Where in the world is Susan?

Guess where I am?

Following God's Leading

My cousin, J, was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has three brain tumors and cancer in the esophogus, around the heart, lungs, and intestines. He has started radiation treatments for the tumors and will begin chemo soon. My cousin is 11 years older than me. When we were growing up and our families got together for the holidays, he and I didn't see much of each other because of the age difference. But what little time I did spend around him, I really liked him. He was usually smiling, had a great personality, and was very kind.

The news of cancer and its intensity hit us all very hard. He had been doing all the right things, going to the doctor every six months and having regular blood work done.

J is the oldest son of my father's brother. My parents have kept up with him and his wife over the years. They felt a strong need to go and visit them when we got the news of his cancer. My parents are strong Christians, and they were going with the intent of helping, listening, supporting, and sharing the gospel. They did all four. My father and J went on a walk and the Lord gave my father an opportunity to share God's plan of salvation. J said he didn't want to die and my father shared how he could have eternal life--all he needed to do was believe that Jesus, God's Son, died on the cross for his sins so that he could live. When they got back from their walk, J ran inside the house to get his Bible. My father had him read Scriptures of salvation and he made a decision, right there on his front porch to accept Christ as his personal savior. Wow! God had prepared the way and He used my dad to help bring him the final steps to salvation. His wife has not yet made a decision to be saved, but my mother was able to share with her also. She also was there for her when she needed to unload on someone. It was cleansing for both. I'm so proud of my parents!

Idiosyncrasy 3 - Chapstick

I'm addicted to chapstick. I can't live without it. I've got to have it. If my lips aren't coated, they feel dry. I don't use just any chapstick, I require the soft kind that goes on smoothly. Seems I'm not the only one with this attachment. I worked with a guy that also loved his chapstick. So much so, that when he had gone on a business trip and realized he didn't have his chapstick, he called our secretary and asked her to go get his chapstick from his desk drawer and FedEx it to him! I'm not that bad off, I would have gone to the store and bought a new stick!

idiosyncrasy 2: Tomatoes

I smell my tomatoes after I slice them and before I eat them (I want to make sure they're not rotten before taking a bite.) I love fresh summer tomatoes!

My Kind of Art

This was one of the paintings done by local artist, Bonnie Flood. It was hanging in the women's room at Sidney's Italian restaurant. This is my kind of reality at the beach.

idiosyncrasy 1: restrooms @ work

When I go into the women's restroom at work, I prefer to go in solitude. However, that's not always realistic in a building full of women and if your bladder is full. If I go in and someone is standing at the sink, my game plan is to try and choose the stall that they were not just in. That's a little tricky. I assume that they are standing at the sink closest to the toilet they just used. I know I've chosen the wrong one if the seat is still warm or there's lingering odor. Bummer. If I go in and someone is occupying a stall, I choose one that is not next to them--it's just a courtesy thing. If I go in and I've got the place myself, yippee. If someone comes in while I'm going, I try and finish first, wash my hands, and make it out the door before they come out of the stall. I'm weird, I know.

Visiting Vickery

For Father's Day, my brother and I took our dad and mom out to dinner. Glenn didn't go because he was working in Florida. We met our parents at Vickery Village, a quaint new shopping and dining area in Cumming, Ga. We had lunch at a great Italian restaurant called Sidney's. What a wonderful place--fresh food that won't give you heartburn, excellent wait staff, and you're surrounded by paintings done by local artist, Bonnie Flood. My brother loves her work so much, he's bought two of her paintings. Even the bathrooms feature her art.

After eating, we walked down to the main area of the village and went into some shops. Then we enjoyed some gelato at Sogno Gelato while listening to live music. It was a wonderful and relaxing afternoon spent with family. Even my teenage daughter liked it.

Happy Father's Day to My Dad

My dad just turned 73 at the end of May. He still looks great and has kept himself in shape. Growing up, I thought my dad could do no wrong. He was smart, my protector, the dad who'd play with us outside when he got home from a long day working in construction. I'd be so excited to see my dad, I'd wait down at the end of the driveway for him to come home. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Finger Lickin' Good

We have a cafe at work where this lady provides home-cooked meals for our building. She's very good and from time to time, I go down for a bite. One of her best meals is fried chicken. I know, it's terrible for you, but it's sooooo good! This particular day, she was offering fried chicken. I couldn't resist. I ordered a breast/wing and a couple of sides to go with it. I went to the table where a bunch of ladies usually eat. They're so funny and fun to be around. Everyone was envious of my chicken and wishing that they had had the nerve to order it (we have a Weight Watchers program at work). We were joined by a couple of other ladies who usually don't eat with us--they were from HR, so we were all on our best behavior. We chatted, got caught up on each other's families, and got some good tips on health care spending accounts.

