Corona Virus and a Wedding

It's difficult for me to think of a way to start writing about the corona virus and how we're dealing with it. Who would've ever thought something like this would happen? There's so much going on and so many (everyone) affected by it, where do I even begin? *sigh*

As an introvert who is also a housewife (thankfully), not leaving my home isn't that much of a hardship. Other than not being able to go to church :-( and grocery shopping being more difficult and taking longer because I have to go to more than one or two stores to find things, life isn't much different for me.

It's funny because normally I would prefer being home, but now that we have  to stay home I want to go places. lol But I'm only leaving my house to get groceries on Fridays. The rest of the time I am home.

On the subject of getting groceries, the first week that we were told to stay home, I was able to get everything on my grocery list. (March 13th.) The second week, I got all but a few things. This week it was more difficult to find things, but I still managed to get most of it. Some things had to be replaced by something else - a different brand or flavor. I even managed to find toilet paper the first and second weeks (an 8 = 48 pack of Charmin and then a 6 = 24 pack of Angel Soft, my preferred brand), but couldn't find any this week. We should be good for the next week or week and a half. I hope and pray I can find some next week.


Charlie is still working (he's a crane mechanic/manager and since construction work is considered essential, cranes will need repairing and maintaining), but was off this week. He had vacation time he needed to use before he lost it. (Lost the vacation time, not his mind. lol)


Anyway, I hope this will be over soon. I'm tired of people getting sick and dying. I'm tired of almost everything being closed and people not being able to work. I'm tired of not being able to find toilet paper (of all things!) and all the groceries on my list. I want normal life back. :-( But our governor said yesterday that starting this Monday at 5:00 PM, there will be more shutdowns. My mom said it will last 30 days.

I'm so sick of it. It's not the orders I'm upset about (I understand why it's necessary); it's the fact that this is happening at all. I think most of us expected our healthcare systems (in America and in most countries around the world) to be able to handle something like this almost with ease. To at least have all the equipment they would need for such a thing. That technology and healthcare were so advanced that a virus wouldn't be as devastating as corona has been. Most people are surviving, thankfully. But it's sad that so many have died and many more may die in the near future. If things were as we (or maybe just me) expected them to be in the realms of health and science, not as many people would be dying. (I'm not sure I'm wording this the way I want to.) I reckon we (I) had more faith and confidence than we (I) should have.

But millions, perhaps billions, of us are praying.

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Friday, March 13th (before things got stricter and stores were still open), Kelly and I did a little shopping (just a few stores) so I could find a dress to wear to my son's wedding. I didn't have much money to spend, but I think I found something nice. My son was married on the 21st (more on that in a bit) and I received many compliments. So I guess I did okay. lol

I got this Liz Claiborne (I think) dress at JC Penney. Originally about $74, I paid less than $50.

I also got this shrug at JC Penney. Originally $44, I paid about $30. Those are faux pearls on it.

I got this clutch at Target for about $35.

I also bought a gold belt (at Target) to wear with the dress in place of the one that came with it, but it wouldn't lay flat. So I wore the belt that came with the dress. I wore a pair of nude sandals/heels I already own.

Kelly picked out a dress at Target that was originally about $30, but was on sale for $25.

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Sean married his fiancee Ashley on Saturday, March 21st at 4:00. They had posted on Facebook a few times that week that they would understand if people couldn't come. By the time their wedding day arrived, the governor and the president were saying keep groups no larger than 50. It looked like less than 50 people were at their wedding. I felt bad for them that so few showed up, but I understand. And as I told them, the most important thing for them will be getting married and having their close family there. (Some of our church family were also there.) They were both really nervous as they don't like the attention, but they were happy to be getting married.

 I know they look very young, even from behind lol, but Sean will be 23 soon and Ashley will be 24 in a few months.

They were going to go to the Outer Banks for their honeymoon and had booked a room a few months ago, but the Outer Banks closed earlier in the week of their wedding. Then they were going to go to Southport (my hometown and a place we went to many times for vacation), but decided that they would just wait until sometime in the future to take a trip. Instead, they've been in a hotel here in Greensboro this week.


