Self Portraits

My cousin had this interesting idea about doing our own self portraits. Well, I do have a digital camera, but hadn't before now figured out how to actually upload pictures. However I played around with it, and I THINK I have it. So here goes, my self portraits.... I had FUN with these.

Chicago Trip

This morning started with a 7 AM wake up call. Not good when you went to bed 4 hours beforehand, but as my family will tell you.. "Don't worry, she'll get her sleep." It's our family joke to see how far we go before I fall asleep.

Anyway we left home at 7:30 and was to pick up Aaron around 8. Dad wanted to fill the tank up in K. So, as soon as we get there, my cell phone rings.... "Are you guys here yet?" I could hear the excitement in Aaron's voice. I explained about the gas, and then he asked "Did Austin come with you guys?" When I said yes, he got really excited and said "Awesome, this is going to be so much fun."
When we got there, Aaron was like a little kid excited about Christmas. Chris told us that he's been so excited for a week or so. He really is a funny guy when he's in a really good mood.

With a lot of laughing, teasing each other, and sleeping (on my part) we got to Chicago.. Oh, and that's not mentioning the groans from Austin and I (nor my eye rolling) during dad's skunk song... YES, Ashley, dad sang his skunk song for Aaron. We tried to talk him out of it, but he just HAD to sing it for him. Oh, and the way Aaron laughed, I think dad finally found someone that actually LIKES his song.

So, we get to the museum, and our tour through the Body Worlds 2 exhibit wasn't for another 2 hours.

So, we went looking through the museum, At one point we found computers where you can email free postcard emails to people. AARON got the wonderful idea to send one to Ashley. Even though he typed in from The M.... It's actually HIS work. So, you have him to thank for the email postcard. :) Yes, Ashley, you were very missed.

Then came the exhibit of the lifetime... Aaron asked me if I had told mom or dad what it was about. I said no, and he laughed really hard. I don't know what dad thought it was going to be, but by the time we were in line to go in, he was really hesitant. Aaron, compared this exhibit to a roller coaster ride... "Can't wait to go." We walked in and it was pretty "tame" at first. It showed a skull, and an infant's skull. Then it eventually had the bodies....
At first it made me cringe, but after a while it was pretty interesting. The skin was off the bodies, and some had the muscles showing, others had the body standing or sitting with it sliced vertically. All the bodies were posed in every day situations. Stretching, bending, kicking a ball, etc.. It wasn't long before I went past the "These are dead people" thinking to "WOW, I didn't know the muscles in my back pull like that when I bend.

I think the most "eye opening" was the lungs. They had a set of healthy lungs, then a set of smoker's lungs, and then the coal miner's lungs. (Coal miner's lungs were tons worse by the way.) Then hanging on the wall behind the lungs was a container they made to look like a cigarette carton. It was over half full of cigarette packs that people threw away after looking at the lungs. They were urging people to take an oath to stop smoking.

The saddest body was the woman who was 5 months pregnant. I found it interesting how protected the baby really is in a mother's womb. You had to really look to see it. However, it is sad to think that both mom and baby died.

Then they had a "recruiting" area where you can sign up to be a donor. You can donate your body to be exhibited. I was teasing my mom about donating my body, and she said "I'll hide it first."

They had a gift shop where Aaron found a couple books he wanted. One which had over 300 pictures of EVERY single exhibit (even the bodies that was touring with the other 2 groups) was what I bought him as a birthday gift. He read it all the way home. The other book is the life story of the guy that started this.

Here's the link to official website:
http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/gunther_von_hagens/life.html

After going through the exhibit, we headed home. All in all it was a very fun day.

Thank yous, Migraines, and home remedies

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their prayers. I really NEEDED them, and it's always a comfort to know there are loved ones praying. Thanks again..

I feel better, but I still feel "out of it." I feel like I'm in a daze. The first thing I noticed after my migraines is the fact that my glasses aren't as strong as they were. Whether it's due to the headaches or the fact that it's been three years since I got my eyes tested I don't know. I prefer to think it's the later.
I don't want to go to the eye doctor until AFTER my head is COMPLETELY better. I'm hoping to go sometime next week.
I emailed a lot of my friends (aka coworkers,) and asked them if they had any good home remedies for migraines. Got some really interesting ideas......
These are the most interesting...

1. Ice packs placed on head/neck WHILE soaking hands in hot water. The hot water supposedly draws the blood away from your head. I do use ice packs, but never thought of using hot water.

2. Eat Plenty of vanilla ice cream. Not exactly sure what it's supposed to do, but hey any chance to eat ice cream without worrying about calories is ok in my book.

3. Peppermint oil... Take occasional whiffs of it, or put some in a dehumidifier and scent the room. Supposedly works as well as aspirin. (??? Sounds iffy to me.)

Other suggestions that sound impossible........
1. Ignore it, and keep yourself busy.... YEAH RIGHT UH HUH LIKE THAT'S REALLY GONNA HAPPEN!! *Major eye rolling*

2.Turn lights off, close curtains, and watch a movie with the sound low. UH..... Hmmmmm..... :/ Um.. A movie? I think NOT. I can't even stand turning a light on to go to the bathroom, so how am I going to be able to watch a movie? (I haven't watched a movie since Friday (April 20)....

3. lay perfectly still, relax, and take deep breaths.. Yeah, as soon as I CAN lay down. My head usually hurts too much to sit OR lay.

4. Find out what triggered the migraines and "stay away from it." Well, thinking back.... The times that my head hurt THE WORST (Where I was crying and BEGGING for mercy) were the times it was POURING DOWN RAIN!!! So, how can I stay away from rain? Which also makes me wonder if my migraines aren't allergy induced.

One lady, who's a licensed? aromatherapist has offered to help me find the "perfect" aromatherapy treatments to eliminate migraines all together. I see dollar signs.

Now I did learn one thing... Clutter headaches can feel just as bad as migraines, and are headaches that happen one after another. Usually several headaches back to back. However migraine meds DO NOT work on Clutter headaches. That takes a whole different medicine for that. So, now when I go to MY Dr. I'm going to ask if I really have migraines. That would explain why the meds didn't seem to work.

More prayers needed..

I know it seems like I'm bombarding all of my readers for prayers. I am sorry, but I have another one to add.....
Last Sat. I suffered from a migraine, which lasted 24 hours. Usually I have a migraine and don't have another for 6months or so... Well GUESS WHAT???? Woke up with another one.
Called my Dr, but his office was closed. So, I went to Med One which is a 24/7 walk in Dr office. They gave me a shot and 3 count them 3 prescriptions.. They also suggested that I call my regular doctor and insist a MRI on my head.
Went home slept all day, woke up around 11:30 last night in horrible pain. Pain was so bad I could stop crying, which made it hurt worse. Took more meds, then woke up around 7 this morning with ANOTHER migraine. 3 migraines in a 24 hour period.
I'll be calling my doctor tomorrow. Right now my head hurts, and I have too many missed days at work.
So, please keep me in your prayers. ;)

Could ya mind sayin' some extry prayers mateys????

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Lois had a Dr. appointment Monday morning... She doesn't have pneumonia as we first thought. She did the whole X-ray thing done, and found out that she has bronchitis. She is really sick, and I was relieved to see that she took the day off work. However, she's planning on working tomorrow.
Please send some prayers her way, because she sure can use them.

(note to self: Call Philip, Lois's 8 year old, and tell him to try to talk his mommy into staying in bed, and taking care of herself.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

I know this is going to be late. Sorry!!!! But HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, my little brother is now 30. Doesn't seem possible does it?

While we were on vacation, Aaron called and said "You want to know what the BEST birthday gift you can give me is? Take me to the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit on April 28.".. In case you don't know what that is.... It's an exhibit of over 20 whole-body plastinates... In other words.. Dead bodies posed for our "entertainment".. Yes, that is where AARON wants to go for his birthday. So, where Aaron goes, we ALL go... LOL.

This is the very last weekend for it, and tickets are selling out FAST. I checked on the S&I website,(Thank goodness I checked. Was only going to get prices. LOL) and because of high demand, the hours of this exhibit is being extended... 9:30 AM to 10 PM every day. The museum itself closes at 5. And starting on Friday the exhibit will be open 24 hours a day from 9:30 Friday morning until the last tour on the 29Th.

