Grant Skating....

Some fairly good shots of Grant and friends skating in the back drive from the other night. I've uploading just about all that I took knowing that these boys probably all have myspace and don't often get good photos of themselves skating and this would be a good place for them to copy and paste them at their sites. This is Tyler Graham below.

This is Grant..

Below is Christian....

Camping at Julian Price

Camping at Julian Price Lake

Julian Price Lake and Campground is just off the Blueridge Parkway in Watauga County.

Friends Tony and Sandy Hayes and John Corneck joined us Saturday night for stories by the campfire.

Grant and Marina played games with Olivia and Mel.

My sissy Mel

Brother Jim cooking us breakfast.

Canoeing on the lake. Very peaceful and relaxing!

A good photo of Marina!

Jim

My Jug. Like the new goatee?

Wonder what tall tale Jug's telling here?

Our campsite

We brought Gabby along and left the other pets at home since they're trained to the invisible fence and Gabby isn't. She did pretty well but keeping her tied was a pain! Here she's wrapping herself around the chair.....

And succeeds in thoroughly tangling herself!

Knocking the chair over and tickling Olivia!

Great trip. Great break. We had so much fun! Olivia, Jug, Jim and I actually stayed on an extra day we so didn't want the magical weekend to end! Here's to more camping! We played games almost constantly! Had some great Shanghai Rummy matches.

Updating

Hello, hello, hello! Too much going on to even begin to update! Our lives are changing...and it's a bit overwhelming!! Trying very hard to be positive, optimistic and hopeful and to stay in the moment and not worrying, stressing about tomorrow! Why ruin today with worry and anxiety when what you might be worrying about never happens? That's what I keep reminding myself. These days, here today, may prove to be the best days of our lives!! Here Jug and I are finally working together, something we've always wanted to do and Jug is HOME, not traveling!! So I swear, I'm going to just relax and enjoy it!!!!

My camera came yesterday from Canon's repair center. So when Jug and I got home yesterday from going to do an estimate, there was our Miss O lying in the front yard reading so happily and contentedly! She's rereading Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear but only for the third time!!

Hey--did you hear the one about the codependent wife? Each morning she wakes her husband and asks how him how she's going to feel that day! My codependent friends will get this one!!






I couldn't help but be reminded of my mother when I see this photo. She LOVED to read and would have done nothing else if she wasn't also such a perfectionist! She was very disciplined and would only allow herself pleasurable activities AFTER she'd done her work/chores. Shame I'm not more like that!! And lastly I'll say: Olivia: my mama would have loved you so much--would have been so proud of you!!

Updating

Photo above from our trip to Carova, NC last June. Olivia had just gotten Gabby--she was about six weeks old.

I haven't had much time lately to blog or upload photos---so much going on!! Another reason is that I sent off my Canon camera, flash and all lenses for service on the 20th and it's not come back yet....and that prevents me from being able to take any new photos.

Our little business "Painters by Design" has us completely consumed too. We have our first project and we're excited and a bit overwhelmed too! We're planning to spend the next several days making sample boards demonstrating different techniques. Just very, very busy!!

Olivia and gal pals are home!!!!!!!!!!! They arrived late yesterday afternoon (Friday)!! They just had a fabulous time. And this mama is so very relieved they're home safe and sound! She has about 1000 photos! I'm going to show her how to upload the highlights or the trip and she'll blog here. So more later!!

Our New Business

Finally! Selecting a name for our business proved to be, at the least challenging, and at most impossibly difficult! I went to an online site that recommended listing adverbs and adjectives that described what you do and started with that. Talked with my aunt Dawn, friends Lisa Factor and Linda Zinger and Michelle, all for advice and suggestions. Then combining what everyone suggested, we came up with Painters by Design. Got several strikingly beautiful graphics to choose from just by doing a "paint" search in Microsoft Publisher. Jug and I, and everyone else really liked this warm, inviting, vintage door frame. Well, this is the business card for now!

We've been so very encouraged by the reaction so far to our little painting business. Folks in the know about construction tell us that it is very hard to find good painters. Seems the really good ones stay so busy that it's nearly impossible to get them and the not so good ones--poor quality work or are unreliable, are available but no one really wants to hire them! We plan to be of the best quality--of course, and are optimistic we'll be very busy!!

We're planning to make the rounds today to all the real estate, construction, and insurance companies ....that sort of thing. Will be placing ads in local papers if we feel it necessary. Just kinda thinking we may have more work than can do just by word of mouth. Pays to know people! And Jug's good reputation doesn't hurt!!

