No- I haven't been at WalMart - they kicked me out...

Sorry Everyone,
I know I have been away from The Land of Blog for a while now. Life has been busy here though. Although it was tempting, I have NOT been at WalMart these past weeks. They quit trying to clean my windshield after the first attempt and found I was penniless....
I have been super busy at work and with other things. With our trip to Chicago coming up I have been trying to get as much done for work as I could before leaving.
In the mean time, let me show you a few of the things I have been busy with...

Boo came over for a visit...tickling Kitty was at the top of her list of things to do at our house...Brisco loved chasing her around.

My niece Alex and Mom Lisa were here from NC for a quick visit.....

There was a going away party for our friend Becky (2nd from the left) She has moved to Dallas.

Green Eyed Lady and I shared a date with this guy. Man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh! sorry, Oh man. Chris Isaak Hubba Hubba. If any of you haven't seen him in concert - I highly recommend it. This isn't a show just for women either. Isaak gave the best Concert I have been to, after The Tubes. (yes, I said it, The Tubes).

Go see Chris Isaak in concert if you ever get the chance. EDIT: I must clarify here, Isaak is second only to The Tubes. Tubes still hold #1 spot, then Isaak, then McCartney, then Bowie. Yupper. That's it. (the links will take you to 2 different sites for The Tubes) here's a pic. or two....

I have patiently been waiting for this......

(click on the pictures and they'll enlarge)

To become this.

In between all of this I have also managed to remake and hang drapes for a client, close a nice sized sale on a large project that consumes all of my days and nights, open 2 new large projects, shoot engagement photos for a young couple, get in one 15 mile ride ( I know - shabby) read the new Harry Potter book, devoured Son of a Witch and started 2 other books. It's my only defense against the Insomnia. We leave for Chicago Thursday morning. Tomorrow I'll try to get what I can finished at work. Cross your fingers. Hopefully, I'll come back more relaxed. lol

Right now, I have to go polish my cowbells. I don't want Big Mike and J-Wim to have a bad first impression. ;)

p.s. - I sure have missed you guys.

New Scam at WalMart

Okay Ladies, you really have to be careful these days. My sister Jenn sent this to me and I have to tell you, I am very alarmed. WalMart of all places. I've never had my purse stolen while shopping there. Well, I never shop there.

After reading this, I may reconsider where I shop....

What?!?! It's All About Me?!? Again?!?!?

A little bit about ME
Well, this is kinda cool. Rather than try to gather my 8000 different thoughts into a potentially book sized post, I get to just fill in the blanks to answer some questions. Pretty easy and fun I think.
Tagged by Tri-DogMom
Jobs I’ve Held
when I was 14 - I bagged groceries at the commissary on the small housing area I lived in Germany
Came back stateside and worked at Burger King - yep, fast food. I never ate at a Burger King until I was 16 years old...
One Hour Foto, Photo Center, Lester's Photography, Photo Center -again, Lawson and Weitzen Attys at Law, Photo Center ( a different one), Photo Journalist with Columbus Ledger Enquirer (GA), The Design Firm, Norwalk The Furniture Idea, now I own my own Design Studio

Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
Dave,
An American President,
Outlaw Josey Wales,
Army of Darkness,
Excalibur and the one that goes without saying... A Christmas Story.

My Guilty Pleasures
Double Stuff Oreo Cookies
Raspberry Milano cookies
shoes
Pedicures and facials
Sushi
Guinness
shoes
cool t-shirts
unusual jewelry
hot bath
shoes


Places I Have Lived (in order)
Arlington, VA
Asmara, Ethiopia
Fort Ord, California
Rome, NY
Romulus, NY
Pruem, Germany
Fayetteville, NC
Clarksville, TN
Acton/Boston, MA
Columbus, GA
Atlanta, GA
Houston, TX
Brandon, FL

Shows I Enjoy
Desperate Housewives
American Idol
How I met your mother
Lost
Wheel of Fortune
Gray's Anatomy
House
Cold Case ( the actual true story one on Discover channel)
CSI - Vegas

Places I Have Been on Vacation
All over Europe
Albuquerque,NM
San Francisco,CA
Valley City, OH
surely there are more...

Favorite Foods
Raspberries
Sushi
White Chocolate Raspberry anything
Anything Peanut Butter and chocolate
Salsa
Fish
Ramen ( I know)
Tomatoes


Websites I Visit Daily
Lots of blogs (see sidebar)

Awards I’ve Won
Gosh lots of pseudo nerdy stuff when I was a kid.
In High School "Most Likely to Expose" lol, swear...I always wore a mini skirt to school, because it was against the rules. I got away with it because I refused to be told what I could or couldn't wear (always in good taste). So, I was awarded appropriately upon graduation.
As an adult, here and there stuff with different jobs
Platinum Designer Nationwide for Norwalk -

Nicknames I’ve Been Called
Skinny ( I used to be)
Di

Now, I guess I get to see who really reads my blog by tagging 5 more people: I have chosen 5 people who inspire me...
Geek Girl - well, because I love her! She's a great writer! and she pushes through to the finish every time.
J-Wim & Mike - they both have overcome enormous obstacles to change their lives
Duane - because he could easily say "enough" and he never does
Aimee - because she is a newly christened TriAthlete as of Saturday, August 4th!!! the mother of 3 kids (unless you count TriDummy- then it's 4) who keeps busy with a gazillion things and keeps going.

