Is that light I see?

There at the end of the tunnel? A teeny glimmer of hope? Far off in the distance? Please let it be so!

I am exactly, finally, half way through my graduate degree program. Geepers. It only took me... ohhhh... 2.5 years to get here!! Geepers. (I know, I said it twice, I'll say it again. Geepers.)

But... I'm finally at the point where... after this Monday's final exam is completed, I only have one more first summer session left. Just like I only have one more spring session left.

I don't know if I'll graduate next August, or next December, but man... that feels good. Getting down to the... "only one more of these left" categories.

Oh free time, I might see you faintly sparkling off in the distance, a tease that feels just the teensiest bit more attainable every day.

But just a teensy, miniscule bit.

Red Front Door

I love red. A lot. And I love Behr paint's Red Awning. I've painted my bedroom this color in the last two apartments I've rented and while I knew it didn't really work with my "beach cottage" theme, I wanted to somehow incorporate this color in the new house. And so, when it came time to install a new front door, I knew exactly what color to paint it.

View of the neighbor's from my living room.


New door from the inside.


Her it is again with the new molding.


And from the outside.


I'll have to remember to take, and post, some pictures of it now that the all-glass storm door is in place and I've painted the mailbox and house numbers oil-rubbed bronze.

My grandmother would be so proud

My grandmother grew the most beautiful roses at her home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She had an amazing green thumb. I always knew that when I had a place of my own, I would plant roses and holly as a way of remembering those happy visits to the little house my grandparents built in 1956. The smell takes me right back to that place.

She turned 95 on May 3 this year and although the Alzheimer's has started to rob her of her memory, she's still going strong physically. I send her roses every year for her birthday.

She is part of the legacy of strong, capable women in my family. She put herself through school at a time when women didn't go to college. She taught English and business, even serving as acting principal for a time, and kept the books for my grandfather's grocery store. She raised two amazing children, my aunt and my father. She worked hard for her version of the American dream.

She is my inspiration in life and in the garden.

A little like Don Quixote..

Except, I was not afraid they were giants. I love windmills! I joke that I'm going to put one in my front yard and buy an electric car to plug into it.

These can be seen in Sommerset County, Pennsylvania, from the PA Turnpike.

They've also put some up in my home town. Maybe one day I'll actually take a picture of them...

Spoiled.

The dating moratorium ended about a month ago.

He's awesome and wonderful and everything else.

And he spoils me just a little. Which I've never liked before.

This. I like.

:)

Hiding...

Miss Molly McGee has found a new place to "hide" each morning. She does this so maaaaybe I'll just forget about her and she won't have to spend the whole day in her crate.

Funny thing is, she has been crate trained from the beginning and really doesn't mind it. The hiding has just become routine.

Well, I forgot two...

I lied. I took two pictures of the preparations for the Bridal Shower mentioned in the previous post.




This is the lovely bride-to-be and the cookies we made to give as favors. They are shaped like tea bags, dipped in chocolate, and then we tied strings and tags to them. I was really happy with how they turned out!

Unphotographed Bliss

Bridal Shower Bliss that is!

This past weekend I travelled 9 hours, each way, to host a Bridal Shower for my bff. It was a LOT of work and totally worth it by the time we got our party on.

My biggest fail? I didn't take a single picture. Ooops.

I'm hoping one of the girls will share hers with me. They always say they will, but for some reason, getting those precious files is like pulling teeth.

Ah well. I'm just thrilled with how it turned out. I had great help from the other bridesmaids and all those in attendance thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

And I can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

I was nervous about this one. 50 ladies were invited. I'm sure we had at least 40 there.

Whew.

Its a good thing he's cute...

Dex turned one year old a few weeks ago. He can be such a monster. Sometimes his pretty blue eyes are his only saving grace. Other times, his antics are the most entertaining thing I've seen. Mostly, I love him. Even when he calls me from the other sid of the house to come and fill up his dish.

Here, he's claimed my new beach cruiser. He would rather rub himself all over the tires than be petted... I see where his love lies... Anything with chrome on wheels. ;)


Sleeping under my cutting table while I work on quilt blocks.


One morning he decided to give Molly's crate a try. Then he thought he should spend the day with her in it! That would have been bad news bears...


Like any cat worth his pur... he loves him a box. Especially kitty sized Corona boxes!

Steel City

I took a little trip to Pittsburgh at the end of May. Most of my friends from college are from the city and have moved back. Its always great to see everyone.

Here are a few highlights:

My Kind of Diamond!

We managed to get some standing room only tickets to a Pirates game... go Buccos!


No trip could be complete without a stop at Primanti Bros. :)


A view of Hienz Field from The Point. Such a beautiful day!

Norfolk Botanical Gardens

I'm a little late in posting this... oops. Anyways...

To celebrate National Public Gardens Day, Better Homes and Gardens magazine put a free one day pass to participating public gardens in their May issue. I looked down the list and... Low and behold... Norfolk Botanical Gardens! I looooove living in an area where I am actually able to attend the events listed in national publications! (This doesn't happen when you grow up in rural Pennsylvania)

But wait! It gets better!! They were having a plant sale! So I picked up a few hard to find varieties of Hydrangea and took a stroll through the rose gardens for some inspiration. Below are some cell phone pics of the roses. Enjoy!

Deep. Breaths.

I had a really horrifying day yesterday. It felt like the culmination of a lot of things just going wrong. And a lot of really bad, random things happening to me. It ended with one of those moments where I look around me and wonder if I've ruined my life and the oportunities I've been given. Where I wonder how I got here so quickly when things were going so well just a few short weeks ago. And how do I make this downward spiral stop? Can I correct this?

Without revealing the really personal stuff that made yesterday horrifying, please let me just say that no, I was not overrreacting. Bad, bad things. All made worse by the fact that I forgot that I don't have to handle everything on my own. In fact, I shouldn't. And so, I have no answers, no resolutions, and only a few paltry plans to fix what is fixable and handle what is not, but I have peace because I put it in God's hands. I climbed back on the wagon. Said my prayers, gave thanks, and praised His name.

And I opened my Bible. Psalm 103 is where I found myself.

Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

And even though I have no answers, I know God has a plan. I just need to remember to ask for directions. And look to Him for answers.