Friday

My husband celebrated his 48th birthday this week. I want to tell the world how much I love him.

We dated for 4 years and have been married 26 years. I have been privileged to have him in my world for 30 years. I have not always felt this way. I can truly say today, he is my very best friend, my only ever lover, and my spiritual encourager. Is he perfect? Absolutely not.
He tries very hard to be everything I need for him to be not always getting it right. He comforts me when I need comforting. He encourages me when I need encouragement. He redirects me when I need redirecting. He gently corrects me when I need correcting. He is patient with me on most occasions. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry. He makes me mad. Never a dull moment.

He's not complicated like I am but he understands that I am complicated and works at understanding my complexities. He tries. He doesn't always get the relationship thing right but he tries.

He has the sense of humor of a "middle schooler". He works very hard to support our family- having worked two jobs for most of our marriage. He loves his children. He cares for his aging mother. He looks cute in his reading glasses. He snores. He loves Braves baseball and college basketball. He loves television. ( I don't). He listens to me when I rant and rave about work situations. He has corny friends. He is a leader in our church. He loves to eat out. He has no hobbies (get a hobby!). He does a lousy job keeping the laundry washed. He is redneck at times. He enjoys playing cards with friends. He wishes he were able to hunt more often. He belongs to me.
Thank you for our life together both the good times and the not so good times. Thank you for my children and the joys and sorrows they bring. Thank you for today.

Another Monday

Another Monday has come and gone. More to do than there is of me to do it. That describes a typical Monday at the CO. Made it home around 7:20 p.m. Terry had prepared the meat for dinner. When Emily and I arrived home, we each had a dinner assignment. Terry seared the chicken, I reheated the navy beans, and Emily made the macaroni. We had it done in 15, devoured in 10 and dishes in the sink by 8:10. My kind of meal.

Terry woke me up around 5 am snoring this morning. I've been dragging all day especially since I didn't get in the bed until around 11:45 pm.

We had family visit yesterday (Sunday). Nine in all. Patsy, Holly, Blayne, Trace, A.J., Dan (A.J.'s new husband), Jason (a friend of A.J.'s), Chandler, and another little girl named Alexis. It was great seeing the kids. They change so much so quick. Blayne(4) is a doll , Trace(3) is so slim and loving, and Chandler's (4) hair is almost to her butt. Holly worked on a resume for school. Aunt Pat tried on all the clothes I had discarded from my summer closet. She took everything but three or four pieces with the promised to take 22 pieces of clothing out of her closet. She forgot to take the shoes. I told her today she would have to bring me the 22 articles of clothing before she could take the shoes. Her closets are in worse shape that mine.

We are expecting Nate and Leigh for the weekend. It will be a busy weekend. Emily will be preforming at the middle school football game on Thursday. Homecoming is on Friday and the Great Locomotive Chase Festival is Friday, Saturday (parade), and Sunday. The band parents are supposed to work three of the six gates at the festival. I have volunteered for early Saturday morning.

I hope to have Leigh's parents eat with us on Friday prior to the football game. If that's not possible, maybe we can meet and eat out. Either way, it will be nice to visit with Leigh's parents with Leigh and Nate present this time.

Well off to bed I go for tomorrow is another day.

As time goes by....

We spent the weekend in Montgomery visiting Nate and his girlfriend Leigh. We hit the road for the 250 mile road trip around 5:30 p.m. It always seems such a short distance in going but very long in coming home. We arrived around 9 o'clock Georgia time which meant 8 o'clock Alabama time. It was great to see my baby boy and Leigh. We had a late dinner at a place called Jim & Nicks. This was our (Terry, Jacki, and Emily) first time to experience the cuisine. The meal started off with "pork nachos". Strange combination but VERY good.

After the meal, we followed Nate and Leigh to their perspective homes. Nate lives with three other guys. We stuck our head in the door for just a minute. The place was nice but smelled a bit like a "guy" house. It was off to Leigh's house next. The first thing I noticed was the nice smell and yes three girls live there. Leigh was very gracious and an excellent hostess. We were introduced to her older sister, Laurie. Laurie was headed out for work so introduces were made quickly.

iHop was the first stop on the agenda for Saturday. I blew the diet with the strawberry, cream cheese filled, whip cream topped pastry. Emily had chocolate chip pancakes. All left satisfied.
Faulkner football was next on the agenda. It was actually a good game. We left the game a bit sunburned. Leigh introduced us to her middle sister, Louise, and her husband "Dirt". Louise favors her mother, whom I had met several weeks earlier. Leigh has a very nice family. I'm jealous. I always wanted a sister.

