Why does vacation...

Well, tomorrow I go back to work.  (big sigh!!!!)

Why does vacation have to be so short?  Seems like you plan and plan, wait and wait, and then you blink and it's over.  Doug & I had a great time hanging out together and actually ended up spending some time with another family (Doug's friend from work) who was in Gatlinburg while we were there.  Doug is always saying I run him ragged on vacation with my "I want to see everything" attitude, so this trip I decided to go with relaxing in mind instead of living up to my well known reputation.  

Well...Mr. Doug ran me ragged.  We saw it all!  I road in a helicopter for the first time in my life...very cool! (I felt like Magnum PI!!)  We saw Rock City/Ruby Falls, drove the Motor Trail, toured Biltmore, drove through Cades Cove, took in the view at Clingman's Dome, visited Cherokee Indian Reserve, hiked to Abrams Falls, and saw the 3 bears, 2 otters, and 1 ton of deer!  That's all I can remember at the moment although I am sure there was certainly more!  We took in God's creativity like never before!  Doug swears he heard banjos playing on some back road that "Dr Tom" (TomTom) led us down on the way to Biltmore.  Speaking of Biltmore, did I mention I FINALLY got to see it (LOVED it!)?  And Doug actually enjoyed it too (which I wasn't expecting).  We learned that gas shortages do not occur only in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.  People panic elsewhere just like they do here.  (ha!)  

I went on the trip expecting to hear from God, and well, to say the least, I heard Him loud and clear.  As I looked at our view the first morning, I felt God impress upon my heart that He didn't want me in the valley or on the slopes...He always wants me on the tip top waiting to hear from Him at any given moment.  When I'm in the valley or on a slope, I am not able to see what's around me from every angle, I'm not closest to Heaven (assuming it's above me), and I'm not on the highest point able to pull others up to the top too.  Needless to say, I kinda sat there in awe and felt as if I really needed to step it up...literally!  I have a lot of improving to do.  Yeah, I heard Him loud and clear! 

Overall, I give the trip an A+.  It leads me to this, why is it that we plan so much for vacation which is only about 1/52nd of the year (depending on how long you go)?  Why do we not plan our lives in the same fashion?  We research, pick out just the perfect places to see while we are there, perfect place to stay, save money to afford it, expect the best/most exciting and so on, but our daily lives are spent day to day awaiting the ordinary schedule of the day.  We float along expecting nothing unusual or exciting.  Why do we do that?  

I plan to change my outlook.  I plan to expect the unusual and the exciting.  I want the best out of every day life!!!  I want the God Adventure EVERY DAY!!!!  I want the mountain top view where I can hear God whispering from Heaven!!!!  Anyway, that's my 20 seconds of wisdom!  Hope it spurs you to think differently too.  Here are some photos of last weeks adventure...  

2 of the 3 Bears...  (I know, I didn't really get a good picture...  The one in the upper left was looking right at me.)

 Abrams Falls (an otter paradise)

After the Helicopter Ride...

Cades Cove as the sun was rising...beautiful!! (and where all the deer hang out!)

Oh yeah, we went shopping, ate out a LOT, played putt putt, rode the incline railway, took the ski lift, played pool/Ms PacMan & Galaga (sp?), went to the aquarium and pet a bunch of sting rays (way cool)!  I'm sure there's even more...but that's all I can think of for now!  : )

Dirty clothes...

All I can say is you don't truly appreciate something until you don't have it any more.  

Take for instance, oh, let's say... the washing machine.  Life is so much simpler due to the first electric washing machine by Alva Fisher and the Hurley Company in 1908 which leads me to today...  Ours broke tonight, and after having no washer during the 4 days and 3 nights of Hurricane Gustav aftermath earlier this month, I am having withdrawal already!  Where is the Maytag Man when I need him?  

20 years ago...

Interesting facts about Sept 10, 1988:

• Gas was $0.96/gal (uh, hello?!)
  
