Prom 2010

One of the nicest things that went on during my little blog vacation was my son Jared's prom. Here he is with his girlfriend Kylie. They've been dating since November.


They went to first her prom, then his prom. Since I was out of town during the first prom, he put on his tux for me so I'd know how handsome he was going to be!


I think he looks so GQ in these pics, especially the second one!



They posed for me out on the porch. It looks like she is checking Jared's belly for a food baby here in the first pic. Nope, flat as a board!



I also took a couple pics out in the front yard.


She said, "It looks like he is checking out my boobs in this pic."


This was my favorite of the cute couple. He's leaning in for a kiss.


They had so much fun! Hope you enjoyed seeing them in all their finery.

Chicago! Chicago!

Before I start telling you about my trip to Chicago, I again apologize for not having posted sooner than this. I have been making a priority of keeping my home cleaner, and and even bigger priority of building a relationship with my sweetheart. We have been dating three months, and I can honestly say that he is the best man I have ever dated! He drives an hour one way to come see me, but still manages to make the trip an average of twice a week, and sometimes more! I've been staying busy with a lot of fun activities, and will try to share those with you soon too.

However, I'll start with a very belated account of my trip to Chicago in April of this year. I had taken the train there to attend a women's retreat called Women On Fire, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. It was enriching and the fellowship was fabulous. I was among some of the most vibrant, intelligent, and supportive women I have ever met!

I stayed at the Embassy Suites in downtown Chicago near the shoreline. These open floored hotels must be the new thing. This was the pretty dining area. It's open all the way to the roof! While this looks cool, for an acrophobic like myself (scared of heights), this presented quite the challenge. I clung to the walls on the way to my room and tried not to look out over the edge! I kept my back turned in the glass elevators!


These two story bamboo trees were pretty.


I also liked this water wall. I love fountains and the sound of water.


I had a great view of Lake Michigan from my hotel room! I couldn't wait to get down to the shore and get near the water. Navy Pier was right there and within an easy walking distance. I bundled up in my jacket as it was in the low 50s, and took a hike.



It was so exciting to approach Navy Pier! This was a place I had always heard of, but really didn't know what to expect or see.



Here is a look back at the city, from where I had just come.


One of the first things I wanted to check out was the Stained Glass Museum...and it was free! I highly recommend it. Some of these were by Tiffany!






After that, it was onward to explore the rest of the sights. Me near the Beer Garden. No, I did not drink any beer!


The famous Harry Caray's restaurant. There were a lot of people out despite the chilly weather.


And here is the famous ferris wheel. I am terrified of heights...didn't ride that!


This theater is at the very end of the pier.


After my stroll through Navy Pier, I decided that I really wanted to get out on the water, despite the chilly temps and wind. I love being on the water, and the tours were not really too expensive.

This looked like it could be a fun ride!


The pirate ship approaches from the lake.


Although this might have been a lot of fun, it was a little more pricey than I cared for.


I spotted this seagull while I pondered my decision.


There were so many to choose from!



I eventually chose the shoreline tour for $14.


I had great views of the pier.



And some of the lighthouse.


And even one of a naval ship far in the distance. Great Lakes Naval Base is not far from the city.


There were great views of the Chicago skyline.




On the return trip, I spotted these noisy seagulls. There were literally hundreds of them!


Once off of the boat, I decided to head out from the pier and take in a few last sights before heading back to the hotel. I was so intrigued of this sculpture of TV's Bob Newhart with his psychiatrist couch! That was such a funny series.



I also loved this sculpture of a sea captain.


I said my last farewell to Navy Pier.


See the smile on my face? That's because I had such a great time!


Later that day, I ran into Debbie, founder of the Women on Fire event, and my former babysitter! This was the first time I had seen her in decades. Oh how wonderful it was to see her again! Such great memories, with more to be created over the next couple days!


Even later, I met my roommate Carin, a most amazing lady! She was the coolest and we got along so well. I had never met her before that night, and was so happy that Debbie suggested we room together. We had an instant connection, and I feel like I've found a new sister!


This wouldn't be complete without a picture of me with Debbie and Stedman Graham. See, I really did meet him! This was right after I handed him my business card.


Chicago is an amazing city. I hope to be able to take the train back and visit again someday! I would also stay at the Embassy Suites again. The hotel was really nice and the breakfasts are included in the cost of the room and were delicious. The only drawback is that if you drive, it will cost you over $40 to park your car at the hotel. Since I took the train, that was not a concern.

I'll really try to make a better effort and posting and visiting! I have so much to share, including a wonderful garden tour which afforded me the opportunity to take some wonderful pictures!

