Carmen's Blog of Useless Facts...

Off to the races...

2009-09-08T19:19:00.005-04:00

This labor day weekend was one of the most random, but also one of the most fun of my life, besides the fact that my husband was sick and crabby all weekend (he was crabby mostly because of what happened at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, not because he was sick...) This may be a really, really long college football season at the Copeland household!

I was at the Atlanta Motor Speedway by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. I was so blessed to be asked by my good friend Chris to sing with the incredibly talented Journey Church band in conjunction with RaceWay Ministries on the Sunday morning of race weekend. I've had a few opportunities to sing with them in the past, and it's always so much fun! After some sounds issues, we got down to the business of leading worship for people from all over the country.

Our set list was:

Happy Day by Tim Hughes

Your Love by Chrystina Fincher (this was the one I sang)

Mighty to Save by Hillsong United

Beautiful Jesus by Kristian Stanfill

Grace is Enough by Chris Tomlin

I sang harmony with Chris and sang on "Your Love" which is now my new favorite song! The youtube video doesn't do it justice.

My observations from the track:

1. Wow is the Atlanta Motor Speedway HUGE. I had no idea the magnitude of this thing. I got lost trying to find the tent where we were playing.

2.This is one of the few places where the line to the bathroom is shorter for women than men.
3. Those are some REAL women who camp out all weekend and get ready in the bathroom at the race track.
4. Having a "big tent revival" at a race track is really fun!
5. Race fans are very courteous after they've been up all night when you "warm up" at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday!

I really enjoyed our "big tent revival." I hope I can get more opportunities to do things like this. More on this great weekend later.

If I had a million dollars...

2009-09-01T21:50:00.003-04:00

I have a confession. When the mega millions lottery hit $350 million last week, four of us in my building went in together and bought 40 tickets. We had high hopes too. And I think we won $3. Great return on our investment, huh?

Anyway,I'm reminded of one of my all time favorite songs, "If I had a million dollars" by The Barenaked Ladies. In case you've never experienced this song, I'm kind enough to share. :)

Some of the great lyrics:

"if I had a millions dollars
we wouldn't have to walk to the store...
if I had a million dollars
we'd take a limousine cause it costs more!"

or how about:
"if I had a million dollars
I'd buy you a monkey
(I bet you always wanted a monkey!)"

I just love that song. Anyway, the lottery got me thinking about what I would do if I had that kind of money. Would I hoard it? Would I blow through it? Give it away?

I know one thing, after visiting Savannah this weekend (pictures coming soon), I could definitely live there. There's something magical about that city. But, if I was going to live there, I'd want to live in one of the big mansions on one of the squares, hence the "if I had a million dollars.." thought process.

Anyway, what would you do "if you had a million dollars?"

August 31, the day that will live in infamy...

2009-08-31T18:09:00.003-04:00

Maybe I was a bit extreme in my post title, but August 31st is a special day. Especially in the Copeland family. Let me tell you a story, not quite a fairy tale, but perhaps it will end up like one.

You see, 41 years ago on August 31, a young couple named Buddy and Linda decided to tie the knot. It also happened to be the bride's 23rd birthday.

Then 3 years later, on August 31st, their first was born, a son they named Scott. Scott lived a rather nomad life (hmmm, am I sensing a pattern here?) and finally settled down at the ripe old age of 31. He married a lovely girl named Carmen on his 31st birthday which fell on, you guessed it, August 31st. And they've continued to live a nomad life in the seven years they've been married. Who knows where they will be when they celebrate their 8th anniversary?

But hopefully they will live happily ever after.

Happy Birthday and Anniversary to Scott!

Boston Before and After

2009-08-26T22:05:00.012-04:00

I know you have been highly anticipating the before and after pics of Megan's apartment in Boston. Here was the breakdown of our trip: I drove from Macon to a Park and Fly in Atlanta, who promptly took me to ground transportation...where I hopped on a Groome van to Chattanooga. Once I reached Chattanooga, I hopped in the car with Mom (we were driving Megan's futon and other "valuables") and we proceeded to drive 7 hours to northern Virginia. Whew. What a day. Then we were up and on the road by 7:30 a.m. and drove the rest of the way to Boston...reaching our destination at around 4:30 p.m. Thank goodness for GPS! We spent the next few days shopping and putting furniture together and getting her organized. Then, Sunday morning, Megan drove us to the airport where I was flying home on a standby ticket provided by my awesome flight attendant brother-in-law. I was able to catch the first flight AND fly business class!

Back to Boson...Megan is living in a VERY large Victorian house. This house has four apartments in it... and hers (with 4 other people) is the top two floors...which means we had to bring all this stuff up three flights of stairs to get to her apartment AND then another flight to the attic where her room is. There are 5 bedrooms, a large kitchen, sunroom/dining room and family room in her apartment and the house has 3 other apartments in it! It was HUGE! Anyway, here is the house (please excuse these pictures...I took them with my point and shoot... I wasn't trying to be creative, just documentative.)

the "before" shot of Megan's room.

Several "After" shots... her desk area...she used two tables from IKEA (one for sewing and one for computer)

The chair area. I banged my head on this ceiling!

Megan and I put together this futon chair.

It folds out to a twin bed! Go visit her, she has an extra bed!

I know I will...

Megan with her bookshelves from IKEA.

Mom and I put these together. They contain all her cameras,

bins full of clothing, scraps of fabric and all her little priceless

knick knacks. If you know Megan, then you know she has LOTS of these.

The futon...her sofa/bed... it folds out to a queen size bed.

Surprisingly comfortable!

We had so much fun even though we didn't sightsee at all.

I'm so glad I was able to spend that time with my sister and mother.

Bye from the Road!

Long walks with dogs that pull...

2009-08-23T19:56:00.004-04:00

I see so many bloggers out there with endorsements and recommendations. Well, about the only things I feel comfortable recommending are home improvement items and various pet items. One of the few exercises that I love to do is walk our dogs. It's actually quite funny- I exercise so irregularly that all I have to do is pull out socks and tennis shoes and the dogs go nuts with excitement because they know we are going for a walk. We have two dogs: a beautiful, albeit crazy beagle

named Alexandra (Lexie) and a labrador/sharpei mix named Anastasia (Anna). The lab/sharpei mix (or "flabrador" as we have affectionately dubbed her) is 67 lbs of solid muscle (well, with a lot of extra skin built in.) She is STRONG and when we walk Scott is usually in charge of her because she pulls so badly. Let's just say that she usually is the one taking us for a walk. With Scott gone it's virtually impossible for me to take both of the dogs for a walk at the same time. Well, not anymore! We bought a Control Ease Head Collar and it works wonders! Basically it's a collar that fits around the dogs snout and the leash hooks to it. When they try to pull it snaps their mouth shut and their head down...it basically forces them to walk calmly and not pull on the leash. And it's a pretty instantaneous training tool. I highly recommend it! The only downside is that she looks like the is wearing a muzzle (as you see in the picture above) and some may view her as a vicious dog, which is totally not!

So today I was able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take the dogs on an extra long walk by the river. The picture above is of Anna collapsed on our cold tile after the long walk. She was tuckered out. And so is her mommy.

Does anyone else do this?

2009-08-16T19:38:00.006-04:00

My mom and I just got back from Boston, where we did not sightsee at all. We drove up there, loaded with my sister's priceless treasures and junk (no offense, Megan!) and helped her get unloaded, unpacked, and organized. We spent lots of time at Home Depot, IKEA and even more time putting furniture together sweating in her non-airconditioned attic apartment. I'll get to all that, including the adventure of getting there and before and after photos, in another post. I'm just too tired to download photos right now.

Because we drove up there (16+ hours!) I wanted to get a good book that would keep my interest. I'm reading Anna Karenina right now, but I didn't want to bring it because 1) it's in 19th century language and sometimes hard to follow and 2) it's super thick and we were flying back... had to pack light. So, therein lay my dilemna. Scott and I are shoppers of all the local Friends of the Library sales, and I had a bunch of books to choose from. I chose a recently purchased (for $3) autographed copy of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt, because (hopefully) we will be traveling to Savannah for our upcoming anniversary. Other than the fact that it was set in Savannah, I had no idea what the book was about. This book is considered a non-fiction book, although parts of it have been fictionalized. It tells the tale of a murder committed by a prominent citizen of Savannah and the drama, gossip, rumors (and truth) that surrounded it and the subsequent trials. The book also weaves in many colorful and eccentric characters of Savannah and their stories. Warning: this book is not for the faint of heart- some of these characters are VERY colorful. :)

I become obsessed with books and stories like this... after I'm finished I do tons of research on the subject/characters, and in this case real people. Now I'm ready to go on a specialized tour about the book and movie when we are in Savannah (although I think I'm about a decade too late!)

Does anyone else do this?

I guess another reason why I found this book so interesting is because tourism skyrocketed in Savannah because of this book and movie. Hotel/motel tax funds soared, the Savannah Economic Development Authority presented the author an award and the mayor created a "John Berendt Day" in Savannah. Now, if only we could get these kinds of results in Jones County, GA (although without any murders!)

I'm starting to get offended...

2009-08-10T19:33:00.003-04:00

It's been a year, and I'm starting to get offended that no one wants to buy my house. It's a pretty house, right?

Not that I'm fishing for compliments or anything... :)

You see, when we moved to Macon, everything fell into place. Scott was losing his job in Franklin, TN (outside of Nashville) due to church troubles and we were looking into other options, including him leaving the ministry. Then, out of the blue, the worship pastor at a large church in Macon, GA called and asked him about taking a job that Scott never even applied for. I remember saying "Macon, GA- isn't that in the middle of nowhere?" (no offense, Maconites.) It was what you would call a "lightbulb" moment- you know, the kind of moment you pray for. For God to make His will obvious. And we put our house on the market- and it sold- IN THREE WEEKS. I applied for ONE job in Macon, and I got the job even before I had officially left TVA. My last day at TVA was literally on the last day of the fiscal year of my fifth year. Therefore I got my full bonus for being there for a complete year AND I was fully vested with my 401K and pension. Nice bonus, huh?

So it's hard not to question things when you feel like you are doing God's will, but nothing seems to be falling into place. And I know, the economy is BAD. It's the worst housing market in decades, etc, etc, but God can sell a house if He wants to. He's God.

In a lot of ways, this has been great year. Scott is loving working at the church in Lawrenceville. I've gotten to fill in at the Chamber/Development Authority as Interim Executive Director, and have been able to prove to MYSELF that I can do the job... a definite confidence booster. But that job is coming to a close - my replacement starts Monday. Ok, God, I'm ready. Something has got to give soon. Your will be done.

(disclaimer: These are the views of the author on this particular day. Normally she is a ray of sunshine- a downright pollyanna, some would say. She apologizes for any distraught or misery she caused with the writing of this post. )

Bargain hunting...

2009-08-09T16:25:00.005-04:00

WARNING: Completely superficial and meaningless post ahead...

I have three loves when it comes to retail shopping. First, I love bargain shopping, particularly for "designer" brands. Second, I love shopping for denim jeans. I wear jeans ALL year round, on casual Fridays, to church, etc. I love any excuse to wear jeans. And thirdly, I love expensive purses. It's a vice. Don't you judge me.

Anyway, I especially love it when two of these loves collide, as was the case yesterday. I was at Marshalls browsing through the misses clearance racks. We went there originally to buy some undershirts for Scott- but I just HAD to look at the clearance racks. Again, don't you judge me.

So what to my wandering eyes should appear, but some 7 for all mankind jeans, on clearance FOR $29- IN MY SIZE. Now, if you don't know, this brand of denim runs in the $200 range (even the original Marshalls price was $99.) I've always wanted a pair, but never could justify spending that much. I ran off to the fitting rooms as fast as my longish legs would take me and tried those bad boys on. And they fit!

A smart woman would have turned around and sold those jeans on ebay for $75-80, but I thought, "this is a once in a lifetime occurance and I'm going to enjoy it."

It's amazing what a little retail therapy will do for your spirits. So what "bargains" have you guys gotten lately? I know in this economy there are lots to be had!

Happy Birthday...

2009-08-06T15:50:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to wish a happy birthday to my kidney...it is 58 years old today. So, I guess you figured out that it's my mother's birthday as well.

Happy Birthday to my mom and BOTH her kidneys!

She said, "I think I'll go to Boston..."

2009-08-04T23:23:00.005-04:00

This post is dedicated to my dear little sister, Megan, who leaves for Boston whenever her car gets repaired. If you remember this post, Megan applied for and was accepted at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) for graduate school in photography. As you can imagine, we are all SO proud and excited for her. The emotions are also running high, I can assure you. Many a tear has been shed, and many more will as we all embark on this journey together. Since Megan does not listen to "Pop" music and had no idea what I was singing when I began singing Augustana's "Boston" to her on the phone tonight, I thought I would share (along with some lyrics that I have adjusted to fit Megan's situation!)

Enjoy! (and let me say that it HURTS me to see all those perfectly good pianos out at sea!)

Chorus from "Boston" by Augustana (with my changes in italics...)

She said I think I'll go to Boston...
I think I'll start a new life,
I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name, (except Kevin, of course)
I'll get out of ~~California~~, Chattanooga, I'm tired of the weather (not really, I kind of like the south!),
I think I'll get a lover (I hope not!) and fly em out to Spain (although Spain sounds pretty nice, especially in the winter)...
I think I'll go to Boston,
I think that I'm just tired
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind (but hopefully I'll be back!)...
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset (well, as much of one as you get in Tennessee),
I hear it's nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice (SOME snow being the key word... )oh yeah,

We love you, Megan! Show those yanks how to take some photos!

Anyone else jealous?

2009-08-02T20:02:00.003-04:00

Many of the schools in Georgia are going back to school this week. We had our tax free weekend this past weekend, where anything "back to school" related is tax free. I went shopping and saw many a child being forced to try on clothes, looking none to happy about it.

The thing is, I'm JEALOUS of these kids. I loved school. I was good at it. I loved getting bright and shiny new binders, organizing my subjects by tab, sharpening my #2 pencils, making book covers...and coming up with the "perfect" first day of school outfit.

