It is a rainy Christmas Day in Columbia, SC
After closing the store last night, I got in my car and left the Noog at quarter to eight for Cola. Driving deep into the night... thru rain, sleet, wind and Atlanta, I made it to my desination at 12:30 AM. I may not be the USPS, but I WILL make my destination... especially when it means the difference between spending a holiday with my couch and with "family." Now... I sit at the Henderson computer listening to the loving sounds of sister chasing brother with new Turbo action Nurf Revolver. Sister shoots brother with his own gun. What a christmas headline! As for me... I got the BEST gift of all time... a 24 pack of double rolls Cottonelle Toilet paper... the huggable kind. For all those rolling their eyes, thinking that this is my sarcasm at its best... you are incorrect my friends. What could be better that to get a gift that you KNOW you will use! I've gotten knick knacks and sweaters and nativity pendants studded with the best cubic zirconia one can find... but this gift takes the ass out of Christmass... All my love to the adopted family who knows me best!
There is no humbug for this Noogist this year... thanks to BP gift cards and good friends welcoming me home... I'm merry. very.
until my fingers find an internet connection again.... Merry and Happy!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
busy-ness
Ok... so I've not been as faithful of a blogger as I'd hoped to be. I've been totally out of touch with the world lately. In some ways its been great!! I finally gave in to the pressure of desire and got my first blackberry. Now I have the whole world in my pocket. But I find that I don't want it there. While I was home for thanksgiving at my family cabin, with no cell coverage... I found the reprieve from constant connection to be oddly satisfying!
Now, I am back in the world where I get up, go to work, check facebook, check email, answer phone calls and texts and voicemails and go home, get a beer or five and go to sleep. I like the busy-ness... but its business as usual. So... its poker night with co-workers and back to the busy-ness tomorrow!
Talk to y'all soon!
Now, I am back in the world where I get up, go to work, check facebook, check email, answer phone calls and texts and voicemails and go home, get a beer or five and go to sleep. I like the busy-ness... but its business as usual. So... its poker night with co-workers and back to the busy-ness tomorrow!
Talk to y'all soon!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Mornin! HA!!
It is too early for me. I am on a completely new schedule now that I work more closing shifts. It used to be that I'd be at work by now. Yet here I am waking in my hotel room at 8 am irritated that the noise in the hall woke me up so early!
Would it be inappropriate to put an inside joke in a blog? The title of this blog is my inside joke with former co-workers at 22o. I walked into work the other day at 1:00 pm and the word, "Mornin'!" actually just about escaped my lips. I laughed out loud to myself, which may have appeared even more odd than if I'd just said the word. Regardless, I guess I'm gaining a little perspective on a lot of different people lately!
Would it be inappropriate to put an inside joke in a blog? The title of this blog is my inside joke with former co-workers at 22o. I walked into work the other day at 1:00 pm and the word, "Mornin'!" actually just about escaped my lips. I laughed out loud to myself, which may have appeared even more odd than if I'd just said the word. Regardless, I guess I'm gaining a little perspective on a lot of different people lately!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
out of sight
Today I was fortunate enough to be the personal shopper of a blind woman named Maddie. I walked the store with her aisle by aisle and helped her complete her shopping for a little over an hour. By the end of the experience I felt as if I'd been there for a full day, even though my time had only just started. However, I realized that the prayer of "God, grant me patience" had been fulfilled. I had more patience today than I'd had in years. Although it may have been a little exhausting... I learned that life hands you moments when you can be completely at the service of someone else, and when all is said and done... helping someone makes me feel good about myself.
On the other hand, I was locked out of the building tonight, by mistake. He didn't see that I was still out of the building and shut the door on me. It was his mistake, but it was new to feel that alone. I walked the darkness around the building and made my way back into the store to complete my duties for the night. All in all... I look forward to being back at my own store. I look forward to getting to know my staff and being the one that doesn't get left out of sight in the dark. I'm feeling so much more confident about my responsibilities now... and can hardly wait for the store to get up and running. My excitement about this whole process builds daily... only a few more weeks until we open our doors to the public of Chattanooga!!