I finished my lunch with the exception of the wing. It's usually small and not worth the effort. We were sitting and talking and one of the ladies from HR asked if I was finished eating my chicken. I said yes and she asked if she could eat the wing. Mind you, this is the wing that is attached to the breast, not a separate piece. Normally, people you're not related to or married to don't ask to eat leftover food off of your plate. But hey, I wasn't going to eat it, she was willing to take a chance on my germs, so I gave her what was left of the chicken breast. She thought it was delicious and she ate another lady's wing.

I guess I'm writing about this because I thought it was pretty cool that this lady, who didn't really know me that well, had the guts to ask for my food scraps. It was kind of like a bonding moment. For some reason, it wasn't gross or irritating. Maybe it wasn't irritating because she waited until I was done to ask for it. Maybe another reason "we bonded" was because she was a chick from HR--HR who didn't care what anyone else thought. She wanted it. Asked for it. Ate it and enjoyed it.

The Closer

I am so excited that LAPD Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson is coming back with a new season of The Closer. I love this lady cop. She's got such a fake southern accent, but she's real. She has a stash of goodies in her desk drawer (so do I). I love her big purse that she carries around. The Closer will be back on TNT July 14. You've got to check her out.

To give you a little background, Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) is a former Atlanta detective who moved to Los Angeles to head a special police department unit that solves sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Brenda is a top-notch investigator and interrogator who pinpoints a suspect, traps them in their own lies, and draws a confession out of them.

The rest of the cast is great, too. The show provides not only drama, but comedy as well. Check out this video clip.



And if you're interested, here's a follow-up clip:

Remembering Cooler Days

It's hot as heck here in Atlanta. The other day, we reached a record high of 98 degrees. It made me think back to this winter when we got some snow here and we went out to play. Isn't Gracie's pink coat cute?

Tagged for a Cooking Meme

Karen tagged me for a cooking meme. I have no idea what a meme is, but I'll play.

Karen explained that a meme is a series of questions and answers. Anyway, here we go ...

The rules for Memes:

1. Answer the questions.
2. Link to the person who tagged you in your post.
3. Tag at least three other bloggers.
4. Let them know you've tagged them by commenting on their blog with an invite to participate.

When was the most recent time you were burned?
Burned physically? Or burned emotionally? No matter, because I can't remember either one.

Can you cook?
I can cook, but my husband thinks I need to add more seasoning.

If yes, name your 3 specialties:
chicken fettuccine with lemon cream sauce, twice baked potatoes, egg casserole

If yes, do you like to cook?
Sometimes

If no, do you want to be able to cook?
It might be fun to take a cooking class

What color is your kitchen?
Mostly green

Do you bake?
Mostly at Christmastime

If so, name your three specialties:
apple pie, pizza crust, blueberry muffins

If yes, do you like to bake?
If I can get it done quickly

If no, do you want to bake?
n/a

What color is your apron?
White with blue piping.

I am tagging John, Wendy, and Rocket's mom ... and anyone else who wants to participate!

Tea for 1

My favorite bought iced tea is Chick-fil-a, but McDonald's has a great price--$1. Hard to resist. Some people have to have their cup of coffee. I've got to have my iced tea with lemon to get my day started. McDonald's started offering $1 large sweet iced tea in a special styrofoam cup. If you ordered a large unsweet tea, it cost $1.47 (or whatever a large costs). Now, does that make sense? A $1 for sweet, but more for unsweet? What brainiac came up with that? Anyway, they've started offering all large drinks for $1, including Coke. Great, somebody's finally thinking. That's a good deal. But, yes, there is a but, the unsweet tea comes in a plastic cup. What? Could I just ask for one more favor: I WANT UNSWEET TEA IN THE STYROFOAM INSULATED CUP! I don't want the plastic cup dripping sweat on my desk! I'm hard to please, I know.

Farewell, Jim McKay

When I was growing up, my Saturday afternoon would not have been complete without watching ABC's Wide World of Sports. Watching the opening video was worth it alone to see that skier wipe out off the jump. What really made the opening and the coverage was Jim McKay. He had such a sincere delivery in his voice and his on-air personality was genuine and authentic. I loved watching the Olympics when he was reporting. This weekend when we were watching The Belmont Stakes coverage, it seemed like something was missing--it was Jim McKay. Jim McKay was the real deal and he will be missed.