I can't believe my son is married (he's a husband! wow!) and I'm now a mother-in-law. (Who's in no hurry to be a grandma. lol) I shall endeavor to be a good one.

It's also hard to believe that he's now moved out. His room is almost empty now and will be my library/computer room. I want to paint the walls a different color (maybe a medium to dark blue) and I'm trying to decide furniture placement and decor. I'll be glad when I can get this big desk out of my dining room and get some things out of my bedroom (including the two big bookcases Charlie built for me a few years ago).

At the same time, I kind of wish my son was still here. If we had a bigger home where he and Ashley could have their own space (kind of like an in-law suite), that would be great. Then they could stay with us in something that would be like their own little apartment until they could afford their own place. But they'll be living with my mom while Sean tries to get a better job and they can save up money for their own place.

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I bought a few more songs recently for my iPod:

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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Upcoming Wedding, Books, and Time With my Daughter

Sean and Ashley have been together for several years. They've been engaged for the last couple years. This past fall, they set the date for March 21st of this year. So, it looks like they will be getting married in two months. (But didn't announce it until last week.)

While they are old enough (Sean will be 23 in April and Ashley will be 24 in July), they're not ready financially. *sigh* Neither of them has a car and Sean only works part time. He says he'll look for a full time job after the wedding because if he were to start a full time job before that, he probably couldn't get time off for the wedding and honeymoon so soon after starting a new job.

They will live with my mom. Which means my brother (who moved in with her two years ago for a good reason, but should've moved out after no more than a year) will have to move out.

I'm not ready for my son to move out. Mostly because I know he's not ready. But he won't be far away. My mom only lives a mile or two from me.

I'm praying that God will help Sean get a good job and a car and help him and Ashley make good decisions about their future.

Can't believe I'm going to be a mother-in-law. I hope I'll be a good one. lol

Oh, and Kelly will be a bridesmaid. Ashley is still trying to choose a dress for the bridesmaids. Hopefully that happens soon. Two months isn't much time to get a wedding planned.

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I've gotten a few more songs since the last time I posted about that.

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I ordered a new denim skirt from Cato. I had seen it online a couple months ago I guess, but didn't see it at the store when I went. I finally decided to order it and it was on sale for $11.99. Originally $24.99. I really like it.

There's another denim skirt from Cato I'd like to get, but I didn't see it at their store when Kelly and I went on Saturday. I'm thinking about ordering it.

 Price: $24.99. The belt comes with it.

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I finally finished reading The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth yesterday morning. I had started it in October and then put it aside so I could read The Toll (3rd book in the Scythe trilogy) by Neal Shusterman. Both books were disappointing. LBW was the third 2-star book in a row. *sigh* It's really too much to get into, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. To try to be brief, there was almost no fantasy in this supposed fantasy book, too much was unexplained or didn't make sense, and the character Evelyn really needed to get a grip.

I started reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens a few hours after finishing LBW. It actually doesn't seem to be the kind of book I would normally read, but it's getting rave reviews (though I've been disappointed by popular books a time or two) and after three disappointing books in a row, I'm hoping I'll love this one. Or at least like it. lol

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As I mentioned above, Kelly and I went out Saturday, despite the cold rain. We first went to Cato. I tried on a couple skirts and Kelly tried on a top, but they didn't work for us. Then we went to Food Lion (not the one I usually go to) to get a few things I couldn't find when I'd gone grocery shopping the day before.

We were pretty hungry, so we went to Red Robin after that. It was surprisingly not that busy when we got there. I thought for sure we'd have to wait about 30 minutes for a table. We both got burgers (cheese for me, bacon cheese for her) and fries. It was really yummy. Kelly also got a root beer float.

There's a Target near Red Robin, so we went there next. (It was around 7 PM by that point.) We took our time walking around, looking at stuff, trying on sunglasses, talking and laughing and pointing out things we thought were cute or weird or whatever, smelling candles, etc. When we got in the car some time later, we both said that we really enjoyed just casually strolling around Target. It was nice.

