spring, sprang, sprung and a ramble

It's here, and never soon enough. Warm enough to sit in my rocker on the back porch for more than a minute and I couldn't be happier. Really. The Eastern Screech Owls are back, despite a squirrels best effort to oust them. It is with glee that I tell you that the missus is in the nest box making noise and laying eggs. Naturally Mr. Spock is busy standing guard and giving me the stink eye.



I mean...serious stink eye.



Not to worry though, my friend Renate has gifted me a special gnome that stands guard under the owl tree. His name is Boudreaux and he's come straight from the bayou to keep watch over the owls and my happy place.



Things are starting to green up and flower.



And we have the special treat of what is shaping up to be a bumper crop of dewberries thanks to our birds...I think. They weren't there before and I can only imagine that the birds were enjoying them somewhere else and deposited the seeds here when they were finished with them.


When we were kids my Dad used to take us to a field in our neighborhood to pick dewberries. That was always a treat and a memory that I love. That makes having them in my yard even more special.

Last but not at all least, Mavis Pearl wants you all to know that she's ok. Almost fully recovered from the meningitis, and nursing her collapsing trachea like a champ. She's a spunky young dog again and for that I'm very grateful.



Welcome back to my happy place.

Flashback Friday

Seven years ago this month I married the man. My friend Kimberly over at Petroville had me thinking about it this week when she asked "where did you go on your honeymoon, and how much did you spend on the wedding?". After digging through some old files I found the wedding budget spreadsheet, and some snapshots from what seems like a lifetime ago. We spent $2,620, and that included EVERYTHING. Even the wonderful honeymoon to Cozumel. Thrifty me!

The kids were our wedding party. Brannon the best man, and April the maid of honor. They're all grown up and out of the nest now. Seems like just yesterday we were talking about drivers licenses and curfews.


*wonders...is that piece of frozen cake still in Mother's freezer?*



Who is the skinny girl? WHO? And with the bare feet. Some things never change. The curled toes give away the giddiness over all the presents. I love presents!

Cake, presents, unconditional love. What more could a girl ask for? It was perfect.

7 years

Seven years ago tonight I married my one true love. Tonight we sat hand in hand to watch the sun set on one of our favorite places. A place we visit often to sit and enjoy each other.

Christopher, I love you.

Flashback Friday

1985, sophomore year, LSU...check

ridiculous 80's hairstyle...check

Converse All Star High Tops...check

hanging in the ghetto at band practice with my rock star boyfriend...check

Volkswagen Scirocco that my parents paid for which said boyfriend later wrecked...check

soon to be seriously disillusioned adult in the real world...check

Girls Weekend Away, Mission Accomplished

I recently spent a long weekend away in Austin with Pamela, my BFF. We spent Saturday evening with her family, including my God Children Madeleine and Lanegan. I can't begin to tell you how precious these 2 little ones are. Old enough now to be little people and really coming into who they are. Madeleine a little Diva, and Lanegan a sensitive, bright young man. It just kills me that I can't see them more often. Sunday morning, with little more than 24 hour just to ourselves we set out for a day and night on the town, just like old times. We visited old haunts, had talks that will forever remain in the vault, a couple of great meals here and here, and some good old Austin fun.

We stayed at the Austin Motel where we lounged in the pool. I highly recommend it if you are not high maintenance, enjoy a retro experience, and don't insist on room service. It's a really cool (and affordable) place in the heart of our capitol city.

Another "put up your feet" photo for my collection.


Later we took in some music (Hey Bale!) at the Continental Club. The band was incredible, some of the members having played in the past with the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens just to name a few. I was even persuaded to go one round of swing dancing - if you know me well enough, then you know that Val doesn't dance. It was too much fun. (Seriously, we had TOO much fun, I'm getting a little old for the good old days) We stayed up late (REALLY late), and got up early, but I wouldn't have changed that for the world.

Thanks Pamela for a wonderful girls weekend away. If you guys end up going straight from Turkey to Italy, and don't come back here first, then I will have to find my way there just to get our fix. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Italy (I know it's what you want:). It will be a good excuse for Chris and me to do some globe trotting!

