DLife Humor ...

A little "diabetes" humor! For those of you who don't know ... I wear an insulin pump ... and when I saw this today on a diabetes blog I frequent - I laughed out loud ... I needed this today ...

There are some days (a lot lately) ... when I get so frustrated with my "dlife" (diabetic life) ... I NEVER talk about it ... and frankly - don't want to at the moment either ...

however ... this picture made my day of "thinking too much about my dlife" a little lighter today.

I'm coming up on my 30 year mark of Diabetes ... and some days ... it's "mind consuming" ...

oh well ... not going there ...

A Day ... tammy

Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolfe ...

Children's Church yesterday was great! LeAnna loved it and so did the other kids ... we have some great talent in our church ... and yesterday was no exception ... Nick and Alisa Mahoney outdid themselves ...

The story was about the "three little pigs" and LeAnna was the little piggie that lived in the straw house ... Kaitlyn was the piggie that lived in the stick house and George was the piggie that lived in the brick house. Dawson was the big bad wolf and of course blew down the straw and stick houses ... but George's house stood firm ... Nick then went into the spiritual application of building your "life" house, on a firm foundation ... All the kids got construction hats and sang related songs and got related "treats" ... very cool concept and they all had a blast.

Next month he's doing Noah's Ark ... and building an ark for all the kids to get in for the lesson and having real animals there to see, touch, and maybe ride! Very exciting!

We're on the final stretch of summer vacation ... today is day 71 of 81 days of summer ... wow! Hard to believe ... we have this full week and then 3 days next week to "play" ... I'm not sure LeAnna is ready ... she's "anxious" about who her teacher will be, her friends will be, how her classroom will be ... all the little things that make up first grade I guess ... She will be fine ... and actually, I'm fine and READY for school to start this year ... this time last year I wasn't so sure ... and had a rough time but ... now ... I'm good ... ha!

happy day ... tammy

Baby Girl ...

Why is it ... that you notice your kids growing up MORE over the summer? Is it just me? Am I crazy? Probably so ...

anyhoo ...

My LeAnna has all of a sudden "to me" just grown up! She has become very independent ... not in an obtrusive way ... but in a polite way ... and I've got to get used to it ... there are still some things I still have to do ... but for the most part ... she can do it all on her own ...

She is turning 7 in a couple of months ... WOW!!! Hard for me to believe ...

I'm missing my baby girl ... I remind her ALL the time, that she'll always be my baby ... and most of the time she "misses" the affection implied and just hears the word "baby" ... ha! oh well ...

it happens ... right?! But all too soon for me!

happy day ... tammy

Saved By A Jug ...

This evening we celebrated Dawson's birthday at Cheatam Dam ...

Can't believe he's 9 years old!

Everyone had a great time ... eating, playing, swimming, bike riding ... fun!

okay ...

I have to admit ... this is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while ... and ... only in Cheatam County ...

oh my goodness ... I can just hear it now .. "kids ... stop that ... don't play with those ... they are not beach toys! They save lives!"

oh my ... sorry ... I just find this so funny!

happy day ... tammy

Happy Birthday Dawson ...

My nephew, Dawson turned 9 years old today ... We went to Santa Fe in Opryland for lunch ... LeAnna and Dawson love each other so much ... they are best cousins! This is the cutest picture ...

LeAnna looks so big in this picture ... there are still some days when I still see that "baby face" ... but not today ... wow ... even with the "kiddie look" of ice cream on her face ... a big girl shines through behind that ... it's crazy how fast she's growing ... two more weeks and we start first grade ... it seems like yesterday literally, that I was anticipating the first day of Kindergarten ...

Crazy, crazy fast how time flies ... and in about two days from now ... we'll be graduating high school! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

happy day? tammy

Surprise ...

Been planning Karla's surprise party for 7-8 weeks ... and today it happened ...

She was VERY surprised ... we were so afraid she would find out ... but it was a success!

Everything went perfect ... from the guests arriving, to Karla arriving and being surprised, to the food, the service, the room ... couldn't have asked for a better "planned" party to turn out ...

So ... Happy 40th Birthday Party Karla ... this was her cake ... Ms. Connie outdid herself ... it was awesome!!!

Twenty Years worth of friendship ...

happy day ... tammy

It's The "Better Than The Alternative" Birthday ...

Happy Big 40 to Karla ...

I know it's hard being the oldest in the bunch ... but somebody's gotta do it right?!

