Heaven...

may very well be in Floyd County...

View from the Blue Ridge ParkwayThe Little River

Right out front of Andrea's bed and breakfast.

Backyard view

Early in the morning this pasture is filled with cows. Another backyard view

Andrea and Joyce

Performing at a benefit for the New River Land Trust. I am home from my mini adventure and wish I could have stayed longer. I love the town of Floyd! The Floyd Country Store hosts a Friday night jamboree that was very cool....there were folk from 2 to 92...it was so refreshing to see teenagers who were polite and kind....who weren't "to cool" to hang out and listen to bluegrass on a Friday night (unlike the group of thugs who threatened to throw a cinder block at my dogs while I was away from the house...they harassed so many neighbors the police had to be called!!!)

They had a jam going on in the barber shop and Andrea got one going across the street...so much talent and a lot of fun!

Floyd is also the home of some phenomenal artists and craftsmen....so inspirational. I look forward to going back. :o)

FYI...if your driving go route 460 it was so much more relaxing that the interstate and I actually made better time!

Swimming Day 3

The ego is an amazing thing...and I am glad I was able to shove it aside yesterday. I was so anxious about making a fool of myself yesterday while trying to swim without the teacher. As I bobbed around in the water I had to laugh at myself....why do I deem myself so important that I think that the other swimmers care what I am doing...the lifeguard kept looking at me but I had to laugh at that also....you figure it's pretty boring up there on their perch...everyone swimming along....until I come in and zig zag down my lane...stopping in the middle of a lap gasping for air...I should be glad she paying attention to me so she can save me if I suddenly sink to the bottom! hahaha
By the end of my swim I had actually managed to make it all the way down with out stopping! Sweet! I also came to the realization that I know instantly when I have made a mistake and that's when I stop...so next week I need to work on recovery without stopping.
Have a good weekend everyone!

What a week...

I am off to swim this morning without my teacher! Yikes! But I have my sporty new goggles to wear! hehehe I wore them on Tuesday and after I got over feeling like an alien I was glad to have them. I can't say how many actual laps I will be able to do but my teacher told me to use the kick board when I get tired. So that's my plan.
I haven't blogged this week b/c of all the negativity and drama swirling around me...dealing with my 19 year old sister who wants to drag me into her lies...she seems to forget the secrets I have kept for her...but once it directly involves me I have to tell the truth. My husband has been ornery all week and finally admits that he is sick...no wonder...he was mean as a snake last night and now I know why.
Then the other basic issues that come up in a woman's life involving self image....one of my main things bothering me this week is hair color. I have been coloring my hair for quite some time not b/c I had to simply because it is fun. Well now I am starting to grey and unlike 99% of the population I want to check it out. Why is this bad? Why am I going to be considered less attractive if I actually look my age? Hmmmm I could rant about this for a while but I really should go swim!!

Fish out of water...

Is probably not the best description of me! hahaha I took my first swimming lesson yesterday morning....and boy did I need it! I am having issues with putting it all together and timing my breath....which is kind of important. My teacher, a cute girl who I was old enough to be her mother, was very kind and patient with my spazzines...I laugh alot when I am nervous...she didn't actually turn me loose until the last 10 minutes and as I sat against the wall of the pool, coughing from sucking in so much water, after it was over I told her I felt that I needed to see her again...she hemmed and hawed around...I suppose if an effort not to hurt my feelings....finally I told her to be straight with me and she said it wouldn't hurt...so I am meeting with her next Tuesday. I am excited...the pool was nice, the staff was super nice and supportive, it is not very busy in the mornings and they said I could swim in the open area until I got the hang of it...they do have a slow lane but I need snail lane! So all in all I'd say I had a positive experience and I am very proud of myself for going through with it!

Floyd Virgina here I come!!! Yeah!!! I am so excited for my upcoming adventure! It ends up that Wayne was unavailable to stay that extra hour...I got up the nerve and went in to dad's office and asked him what he thought might happen to the guys for the hour they would be left alone..he pinched his face and turned his back to me...he mumbled that he thought it would be OK if Marty was there...I asked him to talk to me...you know I just wanted him to communicate his feelings...after he shrugged his shoulders a few more times I walked out of the room and called Andrea and told her I was coming!!! WoooHooo! You can't get blood out of a rock...I hope one day dad and I will have a better line of communication...but for now I just have to except him for who he is.

Allowing myself to have....

I recently had a session with Catherine Ferrier and it was an amazing, enlightening, emotional roller coaster event for me. I am attempting to take action on some of her suggestions....to get away in order to re-engergize myself....this also ties in with her advice on allowing myself to have in order to have more....I haven't gotten to this point in my re-listening to my recording so I haven't worked this all the way through...but the gist of it is if I allow myself to have then it will create the energy to receive more! Sounds good to me! She thought the mountains would be a nice get away...after pondering this for a few days I realized that and old friend (former boss and mentor) Andrea owns the Little River Bed and Breakfast in Floyd, VA!

Look at this place!!! I downloaded the pictures from her site and there are plenty more, so check it out!

It ends up that my dad isn't going to be at work the day I want to leave...darn it...I felt guilty asking for help from Wayne, our part time helper and friend. But part of my problem is that I don't ask for help...so I did. I asked him to call me at work today to see if he can cover for me...oh please please please. My heart is a-flutter with the prospects of this little adventure! Think positive thoughts for me! I'll let ya know the outcome later!

Weekend Crafty Report..

Hmmmm not much to report!

Saturday I woke up with a horrible "that time of the month" induced headache...after I had recovered from that I ran errands and conquered demons...see Saturdays post.

Sunday cooked a big pot of beef stew, some Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf, and breakfast for me and my main squeeze. After I got weekly chores done I realized nothing creative was coming out of me but needed to do something productive so I named, measured, photographed, tagged and packed up the latest 12 softies that were accumulating in a chair for Etsy posts. Then as I nestled into my soft and comfy pillows with my sweet Johnnie B I edited all of them before napping and reading for the rest of the evening. I felt like I honored my need to be still and comfortable while getting some work done too!

I needed to get everything tagged and packed this week anyways for:

Come and see us if you can!

Comfort Zone Confessions

OK, let's face it, we all have things that we are uncomfortable with...and I feel my sole purpose in this life is to see how uncomfortable I can make myself as frequently as possible!!

The step out of my comfort zone this week involves the Rec Center. Here's the deal....here goes....I just have to type it.....eeeekkkkkk..

I CANNOT SWIM!

There I said it!!! I am 38 years old and have never lived more than 2 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and I have swimming issues! Maybe my fear of not touching has to do with an early swimming lesson that involved my dad, a surf board and a shove into over head water. Maybe I am just a weirdo...yes, I can float and kick like an otter, swim under water, and dog paddle. But lay me on my belly and expect me to coordinate my breath, arm movements and kicking...maintain a straight line....oh hell no...ain't happenin'.

Humiliation...a memory from grade school...being at the rec center with friends and having to prove we could swim in front of the life guard in order to play in the deep end and jump off the diving board....all my friends passed....BUT ME! I spent the whole day alone in the shallow end!!!! I have NEVER stepped foot in a rec center again!!!

Ridiculous....my head was spinning and I thought I was going to puke driving over there! I did it though and got my card...but by the time I was done there was a line and I was to embarrassed to inquire about a private lesson!! So I came home and emailed them! I'm telling you the strangest things can throw me into such a tizzy. I might have to take a cab to the lesson for fear that I'll pass out while driving! Good Lord....wish me luck!