| Just A Tidbit |
Are there ever times in your life you realize "I'm turning into my parents!" Those times can be good or bad I guess. We all are more like our parents than we think. Let me share with you my "turning into my parents" moment. Last week Jer and I purchased one of those entertainment coupon books. When I was a teenager, my dad always had one of those around. Of course, as a teenager, I was always thinking everything that my dad or mom did was embarrassing for me. Teens are in their own little world and think that everyone is looking into their world; therefore, they become so self conscious and everything embarrasses them. But in reality, no one is looking at them, well, unless they have piercing sticking out of them on every single part of their body then maybe, yes, we are looking at you! :) Anyway, back to my story.....my dad would not let us go out to eat unless we used one of his coupons from the entertainment book and whenever he pulled the wallet out of his pocket I would roll my eyes and think to myself....."Oh my gosh, he's sooooo embarrassing; everyone is going to think we are soooo cheap."
Well, last night we got our Entertainment book in the mail and I turned to Jer and said, "We can only go out to eat to the restaurants that are in this book." And he said, "Yep and we have to use the coupons that say 'Buy One Entree; Get One Free' first!" I didn't think about how I sounded exactly like my dad those years ago until I was brushing my teeth before bed last night. I don't know about you but all sorts of randoms thoughts go through my head when I'm brushing my teeth and that one just popped up and with all the foam from my toothpaste running down my face, I looked at myself in the mirror and just smiled. I am my father's daughter because I am now CHEAP! Or should I say smart because using coupons is really the smartest thing you can do to save some extra cash. I didn't figure that out until I was earning my own money and paying my way through the world. Thanks Dad for another life lesson that only registered in my brain during adulthood! :) |
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| Monday Memories - Barefoot & Nails |
My parents always complain how I never remember anything from when I was a child. I do however have memories from childhood, some good, funny, loving, tearful and fearful memories. There are many memories I believe in each person that stir up different emotions from their childhood. One in particular that comes to surface at times is the story of when I deliberately disobeyed my dad and did pay the consequences for my actions, but it was not the punishment of a spanking or having something very important taken away from me. No, it was much more painful than that.
Dad did a lot of carpentry type of work around the house and on the side of our house we had a fenced in area that contained scrap wood and different types of piles of wood. In many of those piles there were wooden planks that had nails sticking out of them. I was forewarned numerous times not to play on the side of house. Did I listen? Of course not. My brother and I decided we were going to have some fun in our backyard and the temptation of the wood piled high was too much for us to resist. I was a bit of a tomboy, so if my brother wanted to play army, I was totally up for it.
There was another aspect of my tomboyish streak--being barefoot. I hated shoes and if I could get away with being barefoot, I would take every opportunity to do so. I remember my mom always telling me that I needed to put shoes on, but if I could sneak out the door to play without them on that was what I would most definitely do. As you can imagine, this day of playing army in the backyard was no different for me. We first looked into the kitchen window to see if mom was around and when we saw that the coast was clear, we opened the fence that led to that forbidden land. It was great fun climbing up on the wood piles and the thought of us being able to pull a fast one on our parents was thrilling. The thrill lasted until the inevitable happened--my right foot stepped completely into an old, rusty nail. Oh, the agony! I didn't just puncture my foot; I had a nail sticking out of my foot! I must have let out a blood curdling scream because my mom was there like a flash of light.
The next thing I remember was my dad taking me to the emergency room and they dipped my foot in a rust-colored liquid, numbed my foot, and pulled that nail out. The prospect of having the nail taken out of my foot did not frighten me nearly enough as the prospect of what my punishment was going to be for directly disobeying my dad's warning of not playing on the side of the house. The whole ride home I was waiting, dreading, anxious to hear what my dad had to say to me. He didn't say a word; he just drove in silence. The whole time I was thinking, "Man, he must be really mad!"