Scott and I have had this conversation many times. We were both really good at school. It was something we had complete control over. Every good grade was a direct reflection of hard work, every bad one was a result of our own lack of preparation (for the most part.)

A lot of these kids can't wait to grow up and be through with school. They don't realize the carefree existence they live. With the real world comes responsibility: mortgages, bosses, car insurance, budgeting, the daily grind of 8-5, the worry of losing your job, trying to sell your home in the worst housing marketing in recent history (maybe that's just me!) the list goes on and on.

And while I know I wouldn't really go back, it is nice to ponder the good ole days where my job was to learn as much as I could and where seemingly my biggest problem was when my mother-prepared lunch contained the wrong kind of potato chips. And I'm always quick to tell kids..."Cherish these times...enjoy every day and don't try to grow up too quickly."

Back to life, back to reality...

2009-07-26T16:26:00.006-04:00

I've spent much of the last two weeks on Jekyll Island, GA. First, for a week of vacation with my family, and second, for a conference for the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

The first week, my family and I spent on the beach side of Jekyll in a wonderful house right on the beach. It was wonderful to just spend time reading, eating and laying on the beach (under a tent of course.) We spent lots of time as a family walking on the beach, working puzzles, watching movies, and of course, eating. It was a wonderful vacation. Here are some pics...

Megan and Maddie goofing off at one of the "cottages"

Angel Oak in the historic district

Christ Church on St.Simon's Island

The family at dinner- we had a low country boil- YUM (the blog format cuts Megan off, click to see her!)

MamaCile

Me at dinner

Last week I spent three days at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel on the Intercoastal Waterway side of the island in the historic district. If you don't know the history of Jekyll Island, it was originally a "millionaires club" from 1887-1944. The wealthiest Americans such as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Pulitzers, Morgans,etc, would spend the winters on Jekyll at their "clubhouse" (now the hotel.) They also built "cottages" a.k.a mansions around the clubhouse. It is a really neat experience to walk around the historic district amongst the cottages and angel oak trees covered with spanish moss and imagine yourself at the turn on the 20th Century. As my mom said, "I think I was born in the wrong time period and the wrong socio-economic status." I agree completely. If you ever get a chance to stay at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, take it. It's like a Disney resort in the fact that every detail has been thought out and the customer service is amazing. It's different than a Disney resort because it's REAL. This place has real history and it oozes from every nook and cranny. I would highly recommend it.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel pics

Croquet court at Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Anyway, it's back to life... back to reality. It was nice pretending for a few days..

Now Time for VACATION...

2009-07-10T22:44:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow this group is going on vacation to Jekyll Island, Georgia.

We've been on a schedule of going on "big" vacations every other year and then beaching it on the off years. Well, we've gone off our schedule and are beaching it two years in a row.

You see, in my opinion, there's a difference between vacations and traveling. While going to Great Britain and Italy are amazing adventures, they tend to leave you exhausted (not to mention, BROKE.) And, after much discussion, we decided we all just needed a vacation this year. It's been a hard year, and I just need to chill (cook) on the beach, read and eat delicious food cooked up by my chef father.

So, onto vacation...

Speaking of Staycations...

2009-07-08T20:35:00.006-04:00

Social networking sites are taking the world AND the marketing world by storm. It's another great tool to connect with customers and get your message out. I recently stumbled across the Explore Georgia facebook page and I became a "fan." Now, I get recent news and events about tourism happenings in Georgia. Guess what was on there today?

An article in USA Today about the new "Allman Brothers Band Museum " set to open soon in Macon.

With all the new things to do, I may just be a "Ramblin' woMAN." (I know, super cheesy play on words.)

Staycation

2009-07-06T20:01:00.006-04:00

With the economy down and family budgets tight, tourism officials have to be creative. Since I am in the tourism, I'm always researching and paying attention to what is happening in the industry. Recently, I have come across the term "Staycation." Meaning, it's summer vacation time and you may not have the money to "go" anywhere...why don't you look around your hometown or community and re-discover it?

Scott and I are staying in Georgia for vacation next week (Jekyll Island), but we are always discovering new and unique things to do in our local community. We've walked on the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail (river walk), visited the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds

view from top of the Indian Mound in Macon

and visited numerous nearby state parks and wildlife refuges, including High Falls State Park, Indian Springs State Park, Dauset Trails and Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge.

At High Falls State Park with Scott's family.

What do you guys do on your "Staycations?" Are you guys finding creative ways to save money AND have fun in your community? Please share!

I'm numb...

2009-06-29T17:41:00.002-04:00

Literally. One half of my face is completely numb. I just got a cavity filled. That's what I get for not going to the dentist for 2.5 years. But I sure am grateful for dental insurance! Thank you Brookwood for providing for us!

Wow. Two posts in two days. It must be my loyal readers' lucky day. :) Here are some pics from my recent trip to Brasstown Valley for a conference. It was my first attempt at shooting waterfalls with a slow shutter speed. Probably not as sharp as they could be, but I didn't have a tripod (why is it that you always need a tripod when it's most inconvenient to use one- like on a hiking trip?) Enjoy!

(by the way, you can click on any of the pictures and it will take you to my flickr page- sometimes my pictures get cut off with my blog format.)

New roof and new pics...

2009-06-28T20:17:00.004-04:00

We've had an exciting week over here. After some feedback after a home inspection, we decided to bite the bullet and put a new roof on the home. I think it looks pretty good, don't you? It's amazing how much money you can spend in one day. And those poor roofers, working in triple digits in Macon, GA...

In other news, here are some pictures from the last several weeks. First some home photos...

Basil from my garden

Hydrangeas from my garden

Dogs at the dog park...

In other news, I have lots of friends that are living in cities that are rated the "Best places to live" (i.e. Huntsville, AL, Auburn, AL) Well, Macon was recently selected as having the BEST tasting water in America. So there.

Crazy pills...

2009-06-20T18:57:00.008-04:00

Does this look like the face of a crazy dog?

Probably not to you, but this little dog has some demons living inside her. They tend to rear their ugly heads when a) the neighbors are shooting their guns (yes, we live in middle Georgia) b) Scott is on the lawn mower c) we go to the dog park d) when we leave her and she doesn't want to be left. She will shake, drool, pant and run on doors or generally try to escape from where she is. She has some serious "separation anxiety."

First of all, we've been dealing with a lot of crazy scenarios lately. LONG story, but hopefully we can update you on what's going on in our lives soon. Well, we've been noticing that Anna (our lab mix) has been gaining weight, been more aggressive/moody and her hair has been falling out. I told Scott that I felt like she was insecure because he's been gone so much and she's basically his dog. Being a concerned owner, Scott self-diagnosed her online with a thyroid problem. We decided to take her to the vet and we brought Lexie with us (because we are afraid of what she will do to the house if we leave her alone-she's that crazy and destructive.)

Scott obviously should have been a vet because he was right about Anna's diagnosis. Now she is on a thyroid medicine AND some supplemental fatty acids. We love our dogs. :) While at the vet, I decided to ask her about Lexie and her separation anxiety. Did you know they make anti-anxiety pills for dogs? I didn't! The vet gave us a month's supply of Reconcile, a separation anxiety drug for dogs. The funniest part was when the vet brought us the literature for the drug and there's a sad looking beagle on the front next to a chewed up rug and torn up door. We laughed with the vet and said that most of our doors look just like that!

I'm excited to see what the results will be with Lexie! And with all the stuff going on with us, I may have to sneak a couple of those chewable, beef-flavored pills for myself.

Two things...

2009-06-16T10:18:00.005-04:00

I just need to use this blog as a venue to vent right now. There are two things that I want to share.

First: It really stinks to be in a buyer's market right now (when you are selling a house, of course).

Second: I really, really need a vacation. July 11 cannot come soon enough.

Jekyll Island here we come!

Laid back kitty...

2009-06-03T21:36:00.004-04:00

So we've been showing the house a lot more lately...the market is really picking up (at least in Macon..) Here's how a typical house showing goes:

1) I get a phone call from a real estate agent or ours asking if they can show my house at a certain time

2) I rush home from work to do a quick clean of the house

3) I load ALL the animals up in my car and go for a "joyride" while the potential buyers look at the house

Luckily I have a gate in the back of my car that separates me from the dogs. It's funny, the dogs have really become conditioned to this life. As soon as I run through the house with room spray, they run to the garage door knowing full well that I'm about to let them in my car! (They also go nuts when I put on tennis shoes- it means they are going for a walk. Scott makes fun of me for this because this is the only time I put on my tennis shoes!) Dogs are so perceptive...

Anyway, lately we've added another element to the mix: Rasputin, the new kitty. I have been taking him with me on these joyrides because I'm afraid he'll get outside during the showing.

Here's a picture of my laid back kitty just chilling with me in the front seat this afternoon. How many cats would do this?

I thought I would share a snapshot from one of my crazy days!

One Day You Will...

2009-05-31T21:39:00.004-04:00

Today at church, Scott and I sang this great song by Lady Antebellum, an up and coming country group. The song is called "One day you will"... a great song about dealing with and overcoming adversity. Since this was our last Sunday in a series on Job, it seemed like an appropriate song. I thought I would share it with you guys...some of you could use a "pick me up" I'm sure.

One Day You Will...Lady Antebellum

You feel like you're falling backwards
Like you're slippin' through the cracks
Like no one would even notice
If you left this town and never came back
You walk outside and all you see is rain
You look inside and all you feel is pain
And you can't see it now

[Chorus]
But down the road the sun is shining
In every cloud there's a silver lining
Just keep holding on (just keep holding on)
And every heartache makes you stronger
But it won't be much longer
You'll find love, you'll find peace
And the you you're meant to be
I know right now that's not the way you feel
But one day you will

You wake up every morning and ask yourself
What am I doing here anyway
With the weight of all those disappointments
Whispering in your ear
You're just barely hanging by a thread
You wanna scream but you're down to your last breath
And you don't know it yet

[Repeat Chorus]

Find the strength to rise above
You will
Find just what you're made of, you're made of

[Repeat Chorus]
One day you will
Oh one day you will

I hope you enjoy. By the way, I give Lady Antebellum 5 stars in the Carmen rating system. Every song on their album is amazing. Get a copy!

The joy of animals...

2009-05-24T21:23:00.004-04:00

It has been a bad year for the Ledbetters/Copelands in terms of animals. First, my childhood dog, Belle (a beautiful golden retriever named for Belle from Beauty and the Beast) got to the point where my parents had to decide to put her down. Then my cat, Gorbachev, was killed by a coyote in my back yard. A couple of weeks ago, the dog that my sister and I adopted from a sorority sister at Auburn also had to be put to sleep. Gracie was a mutt in all sense of the word, but it was if she KNEW she was given a second chance at life and she never gave us or my parents a moment's trouble. She was only 9 years old, but we think she had cancer.

My sister Megan called me on Saturday and told me that my parents had put our childhood cat, Mada, to sleep that morning. Mada was given to my sister on her 15th birthday (June 10, 1995) by her boyfriend, Adam (Mada is Adam spelled backward.) Mada quickly established herself as my mother's cat. Whenever my mom sat down, Mada was in her lap, contentedly purring. She brought my mother (and all of us) much joy throughout the years. She was 14 years old and was in full kidney failure. (side note: I'm sure glad they don't put people down when they are in full kidney failure!) :)

After Gracie died, my mother and I were commiserating on the phone and tearfully my mom says, "Why do we put ourselves through this?" At the time, I couldn't agree with her more. I had just lost Gorby and was grieving him and Gracie. But the thought of life without domestic animals doesn't appeal to me. When I've had a horrible day at work with humans, I know that my animal family will love me unconditionally and cheer me up. There's nothing like being the greeted at the door by slobbering tongues and wagging tales... they always bring a smile to my face. With all the problems that animals bring,(i.e. immobility, unclean house, "accidents", vet bills, and short lives to name a few) they also bring a pure and simple joy. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I mean, how could you not love these faces:

Long live pets!

The big 3-1...

2009-05-18T21:56:00.005-04:00

So today is my 31st birthday. And I have to say, it's been a little anti-climatic. How could it go anywhere but down after the week and a half I've had...

Last weekend (mother's day weekend) I left from a conference to drive to Chattanooga for what I thought was a weekend to celebrate Mother's Day. Scott met me up there and everything seemed pretty normal- that is until my mother says "hey, we are going to dinner tonight..." (which should have been a clue- why go out when your father is a gourmet chef?- we NEVER eat out at my parent's house...)

So we leave my house and mom says she needs to drop something my her best friend's new lake house and she wants to show it to me. We head down to their house, and when I walk in there's my little sister, saying "surprise, we are going to have a birthday cookout for you here!" Then they proceed to show me around the house... in every room a different couple pops out: first Alison and Garet (friends from college), then Joy and Alex (friends from college and work) and then Gina (friend from LIFE.) It had all been orchestrated by Scott for months to get me and my best girlfriends together. We cooked out and just talked all night. It was so nice to just relax with old friends in a great atmosphere... check out Joy's post about it here.

Click on the photo...it cut Garet off!

This past weekend we spent time with friends, saw Angels and Demons, went to dinner at Grits Cafe and adopted a new cat! Meet Rasputin (nicknames to be determined, but probably Raz)

He's the new addition to the Copeland household and he's fitting in perfectly! What a great birthday week!

Spring in Macon

2009-05-03T21:27:00.005-04:00

I've posted about this before , but there are few places in the world that are more beautiful than Macon, GA in springtime. Now, Macon's Springs usually begin in early, early March and ends in April - then the oppressive summers hit. This year, however, we've actually had a spring and it's been wonderful (minus the pollen, of course.)

Here are some images from our spring... First: POLLEN

Next, Cherry Blossoms from the cherry blossom capital of the world!

Next, scenes from the Copeland home.