I know ... I know ... I'm next! Yep ... I am so reminded of it too ...

oh well ... in Karla's words ... I'm alive ... it's better than the alternative!

Happy Birthday my friend ... here's to many, many more!

happy day ... tammy

Doughnuts are Fruits ...

I found something new "to me" at the grocery store yesterday ...

and ...

I have SO enjoyed them!!!!

They are ...

Doughnut Peaches ... I have never heard of them ... I think I've seen them before ... but didn't know this is what they were called ...

so ... it doesn't take much to amuse me ... and this ... did ...

had to buy them!

When I picked them up and smelled them at the store ... (a given for me) ... I was blown away at how sweet they smelled ... wow!

So I couldn't wait to try them ...

AND ...

they were SO sweet ...

"normally" I doctor my peaches a bit with some sugar or some type of sweetener ...

these ... didn't need any assistance whatsoever!!!

Love me some doughnut peaches today! AND ... anything with 'doughnut' included in the title has to be good ... right?!

So ... it's official ... "doughnuts" are considered a fruit ... ok ... well ... only in "this" theory today.

happy day ... tammy

One and Only Life ...

If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a weeks vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days.

Wow! Makes you stop and think huh?! And very true ... found this quote today and couldn't resist posting it ...


I think "sometimes" we (speaking for myself) probably would benefit MORE out of life ... if "life" were planned out more than it is ... I know that I have 'a plan' ... but sometimes ... it's easy for "life" to just take over sometimes and "what happens, happens" ... without the "careful" thought and consideration of making it happen better ... on your "one and only vacation" of the year that most people take ... some can afford to take more ... but averagely speaking .... you plan very carefully ... precisely ... just so-so ... so that everyone has a great time ... everyone benefits from it ... everyone has a part and is included in the events of the vacation ... and so on ... lists are made to make sure you took the right things ... carefully marking off each item so that nothing is forgotten ... etc, etc, etc ...

wow! what IF life were treated that way ... hmmm ... sure makes me stop and think a bit today ... this IS my one and only "life" ... ha!

hmmm ... deep thoughts ...

happy day ... tammy

The Beach House on Pelican ...

We moved in last Saturday ... it became "our house" ... we have referred to it as "our house" all week ...

when we arrived ... we moved our things in ... placed our clothes in the drawers ... put our food in the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator ... put our bath soaps and shampoos in the shower ... hung our clothes in the closets ... spread out our magazines and books on the coffee tables ... we moved in ... and made it "ours" ...

we walk back in from being out all afternoon ... and we see "our" stuff ... "our" things ... "our house" ...

for this week ...

and all week ... we lived in a beach house on Pelican Street.

however ... today ... we're moving out ...

yep ... all "our" stuff is packed away ... just so-so in it's respective assigned spot ...

and suddenly ... it's not "our" house anymore ...

it now belongs to the owners again ... Bill and Caroline ...

We wrote Bill and Caroline a note in their guest book ... thanking them for allowing us a nice time in their home ... and commented how nice everything was and that we would definitely be back again ...

so ... we turn around ... and look back ... taking special care to go through each drawer, under the beds, looking for "stray things" of ours that didn't make it in the suitcases the first go around ...

it's not ours anymore ... it's Bill and Carolines home ...

but for 8 days ... it was "our beach house" ... sadly, we leave ... happily we head home ... thankful for a safe time and great family vacation ... only to dream of coming back again ... where for a short period of time ... we live and own a beach house!

Hilton Head Island ... Summer 2008

Monsoon of a last day ...

Day 8 ...

Last day of vacation in Hilton Head ...

today ... started out VERY gloomy and then the sun came out for about an hour ... enough to get back in the pool one last time ... for just a little bit ...

We went to Harbortown today for a Dolphin Cruise ... same cruise as last year ... Nate, LeAnna and Nana went on the cruise ... I opted for shopping in Southbeach ... some cool shops I found last year and I hadn't had opportunity to visit ... so I enjoyed my "alone time" browsing ...

Afterwards ... I came back and picked them up and they hadn't been in the van long when it started raining ... yep ... that slight rain turned into a monsoon ... and hasn't stopped! Tonight has been HORRIBLE weather!!! So ... no final beach time at sunset, no more swimming ... no more riding bikes ... sad ...

We spent the evening packing everything up ...

We also had dinner here ... "the last supper" - ha!