We both got a pair of sunglasses, I got Sean a really soft, round Panthers throw pillow (on sale for about $14), and Kelly got a few other things (small storage basket for her room, face mask, a pair of socks).

After leaving Target, we went to the church to vacuum the sanctuary (and pick up trash, straighten chairs, set the thermostats, etc.), which didn't take long, and then came home some time between 9:30 and 9:45.

As much as I hate being out in the cold, especially when it's raining, we had fun together. :-)

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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Forgotten Family, DNA, Weddings, and Books

Sean is still working for Petco. He only gets to work a couple days a week. I hope he finds something soon that will give him more hours and that he can make a decent career out of.

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Milo had to go to the vet a few weeks ago for a recheck of his liver. His liver values or whatever are still too high, so he's on medication for that.

Pippin is due for his bi-annual exam, but we still owe $600 or $700 for Milo (Care Credit) and Christmas is coming up. :-/ It'll have to wait until after the new year.

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When I was working on the family tree a few weeks ago (I work on it nearly every day), I got a new hint for my great-grandpa Wilbur Melton. (My mom's dad's dad.) Turns out he and Great-grandma Vinnie had a son named Hustler (crazy name) who died when he was 10 months old. (Flu and then pneumonia.) He was their second child. (My grandpa was their third.) I asked my mom if she knew about him and she said she didn't. It makes me sad that he was forgotten (or at least not mentioned) all these years. 

In other Ancestry.com news, a new update is coming out with DNA. (The science is always improving.) My mom's and my husband's have both updated, but mine hasn't yet. I've been checking every day. Hopefully soon. I really want to know what it says now.


My mom's previous results:

78% England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe
22% Ireland and Scotland

Her current/updated results:

69% England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe
21% Ireland and Scotland
6% Norway
2% France
2% Spain


Charlie's previous results:

83% England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe
8% Ireland and Scotland
6% Norway
2% Benin/Togo
1% Germanic Europe

His current/updated results:

86% England, Wales, and Northwestern Europe
7% Ireland and Scotland
2% Germanic Europe
2% Sweden
1% Norway
1% Nigeria
1% Ghana

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I've been to two weddings in the last several weeks. Both couples attend my church. Carson and Jessica were married in September. Nicole and Lawaun were married on November 2nd. So happy for both couples.

Austin married Didi last month, but their wedding was in Massachusetts. Can't believe he got married at 19, but I hope they have a happy, till-death-do-they-part marriage.

That's four weddings of church couples since July. Um, hopefully no funerals any time soon. Ha ha. :-/

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For some reason, my GoodReads widget in the margin was saying that I was currently reading The Book Thief. Uh, no. I read that book 6 years ago. I had to update the widget. Hopefully it won't mess up again.

Since my last entry, I finished reading Days of Panic by Jack Hunt (I gave it 3 stars at GoodReads and will read the series; 3 more books) and started reading A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole. That one was difficult for me to get into, but then it got good around page 70. And then I lost interest and started reading The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth. That one's kind of dragging, though I'm not very far into it. Maybe around page 50? But then The Toll by Neal Shusterman came out this past Tuesday. I've been dying to read this one! It's the third book in the Scythe trilogy. I'm putting the other two on hold while I read this one. I'm so excited! lol

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I've purchased a bunch of new songs since my last entry. Well, they're not new, but they're new to my iPod. :-D "Fight for Us" is new-ish.

There are more songs I want, but haven't gotten around to buying them yet.

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I will write separate entries about our trip to the mountains last month, Kelly and I going to Hagan-Stone Park and Company Mill Reserve a couple days ago, and Kelly and I going to the Greensboro Science Center yesterday.


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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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An Unemployed Son, A Wedding, and Delicious Pizza

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last entry.

