Joyful Living
It's Hard to Know Where to Begin
It has been quite a long while since I last posted here. Since the beginning of October, our life here has been a whirlwind of activity. I'll give a rundown now and then address the more exciting events individually in future posts.In the beginning of October through the middle of October, Trevor's sister came to visit us for about a week and a half. Then, 3 days after she left, we flew out to Denver for her wedding. I helped her do her wedding cake and decorated the sheet cakes for the reception. We had her bridal shower, wedding, and reception in two day's time. It was quite the weekend and I could sense the relief in the house when it was all over.
Then, the day we arrived home, my father came to visit us here in NC. He was here on business, but stayed with us for about a week and a half. We always enjoy his visits. Halfway through his stay, he and my husband left for a road trip back to Chicago to pick up my mother's furniture and belongings. They made the trip from Raleigh to Chicago, packed up her stuff into an open top trailer and pickup, and then headed back here to NC in 3 days total. They arrived late on a Sunday night and we unpacked the pickup that night. Needless to say, it was very tiring. We unpacked the trailer the next morning and spent the next 3 days trying to get as much settled in my mom's room as possible. That Friday, my mom and sister arrived. My sister only stayed for one day and then headed back to Florida.
My mom and I continued to get her stuff settled, but then last Saturday, she came down with a gastroenteritis which she caught while in Florida. We thought she was getting better by Tuesday, but she took a turn for the worse on Wednesday and took her to Urgent Care. It was quickly discovered that she had developed pneumonia and had to be hospitalized immediately. She's doing a little better now, but we don't know at this point when she will be coming out.
Did I mention that during all of this, two of my cavities on my upper 2nd molars decided to give me huge amounts of pain starting in the beginning on October? I've been trying to deal with the pain, but finally had to have surgery this past Tuesday morning and have both of them extracted (similar surgery to having wisdom teeth taken out). Poor Trevor had to deal with me being completely out of it from the anesthesia and vicodin, deal with changing my bandages, and also deal with my mom and try to work from home. The pain from the surgery peaked wednesday night (the night we put mom in the hospital) through yesterday. I'm feeling a little better today and hopefully it will continue to improve.
The sale on our house also fell through at the last moment. The seller has 3 days AFTER closing to change her mind and that's exactly what she did. Very frustrating. So, we're hoping to find another buyer soon. Because of this (and also having to pay for my surgery 100% out of pocket), I've decided to get a job. I'm going to be working nights so that someone will always be home with my mom. I have a second interview with the same company this afternoon, so that's a good sign.
The last month and a half have been so busy for us and I sure hope that things will settle down so we can enjoy the holidays.
How we plan to save on gas
This past Saturday, Trevor and I started our new plan to save on gas and wear and tear on the car. This past week, we bought a trailer to fit on the back of my bike. It holds 100 pounds and is completely enclosed and even is waterproof. It's meant for children to ride in, but we bought it to use like a trunk.
We decided to put it to the test and rode 4 miles to our grocery store and then loaded the groceries into the trailer. I'm happy to announce that it worked perfectly! Not only did we save money on gas, but we also got some really good exercise, helped the environment, had a lot of fun together, and made a few people smile along the way. Plus, we can use it when we do finally have children. It even has a handle bar that can attach so it can be used as a jogging stroller. We plan to do this for all of grocery trips from now on.
Our Trip to New Bern!
Things are finally getting back to normal around here and I can get back to blogging on a regular basis. A few weeks ago, my husband took me out to New Bern, North Carolina for my birthday. New Bern is the first established colony in North Carolina and was the capital before Raleigh because is right near the ocean. It was such a wonderfully romantic trip! He didn't tell me where we were going until that morning. I packed our bags and we were off.The drive out to New Bern was beautiful! Most of the drive was through the countryside with corn and tobacco fields. We drove past the air base and they were out doing maneuvers; that was really neat to watch!!!
When we got to New Bern, I was delighted to find out that we were staying in a quaint Bed and Breakfast. Here is a picture of where we stayed.
That evening, Trevor surprised me with a carriage ride through town and along the river.
The carriage dropped us off at an amazing restaurant on Pollock St. We ate on the top floor and had an amazing view of downtown. The food was amazing. We had fried green tomatoes with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Then we had grilled scallops wrapped in bacon.
Here is my sweet.
After dinner, we walked down the main street. The street was lined with old buildings and churches that were lit up.
The next morning, we walked the historic streets and looked at all the amazing buildings and homes. Most of these homes were here during the civil war and a few during the revolution. The air was heavy with history!
This house above was were the General Burnside lived and it served as his headquarters during the civil war.
After we walked through the historic district, we stumbled upon the old city cemetery. Some of the graves were 300 years old. There were sprawling trees with spanish moss hanging all around. It was beautiful!
In the cemetery we also found a civil war monument with a mass grave of 71 soldiers from the war. They perished in the battle of New Bern. The monument read, "Here lies our dead" and it listed the names of the soldiers and which state they were from.
One thing I found interesting was that they "paved" the streets of the cemetery with seashells. After the cemetery, we went to the Tryon Palace. Tryon Palace was originally built between 1767 and 1770, as the first permanent capitol of the Colony of North Carolina and a home for the Royal Governor and his family.
We also were able to go inside of the Stanly House. George Washington came to the house twice during his tour of the south and it was owned by one of the richest families in the area. One thing I found particularly interesting was that many of the houses weren't in their original locations. Many had been picked up off of their foundations and moved. Most were moved in the 19th century. Wow!
This was an amazing trip that I won't soon forget. We were told that around Halloween there is a ghost walk. We're considering going. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Been away again
My mother has been getting steadily sicker over the last few months and took a turn for the worse 2 weeks ago and we almost lost her. I made an emergency trip out to Illinois, but thank Goodness, she made it through. I've got a lot to catch up on at home, but will pick up blogging again once I've caught up.About Me
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UpdateIt's Hard to Know Where to Begin
Menu for Oct 11 - Oct 18
Plans for the week
Baby Afghan is Finished
Baked Acorn Squash with Apple Stuffing (diabetic recipe)
Menu for Oct 5 - Oct 11
My baby afghan is nearly completed
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| VIOLET |
You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and believe strongly in your personal morals.
Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!
| The Road Trip of Your Life |
 You live life at a fairly leisurely pace. You take time to enjoy the sweeter parts of life, even when you're busy. You don't like a lot of risk or randomness in your life. You prefer to stick with what's known, even if it's a bit boring. You tend to be a workaholic. You overwork yourself without ever realizing it and sometimes suffer the consequences later. In another life, you could have been a great novelist. You have a knack for describing things in an interesting way. |
| You Are a Strawberry |
 You are popular, but there's nothing you ordinary or average about you. You a very interesting person, and you have many facets to your personality. Sometimes you feel very conflicted. Your different sides of your personality pull at you. You are a very sensual and passionate person. You are fiery... you can't help it. In general, you keep your passionate side under wraps. You are only wild in private. |
| What Your Fridge Says About You |
 You tend to be a fairly thrifty person. You splurge occasionally, but you're mostly a saver. You don't tend to be a very adventurous person, but you do surprise everyone now and then. You have a bit of a wild side. You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don't feel like it. You are likely to be married - and very busy. |
| Your Thinking is Concrete and Sequential |
 You tend to get to the point and get things done. Difficult, detailed work is easy for you. You take things step by step. Time limits aren't a problem for you either. You work well with deadlines. What does drive you crazy is any sort of task that isn't precisely laid out. You don't like anything to be ambiguous. You prefer to deal with the facts at hand. |