short 'n sweet...

I'm keeping this post short today. I have so much to get done here before I leave tomorrow for NC...cleaning...packing...an errand to run, oh...and a painting to finish. So, I'll leave you with a neat little saying, that I found last night while rummaging through a magazine..."Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life". Now, we could all ponder this one for awhile, eh? So long, friends...til I return.

Home is where you're loved...

You've probably heard the sayings, "Home is where your heart is"..."Home is where you hang your hat", and "There's no place like home". Well, they're all true for me, but my favorite has to be, "Home is where they love you". I get to go 'home' for a visit this week, and I'm very excited. I was born in North Carolina and spent 40 years of my life in the Tarheel state. That's where my family and friends are, so of course, that is where a huge chunk of my heart is.

Z happens to be out of school on Thursday and Friday(teacher workshops), so we are seizing this opportunity to go down for a long weekend. We'll stay with my parents, who still live in the house that I grew up in. And there's not alot of action going on in this small town with a population of 1000, nor are there many things to see and do, but thats ok too, because I'm going so that I can love up on my mom and dad!! They're in their 70's, been married for 55 years, and they are two of the funniest people I know. My dad is a nut. He gets up in the morning, laughing and joking...he continues this throughout the entire day, and then he goes to bed, the very same way he arose that morning...with a smile on his face. And mom....well...lets just say she does much more than 'humor' dad. She spends most of her day being amused and laughing at him. They are sooooooo cute and I must say they are having way too much fun for their ages!! I miss having them in my physical life on a daily basis, so when we do get together, I'm afraid we would probably embarrass the average person. We tend to be really 'lovey' and extremely silly...but..that's ok. We're still making some good memories, and I definitely don't want any regrets to sneak up on me, one day. No sir...there will probably come a time in my life when I'll be wishing they were here...to embarrass me!

Bragging Rights...

At times, he annoys me...mostly he teases me...but he always loves me. I'm talking about my dear hubby(DH), Tom. What he signed up for in 2003, when he married me, and what he actually got, are two different things. We dated for almost 2 years before he proposed, and when he did, I happily accepted his proposal. Three short months later, he moved me and Z to Virginia, where Z and I excitedily settled into our new home, in the country. We have a little acreage, so I call it our mini-farm. We even had chickens for awhile, with DH and I, building the chicken coop, ourselves. My DH happens to be a 'jack of all trades' and an excellent wood craftsman. He drives a truck by day (and sometimes night), but when he's off from work, he can be found, fixing things around the house, catering to me, in his shop wood crafting, catering to me, being a great step-dad to Z and then he still finds the time to cater to me!
Two years after we married, I began having health issues, and over another two year span, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, emphysema (yep, I was a smoker for years), arthritis, and finally...fibromyalgia. I had already been under a doctor's care for depression, before I met DH. So now, three short years into our marriage, his vibrant, happy-go-lucky, full spirited, stay-on-the-go wife suddenly(or maybe not so suddenly) became a totally different being. It was like a stranger had moved into our house. I'm sure there were many times that Tom wondered where the woman, he married, went to. But, you know what? This is a man that truly takes his wedding vows sincerely and in June of 2003, he vowed to love me and cherish me, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, til death us do part. And he has done, that very thing. He loves me, even though I'm not that same person he married. He doesn't dwell on it...he doesn't question it...he just does. And he does it like he does everything else in his life...he puts his whole heart into it.

I hope to soon add some pics to my blog...you know, pics of our life here on the 'farm', pics of the beautiful mountain views, pics of the items we make...pics, pics and more pics.

What's all the hype about?

I have a teenager in the house. He and I have a pretty good relationship...ok, who am I kidding?? After my divorce from his father(Zach was 5 at the time), it was just me and him against the world. I had very little help from the "ex-man", physically or financially. Z and I were as close as mother and son could be...yep, I guess he WAS a mama's boy. Today, as I've watched him grow into his knew 'identity', and become a young man...well...lets just say, he does have a mind of his own. He seems to think that I reside on ANOTHER PLANET! At the present time, our relationship appears to consist of battling for who gets more time on the internet. Z just doesn't 'get' the point of this blog or the reason that I would even want to sign -on in the first place. I'm waaaay toooo old for this stuff. In his opinion, the world wide web belongs to him, his music, his friends, Facebook, and MySpace. I don't 'get' what all the hype is about! I don't understand the reasoning behind Facebook at all. Who wants to keep up with EVERY move that someone makes? I mean, I love you guys...but I don't need to know when you have to go 'tinkle'! I do admit I'm on Facebook but in my defense, only because a family member in another state invited me. I didn't go looking for it. I didn't research it and so far...I don't like it. Maybe I am too old for this stuff.

Newbies...

I'm a "newbie"...that is, I'm new to the blogging scene. But, newbies are good. There's newborn babies...we love to cuddle them and smell them. There's new cars...we love to drive and profile. There's new homes...we decorate to our own tastes. And there are new jobs that seem to signify and define who we are. New clothes so we can dress to impress. New songs allow us to dance to our own beat...new relationships form among us to answer a shout out for love and friendship. I could go on and on but I know you get my drift. So, on this day, a new blog is born. Right here, on this exact page...I present to you, South of my Heart. This is a 'new' therapy trial for me...a place to journal about my physical and mental existence in a home where Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and Depression have taken up residence with me, and they insist on staying here rent-free! This is also an opportunity for my family and friends to remain 'in the know'. After all, most of them live (at least) 2 hours from here...south of my heart!