I'm Goin' After My Mexican Vanilla in 99 sq. ft.

Did you read that I'm out of Mexican vanilla?

This morning I made arrangements to go

replenish my supply.

 You're going to be amazed, I think, at my plan.

Several years ago Norwegian Cruise Line launched

a ship called the Norwegian Epic. 

It caught my attention because there were some

provisions that catered to single travelers.

I never did check it out and kinda forgot about it.

However, I don't like having to pay double

every time I cruise, which is what the other 

cruise lines do to single cruisers.

This morning a message about bargain cruising
 popped up on my AOL home page.

The first cruise listed was on the

Norwegian Getaway

in its inaugural season!

And then I spotted "studios" which sleep only 1, but

also charge for only 1--no single supplement.

Very interesting!

So I called.  And I booked!

The studios are tiny.  Only 99 sq. ft.!

They are interior, with a one way glass window which

looks out on the hallway.  (With a sliding cover!)

But...

Nearby is a private lounge with a concierge for

studio cruisers only!

And it's lots cheaper.

 

Are you wondering about my bathroom?
Well, I will have full access with my keycard to
the bathroom down the hall in the Studio Lounge.


 JUST KEEDING!!!


Here is a shot which shows the bathroom--
included in the massive 99 sq. ft.

 

(I just tickle myself to death, you know.
I'm sitting here dying laughing over the thought
of me traipsing down the hall to the bathroom!)


After the fact (reservation)
I thought of submitting a question on
Cruise Critic about how the studio rooms had
worked out for other cruisers.


I have received 4 positive responses saying
(1) the studios are not at all claustrophobic
(2) they're perfect for 1
(3) a great place to sleep
(4) my luggage WILL fit under the bed
(5) that I'm gonna love it!
And not a single negative response!


So whata ya' think?
It sounds like an adventure to me!
And remember, it's a real bargain--
for a couple of bottles of vanilla!

 

My Last But Not Least Stop

Our flights for the Biltmore trip were in and out of the

Charlotte, North Carolina, airport.

Very near the airport was our last stop,

the Billy Graham Library.
It was located right off of Billy Graham Parkway,
a major thoroughfare.

Now I'm really proud to feel Billy Graham is part

of my generation.
I've been his great admirer all my life.

I actually went to a crusade one time--
in person!

I found his to be outstanding among the libraries

that I've visited in my long lifetime.

The setting is lovely.

The volunteers there are so pleasant.

The presentations are organized and interesting.

I liked it even more than I expected.

We entered the library "at the foot of the cross."
(See a greeter standing at the door?)

 

The Grahams were dairy farmers, so

a very realistic animated "Bessie the Cow" greets visitors

and starts them on their way through

The Journey of Faith.

 

There are many clips of Billy speaking.

Then there are enthralling pictures of him.

I especially loved the ones with the eleven

presidents by whom he was called "pastor."

My favorite was one of Ronald and Nancy Reagan

with Billy.

Nancy had her hands on his waist and was

looking up at him so admiringly.

I took a picture of this old piano with equally

old sheet music on it.

Because...look what I have.

Also on the library grounds is the Graham childhood home.

It was actually moved here from a few miles away.

That's one of our fearless leaders and my dear friend,

Kim Carb,

standing in front of the lovely home.

Ruth Graham passed away in 2008 and is

buried on the beautiful premises.

Billy will be buried beside her.

Also buried there are Cliff Barrows,

the music director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic

Association,

and George Beverly Shea, the incomparable

baritone soloist for the crusades.

I was looking forward to dining at the

Graham Brothers Dairy Bar

at the conclusion of my tour.  

But by the time I made it through and shopped
 the gift shop, there was not enough time left!

This was one of my purchases:

A fitting conclusion to a wonderful trip.

You May Want to Put This on Your Bucket List

 

I feel like I've been to Downton Abbey with

only a two-hour plane ride!

I went with my bank travel club to the

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N. Carolina.

It was FABULOUS!

The estate covers over 8,000 acres.

We stayed in the relatively new Inn on Biltmore,

a lovely spot!
It is an approximately twenty minute drive
from here to the Biltmore home.

  There were two HUGE fireplaces.

This one was in the dining room.

 

This is my room.

And my bathroom.

(Let me apologize now.  I actually just

wanted to post a picture of my only new outfit

for the trip.) 

(Yes, I realize all you can really see here

is the potty.)

(Well, and the beautiful red rose.)

That's a Keurig, so I fixed myself a cup of coffee

and enjoyed the view!

We had one of the best dinners I've ever had in the

Inn dining room the first night.

And the breakfast buffets were absolutely fabulous!
(including cheese blintzes and cheese grits!)


Our first (very full!) day was just the "warm up act."
I could do a blog on each of the places we went,
but since you don't want to read this for 3 days, 
I'll spare you.


Our first stops were in the lovely town of
Asheville, North Carolina.
  Number 1: a magnificent church.
Lots of history.

You would enjoy seeing this if you go there!


Switching gears, our second stop was in the
beautiful, spotlessly clean downtown area,
called by some the "Paris of the South."
The most memorable part to me?
Having lunch at this Woolworth lunch counter!
(I know--not very Parisian!)