Next we watched the Tennessee game at Leigh's. We were introduced to true die hard fans. I'm not sure which was more entertaining the fans (Leigh and Laurie) or the game. It's great to be that excited and devoted to something. Leigh and Laurie bleed orange. Despite their devotion, Tennessee lost the game to Florida.

On to the mall- We walked around a while window shopping. Nate had told us about an ice cream shop called ColdStone. It was as good as he had described it.

Next stop was the Drury Inn. Georgia vs Arizona State. Terry is the Georgia fan, and I must say he behaved himself. Georgia won 27-10. While the guys watched the game, Leigh and I talked. It has been nice getting to know Leigh. I think she's a great find. We enjoyed our conversation-some serious and some light hearted topics.
Emily played on the Internet. She pulled up the Adairsville Marching Tigers on You Tube to show Nate and Leigh. I want Nate to be proud of Emily. She loves him and wants him to be interested in the things in her life. Not a fake interest but a real interest. The age difference is hard on their relationship.

The following morning Nate and Leigh met us at the hotel for a quick breakfast before church. We enjoyed worshipping with them.

A visit to Wal-Mart followed with our treating Nate to groceries. It was fun to observe what he put in the buggy. Canned soups, canned fruits, a dozen $1 frozen pizzas, Gobber peanut butter/jelly and the most needed item, air freshener. It feels good to do nice unexpected things for your children. We may not always be able to do it but when we can we will. We delivered the groceries to Nate's and headed out for lunch.
Emily wanted a special burger on the Applebee's menu. A shared dessert between the children followed. It was then time to say our goodbyes. Hard to do.

I love my son and pray he grows with each day of experience life has to offer him.
My advice to him would be to be less critical, moving away from the past and into today-the "right now". It's all we have.

Thank you Leigh for your hospitality and your kindness to our family.

Until next time...

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my world. My name is Jacki. I am a forty five year old working mother and wife. I have two beautiful and intelligent children (for real). I am married to my high school sweetheart; however, we did not attend the same high school. We dated four years and have been married for 26 years. Life's good!

I enjoy scrapbooking, reading (obsessively), and card making. I love music (good music that is). There is never enough time left in the week to get around to doing the things I enjoy most but there's always retirement. Ha! Ha!

My children are my pride and joy. Nathan is 22 and on the road to figuring out what it means to be an adult. He is handsome, charming, and talented. I call him Nate most of the time. His childhood nickname was "Nate the Great". He lives in Montgomery, Alabama. I miss hugging him. He has always been a very loving person. I believe he is on his way to becoming a fine godly man. That is my prayer for him-daily.

Emily is my 14 year old daughter. She is a "cutie pie". She enjoys music, reading, soccer, and playing trumpet in the marching band. She is smart as well. My prayer for her is the same as for Nathan, build your faith and make a difference. I've always told Emily, "don't lose your magic". She has always marched to the beat of her own drum. I like that about her!

Terry is my husband, partner, friend and lover. We have weathered the storms of life, both good and bad. Knowing him has made me a better person. I look forward to growing old with him. He works hard to provide for our family. Sometimes, I get angry because he works too much but I know his motives are pure. The biggest problem we have in our marriage is the fact he thinks he's funny. Don't get me wrong, he is funny on occasion but not has often as he thinks. I love him despite his sense of humor. We are very different but have found common ground.

I work for the local school board as an executive administrative assistant to the assistant superintendent. The job can be stressful on occasion. I work with good people with good hearts. It's a pleasant working environment.Prior to working full time, I was a stay at home mom (14 years). Once Emily entered kindergarten, I went back to school. I have worked at the school board for seven years now. I miss the time I had at home and long to be at home again someday. I don't think it was meant for me to work full time. I don't spread thin very well. Oh, well.

Nate is dating a very sweet girl. Her name is Leigh. We like her very much. She is smart and very pretty. Nate is a lucky guy. We hope the best for both she and Nate. I pray that my children find what I have found in my relationship. I know in today's society that's hard to come by.

Well, that's enough. Time for bed. We have plans to travel to Montgomery tomorrow to visit Nate and Leigh. I have anxiously awaited the trip. A mother longs to have her child in her arms no matter how old he becomes. God is good all the time.