For the rest of my "Springtime in Macon" pics, see my new set on flickr

Seven Pounds

2009-04-26T20:37:00.005-04:00

Scott and I didn't know what to do with ourselves this weekend. We've spent the last couple of weekends working in the yard and various other house projects. We have an open house (hopefully) NEXT sunday, so I'm sure we'll spend next weekend getting ready for that.

Anyway, we rented two movies and I loved both of them. Friday night we watched "Slumdog Millionare". I was a little wary of it because I don't usually like the movies that are "hyped" during Oscar season, but this one was worth a watch. Very inspirational and had a little bit of a "kharma" feel to it. My advice: Watch it with subtitles. Even though they speak English throughout, it can be hard to understand them.

Next we watched "Seven Pounds." This movie was recommended to me, and now I understand why. It goes perfectly with all my organ donation/organ transplantation topics. That's all I will give away. :) As Scott put it, "that movie really makes you think." Definitely worth a watch. Will Smith is amazing as usual. My advice : pay attention! It's confusing at first, but all comes together in the end.

In other news, I'm in LOVE with a health food/protein bar. I usually hate them and would rather eat dirt than these products that my husband lives on. He's always trying to get me to eat healthier and try these "healthy" protein bars. We both eat on the run a lot, he just makes much healthier choices than I do. :) If you are like me, you may like the Kashi ROLL protein/fiber bars. Try the Oatmeal Walnut. YUM. I had one for dinner tonight.

That's my random post for the week. Has anyone seen these movies? What did you think? If you watch them because I recommended them, let me know what you think. :)

Controversial Subject

2009-04-20T20:24:00.007-04:00

The topic of organ donation and transplantion is shrouded in controversy. I thought I would touch on a few of these topics over the next few blog posts. And I hope to do it as objectively as I can considering my situation and my feelings about organ donation.

There is a lot of discussion in the "transplant" community about the supply and demand issues with organ donation. The demand obviously outpaces supply and it always will with the current system. There are lots of people smarter than me out there trying to figure out new and innovative ways to deal with this grower problem. Presumed Consent, while a controversial subject, is one of these options to help with the growing need for more organs.

Presumed Consent is an "opt-out" model for organ donations, rather than the United States' current voluntary "opt-in" (Informed Consent) system (meaning you'd automatically be enrolled as an organ donor unless you specifically decided to opt-out.) Presumed Consent changes the nature of the consumer’s decision. It’s harder for consumers to actively choose not to help others in need than to passively let the opportunity to help slip by.

Presumed Consent for organ donations already exists in nine countries, including Austria, France, Spain, Sweden, and Italy (and is being considered in several others, including Great Britain.) In the “soft” opt-out system used by Spain and France, among others, you’re considered a donor unless you’ve instructed otherwise, but your family can refuse to allow the organ donation when you die. In the “hard” opt-out version, which exists in Austria, your family cannot say no. Several States in the United States are actually considering legislation to create an "opt-out" system.

It’s not likely that America would buy into to a “hard” opt-out system. If a Presumed Consent bill passed, it would probably allow a deceased’s family to veto organ donations. And there would also be plenty of safeguards so that no one would accidentally become a donor through sheer oversight.

A 2005 study published in Transplant International looked at 10 countries with either Presumed or Informed Consent for organ donations, and concluded that opt-out doesn’t necessarily guarantee higher donation rates. Other studies suggest that health education expenditures, death rates from accidents, and process and logistical issues may play a greater role.

Still, something needs to be done to boost the number of organs available. According to The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, some 98,000 people in the US are on waiting lists for organs (including about 74,000 for kidneys, 16,000 for livers, and 2,700 for hearts). It’s estimated that every 18 minutes, a patient dies for lack of an available organ.
Educating the public about the importance of organ donation may be the most reasonable approach.

I am a lucky one- someone didn't have to die for me to receive an organ transplant. But I do know what it's like to receive a life-changing transplant. These are people who (in most cases) did nothing to deserve the hand they've been dealt. And they want to be productive members of society. I don't know that presumed consent is the answer, but I do know that SOMETHING needs to be done. You never know if you or someone you love could be on "the list" one day. Think about it. (For more information, see http://www.organdonor.gov/.)

Birdie update

2009-04-19T17:43:00.009-04:00

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. ~ Lou Holtz

The little birdies that have taken up residence in the wreath outside my front door are about to outgrow their nest. Below are the various stages:

Taken about two weeks ago: Naked little things with their eyes closed.

Taken about a week ago... Notice the wall of poop surrounding them

(that will be fun to clean up when they leave!

Taken this afternoon. They are getting so big they barely fit in their nest! Hopefully I can get some shots once they leave the nest in a couple of days!

They are so cute. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about them like I would if Gorbs was still around. Now I just have to worry about snakes getting them!

I love the dark, but I HATE nature, I HATE nature...

2009-04-14T20:18:00.009-04:00

Hey guys,

Let's just say that I've had a little too much interaction with nature lately... first there was the coyote that killed my cat. Then we found the bird's nest in our wreath hanging on the front door. We also had a HUGE alligator snapping turtle crossing our street during the monstrous floods we've had lately.

So, should I be surprised that I walked into my kitchen after a hard day's work to find this (did I mention we live in the country?):

I tried to pick it up by its tail, but it took off under the fridge. I wound up calling one of our friends who lives nearby (big shout out to Greg Tapley, my hero!) and after about 45 minutes we finally outsmarted the snake and was able to throw it outside. What a day?! What's next?

By the way, I'll post an update on the little baby birdies that have hatched in the wreath later. They are so cute!

Bonus points for anyone who can name where the title of the blog post came from...

Practical things you can do to become an organ/tissue donor...

2009-04-06T21:11:00.004-04:00

Here are some practical things YOU can do to become an organ and tissue donor or to promote donation.

Promote Organ & Tissue Donation
Download a page of eight donor cards to print and sign (PDF - 467 KB) fill out one & give the rest to family or friends
Find your State Donor Registry and register today
Order a free Donate Life Month poster
Order a free donor card
Order a free organ donation lapel pin

Talk to your family now about your donation decision. Help your family understand your wish to be an organ and tissue donor before a crisis occurs. Then they will be prepared to serve as your advocate for donation.

April is a special month...

2009-04-04T21:59:00.003-04:00

April is National Donate Life Month. 30 days to help save a life. Here are some things you can do. Life most things, education is key.

What to Do in April
Every day in April, people across the U.S. make a special effort to celebrate the tremendous generosity of those who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors and to encourage more Americans to follow their fine example.

Make it known: I want to be a donor
Register with your State Donor Registry, if available.
Say YES to donation on your driver's license.
Tell your family, friends, physician, and faith leader that you want to be a donor.
Fill out and sign a donor card, have it witnessed, carry it with you.

Tell someone: The need is great and growing.
More than 98,000 people are in need of an organ for transplant.
Each day, about 77 people get the organ transplant that gives them a second chance, but 17 to 19 others die because they did not receive an organ transplant.
More than half the people on the waiting list for a donated organ are racial or ethnic minorities. Chances of getting a transplant increase if donor and recipient share the same racial/ethnic background.

Get involved: Become a donation advocate.
Encourage your company, association, union, or other organizations to which you may belong to join the Workplace Partnership for Life.
Promote and support work site donation campaigns.
Tell your local high school about Decision Donation, a school program that educates students about donation.
Participate in local National Donate Life Month events sponsored by your local organ procurement

You never know when YOU or someone you love may need a life saving organ transplant. Know the facts!

The word is out...

2009-03-22T18:26:00.005-04:00

The word must be out. The birds are shouting it from the treetops "the cat is gone, the cat is gone!"

This is my front door wreath right now:

And this is what's in my front door wreath:

Great, now I'm going to have to leave my "winter" wreath up until these babies hatch. Oh well, I'll keep you posted on their progress.

I think I'm going to let the Macon Chamber of Commerce know that their slogan should be "Macon, GA: Where nature knocks on your front door."

Check this out: Go Mocs!

2009-03-18T22:25:00.002-04:00

Somehow I get the feeling he's making fun of my hometown and its school. Funny story about the mascot changing. They have always been the UTC Mocs, but growing up they were the "UTC Moccasins" and a Cherokee Indian war chief was the mascot. Well, in the name of political correctness, they decided to change the name. Rumor has it that the students were given a survey and the choices were between the "UTC Mocs" as a water moccasin (snake) mascot and the "UTC Mocs" as a mockingbird.
Yes, the students chose the mockingbird, which strikes fear in any opponent I'm sure. I think the students thought it was a joke. :) Notice the fighting Mockingbird on a train... Chattanooga Choo Choo, anyone?

Video Recaps Full Episodes Webisodes

Boston and flickr

2009-03-11T19:44:00.003-04:00

I recently visited Boston for a wonderful occasion. My little sister,Megan, has applied to graduate school for photography and had an interview at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. (She also has an interview with Yale at the end of the month!)

My mom and I went with her to Boston and had a wonderful time. On the day of Megan's interview, Mom and I walked the "Freedom Trail" - which walks through two and a half centuries of America's most significant past. It includes the graveyard where greats such as John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are buried, Paul Revere's house, the site of the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Old North Church and the U.S.S. Constitution. It was really neat to think that I was walking where history was made, and essentially these men that we know as our forefathers were actually committing high treason.

Overall we had a wonderful time. Megan nailed her interview (and recently got an acceptance letter), we at lots of yummy italian food and did lots of shopping on Newberry Street at shops that we don't have down here (Anthropologie anyone?)

Check out my pictures on my flickr site!

Tribute to Gorbs

2009-03-09T19:31:00.007-04:00

I lost one of my babies today...my cat, Gorbachev (aka, Gorbs, Gorbie, Fats and too many other names to count.)

I didn't see Gorbs at all on Sunday . There's been many nights that he's stayed out all night, so didn't think anything of it. He was a lover of the outside (and yes, we have a fenced yard and he wore a collar.) But after he wasn't home when I got home from work today, I had a very bad feeling. He had never been gone this long before. I took a trek into the woods behind my house and saw the evidence of a fight. I'm pretty sure a coyote got him.

I'm so upset right now. I feel like he was my child and I let him down. He wasn't the sweetest or nicest of kitties, but he was MY kitty. He only had eyes for me. In fact, he was my "present" when I found out I had to have my transplant. He was the one who kept me company while I was recovering from the surgery (see picture to left- this was Gorbs and me post surgery.) And he'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Goodbye, sweet Gorbie. I love you...

I'll leave you with some funny pics of Gorbs.

Silly Gorbs as a kitten... he liked to stalk you and attack...

Ahh... the infamous "Gorbs and the snake" incidence...

I'm Baaack...

2009-02-22T21:31:00.009-05:00

I'm back to the land of the living (literally.) While at Christmas at the Copelands this year, my sisters-in-law (all three of them) kept raving about the "Twilight" series. In fact, I barely saw Scott's sister, Shelley, because she had her head in the last book every chance she had. Scott and I even made fun of her a few times because of this...

I was convinced that these were silly, teenage books (and in a way, they are), but I was convinced that ONLY teenagers read these books. Not so, it seems. I've always had a fascination with vampires- I read "The Historian", which launched me into research about Vlad the Impaler and the various places detailed in the book. So, once I heard the sisters-in-law raving about these new "vampire" books, I had to give them a try.

Well, once I got started, I couldn't put them down. I've literally read all four books in about two weeks. I've been obsessed. Every spare moment has been spent with my nose in one of those books. Now I can't wait for the movie to come out on DVD since I missed it in the theater.

Now, if you choose to read these books, don't expect to learn anything. This is NOT "The Historian" which is packed full of history and geography. BUT, as my sister-in-law put it, this is great "brain candy." Any other adult "Twilight" fans out there? ...come on, don't be afraid- I admitted it!

Happy Transplantaversary!

2009-02-14T11:03:00.002-05:00

February 13 has special significance to me.

February 13, 2003 was the day that my mother gave me life for the second time by donating her kidney to me. Once the doctors told us that a kidney transplant was inevitable, there was never ANY doubt in my mother's mind that she would be a match and that she would be the one to donate me a kidney. And there did seem to be a line forming on who was going to be the one to donate- including my 75 year old grandfather and namesake Luther Carmon (pictured here) I am so blessed with the family that was given to me!

My mother was right: She was a great match. In case you were wondering: you have to be in PERFECT health (physically and mentally) to be able to donate an organ. The doctors want to make sure they aren't creating another "sick" person down the road. I think my mother was the third person at Vanderbilt to donate a kidney laporoscopically (through the belly button.) Now that is done regularly and they are even removing kidneys vaginally now (read more here) Medical science is an amazing thing!

My mother and I always call each other on February 13 and wish each other a "Happy Transplantiversary." Happy 6 year's, Mom! You are my inspiration!

I'm sure glad this Valentine's day is different from 2003's!

The Guvnor's office...

2009-02-12T10:07:00.005-05:00

The Chamber conducts a class each year called "Leadership Jones." Monthly we learn about different aspects of the community to educate future leaders in the community. So far we've had classes on Communication, Diversity, Demographics and Community Planning, and State government. For our State government class we took a van to downtown Atlanta (luckily I didn't have to drive, we have 2 in the class who work for the local Sheriff's office, so we took the prisoner van- I was just glad I didn't have to drive!) We sat in on the House general assembly (and was recognized in front of the entire House of Representative), had a tour of the Capitol and the Governor's office, had lunch with our local legislators and sat in on a House Economic Development Committee meeting. The Capitol tour was really neat- they have a museum on the 4th floor that has artifacts and oddities from Georgia's history (including a two-headed cow and snake.)

Here's a photo from my phone of the two headed cow and snake...I bet your state doesn't have one of those!

Here's a picture of my class (minus 2) sitting in the Governor's "ceremonial" office.

Notice that I am sitting in his chair!

I felt like a teacher on a field trip all day (even though a lot of my class are older than me!)

I felt like I had to keep them safe and keep them out of trouble.

The trip was a lot of fun. If your community has any leadership programs like this, I would highly encourage you to get involved. It's very eye-opening and educating to learn how local government works!

Green with envy...