Since this is what Aaron wants (which he hardly EVER asks to take him anywhere.), I didn't want to run the chance of it being sold out. So, I had to make sure exactly who's going. Didn't know if one of Austin's friends was planning on joining us or not.. I know Ashley can't go due to obvious reasons. (Wish you could go with us sis). I called Aaron to see about Chris, but she has a wedding that day. So it's just mom, dad, the brothers, and me.
Anyway, I went ahead and bought the tickets online last week, and mom and dad are supposed to pay me back. I've never bought tickets online before, and this is WEIRD!!! I paid for them, and had to print them out. Each person's "ticket" (looks like something you print off from eBay. Nothing special.) has two boxes on the paper. Those boxes are the bar codes. If you try to make copies it won't work, and it will come up "invalid" when scanned. It will also come up invalid if the bar codes have been folded or wrinkled. I can't figure out HOW you can print off bar codes from your home printer, and not be able to copy it... Amazing... What will they think of next?

Two Seasick Pirates and a 24 hour Migraine...

This has to be one of the worst weekends I've had in a LONG time. I guess it started before then... More like last Friday....
I met Lois at work, and she told me that she was fighting a "cold". Well my dear readers, that COLD went into her lungs on Sat, and she has a full blown case of Pneumonia. She has a Dr. appointment Monday morning, and I pray it won't keep her down too much. I'm praying really hard for ya Captain....
Then when I got home last Friday, I wasn't feeling all that well myself, so I went home, took my shower, ignored my computer, and climbed into bed around 1:00. That right there is a sign that SOMETHING was wrong, I NEVER go to bed that early, nor do I go to bed before checking emails. I thought laying quietly watching a movie wouldn't hurt any. YEAH, didn't hurt a bit except gave me a MIGRAINE!!!!!!! My vision was "jumping" and so I was FRANTICALLY searching my nightstand for my prescription.... I was completely out.... Not only was I out of that (Have to go to the Dr. for a renewal), I was also out of my backup.... Over the counter Excedrin Migraine.. Which works wonders if you take it soon enough.. So I went to plan C... Plain old Tylenol.... My hand eye coordination was way off (That's normal during the beginnings of a Migraine)and I must have looked really funny trying to pry the lid off. It killed the pain enough for me to sleep 2 hours... Woke up feeling nauseous... (Another for sure sign) Felt so bad I was wishing I'd just get sick and get it over with... Didn't matter, nothing happened, just dry heaving..... Around 7 AM. I took more Tylenol and dropped back to sleep. Around 9:30 or so I called my mom. She was at a church thing, my dad was at work so I left a message asking her to see if I left some Migraine meds in their cooler.... Okay, so it's a cloth lunch cooler that we use as a medicine chest while we're traveling. Mom called me back a couple hours later, and sure enough.. She had some.
The bad thing is... I already missed work on Wed due to not feeling well, and I volunteered to work Sat to make up for a short paycheck. The way I was feeling, there was NO WAY I could go to work. Not to mention DRIVE. So I missed Sat too. I slept ALL day. I did get out of bed around 11 PM or so, thinking a shower might help. I crawled back in bed and slept till Sunday morning...... Oh, and my mom and I BOTH overslept, so we missed Sunday school, but we managed to get there in time for the morning service.
I never realized until Sunday morning how much the bright windows and loud mics can kill your head. Bro. W. knew something was wrong, because he asked about my flushed face after church.
Oh, and I spent all day Sunday sleeping. Didn't wake up until 7 PM. I still don't feel 100% yet. My energy level is GONE, but I pray I will be better SOON (as in tomorrow). I feel like I just WASTED a perfectly good weekend. One good thing is.. For the first time in 46 hours I'm now hungry. Think I'll go check the "icebox." LOL.

Too heartbreaking for words.

When I first heard about the shooting at V Tech, my first thoughts were "Those poor kids". I can't even begin to imagine the pain of the victims families. Not to mention the surviving classmates.

I found it ironic that one of the professors that was killed was a Holocaust survivor. The shooting took place on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

I read in the paper today that many of the students are heading home, and some parents drove for HOURS to get to their kid. The paper said that one mom was hugging all of her son's friends telling them "that's from your mom."
I understand the parents driving to be closer to their kids. TRUST me, if it had happened at JBC, I would have left work and drove straight there to be there for Ashley.
I just wonder how many parents and family members that have kids away at college are aching to hold and hug their child/family member now. I know I wish I could. I wonder how many kids away at college called their parents and/or family members up just to say I love you.

My prayers go out to the families of the shooter, his victims, and all the classmates who either lost friends or was injured themselves. I pray they won't be traumatized by this horrible act of hatred. My heart aches for everyone involved.

My Top 100 List....

Shortly after getting to work, Lois texted me the following question....
"Where else would ya want to be than at work?"
SO, I textd her back......

Angela's top 100 places/things she'd rather do than be at work......
100 go to Alabama
99 Alaska
98 Arizona
97 California
96 Colorado
95 Connecticut
94 Delaware
93 Florida
92 Georgia
91 Hawaii
90 Idaho
89 Iowa
88 Kansas
87 Louisiana
86 Maine
85 Maryland
84 Massachusetts
83 Minnesota
82 Mississippi
81 Montana
80 Nebraska
79 Nevada
78 New Hampshire
77 New Mexico
76 North Dakota
75 Oklahoma
74 Oregon
73.Rhode Island
72.South Dakota
71 Texas
70 Utah
69 Vermont
68 Wisconsin
67 Wyoming
66 Germany
65 England
64 Switzerland
63 Holland
62 Paris
61 Ireland
60 Egypt
59 The Holy lands
58 South America
57 Australia
56.Greenland
55 Norway
54 Russia
53 Canada
52 China
51 Japan
50 Iceland
49 watch a movie
48 Ihop
47 Starbucks
46 Steak N Shake
45 walmart
44 Meijer
43 a mall
42 hiking
41 camping
40 horseback riding
39 White Water rafting
38 reading
37 take a long bike ride
36 spend time talking with family
35 camp outside Johnny Depp's house
34 Shout "I love you Johnny" every 10 mins until the police show up and arrest me for stalking.
33. Take a cruise through the Caribbean
32. Pretend to be on the "Black Pearl" during said cruise.
31. go fishing
30 teach the dog a new trick
29 teach my cat a new trick
28 teach my brother a new trick
27 think of ways to annoy Barry (a VERY annoying coworker)
26. Think of ways to annoy Captain Lois (NOT an annoying coworker)
25. Have a farting contest with said Captain.
24. Act out both Pirates of the Caribbean movie from memory
23. Re watch both movies to see what I forgot to act out.
22. Count the number of times Jack Sparrow says "bugger" in the second Pirates movie
21. Burp or Hiccup every time RUM is mentioned in both movies.
20. Laugh hysterically every time Jack is trying to be serious.
19 Boo and hiss every time Cutlet Beckett or Davy Jones is shown on Pirates 2
18 Get teary eyed during the father/son moments in Pirates 2
17 Sit at an intersection with a hair dryer and see how many drivers slow down.
16 Cut letters from a newspaper and glue them on a paper to make a threatening letter to Barry. (Annoying coworker.. Remember?)
15 Stare at someone for a while then say "You're one of THEM!" then act scared and back away from them.
14. Fly a kite
13. Watch every Johnny Depp movie you own
12. Make your very own pirate costume
11. Set up a tent at Walmart and invite strangers to join you.
10 Fly to New York, watch a Broadway show, and fly back in one day.
9 go to a beach and insist that you CANNOT leave until you find the heart of Davy Jones.
8. Sit on a porch swing
7 Jump on a trampoline
6 play in a playground
5 pick dandelions
4 spend your whole life savings on Pirates souvenirs at Disney World
3. Go to Disney World and annoy everyone by repeating over and over "This really is the happiest place on earth".
2. Ride the Pirates of the Caribbean ride ALL DAY until you have it memorized.
And the Number 1 thing I'd rather do than being at work is........

Get kicked out of Disney World for trying to steal the Jack Sparrow off the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride.

Lois textd back......
"A good friend would bail you out of jail after you get busted for stealing Jack Sparrow off the Pirate's ride, but an AWESOME friend would be sitting in jail next to you saying dang poppet, that was fun!"

This is so WRONG!!!!!!!

I understand when they make a movie about a book, it's seldom EXACTLY like the book. However, most the time they TRY to keep to it. Take Christy and Little House, sure they got away from the books toward the end, but it started pretty close to them.
Now I LOVED the "Love Comes Softly" series. The first movie was pretty close to the book. The only difference is in the book Missie is only 2, in the movie she's 9. I had no problem with that considering the fact that there would be more of a story line with an older girl. However, with each book/movie they are going WAY off.....

