Yearly Archives: 2014

06.29.14
by

Sunday Morning

Image

Sundays have been routine for me for many years — Get up, eat breakfast, shower, go to church, come home. Repeat week in, week out. When we went on vacation, especially in Miami with Mom’s parents, it was exactly the same. I love Plymouth Church – It’s so beautiful (See below if you don’t believe me).

 

Image

Image

As the years have passed, Sundays have changed. As a child and teen, it was always church and youth group, with helping Mom or Dad with things around the house in between.

As I settled in Farmville for my college years, I attempted to attend Farmville UMC a couple of times, as a freshman. However, it made me so homesick for Aldersgate, that I quickly abandoned that attempt by the middle of the semester.

Some things didn’t change in college – I still ate, showered, went out, and came home. Just in a different order. As those four years quickly slipped away, Sunday afternoons became occupied with movies, laundry, and getting ready for the week ahead. Sunday nights were filled with The Rotunda, WMLU, and Alpha Sigma Tau.

Now that I’m back home with Mom and Dad, it’s altered again. I don’t attend church every Sunday any more. It’s really nice to take this morning for me – I usually open up my laptop and put on a YouTube playlist or Pandora and then go around checking email, Facebook, and working on my homework (reading and Blackboard assignments). Once Mom and Dad get home, I’ll eat lunch with them and then see if there’s anything I can help with around the house (That certainly hasn’t changed). In the afternoon, I usually head out to run errands and then go be with Al, until I have to come home before 10:00. It’s not a curfew, that’s bedtime for me. 5:30 a.m. comes early, especially on Monday mornings!

What do you do on Sunday mornings?

I leave you with one of my favorite songs – aptly titled. Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are!

Craig Morgan – That’s What I Love About Sunday

“That’s what I love about Sunday:
Sing along as the choir sways;
Every verse of Amazin’ Grace,
An’ then we shake the Preacher’s hand.
Go home, into your blue jeans;
Have some chicken an’ some baked beans.
Pick a back yard football team,
Not do much of anything:
That’s what I love about Sunday. 

…

That’s what I love about Sunday:
Cat-napping on the porch swing;
You curled up next to me,
The smell of jasmine wakes us up.
Take a walk down a back road,
Tackle box and a cane pole;
Carve our names in that white oak,
steal a kiss as the sun fades,
That’s what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.”

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

 

06.26.14
by

Writing Prompt #2: “Self Portrait in Third Person”

I follow this wonderful website, Freckled Italian, religiously. I check it every single day, excited to see the newest post. Megan is a fellow writer and Longwood grad that I love. She is so sweet! Her post on June 25th was the inspiration for the following.

This is the postscript from Megan: This post is in response to the following prompt: “In the same way a painter does a portrait of a person, do a portrait in words…Do a self-portrait in the third person.” (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 214.)

I originally posted my response in the comment section. I read it over multiple times in the last two days, and each time I felt more confident that it needed to be shared here as well. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

She is jolted awake by her two cell phone alarms at 5:20 a.m. each morning. As she fumbles to press the right buttons/screen on her old LG and her new-ish work iPhone for another 10 minutes of sleep, she settles on her stomach and thinks about where she is thus far.

Laura Beth has recently moved back in with her parents to save as much money as possible, after being on her own in a cozy garage apartment for 10 months. She mulls over all the blessings in her life — Such a supportive family and a host of friends and sorority sisters that she treasures as an only child; a full-time job with multiple benefits such as a wonderful work family; the opportunity to work toward a paralegal degree. She knows that she only had a 50-50 shot at life when she entered this world 15 weeks too soon in 1988, and she is grateful for every breath.

She also knows that a wonderful man by the name of Al will likely ask her to marry him by year’s end, and thinking of that alone brings her utter joy and peace.

She studies herself before starting the water for her shower. Long legs like her namesake, great-grandma who lived to be 102; pale skin with a smattering of moles and freckles all over, and curves that she is finally loving and appreciating. She’s gained around 20 pounds since walking across the Longwood stage, Communication Studies degree in hand, a little over three years prior; but that doesn’t bother her anymore. She’s finally learned to be comfortable in her own skin. She is in complete control of her body.