We have a new email address for the business: paintersbydesign@hughes.net and I made a blog just for the business http://www.paintersbydesign.blogspot.com/ where we'll post photos of our work and testimonials from happy customers!! Nothing's there yet...but I'll keep you posted!!

Life is just good....

We're content

We're optimistic

We've energy to spare

Everything happens how it is supposed to,

when it's supposed to!

We see what we're meant to see,

when we're meant to see it!

Yeah, life is just good!!

Fall Mountain Retreat

My friend Sandy sent me a link to the Fall Mountain Housecleaning Retreat. I'm so excited about this! It's October 2-5, 2008. Above is a photo I lifted from their site:

http://www.fallmountainretreat.com/

I love that it's for EVERYone--men, women, AA, NA, Al-Anon, just everyone. I've been to an Al-Anon women's retreat and loved it; it has it's place but having the opportunity to go off to the magnificent mountains of our beloved North Carolina WITH ALL my 12-step family is tremendously exciting! It'll be a like a huge family vacation if a bunch of us from Wilkes and Watauga all go.

For more info, please visit the site. But quickly its--

October 2-5, 2008

$240 per person (and I'm assuming that includes meals??)

Hinton Rural Life Center

2330 Hinton Center Road

Hayesville, NC 28904

Hayesville is 35 miles south of Franklin and 100 miles south of Asheville.

The retreat includes "excellent speakers, oldtimers panel, small breakout meetings, circle of love, short workshops, and 'free time'. "

"Our break out discussion meetings focus on steps 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12. The retreat centers on 'God as you understand Him' and our goal is to provide an environment that will allow you to enhance your conscience contact with 'God as you understand Him'."

Visit the site for all the info................ http://www.fallmountainretreat.com/

Life is Just Good....

BIG, HUGE NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this photo of me and Jug. One of my all-time favorites. Date is somewhere between, I'd say 2000-2002, at the Finley house and it was a family gathering. It just so clearly represents how my husband makes me feel....cherished, happy, content. He makes me laugh. He makes me slow down and appreciate everything. So I upload this photo and then tell you a story.....


I think we're embarking on a new and wonderful phase of our lives. It's all about to change big time! And it feels just huge. I'll just copy and paste most of my journal entry here...just explains it all..... and delete the too personal stuff!!

Journal Entry May 24, 2008 (in part):



BIG HUGE RELIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m shown again how much my writing everyday, identifying and expressing my feelings is so helpful in my life…provides me with focus and the ability to then express my feelings to others! Man, it is so huge! So very, very helpful.

(deleted text)


Then we were able to really talk. And I just told him with great emotion, tears welling up, that he absolutely, I just knew it in my heart, be away working 300 days a year (explanation: Jug's contract with major home improvement company was not renewed in December and another contractor had expressed great interest in hiring Jug. He met with this fellow yesterday and learned what earning potential was and how much he'd have to work--300 days a year!! That's working away from home six weeks and home one week!!) I told him I knew it would kill him. And I do know that. He would die. I knew he could not work that hard--68 hours a week for six weeks at a stretch away from home, away from me, away from his support system and survive. Somehow, the universe has given me this knowledge and I am thankful for it. I also realized that no matter what, no matter if we lose our place, I’d rather have my husband than all the money in the world. We’d make it work. We just had to. I showed him how we could trim the budget—(deleted text) And he saw how we could get by on so much less. He saw that it was possible and together we decided on a painting business for him. I’m still going to look for part-time, temporary hygiene just until he gets busy enough to need me to help him and us do without my hygiene income—that’s what we’re hoping anyway.

I cannot properly express how very relieved we both are/were with making this decision. Jug has expressed his heart-felt relief more than a couple times since yesterday morning. Just knowing he never has to leave home again—he said he didn’t realize how much it was always weighing on him—trying not to think about it, trying to just enjoy being home, but leaving was always in the back of his mind, ever present—kinda like a dark cloud looming just off to the side and now it’s gone!! For the first time in ten years!! It’s gone!!

I know too that hearing me say to him that I choose my husband over material comforts was huge for him. Hearing me say his health and happiness were more important to me that anything….what a gift. Goes without saying that feeling that way about him is a gift too—to love someone like I do him, it’s a gift and I’m so very grateful for having this love--this lifetime!!

