Well, it doesn't look like I am very good at this blogging thing yet. I really need to remember to do it at least once a week don't I?? I will try and do better in the next few days. In the meantime, let's see what I can recall from the past two weeks and jot down what is in my future.
Hmmm, well, honestly there hasn't been that much exciting going on. We managed to survive all the birthdays and our anniversary. Ed and I went out to dinner at a Cajun place in Fort Smith for our 32nd anniversary. It was my choice and I should have listened to him and gone to Taliano's!! I am much more an Italian girl than a Cajun girl and I should have remembered that. It wasn't horrible, just not what I was hoping for.
Ed isn't very big on cards, so that morning when I got up and went into the kitchen, he had made a sign for the fridge and put it up with the girls college magnets. It simply said, Happy Anniversary, I love you. But it made my day!! And thinking to use the girls school magnets was a very nice touch. It's nice that after almost 38 years together (dating and married), he can still surprise me and make me smile with something so simple.
We had a couple of nice dinners this weekend. Our friends Mark and Sheila invited us to a new restaurant called 21 WestEnd on Friday night. They have been there several times but it was our first. Of course when we get to the building, it is pouring down rain and my umbrella is sitting on the dining room table!! So Ed drops me off and goes to park. After going to 3 doors, which were all locked, I finally gave up and looked for shelter!! Ed finally got to me and managed to find the one door that was open thank goodness. This restaurant is in the basement of this old building and is a very nice surprise from what you would normally find in Fort Smith. We arrived about 7:30 and didn't leave until after 10:00!! We had such a good time and the food was wonderful. It is definitely someplace to take visiting friends and family to in the future. We had a really nice visit with Mark and Sheila and it made me wish I had known about this place on our anniversary. Oh well, next year!!
Saturday evening, Cindy and Tracy called and asked us to meet them in Fort Smith. They were on their way to Searcy for Chad's baptism and since it had been so long since we had seen each other, it was a good opportunity to get together. We met them at Logan's and had a really good visit with them. With all that has gone on in '09, we just have not had too many chances to spend any time together. But Cindy and I are going to try an remedy that. We are trying to put together a girls trip in late May, early June. I think we are going to Boston, spend a few days with Alissa and Brek, go down to NYC for a few days and then back to Boston for a few more days with A and B and then back home. We had talked about a road trip, with stops in Tennessee, Virginia Beach and then Boston, but decided we would just focus on the northeast this trip and do VB another time. Cindy has never been anywhere on the East Coast, so she is super excited. It has been a very long time since I was last in New York, so I am excited about that as well. We hope to see at least one show while we are there, just depends what HalfPrice tickets has. But of course we will do all the touristy things, since this is Cindy's first trip. Hopefully we will be able to get all the details worked out soon and know exactly what we are doing.
Ok, enough for this one. I will try and post more often so that I don't forget so much. I also need to work on my writing skills!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Catching up
Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote. I will try and get it in some kind of order.
I made the trip to California for Alissa's 30th birthday. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to do it, but of course I would do just about anything for my girls. I woke up at a ridiculous hour the morning I was supposed to leave, guess I was excited, so I was on the road to Tulsa much earlier than I had planned. Of course, Kaci was running a little behind, but she had a really good reason and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. While we were waiting to go through security, I saw Ed's cousin Tammy. She has been a TSA agent for quite a while now, but it is the first time I have seen her at the airport and in uniform. We had a quick chat and she had to get back to work.
Our flight was pretty uneventful, a layover in Las Vegas, where we had lunch. We had some comic relief listening to a woman from Kansas complain about Southwest. Obviously she doesn't travel much, because her complaints were pretty typical. But it was good for a laugh anyway.
Alissa, Kari and Allison met us at the airport in our Sebring convertible. Which would have been fine, but Kaci and I had overpacked, mostly me and getting our luggage in the car proved to be quite the challenge. Suffice it to say, my suitcase ended up being on the laps of Alissa, Kaci and Allison!! Made for a funny picture and a great start to our vacation.