As the sun starts to break through the clouds, she climbs into her Camry to make the 40-minute drive to Newport News. The commute is longer now, especially heading home, but she knows she’s making the drive for a good, stable job that will carry on into her future career endeavor. She knows that she is strong, independent, compassionate, with a touch of dramatic flair when she gets excited. No need for coffee or Starbucks – Her seemingly-endless amount of energy is fed with a whole-wheat bagel, vanilla yogurt, and water. At nearly 26 years old, Laura Beth is full of life and can’t wait to write the next chapter.

Happy Thursday! I’m really trying to get on a consistent blogging schedule, more than once or twice a month! Have a great day, and Go Team USA!!!

US_Flag_Backlit

Thursday-happy-dance

 

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.04.14
by

Ask Me What’s Now

I found a hot link to this article on Facebook earlier tonight. It rang true with me from the title: 26, unmarried, and childless.

Amanda, or Mandi Marie as her website shows, is basically my age. I’ll be 26 in August. I’m not married, and I definitely don’t have children.

I’ve felt many of this woman’s frustrations for quite a while now. And it deals almost exclusively with other people’s thoughts and opinions.

For example – There’s this lovely woman at my parents’ church who I’ve known for at least 20 years. I was talking with her after the service on Sunday and suddenly I saw her head dip down, like she was looking for something on the floor. My conversation trailed off and I asked, puzzled, “What are you looking for?”

Her head popped up as soon as I asked the question and she smiled ever so sweetly. “I was just checking your hand.”

And I quote from the article:

“I shouldn’t be overly concerned with what they’re saying. They’re only teasing or encouraging me with the next step in my life. It’s harmless! No one means anything by it, it’s just time for me to be heading in the same direction as my peers. It makes sense. I get it.

But it doesn’t feel very nice.”

BAM! Mandi Marie, you hit it right on the head. Thank you!

Case in point: Al and I, along with his parents, went to a lovely wedding on Saturday. Their neighbors’ daughter was getting married. The ceremony was beautiful and funny. The reception was elegant and sweet. However, there was one constant question during the five hours we were celebrating the newly married couple with their friends and family:

“Are you taking notes?”

It’s no secret that Al and I are planning to get married, eventually. On September 4th, we’ll celebrate four years together! Personally, I’m happy that we’re not engaged, or married, yet. It’s been a great 3 1/2 years so far! Plus, we’ve experienced a lot together already — Long-distance in the very beginning as I finished my senior year at Longwood, my job search as a new graduate, Al’s work stress, Al losing that job last fall, my desire for independence and leaving Chesapeake for Newport News … Then celebrating new jobs, my return to Chesapeake with the idea and burning desire to save money and prepare for our eventual future, and so much more. I could write a novel …

The other thing about us is we perfectly balance each other in terms of our emotions and the way we handle our feelings. I love that. Al is one of the most laid-back people that I have ever known – and it’s fantastic. When we first met, it was such a breath of fresh air for me, and it still is. However, I’ve never taken it for granted.

While he’s laid-back, I tend to be the complete opposite, 99 percent of the time. I’m going to use high-strung as a generalization.

Back to the Saturday wedding for a minute. We left the reception early, right after the cake was cut. Originally I was disappointed because I wanted to stay and dance for a little while, but my feet were screaming at me, begging for no more torture from my imitation-satin stilettos. I actually walked barefoot to the car!

Anyway, Al and I got in his Mustang and started the drive back to his house. Keep the laid-back vs. high-strung tendencies in your head for a second.

We were making small talk, and then suddenly the “taking notes” comment came up. I remember saying something to the effect of the comment didn’t really bother me; that I was pretty much desensitized to it at this point. Then Al spoke up and said that since the comment was brought up several times, it took a lot of the fun out of the celebration and he wasn’t happy about that at all.

It was very interesting to see how our tendencies were completely flip-flopped at that moment. A little scary, actually. However, it made me realize that we are not defined by our tendencies!

Back to the article – One sentence that set off cheers in my head: “I would like to suggest one thing, though: instead of asking me what’s next, ask me what’s now.”

Whats-next-banner

Most conversations that I have with people tend to start with asking me what’s now, but it always drifts to what’s next. And quickly – Like within five minutes, unless we’re discussing something like our jobs, our hobbies, their children and/or grandchildren, etc.

