cooking for one! Anyway, she cooked Grits a Ya Ya from the Pensacola Jr League cookbook and my grandmother's recipe for pound cake for dessert which was topped with home made whipped cream and strawberries and blueberries. Even tho Rachel Ray annoys me, I'm going to quote her "Yum-O!"

As if that wasn't enough, she surprised me with a wonderful gift bag of the following...

A robe and cosmetic bag with my initials (you all know I love my initials! My mom did a great job naming me...my initials monogram beautifully, I think!) and as a gag gift, a new brush...Ashley hates my old brush (notice I said old because I don't use it anymore since I have this one!) Just because it didn't have any knobs on the ends of the bristles and it would scratch you if you weren't careful, she didn't like it! I thought it felt good on my scalp! Anyway, it was a great night and Ashley, thank you again, I love you!

You can see more pictures from this night on Ashley's blog www.j-and-abryan.blogspot.com

Bentley's BIRTH day

On March 24, 2010, a handsome new creature was brought into this world...Bentley! Bentley is a Scottish Terrier and he will be ready to leave his home in South Carolina in May! I image it will be a long road trip! He is so precious...although, I already feel I am a horrible mother. I went to the website, http://southcarolinascotties.com/, to look at the new pictures (which is where this picture came from), and I was looking at the wrong puppy! I didn't notice that our dogs were listed under our name instead of above it! Of course, I am going to blame it on my phone since I was looking at the website via my black berry.

Another Rainy Day in Gawga!

I've been cooped up in my apartment all day, and I am about to go nuts! It's rainy out, so I have not gone anywhere today. Didn't even go to church. It's now 4pm, I'm brewing my second pot of coffee and still in my pajamas. Productive, I know! This past week was a busy week! Monday, I prepared to be gone, work wise, for the rest of the week. On Tuesday, around 9:30, I left for Marietta for a conference. I got back on Friday afternoon, just in time to have a fish supper with my co-worker and his family. Those Catholics can cook!

I did learn lots at my conference. Sadly, I think that this job may turn into my dream job...I was sitting in my Safety Tactics class and they were telling us to always know our escape paths and how/where we would go for cover/safety. Great, I thought to myself...I do this when I go anywhere...Walmart, Target, work, anywhere! Then I thought, why am I doing a job where I have to plan my escape routes, and where steel toed boots instead of cute peep toed heels? Oh well, it pays the bills! I made friends with a group of guys from a few towns north of me. I was sitting with them at the dinner banquet on Thursday night, when one asked "Stacey, what type of gun do you carry?" Apparently, I am in the minority of the gun toting CEO's. I just sweetly smiled, pointed to my biceps and replied "this kind!" I thought he was going to fall out of his chair. He then made me say "will you please cut your grass?" like 20 times...apparently he liked my accent. He was also shocked to find out that I have yet to take anyone to court. He couldn't believe that the majority of folks around here do what I ask. There are those few that are probably about to go to court, but for the most part, I work with good citizens. I am also so very lucky for the LEO's here. They help me out so much! I did get his business card though! He told me if I needed anything to let him know. Networking is so fun!

Saturday, not bright, but still early, I went with Duane, Carolyn and their kids to do the Heritage 5K Walk in town. Had a blast! Good thing Carolyn and I started walking 3 miles a few weeks back every afternoon! Afterward, I had another neighborhood watch meeting. The LEO's here put them on, and when they ask, I attend.

Next weekend, Ash and I are meeting our moms at the beach for some fun in the sun! Hopefully, it will be sunny!