2009-02-03T14:34:00.005-05:00

Nothing much to post about these days. I am literally GREEN with envy as my husband is gallavanting around our old stomping grounds in Franklin, TN at the re:create conference. He's living it up with Michael W. Smith and other famous worship leaders and eating at all the finest restaurants that Franklin has to offer, while I'm stuck here eating cereal every night. No, I'm not bitter at all.

And I mean what I say when I say green with envy...

check out my arm. I got lab work done last Friday and it hurt. It doesn't normally, but it really hurt on Friday. Well, now I know why! They must have blown through a vein because I am bruised all up and down my arm. It looks like I'm a battered woman, seriously. But, alas, this is just a day in the life of a "sickly" woman. I get lab work monthly, but I'm happy to do it because it means that I'm on the "maintenance" plan when it comes to my health. Speaking of, Friday, February 13 marks the SIX year anniversary of the transplant. I sure am glad February 13 wasn't on a Friday when I had the transplant. Big milestone people. Maybe I'll buy everyone a round to celebrate...

It's tea time!

2009-01-26T21:57:00.007-05:00

I have never been a coffee drinker, unlike the rest of my family who drink the foul stuff by the gallons. I do, however, enjoy a cup of hot tea. Especially on cold, damp, dreary days like today. Many of you know that Scott and I visited Great Britain the summer of 2007. Even though we visited in August, the temperature rarely got above 60 degrees. It was amazing to come home after a long day of sightseeing to traditional tea, complete with cream, sugar and biscuits.

As I'm typing this, I'm curled up on my couch with a cup of English Breakfast tea watching television with my puppies. Interestingly enough, I was reading a borrowed February 2009 Ladies Home Journal and there's an article about the health benefits of hot tea. It states that scientists are finding that drinking tea may keep your heart healthy, protect you from cancer, boost your body's ability to fight off germs, strengthen your bones, prevent cavities and sharpen your concentration (it also may stave off Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.)

"White, black, oolong and green teas have different aromas and flavors, but they're all healthy, " says Jeffrey Blumbrerg, Ph.D, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory. Tea's healthy benefits come from antioxidants called flavnoids; these destroy highly toxic free radicals in the body which can trigger disease.

Another tip from the Ladies Home Journal article: Here's how to eliminate most of the caffeine in regular tea: Steep loose tea or a teabag in hot water for 45 seconds, then pour off the water. Add more hot water and brew tea as usual. This won't change the flover or affect the health benefits!

How do I like my tea? I like English Breakfast tea or Earl Grey tea, with a little half and half and sugar in the raw. YUM.

Did I intrigue any of you to give hot tea a try? Hey, I don't call this "Carmen's blog of useless facts..." for nothing. Maybe these won't be just useless facts if someone finds them useful...

Maya and me and wii...

2009-01-25T21:04:00.004-05:00

Meet Maya. She's my personal trainer. I've been working out with her for a couple of weeks now, only I don't go to the gym. I work out with Maya in the comfort of my own home via our Wii and My Fitness Coach. She's challenging, she's fun and she kicks my butt. Scott bought this game for me just after the new year began because I think he was trying to give me a hint AND it was only $19.99. I was a little sceptical at first, but I'm a believer now. You begin by creating your profile, including your height/weight/heart rate, taking measurements and conducting a fitness profile. I was embarrassed at how few pushups I could do. Maya then uses your results to make recommendations on what she thinks you should work on. You have the option of working on specific things like cardio, yoga, or focusing on upper body, core or lower body. One of the neat things about the program is she asks you periodically how you are handling the workout and she will adjust your next workout accordingly. How often do you get that at the gym? So far I am pleased with Maya and would recommend her highly! For any of you with a Wii, it's a must buy!

Life...

2009-01-24T22:41:00.002-05:00

Do any of you ever feel like life is happening all around you, but you are just an observer? That's how I feel right now in this stage of my life. Limbo with everything: job, house, location, LIFE. Like everyone else has their life all figured out except me...

Am I the only one that ever feels this way?

You just never know...

2009-01-15T22:14:00.003-05:00

You just never know when something that you've been through, or something that you are going through can impact the lives of others. Many of you know that I was diagnosed with a rare, auto-immune disease when I was sixteen that eventually destroyed my kidneys. This is something that you wouldn't know by looking at me , and is something I don't broadcast on a daily basis. However, it's been amazing through the years just how many people I've been able to help and encourage who are going through something similar to what I've been through. I've talked with other Wegener's patients and told them there IS a light at the end of the tunnel, that this disease CAN go into remission. I've talked with lots of kidney patients about transplants and hopefully been able to encourage them and answer questions about the surgery, the medicines, side-effects, etc. Recently I discovered that one of my board member's wives has had kidney disease for 7 years and is going to have a transplant. I was so happy to be able to talk to her about everything from weight gain post-transplant to hair loss to when you can have children after transplants. Like I said, this is not something I usually broadcast to people, but God always seems to place these people in my path. And I'm grateful for that. It makes everything I've been through worth it. Here and here are a couple of stories our local paper did about us: to raise awareness of kidney disease and to help raise money for this family. And her day is finally here! She will be having her transplant tomorrow! The really neat thing about this story is that her donor is a friend, not a relative. What an amazing story of hope, life and selflessness. I hope this is an inspiration to you all!

The first step to success...

2009-01-05T22:20:00.005-05:00

I work at a Chamber of Commerce. We are (hopefully) the first step that people take when wanting to start a business. I love it when people come in with that excitement in their eyes about pursuing a lifelong dream. I almost feel like a hypocrite encouraging them to do something that I'm not sure I'd ever have the guts to do. It's so amazing to me that people are willing to take such tremendous risks- investing their life savings even- for a chance at something great.

I was recently in our community's Adult Learning Center and I noticed a quote on the chalkboard: "The first step to success is getting started."

That quote really struck a chord with me. There always seems to be some big obstacle between me and my dreams: geography, time, money to name a few. But I've recently learned that the biggest obstacle of them all is ME. I'm the one holding me back. I'm the one that's afraid to start things because of a fear of failure.

So tonight I decided that instead of vegging on the couch feeling sorry for myself, I was going to do something that I haven't done in years, but has always brought me joy. I broke out an easel Scott gave me for Christmas LAST year and painted. And it was liberating. And therapeutic. And wonderful. And I don't care what the end result looks like. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't haven't to impress anyone. It doesn't have to ever hang on any wall.

Sometimes the first step to success is getting started...

Jack of all Trades...

2009-01-03T21:19:00.002-05:00

So it's the beginning of another year. A time to reflect on who I am, what kind of a person I am, what am I doing with my life- those kinds of important questions. During one of my recent soul-searching adventures, I discovered that I strive to be good at everything. I read all these blogs and books- interior decorating, photography, cooking, health and fitness (just to name a few)- and I want to be good at all those things. And I am good at a lot of things. A well-rounded person, you might say. The problems lies in the fact that while I'm GOOD at a LOT of things, I'm not GREAT at any ONE thing. A certified "Jack of All Trades, Master of None..."

I've always admired my husband because he figured out pretty early on that he wanted to be a GREAT piano player (and in my humble opinion, he is.) Sure he dabbled with guitar and saxophone in high school, but once he figured out what his true passion was, he pursued it with everything that was in him. Both my younger sisters have discovered their passions- Megan with photography and Maddie with art. They are both in pursuit of their passions and are going to make careers of them.

So 2009 is going to be a new beginning for me. I'm not going to make the traditional "New Year's Resolution" to have a few goals to meet. I'm going to concentrate on figuring out what makes me tick, what brings me joy and what's important with my life and I'm going to pursue those things with passion. Not what I'm "supposed" to do or what's "expected" of me and not what I think will impress other people. I'm going to seek and then pursue those things that are important to me. This will be an interesting journey that I hope you will join me on...

More scenes...

2008-12-03T21:26:00.003-05:00

Here are some more scenes from our Thanksgiving.

my awesome Grandpa, complete with his brand new Liberty overalls.

My dad basting our country ham. The best EVER. In other news, I am so glad that the elections are finally over in Georgia. You guys all thought that the election slanderizing (oops, I mean, advertising) were over after November 4, but we were blessed to be able to hear/see them for another month. Ronald Reagan's son even called me to ask for my vote for Saxby Chambliss. Does that stuff really work for them?

Now maybe all these newly elected officials can get back to Washington and get some work done!

Scenes from Thanksgiving...

2008-12-02T21:00:00.008-05:00

This Thanksgiving I found myself being thankful for simple things. Basic/reliable transportation, safe travel, quiet doggies, meaningful conversations with family and friends, mine and Scott's jobs, my grandparents, financial stability...

We met in Chattanooga via separate cars- me in my new (to me at least) car (with the puppies in tow). We enjoyed a wonderful, low key Thanksgiving with my family (minus Megan, the little twerp) and my mom's parents. We found out the Monday before Thanksgiving that Scott's last remaining grandparent, Maw Maw (age 92) had passed away. So Black Friday held a different meaning for us this year- it was a day of mourning and celebrating the life of his grandmother. Maw Maw was the first member of Scott's family that I met. Since she lived in Tuscumbia, AL, she was the closest relative to Scott when we lived in Nashville. His family has always been so warm and inviting towards me. Anyway, we traveled to and from Tuscumbia on Friday for the funeral and got to spend a lot of time with Scott's family. Below are some images from our Thanksgiving.

Also, my sister-in-law posted some pictures of our Friday with Scott's extended family here. There are some fun photos of Scott's brother getting "fresh" with Helen Keller at her birthplace. So goofy.

My beautiful pecan pie that I made. Check out the leaf cut outs on the edges. I was so proud. :)

Maddie with Rumi (Megan's dog)

my new car...a black 2007 RAV4. Yeah!

Our lovely table setting...

More later...my connection is entirely too slow tonight!

Gotta go back in time...

2008-11-12T19:20:00.005-05:00

So lately I've been feeling like I'm in "Back to the Future" or something. The Saab is gone and once we received the check from State Farm for it, I had five days to let go of the "gangsta mobile" or else we would have to begin paying the entire amount for the rental fees. Not going to happen. And, we being the cautious Copelands, did not want to go out and buy another car immediately. So what did we do? Well, my Dad graciously offered me my old car. The one he bought me when I was 18- a 1996 Subaru Outback Impreza (first model of the Outback series.) It has 169,000 miles, but it drives great. No A/C or heat, but who's complaining? Not me...

Many of you may remember "The Sube." Because I had the "new" car in college, I drove all over the Southeastern United States on road trips. This car has been to Savannah, Memphis, countless trips to Chattanooga, Knoxville, Atlanta, Callaway Gardens, Columbus, Asheville and many other cities I'm sure. I even spent the night in it a few times (college kids don't have extra money lying around for hotel rooms and gas was about 99 cents/gallon back then.)

When I was 23 and suddenly a "grown up" I decided I would sell "The Sube" back to my dad for my little sister, Maddie, to drive (these daddy deals always seem to work in my favor, but that's another post for another day.) Now the car has Maddie's mark all over it. The bumper stickers on the back say "Forever Bluegrass", "GPS Alumna" and "Keep your butt in your car, the earth is not your ashtray!" I love it...

So while we are looking for a "deal" on a new car, I will be pretending I am 18 again... cruising the streets in "The Sube" with all these great bumper stickers on the back. What a great trip down memory lane...

You want to know what the best part of this story is? Once we buy a car, I am going to donate the car to the Hephzibah Children's Home here in Macon and another young driver will get to drive the beloved "Sube." My dad gets a tax deduction and a young kid gets transportation- a win/win for all.

My Saab Story...

2008-10-28T19:38:00.005-04:00

My beautiful, black Saab met its match last Wednesday when a large deer ran in front of it. I have mixed feelings about this. In many ways, it's like the end of an era. This car was the first car I ever bought by myself. It was my "I'm a single and successful young woman" car that I bought when I was 23. It's almost symbolic of that time period of my life. I almost cried when I went today and cleaned it out. It's been a constant in my life and has seen me get married, buy our first home, take a step of faith and move to Georgia, buy our second home and now as we are trying to sell and move again. There was nothing like the carefree feeling of driving the rural roads of Georgia with my sunroof open, radio blaring and turbo engine revving. I'm very sad that this car had to go "this way."

At the same time, we've been needing a new car and were just holding on to this car until the right "deal" came along. And thankfully the insurance company gave us way more money than we could have gotten for a trade-in or even a private seller. AND, most importantly, the car did its job and protected me from harm.

So, I leave you with pictures of my car...may it rest in peace.

The Happiest Place on Earth...

2008-10-26T21:28:00.007-04:00

Ok guys,

Here's my long overdue post about Disney World. I'm reliving that week in my mind since this past week has been so awful. By the way, Friday night our hot water heater broke and leaked water all over the garage, and the home warranty technicians can't come until Monday morning, soooo no hot water all weekend. What a way to top off the week!

So back to the "happiest place on earth..." I would certainly agree with that statement. I was certainly happy while I was down there. We stayed at the Pop Century resort and bought park hopper passes. We went to all the parks, rode all the rides and ate like the princesses we all are. Side note, stay on Disney property and use the dining plan. Wow...we ate at all the best restaurants. Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada in Epcot was the best (in my opinion.)

We had some great girl time, although no craziness like the last trip. Maybe having the older sister along as a "chaperone" was good for Gina and I... we tend to get in trouble when we are alone. :)

I leave you with some fun pics from our trip...

Us with Winnie the Pooh at The Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom.

Us with Piglet (my favorite character).

We saw En Vogue at Epcot all three nights they were there. What an amazing live concert! Shandra and I knew just about every word to every song they sang. Brought me back to the 90's. For all those that don't remember they sang such songs as "Free Your Mind", "Whatta Man (w/ Salt and Peppa), "Don't Let Go", "Never Gonna Get It", etc. Such a great concert .

And if Gina will give me permission, I'll post a hilarious photo of her with her anti-snoring device.

All in all a GREAT week.

I'm a gangsta...

2008-10-23T09:56:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

wow, it's been almost a month since I updated anything. A LOT has changed. I went to Disney World with my friend, Gina and her sister, Shandra. We had a BLAST. I'll post more about that later (with some great photos!)

