Starting anew...

Wow, it certainly does not feel like the first day of a new year...a new decade at that, but I certainly need a new start! 2009 was certainly not the best of times, but I want to move forward from the negatives of the last year and look to the possibilities of the future ahead. I am not totally clear what the Lord's plan is for me, but I do look forward to working more closely with Tony to build a successful business, maybe find something part time until spring, and just spend more quality time with the kids.

We managed to stay up until midnight last night, as Gabe and Sophia had their cousin Jaxxon over to spend the night, Tony and I can't remember the last time we stayed up to watch the New Year start! We did share a bottle of sparkling cider with the kids (something we remember fondly doing when we first started dating).

I need to work on rebuilding some family relationships that have become broken over the past year.

I also want to continue to study the Bible and learn about my short-comings and how to improve myself, my first Woman's Bible Study starts in just a few weeks and I look forward to learning more about the book of Psalms.

We finished cleaning up all the Christmas decorations and I think I got most of the pine needles vacuumed from the living room carpeting, we finished building my new desk and I am looking forward to my new computer arriving on Monday.

The kids and Tony and I built a new stand for the tables in the veggie house I will be working PT prepping the veggies for Chelsea to pack and the tables were too low before and it would hurt my back and neck so now that should no longer be a problem!

So hello 2010, and thanks for giving me a fresh start!

FIRED

Today was my last day at a company that I helped to build from the ground up...working late into the nights when I was pregnant with Gabriel, keeping him in the store while I worked and Tony worked in the processing plant, back in the days when we weren't sure the company was ever going to make it, but it did make it, and 8 years later Tony and myself are now gone from the company that we knew from the inside out, it is pretty devastating!



The creamery is fine, but Tony left for his reasons and I was fired. This is not the first time my family has fired me (I guess I am a sucker for punishment)...I worked hard, was honest and did my job to the best of my ability, I took great pride in my work but it was never appreciated. I don't wish any ill-will on South Mountain Creamery, but it is time for me to move on.


Being that it is a family business, I currently have no family, how do you have a relationship with the very people that accuse you of being dishonest and trying to ruin the very business we built from the ground up?


I was in such a dark place all afternoon and I had to find some peace so I started reading the book of James, it spoke volumes to me! I realized that I said some pretty horrible things to my family and I need to apologize, not that this will heal the relationship because frankly it has been shaky for many, many years, but at least I know that I am right with God and I am trying to change my wrongdoings.


Here are a few versus that spoke to me;


"My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God's sight." James 2:19-20





"So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame on fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life." James 3: 5-6





"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. wash your hands you sinner; purify your hearts you hypocrites. Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor." James 4: 7-10

Highlights from the Nashville Wedding

Tony was "cavity searched" at BWI airport because he forgot that he was carrying his box cutter on his belt.

We flew Southwest Airlines and did not realize that it was a "free for all" seating, we were some of the last to board the aircraft and therefore did not get to sit together on our way to Nashville.

We upgraded our rental car from a Ford Escape to a brand new black Chevy Camero (very fun, and it got us LOTS of attention in downtown Nashville)

Had an outdoor picnic at Beth and Jeff's on the first night where I got bit by a mosquito (?) and then my entire wrist swelled up from it and it is not FINALLY not itching anymore! My allergies to bug bites seem to be getting worse!

Tony and all the groomsmen went bar hopping and got home sometime after 2:00 am. Tony got a new nickname from the guys of the band "TAGSBRUSCO" (because they did not know who he was prior to the wedding, but they would see our email address on correspondence back and forth when the bachelor party was being planned)

Beth and all of us went to a really trendy bar called Patterson House (which from the outside you would NEVER think was a bar), what makes this place really special is that all the drinks are made from scratch (they fresh squeeze the juice, and make all their own syrups)...even the ice in our glass was special as mine was a globe shaped ball of ice. I really hit it off with another girl (Erin) from MD that knew Jeff from college and we hung out the entire weekend together.

Friday, Tony and I shopped at 2 different malls where I bought a "Nashville outfit" as we both felt so under dressed walking around town. Everyone in Nashville seems to be dressed to the nine's all the time, so my outfit is my souvenir from the trip the only think I didn't get was a pair of cowboy boots (because you wear them with everything) and then walked around the beautiful Opryland Hotel. (we had been there before when we were dating and it has changed alot...definitely a place I would want to stay if we travel to Nashville again)

We attended the rehearsal and then it was off to the dinner at a place called "Rumor's East"...where they had a tent set-up outside for about 60 people. We sat with 3 of the band members and their wives/girlfriends and really had a wonderful time. We were introduced to some southern favorites like fried okra and shrimp and grits...very yummy! All of the wedding party stood up to say kind words about Beth and Jeff and there was not a dry eye in the room. Tony even shared a childhood story about rescuing Jeff from a test hole at their house in Darnestown by using a vacuum cleaner.

Saturday we hung out at the hotel as Tony had to be at the church by 3:00 pm and the ceremony was not until 6:30, so I had lots of time to kill. I got a ride over to the church with Jeff's parents.

The ceremony was beautiful, there were 12 girls and 8 guys in the wedding party. The ceremony took about 25 minutes and then we waited for the pictures to be taken afterwards.