• Steffi Graf won the US Open (1st woman Grand Slam since 1970)
  
• Hurricane Gilbert killed 300 in Jamaica, Texas & Yucatan that week
  
• Ronald Reagan was President with George Bush as the Vice President
  
• 'Rain Man' received the Best Picture Academy Award (in 1988)
  
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures were "the" item very kid wanted
• "The Wonder Years", "Married with Children"  & "Roseanne" were popular TV shows
  
• Doug & Connie Firmin were married...
  

Yep, thats right!  20 years ago, Doug & I said "I do!"  A tropical depression graced us with it's presence during the night before the BIG DAY.  Fortunately, it was a dud so the wedding was on!  I was fresh out of high school without a clue regarding life.  We traded some sweet gold nugget wedding bands and yes, I still wear mine from time to time.  Doug's became MIA a few years later.  Check out the pic below.  Gold nugget jewelry was so cool 'back in the day' (and pretty much all we could afford at the time).  Wait until you see the 80's hair - gotta love that too!  

The only wedding I think that was planned quicker than ours was Mal and Daves!  (love you guys)  We managed to pull it off in 6 short weeks with about 200 in attendance.  My Aunt Pat was truly the mastermind behind it all coming together!  It's been a roller coaster ride from the day 1 with many ups and downs, lots of laughter and tears, good times and bad, and I wouldn't change one ounce of it.  I certainly don't feel old enough to have been married for 20 years, but I am certain of this...I am, without a doubt, one of the most blessed chicks around to have such an awesome husband!  

   

Happy Anniversary Doug!  I love you!

Thank you for 20 great years,

and I'm looking forward to 20 more!

The Aftermath...

Well, Gustav was definitely "worthy of respect". It was more than I expected. He came through, said his peace, and left a royal mess! Click HERE to see some pictures of town. WJBO probably had the best group of photo's from BR that I've found so far.

Personally, I've never seen or experienced anything like this in East Baton Rouge, Ascension or Livingston parishes. It pretty much took out the power for the majority of the people, all of the red lights were out (a story within itself - talk about test your Christianity!), power lines were down everywhere! It really looks and feels like we are living in a war zone. Window units and generators have become a needed commodity for most people as the true heroes (electrical crews) work tirelessly to restore power to the area. Little by little they are making progress. Food and gas have finally become more accessible. At first it was hard to locate. Despite all of this destruction that we are in the center of, Jesus has been and still is there to begin picking up the pieces. People have pulled together to help one another. I've heard so many stories this week of "Jesus' hands" at work among the common people already!

On top of all of that, Doug's dad passed away the night that the storm came through. Very hard week for the family. There was so much going on with everyone that no one had time to think about things. The funeral home had no power until later in the week. It was 5 days before services could be held due to all of the problems in town.

To say the least, my perspective has been changed. Actually it's been train wrecked! Over the past week, I have a completely new respect for those that face widespread destruction. I've witnessed people in panic, selfishness like I've never witnessed before, and learned how incredibly spoiled I am to electricity, A/C and how dependent I am to both! Wow...to think that there are people (which I have experienced first hand) that live like this daily. God just kind of gently reminded me of how truly blessed I am, and He certainly protected our home and family throughout the storm! No doubt!

Thank You Lord! I praise You in this 'storm'! Jesus, help us to see things from Your perspective. Help us to be your hands and feet during this recovery. As things begin to return to normal, may we never forget the lessons we've learned throughout this time. May we forever be changed. Thank You for protecting so many of us. Bless those who seem to have not been as lucky. Give them the help they need Lord and pour Your love and favor on them. Bless those who have unselfishly given of themselves (some to the point of exhaustion)! Lastly, protect us from Ike who seems to be heading our direction. God, please, let that thing fizzle out...let it be a dud! I give You praise and believe that You truly have us in Your mighty hands! Thank You Lord! Thank You!