Then we headed out of town for Chimney Rock.
This was described to us as a...
"500-million-year-old towering monolith"
(which I looked up--all one rock)!

 
 (I'm using their picture--much better than mine.)

 
A 26 story elevator through the rock
 enabled us to go to the top
(plus these steps!)

(That's not me--I'm the photographer!)
But I did ascend!  And descend!
And hurt!

  Glad I brought a jacket.

Never fails to stir me old heart strings.

 

 From the top of Chimney Rock we could see
our next destination--Lake Lure.

Lake Lure has one claim to fame:
the sight of filming for the movie Dirty Dancing.
 
Here we are cruising the lake--quite beautiful.

  

And here's the Inn--old and very charming.

But...there's a big BUT.

I understand that
this staircase, seen from the cruise boat, is the
ONLY thing about this place you see in the movie!!!

 


Yes, I know it's a bit blurry, but you MUST see it.
My friend Charlotte says Jennifer Grey comes
tripping down these stairs carrying a watermelon.
I can't wait to watch the movie again to see
if I can find anything else that looks familiar.
Oh...the stars did stay in the Lake Lure Inn!


So, we're all warmed up and ready for the
MAIN EVENT!

This is the Biltmore Estate in the fall.

If I told you I took this beautiful shot, 
would you believe me?
Well, you shouldn't.
Here's my shot of our first view--from the bus!

This is the largest privately owned home in the U.S.
Touring it was one fabulous experience.

 No pictures were allowed inside.
(I hear you breathing a sigh of relief!)
I would especially have liked to take approximately
ten jillion of the Christmas decorating that was
going on and the many beautiful trees 
already glowing (as many as 3 to a room!)


I have been through quite a few mansions and palaces,
and somehow this one especially impressed me.
The audio guide to the home was just perfect.  
I listened to every word.
There are 3 floors and a basement to tour!
 And one small elevator only for those who 
really need it--and that didn't include me.
Instead, I had to swallow a few Advil for my
aching legs!


Here I am on a balcony at the Biltmore!

We had the afternoon free, so I returned to the
Estate to tour the gardens.
(Ugh--more stairs--MANY more.)
But, it was worth it.  My pictures are as good
as the professional ones
(if I do say so myself, and I do.)

 

 

The conservatory:

 

 And...I'm not an orchid aficionado, but I know

some of you are.

These struck me as very special! 

Am I right?

Okay.  I'm as tired as if I walked the estate
grounds today.
I'm going to save the last stop on our trip
until tomorrow.
I know you'll be waiting with bated breath!!!
At least I was.

                                                    

Do You Have This Trait?

Flexibility.

Now I'm not talking about the type of "flexibleness"

that my friend Sandy Clark has.

She is a grandmother (albeit a young one)

who can still do the splits!

I'm extremely jealous, but

I really think I was born unable to do that.

I'm speaking of realizing that others

 just might have a differing opinion from yours.

Of not saying,

"This is the way I've always done such and such,

and I'm not changing."

Of not being so rigid about a routine that it

can't be interrupted.

And perhaps most importantly...

Of not thinking that one's own opinion

 on a subject is infallible.

There is only one area of my life in which I will

never be flexible.

That is the area of my faith. 

(Many of you would call it my religion--

but that's for another blog!)

If the Bible says it, I believe it.  Period.

Infallible.  Irrefutable.  Inflexible.

The rules by which I live are chiseled in stone--

or at least they were.

Now they are chiseled on my heart.

Inflexible people lack a couple of phrases in

their vocabularies.

Those are:

"I think... and

"In my opinion..."

(much less "IMHO"--which is "in my humble opinion"

for my un-techie friends!)

They, instead, state everything they think

as indisputable fact.

Inflexible people would rarely, if ever,

"go with the flow."

They would not make lemonade out of lemons.

("What lemons?")

They would never say, (in faith)

"que sera sera."

Inflexible people would say,

"It's my way or the highway."

I hate to say it, but Baptist church members

 have not been known, historically, for their flexibility.

Now, again, I'm not speaking of our doctrines.

We should be inflexible there.

I'm speaking of some of our practices and man

 created traditions.

Mike Satterfield, one of our pastors, told a

joke Sunday morning which reflects exactly that!

"How many Baptists does it take to change

a lightbulb?"

Response..."CHANGE?!?!"

No...we don't do change well.

I'm very timid to say, but I think I am relatively 

flexible.

I probably run "I think" and "in my opinion"

into the ground.

Most days I don't have all that much of a

schedule that it can't be interrupted

if someone needs a hand or has a plan!

  I coddle and cherish a memory from

Madeline's and Susannah's growing up.

One day Susan and Rob were discussing

wanting to do something which would not have

included the girls.

They were debating how they could handle them.

Madeline said,

"Call Mimi and Gaga.  They'll say,

'We'll be there in 15 minutes!!!'"

Of course, being a grandparent makes

flexibility much more appealing

and rewarding!

I truly believe being flexible, even though it is

not named as part of the fruit of the Spirit,

(Galatians 5:22-23)

is a Godly trait.

