!!!UPDATES!!!

Guess it's past time for some much needed updates, just to let everyone know what is going on in my life. Absolutely NOTHING, lol. (just kidding)

Where to begin?  Well, I found out that I am finally going to be an uncle this fall, supposed to go this Tuesday to find out the sex of the baby {WOOHOO}.  I have been asked over and over, what I might think it is going to be or what I hope it will be... I could care less, as long as it is healthy!!  Just knowing that it is already spoiled rotten, is good enough for me.  Yes, I will babysit on occasion, fuel it up on lots of sugary candy & chocolates, then send it back home to the parents to deal with for the night, I CAN'T WAIT... bwah hah hah haaaaaaa.

Not sure if any of you have noticed or not, but I did change my status on Facebook from "Single" to "In a Relationship".  I know... I was surprised too!!  It is complicated, to the fact that he lives in another state at the moment and we are working on trying to get him moved down here permanently.  Some of you may disagree with this situation, moving him in right away, but he makes me happy and that is all that matters to me.  Get over it.  It's my decision to make, if it doesn't work out, then that is for me to find out, live and learn.  I'm just so tired of living the single life, I have waited my entire life for someone like him & am willing to do anything to make it work out.  Just be happy and supportive is all that I ask of my family & friends, don't stick your noses where it doesn't belong.  Who are you to say or pass judgement on me, when most of the people I know have made the same decisions in their own love lives, good or bad, whose to say what doesn't work for some, won't work for me?!?!!!  Will just have to wait and see what happens.

I am finding that I am making a lot more new friends lately, which seems to be getting me out of the house more and more. Which is a very good thing, considering I have spent most of my adult life only interacting with the people that I meet online.  Seems that I am finally living life and truly enjoying the new experiences I am having.  Having fun & being carefree, living as though I have nothing left to lose... which is a huge improvement from where I was this time last year. Those of you who know my story, will understand where I am coming from.

And last but not least, I have been invited to the most exciting event of the year, my first gay wedding/ commitment ceremony.  Even though it is not legal in the state of North Carolina, they are still calling it a wedding & it was planned long before Amendment 1 ever came into the picture. Either way, it is going to be amazing & beautiful and I can't wait to attend.  Very formal, therefore I have to rent a tux, so look for upcoming pics to be plastered on my Facebook wall, might even post a few on the blog as well.  So proud for the happy couple!!!

That's all for now, that I can think of at the moment. "Too blessed to be stressed"  Anything is possible, when the sky is the limit.

WANTED: Single Friends

In search of single friends here, ones to go hang out with & have a good time with.  With no worries about feeling like a 3rd-wheel in the sea of couples.  Need to feel like I belong to something, not like an outsider looking in at all the happy people who have someone in their lives and are actually in love, but to be around other single friends who knows what it's like to feel alone & lonely.  Not looking for a sad pity group, but a cool bunch of people who enjoy going out or coming over to hang out at a friends house to just enjoy some quality time together & talk about things, just to have some fun & excitement.

I have heard of people talking about having travel companions, people who take trips together with no strings attached, only to maybe share the gas & food expenses.  But to go somewhere other than your hometown, even if only to just take a drive up through the Blue Ridge Parkway to see all the fall colors changing on the trees or up to Amish country to buy some apple butter or out to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, just to see the lighthouses & feel the cool ocean breeze.  I want that spontaneity of just getting in the vehicle and driving til we can't drive no more.  And discover whatever it is around us where we have arrived at.  To walk into all the little shops and country stores to see the different wares and cultural knick-knacks that are sold there that you can't find in your local Wal-Mart or other big-chain grocery store.  Just the experience alone, would be amazing and rewarding. 

Who is with me?  Who wants to go on this journey with me?  No plans, no worries, no commitments, no pressure, no strings attached.  Just an adventure, a trip to anywhere, locally or a few hours drive to somewhere other than here.  I know times are hard, and money is tight for most people (if not all people).  It doesn't have to be a big planned out expensive thing, where you have to stay in a big fancy hotel or eat at the finest restaurants.  We can pack lunches, sleep in the vehicle, or it could be just a day-trip sort of thing, where we drive there and back in the same day, or it could be a 2-day weekend trip, driving up on a Friday evening or Saturday morning then come back on Sunday afternoon late.  Doesn't matter to me, just to get away from it all & have a fun time out on the open road.  Discovering small town charms & southern hospitality at it's finest.  Searching for the destinations and memories that will make for an awesome trip of a lifetime.  It's the simple little things that can make you happy, just to get out and discover them for yourself, to live life to the fullest and take advantage of every precious moment. 

