Home Alone

M is out of town for the weekend. A few of his buddies from work are taking him to a race down in Florida. Since he will be away, I have made an extensive list of cleaning projects that I want to get done in preparation for wedding day.

I must admit it feels weird to be the one at home - as I am normally the one who leaves for various work related activities. I hope that this is one of only a few times I get left behind.....

Home Improvement Projects

When M and I started planning on wedding, I was sure that there would be setbacks and snags along the way - and there have been. But planning the wedding was the easy part... figuring out how to join our two lives together has been much more difficult.

I guess I should pause to clarify that I am not referring to the actual marriage, as I know that learning to live together will be a life long proccess. Rather I am referring to how we are going to put all of my stuff with all of his stuff - and still have a house that is livable.

Over the last few months, M and I have paired down our respective collections of things. We then created a list of projects that we wanted to complete on the house - projects that would ease the transition into sharing spaces. And even a few projects that are purely cosmetic ( like painting the kithcen). We have planned, planned and planned these projects. But it is just now, a mere 11 days out, that we are putting the plans into practice.

As I type, my kitchen is a war zone. My Uncle Dewayne has taken over the area as he has stripped two layers of old vinyl wallpaper off, mudded, patched, sanded and resanded the walls. Today he is going to put on the first coat of our new wall color, Tidal Basin Blue . Tomorrow he will put on the 2nd coat and paint all of the trim to coordinate. Hopefully by Thursday, I can get into the room to put it to rights and clean up everything.

The other big project has been determining closet space. M has a lot of clothes, and I have even more. So we knew there was no way we could share the small 6 foot closet in the master bedroom. We had been discussing converting the "sitting room" oustide the master bath into a walk-in closet. And last night M did just that. Hanging more than 8 feet of rod for me to use. I took the time to go thru my wardrobe and pair down to just those items that a) fit, b) looked to be in good condition, and c) that I have worn in the last year. I was able to donate nearly 2 bags full of clothing - and I still used every last inch of those 8 feet. :-)

Tonight M and I will continue working on our project list as we go thru his clothing. We will also be hanging some decorative items. Then this weekend, while M is away on his boys weekend, I have organized a work party to tackle the clean up of our carport and yard. Hopefully by Sunday afternoon, our house will be neat, tidy, and ready for us to make it our home as man and wife!

I sure ain't Venus or Serena

Sunday, M and I went to play a few games of doubles tennis with a couple that we are friends with. I have only picked a tennis racket up three times in my life - and all three times were during lessons. And those lessons were nearly 4 years ago. So I knew that I would be bad...... I just didn't know how bad.

I was fine warming up as M and I volleyed the ball back and forth. I was decent on returning other serves. But when it came my time to serve, my performance went downhill fast. I couldn't get it over the net, then I got it over the net but not the proper box....and if I did manage to get a proper serve, I'd botch the return. At one point, I got so frustrated - I tossed my racket and stormed off the court.

It was a fine display of temper but it didn't solve anything. I cooled my heels for about 20 minutes then returned to the court. I stopped trying to play the game perfectly or by the rules, and just focused on moving and having fun. And I did.

M knows that I tend to have a perfectionist streak in me, so he has offered to work with me to improve my skills. Monday night we spent the better part of an hour at the courts, working on serves/returns/other nuisances of the game. I am sure I won't be playing in the US Open, but if we keep at it, I might be decent after all.

If nothing else, it counts as cardio.....lots of cardio.

A Meme

What is something you'd love to say to your younger selves of 2, 5, 10 and 15 years ago?

2 years - 2006 -Get out now. He's not sure now, and he won't ever be sure. He isn't worth suffering over. Trust me, there is something even better waiting for you.

5 years - 2003 - Stop hurting yourself. Admit that you have an eating disorder. Let Kim D. help you. Don't push her away, you'll miss her when she's gone.

10 years - 1998 - High is hard. But you won't be 16 forever. You'll outgrown the nerdy stuff and your classmates will be blown away by the changes.

15 years - 1993 - Don't walk on your cast - there is a reason the doctor's gave you crutches. You won't get your appendix taken out - but you'll get to spend a week in the hospital. And believe it or not, you'll get sick of jello.