 

It seems to me that flexibility would be required

 in order to be "Third."  (As blogged here.) 

Placing God and others before oneself and

being dogmatic are incompatible.

(IMHO!)
 

P.S.  Oh, one more thing.  I realize I'm pretty inflexible

 about my hair, too.

 

The Names By Which I Am Known

My official name is Linda Jane Lynn Stovall.

My son calls me "Mom."

My daughter calls me "Mom" or "Mother"

(the latter most often when I've done something crazy!)

My daughter in love and son in love

call me "Linda."

Jack called me "Linda Bird."  

Maybe "Linda" or "Honey" sometimes.

But I only really remember "Linda Bird"
or "L.B." for short. 

Now...please don't be jealous, but:

This includes not only Madeline and Susannah,

but many of their friends, I'm 

thrilled to say!
And...many of their friends' parents.

Also, Charleigh-Girl.

She calls me Mimi.  Well, she knows me as "Mimi."

Some people, in an attempt to be respectful, call me

"Mrs. Stovall" or "Miss Linda" in some form.

I appreciate efforts to be respectful, but those names

make me feel old.

I prefer being a disrespected young-feeling person!

 My cousin Sarah and her friends call me

"Linda Jane" or "LJ"

because there was already a "Linda" in their

circle of friends when Sarah and I "found" each other!

Now this would have bothered me in years past.

Why?

I did not really like my middle name.

Then...guess what?

Madeline Jane Metzger, my namesake, was born.

How could I ever have disliked "Jane?"

I lost a very dear friend in 1994.

Her name was Alta Dollar.

She was the only one who has ever called me "Lin."

And, of course, it follows that
I called her "Al."

As awesomely amazing as it is, 
Someone else...Someone more important than all these...
 knows my name!
God Himself, the Creator and Sustainer of this universe,
 calls me by name!!! 


But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says,
Don't be afraid, for I have ransomed you;
I have called you by name;
you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1 

What Happened Last Night!

It all began when I volunteered to do a five minute

devotional for the choir based on THIS BLOG. 

Afterward, my friend Sharon Harvey asked me if I

would come to her "small group" and present

the same to them.  I was flattered.  I had another "gig."

Funny, I felt that way until it became time to

fulfill my commitment.  Same way with the choir.

I end up saying to myself,

"What was I thinking?"

Especially when Sharon told me I had 25 minutes

as my part of the program.

(As you will see later, I am really just 'keeding!')

So last night I showed up at the "small group."

Sharon had not given me any idea how many were involved.

Sadly, there was a death in Sharon's family yesterday,

so she was unable to be there.

But...

My long time, dear friend, Gail Calder was waiting

for me outside to help me park.

First hint:  there were A LOT of cars there.

Gail was wonderful.  She took me under her wing

for the entire evening.  I heart Gail!

Well...I've never seen so many ladies!  

It is a huge small group!

Gail said they were missing at least a couple, but

there were 16 there!

Second nerve-inducing hint:

I was told that Sandy Smith, our marvelous

pastor's wife...

(Wait...he is marvelous but she is, too...)

speaks for the group once a year.

Ohhhh, noooo.

This is my second speaking gig.  

Don't be expecting Sandy here, please girls!

After having the best pizza and the most 

beautiful salads, everyone sat down

to listen to meeee!  Yikes!

I told them how it came about that I was there,

did the five minute "choir thing,"

then shared some of my other favorite blogs.

They were so receptive and encouraging.

I felt God's presence and was totally at ease.

There was one question when I concluded.

One of my favorite ladies there asked,

"What is a blog?"

Various of the others attempted to explain to her!

It was a truly wonderful, blessed evening.

I made some new friends, although I am going

to have a hard time remembering all their names!

I passed out as many of my calling cards as I

had brought--not enough--

so maybe I will get some new readers!

My prayer as always is...

Let others see Jesus in me.

 

 

Sorry, Channel 4...

You are now officially in the American Airlines column

(and that is NOT a good thing.)

I have griped reported before that one of

life's tremendous frustrations to me
(not really)
  is the pre-empting of Judge Judy 
for every gusty wind or raindrop that occurs 
between 4:00 and 5:00 weekdays.

Or, for every high speed car chase (which all seem to

 happen during that time period.)

Well, just get ready for this.

On Sunday night, or really Monday morning,

at 2:00 A.M. and 2:30 A.M.

Judge Judy is shown on Channel 4.
I record, of course, and

I was enjoying these reruns this morning while

sipping my coffee.

When things got all tense, with JJ getting to the 

crux of the case, guess what happened?

Yes...

At 2:00 in the morning!  Right at the crucial moment!
And this is what was being reported:
That weather alerts were ENDING--had EXPIRED.


Now may I offer my sincere apologies to you for
trivializing this weather report if:
you were sitting by your TV at 2:00 AM trying to
decide whether to jump in your car and
go driving.
I realize it would have been important for you to
have the information that it would be okay.


Just watched the second alert (at the 2:30 hour),
and it would NOT have been okay to go
driving if you live in Navarro County.


You're welcome.