"Love's Unending Legacy" which will be aired April 19 at 9 PM on Hallmark is WAY OFF base.... Here's what the Hallmark channel site said about it.......
Love's Unending Legacy

The screen version of the acclaimed fiction series “Love Comes Softly” continues. Two years have passed since the tragic death of Missie LaHaye's husband Willie. Ultimately unable to work the land on her own, Missie (Erin Cottrell) and son Maddie leave Tettsford Junction for the security of her father's ranch and the hope of a new life. New adventures await as Missie takes in reluctant orphan Belinda (Holliston Coleman) who hides a secret. A new home also brings the possibility of romance… if Missie can manage to put the past behind her. Dale Midkiff and Victor Browne also star in this touching story of faith and love.

Okay, I have a HUGE problem with this.... ONE this book is about Marty discovering she's pregnant with Belinda..... She's NOT AN ORPHAN.. And second. With "Love's Abiding Joy" it leaves Missie and Willie's life, and moves on to Belinda, which the series concludes with Belinda's life.

I don't see where they can even consider this movie "based on the book". It's a WHOLE different story altogether.
Why do they have to ruin good books? Yes, I'll watch it, but to me it won't be based on the book. I'll just consider it a movie with the same title as the book.

Book hunting, leaky tents, and car sickness OH MY!!!

If I could find one word to describe this week, I would have to say it was.... Interesting.. This will probably be a long post, so sit back or come back later when you have time. :)
We left home at 2 AM, got to TN around 11 (My dad likes to stop to take naps. Go figure.) After setting up our tents and camper, we drove to pick up Ashley.

Then we went to the Christian Book Warehouse (Now called Family Book Warehouse.. Same thing) In which I found 7 books that I have been searching for. I have a small notebook with movies/books I'm searching for, and thankfully I brought it with me to TN.. I had asked for these books for Christmas, but my mom couldn't find them ANYWHERE..I did see them on Ebay and Amazon, but wanted to see if they'd be cheaper in TN. Sure enough... They were. To tell you the truth, if my parents said "Sorry, but we have to go home now" I would've been perfectly okay with that. I was in book Heaven..

Afterwards, we got tickets to Dixie Stampede and the Chinese Circus. (That was really cool.) Then we went back to the campground and ordered pizza. With Ashley, Austin's, Shawn's, and my cell phones we didn't need payphones. Made it easier to keep up with everyone too. Especially when the boys would take off walking.

So we had pizza, and afterwards went to the arcade/go carts. After we were tired there, we went to one of the MANY outlet malls. This one had a Starbucks. So, mom,Ashley, and I walked ALLLLL the way to Old Navy. By the time I got there, I was feeling quite dizzy. So I eventually went outside, found a seat and waited.

I was thinking maybe the dizziness was a low in sugar thing, so before we went back to the van, Ashley, Austin, Shawn, and I went into Starbucks to get something to drink.

We were driving Ashley back when the dizziness got worse. Oh, and riding in the back on winding, twisting, mountainy roads doesn't help any. By the time we got to the T where the school is, Ashley asked if I was ok. I told her that I didn't feel well. She gave me a couple Walmart bags. Thankfully I waited until AFTER the guard waved us on before I got sick. Yes, I, Angela got sick in a vehicle for the first time ever. I've felt sick before, but never actually GOT sick. Oh, and having the driver SLAM on the breaks doesn't help either. It did help to have my little sister rubbing my back.

By the time we got parked by the dorms I was ok. So, Ashley showed me where the dumpsters were, and after throwing away the bags, she invited me to her room. Somewhere between the van and her room, she became "Nurse Ashley". First thing she did was hand me a cold bottle of water from her fridge. Then I said I sure could use a toothbrush, she told me "Well, you're NOT using MINE" but she did give me some mouthwash, and finally she loaned me a shirt. She walked me back to the van, sprayed air freshener in the van, and told dad not to be too hard on me. Then she made me promise to call her when we got back to the campground.

I still felt dizzy. I woke up several times that night. Once around 3 to go to the bathroom (Was so dizzy I fell down twice.) and again around 7 when the wind picked up. Had to pull things away from the sides. Around 9 I heard a piano. They have church services at the campground. I was wanting to go, but felt way too dizzy. So, I laid on my air materess listening to the music. Yes, I was still dizzy by 9. I had prayed very hard for the dizziness to go away.

I know some people make deals with the Lord. You know what I mean, they go something like this... "Lord if you will do this, then I'll do that." Well, I'm not that way. I'm the kind of person that "throws things in His face" so to speak. For example.... "Lord, you remember healing the blind man? Remember the lady that touched the hem of your garmet? How about that man that said 'You don't have to go to the sick, just say the word.'? I KNOW you can touch me, and I'm waiting. I know when I wake up, I'll feel better." Guess what? It worked. By 11, the dizziness went away COMPLETELY!!!

I think it was a mixture of things... Lack of sleep, riding in a vehicle all day, eating at odd times, the pizza, the Mocha frappucino, and the winding roads were the cause...

We went to two shows. Then on Tuesday my parents went to "Memories" while Austin and Shawn went trolley hopping. Oh, and the trolleys are only 50 cents one way. Which left me alone at the campsite. Which was okay with me, especially since I had some new books and had brought my portable dvd player and dvds with me. I finally got to watch Nativity Story, by the way it's AWESOME!!! I really enjoyed it.

Somewhere in there the boys came back starved and wanting money. So, as I was fixing them some Mac and cheese they were telling me about this music store they found. My brother found a mandolin, and Shawn found a guitar. Both, with taxes, was 80 some dollars a piece. They were excited. However they were a little short, and since I gave Ashley some gas money, I gave Austin just as much to make it fair. Which was exactly what they needed for both instruments.

That night a HUGE thunderstorm came through... Just as bad as the one I went through last year... (See last years post.) By morning my tent was okay, but my brother's was flooded. My brother and Shawn never slept in that tent. They prefered to sleep in the van from day 1, so we used the tent for storing our suitcases... Their clothes were SOAKED... Mine? Ziplock bags really do work. My duffle was wet, but I didn't have to dry out anything.

On Wednesday, my brother talked my dad into driving them to this store. The store boxed up the instruments, and we went to the post office and mailed them home. Which beat us home.

Later that night I spent the night with Ashley and her room matey Jo Beth. The next morning I went to chapel with Ashley (See? I did get some church in.) After Chapel, Ashley had to work. Now she works on campus. There's a rec room (there's a name for it, but they're letters... XOP? LMNOP? STR? Something like that.) This room has ping pong, pool tables, tv, couches, and a snack stand.. (Think of church camp. Burgers, fries. You get the idea) Well, that's where she works in the stand. So, I brought a book, and found a comfy seat and read for 4 hours. At one point Jo Beth, came in, ordered food, and kept me company until her next class. Found out later from Ashley that Jo Beth very seldom eats there. She only did it to keep me company. I felt so honored. Right before her shift was over, she called me over and asked what I wanted. She fixed us something to eat, then we went to her room to eat. Afterwards, she had homework to do, so she did that while I read quietly. (Good thing I like books huh? LOL)

Then we headed to her 2:35 class..... First and Second Corinthians... Which I found interesting. Then we went to the library, she had to get some books for her paper. She worked on her paper while I took a short nap, and then our parents showed up, went to Knoxville.... OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I fell IN LOVE with a bookstore there...... It's two stories high... It's NOTHING but used books, cds, and dvds... I found a couple movies on my list, and a few books that looked interesting.. If they had one of those stores here, I'd go broke. I LOVE that store.

Then we went to the mall, which has a bookstore in it where everything is $5 or less...... I bought Monster by Frank Peretti (spelling?) and two more books from my list that I can't find anywhere. Since it was a buy 3 get one free, I found another book for my Secret Pal at church.

Then we went to a Barnes and Noble, where I found 3 more books. None of them were on my list but I NEEDED them.... One is a Holocaust book, the other two are from the author of "A Girl Named Zippy." So, I now have 4 of her books. Happy happy joy joy.

Ashley spent Thursday night with us, and we left early Friday morning.

The weather was in the 80s at the beginning of the week, by Thursday it was in the 60s... It got COLD during the night on our last night. My sleeping bag claims to keep you warm if it's 30 below. It did a wonderful job keeping me warm. My face was cold though.

Vacations are fun, but it's always nice to come home too. It's like the saying goes.. "There's no place like home."

34 mins and counting....

We are leaving in exactly at 2 AM this morning. I'm just taking a few mins to let you know I will have my cell phone on me if you need to get with me for something. I still have to unplug everything I can possibly unplug, and take a shower.
We are going down with 5 people and coming back with 6. Yes, Ashley will be riding home with us.
Take care, and I'll post again when we get home.

