CAUTION: Woman In Progress

So, my health isn't the only things about my life that has changed. I've recently tried really taking the reigns on my financial health, as well. It all started last year when Mama first started talking about retiring. In case you don't know, I commute to work with my mother. We take her car, she buys all the gas and doesn't expect me to contribute much more than the occasional grunt while she talks for 45 minutes each way. This has saved me a TON of money over the years and allowed me to limp along with my 20-year-old car. Well, she decided late last year that she would be retiring June 2019 which gave me (at the time) 2 years to get my credit cards paid off and save enough money to buy a new car. So, first thing I did was consolidate my two credit cards onto a zero interest for 18 months card and start paying down on that. And I started socking money away with the 5's method...meaning, every time a $5 bill landed in my hand, I put it way. I had actually saved ...

So more great news. I had my annual wellness lab work done last week and guess what! I'm officially pre-diabetic! Awesome, right? Except not. *sigh* You know, it's not exactly entirely unexpected.  I mean, I'm fat, almost 40, and both my parents have been diabetic for years. So, you know, I could see it coming a mile away. And at least I'm just at the "pre" stage. So, it's not a death sentence yet. With hard work and diligent life changes I can put this puppy into reverse. God willing. However, if I had not had two diabetic parents educating me on carb counting and diabetic approved foods and food label reading, etc. I'd have been shit out of luck on figuring out how to attack this thing because my doctor was useless. He merely gave me the diagnosis, told me to diet and exercise and sent me on my merry way! He didn't give me any guidelines or suggest seeing a nutritionist (which you definitely should, if you ever find yourself facing any ...

So, turns out that what I thought was a fun road trip to Texas with my aunt and sister wasn't so fun for my aunt. According to my mother, anyway, who spent the day with my aunts yesterday. While talking about going back to Texas with my other aunt, Aunt S, with whom we road tripped, apparently made the statement that she knew she'd actually enjoy the trip with Aunt L while her previous travel companions had annoyed her. So yeah. Thanks, Ma, for passing on that disappointing info that I could have happily lived without. Now, instead of a happy memory of that one time I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and had a fun road trip with my aunt and sister, I'll just be bitterly paying off the $600 of credit card debt from a trip where I apparently contributed to ruining it for my aunt. Sweet. And if my own aunt felt that way I don't even want to think about how my friends must have felt during the New Orleans trip. I wonder how badly I ruined THAT for THEM? That'l...

The wedding was in an outdoor chapel way up in the hills near their home. It was a beautiful location and a beautiful day for it. It had rained the day before it was a nice, cool, breezy day for an outdoor wedding.   My uncle, the groom's dad, played the wedding music on is guitar. It was a gorgeous wedding and they are a lovely couple. I still can't believe my baby cousin is a married man but they suit each other perfectly.   Unfortunately, not all of the family could make it out there. Besides us and the immediate family, one other uncle and his wife were able to fly out there. I was so glad to get to be a part of it all. The reception was in their front yard, and while the sun was bright and the bugs came out as the evening encroached, it was a beautiful and fun party. The bride's family did all the cooking and being that it was Texas, there was brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, mac and cheese, baked beans, glazed carrots, and a sal...

Y'all, I'm becoming a regular road tripping traveler. For a girl who previously had only ever been in three states (the state where I live, Alabama, and Tennessee) in my whole life, I've visited three NEW states in a year's time. Well, you know. New to me, states. Back last June I went to Georgia for work, in January I went to Louisiana for a show in New Orleans, and most recently, I went to Texas which was, by far, the longest road trip I've ever taken...11 hours to Waco and then 12 hours coming home from Austin. My cousin--six years younger than me, who I babysat all the time when we were kids, and who was my best childhood friend and who moved to Austin about 7 or 8 years ago--finally got married so Sis1 and my CO aunt who now lives in MS road tripped across Louisiana and into Texas. Leaving early Thursday morning... Crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana. Breezing through Monroe, LA. Entering Shreveport, LA. We stopped at the...