Our lives will change. And change is always hard. But with this internal knowledge that we have definitely made the right choice, we’ll be fine. We’ll be just fine…all is well…. My faith has returned! I just know that the business will be there and we’ll be fine. And I know that if we just take it one step at a time and not lose our focus on today, we can manage through whatever we have to! If it turns out that we can’t pay everything, if we get way behind and the house is foreclosed, we’ll be okay! We will survive. It’ll be hard as hell but we’ll have each other!! And god knows I’d so rather have him than a nice place!!

And Grant and Olivia will now have jobs! Grant can stop looking and begging folks to hire him. He’ll earn way more working for us than he’ll even need. And just think of how life-changing it can be for them to work together! Having that quality time with his daddy!! And Livvie too when she’s home.

So I had lunch with (deleted text) yesterday and got us our first job! ______ has one (or two—can’t remember) rooms that need painting!! Yay!! And _____ said to be sure and call ______—a contractor that has told her that he cannot keep good painters. Then when I went by the store and told Annie Huffman (she works for Michelle some) about it, she said the same thing about her dad, Randy Huffman (he’s a contractor too). So there ya go! Great start.

It’s just all going to be fine. I am more hopeful than I’ve ever been!

And I realize that we’re to thank the Universe for (major home improvement company) letting go of Jug!!!! We’d never been given this opportunity to see Jug’s great potential if he hadn’t been home these months and thrived like he has and given us the ability to see that!! To see that it was even possible for him to be as happy and content (even in light of our difficulties these last months) as he has been! It’s just huge. It’s life-changing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our lives will never be the same!!!

I cherish my husband. I told him yesterday that we were like in a symbiotic relationship. We so enhance, nurture and cultivate the best in each other and that neither of us could have reached our potentials without this. And it’s so true. His love for me has fed me the necessary nutrients to grow, thrive, and blossom. And I for him. God, it’s just a beautiful thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND I AM THE LUCKIEST WOMEN IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ITS ALL GOOD

ALL IS SO VERY WELL………………

No more cookouts and gatherings, holidays without my husband! Another thing I just said yesterday: Jug you have to help me figure out how I’m going to get the tiller to the new garden space…oh, you’ll be home to do that!! No more weekends playing games with the kids without Jug!! No more lonely nights sleeping without him! OMG!!!! ---end journal entry.

So that pretty well sums it up! It really wasn't a hard decision to make--because it's the ONLY decision that could be made. It's scary--will there be enough business? But I keep in my mind that Jug can do absolutely anything to do with construction, he's very versatile, knowledgeable, so if there's not enough painting business he can do other things.

The circumstances have just occurred as they were meant to in the time frame it needed to....we saw and understood what we needed to when we were meant to..... Ain't living and learning just supposed to be this way? I love, I appreciate, the journey of living....loving....

Jug has already said this morning...."Kim, we know what's important. We know that what makes a home is who's in it, family, those we love. We can have a home anywhere. This (our home) is just a place." And when you can see like that....well, it just a huge relief. It's like we've been set free. I've known intimately others that have gone through similar difficulties and they tell me how freeing it is and how it truly demonstrates what's really important in life, in living.

Life is just good. It's just very good! And thank you listeners for listening to my ramblings.....

Young Gladys

A Tribute to My Mother:

Gladys Irene Lovette Trivette Hudson

February 8, 1929--September 16, 1990

It's been 17 years since my mom left us, and still yet, not a day goes by that I don't think of her.

So many things I wish I could ask her about. How I wish she was here. How I wish she knew my children.

Mama was a tiny thing--probably about 5'3" at most, and small-framed. Of course when I was growing up I compared myself to her physically and thought of myself as an Amazon woman!! She was so tiny, petite, and fragile, and I considered this to be so feminine. So if I was big-boned with huge man-hands and feet, then I must not be feminine! She remained small and slight all her life and developed pretty severe osteoporosis (but early onset) in her later years. I remember one birthday surprise celebration we had for her up at Olin Reeves' farmhouse in Alleghany county. In my enthusiasm, I hugged her so hard I cracked one of her ribs!

Mama used to tell me that her all-time favorite thing to do when she was a youngster was to take a blanket and a book and lay under a shady tree and spend the entire day carried away into another world. She read avidly all her life. Other interests included gardening, (especially wildflowers) needlework, cooking, oldie movies, astronomy, science, psychology. She subscribed to Psychology Today, Time and TV Guide! She never ceased to learn.