Travel Tip Number 588.

Okay, so maybe I don't have 588 different travel tips, but I do have 3.. Ha ha ha....
I already shared one... Putting everything in ziplock bags. Well.. Got 2 more for ya...
This first one isn't limited to traveling, but that's what I use these for.... The mini M&Ms in the plastic containers are PERFECT for quarters. You can find them USUALLY in the checkout line at stores... There are 2 sizes... The smaller one holds about $7.00 worth of quarters... The larger ones (which you can find at the counter of CVS in T) holds approx. $22.00..

I have 2 large ones filled.. Which are perfect for vending machines (Never know when you NEED a candy bar or a bag of chips at rest stop)or need them for the air hockey table at the campground. LOL... However, We use them for a more practical reason.. The washers and dryers at the campground..My parents don't usually pack for the whole week. So mom and I usually spend one day (at the end of the week) washing clothes. I told her it would be cheaper to do them at home. Then again, if you do it there, you won't have to do them when you get home. Nice to just put them back in your drawer when you get home instead of doing laundry the moment you get home.
My next tip is if you like to camp in tents.. You can use luggage locks to lock up your tent. I've read that most people get robbed while on vacation (mostly while camping) because people let their guard down. They don't think about being robbed.

I also lock up my luggage if I stay in a hotel as well. I actually watched a talk show one time that showed footage from a hidden camera of hotel maids TRYING on clothes out of suitcases.. Including UNDER CLOTHES.. I shudder to think of some stranger trying on my under clothes while I'm out.
Anyway... I lock my tent when I leave and while I'm asleep. (You can rest peacefully knowing I lock myself in my tent at night.)

Okay, thought of another tip... So make this tip #4... If you're going to a big city (NYC or DC for example) NEVER carry all your money in your wallet/purse. When I went on SR. trip my mom (She really is a very smart woman) took squares of cloth, folded it over, sewed 2 sides. The last side she folded over and used a safety pin to hold it closed. She made me two of these pouches to hold my money. I pinned it to the inside of my waistband. I would count out my money every night and divide it by how many days I have left and only carry one days worth of money in my purse at a time. (I still do that while on vacation. By the end of the week I usually have more to spend per day than I do at the beginning. LOL.) The rest was pinned on the inside of my clothes. That way if I was victim to a pickpocketer, I wouldn't lose ALL my money. Just that day's.

Strange Phone call..

I received the strangest phone call yesterday. I was taking a nap when my phone rang. When I answered this young lady asked "What do you look best in bright or dark colors? I told her that I wear both, but prefer bright colors. She said "Ok, that's all I wanted." "So, you wake me up during my nap and ask what colors I like." She laughed, and said "Pretty much."
Okay Ashley, I am really curious. Want to fill me in? Or is it some sort of surprise? :)
Oh, and I CAN'T WAIT to see you!!! Prepare to be hugged.... A LOT!!! :)

Whew What a month!!!

In Feb. I had everything planned out... I would use my tax return for vacation, and work overtime 3 days a week and every Sat for extra spending money on vacation... Well.... Guess what?

I ended up with a $1,486 Jeep bill...
Seemed like every time I fixed one thing, something else went wrong.... Had a blown tire after that bad snow in Feb. Then the manifold (It's a pipe that runs from the engine to the I THINK muffler) was cracked. Got that fixed. Then they discovered that my timing belt was bad, would've snapped soon. If it had snapped, the Jeep would've been completely dead. To think that it could've just stopped as I was driving is enough to give me chills.
Went through 2 sets of spark plugs (12 all together) and then found out that the oxygen sensor was bad. Which caused my plugs to go bad, and to go through a half a tank of gas with one trip to and from work. Usually takes 3 trips to K to use up half a tank.. Oh, and it wouldn't even go up to 50 MPH.
Thankfully my coworker, Dave, follow me home one night just to make sure I got there. Then to top all that off, my car insurance was due at the end of this month. So, guess where all of my overtime money went?

I'm just thankful that my job allows all the overtime I want. Sure comes in handy for these type of situations. My tax return is all I'm taking on vacation. I might not be able to buy a sword to hang on my wall like I'm wanting, but oh well. I'm sure there are other things I "can't live without". I can't WAIT to get to the Discount Christian bookstore.

But look on the bright side..... I won't have to replace my front passenger side tire, spark plugs, Manifold, timing belt, or oxygen sensors for a LONG while. And my insurance isn't due again for 6 months. Plus, I have a wonderfully running and QUIET Jeep. It used to be loud. Not anymore!!! I feel like I'm driving a brand new Jeep. Might even hang onto it for another 3 or 4 years. Or at least until after contract which is in Sept.

Book and movie update.....

The Sarah Plain and Tall triology has been claimed. Everything else is up for grabs.

Free Movie and Book Giveaway.....

With the warmer weather upon us, it only means one thing..... Garage sales are in the near future. Garage sales, rummage sales, yard sales, bargain hunting, or grummage sales whatever you want to call them it means the same.. Getting something for practically nothing.
So, consider this an EARLY start to those bargains.....
I am getting rid of some books and movies to make room for other books and movies...
Here's a list of what I have. If you want something let me know. If you have questions, again, let me know... Oh, and IT'S FREE!!! Yes folks you heard me right.. FREE.. As in not a single penny will be charged. It's on a first come, first served basis. Oh, and if someone wants something that's already been "asked for" ask anyway. You never know, maybe the kind person that first asked for it, might be willing to give it to you. Never know...

Okay, so here goes......
All are dvds, unless marked otherwise.....Oh, and these have only been watched once or twice.

Hoodwinkle

Monster House

Sarah, Plain and Tall, SkyLark, and Winter's End (Videos. Was Grandma T's. Offered them to Carol, but didn't hear back. So Carol if you want these, you have first dibs. Oh, and these were grandma's favorites. I'd prefer they stay together.)

The Mickey Mouse Club week 1 Oct. 3, 1955-Oct. 7, 1955

The Adventures of Pinocchio (Not cartoon.. Jonathan Taylor Thomas)

Peter Pan Return to Neverland

Cheaper By the Dozen (remake. Steve Martin)

A Cinderella Story (Hilary Duff)

The Flintstones (Rosie O'Donnell)

The Flintstones Viva Rock Vegas (sequel to the above)

Are We There Yet?

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Books
Children's books....
Beetles, Lightly Toasted by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Socks by Beverly Cleary

Dear America Early Sunday Morning The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows Hawaii, 1941

Mitch and Amy by Beverly Cleary

Christy fiction Series volume six Christy's Choice (based on the show. young adults book)

Paddington Treasury by Michael Bond (hardcover, oversized, looks like the complete Paddington Bear series. I have 2 of these)

Great Illustrated Classics.... Christmas Bedtime Stories (Hardcover)

Adult Books

Ever After (novel based on the movie)

3 in 1 Grace Livingston Hill The City of Fire, Time of the Singing Birds, and The Gold Shoe (Hardcover)

3 in 1 Grace Livingston Hill, The Strange Proposal, A Voice In the Wilderness, and Mary Arden (Hardcover)

Prince Of Egypt Destiny And Deliverance Spiritual Insights from the life of Moses by Philip Yancy, Max Lucado, John C Maxwell, Jack Hayford, Joni Eareckson Tada, Tommy Barnett, Kenneth Boa, and Thelma Wells (Hard Cover)

Holy Humor by Cal and Rose Samra

More Holy Hilarity by Cal and Rose Samra

Angel Behind the Rocking Chair.. Stories of Hope in Unexpected Places by Pam Vredevelt (Hardcover)

I'm sure I have more to list, but thought I'd do it a little at a time.

My poor Jeep.....

