Hello Monday/Life Lately ~ November 2, 2026

Welcome November, my favorite month!  So happy to see you! Today I am doing a little bit of life lately for my Hello Monday.  Somehow, life has felt busy, so much that I haven't been blogging as much the past few weeks it seems.  I really aim to blog several days a week, but as much as I love this blog community, I give myself much grace when I don't.  So today's post has a few things from my weekend and the past few weeks.

What better way to start November 1st than by watching a cheesy Christmas movie?  After waking up super early Sunday due to the time change, I watched a Christmas movie in bed.  This is one from the Great American Christmas channel.  Since it was raining outside, I walked on my walking pad for part of the movie.

Saturday evening, I went trick or treating with 8 of my greats.  So many homes had candy in a bucket by their doors.  I thought this was a creative set up in someone's driveway!  There were a few homes that had inflatables and other decorations, but weren't home and left no candy.  And some of these people had lights on but didn't come to the door. It was interesting to observe.

My niece made these yummy pretzels with caramel, apples and chocolate drizzle.

I met a friend for a late breakfast Saturday and sat in the "Elvis" section of the restaurant, which is in an old home.  

One of my walks last week, the fog was so thick that morning but pretty to see while walking.

This was a pretty sunrise another morning!

I tasted iced coffee a few weeks ago and it had this creamer in it.  I am not a coffee drinker, but I really enjoyed this drink so much that I bought this creamer.  

Friday night, I was downtown for an open house for my daughter's office.  It was so nice to see her office and meet her team.  Everyone was dressed up for Halloween, they had great food/drinks and it was a fun atmosphere.  Wild story, I actually graduated from high school with the guy that is my daughter's boss.  I don't think I had seen him in 38 years until Friday night.  

Before the event, I walked around downtown Memphis and my sister met me.  The last Friday night of each month, stores and bars stay open late with specials.  They call it South Main Trolley Night because it is on Main Street where the trolleys run. One of the sights is the National Civil Rights Museum.

The wreath you see in the distance is on the balcony where MLK was shot in Memphis.

After leaving downtown, I stopped by the hospital afterwards for a short visit with Jen and her son.  

A few other random life lately photos.....

I organized my fall clothes and have eliminated a few pieces.  It literally was just a few pieces, but I will probably get rid of a few other things as I start wearing fall clothes more and see what else is out there.  It felt so good to pull out all my pants, including jeans and leggings and take inventory of what I have.  I have pants in several sizes.  Does anyone else have or keep a variety of sizes??  

Last Sunday, we had a charcuterie board for an event at church.  A caterer was hired for this one and it was such a pretty, full table display!

Y'all know from time to time here I talk about my love for brisket.  I thought this was great that I saw at a BBQ festival!

Y'all also know my love of dancing!  I went line dancing a few weeks ago and met up with Kendra and one of her friends.  It was a fun night and I hope to go back soon!

Looking forward to a new week and hope your Monday goes well!

Hello Monday ~ September 7, 2026/Labor Day

 Good morning and Happy Labor Day 2026!  Today I am doing a re-cap of last week and the weekend with a little life lately.

Last Monday on a spur of the moment, Jen called and asked if I wanted to join her for dinner and a drink. I finally tried a soft serve margarita, which was pretty good. Time spent with Jen is always fun!

Tuesday night last week, I made dinner for Brook, Wade and I.  I bought these Congrats Grad plates back in May and yes, I am just using them.  We ate off them Tuesday night, even though Brook graduated from university the end of May.  It seemed like a good time to use them since we also were celebrating she will start a new job soon.

Wednesday night I had dinner with one of my dear friends, but no photo was taken.  This is the friend whose daughter got married this summer.  

Thursday after work, I drove to my sister's house for family dinner and saw 11 of her 12 grandchildren.  Needless to say, my heart was full of hugs and smiles from my greats!

Friday, I met a friend from church at Salad Station and had missed eating here! This is where Jen and I have shared many a meals together. 

Jen dropped by Friday night and we ate at my place. She brought some food and I had a salad.  I bought lettuce for the first time in a while last week.  I also had fun toppings, so it encouraged me to eat more salads last week.  My toppings for the salad were avocado, pecans, feta cheese, broccoli and bacon bits.

After eating, we walked around Costco where I spotted a snowman and a skeleton on the same aisle!

Saturday I did a few household things, went to the grocery store and then went to a few museums in Memphis with a friend.  It was hot, but I loved getting out to the museums and bonus, they were both free this day! One is an art museum and the other is a metal museum, which was having a grand opening in a new location.

Jen and I talked on the phone Saturday evening and then she said she was coming over.  I am so thankful we live close (about 9-10 minutes, based on red lights if you're wondering)!

Sunday, I went to church with Jen, got a pedicure, met Jen and some friends at a pool, and then went on a walk.  It was a fun weekend!

How was yours?

Friday Thoughts ~ April 3, 2026

 Happy Friday! Today, I am sharing a few highlights of my week and some things on my heart on this Good Friday.