As we drove down the road, he suddenly turned into a parking lot and parked right in front of an ice cream shop. What torture! He was going to get an ice cream for himself and not let me have one because of my disobedience. This was worse than getting yelled at I was thinking. As he turned off the ignition, he turned and looked at me and said, "We both know you directly disobeyed me and your mom. Do you realize why I told you and Will not to play back there? I did it for your safety not because I didn't want you to have fun. Because you didn't listen to our instructions, you got seriously hurt and now you are in pain." "As we were driving to and from the hospital, I was thinking is this punishment enough for her or do I need to add something to it for her disobedience." (The whole time I'm thinking...."Oh God, here it comes; I'm getting grounded or spanked when I get home." )
I couldn't believe my ears when my father said, "No, I think you have gone through enough to have learned your lesson. That is all I'm going to say about it. Now, let's go get us some ice cream."
I did in fact learn my lesson, and I never ever went back to the side of the house unsupervised or barefoot again!!! But, the real memory that sticks out in my mind is not the fact that a nail went through my foot, but that my dad who was a man that did not let us get away with disobedience, had compassion on me that day. Now as an adult, I look back at that and it reminds me of God's compassion on us when we do something that we know we should not be doing. Sometimes God "reprimands" us and we have to face additional consequences for what we have done, but there are also times when we suffer the normal consequences of our disobedience. We have learned our lesson from that disobedience and truly are sorry for the disappointment we have caused. And this is when God looks compassionately on us and just as my dad said that day, God says, "You know what you have done and now you are in pain for your wrongdoing. I didn't want you to do that because I knew you would get hurt in the end. You have been through enough; the slate is clean again. It is forgotten and will not be mentioned again."
That day long ago I knew I deserved to get further punishment for not obeying my parents instructions, but my dad taught me a lesson on compassion and he probably didn't even know he was doing it. |
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| Exploring Columbia |
I finally was able to get some of the pictures uploaded on here. If they are too small jus click on each on of them and you'll see a better view. Anyway, it has been fun exploring downtown Columbia. This city is full of historic significance from the Civil War. We went to a concert at Trinity Episcopal Church which was built in the early 1800's. They have these old fashioned boxed in pews where you have to open this little door just to get into a pew. I guess it keeps the children in, but I highly doubt back in the old days there were little brats terrorizing the church service. Right next to the church is a very old graveyard and there are many Civil War soldiers that died in battle buried there. It was extremely interesting to read the headstones. Most of them told a short story about their lives--where they were born, what battles they fought in, what battles they died in, or what they did after the war. I found it fascinating.
Yesterday we had a tour of the Governor's Mansion. The Governor of SC and his family reside in the house, but their living quarters are really upstairs. We were able to tour the downstairs where they usually hold special events. The furniture is old and historical and there are historical paintings as well. They have their own private cook, of course, but I still couldn't imagine having someone cook for me whenever I want. It must be great! We were also able to walk around their gardens and it was just beautiful. There were no flowers blooming since it is winter, but the trees and plants were nice to walk through and observe the beauty.
We also visited the state capitol building. It was very historic looking as well and quite pretty inside. But I have to say that the CA state capitol is the most beautiful I've seen and I've seen quite a few from alot of different states.
Well, hopefully I'll be able to get the pictures up sometime....I'll keep trying. |
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| All About Me Part II |
Yes, another one of these but wouldn't you agree they are interesting? I know, I don't have too much to report on right now, so I thought I would use this list that I stole from "The Story of Me" by Chelle! :) P.S. I only stole the questions, not the answers! :)
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Perfect happiness would be going back into time or having all the loved ones in my family that have passed on be alive again and we would all get together in Yuma, AZ and everyone would be together. We had such fun and there were no worries in the world when we were all together! How long for those days sometimes but now they are only a memory.
Which living person do you most admire? I would have to agree with Chelle (aka Mrs. Young--I still feel weird saying your first name) on this one--My parents. They haven't always had an easy marriage but they were determined to make it work and not give up on their wedding vows. I know they have grown alot throughout the years and now that I'm an adult I can give them a break on many things because I realize they were so young when they got married that in reality they were "growing up" in a way right along with us. You both are great parents and I know you would do anything for me and Will!
