Jumping In To The Blogging Pool

After years of talking myself out of it, I decided that the internet was a big enough place for me to carve out a little space for myself.  The main reason I'm finally taking the plunge is selfish and personal.  I tend to get a little ... introspective ... at times.  That's a nice way of saying that when things get tough, I fight the urge to go to bed, curl up in the fetal position and cry.  I hope that the discipline of blogging will keep me from my bed, and it will remind me of all the joy and laughter I can find in every day things.

Who am I?  I guess if you're reading this, you already know, but just in case:  my name is Sandra.  I have been married to the most wonderful man in the world for almost 27 years.  I have two incredible children, a son who is 21 and married and in the Infantry, and a daughter who is 19 and is finishing her freshman year of college.  I was a stay-home mom ever since my son was born so when they moved out of the house, I had a MAJOR identity crisis.  What becomes of a stay-home mom, when all the kids are gone?

I'm figuring it out.  I am adjusting to my new role of empty-nester.  I am loving my new role of mother-in-law to an incredible young woman who loves my son and who now has the difficult job of Army Wife.  I am learning how to parent a child who is 3-1/2 hours away at college, and doing great, and who doesn't need a daily, hands-on mom, and I am learning how to not have a weeping panic when my baby boy tells me he's going into combat, but not to worry.  Please.  Not worry? 

My husband has a wicked-weird sense of humor and frequently has me laughing so hard that I actually cry. 

I have a giant dog who sheds more than any one dog should, and who brings much joy and happiness to my day. 

I have a fondness for Winnie the Pooh that some of my loving friends have dared suggest might border on obsession. 

I also must put out vibes or something that encourages random strangers to just come up to me and talk to me as I can't get out of WalMart without someone talking to me.  And I do NOT initiate it.  Ask my family, who has witnessed it first hand.  People just ... talk to me.  Random strangers.  And I don't mean the "Hi, how are you" in passing greeting.  I mean full-fledged conversations with complete strangers about ... everything.  It's odd. 

I wake up every morning grateful to God for the blessings He's put in my life and I know that I couldn't do a single thing without Him.  He gives me focus and meaning and hope. 

And that's me.  A stay-home mom with no kids in the house.  A blessed wife of a loving husband.  A beloved Child of God. 

And a reluctant blogger.  But here I go -- my life; the good, the bad, the ugly.