One of my new favorite things......

For Christmas, I got a Kindle! My cousin got one a while back, and I thought it looked neat, but it was hard for me to give up the idea of holding a real book in my hands and turning pages. I mean, you just can't replace curling up in a chair on a rainy afternoon with a good book. But when some other friends began raving over there's, I started to reconsider.

Well, one of the main things that made me reconsider is the library system here. In KY, we had FIVE libraries within a ten mile radius of our house, with online catalogues to renew and place holds with, and an Interlibrary loan system that brought books from California to my house within a week. Here we have one tiny library, without a lot to choose from, with only a three-week loan system. I never remember to return books within three weeks, so I always end up with fines. And as for the Interlibrary system -- I placed a book on Interlibrary loan in October of 2009. Guess when I finally received it? May of 2010. I had completely forgotten about it by the time I got the call that it had arrived. So, the idea of being able to have practically any book I want in my hands anytime I want it was definitely appealing.

So, I next had to decide between a Nook and a Kindle. Both seemed to have their perks, but I finally took a chance on a Kindle. And I love it! I downloaded Elizabeth Gaskell's entire works -- Wives and Daughters, North and South, Mary Barton, The Life of Charlotte Bronte, etc -- for just three dollars!! Not only that, but nearly all the classics (i.e. really old) books that I like to read are FREE!! I have already downloaded about thirty books and a few games as well. I admit that it's not exactly the same as buying beautiful, gilded books with illustrations and seeing them on the shelf, but the ability to have practically all the books I want makes up for it! This is definitely my favorite new gadget! :)

A few pics....

I live once again in the sunny south, where we wear t-shirts on Thanksgiving and have 70 degree Christmases.

Can't you tell???

All this snow came, the day after Christmas, the closest thing to a white Christmas that any of us have seen. Princess definitely had fun!

This is our snow-covered house!

And now presenting the new kitty!! My sister went to the mall to buy a birthday present and, after not finding anything she liked for me, stopped by the pet store. She came home with this thing lol. She named him Pippin, but we mostly call him Pip. He has a very pink nose, very pink paws, and he literally cries like a baby when he is upset. He has a prissy little walk, he is somewhat cuddly, and he enjoys aggravating poor Scout within an inch of her life. He is only nine months old now, but as you can see, he is a pretty big baby!

He did not know what to think about the snow!!

We got almost ten inches!!

This is his favorite way to be -- asleep, upside down, and stretched out!!

This was taken right after we got him in October. You can see he has practically doubled in size since then!

This is one of my favorite pics ever!

2011

Well......what can I say. Blogger tells me that my last post was February 26, 2010. So it has been almost an entire year since I posted on here. I think I really needed a break for a while. Last year was a pretty stormy year. We had a lot going on, a lot of adjusting to make to the "new normal" for our family since my mom is gone, and a lot of sorting out to do. I really thought I might crack under the pressure for a while -- we had to go through and divide all of Grandma and Grandpa's things after Grandpa's death, completely turn the house upside down again to put in new carpet, go through the drama of class registrations for myself and my sister, go through the drama of changing jobs, and about a hundred other things. My Grandma on my dad's side died in April. Princess had to have major surgery because of a lump on her stomach and the vet was not very encouraging through that time. And we've basically had to learn (or attempt to learn) how to get along with each other through all this. So, hopefully you can see why I have been absent for a long while.

Don't get me wrong, some good things happened last year, as well. I was able to finally leave retail (wahoo!) and started working in medical records at a hospital, which is great because that is what my degree will be in. I passed all my classes for fall, and was accepted into the Health Information program that I wanted. We got a new kitten and my aunt opened a little store in town that I have been able to sell a few crafts in.

I am really optimistic that 2011 will be a much better year. My sister and I have gotten used to registering and taking classes and my job schedule is much better than before. And we have come to accept the way things are now. So, any way, I hope everyone is having a blessed and happy new year!

This is the South?

I remember living here years ago. Winters were mild. We wore t-shirts on Christmas Day. The most snow we got was a dusting. But look at this year. I haven't seen this much snow in this town since I was two years old.

Baby's first snow! She didn't like it at all :(

This was right before she looked me and said "MEOW!!!"

She stayed outside exactly two minutes.

Princess loves the snow.

This was the view when I came home from work late one night. Snowflakes the size of cotton balls caught in all the trees. It was gorgeous. The perfect snow for snowballs, snow cream, sledding, and taking pictures.

But ......... I AM READY FOR SPRING!!!!

Finished!

My last final to complete my career diploma in Medical Coding and Billing consisted of 12 projects -- making records, filling out insurances, scheduling appointments, writing business letters, etc -- and a three page research paper. It was a miserable experience. Every time I thought I was finished, I discovered another "job" that had to be completed or a typo in a paper I thought was finished. And I had a limited time to complete it. And as I printed the final copies of all my work, Scout decided to entertain herself by attacking each paper as it came out of the printer, resulting in large holes, itty bitty teeth marks, and several re-prints. And the post office couldn't get there "overnight" even if I paid the "overnight" price. And I was late for work because it took so long to get it mailed. BUT I found out yesterday that, the paper was on time, I received a grade of 96, and my career diploma is complete! I am so glad it's over. There is more work to do to get certified and complete my degree, but the first step is finished. Yay!!!!

If ever there was a bad kitty.........

then here she is!

She has a talent spilling drinks, scratching unsuspecting people's feet, climbing on the curtains, attacking the printer, attacking Princess's tail, watching television, and staring at herself in the mirror. But, she's only a kitty! Maybe one day she will learn to behave. I have my doubts, though...........

My Old Kentucky Home

Last week, I rented Elizabethtown, a movie filmed in Elizabethtown, KY, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. I can't really recommend the movie -- not really great and language issues --but it sure made me miss Kentucky. I think that is the main reason I wanted to see it. I wanted to see KY again.

None of us were thrilled to move to KY ten years ago. I cried and Mama cried. This town was pretty much all we had ever known. And to this country girl, that big city in KY was HUGE. There were all the stores, restaurants, and tourist attractions that you could think of. There was too much for one place to have. The traffic was ridiculous and never could you go anywhere without hearing a siren. When we made our visits back home, we would all breathe a sigh of relief at the slower pace, the ease of small town life.

Well, ten years changes things. I don't know for sure where I consider home anymore. When I lived in KY, I considered this place home. Now, when people ask me where I'm from, I automatically say KY. People could never understand my Southern drawl in KY. Now people here can't understand me. And I miss KY. The country was so beautiful. Rolling green hills, thoroughbred horse pastures, blooming Bradford pear trees in the spring, scarlet leaves in the fall, snow and ice in the winter. Watching the movie, I recognized the KY river bridge I drove over a hundred times at least, the rocky cliffs along I-64, the wildflowers, and the brilliant green foliage. The land here is so flat. I had never even noticed it before. There is nothing but fields and a few small grocery stores. Nothing to do. No stores. Buying a pair of shoes involves a 100 mile round trip drive. The same three restaurants over and over. I miss the big city, with all the traffic and the fast pace.

I miss the gorgeous parks.....

The stone fences...........

the sunsets............

even the snow and icicles.

Ten years in KY, and I didn't get to see half the things I wanted to see or visit the places I wanted to. It isn't likely that I'll go back anytime soon, if ever. But that place I hated so bad in the beginning became a second home to me. Those ten years almost seem like a dream now. I am right back where I started ten years ago, older, hopefully wiser, but still in the same little town. And the tables have turned. Now I wish I could see the rolling green hills and bumper-to-bumper traffic of KY. And I cried a little watching Elizabethtown.