This, That, and the Other

Dear Friends,    August just seemed to fly by this year.   Usually it is our hottest month --but this Summer hasn't been bad --compared to most!!!!! So what has Betsy been up to this past month?

You know that the first week is my Birthday Week ---and you also know, by reading my blog posts this month,   that we took a wonderful trip to Mt. Pisgah that week.   Then ---the past two weeks,  I have been showing off some of our pretty Day Lilies and Roses.  Since we've had a milder month with more rain than usual,   our flowers have really put on a show.

SO---what else?   I decided to show you some of the things which you may not have seen.  It's a 'hodgepodge' post ---but I hope you enjoy it....

Every year, for my birthday,  George makes a new CD for my collection.   This is the CD Cover for this year's collection.   He fills the CD's with all kinds of LOVE songs...   So special!!!

Son Mark gave me this wonderful prayer for my birthday;   Made this happy Mama Cry!!!! I'll share the words with you.

A PRAYER for My MOM
"Dear God,  I gratefully thank you for giving me my Mom.  You must really love me 'cause you gave the best you had.  Watch over her and bless her, Lord,  and keep her in your care.   And may she feel my love for her, is my humble, heartfelt prayer."

Is that just the most special gift I could have ever gotten from one of my sons?  Wow!

Some of the gorgeous sights we enjoyed photographing while on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina

A trip to Mt. Pisgah always includes a visit to the BILTMORE  House and Gardens in Asheville,  NC.   This time we enjoyed a fantastic presentation  by CHIHULY...   Believe it or not--  this is all made out of GLASS!!!!   Amazing!!

Another birthday gift---this one from my wonderful hubby.  He took this picture with his iPhone in May when I first met my Great Granddaughter....   I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture....

Speaking of my Great Granddaughter,  Little Vivi was SEVEN months old  when this picture was taken in August.  Isn't she just precious?  

Another beautiful picture taken in the Smokies---from Newfound Gap in Tennessee;   I love the wildflowers.

We have a new 'baby'  in our family.... Meet  Mrs. P,  our new 2018 Prius.... This is our 3rd Mrs. P --but the first time we bought a NEW one.  The Metallic Gray color is so pretty also. Oh how we LOVE it.  

Grandson, Landon,  turned 23 on August 25;    We all met in Knoxville to have lunch and celebrate his birthday.   We also met  Rebecca,  Landon's girlfriend....  Great gal --and so pretty!

I love this picture of son Jeff,  daughter-in-law Dawn, their two children-- Landon and Avery,  and special friend,  Rebecca.

Son Mark  (and other son Bert) both had to work,  so they missed our 'party'....  BUT--we all visited Mark at his new place of business.  He loves loves loves his new job as a Bartender.  My "people-loving" son is in his element now.

Here's a picture of all of us after our delicious lunch.    It was a great 'family day'.

Finally,  here is a picture of George and me along the Blue Ridge Parkway  on 8/9/18...

Hope you enjoyed my August Happenings!!!!!!

Have an awesome week.

Hugs,

Emoticons

Birthday Trip to the PISGAH INN in North Carolina

Two people very happy to be here  (August 6-9, 2018)

Dear Friends,   It is hard to describe in words how much I (we) loved our little trip last week...In order to celebrate my 76th birthday,  my adorable husband,  George,   took me back to one of my favorite get-aways,  the Pisgah Inn --on the Blue Ridge Parkway,  about 25 miles southwest of Asheville,  NC.  This will be our 3rd visit here  --and we already have one scheduled for next year.

For four days,   we not only enjoyed just being at the Inn,  but we also enjoyed traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway,   doing a little hiking,  checking out waterfalls,   eating plenty of great food at the inn restaurant (including Blackberry Cobbler with Ice Cream;  Oink Oink!!!! ha),   driving across the Cherohala Skyway,  checking out the Newfound Gap area of our Smoky Mountains (on the way home)----AND   visiting  Biltmore where we enjoyed seeing the Chihuly Glass Sculptures...  I have so many pictures and so many possible blog posts...

BUT--today,  I'll begin by showing you a little from the PISGAH INN...  (If you want more information about the inn,  click HERE.)    If you are ever looking for a wonderful and peaceful place to visit  (especially in the summer --if you are looking for some cooler weather),  AND if you love being in the mountains--then this is the place for you!

Hope you enjoy the pictures.  First of all,  I'll tell you where we were!!!!!!   Sit back and enjoy!

Look careful below the arrow --and you'll see PISGAH INN!!!!!   Do you see us --way up there????  The elevation up there is about 5700 feet...   AND --it was so COOL  (in the 60's-70's)  for August which I loved!!!!!