The reception was held at Cannery Ballroom. It reminded me of an old warehouse that was converted into a reception hall. Dinner was served buffet style and then they had a live band of guys that they travel with while they are on tour. At about 11:00 pm the band wanted a break, so The Lost Trailers played 3 songs for all of us (it was AMAZING).

When it was time for Jeff and Beth to leave we all got sparklers (like the ones you use on the 4th of July) and we lined up outside in 2 lines with the sparklers lit as they came out to get in their antique car to drive away!

We headed out to the airport early Sunday morning and were able to score seats together on the airplane home!

Our trip to Nashville will be one we both remember for a very long time!

A bad start for Sophia...

Oh my, our drama queen strikes again...it all started with the outfit she had on this morning, she did not think the pants matched the top so we went round and round and finally I gave up and let her change her clothes (it was black pants that apparently did not match the pink shirt she had on, however the brown ones do...go figure on that one!)

Next it was the chocolate milk I didn't make right...we were out of chocolate milk so I told her I would make her "magic milk" (white milk with chocolate syrup)...we were almost out of the syrup in the bottle so I poured the milk into the bottle and allowed her to shake it up...things seemed fine at this point...then I squirted all the now chocolate milk into her cup and she totally lost it...she WANTED to do that part...OMG!!

Now onto her lunch...yesterday because I was not feeling well she packed not only her lunch but Gabe's too, and she apparently does it in some way that I don't, because today when I PACKED it her sandwich was mushed! She realized this when we were sitting at the bus stop (why we need to open our lunch box and inspect our lunch at 8:00 in the morning is beyond me) and again she lost it, she had her lunch thrown all over the backseat of the car...it was totally ruined in her opinion, at this point I was about to lose it, and I spanked her bottom and told her to get over herself and put her lunch back in her lunch bag and back in her backpack. When the bus arrived she was in "rare form" and I had to practically carry her kicking and screaming acrossed the street and onto the bus...our bus driver is so sweet...she told me to put her on and she would get her safely to school...I am curious to hear how things turned out...

I also called the school to give them a heads-up that she was coming and was not happy about it...they said no problem they would make sure she had a good day...so glad she goes to such a wonderful school!

On a completely unrelated note she calls a fly swatter a fly slapper...thought that was cute and needed to be remembered!

Shopping at the Columbia Mall....

I can't tell you the last time we as a family have walked the mall and freely bought whatever our hearts desire was...well today we did!!



Sophia got new sneakers at L.L. Bean, (I wanted a new pair too but they did not have my size) and her Halloween costume and lunch bag at the Disney store.



Tony and Gabe got a new remote controlled helicopter from Brookstone.



I bought a bunch of new kitchen gadgets at Williams Sonoma and Chef Imporium, as well as a box of chocolates at Godiva, and a new make-up brush at bareMinerals.



We finished up the day with a yummy lunch at P.F. Changs.

1st Annual South Mountain Creamery Company Picnic

Tony and I went all out on this one, we had LIVE music, more food than anyone could care to eat, fresh cut french fries, a dunking booth, horseshoes and volleyball. We had a wonderful turnout, and everyone commented on what a great time they had, the event ended with a hayride to our farms on Marker and Mt Church Rd. We look forward to celebrating our successes again next summer!

William Ausherman Sowers 9-11-28 thry 8-8-2009

This week as pretty much been a blur to me and my family...my beloved Pappy passed away on Saturday evening at around 6:15 with my Grandma, my Dad, Uncle Phil and Uncle Matt around his bedside. Tony and the kids and I were in Williamsburg on a vacation of sorts when we got the call and immediately came home.

Pappy had been battling kidney cancer since around January of this year, he tried a few rounds of chemo but only having one kidney made this too hard on him so he decided to quit the treatments and ultimately pass away in his home surrounded by family.

Being that the last time I lost a close relative was when I was 4 and it was my Dad's brother Doug (and I don't remember anything about it, except for the fact my nose bled the night it happened all over my bed), this last week has been extremely tough and exhausting. Who knew all the arrangements that go into a funeral? Who will be the pastor, what will Pappy wear for all Eternity, what music will we sing in his honor, who will carry the casket from the church to the grave site, how will my kids react, how will I react? This was all so new to me...the heartbreak of watching my Grandma bury her soul mate and now will be living alone, I can't even begin to imagine that!

Gabe and Sophia seemed OK until the day of the funeral, when we all walked up to the casket one last time, it hit them hard that he was truly gone from this earth, I think that was the worst part for Tony and I...and also to see my Daddy cry for his Daddy was pretty rough too.

Oh, Pap (my nickname for you) and you called me "your girl" I miss you so much, you made me the person that I am today, you LOVED everyone you met, you loved all of your grandchildren and great grandchildren, you worked hard to provide for Grandma even on your deathbed you bought a new stove for Grams because you did not want her to be cold this winter (like we would EVER let that happen)! Your beautiful garden never got planted this year because you did not have energy to plant and tend to it. You loved to feed my children candy and send them home with candy (even though they had not had their dinner yet)...so many of my memories of you are sharing what you had with others, be it the vegetables from your garden or the fresh clean water from your spring house you were always doing God's work...I hope that I can be half the person you were.

I will always love you, may you no longer be in any pain, and be in comfort up alongside the angels in heaven, I WILL see you again!