Last of May

May is almost over - what a month! So, what's been happening with everyone? I hope you had a great Memorial Day holiday. Mine was pretty quiet for the most part, but that was okay with me! I still wasn't feeling that great, so I took it easy between projects around the house! My goal was to clean house and clean out the guest room so that I could put the double bed that Mom gave me in there (to replace the twin bed). I pretty much got all of that done by Sunday night. So Monday morning, my goals were to: walk and dust the house. Mission accomplished before lunch! Scott came over after lunch and helped me move the beds around in the guest room. We hung out for a while before walking around the neighborhood (Scott got to meet the Noah Family). Then we walked to Sonic and got limeades! We cooled off some before going over to the Johnstons for dinner (yummy steak, chicken, corn on the cob - delish, baked potatoes, grilled veggies, smores, and ice cream). We even played dominoes and I did NOT come in last!! I actually came in second or third - must have been a record!!!

I really enjoyed the "sub" preachers on Sunday. Donny Lee in the morning, and Paul Pollard in the evening. Since I was running the powerpoints Sunday night, Paul came back with his slides and notes. It was really easy to follow him - and I think I got so much more out of the lesson because I had his notes and really had to follow closely. I hope I get to hear him again soon. The powerpoint-running went well - and Jack Ryan came back as soon as church was over to tell me that I had done a good job with the songs! I appreciated that.

In other news, I found a yummy recipe for Dark Chocolate Mini Muffins and got the recipe analyzed for nutrition information. They are yummy - and not bad for you!!! I also tried making some fat-free cookies - they are edible and okay if you're not too picky about texture.

More in May

I took this of Scott on Monday evening at the lake. We went a different route and experienced another first - a bit of rain! But we did not melt. It is so relaxing being out on the lake.....

I made chicken & dumplings (too much chicken, not enough dumplings!) using Grandmother's recipe on Tuesday evening. Scott left early Wednesday morning to head to Portland & Seattle and will return Sunday night. So it will be a quiet few days here without Scott.

I don't really feel like adding much today - it's official that I have allergies! I got 3 different medicines and I'm exhausted. And since I don't talk or write well when I'm tired....this will have to do. Just wanted to share my newest pic of Scott - I actually remembered to take my camera Monday night!

Colors

Most of the time, we see things in black & white, or maybe shades of gray (see Laura & Lara's blogs about church!). And there are other colors in our world - the sky is blue, the grass is green, dirt is brown. But there are so many colors in our world!! The sky can really be blue, white, gray, purple, pink, orange, red, yellow, and many shades and combinations of colors. The grass can be green, brown, or a mix. Trees - do you know how many different shades of green there are?! And what about the water? On the lake last night with Scott, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the colors of the world last night. The trees were majestic and colorful - even though they were all basically the same colors (brown & green). The sky was lit up with all the shades of the setting sun - from a beautiful purple-ish color to the deepening blue as the sun went down. The deep blue of the sky was soon joined by the many twinkling stars. The lake was every color around it - blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, blue, brown, red. One of the stars was really bright (oh wait - that was the navigation light!). The wind blew softly through the trees, on the water, through my shorter hair. It felt cool - which was the reason I had a blanket! But it felt almost like a brush of God's hand - light, airy, saying, "I am here." The beauty of the evening was breathtaking.

So here's my next situation for you. I'm not known as a big talker (most of the time!). Sometimes, it's really hard for me to open up and say what it on my mind. And then, when I do open my mouth, it is usually at the wrong time, saying the wrong thing! ARGH!!! So I think a lot of things that I don't say. And I have this list of questions - but I can never think of any when I'm actually in Scott's presence (he must short circuit my brain). Or, if I do, I think, "oh that sounds so silly." So, what can I do about this? I know we need to talk about stuff instead of just starring into each other's eyes - however fun that can be. If you have suggestions, please post a comment (that's a good way to get some comments to check & see if you actually read - and I need the help!!!).

Additional information updated 5-17:
Okay, so I left out part of the fun from Monday night! And since Scott asked what Mom and Laura said about it...I'll tell the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say!
We took a picnic to the lake on Monday night! I had food left from the week-end, so we made wraps at my house and took chips, cookies (Sexton Foods has really good cookies!!!!), baby carrots. Simple but good. Anyway, we went out on the lake, cruised a bit before finding a nice shady spot and anchoring. Yeah, we sat around and talked and cuddled. He had his ipod playing on the radio and we listened to Michael Buble and ol' blue eyes (Frank Sinatra). And we danced under the stars. We moved the boat to catch the last of the sunset (beautiful!) and then watched the stars come out. And out. We stayed on the lake until about 10pm before finally moving - we hated to leave since we were having such fun! So there you have it - Scott will want to know what you think about the dancing under the stars.....

Tuesday night, we went to.....the airport and picked up his Dad. We did have a nice chat on the way - I found out that he would like to go back to Australia and live. We ended up at IHOP for a late snack. Wednesday, we went back to the lake so his Dad could experience "captain Scott" and the boat! We cruised and I got to drive (is that the right term or not?!?!) for a long time. We made it to a nice spot to watch the sunset before heading back. We dropped off Reet Cronk (she went with us too) and then went to find something to eat (it was 9:30 by then - luckily, I'd snacked!). We ended up at Chili's because all the other places that were open were filled with kids from the track meet.