Trip to Texas, Part VII (Thursday and the Trip Home)

Thursday was a pretty relaxed day at the Wade household. M and I worked out with his Aunt at 6 a.m. Then we returned home to dine on a breakfast of potato pancakes that his Uncle made. I was unsure about the dish until I had a bite of M's.....divine. I then had 3 of my own.

After breakfast, we started to pack up and prepare for our departure later than night. After lunch, M and I joined Leslie, Lane, and Jason for a quick shopping trip at Sam Moon. M was sweet enough to buy me a few gifts.... I am a lucky girl.

We returned to the house to finish up some laundry and to begin loading the R.V. At 6:15, M and I took his motorcycle for one last run in Texas. We went to watch his little cousin Colt's baseball team. Colt had the winning hit. After the game we met the rest of the family at the Cotton gin for dinner.

After stuffing ourselves with yummy country kitchen, the Lee family piled into the R.V. and headed back to Georgia. I feel asleep somewhere around 11 p.m. Texas time, I woke up when we crosses into Louisiana. The poor roads had the R.V. rocking and I was afraid that Lacey would tumble out of the loft she was sleeping in ( along with M and I). I was in and out of it till about 3 a.m. when we stopped for gas.

It was at that point we noticed that M's motorcycle had fallen over. The Lee men headed out to strap the bike back down. Leaving the women inside, trying not to freak out over the fact that we were in a less then desirable neighbourhood.

We got back on the road, and M and I took our shift of driving/navigating. We crossed into Mississippi about 5:15 a.m. M had me check on the bikes, which were getting loose, so another stop was made at the Mississippi welcome center. That's when the trouble hit. M left the park lights on.....the battery went dead......road side assistance did not answer......we called a tower.....and Lacey woke up.

M and I decided to walk Lacey around while we waited on the tow truck. The welcome center is right next to the river. So Lacey got to see the Mighty Mississippi in the early morning light. There was also a cannon nearby, so we let her "shoot the bad guys". Finally the tow truck arrived, jumped us off, and we were back on the road.

We arrived home about 7:30 - nearly 21 hours after we left Texas. And we were quite happy about it.

The trip was tons of fun. I can not wait till next year!!

Trip to Texas, Part VI (Wednessday)

Much of Wednesday was decided by the "elders" - the affectionate nickname given to M's parents and his Aunt & Uncle. Since the elders wanted to go riding that morning, they decided that we would all go to the Kennedy museum that afternoon and have dinner in downtown Dallas.

Since the elders were riding, we needed to find a way to entertain Lacey and London. It was decided that we(Lane, Jason, M, Leslie, and I) would take the girls to Chuck E. Cheese. I was apprehensive about going - I envisioned a restaurant full of kids - in short lots of noise and drama...not what I wanted for my vacation. Surprisingly, the place was pretty empty. We ordered our meal and set out with the goal of "winning tickets for the girls". But pretty soon, we were playing the games as much for our own amusement as anything else. I was racking up tickets at the "Deal or No Deal" game,while M played the "Shoot Em' Up Game". Mix in greasy pizza, a few rounds of skeeball, and prizes and you had a great afternoon.

While Jason and Lane took the girls back to Aunt Diane's, Leslie, M, and I went to pick up her kids from school. The original plan was for all parties to meet back up at the house and then head to the Kennedy museum. But when we arrived, the elders informed us that they would babysit and let the 5 of us go on our on.

We arrived at the museum at 4:30 - and spent the next hour and a half reliving one of the darkest days in our nation's history. The 6th Floor Museum is a powerful tribute to Kennedy's legacy, and a stark reminder of his death and the turmoil that followed. Once we finished up inside the museum, we walked along Elm street to take photos of the grassy knoll and the window (Photos are not allowed in the museum). While walking, we encountered a 'tour guide' who gave us the real truth about Kennedy's death. I am sure that what he told us was not truth , but it was entertaining none the less.

After finishing up our tour, we loaded up in Leslie's car and set out in search of bronze cows. Dallas has a 4.2 acre area that contains 70 6 foot high bronze cows and 3 cowboys that are herding them. It is a tribute to the Texas cattle drives of days gone by. We kept calling the elders for directions. You would think that it wouldn't be hard to find bronze cows in the middle of downtown Dallas...but it was.

