My Brother, My Hero

I've never really considered anyone my hero. I admire lots of people and aspire to emulate them in various ways. However, I'd never classify any of them as a hero. Then sometimes various life situations really show you what people are made of and a hero is born.
As a member of the SC Army National Guard since 2001, my brother Brian has readily given a weekend every month and 2 weeks a year to perform his job as a citizen soldier. Often times, he was giving much more time than that for various trainings. In 2004 just as Brian was announcing his engagement and the impending birth of his first child, he also announced that his unit was being deployed. He was off to Kuwait for a year. While he was away, his son (my nephew) Keith was born. Brian came home when Keith was 9 months old and went back to his job. He continued to stay in the Guard because he truly loves it.
Fast forward to 2009. Brian informs us that his unit is again being deployed in January 2010. Destination- Afghanistan. This pill was hard to swallow. His time in Kuwait was fairly uneventful- always a good thing in a war zone. Afghanistan is a different setting entirely. All I could think was that my brother would be hunting Bin Laden in the mountains and trying to avoid suicide bombers. Not something one wants to ponder as they hug their loved one goodbye. Oh, did I mention that his second child was going to be born while he was halfway around the world? Grace Kay arrived in March.
Fast forward to November 12, 2010. I woke up at 4:40AM to make sure I was at the Columbia Airport at 5:30 to welcome my brother home. I'm not a morning person at all! But I jumped out of bed when the alarm went off! I couldn't wait to see Brian with my own 2 eyes and give him a big hug. You see, he was coming home. This tour was officially over. The mission had been carried out.
Why do I consider Brian my hero? He willingly chose to serve his country both at home and abroad. He could have gotten out after his first deployment, but he felt a calling. He considers himself nothing more than an American doing his job. Yet he has sacrificed personal experiences (like being present at the births of his 2 children) to do his job. He put himself in harm's way so that I can sit in my home and type whatever I want on my blog and not worry about being arrested. He carries a gun in dessert heat and looks out for potential bombers so that we can complain about our elected officials and have an opportunity to vote them out of office.
Nothing I ever do will be that awe inspiring. I'll never wear a uniform and put myself in between a bullet and my battle buddy. I'll never have to respond to enemy fire at the end of a seemingly peaceful day. But people like my brother and the men & women in his unit make those decisions every day, and they ask for nothing in return. Because of these men and women, we live in freedom. Now that is what I call the actions of a hero. You can bet that this Thanksgiving and Christmas season will be celebrated like never before in our family. Our soldier came home. For that, I will be forever grateful!

Pugfest + Fry's = Happiness

As I write this, I'm relaxing after a very eventful day at Pugfest 2010 and watching a very exhausted Pug catch some ZZZZ's. For those who don't know, Pugfest is an annual fundraising event for Southeast Pug Rescue & Adoption, Inc. (SEPRA). They are a non-profit organization that rescues and fosters abandoned and surrendered Pugs while trying to place them in their forever homes. For more information, check them out at http://www.rescuepug.com

Today was our 4th Pugfest trip. I can honestly say that this was the best one by far. To hit the highlights: We spent the day with awesome dogs & their owners. I got some awesome items in the silent auction, and Sophie won 3rd place in the Homemade Costume category dressed as a nun. Pictures will be included in a future blog post. She was adorable (and yes- I am totally biased!). People loved her and kept taking her picture. She was a fan favorite. Now she is completely worn out and enjoying sleeping in the hotel bed. Not sure why, but Sophie loves hotel beds. Maybe it's because it's bigger than our bed at home and she can have more room. Maybe its because there is no kitty to share the space with. Who knows. All I do know is that she is sleeping like a champ.

In addition to Pugfest fun, this trip also marks our annual shopping excursion to Fry's Electronics. If you are not familiar with Fry's (which I wasn't until I began attending Pugfest 4 years ago), it is like a gigantic Best Buy. Jamie loves all the computers and electronic gadgets. I love the amazing selection of DVDs at wonderfully low prices. (This is not a paid advertisement for Fry's Electronics. Although they should pay me to spread the word about their greatness.) If you've ever been to our house, you understand why I appreciate a bargain on DVDs. We have almost 300 DVDs in our collection plus many of our favorite TV shows on DVD. Our collection continues to grow (thanks to me and the great deals I find) so we are never without entertainment in our house. Not to be completely selfish, most of what I purchased today was gifts for other people. I can't turn down a bargain and Christmas is just around the corner.

I'll close this post now and try to catch some ZZZZs with Sophie. She has the right idea.
Pug out!

Happiness is a Hotel Full of Pugs!

Today we made the annual trek to Atlanta for Pugfest 2010. Pugfest is an awesome fundraiser for the Southeastern Pug Rescue. This is our 4th year attending. You know you've made it to the right hotel when you see Pugs everywhere. Sophie is among friends here and that is what makes the trip so fun.
Pug owners are cool people. We are obsessed with our babies and do anything and everything to make them happy. It probably goes back to Pugs being bred to serve as lap dogs for the Chinese royal family way back in the day. They entered the world as part of royalty and demand to still be treated as such. I can't blame them. I'd have the same demands if I was from a line of royalty.
So tomorrow we'll head to the fairgrounds and see what fun is in store for Sophie this year. Her costume is adorable and we are hoping for a prize this year. Last year, she got Honorable Mention for her Lucy van Pelt outfit so we are hoping for a repeat performance.
Stay tuned for more Pugfest news! Pugs and Kisses!

Insomnia sucks, but it gave me a reaosn to update this.