Besides the pipe thing needing replaced, they also had to replace my timing belt... (Can we say expensive?) Total cost? $664.00...
I wasn't kidding when I told my dad to call them up and ask if they have a payment plan. A hundred dollars a week or so. I had already gave them a check for $200 and told them to call me if it was more. I was even willing to let them hold the title until it was paid. He said he'd ask and hung up (I was at work at the time). He called back later and said..... "Your mom and I were talking. We can take the remaining $464 out of our vacation fund, and you pay us back before vacation." I sighed with relief knowing I didn't have to come up with the money on the spot.
Lois..... (I really love her.) textd me and asked about my jeep. Since she's my best friend, I told her. All she said was "OUCH" before we dropped the subject...
At 9 O'clock break, she textd me that I should come over and get some cookies (She bakes cookies and brings them to work ALL the time. She's the reason we never lose weight. LOL. She's SUPPOSED to bake a bunch for us to eat on the way to TN. Like I said, I love her.) I went over there, grabbed some cookies, and she handed me a book that I had asked beforehand if I could borrow. She handed the book to me, and I saw a piece of paper marking a place. I took it out to hand back to her, and she said.... "Oh, that's yours." It was a check for $330 made out to me, and in the memo part she wrote. "Broken Jeep" with a sad face. I started crying right there. This was enough for HALF of my repairs.. She then said... "Pay it back whenever. No rush. If you were one of these lazy people that never show up to work, I'd NEVER give it to you, but you're not. You're doing your best to work it out yourself. You're even working TONS of overtime, which I KNOW you HATE with a passion to pay it off. That's why I'm helping you out. It's the lazy people that would rather be given a handout that annoys me. Like I said, take your time paying me back. ENJOY your vacation." (Oh, and did I mention that I love her?) After thanking her a million times over, she said "I HAVE to take care of my little sister."

Growing up I always wanted an older sister. An older sister that would look out and take care of her little sister... On the other hand, Lois, being the youngest kid in her family, had always wanted a little sister.
All these years later, we both got our wish. I now have an older sister who's 9 years older than me. She is officially my unofficially adopted big sister.

Packing Hint

When I go on vacation, I like to take the LEAST amount of luggage possible. Wasn't always like this, but I discovered you only have a small amount of room in a 3/4 person tent (even less once you blow up the air mattress.) If I was sleeping on grass that's one thing, but the campground we stay at is all ROCKS and gravel. HAVE to have an air mat, but that's beside the point of this post.
Aw yes.. luggage.... As I was saying.... I usually take a double layered dufflebag.. (two compartments on top of each other. PERFECT), and a tote bag... Now the tote bag travels with me, while the duffle is in the camper. The tote holds everything from a notebook, pens, cd player, cds,portable dvd player, dvds, and of course a book or two. (Bet you can't guess what I do at 1 AM while every one's asleep. Ah the downfall of being the only night owl of the family. Another reason I insist on sleeping in my own tent.)
One of my biggest fears is rain.... If you've ever been in a tent while it's raining, you will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. If you're not careful your air mat may become a floatation device. Not to mention your luggage being waterlogged. Before we go anywhere, I pull my air mat to the center of the tent and place my luggage on top. I've even slept (not very well) with my stuff on my feet during a storm. Which brings me to the title of this post.... HINT....
Lois and I were discussing traveling horror stories... She retired from the Air Force last April, and she's been EVERYWHERE.. Including serving in Desert Storm. She told me that she had to go fly out of the country.... Germany? London? Italy? Can't remember, after all like I said she's been EVERYWHERE...
She told me that when they landed, the group she was with had 2 or 3 hours to get ready for an important military dinner/meeting thing... They had to wear their dress uniforms (can't recall right off what they're called). When they landed ALL of their luggage was SOAKED.. So the girls went to their rooms, and all of them EXCEPT ONE had hair dryers trying to dry their uniforms. What about that one that didn't have a hair dryer? She opened her two gallon ziplock bag, pulled out her DRY uniform, shook it out, and was good to go. Lois told me that she was the envy of all those girls...
Here's a way to cut time and keep your clothes dry......
Go to the store and buy two gallon ziplock bags. When you pack, lay out each outfit together on the bed.... For example if you are packing for 3 days, lay out three outfits including socks and underclothes. Put each outfit in one ziplock bag. In other words if you're packing for three days, you should have 3 ziplock bags. It cuts time later since you don't have to dig through suitcases for socks, shirts, etc.. They are all together in one bag. You might have to shake some wrinkles out, but what's that compared to dry clothes and saving time? And I'm sure if you have kids, it will REALLY be a time saver. Just grab a bag and go.
Another great thing about this idea is when I'm camping I don't have to worry about dropping anything on the way to the showers. Not only that, but it's easier to know what's clean and what's been worn. Not to mention the assurance of dry clothes in the morning.

Don't forget!!!!

Don't forget to turn your clocks up an hour before going to bed tonight... Yes, DST starts at 2 AM in the morning.
If you are like me that have clocks that automatically set themselves, great.... If not.. Well.... I would really hate to see anyone show up for church an hour late. ;)

More pictures part 2

Pictures

Now that I THINK I have the hang of posting pictures. I thought maybe some of you might like to see these pictures of Grandma and Grandpa.
They were taken Oct. 27, 2002. It was Pastor Appriciation Sunday, and the church wanted to honor them. The idea of being baptized while they were there was a spontanious thing. I had to send SEVERAL emails to different church members to make sure it was possible.. Sure enough, it was. I don't think my grandparents had any idea how much of an influence they were in my life. They belonged by my side on that day, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Chocolates

I know one of the most famous phrases in movie history is from Forrest Gump.... "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." There is so much truth in that... Buy a box, and see for yourself.. You never know if it will be coconut, carmel, strawberry, or creme until you bite into it... UNLESS... You cheat and poke your finger into it first.... By the way, YES I am a cheater when it comes to chocolates. I WANT to know what I'll be biting into.
I'm the same way with life... I LIKE to be prepared for things. HOWEVER life doesn't always let you... For example...
I had planned to work Mon, Wed, and Fridays for three weeks, and then work Tues and Thurs of the fourth week. PLUS all Sats. for the next 3 weeks. Just so I could have extra money for vacation.... HOWEVER LIFE is getting in the way of that......

Last Sat. I told my dad that my Jeep was acting up... It would jerk when you took off and let your foot off the brake. He told me it was probably the spark plugs and needed tuned... He did it for about $100. Pretty cheap if you ask me.
Then, for the last few weeks.. OKAY MONTHS Lois had been after me to get a new muffler. Well, I have noticed it's A LOT louder than normal. So, my dad called around.... It would be around $80 for a new muffler and tailpipe. Great... Still not bad... Then I found out it WASN'T the muffler/tailpipe after all... It's the pipe that goes from the engine block (Can't think of the name of it.) Has a HUGE crack in it.. Price? $500 and some odd dollars....
Mom and dad are using their vacation money on this, and I HAVE to pay them back by the time we go.
This is my ONLY mode of transportation, and I HAVE no other option but to get it fixed. I worked over Monday, Tues nights and I'll be working over Thurs, and possibly Friday night and HOPING to work Sat. Just the thought of using my overtime money on my Jeep instead of "stashing it" makes me sick...
Lois knows I'm working overtime for extra spending money, and she even offered to loan me the money for it. I told her I appriciated her generous offer, but I'm going to do my best to find my own way out of this. Besides I don't want to take advantage. However, if I can't come up with the money beforehand, I'll be calling her up. She's the first friend I ever had that EVER offered to help me out like this. She really is a TRUE friend.

I am SOOOOO ready...

I was planning on working 4 hours early OR over Mon. Wed, and Friday, and 4 early on Sat for 3 weeks, and then Over/early Tues and Thurs of the 4th week.. The overtime pay and the Sats. will be my extra money on vacation. I was worried I wouldn't have enough... HOWEVER, got my tax papers back, and that money will be PLENTY to go.. I'm still planning on overtime (just maybe not as many days.)

Then I found out today that Aaron MIGHT be going with us. He has postponed his vacation so many times, that he thinks it won't be a problem to get the week off. He's planning on taking his tent too. We're going to try to fit all three tents and the camper in 2 lots. It's going to be so much fun with the Aaron with us. I am SOOOOOOO excited.

25 days and COUNTING!!!!!!

A True Story.....

Once upon a time there were two fearless pirate lasses that went by the names Captain Lois and Poppet. One rainy, gloomy afternoon Captain texted Poppet during work. "What are ye doin' around 12 tanight Poppet?" "Don't know why?" "What say ye we sail to Ihop and plunder some grub?" Poppet thought about it. She knew she would just be watching a movie if she didn't go. Truth was she loved Captain(Okay NOT like that. It's a sisterly love) and was worried about her working 12 hour days 5 sometimes 6 days a week. The work had to be wearing Captain down, and she had tried several times to tell her to slow down. Poppet knew that it wasn't healthy. Besides she was sometimes sad when weeks would go by without hanging out with her friend. "Aye, sail away Captain," She texted back...

Later on at Ihop Captain ordered the Cinnamon pancakes. She took one bite and said "They're so good I could pee my pants." Which drove them both into a HUGE laughing fit seeing they weren't the only people in the restaurant. A while later Poppet's brother, Aaron, arrived on the scene. He said the waitress told him that the cinnamon rolls are so good she screamed. He said that if they don't make him scream, he's going to sue for false advertisement. I told him that if he doesn't scream, maybe he'll pee his pants. Which threw Captain and Poppet into another HUGE laughing fit.
After spending two hours in Ihop, Captain and Poppet said goodnight and sailed to their separate home ports with the promise of talking the next day.. And they both lived happily ever after.
The End.