Uber Triathlete or Yard Boy? You Decide.

You all know this guy - Uber Triathlete Man . He's hot. He's my husband. tee hee
















But, do you know this guy? This is my Yard Boy. (hootie hoo) He's super HAWT. He can mow my grass any time.

Jock










Lawn Jockey

BeefCake Swimmer

Luscious Leaf Blower Guy. How do I tell my husband I have a thing for the Yard Guy?

All About Nothing

I needed to enjoy a little beauty today... Can anyone tell the name of this flower? Hint: it is an orchid..... ;)

EDITed Aug 2: I will accept the TYPE of orchid it is, you don't have to come up with the actual name. ;)

Edited again on August 3rd....

The photo you see here is the same orchid as above. The difference is the time of day they were photographed. The first two photos were taken in early morning (appx 7am)light. This one was taken in early evening(appx 5:30pm) light. Same camera, same aperture setting etc. Light can do amazing things.

While I was out there re shooting the purple orchids I also photographed these....

The yard is blooming everywhere right now. These bleeding hearts are on the last of their cycle and they have changed colors from where they started.... when they first bloom they are pure white with red centers that burst out from the white blossom.
After they have lived their life they morph into this pale lilac pinkish color
And the centers change from bright red to this...
The Hibiscus didn't want to be left out either. The wind was blowing pretty well so it was hard to get a sharp focus on these...
These particular Hibiscus are a Double Blossom Red Variegated variety

I hope you enjoyed my interlude in the garden. I also wish to say Thank You so much for all of your support and encouragement. It really does mean a lot to me. Thank you.

BTW- The purple Orchid is a Dendrobium Mahlihini

Smiley

Don't wait until next summer to go see someone if you can go now. Don't wait until after "your busy season" to travel to spend time with someone you love. Don't think that you have all of the time in the world. Don't believe that in spite of their ill health they'll be there when you can finally "swing it". Don't wait to go hold the hand of a person who holds a special place in your heart. It just might be too late if you wait any longer.
I know.
In a few days we'll be burying my Aunt Edna aka Smiley. I haven't seen her in years. I thought I had more time. I didn't see her before she died. I didn't remind her of just how much she truly meant to me. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Go now.
EDIT: I posted this at about 9 pm last night (Tuesday July 31st). I received a call from my family at about 3 pm yesterday telling me that my Aunt Edna would "be gone in moments". This according to her doctors. As far as I knew, I was trying to find a way to get to New York for my Aunt's funeral. This morning at about 10 am my sister called to tell me that the moments turned into hours and now the hours have turned into more than 24. I just spoke to my cousin who is at the hospital with her mom (my aunt). I could hear my aunt's voice in the background. She hasn't left us yet.
Unfortunately, we don't know how much time there is. Now, I don't know about you, but I think God has given me one more chance to tell her that I love her. I asked my cousin to tell her for me just in case I don't get there in time. I called my Uncle Tom, Aunt Edna's hubby, at home. He is there setting everything up for Hospice to come in and help with the final days. Yes, I said days. My Uncle Tom still has faith. He doesn't want her in the Hospital where they have given up on her. I can't say that I blame him. I don't know what the next few days will have in store for us but I do know that I need to go now. My original message stands true. Don't wait. Don't regret anything. You never know. My Aunt Edna is young. Too young to be dying. Remember, don't see if you can "swing it" just go, before it's too late.
Thank you all so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. Someone was listening. Thank you, all of you.
Diana

The Land of Pine Trees, Sand Hills and Tabacky

Wish I had more for you, but this is all I got...
My trip to NC


On the way there....

During all of my driving, I noticed that this

is gradually being replaced with this...

Or, for those of you with a finer palette you probably call it this.

All of my days were spent working. Working hard with my sisters and my Mom. After the work was finished at the end of each day, we tried to have a little fun

My niece Alex helped my other niece Riley make funny faces...

Of Course Riley didn't need a lot of help making funny faces. This is her "Oh my gosh, I am so scared" face

This is Riley's "Holy Jumping Beans Batman" face as my nephew Aaron bounces her 2 feet into the air

This is Grandma's "OH S#!* " face as Riley and Aaron bounce her.

Following a long day working and packing over 40 years of accumulated belongings Dale (my sis) and Alex still had a smile for me...after a Mojito or two.

Alex bounced....

Aaron bounced...

My sister Jenn bounced

Aaron bounced some more.

I even bounced, but we have no photographic proof of it.

We shared beautiful sunsets...
(Alex took this picture)

I shot this one

We found old photo albums from when we were babies/ toddlers. This is a picture of me when my Mom busted me bouncing on the sofa - way back when.

After an exhausting week, I headed home. I passed this guy at South Of The Border. Then, I made an hour and a half detour to Myrtle Beach, SC. I passed him again on I10 in Florida 5 hours later.

I knew you would ask... this is S.O.B. South Of The Border

Translation = Hyped up ,"Made in China", how much money do you have?, tourist trap in Dillon South Carolina.

It was a long week and i was able to spend each day with my 3 sisters. It's the first time ever that all 4 of us have spent that kind of time together. I'll cherish it always.

I hated having to leave my family but, I am glad to be back home with Bigun and the chilluns, here in Florida.

I am going to try and catch up with everyone this weekend. I've been gone (from The Land of Blog) for 2 weeks and it feels like months. I missed you guys too!! It's nice to be back home.