Cheers to 32 Years of Traveling Around the Sun....

32 years ago today was Thanksgiving Day 1980. I don't remember any details about that day, but I do know that it was a cold day in Paducah, KY, Jimmy Carter was the Commander in Chief, and the world was still in awe of finding out who shot J.R. My parents, who may have been looking forward to a festive meal with friends and family, were relieved to finally meet their baby, whom they had been told would enter the world sometime around Halloween (true story).

This past trip around the sun has been a great one. I got to kick one off my bucket list and watch my Cats cut down the nets, made a career change, and made memories with friends who are like family and family who are like friends. Here's to the next trip around the sun!

I think that the best thing about these 32 trips around the sun are the souvenirs that I got along the journey. The privileged that I was given to live in many places and learn that there are many walks of life that keep this world turning. The opportunities that I have been given to travel and experience different people and cultures. The education that I have earned and the career that I have built and the children I have met along the way that have taught me more than I can teach them. I am also grateful for the people who have come in my life and stayed as well as those who came into my life and left...they all served their purpose and made all these trips around the sun interesting.

So cheers to another year of traveling around the sun. Here's to the good, the bad, and the ugly. Without it, things would have just been boring.

Happy Birthday Mamaw!

Today marks the day of what would have been my Mamaw's 87th birthday. It was on this day, that many years ago that she made her arrival in Clarksville, TN. it was her arrival that paved the way for me. It was the beginning of her journey through adventures with her sisters, chasing dreams, falling in love, raising a family, and becoming a MaMaw. Her feet left this world with her, but her footprints are in my heart forever.

MaMaw in the middle with her brother Bubba and sister Lucille

There are so many things that I wish that I could tell her. Things like that sometimes on Sundays around 3 in the afternoon, I wish that I could pick up the phone and talk to her like we always did on Sundays around 3. I wish that she knew that I have a new teaching job this year and I could tell her about how much I love it. I want to tell her that sometimes when mom and I are watching a trashy reality show simultaneously and texting about how awful some people are, that we always mention how MaMaw would have gotten a laugh out of it too. I wish that I could tell her that I've tried really hard to make white gravy the way she told me how, but I realize that it's hard to imitate perfection. Most of all, I hope she knows how grateful I am that she came into this world 87 years ago and that every time I see a rainbow, I think of her and know, that some how, she is thinking of me too.

V is for Voting...

I waited on purpose to make this entry. Today is a special day for so many Americans. It is the day where we exercise our right to go to the polls and make the choices that we feel are in our own best interest. I will refrain from getting political, but I hope that every American made the trip to the voting booth today. It is crucial to make your voice heard. There is never an issue that "doesn't apply to you". Even though it may not have a direct effect, the indirect one will always be there. 

I guess I've always been a nerd. I remember being fascinated by politics as an early child. There is just something about it that I have always loved. Happy Election Day everyone!