Right after I got back from Disney, I began work as the Interim Executive Director at the Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce and Development Authority. It's a lot of responsibility, but I'm enjoying learning new things that will hopefully help me in my career down the road. The job is part of the reason I haven't posted anything in a while. My brain is just too pooped to blog at the end of the day.

Now, to get to the title of this post...

Yesterday I was minding my own business driving and a deer decided to commit suicide and ran DIRECTLY in front of me on the rural highway I drive to work. I swerved to miss it, but almost head on collided with a huge gravel truck. I really am lucky to be alive right now, but my car is totaled. Luckily, my co-worker was on her way to work and was an angel. She met me at a gas station and waited on the deputy and the wrecker to tow my car. Scott came home early and we got a rental car. So now we will probably be in the market for a car and unfortunately our "car fund" is in mutual funds/stocks. Bad timing. We were hoping that my car would last another year and then we'd be in better shape to buy one. Keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey. I hate HAVING to buy a car.

Anyway, here's my car for the next couple of weeks...a Chevrolet HHR. Scott and I call it my "gangsta car." Whatcha think? Does it fit me?

Update

2008-09-30T21:44:00.006-04:00

hey guys,

sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I told you from the beginning that my life isn't too much to "blog" about (like that play on words?) :)

Not too much going on here besides living in two different cities. I'm working a lot with both my jobs (which is good) and I am trying to find a job and sell a house in the worst financial crisis since the great depression (which is bad.) I have a job interview tomorrow for a job that I'm very interested in and would be great for my schedule (lots of travel and I can work from home from here or Lawrenceville.) Please think of me and utter a quick prayer on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.

I just got back from Savannah for a conference and will be leaving Sunday for Disney World with my wild, crazy and long time friend Gina. I'm sure there will be lots of blog-worthy material that comes from this trip. Let's see... last time we went we 1) got sushi and saki bought for us by a single guy at Shogun, 2) ate dinner with Disney characters 3) crashed a private party in downtown Disney 4) I got hit on by the "bouncer" i.e. the young associate for the company hosting the party- he gave me his card and told me to call him if I ever got divorced! Wow!

I can't wait to spend some quality time with my longest friend. We've known each other since we were 5 years old. Still going strong 25 years later!

here's a couple of pics from my time in Savannah. I just LOVE that city. Hopefully I'll have them up on Flickr soon.

Rest in Peace, Darrick...

2008-09-18T21:50:00.005-04:00

Hey guys,

I just found out that a dear friend and co-worker of mine from TVA passed away while serving in Iraq in the Army Reserves. His name was Darrick Wright and he was only 37 years old. He had gotten married since I left TVA three years ago and his wife is expecting their first child in November. He and I started on the same day in 2000 at TVA and went through all the "fun" new employee orientations and training and really bonded. I even tried to set him up with Joy- but he was too short for her. :) remember that, Joy? We cooked for him at our apartment at The Landings! He actually took my place when I left TVA in the Market Research and Evaluation group. He was an incredible guy that never met a stranger. Everyone at TVA is understandably upset. Please keep this family in your prayers, especially his young wife.

More info here and here

Caption Please...

2008-09-11T21:38:00.005-04:00

Hey guys,

Last weekend I had the joy of being involved with a communion and candlelight service. My friend, Chris, is a Worship Pastor at a small church plant in Griffin, GA called Journey Church. We've been friends since I worked as the Tourism Director in Monroe County and Chris was the Assistant Chief of Police in Forsyth (County seat of Monroe.) It was fun discovering that we had so much in common- he is a bi-vocational Worship Pastor! We love hanging out with Chris and Heather and their son, Lance and we wish we could see them more (he works at the new Johns Creek police department now in Fulton County.)

Chris was really creative and had some really neat elements to the service, including a 8' cross that was carried into the service and hung while we sang "Wonderful Cross." I got to sing two songs, "Sing to the King" and "To Speak Your Name"- and I had an absolute blast!

Here's a pic from our service. What I want to know is this: What AM I thinking in this picture? Am I thinking "What a wonderful cross?" or Thank you, God." or hopefully not "What's for dinner?" :)

What do you guys think?

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-01T11:07:00.005-04:00

Hmmm....let's take a trip down memory lane to where many of you were six years ago on a Labor Day weekend much like this one. Maybe you were sleeping in at a world class luxury hotel in Downtown Chattanooga, or maybe you were enjoying lunch or a movie at one of Chattanooga's many attractions. Or maybe you were reliving the previous day's events and remembering the celebration of two major events: Scott and Carmen's wedding AND Scott's 31st birthday! Happy Birthday and Anniversary, Scott! (sorry it's one day late- it was a crazy day yesterday, you know that!)

August 31st is a VERY important day in the Copeland family. Let's see, Scott's mom was born on August 31st, 1945. Scott's parents got married on August 31st, 1968 (Scott's mom's 23rd birthday), THEN Scott was born three years later on August 31st, 1971. When we got engaged we realized that August 31st fell on a Saturday that year (2002) and we knew we had to get married on that day. So, let's recap. Yesterday was. 1) Scott's mom's birthday, 2) Scott's parents anniversary, 3) Scott's birthday and 4) Our anniversary. Crazy, right? Believe me, there were text messages, phone calls, emails and voicemails flying around the Copelands yesterday. Scott even got a voicemail with little girls singing " Happy Birthday" to "Uncle Cool" from our nieces, Cassie and Brianna (long story about the "Uncle Cool")

We celebrated our anniversary by spending the weekend at a hotel in Atlanta. On Friday we went to Stone Mtn and hiked many of the nature trails and ate at a yummy restaurant. (pics coming soon on my flickr site) On Saturday, we went to the High Museum of Art (great exhibits from the Louvre and a fascinating exhibit on Civil Rights history) and the Center for Puppetry Arts. Here is a pic of Scott next to his "hero" Kermit the Frog. The Center for Puppetry Arts is going to be opening a new wing in 2012 dedicated to Jim Hensen's collection of muppets. It will be amazing (especially if you like Jim Hensen, and Scott does)

Sunday we attended church and there was a HUGE summer blowout that evening for the community at our church. They had a cookout, inflatables, volleyball AND professional fireworks. Our pastor negotiated a great deal from the people who do the Braves' fireworks and we had a 15 minute show which was amazing. Here are some bad pics from my phone, but it shows you the caliber of fireworks. Not bad for any event, let alone a church! We had TONS of visitors and hope to make this an annual event for the community.

Scott promised me fireworks for my anniversary and I got them! :)

Dreams and Mt. Vesuvius

2008-08-24T21:41:00.003-04:00

This is bizarre. The other night I had the MOST vivid dream that Scott and I had gone back in time and were in Pompeii, Italy in A.D 79. We knew that Mt. Vesuvius was going to erupt soon and were warning people, but no one believed us. Then, my friend Joy (who was back in time with me for some reason) called me on my cell phone (don't ask me why we had cell phones in A.D. 79) to find out where I was. She wanted to be near me so we could die together. How morbid and weird is that?

The other weird thing about this dream is that I found out today that it's the anniversary of the massive eruption that buried Pompeii and killed thousands on August 24 and 25th, A.D. 79. Isn't the brain an amazing thing? Growing up, I was fascinated with the stories of Mt. Vesuvius, Mt. St. Helens, the Titanic, etc. Somehow I think the date of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption was buried somewhere DEEP in my brain and came out in my dream. You guys have anything happen like that?

Master Bath update...

2008-08-23T17:55:00.007-04:00

hey guys,

it's been very busy around here. This weekend I got the "whim" that I was going to paint the main room of our master bath. We've mentioned that we've put in new tile, countertops, mirrors, toilet, etc, but I had left the color in the bathroom (a chocolate brown that is the same as in our bedroom.) Well, after putting in the countertop (a laminate called butterum granite), it just seemed very dark in our 1980's small master bath. So, I painted the section with the sinks and left the other color in the room with the tub and toilet. I like the effect because they are both in the same color family. Anyway, here's our tiny, but cute master bath!

After: This shows the tile we put in.

Toilet Room- Not much to look at.

And this next pic shows the cute transition between the rooms.

Check out Scott's blog for Before Pics! We had pastel laminate floors, baby blue countertop and awful wallpaper (although I think it was painted in the before pics...we didn't get any shots of the "cute" flowered 80's wallpaper!)

My babies...

2008-08-14T22:21:00.007-04:00

My babies right now are my two puppies, Lexie (the beagle) and Anna (the lab/shar-pei mix). I'm not sure if I've ever told you the story of our animals' names. When I had my transplant, Scott let me get a kitten. I brought home a scrawny little white and black kitten from the pound. He had a big, black spot on his head and Scott decided to name him "Gorbachev" (we call him Gorbs or Gorby) because his spot is in the same spot as Gorbachev's birth mark.

Well, we decided to go with this "Russian" theme with as we acquired more animals. Next we got our beagle puppy, and we decided to name her "Alexandra" and call her Lexie. Then we got our Lab/Shar-pei mix and named her "Anastasia" and call her Anna. Don't worry, we aren't going to continue this trend with our children!

anyway, we have taken our dogs so many places since we've had them and they are always up for a ride. And they are the BEST travel dogs. We usually travel with them in Scott's Pathfinder, where we have a gate set up and they have the reign of the trunk area. I didn't have this luxury when I took them to Chattanooga this past weekend and we all had to pile in my little Saab. But check out my angels! They were so great! Here's Lexie (who decided she HAD to sit in the passenger seat like a human)

And here's Anna, who was an angel in the back seat.

I love my babies! (yes, I took these with my phone while driving- Don't worry, I was careful!)

Live Blogging from the World's Longest Yard Sale...

2008-08-10T19:01:00.003-04:00

hey guys,

I'm blogging live from Signal Mountain, TN where I have been since Thursday. That's right folks, I have been at the World's Longest Yard Sale and have been having a blast "yard-saling" with my mom and sister. I'll take a picture of my "loot"... but I got several southern living cookbooks, two work shirts, a bread tin from 1978 (special year) and an old window. I'm not sure what to do with the window, but I was thinking of blowing up some Scotland pics to 5x7 and putting them behind the panes. Any suggestions creative people out there?

Anyway, it's been so fun. You guys need to check out this yard sale sometime. it goes from Gadsen, AL all the way to Ohio on Hwy 127. People seriously rent U-hauls and travel the length of it. Now, I'm not that dedicated... I've stayed on Signal Mountain. Another useless fact: It was started by the Jamestown, TN Chamber of Commerce as a way to promote these small communities and has grown every year. And it's being emulated across the country. In fact, when I worked at the Monroe Chamber, we participated in a similar sale called the Peaches to Beaches yard sale that went from Culloden, GA (in Monroe county) to Brunswick on Hwy 341. I just love these ingenious Chamber people and what they do to promote their communities!

I've also spent a lot of time reading and relaxing on my mom's porch and all her birds. I've got some decent shots of the hummingbirds which I will also post on my flickr page.

Being a tourist at home...

2008-07-26T19:21:00.011-04:00

hey guys,
Before I forget...I uploaded a bunch of photos onto my flickr site tonight. You can link to it from the right side of my blog. Some from the beach vacation, our visit with Scott's family and our fun adventure this weekend. Here's a pic of my family from our recent vacation to Amelia Island, FL. So much fun!
We practically had the beach to ourselves and the weather was perfect... not even too hot.

Scott came home Thursday and we were "tourists" in Macon today. We are doing things here that we've never done because 1) we are about to move and 2) gas is so expensive! And in case anyone asks, we did NOT eat at NuWay Weiners, one of the top tourist attractions in Macon (featured on Food Networks "Best Hotdogs in America") We went to the Ocmulgee National Monument where there are Indian mounds from the Creek Indians. Here's a pic of Scott being an "Indian"on top of the temple mound. You can see downtown Macon in the background...we couldn't believe how close this nature was to downtown!

Here's a view from the temple mound to the wetlands. I think these Indian Mounds are the highest point in Macon. :)

Then we went to Dauset Trails Nature Center near Indian Springs State Park. Great places to visit. Dauset Trails is an educational center that is free due to an endowment from a couple of wealthy individuals who wanted to share nature with everyone. There are farm animals and an animal trail, hiking, biking and horse trails. It's a great place to bring kids. Indian Springs was the first State Park in the nation and the site of where the Creek Indians signed a treaty that ceded 4.7 million acres to the State of Georgia. Then we had ice cream at this delightful shop near Indian Springs... check out these flower boxes at the ice cream shop. I want to recreate this when we move...

So what kinds of things do you do when you are tourists in your own towns?

Dark Week and Dark Knight

2008-07-20T20:26:00.003-04:00

So I have survived my first week as a "single gal". Scott started his job last Monday and had his first Sunday today. He did an amazing job (not that I expected anything different.) It's funny, people at Ingleside never really knew Scott as a "Worship Leader"- he was the instrumental director, drama director, student band director and my personal favorite: church pianist. After our recording in June (f0r which Scott wrote and performed an incredibly powerful song) and our announcement we were leaving, people were coming up to me saying "we knew it wouldn't be long before he left... he's ready." Well, of course he was ready! He was a Worship Pastor or Worship Leader for many years before he even met me! Just not at a mega church like Ingleside. Anyway, I'm off my soap box now. Scott left early last Monday morning and then came home on Thursday night. He installed our new countertop and sinks (pictures coming soon) and mowed the grass on Friday and Saturday, then we attended a pool party for my job. After the party we met some friends for The Dark Knight.

Let me just say "Wow". First of all, I'm not typically a fan of the comic book movies. I liked the Spidermans and that was about it. Scott convinced me to watch Batman Begins while we were on vacation. I really liked it because it was so real and believable. I loved the way they delved into Bruce Wayne's psyche and explained how Batman began (hence the name.) Anyway, The Dark Knight is a continuation of that story and details the fight of Gotham's most insane criminal (The Joker) and Batman. Heath Ledger really was amazing. It's not just hype because of his death. I have always had a HUGE crush on this man. His youthful good looks, long locks and Australian accent had amazing appeal to me. I was devastated when he died. This movie was nothing like his previous roles (not that I saw Brokeback Mountain) - he really did take the Joker to another level.