Unfortunately, I know that these “what’s next” questions definitely won’t stop. Once we get engaged, all the questions will be about the wedding. And once we get married, all the questions will be about where will we live and when are we going to have kids. Believe me, I have many, many friends who are either currently engaged and/or married, and they’ll back me up!

It would just be nice to carry on one full conversation about the now.

present-4

Thanks for listening!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

05.13.14
by

Writing Prompt #1: A Few of My Favorite Things

I want to pick up writing prompts again. Years ago, one of my dearest friends, Melissa, turned me onto “The Pocket Muse.” This little gem is a great resource for writers who may be suffering from the horrors of writer’s block, or just need something new to put pen to paper, or fingers to computer keys.

I’ve done a few of these lists through Facebook, but I wanted to expand upon a few of my favorite things. Besides, I thought it was time for a new blog post, anyway. Enjoy!

Favorite TV Show: Glee — I’ve been a “gleek” since the pilot aired five years ago. I own almost all of the soundtracks. I sobbed when the CNN Alert on my iPhone showed that Cory Monteith had died of an overdose last summer. I pre-ordered the very first soundtrack through a Facebook ad and was pleasantly thrilled that my “surprise gift” was an 11″ x 14″ poster of the cast, and signed! That poster, now framed, is one of my most treasured possessions.

Image

Favorite Cuisine: Italian — Hello, my name is Laura Beth, and I’m a pastaholic. I love Olive Garden’s fettuccine Alfredo. I frequent the Fazoli’s on Jefferson Avenue at least twice a month for lunch. There are several local restaurants in Newport News that also serve excellent Italian – Tuscany, Al Fresco, and Azzurri!

Image

Favorite Place to Eat: Applebee’s — They have such good food! I usually order something different every time.

Image

Favorite Dressing: Ranch — That obsession started with Mom giving me baby carrots (and celery, as shown below) as a kid.

Image

Favorite Time of Day: Evening — Especially in the spring and summer, when I can sit outside and listen to the crickets and frogs. Sunsets have been a big part of my life as well. As a photographer, I’ve tried to get better at shooting them better. Thanks to Al, I’ve also become more interested in night shooting. When we went out to his parents’ farm in early April, we took our cameras and attempted to get shots of the stars. I can’t wait to go back and visit – Their farm is located in one of the darkest places on the Eastern Seaboard! To view Al’s photography and videos, check out his website!

Image

Favorite Flower: Roses — It was really hard to pick just one. I’ve loved flowers for forever. But roses have a special meaning to me. Red roses are romantic. I was given purple roses once. And yellow roses are the flower of my beloved sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau.

Image

Favorite Pizza Toppings: Veggies! — I love supreme pizza. My favorite combo is peppers, mushrooms, black olives, and onions.

Image

Favorite Color: Purple — I’ve always liked purple. My parents let me paint my walls lavender when I switched bedrooms. I think it’s a romantic color. My go-to purse from thirty-one is purple. And the Longwood chapter of AST has purple as a local chapter color – Our old unity letters were emerald green, gold, and purple.

Image

Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump — Hands down. I remember watching this movie on TV for the first time, a few years after it came out in theaters. I love historical movies, so this movie is a great reflection of several important events. Since that first TV block, I’ve watched it pretty much every time it’s aired. Ironically, I currently don’t own a copy of it on DVD, but I think I can make that change.

Image

Favorite Vacation: Europe in the summer of 2005 — This was one of my best trips ever. I traveled with my high school classmates and teachers to England, France, and Spain over the course of 17 days. I had the opportunity to see all the great sights, to learn a lot of history, and put my Spanish studies to use. I learned a little bit of France, which was beneficial when I returned to Paris three years later! One of the best memories was that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the book, not the movie) was released on our last day in England. We were staying in London, so a bunch of us went to Waterstones (England’s equivalent of Barnes & Noble) for the midnight release. Because of this, I own the hardcover British edition of the book. As a bonus for attending the midnight release, we also received a copy of Lionboy, which is the first book in a great trilogy. In addition to London, we went through the Chunnel to Paris, explored Nice and Monaco, drove over the Pyrenees, and experienced Barcelona and Madrid before returning to the States.

Image

04.23.14
by

Book Review #2: “Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World”

Remember in my last post that I started a second book right after finishing “The Paris Wife?” Now the time has come to explain.

It all started with Al. He was hired, on a freelance basis, to work as a graphic designer for this Virginia Beach-based company – Empress World Publishing.

