Alpine Helen, White County GA

We took a ride about 2 hours north last week to go hiking.  We fell upon this unique alpine village nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the  Chattahoochee River.  This little tourist trap in the middle of nowhere was filled with people.  They had German restaurants,  wineries and many specialty shops along with the "alpine look" of the buildings and hotels.   I made a few purchases in the homemade candle store and the Nora Mill Granary that had stone ground whole grains.  We did the wine tasting at the Habersham Winery and visited the Nacoochee Village Antique Mall.  It was a nice little discovery for us on our way to the trails. 

The sweetest gift by surprise...

I sit here in silence listening and feeling my heart beat. The house is quiet and everyone tucked into bed. It's in times like this that I am compelled to write. I crawled out of bed after sleep refused to show and found my way here. My time to just quiet the mind.
As I sit here, the moon is beaming through the window. It has been beautiful as of late with it's fullness shining brightly in the night sky. Much noticed as always by me , it sits there alone as I do here now....but surrounded by all.
I smile with the thought.

Undertone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

caught in the undertone
and thinking this is crazy

could it be they just don't know
as I sit here watching them
that they pull themselves down
just by speaking their words?  

would they save face if only they knew
and care if they found out?

the exchange of spoken words
unaffected in utterance

Pink Floyd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The love of music AND art  rubbed off onto my son, as I saw this poster hanging in his apartment.  Yes, he had Picasso, Dali and some movie posters, but he also had the Pink Floyd Back Catalog poster.  Each woman has art from a different Pink Floyd album painted on her back which is "Atom Heart Mother", "Relics", "Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here", "The Wall", and "Animals".  Quite interesting I thought. 

College visit

  [Time is] the most valuable thing a man can spend.
            -- Theophrastus
I went to visit my son this past week.  It seemed like we talked nonstop during this time.  I couldn't be prouder of how he is doing with his school and how he matured these two years at college.  He commented on how we taught him well in knowing what he needs to get done to survive out on his own.  How the years of talking with him openly helped him.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  All the tough decisions we had to make while he was growing up seemed to have paid off.  The times that he was mad because of not being able to do something to the times when moving for his benefit seemed like the end of the world to him, all seemed to be worth it.  Even though he still has a way to go before he is fully independent of us, he is definitely on the right path to success.  What more could a parent ask for?  :)

Clairvoyance

Something that was lost
is now in the light
shining brightly with a smile  :) 

 

Today was my first day out and about since my eye surgery last Monday.  I had the second lens implant put into place and I will have to say that I see clearly now.  :)   It's amazing how things look to me with it's clarity and brightness.  I feel like I have everything new to see and explore.  It's no wonder that I wanted to go hiking on this day. The skies were as blue as ever and the warmth from the sun seemed like spring was already here. I had picked a hike close by instead of heading north.    It wasn't the mountain view that I always crave, but the skyline of Atlanta.  I picked this hike because I actually wanted to "see" the skyline which had always been difficult before to make out.  I wasn't disappointed.

I sit here now at my desk with a glass of wine at my side and a smile on my face.  It was a great day.  :)

 

Say what you feel
no one is listening...
just when you think you have it right
the ball falls upon
and you look as if you might need to keep going
just for you....  

18th Birthday

Kelly celebrated her birthday with a dinner especially made for her.  These 18 years have gone by so fast.  She has grown into a beautiful girl inside and out and I am extremely proud of her. 

Happy Birthday Kelly.  We love you!!

Amaryllis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
             Martin Luther King Jr.

In the midst of the chill in the air that we are having, my Amaryllis flower is blooming.  It brings a bright and fresh atmosphere on my counter.  I was given this bulb over the holidays and can't believe that it is already flowering.  It shows that with a little care and attention, things will thrive.  :) 

Kelly #32

This has been a good year so far for the girls varsity team.  They are currently 1st in the district and things are looking good for them with the upcoming games.  With 3 games a week, they have an  extremely busy schedule but they seem to get through it.  It has been fun watching Kelly play as always, but not fun seeing her bumps and bruises after the game.  Last night she had 2 goose egg bumps on her forehead from taking a charge!  Hopefully tonight's game won't be as rough.  Keep up the good playing girls!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She made this shot.   :)