Sean got a job with UPS. They fired him after a week and a half because they said he wasn't moving fast enough/meeting quota/whatever. A quota he didn't know about until they fired him. Yet he had all his packages loaded by the time his truck had to leave each morning and was even sent to help other people with their packages and to another department entirely to help people there. :-/

On top of that, they haven't paid him for the second week he worked there. (25 hours.) He's been up there to talk to human resources and I think has called them once, but still no paycheck. He's going to call again or go back and ask one more time. Then he's contacting the labor board.

He's filled out a few more applications online and had an interview with some company, but no one has hired him. I've made some suggestions of places he should try to apply to, but I don't think he's done it yet. I told him that looking for a job is his job until he gets hired by someone, but he spends most of his day playing video games. He does help a friend once or twice a week renovating his place. This friend (who's over 60 years old) buys him lunch and I think pays him a little, but Sean needs a real job asap!


Update: He received his check in the mail today (Friday, July 20th).

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I've gotten rid of several more items of clothing since my last entry and bought a few more things.

Black denim skirt from Kohl's. Originally about $70. I think I paid about $50. Falls below my knees.

Denim skirt from Cato. I paid $21 for it. Falls below my knees.

Denim skirt from Cato. I paid about $17 for it. Falls below my knees.

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Friday evening, July 12th, was our pastor's daughter's wedding. It was held at Phillip's Chapel in Greensboro. Beautiful chapel! Savannah was beautiful and the groom (Jonathan) was handsome. Pastor sang Butterfly Kisses and got choked up a couple times. There weren't many dry eyes in the building. Jonathan's parents also sang. Savannah's grandfather (her mom's dad) performed the wedding. There were a lot of ministers there. Many of them relatives of the bride or groom. It was a sweet, beautiful wedding. The reception was in a building near the chapel.

Sean and Ashley (Sean's girlfriend) went with me. (Charlie and Kelly didn't want to go. :-/ ) We got home a little after 11:00 PM.

The cake was delicious. Strawberry with pieces of strawberries in it. Two large chocolate cakes (rectangular/single layer) were brought out soon after the cake cutting.

Hard to believe she's a wife now. I've known her since she was born (which was a few days after Charlie and I got engaged). They've been on their honeymoon this week and should be home by the weekend. He's from Arkansas, but they'll be living here in the Greensboro area.

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There's this pizza place that I had heard about quite a while back that Charlie and I finally went to last month - Cugino Forno. It's at Revolution Mill. It's possibly the best pizza I've ever had in my life. Most of their ingredients are from Italy (it's Naples style pizza) and so are their huge ovens. Kelly and I went a few weeks ago (her first time) and then all four of us went last week (Sean's first time). I've told several people about it. I've had their pepperoni pizza and their margherita pizza and love them both.

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Since my last entry, I finally finished The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (I gave it 2 stars at GoodReads) and also read The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan. I gave it 3 stars at GoodReads.

I'm currently reading Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I'm liking it okay, but I haven't gotten very far.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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Three Birthdays and A Wedding

February 7th was my 45th birthday. Just five years away from 50. That's really hard for me to believe. I mean, I don't feel like I'm almost 50. Not that I know what that feels like. And I'm not sure I look like I'm almost 50 either. People tell me I look younger than I am. I look at myself in the mirror and I don't think I look almost 50, but maybe that's just because I'm used to my face or something. lol

Kelly's birthday was February 8th. She's 18 now. I'm now the mother of two adult children. How in the world did that happen so quickly? Weren't they both in single digits just a few years ago? *sigh*

Anyway, Kelly wanted to just go shopping and see what she could find since she didn't know exactly what she wanted. Charlie, Kelly, and I went to a few stores at the mall (Game Stop, Hot Topic, and FYE) and she got a couple games, a few T-shirts (I got one at Hot Topic), a pear-shaped lamp with a smiley face on it (it changes colors), and a few other things.

Charlie made me a chocolate cake and we got Kelly an Oreo ice cream cake. I went to a few stores last week looking for a dress and found two at Macy's that I thought were pretty (both by Tommy Hilfiger - one was black and red, and the other was cream, beige, and light pink), but they weren't quite long enough and one of them didn't look as good on me as I would've liked. I may go to Dillard's this weekend to try to find one.

