Princess for the Day........

Ok, Monday was my birthday and it was wonderful! My friends, where Love and Care Make a Difference, let me be the Princess for the day. Some, well, Most of them would tell you that I, Gracie, am the Princess everyday. I'm not kidding, it was like Christmas! I had Taco soup, a spa gift certificate, a Books a Million gift card, a Victoria's Secret gift card, Bath & Body Works set, a Brighton butterfly charm and necklace, a beautiful arrangement of fresh tulips, a pair of Auburn house shoes (War Eagle!), a Victoria's Secret Set plus Victoria's Secret Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheets (Dryer Sheets are another of my addictions and these smell HEAVENLY), Stationary, a Journal, Photo Albums, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (another of my addictions, THE BEST CANDY EVER), and a Death By Chocolate Birthday Cake, which was to die for =]. I mean have you ever heard of such? The people I work with are my family. We share a special bond and I love them dearly. The old adage holds true, When one of us is happy, all of us are happy, but when one of us is hurting ALL of us share that hurt. I love you, all. Thank you, not only for making my 38th Birthday special, but for the love and support you show me each and every day.

=],

Gracie

Almost Perfect.....

Lois is one of my dearest friends. She is a RN as well and we have worked together Where Love and Care Make A Difference for many, many years. Gracie and Lola have been through MANY things together and lived to tell about it somehow!! Lois and Winston are members of a large gang, the Gold Wing Gang that is.(Here we are during a ride)

Today has been an almost perfect Saturday. You see, I feel great, I'm not on call, and I've been in my pj's nearly the whole day. The things that turned my perfect Saturday into near perfect are:

1.) No Football- A wise man, though I'm not sure who, once said "A perfect Saturday must include football", and I must say I agree 100%. I love football, especially Auburn Tiger Football. I am sad the season is over (yes, even though it was terrible). I miss heading to God's Country on Saturday mornings, Tiger Walk, hearing the band play the fight song, Nova flying over the stadium, I could go on and on....sniff, sniff.

2.)Groceries- Okay, not that we are in danger, but I didn't want The Family to run the risk of starvation so I HAD to get out of my penguin pajamas and go to the grocery store. Now, I love going to the grocery store, really I do, but my perfect Saturday would not have included it.

I guess a girl can't have it all....


Hopefully your Saturday has been near perfect, if not perfect!


=],

Gracie

Wordless Wednesday.....

Ok, today is suppose to be Wordless Wednesday and this picture of me and my beautiful daughters really doesn't need words BUT this is my blog and I want words soooo here goes.... Anybody that knows me knows that I love being a Mom. Guess what I wanted to be growing up? Not a Nurse, not a Teacher, not a Veterinarian. Give up? Just kidding, I know it wasn't a hard question. You're right, all I ever wanted to be was a Mom. I know being Haley and Kylee's Mom is, by far, the most important title I'll ever hold. I am proud to be their Mom. A Mother's love is unexplainable, indescribable. I can't tell you how it feels for my heart to beat inside them. If they could only see themselves as I see them. I am humbled God, the One that placed each star in the sky and each grain of sand on the shore chose me, ME, to be their Mom. I know He has awesome plan's for their lives and I am anxious to see what's in store for them. They know I am their biggest fan. I remind them often that no one, not their husband, child or any other person will ever love them like I do. It's just not possible and they just look at me, like I looked at my Mother, in that typical 17 and 12 year old way (you know that look). One day they will understand. My Mom told me the same thing, she'll be happy to know I now understand.

=],

Gracie

Not Me Monday.....

Not Me Monday is where I tell you some the things I absolutely DID NOT do this week. Ok here goes:

I DID NOT change clothes 7 times yesterday before finally deciding on something to wear to church

I DID NOT laugh hysterically when Hayden decided to wear my smokey gray Victoria's Secret bra
(Please meet Hayden, my 3 year old nephew. Isn't he adorable?)