What is your greatest fear? That Jeremy will lose his life in the war when he is deployed. I can't imagine living through this life without him.
What is your favorite journey? So far, my favorite journey has been being a wife. I know I only have a year and a half of it under my belt, but it has been a blessing being married to Jer.
What do you consider the most over-rated virtue? What a strange question...I have never thought about it before. What are all the virtues anyways? I guess if I knew that maybe I could answer. :)
What virtue do you wish you had more of? Self-Discipline...I'm always good at something for awhile and then I always seem to slack off.
On what occasion do you lie? I honestly try not to lie, but I have had times when I've said something looks nice or tastes good and it really didn't.
Which words do you most overuse? I just asked Jer what he thought I most overused and he said I say the phrase "You know what I mean?" all the time. I do not...you know what I mean? :)
What is your greatest extravagance? It is definitely getting my hair done and the foundation I use (Prescriptives).
What do you dislike about your appearance? I really am trying not to be so negative about my body, but if I had to be completely honest with myself, I don't like my legs at all.
Which living person do you most despise? Despise is such a strong word...it's almost like hate. I'm going to pass on this one because I honestly don't "hate" or "despise" anyone.
What is your greatest regret? The thing is, we all have regrets but without those mistakes that were made, we wouldn't have learned a thing from them. So, I try to look at the mistakes I've made in the past as a learning tool and maybe they will be used to help someone else down the road.
What or who is the greatest love of your life? Yep, God and family are definitely the answer!
When and where were you the happiest? April 2, 2005 at the exact moment of walking down the aisle....I looked at no one except Jer for the whole way! I didn't care that it had rained moments before and it was windy on the beach...I was walking to my baby and I was extremely happy.
Which talent would you most like to have now? I'm really not copying Chelle's answers.....I always wanted to play the violin too. I also wish I had the talent that my family has--drawing and painting.
What is your current state of mind? I feel very content right now. Jer and I are going to go explore downtown Columbia in a little while and I'm just happy I have this time to spend with him before his full-time training starts.
If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? That we always got along all the time, but then again, that would be like "Leave It To Beaver" and then we would be really weird!
If you could die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be? I would come back as a cat so I could eat and sleep the day away...ha ha
What is your most treasured possession? My wedding ring and letters from my grandma when I was a kid and teenager.
What is something that you would like to have that you do not have now? I would like to have my metabolism of when I was 16 again! I could eat anything back then and not have to exercise and still be a skinny twig....YES, I want that back! :)
What do you think is the lowest depth of misery? The lowest depth of misery will be when I lose someone in my family or if I lose Jer. It will be very hard to get through.
What is the physical quality you like mostly in a man? When I think of Jer, I think of his eyes....when I first met him, that is what struck me first about him.
What quality do you like in a man? Good temperment, sensitive, and making me laugh.
What do you admire mostly in friends? Definitely loyalty, understanding, and forgiveness
What quality do you mostly dislike in a person? Being fake and being unkind to people! I had too much of that from people early in my life and I won't stand for it now!!!!
Who are your heroes in real life? I don't have heroes because we are all human and I don't want to put anyone too high up on a pedestal.
What are your favorite names? I really do like my name....I didn't when I was little because it wasn't common but I think what it represents is beautiful. I also love the name Emma.
How would you like to die? I would love to just pass away in my sleep. Can you imagine being asleep one minute and then opening your eyes to see Jesus?
What is your “motto?” "C'mon, Grace, keep going....you can do this." As I said before, I wish I had more self-discipline so when I'm doing something that I really don't want to do, I have to keep encouraging myself to keep moving on. |
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| Other Things About Me! |
Okay, I usually do these things when I don't really have anything to talk about or I'm just too lazy to fish in my head for something interesting to post. Right now it's the too lazy part of me because I just had a hard workout and I'm too tired to think! Enjoy the question and answer session! :)
1. How did you get your name? I like this story about myself. My mom already had a boy so when she got pregnant with me, she asked God to give her a little girl. She told God that if He gave her a girl she would call her "Grace" because it means "a gift from God". That is how I got my name...isn't that too cute?