When Daddy died in 1987, Mama began to spend a lot more time watching TV to keep herself occupied. And she was no longer able to see well enough to do any needlework--at least that's what she said, she may just have no longer had the interest. But I remember so well how she'd record all the movies she was watching, especially from Turner Classics, and she'd share the cassettes with three movies each on them, with me. She'd write the title, date, actors, description, and then also give her critique. At the time (1987-1990) Jug, Olivia and I lived up on the lake and had very poor reception and could only tune in like 2 and a half channels! So I greatly appreciated Mama's movie tapes.

Do we ever not miss our parents? Probably not. Damn, I'm tearing up. Probably hormones!

Mama left us in 1990, and she was only 61 years old. She wasn't ever very robust. She smoked heavily all her life until she was finally able to quit about three years before she died, but it was way too late. She used Nicorette gum and became addicted to it!! Back then it was prescription only, and she'd have her friends and family get a prescription, and she'd buy it from them!!

She started struggling with her breathing when she was about 50--and I can date that because I remember her walking with Jug and me on our land at the lake and her having just a bit of breathlessness. And by the time she was in her mid 50's she was using a nebulizer and a portable "breathing machine" (as she called it) and toted it with her everywhere she went.

She was also hunched over with osteoporosis and was in constant pain. She used to tell me that the only position she could get relief was laying on her back in the bed, but she absolutely refused to allow herself that relief until 10 pm precisely! She said she was afraid that if she went to bed any sooner in the day she would just never get up again.

I want to never forget one of the last great memories I have of her. It was the summer before she died in September of 1990. Mel was home visiting with both her children. After we got them and Olivia asleep for the night, the three of us piled up on Mama's bed and watched Driving Miss Daisy together. I don't know--it was just a great memory and I cherish it. She loved that movie!!

As I get older, I hear a lot that I remind people of Mama. They'll say it just out of the blue, and then say it was just my body language or how I moved my arms or the turn of my head, that sort of thing. I hear it from Dawn a lot. I like that. I like it that I remind anyone of my mother. She was a difficult woman--often harsh, but regardless of that, I admired her so much! Mama suffered horribly from debilitating major depression much of her life and that probably could account for the harshness and irritability. She did find significant relief from her condition, oh, I'd like to say about a year before she died, using one of the then new anti-depressants (Prozac, I think). Mel and I both remember how much she would talk that last summer before she died. She just was a little motormouth and told us so many stories and tales! We loved it--it was a gift.

That's Mama on the right. She was the oldest of six children. That's her father Austin Henry Lovette (1905-1950) and sisters Madge (left) and Fern. The other sibs were Pug, Jap and Dawn. Mama absolutely adored her father, and she never spoke of him to us that her devotion wasn't evident. He died so young, 45, and it just devastated his family leaving a young widow and six children. Mama would have been just 21 years old when he died. Dawn, the baby would have been just five years old. Don't know how my grandmother managed.

I love these old pics of my young mother! She never seemed that playful to me growing up! She's picnicking here with her pals and that's her first husband, Earl Trivette, beside her that she's air-kissing. Don't know if this would have been before or after they got married. I don't know where they were either. It would have been before the dam was built...so not there. Maybe someone else has a guess?

This is the Hinshaw Street house in North Wilkesboro--top of 6th Street Hill. I'm not sure when my mom's family moved into this house--Dawn probably could tell me, but my grandmother lived there until she died in 1999. This is Mama, back, right and Madge beside her. Then Fern is on the front left and beside her is little Pug. Fern looks exactly like my sister Suzy did at the same age.

So she'd be about 19 years old here.

Now that's some lipstick!! A very young Gladys....maybe still in high school?

Graduation from high school. About 1947.

I know this is a terrible photograph, but it's still a favorite of mine. I just appreciate it's candidness--that it depicts her doing just an ordinary thing--fixing a meal in her tiny little kitchen with her hair in pin curls. I may be wrong, but I always have thought that this was in one of the rental houses behind my grandmother Mindy's house on Hinshaw. Before Austin died, he wisely had three small frame houses built, and they provided much needed income to Mindy. Most of the six kids started out their married lives living in one of them.

Austin, Mindy, Gladys and Madge. I'd guess about 1933??

Mama and her gal pals soak up the sun at some lake or other. That's Mama, second on the left.

Youthful Gladys cutting up.....she's on the right.

This is Mama with Jim and that's her handwriting dating it--1952.

Mama and sister Madge.