Desperately Seeking Gina

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…She will be Missed

It’s been an emotional few days since “Grammy” passed away. Her death was unexpected and devastating to me. I feel so guilty about moving away…about not calling nearly enough. Yet, I do feel some comfort in knowing that she understood and wished me well. It’s one of the last real conversations we had. Every phone call ended with her saying she wished I were back home…but that she loved me….and just wanted me to be happy. She was such a nice person. I never heard her raise her voice. I always felt loved unconditionally. She asked a lot of questions and then would apologize for being nosy….but I never thought of her as that. I knew she cared and was interested in whatever was going on in my life. She will be missed. And loved, always.

So, I’m home for a couple of weeks. It feels good {I do miss Thom though:(}. I have a list of things to do while I’m here. Like hanging out at Barnes & Noble. Eating at Panera. Seeing some movies. Visiting a lot of people. Enjoying time off of work. Sleeping in. Eating a lot {there aren’t any calories when you’re on vacay, are there?}.

So, I’m off to watch American Idol….looking forward to this season…although I was SO rooting for that kid who lived in his car, but he didn’t even make it into the top 24.

Hope you all are well….and remember to call, hug, enjoy the ones you love.

g

…Weekend Update

It is early Monday morning here. 5:45 to be exact. I haven’t had to be up this early since I was back in Muskegon. I’ve been spoiled by being able to sleep in until 7 for three months. But, that’s the trade off for having my old job back. And early morning hours means early afternoon let-outs. It’ll be nice to get home in daylight and have a few hours before sunset to get things accomplished. Working late, being on my feet 8 hours, and the physicality of what I was doing before meant I was dead tired when I got home and it was dark by the time I pulled into the drive.

So, anyway. That’s today, and this post is titled Weekend Update. Worked late on Saturday night and stopped for gas and milk on the way home, which got me here at 11:30 pm. Thom and I stayed up late watching an Air Guitar documentary. Funny, funny stuff. Sunday found us doing some yard work and just generally hanging out. I tried to get to bed fairly early.

I finished a book yesterday: Jane Austens’ Book Club. It was a good read….but since I haven’t read any Jane Austen, a lot of it’s deeper meaning was lost to me.

I’m off to work now…hope y’all have a great week!
g

…Where are my Red Shoes?

No….I wasn’t carried away.
Yes….I was pretty terrified.
No…I wasn’t close to this twister.
Yes, I’m lying, but didn’t know it at the time.

I’m obsessed with driving an hour to get home during thunderstorms. What if I run into a tornado? I get the same answer from everyone I ask {and, yes, they do look at me as if I’m a total idiot}: You turn around and drive in the other direction. I’m too emberrassed to ask what to do after that? I mean, do I follow the traffic laws? The speed limit is 35 through Greenbrier. What if I run out of gas? What if I run out of road? What if I can’t handle driving Thom’s car so fast? Couldn’t I just stop along the way and find a place to hide? There are several homes along the way that have tornado shelters {took me forever to figure out what those mounds with doors were}.

Anyway…there was a twister along HWY 65, which is the road I take to get from Conway, through Greenbrier to HWY 25, which brings me all the way home. I didn’t know it at the time…but there was a spinning funnel of disaster trekking through Clinton, about 15 miles from my turn off of 65. Nice. Good thing I didn’t know. I was already nervous about the ominous looking dark clouds moving across the sky and the lightning shooting down toward the ground.

One storm down….many more to go, I’m told, since this isn’t even tornado season. If only I could click my heels three times to get home.

love to all,
g

…The way to this Girl’s Heart

is definitely thru her tummy. Ever since I stopped eating meat {a little over 2 years ago} I continually get the same 2 reactions when I tell people I’m a vegetarian.

1} disbelief that it can be done
2} bewildered expressions & questions about what I eat

It can be done. I actually don’t miss meat much. Except when I drive past BK and catch the ever alluring scent of a flame-broiled whopper. {Sigh} I do miss me a nice juicy whopper. It can be done because I’ve made a conscience effort to not eat it. I’m pretty sure my family thought it was a phase…and that I’d be back on the meat-eating bandwagon {would that be a chuck wagon?}.