Ready to Roll.......

With Feb ALMOST over and March almost here I have that "hankerin'" again.. The hankerin' to pack up and take off for a week of work free bliss.. Yes, I've got Spring fever/Cabin fever whatever you want to call it. Knowing that in about a month I will be on my way to beautiful, fun, and wonderful TN.

Even though our yearly trip is a month away, I'm already planning what I'm taking/wearing. If I could I'd be packing my clothes already. However, I need SOMETHING to wear this month....

There's just something about taking my luggage over to be packed up that Friday afternoon before work, hitting the shower after coming straight home from work, MAYBE catch a couple hours of sleep,(sometimes we leave as soon as I've taken my shower) and hit the road that puts a thrill of excitement into you. Okay, so the excitement is usually AFTER my dad checks the brakes/turn signals, and lights on the pop up camper. (Think of Zippy here, that's dad. LOL)

We drive clear through, except to stop someplace for breakfast anywhere between 4:30 and 6 AM, or to stop to let my dad have a short nap..
Then we get to TN and watch my parents set up the camper while my brother and I are setting up our tents... YES, I sleep in a TENT. My tent is usually up BEFORE the camper. Oh, at some point in there, my dad usually yells and tells Austin or I to call Ashley and let her know we're there.

The best part of the trip is Ashley.... Spending time with my sister is the best part of vacation... We normally go pick her up every night.... ALMOST every night (If she doesn't have a big test or other plans), and do things with her... Whether it's seeing one of the MANY shows, going through the mountains, (That in itself is an adventure. Will talk about that later)or spend the night with her and go to classes with her the next day.. Yes, Ashley is the highlight of the trip... I LOVE spending time with that girl. She's a really fun girl to hang out with... Then again, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. LOL.

Now, back to the mountains......
Going through the mountains with my dad driving is well..... Worse than a roller coaster. At least in a roller coaster you pretty much know you'll be ALIVE when it's over....
I think my dad thinks it's illegal to use brakes coming down the mountain. He puts it in second gear and coasts all the way down. He only brakes if the car in front brakes, and then he gets mad that they're using their brakes. He then pulls off, waits until he thinks the car(s) are WAY ahead, and starts out again WITHOUT brakes. He told me last time that he made the trip in X amount of time, and wants to beat that time. I tell him, I would rather LIVE. Scares me to death at times. Oh, and I HAVE to sit up front when we're in the mountains..I get carsick in the back, and carsickness isn't very fun..I know it's weird. I get carsick in the back, but not the front. So, my mom gives up her seat so I can sit up front.. Got to love moms.. :)

Fear or guilt?

Last night my mom told me that she was completely freaked out. I laughed and asked her why... This is the story she told me.......

After grandma died, she and Aunt Carol cleaned out grandma's cabinets. Okay, two days ago, she went in to make a peanut butter sandwich.. The peanut butter was the jar grandma had, and it only had MAYBE a tablespoon left. She looked on the lid.... 211...
All the what ifs keep running through her head... WHAT IF.....What if it wasn't the flu? What if we'd known sooner? What if it really was the peanut butter? Then I mentioned...WHAT IF this had NOTHING to do with it?
It's like I told mom, we can't go back in time. Besides... Do you have ANY idea how angry grandma would be if we could bring her back? She'd be saying "Why did you do that?" I could just see her saying "Let me be. I'm having fun."

BOOK review!

I just finished "Waiting For Summer's Return" by Kim Vogel Sawyer.

If you like Janette Oke's "Love Comes Softly", and Beverly Lewis's Amish books.... You'll LOVE this book...
It's about a woman, Summer, who's husband and 4 children die on the wagon train. An Mennonite man, Peter, needs someone to tutor his young son while he's healing from an accident.... (Sound familiar?) ;)
The first part of this book reminds me so much of "Love Comes Softly", but of course it's completely different.
I started it Monday, and had it finished this morning. I couldn't put it down. It's a fun read!!!!!

Lent starts TODAY!!!!!

This year I had a hard time deciding what to give up this year. I thought about dvds and books, but I've done the dvds the past 2 years, and books?

Well... I had a HORRIBLE time with that last year. I had forgotten before hand that we'd be going to TN during Spring Break.... There's an AMAZING Christian book store there, (Christian Book Warehouse) and I really had to fight the temptation to buy books. I mean when you see good Christian books CHEAPER than around here, it's hard to NOT buy them. Also, it's hard when your sister gets a 10% discount there since she's a student. Not only that, but Ashley informed us recently that there's ANOTHER Christian bookstore around there where NOTHING is over $5.00...
So, I knew that books would be too difficult......
Then Captain Lois suggested I give up Carmel Apple Ciders and Steak N Shake Barfaits (Parfaits)..... Those are my comfort foods..It's like I told her. You might as well tell me to give up breathing..Giving up BREATHING would be a lot easier than giving up Starbucks and Steak N Shake.

So, I decided... I'm giving up Caffeninated sodas... NO Mt. Dews or Cokes ULESS they are Caffeine Free... (I normally drink 4-6 20 ounze bottles A DAY) So, I'm giving that up, but I can still have my coffee (Which I don't drink often.. Only when I'm pulling a 12 hour shift. Like I will tonight and Friday night.)

That does make me wonder.... Is it right to compromise sacrifices? Oh, well..

One of those days.....

It seems to me that so far this year, I've had far more bad days than good ones. Yesterday was no different.
It wasn't anything I can put my finger on, but I was just really depressed. So, after work I went to Starbucks.... Now the people there KNOW me, and they have my drink made before ringing me up.
I went in there last night, and one of the guys said "You're going to hate me, but we no longer serve Carmel Apple Ciders (CACs for short... Captain came up with that.)
With my day the way it went, this was the straw that broke the camel's back. I literally started crying. YES, me, ANGELA, was crying in Starbucks. The girl working there said "He's lying. Joe, apologize to her." I told her that the way my day went, it would've been the pefect ending to a horrible day. Anyway, she made my CAC and gave it to me "on the house".
CACs are the perfect "comfort" drink. However, the thought of the calories can cause you to fall deeper into depression..... ~sigh~

I know, this is late.... I'm sorry

I meant to put this up yesterday, but time just slipped away from me. So........ HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY AUNT CAROL!!!!
Hope it was great!!!!

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS!!!!!!!!

I don't know how many people are planning on taking their kids to see the new Disney movie "Bridge to Terabithia." If you are planning to let your little ones see it, I have a STRONG suggestion.....
PLEASE read the book first, or if you don't have time.... Feel free to ask me. I read the book when I was 12, and even though it's a "children's book" some kids probably would have a difficult time with it. I didn't have a hard time, but I was older, and had already faced the "questionable subject" firsthand.
Which brings me to another warning... The book does have a couple bad words in it.
The commericals/previews look harmless and innocent, but at the end it could leave parents with upset children, and a NEED to "have a talk".
When I first saw the previews I thought.... It looks nothing like the book. However, later I read the reviews and it's more like the book than I originally thought.
So, parents... PLEASE educate yourself on this movie/book before deciding.
My community service project is now complete. LOL....

I'm walking on sunshine!!!!!

If you've been reading my posts this week, you'll know what a horrible week it's been..... Today things got better....
Last night at work I was telling some guys I work with about my wipers (here's a hint.... If you have vehicle problems ASK guys at work. You can pretty much be told what's wrong with your vehicle just by describing the problem. Most of them "know someone" that can do things a lot cheaper than big named businesses.) So, back to the wipers.... The wipers were dead. Turn it on, and NOTHING would happen... Some guys said it sounded like I blew a fuse, and a couple others said that I might have blown the motor...
Lois told me to try the fuse first. As she said.... "A fuse is a LOT cheaper than a motor."
This morning I got up and went to get my mail... I noticed I had a package, but I was on my way to K to get a fuse, so I didn't have time to find out what the package was...
I go to Sears (If they didn't have it, NO ONE would.) Bought 5 fuses for a dollar and some change, put it in, and sure enough..... Waaa laaa instant wipers.... Good thing too since it was snowing pretty good as I was driving home.
I get home and decide to open my package.. The dvd set I was waiting on had arrived... So, I go over to my parent's house, so excited I started jumping up and down and twirling in circles (literally) while singing that song.... "Walking on Sunshine".
So, even though it was gloomy and snowy, I never noticed it... Still..."I'm walking on sunshine, whoa, I'm walking on sunshine, whoa, I'm walking on sunshine, whoa. And don't it feel good? "

When it rains it pours!!!

