Just wondering....

Have you come to visit my new blog yet? Huh? Have you? Well.... you should. :)

Just sayin'.

Here I am.

New bloggy home

I’ve been working on a project for work that involves building an e-newsletter and blog with coordinating themes. And (shockingly) throughout the process, I’ve decided that I really like the way that WordPress is set up.

So…incase you can’t gather where this is going… I think I’ve decided to move.

Okay, I don’t think. I know. I already have a blog set up over there. I guess that’s kind of definite, huh?

To cut confusion, I’m going to keep my blogger account open – so if you can’t find me, you can always come back here and follow this link to my new blog.

I even kept the name the same.

You better come visit me.

Almost rid of the winter blues

Weekly writing assignment from Mama Kat: Share some photos and stories as well as what you love about spring.

(All images in this post are from weheartit.com)

Each year, my heart warms with the temperature as the last bit of winter chill leaves the air in the South.

The dull, gray mornings are replaced with brilliant blue skies. Bare trees bud slowly before blooming in various shades of beauty. Brown, crunchy grass begins turning a soft, lush green. And, of course, the sunlight that once faded by early evening stretches further into the day.


Can you tell I’m ready for this?

Over the last week, the air has been slowly warming. And despite my fear that it will backslide into frigidness again, I think spring might finally be here.

Which makes for a very happy Heather.

For me, simply speaking the word “spring” fills my head with images of sunshine, laughter, flip flops, singing birds and long weekend days outside.


Friends begin firing up the grill.


We spend days sitting by the lake. Fishing. Knowing it won’t be long before we can take the boat out and dive right into the cool water.

Not only is spring fantastic in itself, it’s also the gateway to one of my very favorite things – the hot, sunny days of an Alabama summer.

Which means even longer, warmer days on the lake and multiple trips to the beach. Barefoot days by the water. Ponytails and tan lines. Big sunglasses and lip gloss. Sun tan oil and Coconut Lime Verbena body lotion. And this year? Learning to wake board. Pray for me.

"You stole my heart, I couldn't leave you if I tried..."

Okay – so I know throughout the life of this blog, you’ve seen a few furry friends come and go:

First, there was Toby – a Jack Russell mix who held my heart in his little paws. For those of you who don’t know, he’s been missing since October. A friend of mine went to pick him up from the boarder’s house for me while I was at work and he ran away, never to be seen again – despite our best efforts with posters, radio announcements and door-to-door inquiries. I still miss the little fella.

Then there was Ollie – the little orange kitten that someone dumped behind the building at work. I took him in for awhile. Then a man I know said his daughter’s cat had passed away and they were looking for a new kitten. Ollie now lives the life of a farm cat, chasing mice and such. Which is perfectly fine by me. I’ve never been much of a cat person…but took him in because I couldn’t stand the thought of him being homeless.

Then there was Maverick – the lovable German Wirehair Pointer I took in and got healthy. When I got him, he had gashes on his neck and had to undergo heartworm treatment. Unfortunately, at three and a half years old, the indoor training wasn’t going so well. In fact, it didn’t seem to be going AT ALL. I came home to a mess every single day for six months. And not just bathroom mess – which is bad enough. No, it was more of a “looks like my house was broken into and robbed” sort of mess. He destroyed EVERYTHING. Books would be shredded. Garbage cans scattered and plundered. Anything I was foolish enough to leave on the kitchen counter would be consumed. Crumbs everywhere. A friend of mine who lives in the country said he’d take him, so Maverick now has a huge yard to run and play in (with other dogs). And the great thing is I still get to see him any time I want.

However… that left my house empty and pet-free for the first time in years. I didn’t really know how to cope.

So…………meet Maggie Mae:



Maggie is a six month old Chocolate Lab/American Bulldog mix. Her owners had two other (much smaller) dogs, and wanted to find a good home for her. So, of course, I scooped her right up and brought her to my house.

And ya know? She’s kind of perfect. I’m in complete shock, actually. She’s not had a single accident inside. Hasn’t chewed up the first shoe, or anything else for that matter. She’s calm, well-behaved, sweet and really good-natured. I can’t imagine anyone getting rid of her.

