This weekend was supposed to be the weekend I was heading to Florida. Unfortunately there have been a lot of set backs lately and we are looking at another month of work. The days keep getting longer and my sleep keeps getting shorter. I have had many times in my life where I have felt tired, but these last few weeks top them all.

We are doing the final tie-in next Friday and I pray all goes smooth. We are tying into a live line so it can be a little sketchy. Things have been busy around here lately which is good because it keeps my mind distracted from missing home. I've been waking up at 5am for 4 months straight, no weekends and its catching up with me.

I can't wait to be home sleeping till 7am every morning. I miss my family and friends badly. I promise I will be headed yall's way as soon as they let me throw my bags in the car. I miss you all and can't wait to see ya'lls tan faces. BAHAHA! :D

XOXO,
Tiff

So my 23rd birthday is 11 days away and I had the crazy idea to attempt to write a short and simple little poem to celebrate my 23 years. So here it is, dont laugh to hard. :)

23

Twenty-three years of life flash before my eyes

Lots of hellos, and lots of good-byes

Hit some lows and had lots of highs

No matter the outcome my spirits never die

For my parents taught me to always try

And to never deceive yourself with lies

 

So many friends and loved ones I’ve found

I always love to have each of them around

Even my cute little floppy eared hound

I’ve always kept my feet on the ground

For a daughter of God I have been crowned.

 

Twenty-three years seems like such a long time

Yet I have so many more mountains yet to climb

There are so many things left to define

But I have a good feeling that things will be just fine

I'm sitting here listening to some music on my phone and it's bringing back memories of running dogs with the guys. I can honestly say I really miss my woods bad! There is nothing like hopping in your 4x4 truck, jamming out to some Hank and riding dirt roads for miles and miles without having to see anyone or talk to anyone. It's where I used to escape from all the yuppies and civilization. I'm missing it really bad today.

I probably put more miles on my Toyota in the woods than I did the black top. I remember for years I was in those woods every day after work. I was either riding and just listening to music, or blasting the iPod while I floored it through mud holes hoping I didn't get stuck. If I wasn't doing that I was shining for some ole horny heads, running dogs, tracking, meeting friends to sit around a fire or whatever came to mind. It was always my place to get away from all the worldly chaos. Life didn't get any better than being out there. I respect those woods more than most people respect their homes.

Time out there seems to pass without care. You feel as if you are in a totally different world. It was my first love, and I will always cherish it with the upmost respect. I feel very lucky to have something that I am so passionate about. This goes to you National Forest, thank you for always being there when I needed a quite place to get things straight. Also to all my friends that love the woods as much as me. I miss you all and sorry I had to miss this hunting season. I can't wait to see you all again!

Well today is the end of another month on the pipeline. Things are moving right along and April is just around the corner. As we get closer to the end the crews are getting smaller but it makes work easier for me. :) Tomorrow is pay day which is always an exciting day for everyone.

 

I know it sounds like I am rushing through life, but boy am I ready for April so I can cross that Florida line. Looks like we are going to be in NC another time before it's all said and done though. Just hoping I can get home for a little before that day comes. I hope all is well with everyone and know that I can't wait to see you all.

 

P.S. If any of you have wondered what the countdown is on the bottom of my page, its till I get to come home! :)

Have you ever heard something that reminded you of someone? Or better yet, have you ever heard someone say something that sounded just like someone close to you? Well I experienced that today. One of the lady's I worked with said something this morning and all I heard was my great grandma Davis saying "Tiffers".

It is crazy how the longer I am away from family the more I miss the little things. When I first left I missed my family, truck, friends Gunner, the woods, and hunting. Now I just miss my family, everything else is just material. Having the comfort of your family near to you is something that should never be taken for granted and I did that until now.

Everyone in my entire family has been on my mind since I've been here. I think about them all day and pray for them each morning and night. Life is to short not to appreciate every moment with the ones you love dearly. I am making it my goal to never take for granted the time I do get with my family and to cherish every moment with them, good and bad.