Yes, Scott and my money was part of the biggest blockbuster debut EVER. $155 million. And worth every penny.

Rock Shrimp Anyone?

2008-07-15T14:10:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

We've been on vacation for a week and a half! Wow, it was so needed. We went to visit Scott's parents in Cocoa, FL. Of course seeing nieces,nephews and family was a highlight, as was dining out at our favorite restaurant, Dixie Crossroads. Here's a picture of the bounty (from my phone):

If you've never enjoyed rock shrimp (the middle of the plate)-it's amazing! They taste like little lobsters. Yum!

Anyway, we celebrated the 4th of July with Scott's family (pictures coming) then we met my family at Amelia Island for a week at the beach. What a wonderful time of relaxing and eating. Everyone came, including my MamaCile.

In other news, Scott started his job on Monday and his first Sunday will be the 20th. Keep us in your prayers!

An Update for you...

2008-06-30T23:07:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

It's been a while and I have discovered that I am NOT good at this blogging thing. And it's not for lack of things to blog about... in fact, I think it's because I have TOO many things going on TO blog about.

We have had such a whirlwind couple of weeks. We've been using our free time to get the house ready to sell. Why is it that you fix your house up for someone else? I don't get that. We've been putting off fixing up our master bath and now we are being forced to. We've done new tile, new light fixtures, new toilet and new mirrors and Scott ordered a new countertop on Saturday. Scott said that if we get a fixer upper next then our master bath will be the FIRST thing he fixes up since we did this with our first house also!

So we've been fixing up the master bath, landscaping, touching up paint, organizing, etc, etc. Friday we drove to Loganville to look at houses and boy did we find some we like! Wow, it's a buyer's market!

Saturday I had a meeting at the Chamber early and then had to go to Patriotic Sunday practice at church followed by a luncheon to honor Scott (and me, I guess). They wound up having a sort of "roast"- sharing memories and appreciation of Scott and my three years at Ingleside. Whew, I was not prepared for that one. I definitely needed tissues! Then Sunday was the Patriotic Sunday and Scott's last Sunday, so they brought us up on stage and gave us a HUGE print of Ingleside, signed and numbered by the artist and some flowers. We got a standing ovation at both services. It was a very emotional day. After church we went to the Whistle Stop Cafe with our good friends Russ and Vicki and stayed til almost 3:00. We usually have so much to do on Sundays that it was nice to relax and have a LONG lunch. ***Tourism footnote and useless fact: the Whistle Stop Cafe is the original one from the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes. It's in Juliette, GA, about 10 miles from our house. I highly recommend it! Yummy, yummy food and my friend is the manager.

Anyway, keep us in your prayers as we are in this transition. We need our house to sell to be able to buy another one. If we can sell ours, we'll definitely get a bargain in Atlanta! we'll keep you updated as we go...

A little funny for the Auburn fans...

2008-06-18T09:25:00.002-04:00

So I was getting a biscuit at McDonald's this morning (which I never do) and I was intently driving out of the drivethru on my way to work. This little old man was standing on the corner walking out of the restaurant and he started flagging me down. I was confused by this and thinking that this man must know me, I slowed down and rolled down my window to talk to him. Well, he must have seen my "Auburn Alumni" tag on the front of my car because he proceeds to tell me this joke:

"Why won't any Auburn fans vote for Obama?"

I said, "I'm not sure, Why?"

And he said, "Because if you put a 'G' in front on his name is spells "Go Bama!"

I started laughing and drove off. How funny is that?! Any of you guys heard that one?

Big News...

2008-06-12T21:28:00.002-04:00

Hey guys,
Nope we aren't pregnant. :) I know that's what you were thinking. Scott and I are MOVING to Lawrenceville, GA where Scott will be the Worship Pastor at Brookwood Baptist Church. We are very excited about this opportunity, sad about leaving Ingleside and Macon, and a little nervous about the transition. Check out Scott's post here with his perspective.

We really struggled with this decision between two "good" choices (staying here vs. leaving) but decided that we could make a huge impact at the church in Lawrenceville. We are excited to see what God has in store there!

Please pray for us during this transition. I will be staying until the house sells, so pray for my sanity of 1) being alone (I'm not terribly good at it) 2) keeping the house in "show" condition 3) packing and moving. There is a hilarious post that I need to share about the last time Scott left me alone to handle moving/selling a house by myself. That's another post for another day. Also, pray for Scott as he transitions to this new leadership and ministry position. I am so excited for him! We'll keep you guys posted as things progress.

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-27T21:33:00.006-04:00

We had a very busy weekend with Scott's family. Scott picked me up at Callaway on Friday and we drove to Alabaster, AL to meet Scott's parents and sister's family and to visit with his 91 year old grandmother and aunt. We had a great time visiting with them. Here's a picture of some of us after gorging ourself at Lloyd's restaurant.

We left Alabaster on Saturday afternoon to return to Macon with Scott's parents and sister's family. We went to church, had a wonderful lunch then grilled out Sunday evening.

On Memorial Day we packed a picnic and went to one of mine and Scott's favorite places, High Falls State Park. We hiked a couple of trails and then had a wonderful picnic lunch. Scott's family left Monday afternoon and we crashed. All in all, an eventful and fun Memorial Day weekend with family!

Here are some pics from our trip to High Falls.

This is on the Towaliga river trail. Scott, his mom and brother in law, Rick, with our nieces Noel, Jo Anna (on Rick's back) and our nephew, Jacob. The other photo is at on overlook. It's of Scott's sister, Stacey, and her beautiful family!

Callaway and Economic Development...

2008-05-26T20:01:00.007-04:00

I attended the Georgia Economic Development Association's Spring Workshop in Callaway Gardens last week. Economic Development and Callaway Gardens go hand in hand (actually they do...tourism is Georgia's second largest industry)

Anyway, here's my last week in pictures.

this is the chapel at Callaway...right at dusk. It was really beautiful on the inside.

this is my favorite photo that I took while I was there. It was taken at the Butterfly conservatory. I was proud that I captured that moment!

A water element at the Butterfly conservatory...

At FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, GA. This is where FDR used to sit and think about the problems of the world and come up with solutions. Maybe this is where he thought up TVA...

It sure had a lovely view! Reminded me of, you guessed it, Chattanooga!

Me with the FDR statue at FDR State Park.

If you haven't been to Pine Mountain or Callaway Gardens in a while, I recommend it. The Lodge and Spa was AMAZING. Every detail was thought out.

We also had a VERY eventful weekend with Scott's family. I'll post more about that later! And I hope to do some photoshopping of my Callaway pics and get them up on my Flickr account.

Fun and Flirty...

2008-05-19T23:18:00.004-04:00

Robin: "OMG, someone changed the sign outside!"

Pam: "What?! Who could have gotten the letters?"

Robin: "Oh no, What language they used! They even used the "F" word! Carmen, come check this out!"

I proceed outside as quickly as I could and this is what I saw:

This is on the sign outside our building that is passed by 25,000 cars a day. Oh well, at least my name wasn't on it. Fun and Flirty? They don't know me at all! :)

Then on to lunch at LaFiesta:

This is me and the owner of the restaurant. And they had cake and sang for me at our board meeting tonight. What a great Monday!

Three-Zero

2008-05-18T22:41:00.002-04:00

So, I turned the BIG 3-0 today. I woke up at 6:45 and was rubbing my sleepy eyes on my way to the bathroom and a cheerful husband says a loud "Welcome to the Club!" I was so tired that I didn't even comprehend that he was referring to my birthday and entering my 30's. Note to husband and others: Don't crack jokes in the morning and expect me to comprehend.

We had a rather eventful weekend. Friday I worked and when I got home we laid tile in our bathroom most of the night, taking a break only for dinner. I think I'll do a before /after post about our master bath once it's finished. We still want to do a new countertop, mirrors and light fixtures.

Saturday I had a Chamber meeting at 9:00 am . When I got home I made peanut butter pies (yum) for a band/orchestra party Scott had organized for Saturday evening. He had two of his buddies and band mates grilling ribs ALL day. We held it at a local children's home with a great recreation complex and pavilion and playground. We had a great time of food and fellowship. You know how us Baptists are - we love our potlucks!

Today I sang on the praise team at church (which means sound check at 8:00 am followed by two services at 9:30 and 11:00) Afterwards, the student ministry had rented two of the theaters at our local AMstar for an outreach event. The students invited friends for a private viewing of Prince Caspian: The Chronicles of Narnia. Since Scott works with the student bands, we were invited to come. I think we had over 500 kids at this event. What a great way to outreach! I highly recommend the movie- great imagery and symbolism. I got popcorn with butter since it was my birthday.

After the movie I had choir practice... my second soprano sisters sang Happy Birthday to me ! What a great ending to a great birthday. I am also the proud owner of a new ipod 80 GB. Don't ask me how I'm going to fill that up...

Savannah and Photos

2008-05-13T13:52:00.008-04:00

Hey guys,
I promised you a blog about my trip to Savannah. I know you have been sitting on the edge of your office chair waiting with baited breath for the update. My boss and I ventured down to the beautiful city of Savannah to try to "pitch" our industrial park to the Economic Development officials there. Our industrial park is 972 acres and the entire north corridor is served with direct rail to the Port of Savannah, and with gas prices the way they are, this is a huge selling point for future industrial prospects. Here's some useless facts for you: The Port of Savannah is the 4th busiest port in the U.S. after L.A., Long Beach, New York - then little Savannah. It's grown by double digits over the last ten years and 70% of the product coming through the port is from Asia.

Anyway, we had to mix a little fun in with the trip, so Thursday afternoon we walked around downtown Savannah and ended up at Forsyth Park, a gorgeous city park with a fountain. Here is one of my pictures of the fountain.

We also visited the Wormsloe State Historic site, the road of which was featured in Forrest Gump. Remember when Forrest was getting picked on and Jenny told him to "Run, Forrest, Run!" Here's my picture of the road into Wormsloe: And the picture of Forrest Gump running!

I also wanted to let you guys know that I have started a flickr account. I'll post it on the side of my blog as well. I'll post the more "creative" photos that I've been taking and you can witness as I learn and improve. Thanks so my parents: I got a 50mm f 1/8 lens for my birthday, so I look forward to taking lots of photos in the near future! Click Here for my flickr account.

Crazy Week...

2008-05-12T18:04:00.002-04:00

What's it like to be without power for 60+ hours? Ask me tomorrow, because we will be experiencing it.

It's been a crazy few days at the Copeland house. I left on Thursday for Savannah (aww, shucks) for a tour of the Port of Savannah... which deserves a post in itself. I'll post some pics of Forsyth Park and the Wormsloe State Historic Site later. Then Saturday I left for Chattanooga to attend a wedding for a friend from high school. As is custom, Scott was unable to attend (I swear that none of my friends believe I'm really married! This is what happens when you marry someone it the ministry...they can't attend Saturday night weddings!) It was nice to see some old friends and get to spend much of Mother's Day with my mom.

Scott calls me Sunday morning at 9:15 and tells me that Macon was practically leveled with storms early that morning. Scott posted about Macon taking a "smackdown" in his blog, and how they cancelled church (meaning, he could have gone to the wedding, oh well.) Well, we thought that we had escaped unscathed- we had power, cable, phones, everything UNTIL 2:45 p.m. I called Georgia Power about 6:30 p.m. to kindly ask them why we didn't lose power with the storm, but were without power now. The explained that they had to shut down the substation that serves our area to work on some other lines, but that our power would be up later that night. Soooo... later that night (around 9:30 p.m.) I call them and they began to explain that it would midnight Monday evening before the power would be back on. Great... we have absolutely no emergency preparations whatsoever. So we suffered through the evening (what did we DO before electricity!) and went our respective ways this morning. It's 6:30 p.m on Monday and I'm still at my job (because they have power and wi-fi) and Scott calls to tell me that he had called Georgia Power (and was not as kind) and that it is now going to be midnight Tuesday night before it's back up! Needless to say, I'm sure you'll see a funny post from Scott once he gets power again. I hope you guys are having a better week than us and the poor Georgia Power customer service reps and crews are! For pics of the damage in Macon go here

It's official...

2008-05-03T23:22:00.005-04:00

It's official. I am a professional vocalist now. Scott plays lots of weddings at Ingleside because his talent is on display every Sunday morning for more than 2,200 people. A recent bride, who had contracted his services ,asked him if I could sing at her wedding based on my performance at Easter. Saturday was the wedding and I sang "How Beautiful" during the seating of the mothers and Scott and I sang a duet called "We Will Dance" by Steven Curtis Chapman. This was the easiest money I have ever made. I like being a professional vocalist. :)

What's weird about this whole situation is that I have never been known as a singer. Many of you have known me since I was a child, and I was always known as a "jock" or a "brain"- not a singer. My parents are not musical and did not encourage us in this arena at all. I have always had an interest in music and singing, but never felt like I had the talent or measured up to the vocalists who had been singing since birth.

When I married Scott, he noticed that I had a "natural" talent and encouraged me to explore that talent whenever he could. He put me on his praise team at our little church in Nashville and I learned from the other singers to hear and pick out harmonies. Soon I was singing every week and singing different harmony parts. At one point it was like Scott had Wilson Phillips backing him up at church each Sunday.

Now we attend Ingleside and I have been a "singer" since we came here almost three years ago. People KNOW me as that. In fact, it's one of my defining characteristics. And I know that from now on, wherever Scott and I move, people are going to meet me and know me as a singer. What about you guys? Is there something that "defines" who you are now that would baffle your friends from childhood?

Three kidneys are better than two...

2008-04-30T22:31:00.004-04:00

Today is the last day of Donate Life month. Be sure to check out my other two blogs regarding the subject of organ donation and organ transplantation.