I went and got a new tire for my jeep today. I had a 10 AM appointment and was told it would take 40 to 45 mins to do. Well... That 40 -45 mins turned into an HOUR and 16 mins. So, I now have a brand new tire, and the fear of a flat is now gone... However, now I have a new fear.....

On my way to get my tire, I realized that my windshield wipers do not work AT ALL!!! By the time I got to the shop, my windshield was so filthy I could BARELY see out... So, I went through the car wash....

So, I'm now in the process of finding someone who can fix that FAST. Oh, and they're predicting an inch or so of snow for TONIGHT!!! I could be driving home in snow without wipers.

BUT HEY, at least I have a shiny clean Jeep....

SHE'S HOW OLD???????

It's hard to believe that 21 years ago she was born. I remember it so vividly. Aaron and I were staying with grandma and grandpa T. I was asleep in Aunt Marlina's room, while Aaron was asleep on the pull out sofa.
Aaron came running in and jumped up on the bed yelling "Wake up, we have a new brother". I jumped out of bed, and that's when the disappointment of having another brother hit me. I wanted a sister so bad that I had been, for the whole time after mom told us that we she was expecting, actually PRAYING for one.
I went into the kitchen where Grandma was eating something. She looked up and said "Did Aaron tell you about your new sister?" I looked over at Aaron, and he had that smirky smile that only he can do, on his face. (Yes, you can picture it, can't you?)
It's amazing how fast disappointment can disappear. To say I was thrilled was an understatement....
Yes, we've had our differences, but I feel closer to my sister now than I ever did before. Maybe it's due to the both of us growing up... Anyway...
Ashley, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I LOVE YOU! And if I haven't said it before or lately..... I am VERY proud of you. You have grown into a wonderful woman that I'm PROUD to call a sister!!!!! Have a wonderful 21th birthday, just don't do anything too wild...LOL.

Have to gripe...

This has to be one of the worst weeks I've had in a while.....

First I waited in vain Monday night at Walmart for a dvd set that NEVER arrived. Tues I was snowed in and work was canceled. Wens.. My Jeep was STUCK and couldn't get it out,which means I won't get PAID for those two days... Oh and today?
I was going to T to get some shipping tape so I can send a package to my sister.... I only got 4 miles from home when it happened... My tire blew.... It's shredded. Looks like a roadside bomb got to it.... So, had to call a service station because I needed an adapter for my lug nut, which I didn't have. Anyway.... Service guy changed my tire and only charged $20... If it was just someone passing by, I would've offered AT LEAST $50..After all it was COLD and there's snow on the ground. But helping "damsels in distress" is the service guy's job, and it's a business, so if he's charging only $20 who am I to offer more?

They put my spare on, which isn't in the greatest shape, so PLEASE pray that it will get me back and forth to work today, and to work tomorrow.

I'm going to ask and see if my dad will get my jeep and take it in the shop tomorrow. (I park only a block away from where he parks, and the tire place is across the street. He gets off work at 3 and I'm already at work by 3, so it's not out of his way any to do me this favor.) Anyway, I have to buy a new tire, and have it aligned..All that AFTER I just paid for a new snowblower AND paid SHOVELMAN so I can go to work today.... Makes me sick to think I'll only get a three day check next week...
AUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! (Imagine me tearing my hair out)

Thanks for taking the time to read this..... Oh, and Ashley, No, I still haven't mailed your package to you.. I am SOOOOOO Sorry, this week has been HORRIBLE!!! I know you're waiting so patiently for your Valentine/care/Birthday package. I really feel horrible that you won't get it by your Birthday.... But you WILL get it and SOON!!! I promise!!!

Here he comes to save the day.... SHOVELMAN!!!

I got up this morning and was going to get my mail. The snow was so high my Jeep got STUCK. Wouldn't go forward, wouldn't go backward. The night before I made a HORRIBLE mistake. I parked behind my house.... Now those that know my house, I have a long driveway that wraps around my house. My driveway was COMPLETELY blocked... There was NO WAY I could get through it.....
So, I half hopped and wadded through waist high snow drifts to my parents house to borrow a shovel.... Yeah.... I worked for an hour and only got MAYBE 4 feet cleared... My driveway is a good 50+ feet long. Well, I noticed that my neighbor (other side of my parents) had a snowblower. I went over there and asked "How much would you charge to clear my driveway?" I had to go to work in about 3 hours, and it wasn't cancelled. His silence told me "I'm not going to do it." I was offering him $100 to free my jeep.
So, I was thinking "I HAVE to get my Jeep out." So, my dad called a lot of stores to find a snowblower. Sears was the only place in town that still had a couple. So, we told them to hold one. We went up there, and I bought one. Yes, I am now the proud owner of a snowblower. :)
We get it home, and my dad spent AT LEAST 3 hours trying to figure the thing out... As he was doing that, SHOVELMAN arrived....Snow don't stand a chance with Shovelman.....He can melt snow with his laser eyes...Snow drifts fear him, and sidewalks cheer for him...
Okay, Okay, OKAY... so MAYBE it was only a mild mannered teenager offering to SHOVEL my driveway himself for a fee. I asked him how much he wanted... $70.... Seemed fair to me, so I agreed. He would come in every once in a while to warm up, but he was mostly worried about not finishing by nightfall... Once he realized that school was cancelled AGAIN for tomorrow, he breathed a little easier saying "If I don't finish tonight, I'll have it done before you go to work tomorrow."
He worked VERY HARD clearing my driveway.... Oh, and the $100 I offered the neighbor? Well, my neighbor did get it..... After all, Heros do deserve to be paid a little extra for their hard, cold work once in a while....Thank you Austin, oops, I mean SHOVELMAN!!!

This just seems really odd!!!

I went to a local radio station's website to check on cancellations/closings.... I ran across something that just seemed wrong somehow.
Two funeral homes have postponed viewings/funerals. I can understand the situation, but those poor family members. It's bad enough that they lost someone, but to have to delay the viewing/funeral just seems wrong somehow.

SNOW DAY!!!!!!

I knew we were supposed to get some snow, so I asked for a paid day for today.(mainly because I was HOPING to spend it watching a dvd set I was planning on buying after work. Which Walmart DIDN'T have. GRRR)
I guess others had the same idea, because my boss,Stacy, told me that the book was full.. (They can only let 3 people off at a time). Then she said... "Here's my cell number, if you can't make it in call me." Yeah, she THOUGHT I wanted off for the weather... If she only knew.... LOL... Anyway......

When I left Walmart (about 12:10) it was just starting to snow.
I KNEW it HAD to be bad when my coworker, (Captain), texted me, at 10 this morning and said "NO WORK today, they cancelled 2nd and 3rd shift"...... I work in a factory, and they NEVER close. I've worked there for 12 1/2 years and they've NEVER closed due to snow.


Right now, the snow is drifting BAD and the roads are CLOSED. The snow is now up to my bumper. There is a snow emergency, which means driving is prohibited. The town I live in is a little town surrounded by corn and soybean fields, so the roads drift even worse since it's open land.
The roads out of town are completely blocked.(By the way, I live about 10 miles from the nearest grocery store.. Hope I don't have to stoop to fighting the cat for her food. LOL.).. I went a few blocks to the little gas station, and I BARELY got there, and I have a 4 wheel drive Jeep Wrangler. I went next door (to my parent's house) to let my parents know that work was cancelled, and the snow came up almost to my knees.. I'm only 5 foot 2? 3?. (It's WORSE than that now. I would guess it's up to my upper thighs if not my waist now.)
The wind is blowing at 30 miles per hour with 6 to 8 more inches of snow expected tonight. It hasn't stopped snowing since midnight (Monday night? Tues. morning?)...

The government snowplows haven't been out all day. They won't plow when it's drifting. As I am typing this, I'm looking out my window and I see a FARM tractor and a Big 4 wheel drive pickup truck with snow plows trying their hardest to keep the town streets clear. Farmers with their big tractors and people who own HUGE 4 wheel drive trucks, who live in town, are working in shifts trying to plow the streets themselves.
The local radio stations are asking that if anyone has 4 wheel drives or snowmobiles and wants to help get people to shelter or take people to hospitals to call the police dept. Ambulances can't get through this....
Okay all you SUV bashers, what do you think of SUVs now??? Not so bad are they? Whaa haa haa...
So, I get a snow day, and I don't even have the dvd set to keep me occupied. BOOOO....But at least we haven't lost electricity.. So, I guess that's a good thing...