Birmingham Nine

This weekend was my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. We had family and friends coming in from Alabama and Maryland. Nine of my cousins from Birmingham stayed with us and we had a blast. Their kids are the cutest ever. We had so much fun catching up with each other and just visiting.

The kids playing Playstation

50th Wedding Anniversary Party

The party went great. The food, which was planned and prepared by my brother, Keith, was fantastic. Mom and Dad had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. Everyone that came, made a huge effort to get there and we really appreciated it.

50th Anniversary Celebration Finally Here

Tomorrow is the big day. We have cousins coming in from Birmingham and nine of them are staying with us. Brownies are cooking in the oven. An egg casserole is soaking in the frig for tomorrow morning. My nails are painted. Sheets are on the beds. Towels are clean. Outfit is ready for tomorrow. I'm pooped!

Chasing Rabbits

Well, actually, it was one rabbit. On Monday this week, I was getting ready to leave for work. I took our dog, Gracie, out back to tee tee. Gracie is a Vizsla (a bird dog). What was out back, but a bunny. Gracie spots it. She freezes. She points. She inches closer and closer. The rabbit does not move. It's hunkered down in the grass trying to be invisible. Gracie inches closer. I'm sure she's thinking, Hey, this has never happened before. No bunny has ever let me get this close! I'm going in!" Gracie gets within two feet of the rabbit, then pounces. The rabbit breaks free. The chase is on, but the rabbit must be injured because it's not running fast enough. Gracie is gaining--snapping her teeth. I'm yelling, "Gracie. Leave it! Leave it!" "No GRACE!" The chase continues. Grace is totally ignoring me. Grace goes for the neck. Whew, misses. Grace chases her all over the back yard. Finally, I come up with a plan to get a broom and try and skirt the rabbit out through the gate in the fence. I enter the chase. The three of us are running through the yard. Finally, I get the rabbit to go to the fence and I pin it there with the broom. I open the gate and attempt to push the rabbit several feet toward the fence. No good, the rabbit diverts and heads to the back of the yard. I run after it and get it pinned to the fence until we find a hole and after a few attempts, I push it through the hole. It's free. Go bunny and don't look back! Wow, what a morning. I arrive for work and discover I don't have my glasses. Great start to the week!

Goodbye Dear Ants

I found this old photo of me in high school doing a skit about ants. Seems like I've always had a "thing" about them. Except back then, I wanted to protect them. Ha! Those pesky flying ants that were in our house recently took forever to get rid of. But they're finally gone. I hope I'm not offending any animal activists, but I'm darn glad those buggers were exterminated!

BTW, the lady behind me was my English teacher--she was the best. Her name was Miss Baker and she was tough, but I learned so much from her--grammar, literature, and life lessons. Thank you Miss Baker.

Full House - Anniversary Update - 6/3/08

We've got nine cousins rolling in to spend the night at our house for the big anniversary party. We'll have every bedroom full, plus blow-up mattresses in spare spaces. Five of the nine are kids and we can't wait! And, my husband has to work, so my high schooler and I will be hosting alone. I know we can handle it. I think I take after my mother because what I worry about the most is feeding them. What should I serve for breakfast? What do they like to eat for breakfast? What do I do about lunch? Can't feed them too much since the party starts at 4:00. This kind of stuff wears me out, but it's a good kind of tired.

Parents of a High Schooler

It's official, my husband and I now have a high schooler. Where did the time go? Seems like just a week ago that I was changing her diaper and cleaning up throw-up. Middle school was tough. We have no idea what to expect in high school, but sure hope it goes better for her. Her grades are fine, it's just the kids she goes to school with--it's a different day and age then when I was in school. Let me just say, mean girls are real.

European Web Creativity

A friend shared this link with me. You've got to check it out and make sure your sound is on. Now this is a creative Web site! http://producten.hema.nl/

Posing for Pics

How does a fad get started? You know, trends in what fashion is cool, what hair cuts are in, and what is the coolest pose for pictures? I can understand fashion. I would imagine it's determined by the designers, then the fashions are designed for everyday people and the clothes make it to Macy's and Target. But, how do trends in poses for pictures get started. Back in the 1800's, no one smiled for photos. You had to look unhappy -- that was "in." Now, it seems the current in trend is to pooch your lips and roll your eyes. Have you seen the kids photos? They're all doing it! I thought I'd give it a try. Somehow it doesn't work on adults--I look like a dork! Although, I still think the kids look like dorks, too.