I thought I would post a little bit about MY transplant experience. Let me just say that if a major organ is going to fail in your body, you are fortunate if it's the kidney. You can live for an extended period of time without functioning kidneys thanks to technology and today's dialysis. I have heard horror stories about life on dialysis, and hopefully it's a temporary soluton for most people until they can receive a kidney from a living donor or a cadaver. I was extremely fortunate in that as soon as we learned I would need a transplant, my mother went ahead and did all the necessary testing to see if she would be a good candidate for donation. This was over a year before I actually had the transplant. Then it was just a wait and see time. We'd watch my labwork get worse and worse until the doctors said that we needed to schedule the transplant in December of 2002. They said that my kidneys were functioning at about 15%. They actually couldn't believe I was able to work a 40 a week job with my lab work being what it was. It was such a gradual decline that I didn't even notice how sick I had become. And I was so fortunate that I never had to go on dialysis, and that I was able to have a living/related donor. Many people in my situation have to wait years for a transplant. Just to have a chance at a normal life- to be able to actually go to the bathroom and eat and drink normal foods! When I actually had my transplant, they said the color returned to my face almost immediately. Something you may not know about kidney transplants is that they do not remove the existing "dead" kidneys. They just add the new kidney to your abdomen! Scott was funny when I had the transplant- he thought it was like changing a lightbulb- take one out and screw the new one in! Here's a diagram of how a kidney transplant works:

So after you've had the transplant, the waste and toxins are filtered through the dead kidneys and then filter through the new/donor kidney and THEN they go to the bladder. It's a very interesting process.

I've had my mother's kidney since February 13, 2003, more than 5 years. That's a BIG milestone. And my labwork has been perfect since day one- no rejection episodes at all. I thank God every day for "healing" me through this new kidney and for giving me an "almost" normal life. One day I want to give back and do some fundraising or public awareness for the National Kidney Foundation or the Georgia Transplant Foundation. I also want to play in the Transplant Olympics... I know they could use my volleyball skills. :)

Don't take your organs to Heaven (Part two)...

2008-04-28T20:34:00.002-04:00

Don't take your organs to Heaven,
Heaven knows we need them here!

I got quite a bit of response from the last post about organ donation (isn't Google amazing- connecting people from all over the world) so I decided to post some common "myths" about organ donation. Since I just learned about Donate Life Month, I'm trying to fill the last few days of April with information about organ donation and transplantation. Although my blog is supposedly about "useless" facts, I hope that you find these facts very useful and implement a plan about organ donation into your life. You never know when you or someone you love dearly may need a life-saving organ transplant.

Unsure about donating organs for transplant? Don't let rumors stand in your way of saving lives.

Myth No. 1. If I agree to donate my organs, my doctor or the emergency room staff won't work as hard to save my life. They'll remove my organs as soon as possible to save somebody else.
Reality. When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving your life — not somebody else's. You'll be seen by a doctor whose specialty most closely matches your particular emergency. The doctor in charge of your care has nothing to do with transplantation.

Myth No. 2. Maybe I won't really be dead when they sign my death certificate. It'll be too late for me if they've taken my organs for transplantation. I might have otherwise recovered.
Reality. Although it's a popular topic in the tabloids, in reality, people don't start to wiggle a toe after they're declared dead. In fact, people who have agreed to organ donation are given more tests to determine that they are truly dead than are those who haven't agreed to organ donation.

Myth No. 3. Organ donation is against my religion.
Reality. Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of most religions. This includes Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam and most branches of Judaism. If you're unsure of or uncomfortable with your faith's position on donation, ask a member of your clergy. Another option is to check the federal Web site OrganDonor.gov, which provides religious views on organ donation and transplantation by denomination.

Myth No. 4. I'm under age 18. I'm too young to make this decision.
Reality. That's true, in a legal sense. But your parents can authorize this decision. You can express to your parents your wish to donate, and your parents can give their consent knowing that it's what you wanted. Children, too, are in need of organ transplants, and they usually need organs smaller than those an adult can provide.

Myth No. 5. I want my loved one to have an open-casket funeral. That can't happen if his or her organs or tissues have been donated.
Reality. Organ and tissue donation doesn't interfere with having an open-casket funeral. The donor's body is clothed for burial, so there are no visible signs of organ or tissue donation. For eye donation, an artificial eye is inserted, the lids are closed, and no one can tell any difference. For bone donation, a rod is inserted where bone is removed. With skin donation, a very thin layer of skin similar to a sunburn peel is taken from the donor's back. Because the donor is clothed and lying on his or her back in the casket, no one can see any difference.

Myth No. 6. I'm too old to donate. Nobody would want my organs.
Reality. There's no defined cutoff age for donating organs. Organs have been successfully transplanted from donors in their 70s and 80s. The decision to use your organs is based on strict medical criteria, not age. Don't disqualify yourself prematurely. Let the doctors decide at your time of death whether your organs and tissues are suitable for transplantation.

Myth No. 7. I'm not in the greatest health, and my eyesight is poor. Nobody would want my organs or tissues.
Reality. Very few medical conditions automatically disqualify you from donating organs. The decision to use an organ is based on strict medical criteria. It may turn out that certain organs are not suitable for transplantation, but other organs and tissues may be fine. Don't disqualify yourself prematurely. Only medical professionals at the time of your death can determine whether your organs are suitable for transplantation.

Myth No. 8. I would like to donate one of my kidneys now, rather than wait until my death. But I hear you can't do that unless you're a close family member of someone in need.
Reality. While that used to be the case, it isn't any longer. Whether it's a distant family member, friend or complete stranger you want to help, you can donate a kidney through certain transplant centers.
If you decide to become a living donor, you will undergo extensive questioning to ensure that you are aware of the risks and make sure you're giving away your kidney out of pure goodwill and not in return for financial gain. You will also undergo testing to determine that your kidneys are in good shape and that you can live a healthy life with just one kidney.

Myth No. 9. Rich, famous and powerful people always seem to move to the front of the line when they need a donor organ. There's no way to ensure that my organs will go to those who've waited the longest or are the neediest.
Reality. The rich and famous aren't given priority when it comes to allocating organs. It may seem that way because of the amount of publicity generated when celebrities receive a transplant, but they are treated no differently from anyone else. In fact, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization responsible for maintaining the national organ transplant network, subjects all celebrity transplants to an internal audit to make sure the organ allocation was appropriate.

Myth No. 10. My family will be charged if I donate my organs.
Reality. The organ donor's family is never charged for donating. The family is charged for the cost of all final efforts to save your life, and those costs are sometimes misinterpreted as costs related to organ donation. Costs for organ removal go to the transplant recipient. (believe me this is true, Scott and I had a line item on our Vanderbilt bill for "organ procurement" when I had my transplant)

source: Mayo Clinic

Don't take your organs to heaven...

2008-04-27T22:25:00.005-04:00

Heaven knows we need them here!

Have you guys ever seen that bumper sticker?

I love seeing that bumper sticker on the back of cars because I know that the people driving the car have been affected by organ transplantation, as I have. I recently learned that April is Donate Life Month. Every day in April, people across the U.S. make a special effort to celebrate the tremendous generosity of those who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors and to encourage more Americans to follow their fine example. I wanted to take a moment to salute my mother for donating life to me. She is an amazing woman. She gave life to me twice, once as an infant and again on February 13, 2003 when she donated her kidney to me. In honor of Donate Life Month, I'm going to post some practical things you can do to promote organ donation!

Make it known: I want to be a donor
Register with your State Donor Registry, if available.
Say YES to donation on your driver's license.
Tell your family, friends, physician, and faith leader that you want to be a donor.
Fill out and sign a donor card, have it witnessed, carry it with you.

Tell someone: The need is great and growing.
More than 98,000 people are in need of an organ for transplant.
Each day, about 77 people get the organ transplant that gives them a second chance, but 17 to 19 others die because they did not receive an organ transplant.
More than half the people on the waiting list for a donated organ are racial or ethnic minorities. Chances of getting a transplant increase if donor and recipient share the same racial/ethnic background.

Thank you guys for reading about these very USEFUL facts about organ donation. For more information visit organdonor.gov

Useless Facts about me...

2008-04-25T12:43:00.003-04:00

My friends Brooke and Joy tagged me so now you're about to know some useless information about me!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was a sophomore/junior at Auburn University trying to figure out what to do with my life. I still don't know. :)

2. Five Things on my To Do List Today
clean
plant annuals outside
work on a spreadsheet for work
laundry
figure out dinner for tonight

3. Five Snacks I enjoy
lorna doone shortbread cookies
sour patch kids
ice cream
100 calorie packs
hummus/pita (the only healthy thing on the list!)

4. Five Things I would do if I were a Billionaire
buy a beach house
give to church/charity
give money to family
scott could retire and write songs all day
i would go back to school for interior design

5. Five Bad Habits
worrying
biting my nails
no putting clothes away after laundry
leaving the lights on
leaving my shoes around the house

6. Five Places I've Lived
Huntsville, AL
Chattanooga, TN
Auburn, AL
Franklin, TN
Macon, GA

7. Five Jobs I've Had
architecture intern
marketing/p.r. intern at hospital
yellow page salesperson (worst one)
marketing specialist at TVA
cabinet sales representative
tourism/p.r. director

Now, You're IT! I tag Gina and Keri!,

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T14:57:00.003-04:00

Happy Earth Day to everyone,

Now I am not a huge environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do care about the earth and what happens to it. And of course, everyone knows I'm a "tree-hugger" (see my previous post entitled "Trees, please...") Scott and I do our small part by recycling and energy conservation, but I know there's a lot more that we can do.

I used to work at the Tennessee Valley Authority and working there made me much more aware of environmental issues. While working with the Green Power Switch program, Energy Right program and Generation Partners programs, I was constantly having my ear bent by environmentalists trying to encourage TVA to do more for the environment. Many of them were irrational with their desires (i.e. "Let's all go OFF the grid!"), but many of them were caring people with big hearts who just wanted to protect the earth for future generations.

I know my friends in Nashville are working hard right now to do everything they can to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy, as this is the busiest time of the year for marketing these type of products. I'm proud of them and I'm proud that I was a part of creating programs that will make a lasting impression for years to come.

Here's my plug: If you live in an area served by TVA, go sign up for a block of Green Power!

100 things about me...

2008-04-19T23:14:00.006-04:00

So my friend Joy tagged me (thanks a lot, Joy!)

Here goes. This could get mighty random...