We're heading out very early in the morning ...

It's been a nice get-away for 8 days ... sorry to leave, but happy to go all at the same time!

Although I would have liked better weather ... it was okay for the most part ...

So ... almost everything is packed away, in its place ... ready to be put in the van ... one more day ... for traveling ... and then it's back to reality!

oh well ... thank goodness for these little breaks!

I had more pics to post, but Blogger is not cooperating this evening ...

happy day ... tammy

Happy Birthday Lindsey ...

Day 7 ...

Well ... today's post will definitely not top yesterdays post ... just so you'll know ... ha!

Today ... was a beautiful day ... we were in the pool all morning and early afternoon ...

We've had breakfast by the pool every morning ... this was Nana having her morning coffee ...

Then ... Mom and I went to "the mall" (actual name - ha) while Nate and LeAnna went to play miniature golf ... LeAnna won! (a given) ...

When they came back to "the mall" to pick us up ... they came in for some shopping as well ... and LeAnna ended up at the Wacky Bear Factory ... where she created "Lindsey" ... this place is equivalent to Build A Bear ... but with blinking red hearts that go in the bears ... very cool effect ... anyhoo ... that was a highlight for LeAnna ... especially knowing that "today was Lindsey's birthday" ... amazing! ha! She's so funny ... and when she made her wish when the heart went into the bear ... she wished for a big cake! ha! LeAnna LOVES cake ... thought that was too funny ...

We went to a mexican grill for dinner upon LeAnna's request ... called Jalapenos ... I was NOT impressed ... and made me miss Tequila's even more (our favorite Mexican spot in Nashville) ...

then ... back home to just lounge ...

Like I said ... a lazy day and not much to post ...

Tomorrow is our last day on the island ... besides leaving on Saturday ... so tomorrow's plan is to do a Dolphin Cruise ... and squeeze in some more swimming and beach time ... if the weather is good ...

tonight's weather ... BAD ... severe weather for a bit ... all is calm now ...

happy day ... tammy

A Savannah Kind Of Day ...

Day 6 ...

Today we got up EARLY and went to Savannah ...

We got in line at Paula Deen's restaurant and waited about 45 minutes to get reservations ... I was so happy that we got them for 11am ... some of the bigger parties had to wait until 2:30 to eat ...

After getting on the list ... we started shopping ... LOVE shopping at the little shops in Savannah ... especially the Kitchen Store On The Square ... neat place ... and for a bit you could get lost in kitchen oblivion ... found "neat" small items ... that you can't just find anywhere ... I love that!

We had to be back in front of the restaurant at 10:45 to wait for our name to be called ... they called us a little after 11am ... wasn't bad at all ...

The food was very good ... we all had the buffet ... and the hoe cakes ... oh my goodness ... with maple syrup ... did I say "oh my" already?! AAHHHH ... better than pancakes! Yikes! AND the garlic cheese biscuits ... AAHHHH ... Nate even put syrup on that! ha! So ... yes ... he's going to kill me ... but here's a few pics I'd like to share! hahahahahahah ...

and ... gelato at the Riverfront in downtown Savannah ... hmmmm ... I can't wait to see how Sunday goes ... weighing in for the Biggest Loser finale ... for those of you who don't know ... our church has been doing Biggest Loser for like 13 weeks ... there will be a mens winner and a ladies winner ... like $500 or $600 each ... very cool concept ... especially for the winner!

We did the "Old Savannah Tour" for the rest of the afternoon ... it was very hot but partly cloudy so it wasn't as bad as last year ... last year ... a little over 100 degrees ... horrible!!! Anyhoo ... the history tour is always very interesting to me ...

One thing "interesting" to me today ... this morning ... standing in line for reservations ... I walked past a building ... called ... "Sorry Charlie's" ... VERY old building ... you gotta remember ... Savannah is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. ... 1700's ... anyhoo ... I found it interesting that ... a sign on the door deemed the building a hazard and was unsafe ... and then ... on the window ... was this ... a petition to renovate ... AND the hearing for that was ... today at 2pm ...

I know ... I'm weird ... it's the craziest things that I find amusing ... oh well ... now I'm wondering "how it went" ... ha! This particular building was on the same row as Paula Deen's Restaurant ... just neat stuff ... to me ...

oh well ...

AND ... we went into Paula Deen's store after lunch ... and Bobby and Jamie Deen were there ... very exciting to say the least ... I got in line to get my pic made ... VERY funny experience ... that can only be explained to a choice few ... ha! oh well ...


