Mrs. G Goes to Town (Formerly called "People Suck, Pass the Wine")

 

I've learned in life that sometimes a girl just needs to go "to town". I grew up in the country, mostly. We would go to town and get everything from horse feed to new undies to groceries. We tried to do it all in one trip, because driving back and forth can get costly, even if you only live a few miles out.   I live in town now, but I still call going to run errands "going to town." That may just mean a quick trip to Dollar General or may mean driving 20-30 to the city with a Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby and/or liquor store. Often, I don't need anything more than some alone time. Sometimes I have a list. Usually, I come home with a story and I am seriously considering combining these stories into a humorous book. You see and hear the darnedest things and these things can't be made up. The following is from today's trip to town:


The Shoe Depot:

I don't care for this store and it is proof that I may be insane, because I keep going in there expecting different results. Every now and then I find something in there that I might probably buy. The problem is they never ask if you need help. And you do, because this is the type of store where each box just has one shoe and you have to ask them to go get the other one. Also, they only have out a few sizes of each style. There are signs everywhere that say there are additional sizes in the back, but I can never find a person to ask to go get them for me.


I was fully prepared to buy this pair of shoes that is almost exactly like the worn out pair I was already wearing, but...

Sally's Beauty:

I bought an eyebrow thingy and a foot scrubber dilly. These were the nicest girls today!  I could have just hung out with them if I hadn't had other things to do.

Wal-Mart:

Well. Where do I begin? Actually, today wasn't too bad. Except I saw people I knew and hadn't seen in a long time. I wasn't really prepared for a class / family reunion. Which, shame on me, I should have been, because it's the same way every dang time.

I did face a moral/social dilemma while I was there. What would you do if you saw a couple of boys in the 5-8 age range who had climbed up on a display of TVs and were preparing to jump off? Should you say something? Well, I think you should and the first few words were already leaving my mouth when their adult person rounded the corner and loudly threatened them with whatever. I wondered what she would have said to me if she'd showed up 30 seconds later after I had told them to get their little booties down. Would she have been thankful I'd saved her a trip to the ER and from paying for broken TVs or mad at me for daring to get on to her little darlings?



They were sitting up there on the top shelf! Geesh!!

One final thought on Wal-mart for this trip:

The word CROSSWALK is pretty self-explanatory. It is a designated area for you to WALK aCROSS safely and autos should yield the right of way. It is not called a Parenting Area, a Pause for PDA Zone, or a Stop and Dig in Purse for Keys Section!!! Grrr... Keep it moving, people!!

Dickey's Barbecue Pit: (this is where it gets good!)

When I "go to town" alone, my favorite stop is Dickey's. My favorite thing is Bangers & Mash. It is wonderful and they have super great tea. Today, probably my 217th time at the place, I went in and placed my usual order.  This is the conversation (words unspoken are in italics):

Dude: oh, hey. Didn't see you there!
Me: No problem, could I get Bangers and Mash to go, please?
Dude: Sure!
Teen Queen: Did you want cheese on that?
Me: Yeah, okay. Uh, what meat did he put on there?
Teen Queen: Brisket. Is that not what you ordered?
Me: No. I ordered Bangers and Mash that has sausage
Teen Queen: HEY! She says she ordered Bangers and Mash!
Dude: I know, that's what I made.
Teen Queen: She says it has sausage.
Dude: Nope, brisket is how I always make it. You can get any meat, but I always do it with brisket unless they ask.
Me: I order this all the time it's always sausage. That's why it's called Bangers!
Dude: Let me go ask. (comes back with older lady)
Woman: Hun, Bangers and Mash can come with any meat. Did you specifically ask for Sausage??
Me: I always get this it's always sausage.   (Later I wished I'd said: Uh, yeah...when I said BANGERS I specifically ordered sausage.Why don't you take a stroll out of this little town or pick up a book every now and then? ) 
Woman: No, you have to specifically say what kind of meat you want.
Me: (Calmly Smiling, Keeping Cool) then why don't y'all change the damn name to Meat and Mash???
Teen Queen: (calls out) Hey, fourth employee/manager-type, what's in bangers and mash?
Number 4: Spicy Sausage and potato casserole (without hesitation)
Dude & Woman: Whoa! Seriously?
Dude: (looking at me) Thanks for helping us clear that up!
Me:  No Problem  LIKE, YIKES, SCOOBY! I DIDN'T KNOW YOUR MENU WAS A MYSTERY! .




Seriously? BTW, I kept the wrong order which wasn't as good as the other might have been. AND I got free onion tanglers because of the mix up!

Liquor Store:

It's Domino Night, so I had to make a final stop. I am 45 years old and still kinda feel like I'm doing something bad every time I go in. I think I'm afraid I might bump into somebody from church. HAHA! Any-who, not much can go wrong at the liquor store if you aren't sensitive and just accept, as I have, that any time you ask for help, the "dumb-ass" at then end of the response is implied.

Do you have the little mini Fireballs?
Right over there, [sigh] dumb ass
or
This looks good. Do you mix it with something?
Most people mix with coke or sprite [sigh] dumb ass
or
Okay, Ill take two of these.
You just could get the bigger one for less,[sigh] dumb ass

Look lady, be nice to me. I've been "to town" I have a good reason to drink!!!