After Al’s first team meeting, the owner & CEO Sirrico Whitfield (a.k.a. Rico) gave him several of the books that they have published. You can read Rico’s bio here. One of them was a novel that Rico wrote called “Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World.”

Image

Let’s back up for a hot second. I’m a realist. I’ve never really been into fantasy, sci-fi, or horror. However, the description of Luna Morba reeled me in:

In Sirrico’s first young adult novel, Cameron Dewitt, who is fresh out of college, has the world at his feet. No longer chasing the love of his life that cheated on him, Cameron accepts a teaching job in Virginia in hopes that he can gain a fresh start at life. But when he stops at the I-55 North rest stop just across the Tennessee state line he doesn’t realize it will change his life forever. After a night full of events that he can scarcely remember, he wakes up in a local hospital, where he is told he was in a terrible car accident. The pieces will soon fall into place as Cameron meets Valena. He quickly learns that nothing could have prepared him for her. Their meeting will lead to Cameron being forced to choose between his past or embracing his future as he is thrown into a feud he has nothing to do with. An unexpected romance and unavoidable changes push him further into an unknown world where he learns many things about himself and his purpose in life.

Expect the unexpected as everything is not what it seems.

Al handed me the book and within minutes, I was hooked. Cameron’s character was as real as it got – and someone that I could relate to, in a way. I’ve never cheated, but I knew how it felt to graduate and start exploring an unknown world.

Long story short, I read through 7/8 of the book in just over two hours. It was so good! It was a great mix of tragedy and comedy. There’s a lot of love and loss, and plenty of plot twists.

As I mentioned in “The Paris Wife” review, I enjoy books best when I can see characters or scenes when I put the book down. “Luna Morba” went an extra step – Rico didn’t go overboard with physical descriptions/depictions of the characters – so it was surprisingly easy to picture the characters when I put the book down.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was so taken with this “supernatural thriller.” I look forward to reading more of Rico’s work – I hope he writes more novels!

I highly recommend this book – It has a little something for everyone!

5 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

04.19.14
by

Book Review #1: “The Paris Wife”

I love reading. It’s an escape for me. However, I’ve been so busy (and tired) recently that it’s been hard to keep a regular reading schedule.

One of the 14 goals I set for 2014 was to read 5 new books. I promised myself that after reading each book, I’d write a short book review for the blog.

In one weekend, I managed to finally finish the subject of this post, plus knock out 7/8 of my second book. That post will come later this week, I hope.

To the review!

I first heard about The Paris Wife at one of my PEO sisterhood meetings. For each meeting, there is some sort of program. One of our sisters, Kay, had read the book and decided to give a book review as a program. It was a fascinating review and I knew I wanted to read it. The cover is below.

Image

I never buy anything full-price anymore, so I decided to wait it out. The libraries I frequented either didn’t have a copy or they were always checked out with a waiting list.

Then last summer, through the magic of Facebook, a girl in Portsmouth was advertising some books for sale and I saw a copy in her pictures. She only wanted $10 for it, so I jumped on it. Nice hardcover copy, practically brand-new. Sold.

With setting my 14 goals, I started reading it around the beginning of January – A chapter here, three chapters there, and so on. I was only about 1/4 of the way through it as March ended. I was frustrated because it was a really good book so far, but life was getting in the way. I normally do a lot of my reading at night before I go to bed, but cable TV is so distracting!

Fortunately, the first weekend in April, Al and I had the opportunity to drive his dad’s Mustang convertible out to his parents’ newly-acquired property, about 3 hours due west of Chesapeake. I brought the book with me, on the off chance that I’d be able to sit in solitude and read.

I read about two chapters that Saturday. Finally, Sunday morning, Al’s parents drove us back to Chesapeake. It finally got quiet about an hour into the trip, so I took it out and went to town. I declared the book finished just before we got home, and it felt great!

The story is a novelization of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage. Her name is Hadley. Her character undergoes so many changes as she meet Ernest and embarks on a worldwide journey with him. It also gives a great image of Ernest himself, into his writing. They go from the U.S., to Paris, to Spain, to Toronto, and back to Paris in just a few years.