While making one of loops, we were stopped at a red light when ....BAM.... we watched a man get hit by a car. The 5 of us were stunned as the accident happened less than a foot from us. We called 911, the circled back to the scene to give our statements. Once that issue was taking care of, we set off in search of those cows.

We never found them.... we finally succumbed to hunger and went in search of food instead. After all, we had another day in Dallas to find the cows.

Trip to Texas, Part V (Tuesday)

Tuesday began with another yummy breakfast courtesy of Aunt Diane. After breakfast, M and I were suppose to go to the gym with his cousin Leslie. But she had fallen asleep on her couch. M agreed to do some kickboxing with me - after a lot of begging and pleading.

About 11 or so, M's brother and wife arrived at the house. They were followed shortly by his cousin. Since the weather was so deary, we spent the day inside playing dominoes. By 5 the rest of the family had joined us, we dined on nachos - and then made a mad dash to M's cousin baseball game.

We arrived mid-way thru the 2nd inning. The game was called shortly after the 3rd inning. Since the game was less than awesome, we nursed our wounds with Coldstone Creamery.

After hyping ourselves up on sugar, M and I went over to his cousin Jeremy's house and played the Wii for a few hours. It was hilarious watching us play - but not nearly as hilarious as our misadventures on Wednesday would be.

Trip to Texas, Part IV (Monday)

Monday had been deemed "Girl's Day Out". After a breakfast of yummy sausage/cream cheese tarts and ham/cheese quiches, all 6 girls loaded up and headed out to Sam Moons.

For those not familiar with Dallas, and it's shopping gems. Sam Moon is a great outlet that has all the accessories that a girl could dream of wanting. Imagine a huge store full of nothing but jewelry, hair accessories, purses, wallets - all in the latest styles and all deeply discounted.

After racking up a Sam Moon, we enjoyed the various other stores. It was a quick lunch at Panera Bread Company. Then we hit the outlet malls at Terrell. We capped the day with a stop at the candy store. (I was nice enough to bring M a treat - he had been helping to babysit his nieces all day)

Monday night, M's little cousin had a soccer game. So M, his dad, uncle, aunt and I hit the game. After the game, we came home - enjoyed a cup of coffee and the night sky. Then we crashed....

Trip to Texas, Part III (Sunday)

When I last left you readers, I had just finished getting "inked". And while I loved my tattoo, I was nervous about what M's family would think. To overcome my nerves, we all went out for a drink. Then we called it a night.

On Sunday morning, M and I went to church with his cousin and her husband. They attend a Church that has a more contermpary service. We engaged in a several praise and worship songs that I loved - and the pastor offered a great sermon on Sampson and Delia - basically disucssing what happens when we give into temptation.

After church, we went back to M's Aunts house for Sunday lunch. I spent the first few hours attempting to hide the tattoo from his parents. But by the afternoon, one of his cousins had ratted me out. His Mom wasn't thrilled with it - but she is adjusting.

Sunday afternoon was spent grilling out and then crashing for a long nap. Sunday night we just hung around the house, laughing and talking. The girls finalized our plans for our shopping excursion on Monday and we called it a night.

Trip to Texas, Part II (Saturday)

In our last installment, we arrived at Texas around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The majority of the family was there to greet us. After unloading the R.V., we changed into swimsuits and hit the pool. We spent the afternoon swimming and eating - lots of eating - ribs, hotdogs, hamburgers, turkey legs, and all the sides. We swam until dark.

Lane, Jason and the girls headed to Jeremy's and Darlene's - and M's and I made plans to go out with Leslie and her husband Brett. We wound up in downtown Dallas. I guess I was feeling adventurous.... or maybe crazy. Either way, we wound up at Tigger's - a local tattoo shop. Leslie and I decided to get tattoos. After a few minutes of discussion with Mikey, and one of the tattoo guys - the tat was paid for and I was in the artist chair. 25 minutes later, I left the shop with the most awesome tattoo*. Then only question was what would M's parent's think.

*The tattoo is an image of Buzz, the mascot for Georgia Tech - my alma mater.