2. What is a memory you won't ever forget? A memory that first pops into my head that I will always cherish and never forget is the last time I truly saw my grandma laughing and having fun before the cancer killed her. She was always a happy person, making jokes, but when the cancer and chemo really tore at her body, her demeanor would change naturally. I try to only remember the good times of when I was a child and she was still healthy.
3. What is your favorite color? I don't think I really have a favorite, but I really do love the colors in the purple and blue family.
4. What are your favorite foods? This is not a fair question because I enjoy life through food. The older I get the harder it is to enjoy all those fattening foods, but I love food. I can't diet because I love food too much to make myself only eat lettuce morning, noon, and night. It's no way to live so I exercise and enjoy my food. I guess I'll say that Mexican food is my all time favorite.
5. What is your favorite drink? There is nothing better most times than a ice cold fizzing Coke!
6. What is your favorite brand of clothes? I'm not a "label" or "brand" type of person. If it looks good on me, it's good quality, and it's a good price then at that time, it's my favorite. :)
7. Who is your best friend? I would honestly have to say my husband, Jeremy. There are no secrets between us; we have good communication with each other.
8. What is your favorite animal? I have to say kitties. I have favored them since I was a little kid.
9. What would you like your future career to be? I am not that big into being a career woman. I have never really had that desire, so I would have to say that if God gives me children someday, I would like my future career to be the best mom I could be to my children.
10. What is your favorite restaurant? This one is hard cuz it's has to do with food again!!! I guess my all time favorite that I never get tired of is Carraba's. I don't think they have any in CA but it's one awesome Italian restaurant!
11. What are your favorite TV shows? The one that never gets old for me are the "I Love Lucy" episodes. I can see them again and again and still laugh!
12. What country would you like to visit? I would absolutely love to go to England. I want to walk where the kings and queens used to walk.
13. What is your favorite book that you have read recently? It was called "Darcy's Daughters". It was a sequel to Pride and Prejudice (when the girls are older). I like anything that has to do with Pride & Prejudice.
14. What is your personality like? I'm kind of quirky at times. I'm not very outgoing. I like to keep to myself most times. I'm not shy once you get to know me.
15. What is your favorite old movie? I love all the Doris Day movies, especially the ones with Rock Hudson (like Pillow Talk).
16. What is your favorite old song? "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by Elvis
17. What kind of friend are you? I try to give as much as I can to a relationship and I know in the past I have let some of my so called friends walk all over me. I think I'm very sincere as a friend and if there is ever a time that they need me, I will be there to be supportive.
18. What is your favorite car? I have to say a BMW. I don't know the model of it but if I saw which one it was, I could point it out to you.
19. What is one thing you would never do? I heard a preacher once say, "Never say Never because once you do say "I would never do that" that will be the time when Satan will go after you with full force." So, I try not to be proud and say "I'll never do that", but I do say, "By the grace of God, I hope never to..." I would have to say in regards to this question that I hope never to break my marriage vows that were given to my husband and to God. |
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| Chocolate Chip Cookies |
Yummy!! Don't they look good?? Well, tonight I was in the kitchen for an hour and a half making chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice for my husband. He loves when I make this dish but it does take alot of time and preparation. After I made the dinner, I said that I was craving chocolate chip cookies. But there was no way I was going to stay in the kitchen another hour baking. My sweet hubby decided to make the cookies for me. My first thought was a bit apprehensive because Jer likes to not follow a recipe at times and does the eye ball thing for measuring. It has back fired on him a few times, so I thought this might happen again.