I've missed you all!

Where to Begin?

It seems like I haven't posted in forever. Actually it has only been since April, but that was almost two months ago. I feel terrible about going missing in action, but life has been incredibly full lately. Boy do I have a lot to tell you! The biggest news is toward the end of the post.

I do apologize to all of those who follow my blog. I have made very, very few blog visits in the last couple months. I am going to work to remedy this situation.

This pic is following a recent boat trip on a local river.

Since I last posted, I have been out on a boat twice, both times over Memorial Day weekend, which was a fantastic weekend for me! I took some pics and will post them sometime in the future.

I have also been spending much less time at the computer. Between working third shift and struggling to get enough sleep, I have also been working much harder at keeping this home clean. Although you only see a clean house in the pics on my blog, the truth is that I have often been a dreadful housekeeper. I am determined that this place is going to stay tidy and clean, and it has taken a lot of time daily to keep it the way I like it. I love this place, and want to keep it beautiful. Although you've seen pics of my little bathroom and my porch, I do have more pics of the apartment and plan to post them soon too.

As I wrote in my last post, I traveled to Chicago to attend a women's retreat in April called Women on Fire. It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life, and I feel forever changed. The purpose of the retreat was not only to bring women together to network, fellowship, and support each other, we also talked about what we are on fire about in our lives and identified our passions. One of my passions has been working with people, and I recalled how much I enjoyed my counseling jobs.

With the help of the women at the retreat, I discovered that although I cannot return to chemical dependency counseling without being under an agency, there is no reason that I cannot bring women together to form a support group, or to have classes on increasing self esteem. Some of the women at that retreat are life coaches, and perhaps I can do something in that area, though I feel I need some training in that. However, people have always come to me for advice, and they seem to think I am wise. Why not continue to use that talent in another venue? I haven't formulated a plan yet, but plan to soon.

The biggest change in my life has been the happiest change.

I'm dating!


I met him online through a dating site. The funny thing is, he lives only 6 miles from my hometown!
Oddly enough, he was divorcing about the same time that I moved to my present city, so he wasn't eligible to date while we lived close. I first wrote to him about May 1 and met him in person the second week of May, and we have been on about 10 dates so far.

He is the most considerate men I have ever gone out with. Since the day we first began e-mailing each other, I have either heard from him via email, instant message, personal visit, or phone call daily. He believes that the man always pays for dinner, he remembers little things about what I like, and we always have fun together, even if its just hanging out and talking. He's incredibly intelligent (master's degree), and has a wonderful sense of humor. We laugh together a lot. We like a lot of the same music, and even watch the same cartoons! (Yes, I watch cartoons. And I don't care if you think I'm silly for it!) Besides going out to eat, we've gone on walks together, gone on a picnic (he cooked the chicken), and we've gone to an art museum. He even likes shopping. Last weekend I met his children.

Needless to say, I am thrilled to pieces. And I am falling....Head. Over. Heels.

I so hope this works out!

Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention...when I attended the Women on Fire retreat, I heard from a couple different women about how they met their beloved. We talked about thinking outside the box, and to say Yes to dating anyone. One of the type of men I said I would never date was a pastor.

Well guess what my sweetie does. Yep, he's a preacher!

I believe that God has an incredible sense of humor, because although I am a born again Christian, I only go to church when my son asks me to watch him sing or perform, or when he asks me to go for a special occasion. I haven't attended any church on a regular basis for over 10 years. Some of my religious beliefs are not consistent with mainline Christian beliefs. I have shared this with him. And yet this man sees the spiritual in me. He likes me anyhow, even though I call myself his "little heathen."

The funny thing is, he is a preacher I could listen to even if I wasn't dating him! He writes one paragraph weekly eDevotions, and I feel like he is speaking my same thoughts in each one. I have told him that if he invites me, I will come to hear him preach, but he has to ask, because dating a pastor is a bit tricky, and its too soon to be asked a bunch of questions about my role in his life. If we get serious (and I hope we do), then that may be the time. For now, I'm just enjoying getting to know this wonderful man.

Oh yeah, and if you're one of my Facebook friends, please don't ask me questions about him on my FB wall! One of my best friends from school (also on FB) goes to his church, and for now, I need to keep this on the down-low. He is also on my Facebook, and if he DOESN'T feel the same about me, it would be pretty embarrassing for him to read how I feel before I have actually told him.

So that's my life in a nutshell! I really am going to make a better effort to keep my blog more current and make more visits. Oh, I am now moderating all my blog comments as I have been inundated with spam comments, some of them with really inappropriate links. I hope you'll understand.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!