We made it to the resort finally, got checked in and into our room. The resort was absolutely beautiful. I will for sure go back there one day. It is a great location,central to so many things. Megan, Alissa's roommate from college lives in LA now and she joined us for the weekend. The girls had a great time catching up and just generally being silly in the pool. I went back to the room early, I was pretty tired from my early wake up and the travel. The girls all came back, showered and we went to a Sushi restaurant in Corona Del Mar that night. It was really good!! I conked out a little early, but it was a great first day.
Sunday was a very relaxing day, we ate breakfast and headed back to the pool. Lunch was by the pool, lots of fun pictures and an absolutely gorgeous day. California certainly made a good impression on all of us. Allison and Megan left that evening and it was just the girls and I. It was so nice to have some time with my girls. We had dinner and got in bed a little earlier that night.
Monday wasn't as pretty of a day, it was much cooler and rainy. We ended up at the mall, did some shopping and had a good lunch. We got take out for dinner that night and just stayed at the resort. We watched Big Bang Theory to get ready for our night at the taping and had a lot of fun.
Tuesday we drove in to LA, met up with Megan at her apartment, did some sightseeing, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Star Walk, Hollywood Hills, lunch at the Roosevelt Hotel, where we saw the new Dr. on Gray's Anatomy, well some of us saw him, the rest of us didn't notice him. We went to the cemetery where a lot of the stars are buried, didn't find Marilyn Monroe's, but did see Buster Keaton's. We went to Burbank for the taping, saw Johnny Galecki sitting on a bench, reading his script and then sat for about 5 hours watching the taping. We did get pizza out of the deal, but it was a long night. We took Megan home and then made it back to Newport very late. Needless to say, we slept in on Wednesday. We had a very lazy day, just back and forth from the pool to the hot tub. I went to the grocery store and got sandwich stuff and we had a picnic by the pool. It was a very good day.
Thursday we drove into San Diego/Coronado and spent the day at the Hotel Del Coronado. It is a very historic hotel and very impressive. We had lunch on the beach and took some very fun pictures. Kari took us to the NEX and we shopped a little, then went to Allison and Mike Shanahan's house. It was my first time to meet Mike, he is a very nice man and he and Allison seem very happy. We went to a restaurant they like and had fish and chicken tacos. It was a very nice dinner and good company. It was yet another late night, but a good one.
Friday was another very lazy day by the pool and hot tub. We had another picnic with our sandwich stuff. Just as we were about to leave, this woman came to the hot tub and all of us were stunned by how much she looked like my mom. I just couldn't stop looking at her. It turns out she is from Manitoba, Canada, so probably not related to us, but I have never met someone who reminded me so much of Mom. I think it was Mom's way of spending part of our trip with us. I finally told her as we were leaving how much she made me think of Mom and she was so sweet and said that she had recently lost her mom and hoped to see someone who reminded her of her mom as well. I love you Mom and miss you so very much.
We all got ready to head back to LA, Alissa packed, since she was going to spend the night with Megan and we headed out. Traffic was bad, so we were late getting to the restaurant and it was packed. Since we didn't have reservations, we had quite a wait and Cameron (Alissa's friend from college) was late getting there as well. I felt myself getting queasy, but tried to fight it. We finally were seated and I knew I had to do something, so I asked for crackers, but it being a sushi restaurant, they didn't have any. After a few minutes, I finally told Kaci I had to step out and walked outside for a while. Kaci came to check on me and we decided to walk to a grocery store nearby and get me some crackers. I went to the car and Kaci went back to the restaurant. I made it to the car, got in and immediately had to get out to throw up. Now let me tell you, there is nothing like barfing your guts up in the parking lot of a very nice Sushi restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. Thankfully I didn't notice anyone around during the actual barfing, but I was pretty focused on the task at hand. I managed to get back in the car (backseat this time) found a semi comfortable position and fell asleep. Kaci came out once to check on me and finally the rest of them finished dinner and came to the car. I hated to miss out on our last night in Cali, but guess that's the way it was supposed to be. We said our goodbyes to Alissa, Megan and Cameron and headed back to Newport. It was a pretty miserable ride and as soon as we got back, I took a phenergan and crashed. Kari had to leave really early the next morning and I slept until she woke me up. I felt much better, so got busy cleaning and packing so that Kaci and I could be out by 10. Unfortunately our flight wasn't until 2, so we had some time to kill. We ended up sitting in the lobby of the resort until around noon when our cab arrived to take us to the airport. We had a very interesting cab driver, who ended up taking us the long way around, claiming it was to avoid the golf traffic. So what was supposed to be a $25 cab ride turned into a $35 one, plus tip!! Oh well.....