If you are tired of spending another dull day stuck in your sleepy little town, or don't wanna spend another weekend all alone in your house.  Ready to get out and explore life for yourself, instead of hearing about all your coupled friends trips and adventures, then it is time to take charge of the situation and go out and grab life by the horns and just do it.  Would love to hear some feedback from truly interested people only.  Click on the comment button below and please leave your suggestions and remarks, only if you are ready to go on this journey with me.  I only have two questions, "When do we leave?" & "How do we get there from here?".

Had an awesome weekend!!

This past weekend couldn't have been any better, even if I had tried.  Had the Dalton Relatives & Family Reunion on Saturday... and was surprised to find out that one of my relatives is seriously tracing our heritage all the way back to the Original Dalton Gang.(Best of luck to ya Lisa)  It will be a while before all the materials come together for viewing, but will be fascinating to read I am sure!  I love history, even though I failed US History my Sophomore year of high school (had to retake it in Summer School & passed, so...YAY ME), but mostly I love looking at old pictures and hearing the stories behind them all.  Thankfully, one of my distant cousins on my mom's side of the family had created several discs of old photos completely set up with awesome background music.  {KUDOS to Lindsey} 

They brought back some great memories & some sad feelings for all of the loved ones that we have lost over the years.  We are a close-knit supportive family, a large & very LOUD family, although we don't get to see each other but once a year, if that often, we know how to have fun every time that we gather.  I was also pleased to see the 'other' set of twins in the family were able to show up this year, I hadn't seen them since they were like 6 years old & now they are in their 20's.

This year we made the decision that this would be the last year that we would be having a home-cooked dinner together, that next year instead, the suggestion had been made to just do hamburgers & hot dogs for everyone, so that no one had to worry about hauling all those dishes from so far away.  Everyone agreed that was a good idea, as well as to keep it here in the Yadkinville area, instead of moving it back to the Asheboro or Randleman areas!  They all said that they only came for one reason anyways....  that was for our side of the families DESSERTS (i.e.- the cakes)!!!  I told y'all they were the best in the world, nobody can beat our cakes, each one made with love... at least mine always are, he he!

As with any family get-together, there are always a few who are unable to attend due to conflicting schedules with work or whatever else is going on in their busy lives.  But at least we enjoyed our times together, missed the ones who didn't show up & will hopefully see them all again next year. 

I just loved hearing my mother, while standing in the buffet line, ask the young guy in front of her, "Who's husband are you or who's son are you??"  Only to find out that he was a friend of one of her cousin's kids.  Mom had seemed to have taken on the tradition of ring-leader of the group now, being the oldest daughter and all, she practically raised all her siblings as if they were her own children anyways.  Becoming the mother hen, if you will, to rally the troops for 'We're gonna say the Blessing before we eat now' prayer was made.  While I was in the kitchen, doing some last-minute food prep for the late arrival of my aunt (who always has to make her 'entrance'), I still knew when I heard the silence coming from the great hall... that it was my time to bow my head & listen along in silence for that ever-so-famous line to be said at the end.... after 'AMEN', ..."Let's EAT!!!".  Of course, my sister-in-law & myself were at the end of that long line to get to the food.  But it was all well worth the wait to get our turn at those tasty viddles.  And as always, we saw the other side of the family make a straight bee-line towards the desserts table to get first dibs at our famous cakes, before they even sat down to start eating the actual cooked food.  Ya gotta love family and their crazy quirks, wouldn't trade 'em for nothing in the world.

After the stuffing of the faces, there was that ever-so familiar congregating at each table with other relatives to remember all the past reunions & to speak of lost loved ones.  To just sit back and relax after over filling our tummies to the points of bursting at the seams, literally.  Then came the clean-up and the saying good-byes & fond farewells to everyone, as each person had to make the long journey back to their own homes.  It was a good day & I believe fun times were had by all.

Sunday afternoon brought my family together for a family portrait, the first one in over 10 or 11 years.  They will be ready for pick-up on this Friday (my birthday).  Can't wait to see how they turned out... my parents told the photographer that me, my brother and his wife, were all their children.  In which my sister-in-law pointed out later, that that would make her married to her own brother then.  We all got a good chuckle out of that one, while we enjoyed our traditional Sunday dinner together at the local steak house/ buffet restaurant.  Then I went back to my brother's house to watch two movies that they had rented for the night.  Now I am sitting here, just a few minutes shy of midnight, finishing up this post... happy & proud to have had such an exciting weekend surrounded by the people that mean more to me than anything else.... MY FAMILY.