Southern Belle Pepper

When I reflect on my childhood growing up in the south, one of the things I remember is wanting to move to the big ole city and get out of the south. My sister and I would play pretend, and we would be high society city girls living in apartments downtown. We would imagine we were corporate giants who drove fast cars and lived glamorous lives with tall dark and handsome men. As I grew older and graduated high school the urge to spread my wings grew stronger and I moved out shortly after beginning college and discovered a few things they don't tell you when you play pretend. During my time here in "Bahston" I have reflected on life lessons learned and how different things are when you get out in the "bright lights, big city". Feel free to chime in on any discoveries of your own.

First and foremost, big city apartments cost money. A lot of money. No problem right? Get that big paying job at that fabulous corporate mass money maker! NOT!! Then I discovered that the big corporate job is not nearly all it's cracked up to be. In order to get to a higher level position where you're not a peon pushing paper you have to have a college education, AND (and this is the thing I struggled with the most) you kind of have to suck up to some not nice people. Well, I was working on the college thing. Three part time jobs, full time school, hey a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. The thing I figured out real quick though was that the corporate schmorparate mess just really wasn't my thing. I simply wasn't happy. I didn't like working in an office! Well that threw a kink in my plans. I would eventually find that the thing that made me happiest went right back to my good ole southern roots, helping people out. For as long as I can remember my mom and dad have been helping people out in one way or another and people have been helping them out. In the words of Merlin the magician "that's what makes the world go round". Over and over again I found that was what made my world go round. Fortunately I could do that and pay that big city apartment rent, but after a while I found myself wanting to get out of the city and get a house. I had discovered during all of my lessons life teaches you that the tall dark and handsome men that lead glamorous lives often aren't what they are cracked up to be and the kind, loving guy next door can sweep you off your feet and make you wonder why you ever wanted that hot shot in the first place.

Now I live in a little house in the suburbs, not a big city condo, I work in a hospital helping other people, I'm married to the nice guy, and I couldn't be happier. I find myself falling in love with the south all over again and I've discovered that sometimes the best thing in the world is what we had in the first place and the grass is truly no greener on the other side. Surrounding yourself with family and friends and helping others out has become the legacy I would like to leave to my daughter with hopes that it would bring her happiness as it has me.

Boston is such a beautiful city with beautiful architecture and history, but when I see the willow trees in the park my heart longs for southern soil. The boston cream pie is divine, and the "chowdah" is truly wonderful, but after three days of boston fare my cravings lean more towards greens and cornbread or at least a giant glass of southern iced tea. I have seen such beautiful sites and enjoyed some wonderful people here but the thing that has stood out to me the most is that somewhere in this thing called life when I was running so hard to get away from the south I stopped running and my feet dug themselves in deep. Roots set down and grew themselves in far and wide and I never saw it happening. Now in another state on the east coast I am reminded again how much I love my home and the life that God somehow guided me to despite my insistent plans. Somehow he knew what I needed best and through everything he brought me right where I needed to be.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Tomorrow is a big step for me. I will be leaving my daughter for the first time since she was born for more than a night. I know right? I sound like a sap. Poor thing can't leave her baby, but you know what? I kinda like her. She's sweet, she makes me laugh, and there is nothing better than her smile and laugh. Everyone needs a Lillian in their life to make them feel better, and I have got to feel like the luckiest person in the world to have her!

About a year ago I took the position of being Pediatric ENT Coordinator for the Batson OR. It's been a fun ride and I have learned so much since I started working with this service. This year things worked out that the ENT Department was able to invite some staff to the SOHN Conference in Boston, MA (SOHN is Society of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck..see now you know why they say SOHN, I'm not even sure if I spelled it right). I'm super stoked to be included because I haven't been to a national conference and I've never been to Boston, but boy is this going to be tough leaving the little pepper.

So off I'll go, for four nights and five days (Yikes!!!). My mom is helping out and I know Jamie can handle it but keep me in your thoughts and prayers! I'm sure it will be harder on me than her but still...

Learnng to Trust

In my life I have been all over the board as far as my faith and my beliefs are concerned, but as I get older I find my faith solidifying to more of a solid tangible thing that I can grab on to and hold fast. I have become more comfortable in what I believe is true and real and I have accepted that different doesn't mean wrong, it's just different.

This past week has been a tough one for me because in many ways I've given all I can and am having to trust that since I've given all I've got that God will pick up and take it the rest of the way. It's funny to say that because a couple of years ago I don't know that I would have been able to say that I "trust" that God will take it the rest of the way but I was reminded again today of why my faith has grown to the point it has while I visited with my in laws. We were sitting on the couch talking about the "air issues" we've been having lately and as we were talking we reflected back on some of the things we went through when we were in college and just getting started as a couple. Jamie and I lived in family housing on campus during the first year of our marriage. When we moved into our apartment we had a couch, a bed, some pots and pans, and a tv from Jamie's dorm room. We lived in a 400 sq foot apartment and were both in school full time while working. I can remember working so hard to get through school and to pass boards and how excited we were in that little bitty apartment. Even then God watched out for us and guided us to the next step. Then when we returned to Jackson and started our lives here, from job to job, miscarriages, and other life hurdles somehow God has had his hand in there guiding us to where we need to be. As I sit and look at my family today and the love that is there between us, as I hold my daughter (our personal gift from God), as I talk to Jamie's mother (yet another gift brought back to our life), and as I cherish my parents in their new role as grandparents (the best nana and poppy in the world) I know that God will take care of the rest. I don't know how. We can' understand how he works. Somehow though, it will happen. Step by step, day by day I am learning to trust. Learning that though things may not go my way and certainly may not happen on my timeline, God is in control and in that I can rest.

Roasted Peppers

Well it's hot and steamy here at the Pepper household! I'm not sure why this is but it seems just when I think I'm starting to get my little ducks in a row something comes along and just mixes them all up again. Case in point. Mr Pepper and I have been avidly trying to keep our finances in check as of late and do all the things that good frugal people do, such as eating at home, not splurging on big expences, paying more than the minimum on credit cards, etc. only for my mother to call me today and inform me that it is 85 degrees in my house and climbing. Yup, you got it, my air was officially on the fritz. Now why oh why when I'm trying to be smart about money do things like this have to happen? I was just starting to get excited about the fact that we were making some headway and this mean old bully came and stomped on my sandcastle. Now we've got to fork out an obscene amount of money to replace the WHOLE UNIT. Can I just tell you, we do not have obscene amounts of money just hiding around our place? The Pepper Patch is a humble abode and while we make ends meet we don't stash loads of cash in the attic (although after this something that costs loads of cash will be in the attic so I guess that could change things, huh?), so this was not good news for us. Fortunately one of my ever so wonderful and helpful coworkers got us in touch with a nice company in Brandon that has put in a temp unit until we can order one and they are working with us on the cost. So we're slowly cooling down here in the Pepper house and hopefully when we go to bed we'll be at more of a simmer than a boil. Guess it'll all work out in the end, but if you see me working the corner this weekend, know it's for a good cause. I gotta pay for the air conditioning!!!!

Turning over a new leaf......again

So I'm blogging.......again. LOL. It seems that what works for me is to blog a few times and then wait about nine months and do it again. However I feel like starting up again and giving it a good hearted effort so why not. Isn't that what life is about, constantly trying to improve and do better? If at first you don't succeed, try try again. So here's for starting over.