Kaci and I had a layover in Phoenix and then headed back to Tulsa. A very nice gentleman from Tulsa ended up sitting with us and we talked the entire way, while Kaci did Sudoku. It turns out he had just hiked the Grand Canyon and had tons of advice to share. He is a Dr. in Tulsa and made the trip back much more interesting. Donald and Lovella picked us up at the airport, took us back to their house and we visited for a little while and then Kaci and I both headed to our respective homes. I didn't get in until about 12:30 am, but of course couldn't go to sleep, it was around 3am before I managed and with the time change, well I for sure slept in the next morning. Ed made it in around 2 that afternoon from his bike trip and we did some clean up in the back yard. While we were out there, our neighbor's Jarrod and Lyndsay drove up and we finally had a good visit with them. They shared the good news of a new baby with us, probably due in October.
Ok, I am pooped, I am quite sure I left out some good stuff, if I recall anything I will add it later.
I made the trip to California for Alissa's 30th birthday. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to do it, but of course I would do just about anything for my girls. I woke up at a ridiculous hour the morning I was supposed to leave, guess I was excited, so I was on the road to Tulsa much earlier than I had planned. Of course, Kaci was running a little behind, but she had a really good reason and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. While we were waiting to go through security, I saw Ed's cousin Tammy. She has been a TSA agent for quite a while now, but it is the first time I have seen her at the airport and in uniform. We had a quick chat and she had to get back to work.
Our flight was pretty uneventful, a layover in Las Vegas, where we had lunch. We had some comic relief listening to a woman from Kansas complain about Southwest. Obviously she doesn't travel much, because her complaints were pretty typical. But it was good for a laugh anyway.
Alissa, Kari and Allison met us at the airport in our Sebring convertible. Which would have been fine, but Kaci and I had overpacked, mostly me and getting our luggage in the car proved to be quite the challenge. Suffice it to say, my suitcase ended up being on the laps of Alissa, Kaci and Allison!! Made for a funny picture and a great start to our vacation.
We made it to the resort finally, got checked in and into our room. The resort was absolutely beautiful. I will for sure go back there one day. It is a great location,central to so many things. Megan, Alissa's roommate from college lives in LA now and she joined us for the weekend. The girls had a great time catching up and just generally being silly in the pool. I went back to the room early, I was pretty tired from my early wake up and the travel. The girls all came back, showered and we went to a Sushi restaurant in Corona Del Mar that night. It was really good!! I conked out a little early, but it was a great first day.
Sunday was a very relaxing day, we ate breakfast and headed back to the pool. Lunch was by the pool, lots of fun pictures and an absolutely gorgeous day. California certainly made a good impression on all of us. Allison and Megan left that evening and it was just the girls and I. It was so nice to have some time with my girls. We had dinner and got in bed a little earlier that night.
Monday wasn't as pretty of a day, it was much cooler and rainy. We ended up at the mall, did some shopping and had a good lunch. We got take out for dinner that night and just stayed at the resort. We watched Big Bang Theory to get ready for our night at the taping and had a lot of fun.
Tuesday we drove in to LA, met up with Megan at her apartment, did some sightseeing, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Star Walk, Hollywood Hills, lunch at the Roosevelt Hotel, where we saw the new Dr. on Gray's Anatomy, well some of us saw him, the rest of us didn't notice him. We went to the cemetery where a lot of the stars are buried, didn't find Marilyn Monroe's, but did see Buster Keaton's. We went to Burbank for the taping, saw Johnny Galecki sitting on a bench, reading his script and then sat for about 5 hours watching the taping. We did get pizza out of the deal, but it was a long night. We took Megan home and then made it back to Newport very late. Needless to say, we slept in on Wednesday. We had a very lazy day, just back and forth from the pool to the hot tub. I went to the grocery store and got sandwich stuff and we had a picnic by the pool. It was a very good day.