T-shirt I got at Hot Topic.

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Thursday, February 1st, Kelly's best friend Rene got married. Kelly was one of the bridesmaids. It was a sweet, lovely wedding. I cried through most of it. lol I've known Rene since she was a baby. She'll be 21 in April. Hard to believe she's a wife now.

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Ancestry.com has these DNA cards you can do if you've had your DNA tested by them. You just choose a picture and then you can share it. Only the share options wouldn't show up for me. So I just did "Print Screen", pasted into Paint, cropped it, and then saved to my computer.

Mine. Europe West is France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. Europe South is Italy. Other Regions is 1 percent Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), and less than 1 percent Caucasus.

Charlie's. Other Regions is 2 percent Ivory Coast/Ghana, less than 1 percent European Jewish, and less than 1 percent Asia Central (the 'stans.)

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Charlie and I were going to go on a date tonight (last night now), but I just wasn't feeling up to it. I woke up feeling more like I'd awoken from the dead rather than from sleeping. I thought I'd start feeling better as the day went on, but I just never fully got to where I felt like going anywhere. So, no grocery shopping, dress shopping, or date night. We just stayed home. We may go tonight after I vacuum the church and get groceries.

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Charlie's birthday is the 21st. He'll be 49. He never wants anything (and I have no idea what to get him), so I usually make him one of his favorite meals. I made tacos, enchiladas, and refried beans this week, so I'll be doing one of his other favorites for his birthday - fried pork chops, potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, and a vegetable (corn on the cob or green beans). I'll also make his favorite kind of cake - yellow with chocolate frosting. And, of course, get him a birthday card.

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Not much else to blog about for now really. I think there might have been something else, but I'm blanking at the moment.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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Reunion, Ancestry and Vow Renewal

This past Saturday my dad's side of the family had a reunion at a park in Fayetteville. The last time I'd seen any of his family was in July of 2010. Some I hadn't seen since my dad's funeral in May 2006. It was really great to see them and spend a few hours with them. They couldn't get over how big my kids have gotten since they last saw us and everyone was calling Kelly "Niki Junior" because they say she looks just like me. :-)

It was a mostly pleasant day, weatherwise, considering we were in Fayetteville. It's usually hotter there than anywhere else in North Carolina. But temps weren't bad and it didn't start to get uncomfortable until after we'd been there 2-3 hours when the humidity began to creep up. But even then, it wasn't that bad.

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After we got back to Greensboro, the kids and I went to Macy's to get a purse I'd seen and really wanted. The price was much higher than I normally pay for a purse (I don't like to spend more than $30-40 on a purse) and I walked around the purse department carrying the purse and seeing if I could find a cheaper purse that I wanted more. I did see a black purse I really want (and need, because the black purse I currently have doesn't have a cell phone pocket), but in the end I loved the other one more and so I bought it. I still can't believe I paid $100 for a purse, but it's a beautiful purse. I'll carry it a lot to get my money's worth out of it. lol

I got Kelly a pretty dress at Belk on Friday for a great price. It was originally $125 or $129 marked down to $32 and change. After using the $18 that was left on the gift card my mom gave me for Mother's Day, I paid only $14 and change for it. :-)

 Because Kelly's only about 4'11" or 5'0", the dress actually goes below her knees and she wears a white shrug over it.

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Charlie has been in Houston since late last week. Thankfully, he got sent there before the tornado and bad storms hit the Oklahoma City area, where he'd been prior to going to Houston. I hope he can come home soon. We miss him.

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I'm still working on my family tree nearly everyday. Kind of funny to me how that the vast majority of my ancestors came from England. (It kind of gets monotonous writing "England" over and over and over for place of birth.) Of course, many of those English ancestors are descendants of Normans and Vikings.

