Once Upon A Time

I work part-time, or used to, in a great store that carries everything you want and very little of what you need, like: furniture, gifts, flowers, candles, soap, jewelry, etc. It's a wonderful store to buy a gift for whomever...hostess, birthday, teacher, baby ...you get the idea. Well, bad times have finally hit east Cobb. The hatchet has come down on those of us who are part-timers. Even the full-timers have taken a hit. Most of us have worked together for several years and we've become good friends. Worried that our friendships might just fly away, we schedule dinners to keep us together and in-touch with each other's lives.

Sunday evening was our first dinner after the HATCHET. One of the girls bought a poem she had written and I thought it would be fun to put it in this post. So here it is.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful place.

It was the kind of place that most all who visited got caught up in the pace!

It had so many wonderful things to see, like candles and clothes,

and little rings for your toes!

Things to sit on and light your space,

nearly everything to suit your taste!

On most days, things were okay...but on other days,

the bad spirits got in the way.

You see, there were secrets near the back that spread like wildfire,

and in recent times, it seemed quite dire!

Without the beautiful and talented princesses, nothing could be found,

but, listen carefully...whispers of, "Oh stop Tom, put that box down!"

Many years showed promise. Hopes and dreams got high, and then...

the mean and ugly queen poked them in the eye!

But even when the end was near,

the princesses held each other dear!

As you can tell from this poem, we are a great support for each other. I told them at our Christmas dinner how much their encouragement meant to me when I would bring in a picture that I had just taken or a card that I made. Just hearing their "oohs" and "aahs" gave me the motivation to do more.

.

So now we wait for spring. Soon there will be parties (hostess gifts), Mother's Day (jewelry), Teacher Appreciation (candles and soap...we don't sell wine), weddings (dinnerware and silver), Easter (trinkets for the baskets) and on and on. Before you know it, we will be back behind the counter ringing up hundred dollar sales, making boxes and pouchets, giving "expert" advise, and stuffing our mouths with untold amounts of junk food. It's just around the corner... I'm sure of it.

If It's October 2nd, It's Barbara's Birthday

Birthdays have always been a pretty big deal in my group of friends, and this one is no exception. Barbara and I have been really, really good friends for a hundred years, okay more like forty-five. But that's a long time. We met in junior high, continued our friendship through high school, then college, working at the beach in the summers, and, finally, moving to Atlanta. Of course, we weren't alone in this journey. Penny and Mary were also along for the ride. I'm not going to get into the details, and there are many. Just suffice it to say that our friendships have continued to grow and strengthen through the years.

This is a picture of Barbara that we had to submit in order to be extras in the movie, We Are Marshall. As usual, we were in a rush, so there wasn't much time for touch-ups. I took this shot of her in my closet with my small camera. As you can tell, she needed no touch-ups. Her blue eyes are lookin' pretty good. Pretty good lighting, don't you think?

Each spring the four of us go to Mary's condo at Hilton Head. We look so forward to it because we just go on the beach and relax. Not that our lives are as hectic as they used to be, but it's great to just sit and talk. Here's a shot of Barbara at a Hilton Head restaurant. I cropped everyone else because...well, because it's Barbara's birthday and this is all about her!

Last May instead of going to Hilton Head, we went to New York City. Here is a shot of the four of us in our hotel room after spending the afternoon walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and shopping at a mecca called Canal Street. Wonder where Barbara bought those shirts. Barbara is pictured on the far left.

I took this shot of Barbara on the subway going to Brooklyn. She was such a good sport to pose after such a long day.

So, here's what I know about Barbara (in no special order):

• she's a great listener
  
• she's always supports her friends


• she can never sit still


• she's a wonderful mother of two boys


• she likes to make dinner for people, really, she likes to do it


• she loves to take long walks (last year she did the 3-Day Walk)


• she's a loving wife


• she loves to entertain, especially around the holidays


• she is an eternal optimist


• she's a Christian


• she likes to decorate and does a great job


• she thinks before she speaks...always


• she's very, very, patient


• and finally, she's a great friend
  

Happy Birthday, my friend.

O.K., I just had to include this photo of us on the set of We Are Marshall, taken in downtown Atlanta. Now that's funny.

Love,

Nancy