Thursday we drove into San Diego/Coronado and spent the day at the Hotel Del Coronado. It is a very historic hotel and very impressive. We had lunch on the beach and took some very fun pictures. Kari took us to the NEX and we shopped a little, then went to Allison and Mike Shanahan's house. It was my first time to meet Mike, he is a very nice man and he and Allison seem very happy. We went to a restaurant they like and had fish and chicken tacos. It was a very nice dinner and good company. It was yet another late night, but a good one.
Friday was another very lazy day by the pool and hot tub. We had another picnic with our sandwich stuff. Just as we were about to leave, this woman came to the hot tub and all of us were stunned by how much she looked like my mom. I just couldn't stop looking at her. It turns out she is from Manitoba, Canada, so probably not related to us, but I have never met someone who reminded me so much of Mom. I think it was Mom's way of spending part of our trip with us. I finally told her as we were leaving how much she made me think of Mom and she was so sweet and said that she had recently lost her mom and hoped to see someone who reminded her of her mom as well. I love you Mom and miss you so very much.
We all got ready to head back to LA, Alissa packed, since she was going to spend the night with Megan and we headed out. Traffic was bad, so we were late getting to the restaurant and it was packed. Since we didn't have reservations, we had quite a wait and Cameron (Alissa's friend from college) was late getting there as well. I felt myself getting queasy, but tried to fight it. We finally were seated and I knew I had to do something, so I asked for crackers, but it being a sushi restaurant, they didn't have any. After a few minutes, I finally told Kaci I had to step out and walked outside for a while. Kaci came to check on me and we decided to walk to a grocery store nearby and get me some crackers. I went to the car and Kaci went back to the restaurant. I made it to the car, got in and immediately had to get out to throw up. Now let me tell you, there is nothing like barfing your guts up in the parking lot of a very nice Sushi restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. Thankfully I didn't notice anyone around during the actual barfing, but I was pretty focused on the task at hand. I managed to get back in the car (backseat this time) found a semi comfortable position and fell asleep. Kaci came out once to check on me and finally the rest of them finished dinner and came to the car. I hated to miss out on our last night in Cali, but guess that's the way it was supposed to be. We said our goodbyes to Alissa, Megan and Cameron and headed back to Newport. It was a pretty miserable ride and as soon as we got back, I took a phenergan and crashed. Kari had to leave really early the next morning and I slept until she woke me up. I felt much better, so got busy cleaning and packing so that Kaci and I could be out by 10. Unfortunately our flight wasn't until 2, so we had some time to kill. We ended up sitting in the lobby of the resort until around noon when our cab arrived to take us to the airport. We had a very interesting cab driver, who ended up taking us the long way around, claiming it was to avoid the golf traffic. So what was supposed to be a $25 cab ride turned into a $35 one, plus tip!! Oh well.....
Kaci and I had a layover in Phoenix and then headed back to Tulsa. A very nice gentleman from Tulsa ended up sitting with us and we talked the entire way, while Kaci did Sudoku. It turns out he had just hiked the Grand Canyon and had tons of advice to share. He is a Dr. in Tulsa and made the trip back much more interesting. Donald and Lovella picked us up at the airport, took us back to their house and we visited for a little while and then Kaci and I both headed to our respective homes. I didn't get in until about 12:30 am, but of course couldn't go to sleep, it was around 3am before I managed and with the time change, well I for sure slept in the next morning. Ed made it in around 2 that afternoon from his bike trip and we did some clean up in the back yard. While we were out there, our neighbor's Jarrod and Lyndsay drove up and we finally had a good visit with them. They shared the good news of a new baby with us, probably due in October.
Ok, I am pooped, I am quite sure I left out some good stuff, if I recall anything I will add it later.
Friday, February 27, 2009
California, here we come!!!