I also have a lot of Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, Dutch, Swiss, and French ancestors, as well as a couple Cherokees and a couple Portuegese ancestors (the first king and queen of Portugal). I recently discovered some Spanish ancestors, dating back to the 14th century and earlier. That was kind of a surprise in the middle of all those Englishmen. One of them goes and marries a Spanish noblewoman. :-)

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Charlie and I are thinking about renewing our vows. December of next year will be our 20th wedding anniversary. We'd like to renew our vows in the spring of 2014. I know, several months before our anniversary, but the weather will be prettier.

We had talked about having the ceremony in Southport, but I'm thinking that might be a little difficult for our pastor and I really want him to do the ceremony. So now I'm thinking we'll do it here in Greensboro and then take a second honeymoon to Southport. Though I've also been thinking about going somewhere a little more exotic. Southport could remain our family vacation spot and somewhere like Hawaii or the Caribbean could be our second honeymoon spot.

I've also looked at informal wedding gowns online and saw one I really like. I don't want to wear a big, fancy dress (though I do love them) or have a big, fancy ceremony for a vow renewal. I want to keep it small and simple. Kelly said she'd like to wear aqua, since it's her favorite color, and I like that idea. (It goes well with our Southport/coastal/tropical "theme". Though I'm not having a theme ceremony. Just the colors.) So she'll probably wear a pretty aqua dress and I was thinking khaki pants and aqua/light blue shirt, no tie, for Charlie and Sean. I'll carry some aqua or light blue and white flowers, possibly.

I'm just thinking out loud. :-)

Old Salem, Fall Pictures and a Death

Saturday was a busy, but fun day. I was up at 9:00 and gone by about 10:30 to go to a wedding at my church. One of the young ladies, who is from Haiti but has lived here and been a part of our church for several years, married a man who is also from Haiti. Most of the ceremony was in English. A song (by Celine Dion) and a portion of scripture were in French. When they exchanged rings, the groom got down on one knee. Aww. The recessional song was "I Win" by Clint Brown. (Pause the music player at the bottom of this page before clicking on the link for "I Win".) One of the groomsmen danced down the aisle "Holy Ghost" style. Ha! I loved it. :-)

I would've liked to have gone to the reception, but I'd already made plans to go to Old Salem (a Moravian village that dates back to the 1700s) with Kelly and my mom for Harvest Day: Pigs and Pippins. I got home at a little after 12:00, changed clothes and fixed Kelly's hair. My mom wanted to drive, so we had to wait for her. She finally got here around 12:30 or so.

We had a good time in Old Salem. It was a beautiful day, with highs in the upper 60s. If we hadn't had other plans for the afternoon, we would've toured every building. Charlie, the kids and I went last year for Harvest Day and were able to tour all the buildings. We really enjoyed it. I wish Kelly, my mom and I could've done it this year. I know my mom would've really liked it. As it was, we only had time to tour a couple buildings, walk the main street, go to Winkler's Bakery (I bought a piece of vanilla pound cake and a piece of almond pound cake; Kelly got a lovefeast roll and a couple pieces of vanilla pound cake) and browse a few gift shops. Still, we had fun.

African-American church in Old Salem.
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Making apple cider the really old-fashioned way.
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 Making sausage. The lady on the left seemed pleased, and a little surprised, when she pointed at three herbs and asked what they were and I was able to correctly identify them: sage, rosemary and thyme. :-)
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 A side street in Old Salem. Many houses in Old Salem are private residences. A few are for sale. What a lovely place to live.
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We left Old Salem around 3:40 and made it to Sean's football game at Oka T. Hester Park, here in Greensboro, about two minutes after it started at 4:15. (The warm-up had started at 3:15. That's why Charlie and Sean didn't go with us to Old Salem.) It was a great game. Sean's team won - 21 to 12.

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After the kids were done with their schoolwork yesterday, we went to Hagan-Stone so that I could take pictures of them. There wasn't as much color as I'd expected there to be, so we might go back and take more pictures another day.

 Sean, 15.

Kelly, 12.

After leaving Hagan-Stone, I dropped Sean off at my mom's and then Kelly I went to Wal-Mart (a few toiletries and grocery items), Lowe's (paint for Kelly's room - Surf Spray by Valspar, paint supplies, air filters for the house) and then Belk where I got two pairs of shoes, which I really needed.