Backyard Slackin'

I've been slackin' big time in the blogging department. Last night my intention was to finish up my post about the great weekend I had in Austin. Instead I lounged on the back porch with Chris and Mavis with the off and on rain showers. We needed to enjoy the break from the daily 100 degree temperatures we’ve been having. I made breakfast for dinner and we ate out on the back porch, and then just sat there for over 2 hours. So, after I went to bed, I fell asleep with my laptop on my belly while attempting to finish the Austin post. I’ll get it done soon. Pictures and everything. Really I will. (I think I’m trying to convince myself more than I am you)

I really needed a dose of the backyard to slow me down and remind me what the important things are. Why I do what I do. I’ve been at the same job now for 9 years, and have gotten to the point of being an over achieving work-a-holic crazy person. I have put this picture up in my office with the caption “Work hard and take time to enjoy moments like these as your reward”.

I have a habit of taking pictures of myself putting my feet up in wonderful places. This was taken at Cocoa Beach Florida on a quick weekend getaway…one day before I broke my left foot last March. In a cast for 6 months, some of that in a wheel chair (it was a nasty, nasty break) – you think someone was trying to get me a message? I think I’ll slow down. Don’t need anymore broken bones.

Sitting in the backyard last night I realized that this Saturday, August 2nd, I will have been married to Chris for 6 years.

I've been so busy that it hadn’t even crossed my mind that it was this weekend. I don’t think that we’ll do anything special other than stay home and just be. That will be nice…because the next weekend we are off to San Diego for a week on one of my business trips. I’m taking Chris and the doglet along. It’ll be her first plane trip. AND she’s going sailing with us! I got her the cutest little life jacket. She will probably be strapped to me anyway. I’m just terrified that I’ll lose that 5 lb baby in the Pacific.

A room fit for a Princess

Recently I had to travel for business to some rural areas in Kansas. I decided to stay each night in Garden City, and drive from there to the places I had to visit during the day. I get tired of staying in the average small town motels, so I have started looking for Bed and Breakfast Inns wherever I go. Most of the time it works out to be even more economical than budget motels to do this, so it also helps keep my travel budget in check.

I found one of my most favorite Bed and Breakfast Inns ever in Garden City. It's called Sunnyland (they've kept the original name), and has a great life story. It's even listed on the historical register. After studying all the room choices on the website, I picked the room on the top floor. This meant hauling all my stuff by myself up 3 flights of stairs. I decided it would be worth it, and here's why. I got to sleep in the turret room like a princess! I watched the sun set through antique glass window panes, read by candle light, and took long soaks in the jetted tub. I hated to leave the room to go out for dinner, even when I was really hungry.







I read all of the Anne of Green Gables books growing up. Actually my grandmother read them to me the first time around. Since then I've read them all again several times over. Anne Shirley was one of my heroes, and had such an imagination. I'm sure that I was born with the gift of imagination, and my affection for pretend. But I'll bet spending so much time reading about Anne's imagination has helped to cultivate my own. The whole time I stayed at Sunnyland, I couldn't help but think that Anne would have loved the turret room. I could close my eyes and imagine that she was coming to visit for tea a little later in the parlour. I love to spend time in places that lend themselves to my imagination so easily.

The only thing that could have made my stay there better? Sharing it with my husband. Oh well, I'll just have to add this to my long list of places labeled "when I come back I will...".

If you ever find yourself in Garden City, Kansas, I highly reccomend a stay at Sunnyland.

Odd time for a good memory.

The extraordinary amount of neck pain I am experiencing today has brought back memories of my equestrian days. Its strange how sometimes unpleasant experiences can bring back pleasant memories. The link is that I took a nasty fall with my horse and hit my head and neck on the pavement. My neck and head have never been the same since. But that's not what I’m remembering today.

His name was Chaco, and he was a bay Paso Fino with a white star and one white sock. He was handsome, and I believe, loved me unconditionally. He was probably the best friend I had in High School. We understood each other, Chaco and me. When my truck would turn the corner down the dirt road he would run the fence to greet me. I spent afternoons grooming and riding him.

We’d spend hours together preparing for horse shows. There were a few of those, but most of the time we just had fun together. There was nothing I loved more on a summer afternoon than to go out for a long ride. I miss those days.

I grew up and went off to college. I came home one weekend and Chaco had gone to live somewhere else. Can’t blame my parents for selling him, but I was heartbroken. I knew it wasn’t fair to Chaco or them that I wasn’t there to take care of him anymore. I hope that he was happy wherever he ended up.