Heart of a Winner

Heart of a Winner

 

Where do you look to see who won when the game is finally through?

Do you look to the board at the end of the field where the lights shine 5 to 2?

 

Do you look to the stands to the cheering fans to see if they’re cheering loud?

Do you wait for the coach to give a high-five and tell you – you made him proud?

 

The place to look for the champion that always passes the test…

Is to close your eyes and look inside to see if you’ve done your best.

 

Because in the end it doesn’t matter whether you dropped or caught the ball.

The important thing when you look back is did you give it your all and all?

 

It’s true the game can be scary, but honestly, here is the thing…

Did you face your fear and move forward? You can’t hit the ball ‘til you swing!

 

Did you work hard and give your best effort? To winning there’s really no scheme.

Just learning the art of doing your part, and working to play as a team.

 

I know you’ve heard it before, it’s really just more of the same

It’s not win or lose that matters, its how you play the game!

 

So where do you look to see who won when the game is finally through?

Just look inside and know with pride the heart of a winner’s in you!

 

 

 

Routines & Ducks That TNKA

There is freedom in routine. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but knowing what I am doing and when frees my brain to do other things. For example, when my home is presentable, I don't stress that someone might drop by. If my clothes are planned the night before, I don't have to worry about what to wear in the morning.  It also gives me the power to say no to things that are good but are meant to be someone else's blessing, not mine. Routines make the ordinary stuff, well...ordinary. I feel calmer and more relaxed and in turn more creative and read to TNKA!

I have recently revamped my routine and shared it with a few people. The response is pretty much split between the "I'm not sure how we are friends" group and the "I absolutely love it!" group. I know for some (okay, most) people it appears to be waaaay over the top. Others embrace the concept. Either way you may be inspired or at least get a good laugh. I would like to note that this type of insanity is hereditary - my mother is worse! LOL I grew up with these lists posted on the bathroom mirror - so if you make fun of me then you are calling her out, too; and that "ain't cool"! Here is my new morning routine:

The basic morning plan. There is little room at the end of each activity in case something goes a little longer than I estimated. I am not stopping in the middle of dusting a table just because my timer went off!  

 

Each day is assigned a room or area where I spend the 15 minute cleaning time. This assignment was done pretty random. The first day I did it was a Tuesday and the bedroom had reached white trash levels of clutter. That was my method. Something else might work for you and I will probably tweak this in the future. Fifteen minutes may not seem like a long time, but you'd be surprised how much you can get done if you are prepared and have a plan of attack. I have a set of personal rules that if followed, make everything else go smoother.

 

 

I don't really like "rules", but I didn't know what else to call them. Anyway, these are more like goals than rules at this point. They do make life easier and healthier, though. A lot of these things came from www.flylady.com and from the book "Sidetracked Home Executive", by Pam Young & Peggy Jones. I have also been blessed to be surrounded by positive Mary Kay leaders for almost 2 decades. 

 

 

Don't know if that's true, but I do feel more on top of things. Not that my ducks are in a row, but maybe they've quit Kung Fu fighting for a little while!

I Never Thought I'd Be Ex-rated

Anyone who says divorce is taking the “easy way” out has never been divorced. I can assure you that there is nothing easy or simple about it. While there is somewhat less of a stigma associated with the severing of the marriage commitment in 2017 than there was 30-40 years ago, I feel that divorced people generally carry their own burden of self-loathing and doubt.  I know I did. Prior to leaving and after I was out of the situation I continually questioned myself. Did I try hard enough? What could I have done differently? What’s wrong with me and what did I do to make him fall out of love with me. I Googled: “How to save my Marriage.” I bought the book, The Love Dare, and made a good ways through. I watched “Fireproof”.” I prayed and cried and even went to couples counselling. Although, to be honest, by the time we made it to couples counselling my mind was pretty much made up and I mostly needed him to have a mental health care option when I left.

When we were dating, I feel like I was afraid of ending up alone due to past hurts and a low self-confidence that I forced something that never should have been because of impatience and fear. I don’t think many people go into a marriage wanting it to fail. Happily ever after is still the expectation. Even knowing there were issues I still believed it could be better. I am not a quitter and I hate to be wrong. I am very serious about my faith walk. According to the bible, there are only two acceptable reasons for divorce and even then, “God hates” it. This weighed on me heavily. Looking back at pictures of myself during that time, the weight was both literal and figurative (See Below). I finally had to come to a place where my tolerance for unhappiness outweighed my self-inflicted punishment for my unwillingness to wait on God earlier in life.
 

Girls Weekend 2014

Girls Weekend 2017

 Most of the time, the contrast of my current life and my former life brings me feelings of joy and gratitude. Other times I feel guilt for having it so good (this comes from the devil)…Still other times I feel a sense of grief for the part of my life that was spent unhappy and unsure. For example, I wish when my cell phone rings I didn’t still feel a panic about answering quick enough (There was never physical abuse, but there were control issues.) I hate that my parents who would be the greatest grandparents ever will never have their own grandkids. Then I remember that all of that got me where I am now, and I realize in spite of myself, I’ve found happiness. I believe I am with the person who I am supposed to be with. I don’t have to wonder if Derek loves me. I know it. And that has given me the freedom to start becoming a person I love. It sure wasn’t the easy road, but the destination is worth it!