The bewildered expressions crack me up. People’s eyes glaze over and their mouths fall open. Especially down here in Arkansas. Seems there’s a BBQ joint on every other corner and a Popeye’s or Chick-fil-A every block or so. Not to mention Sonic {mmmMmm…Sonic burger minus the meat is So Yummy}. Anyway…it’s apparent that I do eat…since I’m not exactly a size 2…or even a 14 for that matter. And I have not grown two overlarged front teeth and have no resemblance to a rabbit. I eat. I eat really well. Especially when Thom’s cooking.

Last winter Thom scored a Cuisinart Griddler Express from Sam’s club. We’ve been panini addicts ever since.

My fave panini….Classic Basil Pesto, Roasted Red pepper, Spinach leaves, spicy mustard, and provolone or mozzerella {sometimes both 😉 } on two slices of a really hard, crusty bread. Yum.


Had this for dinner on Sunday while watching Stardust. Good, good sandwich. {also made this on an oversized bagel with mozzerella to take for lunch today, warmed in the microwave and it was just as yummy except the pesto makes for really bad garlic breath-ha!}

We also eat a lot of pasta. Thom makes his own red sauce. Crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano {and some other spices too}, usually with penne, but sometimes with spaghetti. Pair this with some of that hard, crusty bread grilled on the panini maker and then rubbed with fresh garlic… Double Yum.

And his Mexican? {sigh} His homemade salsa is awesome. I literally ate his salsa for dinner 4 days in a row last winter. We also made our own chips {was my job to make them…and I overfried them a bit}.


so…there’s plenty for us to eat…other things besides lettuce and carrots. And, yes, I really do take a lot of pictures of his dishes after he makes them 🙂

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In other news…I was officially notified today that I’ll be taking over my old position at this new store. I’m back to being the Admin. Coordinator…which means an office and a rolly chair once again. My poor, aching feet wanted to hug my boss when he gave me the news 😉 It also means not having to deal with the public on a daily basis…and back to using my brain (:

How can it be the 4th of February already? Is time flying for anyone else? I’ve not done much these last few days. Sunday I was feeling yucky so I stayed home and didn’t do a thing around here. I did work on some Valentine’s Day projects on Friday night…one to send home to Mom & Tyler…and one for Thom’s kids. I’ll post some pics later in the week.

Hope you’ve had a great start to the week!
g

….Guess who’s celebrating a Snow Day!


snow day
Originally uploaded by ISOgina.

So, this is actually ice on the front lawn…not snow. I officially made it a grown-up snow day at 7 this morning when I turned on the telly and found that the schools between here and work were closed because of a wintry mix that’s moving through Arkansas. Yay. Love snow days. And how did I spend my free morning? Sleeping, lol. Until after noon!!

My plans for the rest of the day include more reading. I’ve finished one of the three books I got from the library on Tuesday. I feel like a very, very thirsty woman who has been traveling through the dry desert of lonliness. Not to say that I’m lonely. I have Thom, with whom I absolutely love spending my time with….but I think I’m lonely for female friendship, companionship. I have emails and phone calls from friends back home, from Mom and family, and there are woman at work that I enjoy talking to, but there’s no one here to hang out with. No one to see a movie with or go window shopping with. So…I’ve started reading again and I feel as if I’ve taken a long, cool sip of water after having been parched for so long.

The Middle Ages, by Jennie Fields is what I just finished. It’s a really good book and I love how it’s written: in first person and as if Jane is an old girlfriend sitting across from me, sipping coffee and telling her story. It’s about growing older and feeling insecure and finding love and changing jobs. I could totally relate even though the main character is 14 years older. It was one of those books that I didn’t want to end.


Today I’ll start Jane Austen’s Book Club. I think it was made into a movie recently. It’s another book filled with women….potential friends with whom to spend my day.

g