Monday, I was able to babysit for a new friend and it was a lovely day to take a walk and see all the azaleas in bloom.

Tuesday was work and I got a massage afterwards.  This is a monthly self care activity I do for myself!

I worked Wednesday morning from home then took one of my greats on her birthday lunch/shopping date.  She turns 4 on Saturday and is such a joy!  The store clerk referred to me a few times as her grandmother :).  

Thursday, I worked and went to a church dinner/Maundy Thursday service.  This is a service that remembers the Last Supper. 

Today, I want to share a few things on my heart.  

March was a month of some reflections for me. Like I mentioned this week, lonely sums up my month. It sums up 2026.  The ice storm was really hard on me going so many days without seeing people.  Readjusting to not having friends to hang out with on the weekends has been hard.  Eating 99% of my meals alone is a reality.  Going to bed alone and waking up alone is a reality.  Supporting myself is a reality.  I don't get any financial support.  Divorce is hard and there are so many layers of grief.  

As I say all of these things are true, I also want to share that in my alone times, I am not always sad.  Yes, often I am sad because I long to have a partner.  I feel complete and whole without someone, but I do miss having someone to share life. I wanted to share here that when I state I am lonely, that is a true feeling, however, it is not always a sad lonely.  Sometimes, it is just truly being alone & being okay with that.

I am so grateful for all your support, encouragement and prayers over the last 3 years on this blog.  I still need them going forward, but I want to also share here I have hope.  Even though my dreams with my former spouse won't happen, I can still have those dreams on my own or with someone new.  Sometimes, I may skip over relationship posts, because I honestly just can't relate to that anymore.  Maybe one day I will and maybe not, I don't know, but I do know that I am okay in my loneliness.  I am okay to feel sad with it at times and I am okay to be content with it.  Sometimes, it is really nice to not have to consider anyone else.  I often enjoy the time at home and other times, I need a change of scenery and need to take a drive, go get yogurt, or just run errands.  Winter is hard, so I am glad it is spring.  With spring, I have so many exciting things happening!  Would I rather still be married? Yes.  Would I rather still be able to stay in my house or buy a new house? Yes.  But, I am trying each day to face life with excitement for what is to come. Thanks for being on this journey with me as my friends.  

It seemed like Good Friday was a time to share about my lonely feelings in a week where Jesus experienced so many feelings of suffering, loneliness and betrayal.  The past 3 years, I have gone out of town for Easter to get away.  This year, I will stay at home and go to church by myself, as I do each Sunday, however, I am so thankful for my church family.  I hope that you can find a place to worship this weekend and reflect on the hope that the resurrection of Jesus brings us on this side of Heaven.

Life Lately ~ July 20, 2021

 

Today's post is a random assortment of pictures from this summer.  

Back in May, we had some teammates we worked with in Bogota' come stay with us.  Of course, coffee was served in our Colombian mugs.  This couple lives in Dallas now, but it was great to have time to re-connect.

Speaking of Colombia, today is Colombia's Independence Day.  We also were able to see some other friends who still live in Bogota'.  They were in the states visiting and it was fun to catch up with them at a gathering.

This picture is a throwback to my childhood.  The lady in this picture taught me elementary school in 5th & 6th grade!!  Another one of my classmates joined us for lunch.  He and I went to elementary, junior high and high school together.  This was such a fun lunch of reminiscing!

On the house front, we had this huge fan installed on our back porch.  It keeps it so cool out there, even in the summertime. Thankfully, most of our summer has been pretty mild.

A few weeks ago, we got dressed up and went to a wedding.

Afterwards, the 4 of us went out to dinner.  It was fun to be with our girls and see them be silly with one another.

Brook spent a week at church camp and we practiced being empty nesters. We started the day with lunch at the Piccadilly :)

We also spent time with friends at their pool, had dinner and watched a movie.

I will be back later in the week.  Enjoy your day and thanks for reading!

Life Lately ~ January 2021

Today I am sharing just a few random pictures of life lately the past few weeks.

When my girls were younger, I would take them to the local mall during the holiday season to look at the decorations.  We rarely go to any mall these days, but made a quick stop the week after Christmas.  They still had some Christmas decorations, so it made me think of old times.

My in-laws were in town for New Year's Eve/Day week.  We grilled steaks on New Year's Eve and had some decor as we greeted in the new year.

I had a 1000 piece puzzle they worked on and I finished it after they left.

A family favorite movie has always been Sound of Music, so we watched this as a family and of course, sang along, during the break.

Our front yard had inches of leaves, so we finally had them cleaned up last week.  I had forgotten what our yard looks like :)!

Most of you know I worked full time as a corporate travel agent until Covid halted travel in the spring.  I haven't worked since then and went last week to clean out my desk.  It was bittersweet.

And saving the best for last, I took a meal to my niece and her husband since they welcomed my newest great niece in December.  She is so little and cute!!

Hope you all have a great day!