V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N...

Here I am again, enjoying another 'stay-cation'! From last Thursday at 12:31pm until the day after Labor day, I am free to sleep late (which I won't), paint all day long, shop, finally finish the workroom re-do that I have been pecking at all summer, and watching a couple of movies that I have been looking forward to for ages. (I watched 'Freedom Writers' today, excellent story!)

When I left the office on Thursday, it was to come home, get my last load of 'stuff' packed up and delivered to my friend Wendy's for our garage sale that was to take place on Friday and Saturday. Lots of work, but worth it! First, I got rid of lots of stuff that was just taking up room in my house,. Secondly, I got to spend 2 entire days with my friend Wendy, which we almost never get to do these days. I really miss that!

The weather was going to be iffy for the weekend, so imagine our surprise when Friday turned out to be a beautiful day with no rain! To be honest, we hardly got to chat on Friday. It was steady all day and we sold a ton of stuff! It rained overnight and Saturday morning was foggy and a little bit chilly. After a while it kind of cleared up and the sun even peaked through the clouds in the afternoon!

A little after 3pm we heard that dreaded low grumbling. We looked at each other and said, 'thunder'? Needless to say, we hurried and got everything packed up (thankfully, there wasn't a whole lot) and sat down in the chairs just inside the shelter of the garage when the heavens let loose with a huge downpour! We sat there (Wendy brought us each out an adult refreshment) and chatted for almost another hour! I think it was about then that Wendy mentioned that she thought I would have been snapping a few pics throughout the sale for my blog. Hmmmm....I guess I forgot to do that...

All things considered, it was a successful sale and enjoyed each other's company while making a few extra dollars. Can't beat that with a stick, huh?

Survivor.... it was a surprise celebration

It wasn't a celebration that was planned for months...more it was a couple of weeks. I alluded to this fact in a previous post. Our Commissioner at the Department of Transportation (Donnelly is his name) had his one year anniversary.

Now, as mundane and usual as you might think this is, I have to give you a little background. Our department's staff have made service and dedication to our community their life. My department is made up of several different types of work. We are the people that keep the roadways clear of all the snow and ice in the winter. (In this part of the country, that is no easy task as we usually make the national news for our snowfall totals several times a year.) We are also charged with the task of building and maintaining the roadworks system in the county. The engineers, survey crew, fiscal and office staff are located in the administrative office downtown (my office) and then there are four additional sites, located in the four quadrants in the county. The additional sites are where the trucks, equipment and the talented men and women who wrangle that equipment work.

Having said all of that, I must explain that most people that work in our department, especially those in my office, have many years on the job. It is 'usual' that someone would have more than 25 years in service and one guy has more than 40 years! Needless to say, we are a family and work together as one. So, to have a new boss come in that has no history in our department is unusual. That means he had no first-hand experience as to what he was getting into! He would have had no idea how often he and his family's life would be interrupted to have to deal with all kinds of weather related crisis, 24 hours a day and at any given moment (any time of year) and he would have to trust that our people knew what to do in the situation. It would have been hard for him and his family to imagine.

Well, he hit his one-year anniversary yesterday. He didn't get voted off O.C.D.O.T. Island. He made it through an entire year of snow, wind, ice, rebuilding bridges and roads. He sat through many hours of county legislature sessions to fight for us and the money we needed to ensure that we could keep the residents and visitors in our county safe and secure. It called for a celebration of his anniversary and let's face it, we needed a reason for a party...

So, we chipped in, ordered breakfast pizza, and as usual, some brought delectable dishes to pass. We invited his family and his boss to join in this SURVIVOR's celebration! We even designed special attire for him to remember the event.

The torch was passed to signify his anniversary...

The shirt was safety-yellow and had the

O.C.D.O.T. Survivor logo on the pocket and on the back.

CONGRATS BOSS!

A Full Weekend, A Good Tired and INSPIRATION!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. First, I've been a little under the weather, not so much that it's kept me from work more than a few hours, but enough to be a lot annoying! This time of year, it's tough to avoid the dreaded 'sinus infection' (see what I mean about annoying?). Secondly, I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing on a couple of custom painting projects I've been asked to do.

So, needless to say, I've had plenty of 'down time' to do a little research online for inspiration for those projects. I have found some truly awesome bloggers who are not only talented and inspirational, but downright astounding in their insight into daily 'life' and whole life 'living'.

I started out looking for people who have the same interests as I do and got so engrossed in their journal-like writings, that it was as difficult to stop reading them, as a good book is to put down. I've read a few (blogs) over the past couple of weeks, from their birth through present day.

I've learned that my life isn't so different than any variety of women from all parts of the country. Incredibly, we have a lot in common. Our ups and downs run parallel in so many ways it's hard to imagine. Our coping skills, which, maybe were not so 'honed' in our younger years, we found had grown along with us and had expanded to encompass our sorrows and heartaches. Things we couldn't imagine having to deal with, suddenly came up front and center in our lives and we were forced to not only accept, but to deal with them, in a way that would allow us to function, learn and grow from them.

Women are incredible creatures. They nurture, teach and love unconditionally and without prejudice. They don't necessarily care if it's returned (although it's preferable). They bandage cuts and scrapes, mend broken hearts, find missing things, make incredible works of art and soothe the savage beasts that somehow make it into sleepless nights. They can make sound decisions on the fly and can deal with any 'fall-out' that might follow without flinching. They organize, keep, decorate, warm up, a 'house' until it becomes a 'home'. They can make you feel like you're the smartest, luckiest, funniest, most talented and most important friend in the world, even on your worst day.

I am so happy to have 'met' you all and found kinship in your lives. Inspiration is such a small word for what I've gained in reading your words. Thank you!