I’m a visual reader – That means, for me, a good book is when I can put it down and literally see the scenes in front of me, before reality sets back in. The author, Paula McLain, is so vividly visual with her writing. For example – There are several chapters set in Switzerland with the Alps as a stunning backdrop. While reading those, I felt like I had been transported across the Atlantic to their chalet. I could almost feel the sweater Hadley was wearing and the warmth of the fire, and hear the wind whip the snow across the mountainous landscape.

The other thing that made this book awesome was it was set primarily in Paris, along with several chapters occurring in Barcelona and Madrid. I’ve been to all three of those cities – So reading those passages took me back to 2005 and 2008. All those memories washed over me as I read.

I also love 20th century history, so it was really neat to see a novelization of these American expatriates who lived and wrote in Paris during the early 1900s. To name a few – Sherwood Anderson, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce.

McLain’s novel makes me want to read more of her work. She did an immaculate job of capturing history in the context of a novel. I only hope that if I ever write publish a historical novel one day that I researched as much as she did.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

04.03.14
by

Beautiful Birthdays

I’m starting a new series of posts. I want to highlight the birthdays of special people in my life, with the goal of publishing each post on the person’s actual birthday 🙂

Image

I’m kicking off the series with not one, but TWO people who were born on April 3rd!

April’s birthstone is the Diamond. The Zodiac signs are Aries (March 21 – April 19) and Taurus (April 20 – May 20).

Today, these two share a birthday with writer Washington Irving, actress Jan Stirling, astronaut Virgil Grissom, Jane Goodall, President Obama, Eddie Murphy, Alec Baldwin, skier Picabo Street, and Amanda Bynes, to name a few.

 

First and foremost, is the man who loved me first – my Daddy!

Image

Can you guess when and where this picture may have been taken? 😉

My dad’s the best. He’s been a major role model for me. Here’s 10 of the best things about him:

1. We have an awesome relationship. He’s always made me feel loved and appreciated. He’s definitely taught me hard lessons, but every minute has been worth it. The title of this blog comes from him – He started calling me “Hot Shot” forever ago. We have no idea how it started, but it’s stuck and I love it. It’s our nickname, so to speak.

2. I can call him at any time. He’s always willing to listen and offer non-emotional advice to me, even if I’m having a meltdown at 12:30 a.m.

3. Dad made me consider (stressing the word consider) the military as a career. I’m so proud to have been a Coast Guard brat.

4. Dad taught me how to do handy things – I watched him change the oil in our station wagon for the first time when I was in elementary school and that’s what started it all. I now change the oil in my Camry like clockwork, I know how to change a tire on a car and a truck, I’m decent at driving a stick, etc. And it’s not limited to just cars – I know how to change window screens, clean gutters, build a proper fire, use a chainsaw and a ton of other power tools, paint a room, and even a little bit of plumbing.

5. Dad is mission-oriented. I have seen him give so much time and effort to both local and international organizations for over 20 years. When we joined our Methodist Church in 1992, that’s one of the first things he got involved with, and he’s never left. Everything from feeding the homeless, to wrapping Christmas gifts for kids that have incarcerated parents, to blood drives, to mission trips; it never ends.

6.  Dad has an awesome talent for music. Growing up, he dabbled in the trumpet, drums, percussion. He was in the high school marching band and I’m sure he did something musical at the USCGA. Now, he’s been one of four men in the church handbell choir for the last 15 years and loves it!

7. Dad was my inspiration to start volunteering at blood drives and start giving blood. This is one of our shared passions. First, he gave blood for me when I was born at 25 weeks – That’ll be 26 years in a few months. He’s kept a folded piece of paper in his wallet that lists the date and location of every blood donations he’s given, and that’s been since the early 70s! Fast forward to the late 90s – Dad saw a need for a blood drive and thought our church could fill it. One of our church members had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1999 and we held a joint blood / bone marrow drive for her. That was in April 2000. We went from two drives in 2000 to our clockwork drives – The second Saturday of every even-numbered month (six times per year). We’ll celebrate our 14th anniversary drive in about a week – April 12th – and we are closing in on reaching 5,000 total units collected. We average around 55-60 units per drive, so we hope to celebrate 5,000 in June or August 🙂

8. Dad’s an amazing husband to my mom. They’ve been married for 32 years!

9. Dad was my savior when it came to math (until college, anyway – I was on my own for Honors Statistics). Mom was all thumbs after I got to middle school. Plus, being an engineer by trade certainly doesn’t hurt in this department. Some of my funniest memories were when we did my homework over multiple lines of communication. Example – He had to move to Florida for a work contract when I was in 7th grade; he was gone for almost 10 months. When I brought home my Pre-Algebra work, I’d finish it to the best of my ability, scan it, and email it to him. He’d review it, and then fax it back to me at home with any corrections (or suggestions as he likes to say). One of us would call the other and we’d discuss it until everything seemed right in the math world! We repeated this process when I was in high school Geometry and he was on the West Coast for work for a couple of months. It was certainly interesting!