So, I went into the kitchen and sneaked some dough for tasting and it tasted great. After those cookies were baked and I sunk my teeth in them, I was in heaven. My husband knows how to bake cookies!! Hint: The secret is that he replaces the butter with Crisco. Soooo fattening but soooo good! :) I love this man! He looked pretty cute too in the kitchen baking up a storm and after it was all said and done, he cleaned all the dishes that he used! What a great man I snatched up and married! |
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| Another Fun Questionnaire! |
Who was the last person....
1. You hung out with? It's only me and Jeremy these days.
2. Rode in a car with? Jeremy
3. Went to the movies with? Nancy and Kristin (We saw The Devil Wears Prada)
4. Went to the mall with? Me, myself, and I
5. You talked on the phone too? I talked with my friend Rachel in Virginia.
6. Made you laugh? I Love Lucy episode
7. Last person you told and/or they told you they Loved you?
My hubby told me he loved me before he left to the base this morning! :)
Would you rather....?
1. Pierce your nose or tongue? Neither, they both look ridiculous to me!
2. Be serious or be funny? I would much rather be funny; I don't tell jokes well and I don't get them either.
3. Drink whole or skim milk? I would rather drink whole milk because it tastes soooo good, but on the other hand, I think I would rather have skim because there is less fat in it.
4. Die in a fire or drown? What a morbid thought, but if I have to choose, it would have to be drowning.
5. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Ummmm, let's see....I think I would much rather spend time with my parents. What a dumb question!
Answer Truthfully
1. Do you like anyone? I like many people, but my favorite is Jeremy and also George Clooney....he he
2. Which one...Sun or Moon? I love the sun, just wish it was good for you to be able to bask in it!
3. Which one...Winter or Fall? I would say winter because that means Santa Claus is coming with presents! :)
4. Which one...Pens or Pencils? Well, pencils are great because you can make mistakes and erase, but I love pens because they come in so many different colors!
5. Which one...10 Acquaintances or 2 Best Friends? Definitely the 2 best friends....they will be there when you need them the most.
6. Which one...Sunny or rain? I would prefer sunny days, but I like rainy days so I can be lazy and read or watch t.v.
7. Which one...Vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream? Can I have both please????
About You
1. What time is it? 3:31 p.m. EST
2. What is your first name? Grace
3. Where do you wanna live? I'm not too picky and since we are in the military, I would have to say anywhere.
4. How many kids do you want? I have no idea yet.
5. Do you want to get married? Already have done that.
6. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? There is only one way to eat your spaghetti and that is to twirl it!!
7. Have you ever eaten spam? Goodness, no and not planning to either.
8. Favorite ice cream? Strawberry
9. How many kinds of cereal are in your cabinet? Two at this moment but I usually have more than that. Thanks, Dad, for getting me hooked on cereal!
10. Do you cook? Yes, I actually do now that I'm not working.
In the last 24 hours have you...?
1. Kissed someone? Yes.
2. Sang? Definitely, I sang with Chris Tomlin in the car!
3. Been hugged? I'm pretty sure I have.
4. Felt stupid? Thankfully not yet.
5. Missed someone? My family.
6. Danced Crazy: No, not yet, but I may be doing a little dance once we get our new place in order!!
7. Gotten your hair cut? No, that was last week before we drove to SC.
8. Cried? No emotional crying recently.
9. Lied? No, I really don't think I've said any white lies lately.
11. Been Kissed? Yes and wasn't that a question before???
Random Stuff....
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? I would pee my pants if that ever happened. I once was stopped along with other drivers on the road so the cops could check who was drinking under the influence. Of course, I was completely sober!
2. Do you have a Dog? Thankfully, I do not. I like my cats much better!
3. When's the last time you've been sledding? Never, I don't think.
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone? Awhile back, I would have said I would rather sleep by myself and not have to share with anyone, but now I love having someone next to me in bed.
