Category: Louisville

A Connect – Disconnect Connection

On By Betty OwensIn birth, celebration, Connect - Disconnect Connection, friendship, future, Labor Day Weekend, life, Louisville, Marriage, occupation1 Comment

This month is all about connections here on my blog. It’s really a celebration of connections. You know those unexpected, surprise connections that result in life changes? There are good ones, and there are bad ones.

For instance, a good friend in Louisville invited me to spend Labor Day Weekend with her. I was living out of state at the time, so drove in. While there, I received a lead on a job, and met my future husband.

That was a “Connect – Disconnect Connection.” I connected with an old friend, met a new friend and my life changed course. By the end of the year, I was married and working at that new job.

Things don’t always happen so fast, and they are not always positive. Some disconnects include death, divorce, and disease/illness (the 3 D’s). Sometimes, even these devastating disconnects can result in positive changes.

I’m still married, but that job went away when I made a new connection, in the form of a brand new baby boy. He was a definite life change. Another connect – disconnect.

The husband, the new baby, and me – way back when…

Not long afterwards, I was walking down the hall on my way out of church, when I was “accosted” by a stranger who began to kiss my brand new baby all over his face. Don’t be alarmed, Anita Edmonds was the wife of our new youth pastor, and soon became one of my closest friends. A lasting connection.The best kind.

Friendships are often the connects that last longest. And many gain their best life opportunities through friends. A little later this month, I’ll talk about some of these connections. The ones I’ve made as I started my writer’s journey. I’m going to drop a few names in that post. Maybe yours will be there. I’ve made a lot of friends since starting down this road. Folks traveling the same route with similar life experiences are often bound together in friendship–a sense of “kinship”–because we understand, better than anyone.

Think about a time in your life, you made a positive connect – disconnect connection. Consider how it changed your life for the better–set you on a new road. It may have been your marriage, or your education, your occupation, or even your encounter with God. I would love for you to share that moment if you have the time, in our comment section.

I’ve got a couple of guests stopping by later this month to share their experience with connections. I hope you’ll stop back in to read what they have to say. And, as always, thanks for stopping by.

Louisville to Seattle to Newberg, Oregon

On By Betty OwensIn Golden Gardens Park, Louisville, Oregon, Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls, Washington

Three thirty in the morning is early. But I had a six a.m. flight. It’s not so busy at Louisville International Airport at four thirty in the morning. My journey would begin on a United Airlines Embraer Jet. Yeah, the dinky one. Chicago, here I come!

Got lost in O’Hare, looking for Alaska Airlines. Made the flight, with only minutes to spare. At least I didn’t have to sit around and wait.

Very smooth flight on an Alaska Airlines 737. Window seat! When I see the snowcapped mountains far below us, I know we’re close. We begin our descent to Seattle. Arrived in Seattle at ten thirty Pacific Time.  When I changed airlines in Chicago, apparently my luggage did not. No luggage.

Seattle is beautiful. Blue skies and pleasantly cool at 68 degrees. I need my suitcase! Alyssa meets me at the airport and we lunch at WildFin while meanwhile back in Louisville, my son wrangles with the airlines via telephone. He’s good at that. Alyssa and I have a full day planned that includes a pedicure and dinner with my Seattle cousins.

Leaving my cousins’ home in Eastwood, our view of Mt. Rainier is glorious and so is the extraordinarily large moon! Love Seattle when it’s like this. We pick up Gusto the wonder dog and proceed to our pet-friendly hotel room.

Good news! My suitcase has arrived in Seattle via United Airlines. I don’t want to wait for them to deliver, so we swing by the airport and pick it up. Happy, happy, happy! After being awake for nearly twenty-four hours, I’m finally going to sleep.

Day Two: Snoqualmie Falls Our last day in Seattle is bittersweet. After a wonderful breakfast with Alyssa’s mom, Lynn, and

nephew, Jayden, we take off for Snoqualmie Falls. From there, we return to downtown Seattle and on to Golden Gardens Park. I don’t think I’ve ever sat on a beach and looked at mountains. I like it.

After dinner, we say goodbye to Alyssa’s family and leave Seattle. Arrive in Newberg, Oregon at two a.m., well past my bedtime!

Hope you enjoy the pictures. We’ll be sightseeing in the Newberg & Portland area of Oregon over the next couple of days. The adventure continues!

The Big Four Bridge and Hillbilly Tea!

On By Betty OwensIn 4th of July, Big Four Bridge, downtown, Fay Lamb, Hillbilly Tea, Kentucky, Louisville, Memories, Riverfront Park, Stalking Willow, Summer2 Comments

The last Thursday of June followed huge thunderstorms rolling through our area, dumping several inches of rain on the Bluegrass. Along with a hefty helping of lightning. I got up this morning and checked our yard for fallen trees. Always glad to see them still standing.

I hope your summer is a grand one, filled with happy memories. I’ve walked across the Ohio River on the Big Four Bridge, with my youngest son, Todd. Once a railroad bridge, it’s now refurbished as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge. It adorns the new Riverfront Park in downtown Louisville. It’s free and lots of fun. Good exercise, too. I applaud Metro Louisville for their efforts.

We visited a restaurant downtown called Hillbilly Tea, located in an old warehouse. They serve some fantastic teas, and something called bamboo ash biscuits. If you can get past the gray color of the biscuit, I think you’ll enjoy the taste.

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed a favorite author, Fay Lamb, regarding her new release, Stalking Willow. I gave away a print copy of her book to Debbie Malone, then a couple of weeks later, Linda Hillenbrand won the ebook copy. I love giving things away, especially since I enjoyed this book so much. By the way––you can read my review of Stalking Willow here.

I hope your summer is measuring out fun for you. If not, maybe you need to go out and find it. Take some time off or spend a Saturday out roaming around. Visit places of interest, historical sites, or museums. Walk along a riverbank in the quiet of the afternoon, or relax by the pool. Spend time with your family and take lots of pictures. Remember to relax and enjoy life a little. Sunshine seems to make everything better.

Thanks for stopping by and if I don’t see you before then, Happy 4th of July!