On the other hand, I was locked out of the building tonight, by mistake. He didn't see that I was still out of the building and shut the door on me. It was his mistake, but it was new to feel that alone. I walked the darkness around the building and made my way back into the store to complete my duties for the night. All in all... I look forward to being back at my own store. I look forward to getting to know my staff and being the one that doesn't get left out of sight in the dark. I'm feeling so much more confident about my responsibilities now... and can hardly wait for the store to get up and running. My excitement about this whole process builds daily... only a few more weeks until we open our doors to the public of Chattanooga!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Homer
last week my grandfather died. these are my first coherent thoughts that I shared with friends and family on facebook...
when I was really little and learning to speak... as most children do, learning the names of family members were some of my first words. Of course, when I ask my mother what my first word was, she says she doesn't remember and that I just started speaking in sentences... but I remember learning to say Grandpa's name. Hooooooommmmerrrrrrrr. Now... considering that I have called him Grandpa my whole life, it seems odd to have this memory of learning his first name. However, when it comes to Grandpa, having memories and telling stories was always important.
Saturday morning a good friend drove me to the chattanooga airport at 5:30am to catch a flight into Milwaukee. when I got my luggage, mom picked me up and seemed in a hurry. By the time I got to the hospital, I had understood that they weren't sure I was going to make it to say goodbye to Grandpa before he passed away. Not only was I able to say goodbye, but I was blessed to spend his last 12 hours with him.
After everyone left the hospital and it was just Grandpa and me... we watched the Clemson/FL State Game... then watched some Dick Van Dyke show (cause I couldn't find a good old movie). I talked about all of my friends that he had met through the past 30 years and talked about my new life at grocery store I am working at. I told him that I hope to be the kind of manager someday that he was at the feed mill... and that this company is going to be a place where I think that I can. I apologized for all the Christmases that Mom asked me to sing and I was to shy or embarrassed to sing... and then I sang to him. I sang some of the great hymns... and I sang some of the great standards. I like to think that he heard me... and once thought I almost saw his mouth curve into a smile.
At some point I fell asleep in the chair next to his bed holding his hand. The nurse came in to check on him and he needed some attention so I left the room as they attended to my grandpa. Yet it was during this time that he began to take his last breaths and they brought me back in the room. As hard as it is for me to say goodbye to grandpa... I felt it was a privilege, an honor, and a blessing that I could be the one with him when he died. He waited for the Lord's Day of rest and gave his tired broken body rest. If heaven is what they've told us, he's got new legs... and new hands... he's with the ones he loves who have already gone, and awaits the loving people who will join him.
He is the father figure in my life who loved unconditionally, never let me down, and pushed me to be the best I could in every facet of my life. He has touched so many lives with love in his 95+ years and I am honored to be his one and only favorite granddaughter. My sadness is so easily replaced with joyful memories and hope for the heavenly banquet that grandpa is feasting at (and he doesn't have to struggle to hold the silverware...) Thank you Homer... Grandpa... you are always loved, remembered and live on in who we are today because of your love.
I can't say that I'm entirely at a place where I can be selfless enough to not miss hearing his voice on the other end of the telephone or watching one of his movies that he's taped off of AMC. I can't say that those memories are enough to sustain me in the coming weeks or months as the reality of his death sets in. However, I can say that of all the lessons learned so far... I'm currently remembering his lesson for new and old drivers... "there will always come a time."
We are an impatient people... and Grandpa taught me to be patient and wait for the right time. Don't just pull out into traffic, that is reckless... rather... wait, because there will always come a time. No matter what I do, I can't make THAT time, the time to get into the flow of life, come any faster. Although today may seem like another ridiculous moment in a string of road blocks... there WILL always come a time.
so I wait.
when I was really little and learning to speak... as most children do, learning the names of family members were some of my first words. Of course, when I ask my mother what my first word was, she says she doesn't remember and that I just started speaking in sentences... but I remember learning to say Grandpa's name. Hooooooommmmerrrrrrrr. Now... considering that I have called him Grandpa my whole life, it seems odd to have this memory of learning his first name. However, when it comes to Grandpa, having memories and telling stories was always important.