10. Dad was / is a great role model for keeping me active. It started in the pool. He took me water-skiing when I was 6. We rode bikes all over the neighborhood with my mom. When I started rollerblading, he and Mom would ride their bikes and when I started to slow down, he’d throw me a tow rope and he’d pull me all the way home at breakneck speed. I played rec soccer for 7 years, so there were lots of pick-up games in the backyard. I played rec softball for one season, but Dad worked with me for a couple years before that to help condition me. We played catch in New York’s Central Park. When we flew to Florida to visit my grandparents, we packed a bat, gloves, and this crazy contraption of a softball on a fiberglass pole that tremendously improved my hitting. You get the picture. Dad also learned to ride a unicycle years ago – and we still have it in the garage.

I love you, Dad!

 

The second amazing person is Michaela Leigh D’Angelo!

Image

This is her and her sweet doggie!

10 fun facts:

1. She has an older sister, Karen. Karen’s a year older than I am and Michaela Leigh is two years younger than me, so we’re tight. We three have been friends for literally forever – This is what happens when your moms are literal best friends that met through teaching 30+ years ago!

2. She’s an assistant at a local marina. It all started with an opportunity to sail on a couple’s yacht a couple summers ago. Apparently you can’t take the boat out of her now.

3. She loves dogs – particularly dachshunds. Her family had sweet Sadie for almost 15 years until recently. But she has Ruby now and she’s just precious!

4. She’s gone back and forth between her first name and middle name. For years, it was Michaela. For a couple more years, it was Leigh. I’m starting to abbreviate to ML now 🙂

5. She studied French language and literature in college. I’m almost certain she’s fluent too. I would call her a linguist!

6. She studied abroad in France. I was so jealous of her the entire time she was overseas!

7. She dressed up as Rosie the Riveter one year for Halloween – That’s awesome. To this day, that still is one of the most BAMF costumes that I have ever seen.

8. Her makeup is always perfect, and she’s known for her signature red lipstick.

9. She and Karen both have had the most beautiful long hair (Karen’s kept it short for a long time, but ML’s left it long and it’s awesome!). Again, I’m jealous – My hair gets weird if it grows past a certain length. But their hair – On point.

10. She learned the cello early on and was amazing at it!

 

Well, there you go. First birthday post. I don’t think that I’ll do 10 fun facts every time, but I’ll learn as I do more of these. Many more to come!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.31.14
by

Hello, Spring!

Spring officially arrived on March 20th … but here in southeastern Virginia and many other parts of the U.S.A., it certainly hasn’t felt like it!

I don’t really have a favorite season. I like all four, for different reasons:

Winter

winter-landscape-tofuhaus-com-791851

The picture above says it all. I love snow and the way it touches the landscape. I love the cold breeze and when I can see my breath. I like being bundled up in warm fleece and scarves … when the calendar says it’s supposed to be winter, anyway. See below.

However, this winter has been a major exception. I don’t like all the wishy-washy, Mother Nature can’t make up her freaking mind, mood swinging changes in temperatures. Some people (like my mom) say that they love living here in SE VA because we get all four seasons. Yeah, right. We get a few minutes of spring and fall every year (maybe), then the rest of the year is all summer and winter.

“You can’t get too much winter in the winter.” ~Robert Frost

Spring

river of flowers

If I had to pick a favorite season, I’d choose spring. I love seeing the new life sprouting from the ground and the trees. One of the best things about living in SE VA is that there are so many trees and parks and places with nature. I love that I can hear birds singing almost every morning.

Don’t believe me? Check out the links below (but I highly recommend visiting in person!)