5. Do you believe in ghosts? I don't believe in ghost, but I definitely believe in demons and evil spirits.
6. Do you consider yourself creative? When I compare myself to the rest of my family, I do not consider myself creative. I can't paint, draw, etc... like the rest of them. |
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| I'm A Southerner ! |
How I have missed being able to blog and read everyone else's blog! We finally made it to South Carolina and I feel like I'm in a completely different world. Everyone has that southern accent and they are so friendly here. People were pretty friendly in Texas but they are twenty times more friendly here. They like to call you "baby". It's very strange to hear especially when you were born and raised in California and there is no way anyone would call you "baby". :) We went from living in a 2707 square foot house to a little two-bedroom apartment, and we have too much junk!! I have already loaded my car with bags and boxes of stuff to give to goodwill. Oh well, we are only here for six months probably and then off to another adventure.
The army base, Fort Jackson, is beautiful. It has so many trees and it's just lush with green everywhere. It's so different from Texas and I have to say that I love all the trees around here. It's been cloudy for the past few days so I'm hoping this isn't a constant thing around here.
Well, I have to get back to work with unpacking everything and getting this place in some type of decent order. |
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| Waiting, Waiting, Waiting |
Hello All!
Well, I am done sleeping on the floor in an empty house, but now I'm in a very small hotel room for three more nights until we get to move on. The kitties are a neurotic mess and I'm sure they will be even more traumatized by the time we get to our new place. God answered a huge request and provided for us yet again. I always worry for nothing; God always takes care of us!!! We have a very nice military family moving into our house and will hopefully be renting from us for 2 1/2 years while the husband is stationed in Texas. And icing on the cake is they are a Christian family and used to attend the church we attend here in San Antonio. It was nice being able to speak with them about church and God. I hope they work out and are great tenants.
Anyway, there isn't much to report on since we are just waiting at this point to leave. I was able to get on to the base's library and sneak in a quick blog. I'll write as soon as I can and hopefully have more interesting news! As the Army says, "Hooah"! :) |
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| Goodbye Texas! |
Well, I'm waiting for the movers to come and then Jer and I are going to be in a empty house. We are going to "squat" (as Jer likes to refer to it) for a few days in the house so we save a few bucks on a hotel. We'll have a floor to sleep on and bathroom facilities so what more can a girl ask for?? :) Honestly, Jer is not trying to torture me and I'm about as frugal as he is right now. We will be staying in a hotel for the last four nights we are in Texas right before we leave for South Carolina.
Anyway, I can rough it out. It'll be like backpacking and all you have to sleep in is a sleeping bag and tent minus the outdoors. I think I'll survive for three nights. I'm going to miss blogging but if I get a chance to get to a computer in the next few weeks I will certainly update everyone on how we are doing.
Don't miss me too much! Bye for now! |
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| The Joys Of Moving |
Well, I have two days before the movers come to take all of my furniture and belongings to South Carolina. I should have listened to my gut when we were buying a computer last year and went with a laptop, but at the time, I didn't know we would be moving two times within one year. I am going to miss email, blogging, and myspace for probably about two weeks. Hopefully the base will have computers that we can use to check our email and stuff like that. I've been taking everything off our walls in the house and it makes me a little sad. I love the house we bought and we've only been able to live in it for a year and three months. I should never get too attached to anything since I have experienced that the military will move you at any time and to any place they need us.
Another thing that I'm dreading is having to find a new hair stylist. You ladies know what I'm talking about. I always find the first one that messes my hair up so bad that I have to let it grow out for months and then somehow I find a stylist that I like. I'm going to miss Kitt! My hair is tough to work with....it's fine and it naturally has three different tones in it, so it's very hard to work with when I want to dye and highlight. I think I'll be skipping any dye jobs until I know I have found a great stylist.
Okay, I have to get back to work and start packing everything that I'm going to be taking in my car. Wish me luck! I'll post one last time before we disconnect the internet and move on to greener pastures! :) |
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Name: Gracey
Home: United States
About Me: Welcom to my site! This is a place for me to write from day to day or sometimes from week to week. It just depends what is happening in my life. Please stay as long as you'd like and hope to hear from you soon as well!
See my profile...
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Brushes by Gvalkyrie
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posted by Gracey at 