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My aunt Nancy, one of my mom's younger sisters, passed away yesterday. Their brother Tony just passed away a month ago. Just like that, my mom and her remaining siblings (Wanda, James and Sherry) have lost a brother and a sister. I can't imagine what that must be like.

Greener grass? Blessings and a wedding.

There's a place of business I pass by a couple times a week. They always have neat sayings and quotes on their sign. The one I saw today made me say "Wow. I have to share that on Facebook and write about it on my blog."

"If the grass looks greener on the other side, fertilize yours."

How true is that? So many people think their lives would be better if they did this or did that or if they left their husband or their wife or if they moved somewhere else. Or whatever. But things usually don't turn out as great as they expected they would.

Instead of looking at how green the grass appears to be somewhere else, take care of the grass where you are. Plant the seeds, fertilize it, water it, tend to it.

Do you want a better life, a better marriage*, a better home life? Don't walk away. Work on what you already have.

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There's a song I've heard many times on the radio. But when I heard it a couple days ago, it really spoke to me.



"And for your faithfulness, it's your time."

I've wondered many times when things were going to turn around for my life. I even asked God a few times, "When is it my time to be blessed and to have the miracles I need?"

I see those who are being blessed in such beautiful ways and I don't wish that it was me instead of them. I'm just hoping that my time for beautiful blessings will be here soon. It can be exhausting holding on and waiting day after day, month after month.

But I feel like the blessings and the miracles I and my family need will be here soon. I'm trusting God for it.

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Kelly and I went to a wedding today. (Sean was with my mom, swimming at the pool at my brother's apartment complex.) I've known the groom, who is now 26, since he was about 5 or 6. It kind of makes you feel old. lol It was a beautiful wedding. I loved the bridesmaids' dresses - black with red sashes/bows around their waists. The bride had a little red in her dress and red trim around her veil. I got a little misty-eyed and choked up a few times, as I always do at weddings. Kelly commented that weddings are the happiest times. I told her that yes they are, and so are babies being born.


*Of course, it's perfectly understandable when a person leaves an abusive or adulterous spouse. I'm not suggesting that one should stay in a situation like that.

Going to the Chapel...

After staying up much later than planned, I finally got in the bed around 5:30 AM. It'd been awhile since I stayed up that late. I got up today shortly before noon and got in the shower some time after noon.

I had thought that my Aunt Robin and Uncle Mike would be meeting me at my house and following me to the park. I talked to Mom while I was getting ready and she told me that they were going straight to the park (they had gotten directions), but that Uncle Marty and Aunt Stella would be meeting me at my house and following me. I wanted to be there by 2:30 (it takes about 10-15 minutes to get there from my house), but when they still weren't here at 2:45, I called Uncle Marty and he told me that they were already at the chapel. *sigh* I got in my car (I had already put the gifts in the back) and got there as quick as I could without speeding.

Like most weddings though, this one didn't start on time. As a matter of fact, I got there before the bride. lol (She rode with Mom.) So it turned out okay anyway.

The wedding took place in a small chapel at Hagan Stone Park. It was a small, simple wedding. Nice and sweet. I took a lot of pictures, of course. :-)

It was nice seeing some of my family again. Uncle Marty, Aunt Stella, Uncle Mike, Aunt Robin, my cousin Christian and his wife Kim. As I said in my previous entry, I hadn't seen them since Dad's funeral over 2 years ago.

The reception was in the chapel. While we were outside, after the ceremony, taking pictures and getting ours taken, tables and chairs were set up inside for the reception. We had a good time talking, eating, drinking (no alcohol) and taking pictures.

Around 5:30 or so, Kelly and I came home. (She rode with Mom to the wedding.) It felt good to change clothes, take my hair down and recline on the couch.

Charlie and Sean got home from Charlotte at about 7:40. It was good to see them again. I had missed them.

No plans tomorrow. I wish I could just relax and do nothing, but that's just not a good idea with our house on the market. I need to make sure the house is show-ready.