I can't believe it is already time to head off for Alissa's 30th birthday week in California. I will be leaving EARLY tomorrow morning to drive to Tulsa and meet up with Kaci there. We both got on the same flight, so at least I will have some company and support if I am feeling weak. Kari is already out there, she had business in San Diego, so she will be picking all of us up at the airports. Alissa will get there first and then Kaci and I.
I really wish I felt better for this trip. I am still having some issues from the surgery, it has only been 8 days after all. I know I shouldn't expect to feel fabulous, but I was sure hoping to feel better than I do at the moment. I had to go back to the surgeon today to get a shot of blood thinner, he is concerned about my flying so soon after surgery. This was another first for me, as so many things have been since this all started. I had to get the shot in my tummy!! And the nurse put a bandaid on after and completely missed the injection site!! I also had a stitch protruding from one of the incision sites, which she clipped off. The blister is somewhat better, still not healed and still hurting, but at least not infected!
I still can't believe I am about to have a child who is 30 years old!! It just seems like yesterday I was so anxious for her to get here and now here she is about to be 30. I didn't think I wanted to have any children and I am so thankful I changed my mind about that. Alissa was a wonderful baby and made being her Moma the easiest job in the world. She was such a beautiful little girl and is now a beautiful, smart and talented young woman. When she was little, we couldn't go anywhere without people talking about what a beautiful child she was and how well behaved she was. She has always had the most beautiful and expressive eyes and a smile that can melt your heart. I know I am very lucky indeed to be able to call myself her Moma.
I really wish I felt better for this trip. I am still having some issues from the surgery, it has only been 8 days after all. I know I shouldn't expect to feel fabulous, but I was sure hoping to feel better than I do at the moment. I had to go back to the surgeon today to get a shot of blood thinner, he is concerned about my flying so soon after surgery. This was another first for me, as so many things have been since this all started. I had to get the shot in my tummy!! And the nurse put a bandaid on after and completely missed the injection site!! I also had a stitch protruding from one of the incision sites, which she clipped off. The blister is somewhat better, still not healed and still hurting, but at least not infected!
I still can't believe I am about to have a child who is 30 years old!! It just seems like yesterday I was so anxious for her to get here and now here she is about to be 30. I didn't think I wanted to have any children and I am so thankful I changed my mind about that. Alissa was a wonderful baby and made being her Moma the easiest job in the world. She was such a beautiful little girl and is now a beautiful, smart and talented young woman. When she was little, we couldn't go anywhere without people talking about what a beautiful child she was and how well behaved she was. She has always had the most beautiful and expressive eyes and a smile that can melt your heart. I know I am very lucky indeed to be able to call myself her Moma.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
My first blog
Well, this isn't really my first, I posted another one and decided to delete it. So, here I go again.
My name is Connie, I turned 50 on September 15, 2008 and decided to write about what I hope will be at least the next 50 years of my life. So bear with me, I will try not to bore you.
Ok, let's get the basics out of the way.
Name Connie Denise Hall Lightner
Age 50
Married to Edward DeWayne Lightner since March 18,1977.
Mother of Alissa Michelle Lightner Poynor, Kari Denise Lightner VanHoose and Kaci Don Lightner.
Daughter of Donald B and the Late Wilma Ruth Pollard Hall.
Sister of Donald Jeffrey Hall and Douglas Arnold Hall.
I have wonderful in-laws, Donald and Lovella Lightner, 5 nieces and 2 nephews.
The greatest joy in my life this far would have to be my 3 girls and the greatest sadness the loss of my mother 6 years ago. More on this later.
I have had a pretty uneventful life, I was a stay at home mom for the majority of my girls lives and have ventured into the work place a few times, the longest being 5 years at Waxahachie High School in Waxahachie, Texas. I enjoy working, but would much rather do it on my schedule and not someone elses. My girls are scattered all over the country and I like to be available to them when they need me. My husband travels quite a bit for work and I am occasionally invited to go along, so working can really get in the way of my travel time. I would love to find something I can do that doesn't require me to be in an office on a daily basis and that I can do at my discretion. Not asking for much am I??