1. I was born on May 18, 1978 in Jackson, MS
2. My dad was a resident there.
3. He followed my mom there after they met at UAB when he was in Medical school and she was a dietician
4. But this is about me, not about them
5. My mom told me that the only time my dad got to see me was when she took me to lunch at the hospital
6. After Jackson we moved to Birmingham where my dad did a fellowship at UAB
7. Then we moved to Huntsville, where I attended kindergarten at Whitesburg Baptist Church
8. Then we moved to Chattanooga, where I attended first grade at Bachman Elementary school.
9. I met one of my best friends to this day in Mrs. McClister's 1st grade class. Her name is Gina and check out her blog here
10. Then in 2nd grade we moved BACK to Huntsville where I attended Jones Valley Elementary
11. Then in 3rd grade we moved BACK to Chattanooga where I lived until I graduated high school.
12. I loved moving back to Chattanooga because I learned cursive handwriting in 2nd grade in Huntsville and we were just learning it in 3rd grade in Chattanooga. My teacher let me "tutor" other students. I suppose that's where my bossy streak began...
13. A devastating tornado struck the elementary school I attended in Huntsville soon after I left. I remember that vividly as a child.
14. I am the oldest of three girls
15. I probably should have mentioned them earlier, but I got caught up in all the moves we made when I was a small child.
16. Megan was also born in Jackson, MS also, and we moved to B'ham when she was just 10 days old!
17. My mom is an awesome lady to put up with that!
18. Maddie was born when I was in the 3rd grade.
19. When I used to bring all my college friends home , she would always want to hang out with us and she would develop crushes on the boys.
20. I think there is still a tree near Signal Point that says, "Maddie Loves Chad"
21. "Little Maddie" is now 21 going on 22, and I know this freaks out many of those friends that knew her when she was a 9-10 year old
22. I played a lot of sports when I was growing up
23. I was a bit of a tomboy I guess you could say
24. It probably stems from the fact that my dad did not have any boys, so he had to teach us to throw the softball, football, etc
25. I actually wanted to try out for my middle school football team for the quarterback position
26. It made sense to me- at that age I was as big as most of the boys and I could throw better than them too!
27. My dad had to sit me down and explain to me that it was very dangerous to play football as a girl because of the ways girls differ from boys. That was an awkward conversation. :)
28. I have always loved to draw.
29. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an "artist" when I grew up
30. When I got into high school, I changed that slightly and decided I wanted to be an architect.
31. I took drafting in high school with all the boys. The class was taught by Coach Brown (the wrestling coach) and all the athletes took the class and chewed tobacco the whole time.
32. I guess that's why I received the "Drafting Award" my senior year.
33. I played the piano for two years and the flute for two years.
34. I quit because they interfered with sports.
35. I wish I had kept with piano or flute, because those are skills I could use today (especially after marrying a musician!)
36. I was super involved with everything in high school.
37. I played volleyball (our team went to state 3 of the years I was there)
38. I ran track (mile relay, 100 meter hurdles and 400 meter hurdles)
39. I was on student council, wrote for the school paper, was involved with Young Life, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was in the musical Bye, Bye Birdie, etc.
40. I actually enjoyed high school (is that bad to admit?)
41. We had an exceptional class though... just ask anyone that went to Red Bank and they'll tell you
42. I got sick when I was 16.
43. I was in the hospital forever, and they finally diagnosed me with Wegener's Granulomatosis. read about it here
44. I had to go on chemotherapy and missed the last half of my junior year of high school
45. I still got a 4 on the AP U.S. History test (this is an inside joke because my history teacher constantly told the other kids in the class that there was NO WAY Carmen would pass the test! I showed him!)
46. I went to Auburn University
47. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Auburn- it was the only school I applied to. I was actually accepted in April of my junior year of high school!
48. I am a third generation Auburn graduate- I guess you could say I was bred to go there
49. Hopefully my children will attend there, but my husband will oppose this. He is a UGA Dawg fan.
50. I still love him though.
51. My dad barely let him marry me.
52. I was in a sorority at Auburn :Delta Delta Delta
53. I met some wonderful girls there, but most of my best friends I met at the Auburn BCM
54. One of my proudest accomplishments is that I set up my friend from the BCM, Brad, with one of my sorority sisters, Brooke, for a formal. Now they are married with a child! Check out their blog here
53. I started at Auburn in Architecture, but had to leave the major due to my health. Many of you have heard how grueling "Summer Option" was at Auburn, and I had to drop out.
54. So I wound up majoring in Marketing, mostly because it was the more "creative" side of business
55. One of my dreams is to go back to school and "finish what I started"... I want to earn an Interior Design degree and follow in my mother's footsteps.
56. I love college football
57. I have gone to Auburn football games since I was a little girl.
58. I miss going to football games now that I am "grown up"
59. After I graduated from Auburn, I got a job in Nashville, TN
60. I was one of the few people there who was NOT there for music
61. I got a "real" job at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
62. One of my best friends, Joy (who tagged me), moved there with me
63. We had a GREAT time growing up together in the "real" world and with our roommate Keri
64. I dated several goofballs before meeting Scott at The People's Church in Franklin, TN
65. I actually tried to set Scott up with Joy and Keri before deciding to date him myself
66. I know that sounds weird, but it's true.
67. Scott and I met in the singles group (the Pathfinders) at church.
68. I worked at TVA for 5 years. Just enough time to be fully vested
69. It was a great first job. I got all kinds of training and was involved in developing two new products. Check them out here and here
70. I also made some wonderful friends there... I still keep in contact with many of them.
71. I had a kidney transplant at age 24 due to my sickness mentioned in #43
72. I was working at TVA and people donated their leave so that I would get paid for the 8 weeks I was off after the surgery. That shows you what a great company it is...
73. My mother donated her kidney to me
74. I never had to go on dialysis which was wonderful
75. I had my surgery at Vanderbilt hospital and my mom was the third person they performed laproscopic surgery for kidney donation on. pretty amazing.
76. Therefore I have three kidneys, but only one works.
77. That is another post for another day.
78. Scott and I had only been married for 6 months when I had the surgery. He was such a trooper.
79. I was in the hospital on our first Valentine's Day together
80. We have been married for almost 6 years now. Wow, time flies.
81. We have two puppies and one cat
82. They all have Russian names. Gorbachev (Gorbs)- The cat, Alexandra (Lexie)- the beagle and Anastastia (Anna)- the labrador/sharpei mix
83. We love them dearly (well, Scott is not especially fond of the cat)
84. We want to have children one day
85. Hopefully we'll be able to have one biological child and then we hope to adopt
86. We moved to Macon in 2005 for a job for Scott at Ingleside Baptist Church
87. I have held a myriad of jobs since living here, including Director of Tourism and Public Relations with a local Chamber of Commerce and Sales Representative for cabinet manufacturers. Now I am working part-time at another local Chamber of Commerce and am doing some freelance marketing/public relations for a large EMS corporation in Macon.
88. I love the flexibility of these jobs
89. We love our house. Every house in our neighborhood has at least three acres.
90. We have three acres with lots of mature trees.
91. I love trees. See my previous post about the lovely trees in Macon entitled, "Tree, please"
92. Mexican food is my favorite
93. I also love bleeps (big sour, sweet tart-like candies) and sour patch kids
94. I love all animals. I just rescued a baby bird from my cat yesterday.
95. I want to foster animals with a local rescue agency, but Scott won't let me. He says I'll get too attached
96. I love to sing. I sing in the choir at Ingleside and occasionally on the Praise Team.
97. I am a second soprano. This is not just a part in the choir, it is a way of life. If you knew the other seconds, you'd understand.
98. I enjoy taking Sunday afternoon naps
99. I am just beginning to learn photography. I actually help shoot a wedding a few weekends ago. Scott got me a digital SLR camera for Christmas
100. And above all else, I am a Christian. I hope that people see Christ's love through me every day.

That was long and hard. And it pretty well describes me: Random.
I now tag Gina B, Keri T, Brooke S. and Scott. Don't expect to see 100 things about him, though. :)

30 days to 30

2008-04-18T15:56:00.002-04:00

So my friend Alison wrote a post entitled "30 days of 30" after experiencing her 30's for one month. Her post was mostly about what she wants to accomplish in her next 30 years, but it inspired me. If you haven't figured it out already, I will turn 30 on May 18, and while I am not upset about it in the slightest, it has caused me to be somewhat introspective. What have I done with my life so far? What have I not accomplished that I thought I would? What do I want to accomplish in the next decade or the next 30 years as Alison pointed out?

These are all potential posts, however, for this post I want to concentrate on what to do with my last 30 days of being in my 20's. So, I need you guys' help. What should I do? I need this to be realistic, so traveling around the world (while fun) should not be an answer! I need some guidance.

I am an immature woman of 29 who wants some suggestions for living up her last month of youth. Maybe I'll follow Alison's lead once I have become a wiser woman of 30 and create a list of things I want to accomplish in the future.... right now I want to live in the present!

Off the beaten path...

2008-04-14T17:54:00.007-04:00

“If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.” Anatole France

I'm sure you have all been wondering about the header I have posted on my blog. I bet it's been keeping you up at night.

The header is a picture of a "C" road we were traveling in Scotland this past summer. Britain has a letter and numbering system to classify and identify all roads in Great Britain. Each road is given a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. "A" roads are the main roads or motorways (i.e. interstates in the U.S.), "B" roads are numbered local routes (i.e. state highways in U.S) and "C" and subsequent letters are for lower density roads that are unclassified. Many of the roads in Scotland are "C" roads or lesser. Needless to say, we were definitely on a "C" road for this journey. The GPS unit in our car (who we named "Beatrice"- that's a whole other story) did not even register this road on the unit!

We were staying in a lovely bed and breakfast near Perth, Scotland owned by friends of my parents. My parents have been travelling to Scotland for many years and have made friends with this charming English couple who retired to Scotland. So, when we decided to make the somewhat long journey to Loch Ness, Tony (the owner of the B&B and historian of all things British) asked us if we wanted to take the short way or the "scenic" route. We (meaning my mom and I) jumped at the chance for the scenic route. Scott, the driver, felt differently, but the women prevailed and we were off on our little adventure. An otherwise 4 hour trip took us over 6 hours, but we enjoyed every minute of it. At every twist and turn in the road was another glimpse of God's creation and the unique beauty that is Scotland. One minute it was lush and green with highland coos (Scottish cows) grazing, and the next minute we were in the highlands of Scotland with the mountains covered with the purple majesty of heather. Here are some images of that trip from Perth to Loch Ness.

Notice the purple heather, the one lane road and the beautiful castle that awaited us near the end of the journey. What I learned most about this adventure is that sometimes it's important to get off the beaten path and enjoy the journey. If we had chosen to take the "A" road that day, we would have arrived at Loch Ness far sooner, but we would have missed the beauty along the way. It's important to not forget the journey on our way to the destination...I think we often forget that in the hustle and bustle of our American lives.

Saving the Evidence...

2008-04-12T18:19:00.003-04:00

Scott made me aware of the poor, baby zebra that was found grazing on I-75 near Locust Grove, GA. We live about 40 miles from Locust Grove right off of I-75, so I was interested in the location as well as the subject matter. I am an animal lover! I would take any animal and raise it if I could. Just ask Scott...I am forever bringing in baby animals (i.e. squirrels, rabbits, etc) and asking if I can "keep" them. I'm not sure what his hangup is! I think we have reached our limit of animals with two dogs and a cat, but if I was a vet, we would have a zoo!

Anyway, this poor zebra was found grazing right off of I-75 and apparently had fallen out of a truck or trailer and then hit by another vehicle. The police began referring to him as 'evidence', so the name stuck!

One of the most interesting parts of the story to me is the fact that the zebra was sent to Auburn University's vet school for surgery and treatment, when UGA's vet school was right up the road. Do you think this is "evidence" to the quality of the schools? :)

Check out the story here.

Old or young?

2008-04-09T21:12:00.008-04:00

It's been a wild week, and it's not over yet. Today is the only day this week that I will be in Macon. I left Sunday after church to drive to Chattanooga, helped my mom prepare "reception" food and then drove Monday morning to Johnson City, TN for my sister's senior art show/reception. Megan is finally graduating from her second degree! She is getting her BFA in Photography and will graduate in May. All seniors in the arts have to display their senior projects for a week, starting with an opening reception. We prepared lots of fancy food for all those starving artists/college students. Here's a picture (from my phone) of the three sisters in Megan's gallery.

Megan, Maddie and Carmen at Megan's Show

She did her project on Reeltown, the town in Alabama where my dad is from. She spent the summer in Reeltown taking photographs and preparing for this project. She did such a great job depicting life in rural Alabama. Congratulations to Megan!

On another note, I leave tomorrow for a retreat for (one) of my jobs. This retreat is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and will consist of local leaders dissecting the community's problems and what we as a community can do to fix them. Fun times. At least it's going to be at a really cool state park AND we are having a volleyball tournament (guess who's one of the captains!) I haven't played in years, but something tells me that I will be heads and shoulders above the rest of the group (mostly because of my age!) I love going on retreats like these because I'm the "baby". It's strange how it certain situations I feel old (like going to art shows at a local university, see above paragraph) and in certain situations I feel young (like playing volleyball with middle aged politicians!) Anybody else feel this tug?

Trees, please...

2008-04-06T21:48:00.008-04:00

I love trees. I guess you can say I'm a bit of a tree hugger. (Alison, Garet and Bull, remember that pic of me hugging the giant redwood in Cali?) I grew up on beautiful Signal Mountain, TN surrounded by trees. When Scott almost moved me to Ft. Worth, TX after getting married, I wanted to live on a flood plain because it was the only place with big trees! We've bought two houses that needed work over brand new ones because of the big yards and the mature trees. You can't put a price on mature trees in my opinion.

One of the things I LOVE about Macon, GA is the thousands of yoshino cherry trees everywhere. Here's a useless fact for you: Macon, GA is THE Cherry Blossom Capital of the World, according to Congressional records. There are over 300,000 yoshino cherry trees in Macon. Yes, you read that right, over 300,000!

It all began with a a couple of concerned citizens who had a dream of these graceful trees populating and identifying Macon with beauty. Today, a foundation donates thousands of trees a year to the citizens of Macon, securing its title of Cherry Blossom Capital of the World. (These trees also bring thousands of tourist dollars into the community for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, a top 20 event in the south and top 50 event in the U.S)

I've lived in several cities, and I have to give a shout out to Macon. I'm not sure there's a place on earth as beautiful as Macon during the early spring with these thousands of trees in bloom. What a great thing to be known for! I'll be sure to hug some this year for you...

To learn more about the International Cherry Blossom Festival visit their website at : http://www.cherryblossom.com/

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

2008-04-04T17:25:00.001-04:00

I have never had good hair. You can comment all you want about how this "not true!" but the truth is I have thin, mousy brown hair (with a touch of gray.) My husband, on the other hand, has beautiful, thick, perfectly textured hair. Just ask our hairdresser. In fact, I got my hair cut/colored today and our hairdresser spent most of the time commenting on how Scott has "great hair." It's one of those unfair things in life, such as when men have super-thick, long eyelashes. These are some of the great injustices of the world.

However, you will rarely, if ever, hear me complain about my hair. You see, when I was 16 I lost all of it due to chemotherapy. Many of you know me and know that I have an autoimmune disease that eventually led to the destruction of my kidneys and a kidney transplant. When they were first diagnosing me with this disease, I was so sick that chemotherapy was the only option to wipe out my immune system and thus keep the disease under control. So here was this 16 year old who was scared for her life, AND lost all her hair. I even went to prom wearing a wig. Sometimes I think I was braver then than I am today. But when you go through those sort of situations, you realize that God gives you the strength to get through. It's happened again and again to me. But I digress... back to the topic at hand, er, hair.

You don't realize how much you take things for granted until they are gone. It was like that for me with the hair loss. Even when I was feeling much better and the disease was somewhat under control, I still had the bald head as evidence of being "sick". So, you can imagine my elation when my hair returned for my senior year! I vowed then that I would never take my hair for granted. Even when I am having a "bad" hair day, I remind myself that it's a "at least I have hair day!"

I'm sure there are many of you out there that can relate to this story because you've been there yourself! Is there anything you didn't realize you took for granted until it was gone?

The confusion that is Copeland blogging...

2008-04-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

Hello friends (and future friends!)

I've been feeling a lot of pressure lately to start a blog, and have been very hesitant to do so. Why do you ask? Honestly, I'm not sure my life is interesting enough to merit having it documented daily on the world wide web. But alas, my sweet husband, has finally convinced me to begin one. This is a selfish move on his part because he is tired of me commandeering his. Even though we don't have a ton of exciting things happening to us on a daily basis, I am all the time saying, "ooh, you should blog about that!" or "why don't you blog about _____ that we did this weekend." Sometimes he obliges me, but most of the time I get the eye roll and a comment about how I should "start my own blog." Thus, "Carmen's Blog of Useless Facts..." is born. If you knew me in school (or know me now) , you'd know that I have an amazing memory for useless facts. I can tell you anything you want to know about Chattanooga, TN. I can sing the lyrics to just about any song that I've ever heard. I know tons of interesting tidbits about the Civil War, urban sprawl, the tourism industry, dog training, house renovation, and I always like to give my input on worship leading. My friends in college used to say that I should write a book called, "Carmen's Book of Useless Facts", but I'm thinking this blog will be the closest thing to that. Also, it allows me to cater the blog to whatever I feel like on any given day. It gives maximum flexibility for my minimum thoughts. :)

I figure that those of you who are interested (why, I'm not sure) in what's going on with the Copelands, you should probably look here first. Scott's blog will probably contain mostly his artsy topics and his occasional rantings about politics and global warming. Enjoy and leave lots of comments!