High Museum of Art

"I certainly hope to sell in the course of time, but I think I shall be able to influence it most effectively by working steadily on, and that at the present moment making desperate efforts to force the work I am doing now upon the public would be pretty useless."   Vincent van Gogh

Yesterday, Kelly and I visited the Art Museum to see the works of van Gogh.  This was art from the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands and had been on display since late October.  There were over 20 paintings and drawings by van Gogh.  The highlighted painting of this exhibition was "Cafe Terrace by Night".  It was exciting to see the original of this famous painting.   For a Friday afternoon,  the museum was filled with art enthusiasts waiting to see a glimpse of beauty.  I was able to take some pictures, but not in the special traveling exhibit.  I few of my favorites were the marble sculptures and this exotic piece that captured my attention. It was a nice afternoon spent  with Kelly and seeing her enjoy these masterpieces also.

 

 

 

 

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you.

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."  

Christmas has been nice.  We spent a quiet day at home today before we make the 12 hour trip to Pittsburgh tomorrow.  We plan on visiting our family for a few days and then head to the ski slopes for some fun in the snow.  Hopefully when we come back I'll have a few good pictures to post of our trip.  Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! 

College letters

Kelly looks calm here as she looks over the letters from two of the colleges that she applied for.  But, I think she is just worn out from dancing around in the kitchen after opening them!  She finally heard back from Emory and Wake Forest and they both accepted her.  Now comes the hard part in making up her mind which one to go to.  With pre-med as her major, either one will be a good fit, but Emory is definitely my top choice for her. She has to decide by the middle of January so we will know soon! 

Congratulations Kelly!!

  Yesterday I had to move this poinsettia from in front of my fireplace because it was replaced by a roaring fire.  I finally had my firewood delivered for the upcoming cold days.  I thought of how different things are from long ago.  I remember a time when we would scan the newspapers looking for "free wood you pick up" adds so we could stay warm  in our first home.  We would clear out people's yard of their cut down trees thinking we had the best deal.  I know now that they had "free labor" in us clearing out their yard!  But, I guess we both made out in the end.  As I wrote out the check yesterday for the wood, I thought how easy things have gotten.  The wood was cut, delivered and then stacked in the back yard by my oldest son.  Why though, do I look back and always think that those were the easy years??!  lol

Kelly's Dolls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each year at Christmas I give Kelly a porcelain doll.  This year I put some of them below one of our trees and it looks beautiful.  I'm deciding whether this year will be the last time I give her one since she'll be turning 18 next month.  I know she is too old for dolls, but I see it as a collection to keep.   Having only one daughter, I always wanted to buy her dolls for Christmas.  When she got too old for that, I switched to porcelain dolls to display.  Maybe I should just ask her how she feels about it.  I might be surprised.  Maybe I was only appeasing my feelings all this time!  lol

 

 

 

 

 We had a Christmas dinner Saturday night at the Atlanta National Golf Club in Alpharetta.  The club was decorated beautifully for the season.  Dinner was good and occupied by entertainment that was even better.  It started off with a band of Spanish musicians, followed by a Mid Eastern belly dancer and later on a jazz band.  It was a variety of music that kept things interesting and had the dance floor moving.     

 

 

A fun night was had by all and everyone was waiting up when we got home even thought it was very late.  Once again Kelly took hold of the camera and snapped away.  As you can tell by this after party picture, it was obvious who the designated driver was.  lol

 

 

Our Christmas cards went out in the mail today.  Each year we do the family photo thing even though I hear grunts and groans from those who don't want to do it.  This year seemed to go a little easier and everyone was relaxed and smiled for the photographer! (And it was done without bribes!  lol )   
Merry Christmas to all my computer friends!

 

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta:  Festival of Trees

Once again our holiday season kicked off at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.  Each year we volunteer at this event that benefits children's healthcare.  The many displays of trees, gingerbread houses, wreaths, specialty shops and children's activities are on grand display this week. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year we worked in the fishing booth. It  was so much fun seeing the kids surprised faces as they pulled out the "fish" that was on the hook.  They smiled when that fish was actually little toys put on the hook by the guys inside the booth. 

 

After the excitement of seeing beautifully adorned trees all around us, we came home to a fully decorated tree which Daniel had completed.  This jump started my efforts of getting all the lights hung outside and in.  I'm completed now with this task and feel ahead of the game.  I will have to say that our trees at home are just as beautiful as those at the festival.