At this moment, I am recovering from my very first ever surgery. Granted it was only a removal of my gall bladder, but it was surgery none the less. I have 4 holes in my abdomen to prove it!! It hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be, but for sure isn't something I would want to do on a regular basis. I have been to more Dr.'s visits and had more tests done in the last 6 weeks, than I have had in the first 50 years of my life!! I don't make a very good patient and will be very happy for this chapter of my life to be finished. 2009 hasn't been much fun so far and I am really hoping it gets better soon.
If all goes well at my Dr.'s visit on Wednesday and I get a clean bill of health, I will be leaving for sunny California on Saturday. I will be meeting my girls to celebrate Alissa's 30th birthday. I just can't believe I will soon have a child who is 30 years old!! I still remember my 30th so clearly, it can't be 20 years have already passed!!
Alissa is my first born and I couldn't be more proud of her. She has become an amazing woman and I truly enjoy spending time with her. She and her husband Brek have lived in Boston for almost 7 years now. They moved right after their wedding so that Alissa could attend Law School. She graduated almost 4 years ago and passed the bar on her first attempt. She works for a large firm in Boston and really loves her job. There has been some talk of moving back to Texas, but who knows.....
I think this is enough for now, I am going to try and post more often, so that I can remember some of what I do each day. Hopefully one day my girls will enjoy reading my blog and know a little more about their Moma.
Bye for now.....
My name is Connie, I turned 50 on September 15, 2008 and decided to write about what I hope will be at least the next 50 years of my life. So bear with me, I will try not to bore you.
Ok, let's get the basics out of the way.
Name Connie Denise Hall Lightner
Age 50
Married to Edward DeWayne Lightner since March 18,1977.
Mother of Alissa Michelle Lightner Poynor, Kari Denise Lightner VanHoose and Kaci Don Lightner.
Daughter of Donald B and the Late Wilma Ruth Pollard Hall.
Sister of Donald Jeffrey Hall and Douglas Arnold Hall.
I have wonderful in-laws, Donald and Lovella Lightner, 5 nieces and 2 nephews.
The greatest joy in my life this far would have to be my 3 girls and the greatest sadness the loss of my mother 6 years ago. More on this later.
I have had a pretty uneventful life, I was a stay at home mom for the majority of my girls lives and have ventured into the work place a few times, the longest being 5 years at Waxahachie High School in Waxahachie, Texas. I enjoy working, but would much rather do it on my schedule and not someone elses. My girls are scattered all over the country and I like to be available to them when they need me. My husband travels quite a bit for work and I am occasionally invited to go along, so working can really get in the way of my travel time. I would love to find something I can do that doesn't require me to be in an office on a daily basis and that I can do at my discretion. Not asking for much am I??
At this moment, I am recovering from my very first ever surgery. Granted it was only a removal of my gall bladder, but it was surgery none the less. I have 4 holes in my abdomen to prove it!! It hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be, but for sure isn't something I would want to do on a regular basis. I have been to more Dr.'s visits and had more tests done in the last 6 weeks, than I have had in the first 50 years of my life!! I don't make a very good patient and will be very happy for this chapter of my life to be finished. 2009 hasn't been much fun so far and I am really hoping it gets better soon.
If all goes well at my Dr.'s visit on Wednesday and I get a clean bill of health, I will be leaving for sunny California on Saturday. I will be meeting my girls to celebrate Alissa's 30th birthday. I just can't believe I will soon have a child who is 30 years old!! I still remember my 30th so clearly, it can't be 20 years have already passed!!
Alissa is my first born and I couldn't be more proud of her. She has become an amazing woman and I truly enjoy spending time with her. She and her husband Brek have lived in Boston for almost 7 years now. They moved right after their wedding so that Alissa could attend Law School. She graduated almost 4 years ago and passed the bar on her first attempt. She works for a large firm in Boston and really loves her job. There has been some talk of moving back to Texas, but who knows.....
I think this is enough for now, I am going to try and post more often, so that I can remember some of what I do each day. Hopefully one day my girls will enjoy reading my blog and know a little more about their Moma.
Bye for now.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)