From the top of the mountain

More pictures, just because :) ... Does anyone know how I can make it so you can click on my pictures and they appear bigger in another window?

Georgia!

Jason and I flew to Atlanta, GA over the weekend and visited Stone Mountain Park. It was really cool! The weather was great, and there was a lot to see and do. Here are a few pictures from our weekend vacation. Unfortunately, our pictures of the nighttime laser lightshow didn't turn out, but that was really neat to see. Everyone laid their blankets or chairs out on the big lawn which you can see on the first photo below, and the laser show was displayed across the mountain where the carving is. The 2nd picture is of the sky tram we took to the top of the mountain and last is a picture of the mountain and beautiful sun starting to set taken from the "Paddlewheel Riverboat Cruise" we took.

2 years

I went to my dad's grave with my family today, marking 2 years since he died. It's weird how sad it can be to really think about someone you loved so much and who is gone, because I live my life now without him, and it's just become normal not to have him here. And although he's always in the back of my mind, I usually don't have a clear image of him or dwell on his memory too much. But then there are times like this, when I give a concentrated effort to my dad, and it brings me to tears. I was so looking forward to seeing him interact with his grandkids. I'm just glad that time really does take away some of the sadness. I remember thinking my sadness would never end and would only increase with each passing day, but fortunately it has greatly subsided over the years.

What a Week

This week has been pretty crazy at work. Yesterday, over 10% of our workforce was downsized - or as our GM says, "right-sized." As the rumors flew, I suddenly thought, "Oh my goodness, what if it's me? We just bought a house!" But fortunately, I was not one of the fatalities. Still, it was an unnerving week. And tomorrow, we close on our house! So at least the week ends on a high note. I'm very excited about this next move in our lives, although it's a bit intimidating at the same time. We went to the Home Depot the other day and I swear we wanted to buy something in every aisle. Yikes! I feel so blessed, though, to be in this position and I can't wait until we're all moved in :)

Autumn

The fake tree in our living room is lit up, a vanilla-scented candle is burning, and I want to crawl under the covers just a little bit longer every morning from the slight chill in the air.

It is fall, and I love it.

For what purpose?

I watched the coverage of 9/11 last night, the video that started as two brothers creating a documentary about a rookie firefighter and ended up being firsthand footage of the 9/11 attacks. It brought me to tears, even 5 years later. The amount of lives lost or affected in some way is overwhelming, and for what purpose? What did the attacks accomplish, other than making most Americans really sad or angry? The terrorists were trying to prove a point, but I think we proved an even stronger one - it strengthened our resolve not to let other countries push us around, it united us as a nation, it made us recognize what really matters if even for a few days or weeks or months surrounding the attacks. Not to minimize the magnitude and significance of the lives lost, but the terrorists sort of remind me of the Grinch. They thought they could take away our faith, our courage, our strength as a country by killing a ton of people, and they were wrong. I only hope they will someday learn that life's too short to live it hating and killing.

By the way, this is not a commentary about the U.S.'s actions as a result of the attacks - I'm still not sure how I feel about that whole issue ...

Tips for the anti-social shopper

I've been doing a lot of shopping lately for house-related things - no actual purchasing, mind you, just looking around ... Anyway, I don't know if it's because I'm not ready to make a big purchase yet, if it's because there are way too many sales people in the stores over Labor Day Weekend for their special sales, or if it's just because I have some anti-social habits, but there's something about furniture store shopping that bugs me. As soon as I walk into a furniture or appliance store, I seem to get clobbered by salesmen greeting me with a plastered-on smile. Now, I know it's their job to help out, and the more they can help me find, the more money they can potentially make. But sometimes I just want to wear a sign that says, "Really, I'm just looking! You will be wasting your time on me!" I actually made an entire loop around one store and was about to exit when a sales woman came up to me and said, "Welcome to Lazy Boy, can I help you?" I was like ... um, I'm just looking. And then I proceeded to walk out the door! So for those of you out there who have experienced this before, allow me to give you a few simple tips that have eased my shopping woes ... slightly:

1) Avoid making eye contact at all costs, unless you genuinely want a worker to be stuck on you like glue for your remaining time in the store. In my experience, you can't just ask one question and have them leave you alone after you've shown the slightest of interest.
2) Wear raggedy clothes. One salesman looked at me and said hello, then looked at the holes in my jeans, and walked away. He figured I couldn't possibly be serious about buying a large appliance if I couldn't even afford a new pair of pants. (Side note: 3 seconds after this man walked away, another sales person came up to me and asked if he could help me. People, please!)
3) If you see someone approaching, take your keys out of your purse or pocket as if you are about to leave. They'll either not bother at all, or just say good-bye.