It was a nice day ... VERY tired ... indeed ...

On our way back ... we went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner ... it was very good dining ... we left FULL!!!

So ... when we got back ... Tammy laid down for a cat nap ... Nate and LeAnna went to the beach ... Nana ... not sure what she did ... I was napping ... =0)

I got up and took a bike ride after my nap ... I'm really enjoying my bike this week ... just wish we had "Hilton Head bike trails" in Nashville! hahahaha!

oh well... it's been a long day ...

tomorrow ... not sure ... depends on the weather ... we have 2 full days left to enjoy ... and we have to squeeze in pool time, beach time, golf, and a dolphin cruise before we leave ... so I guess we'll just see what the "weather" allows for tomorrow!

happy day ... tammy

You Never Know What The Tide's Going To Bring In ...

Day 5 ...

Today was a perfect day for "sunning" ... we were in the pool all morning ... got out and ran to a couple of stores, then back in the pool this afternoon ...

We had a wonderful dinner here at the house (thanks Nana!) ... and no, that's not the reason we brought her with us! ha! However ... cooking is her favorite thing to do and you should be able to do your "favorite things" while on vacation ... right?!

Anyhoo ...

This evening we went over to the beach ... to watch the sunset ... we sat awhile and watched LeAnna play ... then decided to walk down to the water one last time before leaving ... there was this guy standing beside us with a fishing pole ... but about 6 feet out ... about knee deep ... I was sort of laughing at him ... thinking ... what in the world is he doing "fishing", at sunset, with the tide rolling in ... hmmm

THEN ... all of sudden, he starts running out of the water and we see what's on the end of the pole ... a SHARK!!!! A baby one ... but still ... a shark! AAHHHHHH!!!!!

So I stated waving my arms to get Nate's attention ... and I start pointing at the guy with the pole ... he sees the commotion and jumps on his bike and luckily grabs my backpack for me ... we gathered around him while the shark was twirling on the line and jumping around ... I took some pics ... they aren't the best because the shark was in motion ... however ... I was so excited ... so ... dumb me ... I had to "touch it" ... ha! the guy saw me approaching it slowly with my finger ... and he pushes it to me ... AAHHHH .... crazy ... anyhoo ... was a very exciting evening ... he had caught it with squid on his hook ...

okay ... so I'm thinking ... tide rolling in ... knee deep ... SHARKS! Baby ones ... yes ... but they grow into BIG ones!!! AAHHHH ... and they still can bite right?! Anyhoo ... Okay ... so that did it for me ... not going out in the ocean anymore, while the tide is rolling in ... at sunset ... past my feet getting wet ... well ... maybe my ankles ... but ... wow! a Shark!

So ... that was the highlight of our evening ... other than having to coat myself in aloe vera because of sunburn!!!! Ugh!

Tomorrow - we're going to Savannah! Eating at Paula Deen's Restaurant ... I think we've already blown our diets just thinking about it! oh well ... we can get back on track Thursday - right?! It is vacation ... Nate just knows he's got to weigh in Sunday for Biggest Loser Finale ... ha! oh well ...

Happy Day ... tammy

Shopping, Biking and Beaching ...

Day 4 ...

We all slept late this morning ...

Nate still got up and rode his bike and ran on the beach ...just later than his "norm" ...

We had breakfast ... got dressed ... and listened to the pouring rain!!!!! SO ... we decided to do some shopping today ..

We shopped all day ... literally ...

The rain finally stopped and the sun came out for a while ... we came back home ... Nate and LeAnna got in the pool and we fixed dinner ... grilled out and ate by the pool outside ...

Then ... Nate, LeAnna and I rode our bikes for a while and went over to the beach for a while ... found some shells, built a sand castle, found a jellyfish ... and watched the sun set ...

Came back ... and joined Mom - watching the 2 hour finale of the Bachelorette ... she's been watching all season, so she caught us up and we watched with her ...

Another lazy day ... but we had fun ... and that's what it's all about ...

Hoping for some SUN tomorrow!!!! Planning on going to Savannah on Wednesday ... Mom has never been and we're excited about taking her to Paula Deen's restaurant and store ... and to do some touring ...