Norfolk Botanical Garden – Norfolk

Portsmouth City Park – Portsmouth

Oak Grove Lake Park – Chesapeake

Sandy Bottom Nature Park – Hampton

Noland Trail and Mariners’ Museum Park – Newport News

False Cape State Park – Virginia Beach

First Landing State Park – Virginia Beach

Chippokes Plantation State Park – Surry

And there’s beaches and rivers, too.

Also, this spring I signed up with the Hidenwood Presbyterian Church co-ed softball team. I’m so excited to get started – We’ve been practicing for a week already, and our first game is a week away from today. Play ball!

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!'” ~Robin Williams

Summer

summer

Summer is a love-hate season for me. Summer to me means freedom – Freedom from school, freedom to travel, freedom from clothing (to an extent). However, in SE VA, it just gets terribly hot and humid. And quickly. And for a long time. It depends on the year, but usually it starts to get hot and miserable sometime in May and lasts clear to the end of September. Blech!

However, with summer comes some of my best memories. My birthday is in the beginning of August.

The annual church mission trip to North Carolina happens every July – I started going in high school and this summer will be my eighth trip. Carolina Cross Connection is a great group!

Several years ago, my friend Liz’s parents bought a beach house in Corolla. Until then, I had never traveled to the OBX, outside of trips to Kitty Hawk and a family friend’s beach house in Southern Shores. The Easterbrooks’ sunny yellow house holds amazing memories for me. Talk about freedom!

Even better, summer was the season that Al and I met. We watched “Inglorious Bastards” with his brother Nick the night before I left Chesapeake for my senior year at Longwood, and I knew that night that I wanted both of them to be in my life somehow until the end. The first two weeks of school were filled with texts, Facebook, and Skype. I brought Nick’s girlfriend at the time (a new Longwood freshman) home for Labor Day weekend, and Al and I decided that we’d go out to dinner at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on September 4th … Well, the rest is history.

“Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams.” ~Hosea Ballou

Fall

fall leaves

Like winter, the picture above says it all. The fall represents gorgeous colors as the trees prepare for winter. I have fond memories of helping rake the leaves in my parents’ backyard and then jumping in them for hours with the neighborhood kids. My dad and Mr. Porter from across the street usually put a big blue tarp down before we started, and then they’d drag us around the yard with the leaves. So much fun.

One of my fondest memories of fall was a youth group camping trip to Sherando Lake when I was a sophomore in high school. It was stunning scenery, much like the picture above. I experienced my first canoe flip in the lake (not the best moment; the senior boys flipped us! Jerks!) That was also the trip when I discovered my first high-school crush … Sigh.

Fall also means apples and bonfires. I have never gone apple-picking, but that’s on my to-do list. Plus, I want to make an apple pie from scratch one day!

“By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer.”  ~Helen Hunt Jackson

So, there you go. My thoughts on the four seasons.

Needless to say, after the long, miserable winter I’ve experienced for the last several months, I’m stoked for days of sunshine and those days that I can put my windows down and feel the breeze when I drive. Bring it on!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.17.14
by

Quarterly Review

Seeing that the first quarter of the year is almost over (already – I swear every single year gets faster and faster), I want to do a bit of a review.

As 2013 came to a close, I started thinking about the New Year. In the past, I made New Year’s Resolutions, but like 99.9 percent 0f all humans, I never followed through.

However, inspiration struck. I decided on 14 things for 2014.

2014

I took a cardboard box top and proceeded to write my 14 goals in multi-colored Sharpies.

1. Balance checkbook every month

2. Complete the 52-week savings challenge

3. Donate to Goodwill once a month

4. Find & make 14 new recipes

5. Finish 2012 novel

6. Finish 2013 novel

7. Invest in pastel painting / artwork

8. Map routes in neighborhood to walk / run / rollerblade

9. Read at least 5 new books

10. Reduce screen time

11. Take a Medical Terminology class

12. Take iron pill every day

13. Walk 20 minutes during lunch

14. Yoga

—————————————————————-

1. Quarterly Review (QR): Work in progress. This has never been my favorite thing to do, but I know how important it is.

2. QR: So far, so good. I’ll admit, I have to write it down in my little black book (a.k.a. planner) every week; otherwise I have to go into my online banking and combine several forgotten weeks together on one Friday. However, I have been faithful since week 1. By year’s end, I will have added approximately $1,378 to my savings account! Want to know more? Check out the form that I’m using this year.