I took these pictures with my long lens from another overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway!!!!   Now --you can see us a little better!

Another Overlook  along the parkway;   You can see us even better!!!  

AND ---here's one even closer!!!!   Our room was in the building you can see on the right.  We were on the top floor near  the middle.  There are at least 2 more buildings to the right of ours not visible in this picture.  

Our room was in this building  (Building 2)

The front of our building;  I took this picture from the front of our room late in the afternoon on August 6...  I love seeing the sun peaking through the trees.

The grounds at Pisgah Inn are so pretty...   (Glad the deer haven't eaten their Hosta)

Talk about peaceful!!!!  Get a cold drink (or some hot tea) --and sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous view!!!

Look at the mountain views we had from our room (balcony) ---or from the rocking chairs in the picture above.

We saw so many beautiful WILDFLOWERS this week.  I took this picture from our balcony!!

They recently built this terrific platform near the restaurant  --where people could sit or stand and enjoy the views.

Here's George doing what we both did all week---taking a picture!!!!  This was from our table in the restaurant  one cool morning.  NOTE that we wore our sweatshirts several times during the week, especially in the mornings!!!!! 

My photo of the view from the table at the restaurant that morning;   Isn't it amazing????

Our Balcony  ---as we were taking pictures of a beautiful SUNRISE;  We got up about 6:30 and enjoyed the sunrise all three mornings.

A Panorama of our SUNRISE  which I took with my iPhone on August 7, 2018

We enjoyed seeing the fog in the mountains below us...   This was taken one morning at sunrise...

Even though we couldn't see the SUNSET from our room ---we enjoyed seeing a beautiful sky as the sun set in the west.

A VERY VERY happy lady --just enjoying the views and glad to be there...

WELL my Friends,   I could go on and on and on  ---but this will give you a taste of beautiful Pisgah Inn...  We dodged the rain most all week --but never had much at all where we were...  Seeing rain all around us made for some beautiful pictures....    SO---be ready for some more another time!!!!

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful birthday wishes,  and for your thoughts about my health situation.   I had a wonderful week ---and even though I am now 'slower than Christmas',  we did do some hiking  and I did good!!!!   I have the most awesome husband in the entire world.   He is so helpful and so caring...   I am one lucky lucky woman.

Hugs,

Emoticons

Holy Moly---I made it to 76 --somehow!

Dear Friends,   WELL---even though the past year hasn't been so nice to me,  I did make it --to celebrate another birthday....  Many of you have asked about my A-Fib...  WELL--I started writing a post entitled  "Living with A-Fib"  --but just couldn't put words with it YET, especially positive words.

 One thing I know is that A-Fib affects each of us differently.  We are each on a separate journey dealing with our own heart problems.  For me, it has  been about 6 months now --and I will say that I am BETTER.  I am alive--and some days I feel pretty darn good.  Not GREAT --but Good!  Other days ---hmmmmmm,  not very good. The medicine side effects can be wicked at times, along with the rapid heartbeat (which can make me light-headed and/or weak and out-of-breath)..

SO---when I go back to my Cardiologist the end of the month,  my question to him will be: "Is this all you can do for me?   Is this it?  Is this the way I will have to live from now on???"   I hope and pray that my answer will be, "NO"....  I SO want to feel better and have a better quality of life.  I know that I should have many more years to live (saying that hopefully) and I want them to be healthy ones.  There's so much more out there for me to see and do!

For me,  one who has always been SO active and a big multi-tasker,   I find myself some days just not able to finish one task, and definitely not several.   That causes me stress and panic --which I do not need...  SO --you see!!!!  It's a never ending struggle.  Yet I know that my illness is minor --compared to those who are going through serious problems, such as cancer..

Keeping a positive attitude goes a long way when dealing with health problems.  I try so hard to stay positive --but there are some days that I truly am struggling, and am not very strong.   I am blessed and I thank God daily for the wonderful life I have.  I know that God will take of me,  even when I am weak.  God --and my wonderful husband and sons and you, my friends, are my ROCK now.

There are no guarantees for any of us to have long, healthy lives.  We just do the best we can --and live each day to its fullest...  I will continue to keep moving forward on this journey,  and never give up.

Hubby is taking me on a little trip,  so I am sure  I will have many photos to share soon!!!!  In the meantime,  I put together this collage showing a little more of my blessed life for all of these many years.    

Hope you enjoy!!!

Hugs from the little girl,  born August 5, 1942!!!

Emoticons