I DID NOT almost break my neck to get my camera when said bra was put on

I DID NOT get ill when I didn't make it to my camera in time to capture the moment described above

I DID NOT encourage Hayden to put the bra back on so I could get a picture but the 3year old attitude kicked in and wouldn't cooperate

I DO NOT let Hayden do things I would never have let my girls do and laugh about it

I DID NOT have to go to the Doctor because my blood pressure was 138/103 and would not come down

I WAS NOT extremely happy when my Doctor picked a blood pressure pill that contained a water pill

I DID NOT automatically think the diuretic would make me drop a few pounds =]

I DID NOT start thinking about Not Me Monday while sitting in worship service yesterday

I DID NOT breathe a huge sigh of relief when the clock struck 6pm last night because I knew the worst part of my call weekend was over

I DID NOT pray for Baby Harper and her family continuously after stumbling across their blog

I HAVE NOT checked Baby Harper's blog repeatedly for updates

I DO NOT have the best friends and family a girl could ask for

What did you not do this week? Visit MckMama's site for more "Not Me Monday"


=],

Gracie

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday...............

Today is the first day in who knows long that I awakened with a normal Blood Pressure. I feel fabulous! Sunday's are always busy around here. First, Sunday School with the College and Career class we teach. (I LOVE that class!). Today we studied about James 1 and trials in our lives and how hard it is to count it all joy when we fall into those various trials. Did you know that when a potter bakes a pot and wants to check it's solidity he takes it out of the oven and thumps it. If it's ready, it "sings" and if it's not ready and needs to be put back in the oven, it "thuds". OUCH! I don't think I sang everytime I was thumped this week. If I'm completely honest, I know I didn't. I have to be completely honest, this is therapy after all =) The bottom line is I definately need more work!

*Remember to pray for Baby Harper and her family. You can click on the link at the bottom of this page to read her story.

=],

Gracie

Count It ALL Joy....huh?

OK, I have a confession to make.....Drum roll please.....This blog is not for you! As much as I would like to say I blog here to share with everybody what is going on in my life that would be a lie. The main purpose of writing these words is called THERAPY, for none other than myself! If you want to read along and see what happens in our lives, great, but if you don't, that's ok too. I find it very therapeutic to be able to say on here that this week has been, well, crappy. There is no other way to put it. Actually, there is, but that's the only nice, clean way to put it.
1.) The place where love and care make a difference (my place of employment) has faced some struggles this week. Sometimes being the boss isn't easy. It's really not easy when the struggles involve friends. Even when you know that work is work and friendship is friendship it gets hard sometimes. Thankfully, this work week is over and a glorious Saturday has arrived. I will be heading to work in a little while for just a bit (i hope just a bit). 2.) My blood pressure has decided that 37 years is enough of being normal and has sky-rocketed. Yes, Yes, it is true Nurses are the worst patients. However, I don't like the idea of kidney damage, dialysis, eye damage, stroke, paralysis, etc, etc, you get the point, so I made a trip to my favorite physician. At 37 (almost 38) years old, I took my first blood pressure pill yesterday. I am sad about it. I mean physically there are no reasons why it should be 138/102. I have recently lost 65lbs, I don't add salt to my food, I drink only water or milk and an occasional unsweet tea. The nurse in me needs to know why when I was so fat I couldn't breath my B/P was normal, but now it is out of control?? No rhyme or reason to it! The good Doctor, who is a personal friend and knows and loves and accepts my craziness, tells me it was just a matter of time it happened and the time has come. I know I have completely left out the fact that BOTH my Mom and Dad have Hypertension and take medications regularly, but I am healthy and that couldn't affect me, right? WRONG! and I know that and would give my patient a nice Hypertension educational lesson, but again Nurses are the worst patients and MOST rules don't apply to us!! =] I was thinking how fitting is it that our Sunday School lesson for tomorrow is from James 1:1-11. I am here to shout it LOUD that it is
H-A-R-D to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials. James 1:2" I'm not sure if God was trying to make sure I had an example to use for the lesson this week or what? In any case I had a hard time with that verse this week. I look forward to a better week where love and care makes a difference and a lower blood pressure.

=],

Gracie