I guess today Grama Davis is on my mind the most today. I think today is a good day to call her and let her know how much I love her and how much we miss her. I don't hardly ever call her, and for that I feel terrible. I love her very much and I need to show her how important she is to me. You never know what tomorrow may bring so make sure your loved ones know no matter what is going on in life, your love for them still remains the same. I love you my sweet family and miss you very much and I can't wait to see you all and give you hugs!

"Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected." -Boyd K. Packer

Today I would like to take the time to recognize a very special lady in my life who never gets the proper acknowledgement she deserves.

 

You carried and nourished me for 9 months in your stomach without complaint, you actually begged to keep me. When I was born you thanked Heavenly Father for such a sweet baby girl, and continue to thank him today. So I would like to thank YOU for once.

 

Thank you for being a loving mother, a forgiver, a devoted wife to my father, an honest daughter to Heavenly Father, a giver, a person who welcomes people with open arms, a women who smiles and brightens every day, a woman who laughs with no cares in the world, a fearless women and most of all my best friend.

 

I have put you through things that I am not proud of and wish I could take them back sometimes. I know I have caused a majority of those grey hairs on top of your head but you love me anyways. You love your kids and husband unconditionally and would do anything for them. There are a lot of mothers out there that think they're kids owe them for all the years they took care of them. Not my Mom, she thinks she hasn't done enough and wants to keep giving. You are a modern day super Mom! :)

 

Thanks to you, you have a son who is a dedicated and hard worker, he loves his family and Heavenly Father with all of his heart. He is such a strong and smart man thanks to you and Dad always showing him right from wrong. Thanks to you, you have a daughter that lives with no fear because she was taught you can never get what you want unless you try. She is one day in the future going to be a great mom herself thanks to you showing her how to love her kids unconditionally and never giving up on them. Without you there would be two kids in this world thinking they knew everything! Psh! Who wants that? :P

 

Mom you deserve a special thank you everyday for being so amazing, but tomorrow especially because tomorrow marks your birth 30 years ago. ;) I wish I could give you a big hug and kiss today and tomorrow but since I am so far away please just make Dad give you both. I am so proud to be your daughter and call you my mother, I hope you have an amazing day tomorrow. Always know no matter how far I am, you are always in my heart and on my mind.

 

Happy Because I love you day Mom!

 

Love,

Tiff aka Your Brat

My first snow

I'm going to try to update everyone quickly so it's not boring. Let me start with I am currently living in North Carolina working on a pipeline. I miss my family and friends dearly but really have loved this time away from everything. I am mostly going to write on this blog for the family so they can keep up with whats going on in my every day life.

I experienced my first REAL snow Saturday after work. It has snowed here a few times but never sticks to the ground. Well Saturday when I got home from work the wind was blowing so hard that the window was whistling in my hotel room. After a little bit I was kind of getting spooked because normally howling wind where I am from means tornado or something bad. So I ease over to the window and there is quarter size fluffy white things flying around outside and the ground is getting white. I just stood there for a minute until it sunk in.

Out loud as if someone could hear me I some what yell..."SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!! It's actually snowing out there! " Then I'm running around the hotel room looking for a big jacket, found it! As I am about to dart out of the door reality sinks in.... wait a minute its a little hard to see out there, maybe I should ask Mom since she knows stuff about snow. Mom gave me the okay and said just make sure the building doesn't get out of sight. Okay its on like Donkey Kong now! So I call up the troops(fellow coworkers that live in the same hotel as I), and yell in the phone each time "Its snowing outside! Get your jackets, slide your boots on and meet me at the side door!!". So we all head outside to play in the snow as if we are all 5 year old kids with no cares in the world. I had a BLAST! I made my first snowman, had an awesome snowball fight, slid down a hill, and even ate some snow. HAHA!

The fun was over when my butt, feet, hands and nose starting going numb. So I headed in to the room and made some hot chocolate, took a bubble bath and then snuggled up on bed and watched TV. It was perfect except the whole time I was so wishing my brother was there so I could hit him with a snowball and that my parents where there to laugh at us. Plus snow is great and all but I still prefer my Florida sunshine. HEHE! I took some pictures so y'all could see a little bit of my fun. :)