A "funny" at the beach this evening ... we were walking on the beach ... and LeAnna said ... "Man, I bet it took a long time for them to get all this sand here!" ... ha! I said ... "Baby, God put it here" ... she said, "oh" ...

happy day ... tammy

Nothing Like The Salty Dog ...

Day 3 ...

This morning ... was lazy ... for me ... Nate however, was at the beach at 7am ... ran 3 1/2 miles ... and was back before I woke up!

We had breakfast here (thanks to Nana) and then we all got in the pool ... about 2 1/2 hours ...

This afternoon, we went to Harbor Town ... love going there ... we did some shopping, and ate at the Salty Dog Cafe ... a MUST if you're in Hilton Head ...

When we returned to the house ... our bikes had been delivered! We rented bikes for the week ... Nate and LeAnna rode for a while, down to the beach ... I rode for a bit and then back to the house with Nana ...

I have an eye "issue" ... woke up this morning with a "dry spot" ... doesn't happen as often as it used to ... not fun ... been putting drops in all day ... very red, very bloodshot, very swollen, very sore ... very hurting! oh well ... always something huh?!

Tonight ... nothing ... just relaxing! We thought about doing ... nothing ... but then thought ... nah ... we'll just do ... nothing ... so ... looks like we're doing "nothing"... ha! Fine by me!

happy lazy day ... tammy

YES - We Are There Yet!

Day 2 ...

We made it ... after LeAnna asking at least a million times "are we there yet?" ...

We arrived around 4pm this afternoon ... I was really nervous ... you just "never know" when you purchase a place 6 months in advance on the Internet ... however ... we found a very reputable site, which came highly recommended ... fears are calmed ... all is well ... and we love it! It's so nice ...

We are spoiled already by the large bedroom ... "our" bedroom at home is one part of our house we are not that excited about ... it's the smallest bedroom we've ever had ... anyhoo ... this one is so very nice ... but I think the master bathroom is my favorite ... large walk in shower ... stone ... 2 shower head with stone seat across one side ... very nice ... 2 separate sides with sinks, 2 closets and separate potty room ... ok ... so ... I'm happy with the bathroom ... ha!

Anyhoo ... the house is great ... we're loving it already ... and we have our own pool ... LeAnna is REALLY excited about that! That was the first thing she did when we got here ... IN THE RAIN ... oh well ... excited ... the weather is not looking all that great for this next week ... hopefully we'll get some sunshine at some point .... we're just happy to be on vacation! Rain or Shine!

We have NO agenda ... have NO clue what we're doing tomorrow ... I LOVE IT!!!!! We definitely have a list of things to do this week but don't have a clue "when" ... ahhh ... fine by me!

If you've never been to Hilton Head Island ... it comes highly recommended by all of us! We love it here ... it's SO laid back and relaxing ... we can't wait to start relaxing! ha! I'm "trying" ... it might take me a couple of days to unwind, after the stress of life at home ... work has been CRAZY ... anyhoo ...

Happy Lazy Day ... tammy

Happy Boom Day!

Summer Vacation ... day 1 ...

We left EARLY this morning ... and had several errands before we got started ... which included, taking Princess to "her" vacation home (Granny and Papaw's), breakfast and Nate had a job in Murfreesboro on our way out of town.

Finally ... we were on our way ... UNTIL, we reached Monteagle ... there was an accident - car caught on fire ... so ... we were at a perfect standstill for at least 30 minutes, sitting on the interstate ... not fun - when you haven't "learned" why you're sitting there, until the traffic starts moving and you pass the "scene" ...

Made it to Atlanta ... did some shopping at one of our favorite places to shop there ... Filene's Basement ... found some deals ... was happy to be there ...

Then drove to Stockbridge, GA where we have family ... The Barlars ... they grilled out for us ... we had a great dinner and YUMMY chocolate pie ... (yes ... for those of you interested - Nate had some and yes ... this is the last week for Biggest Loser) ahhem ...

Had a relaxing evening of chatting, catching up ... and Jim and Nate took the kids to see the fireworks ...

We are very tired ... and are ready for a good nights sleep ...

Tomorrow will be easy ... Hilton Head Island is only 3 1/2 more hours away ... and we can't check in until around 4p ... so we will take our time tomorrow getting there ...

Anxious to get there and check it out ... even though we have pictures of the house ... you never really know until you get there ... so a bit anxious ...but, I'm sure it will be fine ... last year, we drove around the area that we are going to be staying... so - hoping it will be okay.



Happy Independence Day ... tammy