3. QR: So far, so good. This is one of the goals where I’ve actually managed to go above and beyond in these three months – I have also donated to several people in need, to a charity yard sale benefiting Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, and I’m constantly on the lookout for local charities / thrift stores in my area.

4. QR: So far, so good. I have really enjoyed this goal, especially since Al and I have a standing Tuesday night date night at my apartment. I have around an 80/20 split so far in terms of successes. Most of the screw-ups have been desserts that really needed a mixer, but Al ended up being my strong man with long-lasting arm power. Fortunately, Al’s mom was sweet enough to buy me a Hamilton Beach mixer, so problem solved! Favorites so far: Chicken Alfredo lasagna roll-ups; Oreo cheesecake cookies; and my first crack at homemade pizza last week!

5. QR: Haven’t started.

6. QR: Haven’t started.

7. QR: Work in progress. Al took me to one of the best art supply stores in the 757 – Jerry’s Artarama in Virginia Beach. I’m talking an art student’s mecca. By “investing,” I mean to invest in creating again. I loved my Visual Arts class in high school – I focused on pastel painting then and I want to get back into it. The next big project to tackle for the pastel work is finding / making a table that is large enough that I can create. In addition, I am starting a side business of crafting custom wreaths as wedding gifts – Stay tuned on that one.

8. QR: Work in progress. The weather’s been so unbelievably snotty, it’s been mostly a lost cause. Plus, I need to invest in a new helmet and wrist guards before I strap on the rollerblades. Side note – I did sign up for the Hidenwood Presbyterian Church’s newly-forming co-ed softball team; games start April 7th. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I played softball for the Western Branch Little League for one season – 8th grade in the spring of 2003 – and I never forgot it.

9. QR: Work in progress. I have several of the intended books on my headboard shelf, but I’m still working my way through book #1. I intend to post book reviews to the blog once I finish reading each selection.

10. QR: Work in progress. I was diagnosed with computer eye strain several years ago, so much so that I can’t wear my contact lenses at work. I definitely want to complete a social-media-free weekend soon and blog about that. Want to know what a social-media-free weekend is all about? Check out Nikki’s reflection.

11. QR: Work in progress. I full intend to complete this goal during the summer session of classes at TCC.

12. QR: Work in progress. I was diagnosed with anemia in college. I try to give blood at my home church – Aldersgate UMC – every eight weeks, and I have to take iron supplements to meet the hemoglobin requirement. Interested in learning more about blood donation? Check out the American Red Cross. Every 2 seconds, someone needs blood. Every blood donation can save as many as 3 lives. 

13. QR: Work in progress. See #8 – The weather has been ridiculous thus far. I will say, however, that my music on my iPhone has been great motivation. Frozen soundtrack and Taylor Swift for the win.

14. QR: Haven’t started. And I have no excuse, now that my DVD player has been successfully tested. I need to buck up, block off some time in my planner, and connect with the yogi I found at OneLife Fitness last year.

—————————————————————————————————————-

Look for three more reviews in June, September, and December.

Do you have any goals for 2014?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.13.14
by

One Month Later

A month ago tonight, I was still traumatized.

I had gone from being euphoric to being absolutely terrified. I had survived sliding off Route 460 in the beginning of a nasty snowstorm. I wasn’t hurt and my car didn’t have a scratch.

As I sit here on my futon in my warm, cozy apartment, I listen to the wind and rain outside as another cold front pushes through the 757.

Although I was stranded for a day and half and out around $315 for the tow and the hotel room, it could have been a whole lot worse.

I’m counting my blessings tonight.

I have a much greater respect for the weather and the power of a vehicle. I am far more cautious now when I plan any drive in my car. I always check the weather and plan accordingly. No drive or trip is worth my life.

All of this happened for a reason. I know, without a doubt, that God and my guardian angels were by my side on that cold, miserable Wednesday. And I will never forget it.

I’ve been impacted by this experience forever. I occasionally shudder at the memories of that day, but I keep putting it into perspective.

  1. I wasn’t physically hurt.
  2. I did not damage my car.
  3. I didn’t hit anyone else or cause injury.
  4. I had everything I needed for my hotel stay because of careful planning.
  5. I had the resources available to afford the tow and the room.
  6. I had loving, caring friends and family who supported me through the ordeal.

And for all of that, I’m grateful.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