Progress

You know, dating can be fun. It can be frustrating and stressful, happy and thrilling, peaceful and relaxing. Scott and I met (thank you Liz!) on Feb. 8 for coffee. You remember the tortoise and the hare story? Well, if the last ex-boyfriend was the hare, then this one is definitely the tortoise. But you know, I kind of like that. And I really have worked at being patient, relaxed, and just seeing where this one takes me. I feel that I've grown and will continue to grow. The patience is paying off, finally. He was just so cute last night. And I think he'll help me come out of my shell and try some new things (although I'm not too sure about tubing on the lake!) and new ways of thinking. So, thank you Scott.

Last week was fun! We went to the lake twice and then I cooked dinner Thursday (chicken pot pie, salad) and Friday (chicken marco polo, salad, green beans). Friday night, we rented "The Pink Panther" and went to DQ for Blizzards! Yummmmmmmmm (and I only ate half of mine!). Both evenings were fun and enjoyable - although we stayed up too late Friday night talking.

Saturday was 4-H Agri-Skills day, so I worked, then headed up to Petit Jean. I met Mom and Patti at Tanyard Springs and we grilled hamburgers for dinner. I hung out on the porch swing and hammock, while Mom and Patti walked around. We had a great time chatting. Sunday, we went to church at PJ (all 16 of us!), then had lunch at the Lodge. I came on home after a walk down to the lake and picture taking. I ran the powerpoints at church Sunday night - my first time! It was a bit stressful at times, so please be nice when you notice a mistake with the powerpoint running!!! I shopped for food and stuff at wally world before playing dominoes with the gang, and you got it - it was late!

This week, the AWH Garden Party got cancelled on Monday night due to storms :-( so I cooked one of the dinners I had actually planned and shopped for this week (spaghetti, salad, bread). Mom had come for the Party and we invited Scott over too since we figured he wouldn't make it to the lake. We had a great dinner together and after dinner & dessert (ice cream and cookies), we sat in the living room and talked late. Again. On Tuesday, Mom had a doctor's appointment (she was fine - no injection needed!) and I was in training in LR. I had texted Scott but had not received a reply, so I was sitting in my chair, catching up on my magazine reading, when he knocked on the door. He, Paula, and Beverly were headed to the lake and invited me. Boy, was that fun! Those two are hilarious!!!!! What great conversation - and I didn't have to say much which was good - because the late nights were catching up!

Happy May, Juice

Happy May! It's hard to believe how much time flies when you are having fun. But it flies when you're not having fun too! I will definitely miss Grandmother, but she's so much better off than us now! I'll miss going by to see her, eating lunch on Sunday at Pinecrest, her sweet smile and laugh, her tears (she always said we were a crying family but I'm not sure I got all those genes), her history. She was a great cook - her vegetable soup was so yummy. I enjoyed the hot cereals, the burnt toast (Pa-Pa's preference), the pancakes on Saturday, her perfect fried eggs, meatloaf-mashed potatoes-LeSueur peas (always served together as a meal), and pretty much anything else she made! I'm glad I was able to stay with Mom a few extra days. We got GM's room at Pinecrest cleaned out, shopped for clothes for mom, took my great-aunt out to eat, and generally had a good time together.

Okay, Desiree - NOW I have some juice (a little anyway)!!!! Scott was really sweet last week - sending text messages, emails, voice mails that were so nice and thoughtful. And he sent us a basket of daisies that really brightened my day (and still do - looking good on my kitchen table). He called Sunday night on his way home from Dallas and asked me to go to the lake with him Monday after work. He bought a pontoon boat a few weeks ago and I hadn't seen it yet. So, after a hectic day at work, he picked me up and we headed to Heber. I briefly wondered when we neared the lake if he'd brought the key - I thought it would be funny if he forgot it. Turns out, he did! He'd taken it out of it's regular place for his trip to Dallas. I laughed and was amused. He was so mad. But we had a great time anyway - we just sat on the boat in the marina, listened to the radio, I got the grand tour, and we talked. Very relaxing. We ate dinner at the Smokehouse, and had a pancake for dessert (he loves pancakes). On the way, we talked. Yes, talked about dating. It was kind of funny. We sat on my couch for a while and talked some more. I smiled a lot - still do thinking about him. Anyway, he emailed me Tuesday and said he was thinking about going back to the lake that evening - with keys! So, we headed back to Heber. AHHHH, this time we made it out of the marina and cruised the lake. It was so much fun and so relaxing!!! And he let me drive some. So anyway, we talked on the way home again - about dating. So, I think we are dating now!!! He really is sweet. So if you see me chuckling and smiling for no apparent reason, I'm probably thinking about Scott. :-) He even took some pictures last night on the lake - a couple of us together. I'll have to get one of those.....(and I did!)