Trip to Texas, Part I (The Drive)

After months of dreaming about, and weeks of planning it, our departure date finally arrived. Our plans called for us to leave at 9:00 p.m. But as is often the case with this family, we were running behind. About 9:45 - we finally pulled out of the drive, and onto the road. We made our first stop 3 minutes later, when the men decided they needed to make secure the motorcycles were securely strapped to the trailer. (Side note: We are in a 7 passenger R.V. with a 14 foot trailer holding 4 motorcycles...quite the site).

While the men checked out the bikes, we ladies had to push a stray dog out of the R.V. The men had forgotten to shut the door, and the poor puppy decided it wanted to go to Texas. After a few minutes we were on the road again. The night passed in rounds of DVD watching, dozing, and book reading. Lacey and London finally went out about 11 p.m. - and one by one we all drifted off. A gas stop at 2 a.m. in Columbus, a 4 a.m. driver switch somewhere in Alabama, and another gas stop in Alabama at 6 a.m. marked the passage of night into day. We made it to Louisiana
where we stopped for breakfast at McDonald's. We got a bit more gas, and hit the road again. And within an hour we were in Texas..... and that's when the real fun started.

Deep in the Heart of Texas (Almost)

Just a quick post to tell my readers that I am loving my vacation here in Dallas. I am watching the sun slip down out of the sky, feeling the gentle breeze blow on my face and enjoying the tranquility of my surroundings. I have only been here a day - and I have already fallen in love with this place. I hate the thought of leaving - but I won't have to do that for at least another week.

I will try to post some pics of the R.V. ride tomorrow.

What I need....

There is a meme going around the blogsphere that say you are to google the phrase "Your name needs"....and see the responses. Renee over at Life with My Special K's did the meme and asked her readers to join in the fun. Here are the top 5 responses I got when I searched:

Kimberly needs to eat something and shut her ugly mouth (Well, I am eating something at the moment, but I tend to think I have a pretty mouth).

Kimberly needs a John Mirion Day. (Who is John Mirion and why do I need a day for him?)

Kimberly needs to continue sitting in the waiting area. ( I did enough of that last week)

Kimberly needs a car. (I already have one. But if someone is willing to give me a new one - I'll take it.)

Kimberly needs to check herself. (Exactly what am I checking myself for?)


Then I decided to search by my shortened name (Kim)

Kim needs some guinea pigs. (I don't think so. My puppy Bailey is all the pet I need.)

Kim needs to focus on her kid. (Didn't know I had a kid....does Bailey count? If so, then yes I could shower more attention on him).

Kim needs to get out of jail soon. (What am I doing time for? )

Kim needs to lose a few pounds. (No I don't. I am quite happy with the number on the scale.)

Kim needs to shut up and go home. (That's not very nice.)

And since it is a rainy day and I am bored. I did the meme for M's name too:

M needs to know the truth. (Whose been lying to M? Not me.)

M needs to beat up his postal delivery service. (No...violence is bad. Our mailwoman is very nice.)

M needs 28 hours in a day. (I like this one. He'd have more time for work projects, farm stuff and of course spending time with me).

M needs our help. (Sure does. Would ya'll like to help him dug up flower beds, plant shrubs, mow the blueberry fields......I can keep going).

M needs a vacation. (Amen - and he gets one in 2 weeks time.)

I dare all my readers to do this meme and then leave me a comment so I can read your responses.

He wasn't the first

He was not the first man to hold my hand.....but he was the first to reach for it first...and to hold it throughout a long car ride, a long movie, or while we napped on the couch.

He wasn't the first to buy me flowers......but he was the first to buy them without me asking, and in one of my favorite colors.

He wasn't the first man to whom I told my troubles.....but he was the first who just listened, who did not tell me how to fix things...the first to realize that I am capable of managing my own life and then when I cry on his shoulder - that's what I need to do - just cry.

He wasn't the first man to call me beautiful.....but he was the first to do so after I had been crying, my eyes were ringed with mascara, my hair was frizzed beyond belief.

He wasn't the first man to encourage me to follow my dreams........but he was the first one who volunteered to help me achieve those dreams (even when it meant running in the summer heat).

He wasn't the first man to kiss me.......but he is the first whose kiss took my breathe away.

He wasn't the first man I fell in love with ...... but he is the last man I will ever love.

I wonder if M thinks I am trying to kill him

M and I have been dating for 3 months and 29 days (yes, I count - and yes I know I am obsessive). In that time, I have had him train with me for and complete a 5k. Then running 3 times a week. Now, I have found a new way to torture - I mean help him (and me) shape up.