Saturday morning a good friend drove me to the chattanooga airport at 5:30am to catch a flight into Milwaukee. when I got my luggage, mom picked me up and seemed in a hurry. By the time I got to the hospital, I had understood that they weren't sure I was going to make it to say goodbye to Grandpa before he passed away. Not only was I able to say goodbye, but I was blessed to spend his last 12 hours with him.
After everyone left the hospital and it was just Grandpa and me... we watched the Clemson/FL State Game... then watched some Dick Van Dyke show (cause I couldn't find a good old movie). I talked about all of my friends that he had met through the past 30 years and talked about my new life at grocery store I am working at. I told him that I hope to be the kind of manager someday that he was at the feed mill... and that this company is going to be a place where I think that I can. I apologized for all the Christmases that Mom asked me to sing and I was to shy or embarrassed to sing... and then I sang to him. I sang some of the great hymns... and I sang some of the great standards. I like to think that he heard me... and once thought I almost saw his mouth curve into a smile.
At some point I fell asleep in the chair next to his bed holding his hand. The nurse came in to check on him and he needed some attention so I left the room as they attended to my grandpa. Yet it was during this time that he began to take his last breaths and they brought me back in the room. As hard as it is for me to say goodbye to grandpa... I felt it was a privilege, an honor, and a blessing that I could be the one with him when he died. He waited for the Lord's Day of rest and gave his tired broken body rest. If heaven is what they've told us, he's got new legs... and new hands... he's with the ones he loves who have already gone, and awaits the loving people who will join him.
He is the father figure in my life who loved unconditionally, never let me down, and pushed me to be the best I could in every facet of my life. He has touched so many lives with love in his 95+ years and I am honored to be his one and only favorite granddaughter. My sadness is so easily replaced with joyful memories and hope for the heavenly banquet that grandpa is feasting at (and he doesn't have to struggle to hold the silverware...) Thank you Homer... Grandpa... you are always loved, remembered and live on in who we are today because of your love.
I can't say that I'm entirely at a place where I can be selfless enough to not miss hearing his voice on the other end of the telephone or watching one of his movies that he's taped off of AMC. I can't say that those memories are enough to sustain me in the coming weeks or months as the reality of his death sets in. However, I can say that of all the lessons learned so far... I'm currently remembering his lesson for new and old drivers... "there will always come a time."
We are an impatient people... and Grandpa taught me to be patient and wait for the right time. Don't just pull out into traffic, that is reckless... rather... wait, because there will always come a time. No matter what I do, I can't make THAT time, the time to get into the flow of life, come any faster. Although today may seem like another ridiculous moment in a string of road blocks... there WILL always come a time.
so I wait.
begin
I am at a new beginning.
We don't always get this chance... the chance to really begin again.
So... I am blogging.
Let me set a few things straight from the beginning. This is a story about life in the Noog. I have moved to the beautiful city of Chattanooga, TN... lovingly called the Noog to myself and those closest to me. This story is more than just my daily life, but rather a story of life and lessons learned. If you've picked up on my little inside joke... this is LIFE in the NUDE... its an exploration of life's lessons in their bare reality. It's an attempt to gain some meaning or at least some insight about those everyday happenings that are so often taken for granted. This is not therapy, though it will be theraputic. This is not sentimental reminiscing though the memories may touch the heart. This is an experiment in hope and a documentation of life as it presents itself to me and what I take from that presentation.
That being said... I begin.
We don't always get this chance... the chance to really begin again.
So... I am blogging.
Let me set a few things straight from the beginning. This is a story about life in the Noog. I have moved to the beautiful city of Chattanooga, TN... lovingly called the Noog to myself and those closest to me. This story is more than just my daily life, but rather a story of life and lessons learned. If you've picked up on my little inside joke... this is LIFE in the NUDE... its an exploration of life's lessons in their bare reality. It's an attempt to gain some meaning or at least some insight about those everyday happenings that are so often taken for granted. This is not therapy, though it will be theraputic. This is not sentimental reminiscing though the memories may touch the heart. This is an experiment in hope and a documentation of life as it presents itself to me and what I take from that presentation.
That being said... I begin.
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