We spent the day at the lake yesterday, fishing with some friends of mine and enjoying the nice weather. I see many, many more days like that in our near (and hopefully very distant) future. She’s already stolen my heart.

I think congratulations are in order

Oh, the things you find out on Facebook.

For example, imagine my shock when I stumbled across my ex’s new girlfriend. Only to see that her profile picture was a shot of her brand new engagement ring.

Now, ordinarily this would not have taken me by such surprise. Perhaps the fact that he had literally text me 45 minutes before and said nothing about the fact that he was getting married threw me off a little. Nonetheless, I’m happy for them.

A little confused – but happy.

I mean, I devoted nearly five years of my life to this man and got nothing. No promise of forever. Nothing that lasted. Just a lot of hurt splashed with a few good memories. We’ve been apart six and a half months and he’s already committed to spend the rest of his life with this woman. A woman who, just months ago, he said would never compare to me. I guess he was right. In his eyes, she must be better.

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not jealous. I’m not bitter. I’m in a really good place in my life right now. I’m happier than I’ve been in a very, very long time and I sincerely wish them the best.

But, since he made it clear yesterday that he has been reading this blog, let me take a moment say this: You said you wanted so badly for us to stay friends. You said you miss talking to me. That you’d love to hear from me every now and then and know that I’m doing well. That I’ll always hold a piece of your heart. As lovely as that all sounds, please know that it’s not going to happen. I’m not going to stay in contact with an engaged man. I don’t feel that it’s appropriate. If you want to know how I’m doing, just assume that my life is fantastic and that I’m happy. Because it is and I am.

These hips don't lie

An hour of pouring sweat. Completely breathless. Body shaking from sheer exhaustion. Yet somehow wishing it wasn’t over…

I’ve become hopelessly addicted to the latest exercise craze.

When my friend Cat tried to talk me into Zumba classes, I told her the painful truth: I have zero rhythm. No coordination. I didn’t want to make an idiot of myself in a class full of people who knew what they were doing.

But then I gave in and tried it. And despite flouncing around like a total goober, I can’t get enough.

The lights are low and the music is loud. And no one is watching you – they’re too busy trying to keep up with the instructor. With hops and shimmies and hip rolls, who has time to make fun of the rhythm-lacking fool in the back of the room?

Before you know it, you’re drenched in sweat and the hour is over. I leave class in a great mood, pumped from the energy of the music, with an endorphin high like I’ve never experienced with any other form of exercise.

It’s fantastic. I can’t wait until tomorrow night, when I’ll be back in that room full of mirrors, shaking it to Shakira.

Umm, excuse me... what's this fluffy white stuff?

When they said that our small southern town was expecting 4-6 inches of snow last Friday, I have to admit — I was skeptical. I thought, if anything, we'd get a little dusting of white. Nothing to play in. Surely nothing that would stick around for any length of time. Needless to say, I was wrong.

Here are a few shots from early in the day:

Not really sure who's barn this is, but I thought it was pretty.

One of the many trees painted white by the unusual winter weather

Our town square

Our redneck snowman — notice the John Deere cap and Miller Lite eyeballs. Very classy. This is what happens when you build a snowman at a guy's house. Your choices of accessories are slim to none. As a side note, please excuse the way I'm squatting. It looks like I'm trying really hard not to pee my pants.

Me and Cat at work Friday morning

Most everyone cleared out of work by 1:30, and the city closed the roads at 2 - supposedly because us southerners aren't used to driving on ice. To my surprise, we still had snow on the ground in some areas throughout the weekend. And remnants of some snowpeople are still standing around town, which is strange, considering it was a warm, sunny 62 on Sunday. (Unfortunately, it's a frigid 25 today.)

It has definitely been a strange winter, and I have to be honest here... I'm extremely ready for the hot days of a southern summer. Bring on the sunscreen, boiled peanuts, flip flops and days on the lake. You can keep this cold stuff. It was fun for a day, but I've had my fill.