It's a little after 5 AM and I'm wide awake. Been that way since 1:30. I don't usually suffer from insomnia, but tonight (aka this morning) I do. So what better to do than update my blog which I've neglected.
So.... where to begin? I'm still going strong with Weight Watchers. Lost 13 pounds which has made me very happy. I'm almost halfway to my weight loss goal!! I've had some frustrating weeks but my leader keeps reminding us that we need to celebrate the small gains (or losses in WW lingo) of -0.3. We can't lose whole pound increments every time we weigh in and we didn't gain it overnight. I keep plugging along and know that I'll get to my goal- even if it takes a while.
I've always said that I wouldn't discuss my work on this blog b/c I like to keep my social network life & professional life separate. All I will say is that I'm starting to get the swing of the new job but it still challenges me every day. Lots of long hours the last couple of months have been one reason I haven't blogged a lot. Too much stuff on the brain that I can't blog about or nothing fun & frivolous on the brain to blog about. It's a catch-22.
I have learned an important lesson recently. Maybe not so much a lesson as truth that I had hoped would be untrue. Adults can be very childish. Really- I have to ask myself if someone is 50 or 5 on a more regular basis than I prefer. Seriously people- you are adults. ACT like it! No, don't act- actually BE an adult! The world would be a much better place if that would happen.
I'm still alive and well (although I'd prefer to be sleeping and having wonderfully pleasant dreams instead of typing this right now). Hoping the inspiration will come more frequently than once a month so I can maintain this thing and keep my loyal followers (Are you still there?) engaged and enchanted.
Peace out!

September Synopsis

I'm still alive... just been crazy busy with work and stuff. My September has been hectic and chaotic. However, I'm surviving and thriving. Quick synopsis of my month:

• Work has taken a front seat to pretty much everything else, but at least I have job security.
• Weight Watcher's has been a great change of pace for me. I've started to really take stock of what I eat and how active I need to be. I've lost almost 9 pounds after 8 weeks. I'm super excited about my progress!
• Started back with my Beta Sigma Phi activities. I love spending time with this great group of ladies!
• Had the chance to spend time with a dear friend from my USC days during his visit to Columbia. Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with old friends that I thought I'd never see again.
• Been reading every free minute I get. Have read some really great books this past month.
• Our Girls have had some health issues. Kira & Sophie seem to be doing better now, and we are getting used to living with geriatric animals.
  

Those are the highlights of my September. Hope everyone has had a great month! I promise not to be MIA like this again.

Take Me Home Country Road

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am quite impatient. I don't like to wait for anything or believe that anything should take too long. I can thank dear old dad for my lack of patience. I earned it honestly.
However I realized something recently. I was headed back home on a Sunday afternoon to celebrate my Granny's 91st birthday (rock on, Granny!). As usual, I-26 was slow, slow, slow. So I took a detour down 176 which isn't an unusual part of any drive home. The only difference is that usually Hubby is the one behind the wheel. Yet due to issues at work, he couldn't go with me so I had to drive by myself. My impatience was rearing it's ugly head the whole way down the road- people were pulling out in front of me and driving 10 miles UNDER the posted speed limit, turning with little or no turn signal, etc. I finally made it to Granny's house for the festivities and had fun with the family.
Then it was time to head back to the big Cola. Taking 176 from Granny's house is the easiest way to get back home. As I drove back with no time constraint hanging over my head and little traffic on the road this time, I started thinking about all the times I'd driven that road. In my driving years, I have spent a lot of time on 176. I drove it endlessly to visit my BFF in high school, head back to USC when there was a major traffic malfunction on I-26, or just take the long way somewhere. I started to remember how I was filled with so much anticipation for the fun that BFF and I had planned that day/night and the mischief that we were sure to find together. I remember driving that road with tears in my eyes when I had the realization that my first significant crush didn't feel the same way. I remember taking that road with another childhood friend to attend high school football games at an arch rival school and visit with friends we had there. I was overwhelmed with memories crashing through my mind like waves on the beach.
I had an Ah-Ha moment. Life isn't about how fast we can get somewhere and how fast we'll get back home. It isn't about what I can get now. It's about the time we take to slow down and breathe. It's about the memories- both good and bad- that have shaped our lives and make up our past. It's about just enjoying life.
So I encourage you to take the slow way to somewhere when you have the chance and enjoy the scenery. Even if you've seen it a million times or it's a brand new path, it's those moments when we slow down and reflect that make us thankful for the roads we've traveled. They have all led us to the people we are now.
Happy travels!

"We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!"

This classic line from Ghostbusters says so much about my day. We being mom & I. The ass we kicked being the Tanger Outlet in Sevierville, TN. We had quite the successful shopping trip this year. Got some Christmas shopping done for friends & family as well as bought a few goodies for myself.
I found some great deals and used coupons when I could. Did you know that you can show your AAA card at any Tanger Outlet mall office and get a free coupon book? Today, they gave me a coupon book AND a $5 gift card to be used in participating outlet stores. Oh happy day! I love a free gift card- no matter what the amount! Let's just say that gift card was put to good use rather quickly.
I won't discuss in great details all the wonderful deals I got b/c I'd hate to spoil surprises for my friends and family. I got myself 3 pairs of shoes (saved $60 on one pair alone), some books ( I know, I know... I have a habit that I can't seem to break), my very own Garden Gnome, and some magnets. I really worked hard to spend my money on other people this year.
Another shopping weekend goes into the history books as a success. Wonder what kind of deals I'll get next year?!