We will be starting this challenge on Monday. I am beyond certain that M is going to be able to do many more pushups than I can. But I am excited by the prospect of building my upper body strength. Who knows, I may suprise even myself.

The Race Recap in Words

Race day began at 6:30 a.m. when the ringing of my cell phone woke me from a somewhat restless slumber. I had been waking up all night long - fearful that I would oversleep and miss the race. That set the tone for a good chunk of the morning - I was a bundle of nerves. M* managed to keep me relatively calm and was quite patient with my antics.

We arrived at registration at 7:15 and were signed up and ready to go by 7:30 a.m. Mama and Daddy arrived at 7:45 to snap a few pre-race pictures. Shortly after 8, the starting gun was fired and we were off. The first mile was tough. The weather was hot and humid making an already difficult task more grueling. The two week break from running showed quickly. I had to have M stop and walk with me several times. But we still made the first mile in 11:30. The 2nd mile was more of the same, with a bit of slower pace. At 25 mins we had 2 miles down. Then my knee really began to hurt and the pace slowed considerably.

When M and I made the final turn back towards the finish line, I had to fight tears. All my hard work was about to pay off, and a dream was becoming reality. M and I jogged to the final turn and then it was an all out sprint to the finish line. My official time was 40:13.

Compared to the winner of the race (he ran it in 17 mins), our time was nothing to write home about. But my goal was not to win the race, just to finish. The fact that I managed to finish somewhere other than last place is a bonus. Moreover, with a knee injury that kept me sidelined for 2 weeks, I feel like M and I accomplished a lot.

A friend told me that running could be addictive, she was right. Now with the first race under my belt, I am ready to run more. I don't think M is as excited as I am - but I know he will be by my side every step of the way.

Race Photos

M* and I before the race.




At the 2 mile point and we are still smiling.






All finished and still smiling.

Weekend Recap

Friday night - M and I had our usual Friday night date. Dinner in and Jeopardy, followed up by hours of Food Network.

Saturday - I slept in and then went to M's to workout. After my workout, I showered and lounged around his place till he got home at 3 p.m. Then we both worked on making the mashed potatos for our Sunday School class supper.

Sunday - It started with the usual - Sunday school, Sunday morning Worship, and lunch with his family. We were planning on watching a movie at his place. But then Aunt Gail called to remind me that I had agreed to go to Brooke's dance recital. The recital was at 3 p.m. . -- in Statesboro -- it was already 12:30 when she called. I told M that I would have to cancel our movie plans as I had a promise to keep. However, I was not too thrilled at driving to the 'Boro by myself. M then volunteered to go with me. I was floored. He was offering to drive an hour and half to Statesboro to watch dance recital for a kid he had never even met. Am I lucky or what? After the recital, we had supper with Aunt Gail and then coffee at Starbucks. We made it back to Alma around 9 p.m.

The weekend was just another in a chain of wonderful times spent with M.

It's the Little Things

True love isn't candlelight dinners, roses, or romantic movies. No, it's much simpler than than....

- It's covering me up with a blanket while I sleep.
- Cleaning off the windshield of my car, because you notice it's dirty.
- Holding my hand while we walk down the street.


These all things M did this weekend. Just simple gestures that warmed my heart and made me feel loved beyond words.

Weekend Recap

It is amazing that in a city of 4 million people, someone can feel alone. But that is exactly the way I felt by this week's end. While I had manged to distract myself with dinner, shopping, and working out - the underlying feeling was that something (or more precisely someone) was missing.

Thankfully M, arrived in Atlanta around 10:00 p.m Friday. We met up with K.D. for dinner and a night out on the town. We made it back to our hotel around 5 a.m. and gave into exhaustion. Saturday was devoted to baseball (tailgating at noon, a game at 3 and another at 7). The long hours left us too tired to do much else. M and I were asleep by 1 a.m. - that's early by Atlanta standards.

We slept in on Sunday. Then shared lunch at Fellini's before heading to Tech's campus for the baseball game. After the game was over, I shared another Atlanta tradition with M - The Varsity. We made it back to Alma around 9 p.m.

It was wonderful to spend an entire weekend with M. I can't wait till we make another trip.