The way it looks, might have another snow day tomorrow.(keeping my fingers crossed). Whoo hooo... I feel like I'm in school again, hoping for snow days. LOL...

Bad with remembering dates...

I know for a fact that two of my cousins have birthdays the day after each other. Here's the embarrassing part.... I can't remember who's is on what day..I know one's on the 10th and the other on the 11th.... So I'll just do it this way................ HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE AND HEATH!!!!!! I hope your day was/is great!!!

Walk A Mile and lessons learned....

This morning my alarm went off at 7:45, which to me was WAAY too early. After putting on layerS of clothes, and bundling up (hat, gloves, and scarves) my mom and I went on a mile walk for the Rescue Mission. Before I left I wanted to know what the temp. was.... So, I called time and temp, and it was ZERO degrees. Thankfully there wasn't a wind. We get to the Rescue Mission, and it was CHAOS. We decided to wait until after the walk to pick up our long sleeved t-shirts... The choice this year was a shirt (Black with hot pink Walk A Mile In Our Shoes on the back. COOL!!) or gloves. I REALLY wanted a shirt. Anyway, my mom and I shivered our way to Open Arms, where they had hot chocolate, coffee, and McDonald's cinnamon rolls waiting for us. After warming up, and showing my mom Aunt Rebecca's preschool class, we headed back to the Mission. Now when we got back the first thing I noticed was the shirts were GONE!!! To say I was bummed is an understatement. So after halfheartedly accepting the gloves and managing (forcing is more like it) a thank you, we left. When I got home, my "Big girl" had a very stern talk with my "little girl". The "talk" went something like this.......(Imagine a parent talking to a child).... "This ISN'T about YOU. You did this for the HOMELESS, not YOU!! How could you be so ungrateful for a pair of gloves? There are homeless people that search dumpsters hoping to find a glove for each hand, and they don't care if they even match or smell. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? They didn't have to give you ANYTHING. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and be grateful they gave you anything. Sheesh.... After my talk, I actually felt better about the gloves..... Oh, and Ashley, this summer when you're home and you go to Goodwill, could you look for the shirt? LOL

Girls day out part 3

Ok, I need to clarify something.... Since my mom doesn't get online, I told her to be thinking about ideas where she'd like to go for our 2nd annual GDO. Her idea??? HAWAII!!!!!
Regardless how tempting that sounds (espcially with this cold snap) we do need to limit this trip to somewhere we can go and get back within a day. HENCE the words DAY out. (Just mentioned that in case someone came up with the same idea. LOL)
Ashley comes home sometime around May 10th, and my parents are talking about taking a vacation in June or July to Canada. (I've never been anywhere where I needed a passport... COOL!!!!!) So late May? Early June? Sometime in July? Early EARLYAugust?

COLTS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!

I will be the first to admit that I HATE sports.... Football, basketball, soccer.... Makes no difference. I think it's stupid that grown men are paid more money than teachers, law enforcement, and EMTs(People with REAL jobs) just to run up and down a field. STUPID STUPID STUPID.
However..... Since everyone at work is so "excited" about this game (one of our bosses is an ex-Colts player) I KNOW the game will be the topic of most conversations today. I also know that there's going to be a lot of people in good moods, especially a certain boss. (It's always good when the boss is in a good mood). Anyway, since I know that 99.99% of the conversations today will be about last night's game, I caught the last 5 mins. I HAD to know who won, so I can throw in a few words at least.
This hasn't changed my outlook on sports, and I still think players are WAY overpaid. Football is pretty stupid.... After all, grown men fighting over a quarter. Sheesh..... Just give the team their quarter back so they can go home for crying out loud. (After all, isn't what the team is supposed to do? Get the quarterback?)

Girl's day out part 2.....

Since there is an interest in having another day out, I took the liberty of looking to see when we went last year, and found out that we went May 8th.
That week would be IMPOSSIBLE this year. It's the first full week of May, and that's when they pay our vacation checks for the next year, and our unused Paid days. I still have all 5 of my paid days from last May. (note to self.... USE THEM UP!!!!!!!!)
Anyway, since that's when they pay our unused paid days, the company puts a hold on all paid days that week.
So..... WHEN Do we want to go? a week or so later, a week earlier, or later? Also, would a weekday or Sat be better? Places like Nashville are not as crowded during the week. Also, WHERE do we want to go? Back to Nashville, or would you rather explore somewhere we've never been? Do you have the "hankerin" to go northward, southward, eastward, or westward? Have there ever been a place you've always wanted to go, but always thought, I'll go there someday? (For example..a spontanious trip to a Holocaust musuem.) Here's your chance. Speak up, we're listening.

Reader's challenge

I was just thinking the other day.... How many people read this blog? I know of at least 3.
Here's a challenge for all of my faithful readers. Now's your chance to boost my self esteem some and step out of your little corner and introduce yourselves or if you're "shy" just say HI.
To "break the ice" I'll go first...... I would introduce myself, but if you've been reading my blog for a while, you already know me, so all I'm going to say is.....HI and thank you for reading my blog!!!!!!

2nd Annual girls day out?

Okay Carrie, Carol, Beth, Ashley, and any other FEMALE family member that might be reading this... I think it's time to think about a second annual girl's (women's) day out.
I had so much fun last year, that we HAVE to plan something this year. Okay, so throw out ideas and dates, and let's get this planned.... Whoo hoo!!!!!!!!

Walk A Mile In My Shoes and a "selfish" prayer request

On Feb.10 I will be walking in the WAMIMS again this year. Last year my sister had an unplanned trip home, and with the promise of a Starbucks afterwards walked with me. Well, this year she won't be home, but I managed to talk my mom into walking with me. I went to the Rescue Mission and picked up some forms. They want each walker to raise AT LEAST $50. Well, I knew it would be a lot harder for my (stay at home) mom to raise the money, so I donated it to her. I only did it, because I just wanted to make sure she wouldn't back out of it. Yeah, sneaky aren't I? LOL.

Here's my "selfish" prayer request. I've been hearing that next week we're going to be in the single digits weatherwise. Please pray that it warms up some for the walk. This walk goes on rain or shine (or snow and negative degree weather.) They don't cancel this walk for ANYTHING. It's not me I'm concerned about, it's my mom. With her blood thinners, she gets colder faster than the rest of us. It's for her sake I want the weather to warm up.

See? I told you it's a selfish prayer request.

God at work

I was supposed to have worked over tonight (Tues), but I had one of those weird feelings. At 9:30 something was telling me to go home. As it got closer to time to leave, the worse it got. By the time 11 rolled around, it was like a drum repeating over and over "go home, go home, go home." I was starting to feel physically sick.

So, I told my boss I couldn't stay. He wasn't too happy with me, but oh well. I had to obey my gut feeling.
So I left...
As I approached my house, there was a SUV sitting two houses away. (On the other side of my parent's house). A young girl (okay, anyone in their early 20s looks young to me.) was shivering by this vehicle. The first person I thought of was Ashley. This girl is about the same age and height. She was crying uncontrollably.
I pulled into my driveway, and instead of the "go home" drumming in my head, it was now a "go back, go back" feeling.
So, I backed out of my driveway, and stopped next to her. I rolled down my window, and asked her if she was ok. She said "I ran out of gas,my cell phone's dead, and I have no clue where I am." She started crying even harder when she said "I've tried flagging down cars and no one would stop."
Two major factories just let out, so there were A LOT of vehicles driving through town, yet NO ONE thought to help. By the time I got home, the streets were empty. After praying for God's protection, I said "It's freezing out here, why don't you get in and warm up." As she climbed in, I noticed that her tears were frozen to her face and she was shivering and crying uncontrollably. I turned the heater up full blast and just sat there for a while. That's when she told me her story....
This girl lives 2 hours away in Southern Indiana. A guy she worked with asked her on a date to the bar here in town. She said she was wanting to get gas on the way, but he was afraid of being late. So, after a couple hours at this bar, this girl's "friend" was still playing cards, she told him that she'd be right back she was going to get gas. By this time, the gas station was closed. Since she didn't know her way around she stayed on the same road. Of course there aren't any gas stations except here in this town. So, she turned around, came back, and ran out of gas. She called her "friend" and he had left with some friends.. . He said I'm almost to my mom's house, and I'm not coming back, so you're on your own.
As we are talking, a guy I work with (and trust. Nice guy, married with two kids, and 3 grandkids.) pulled up behind me. I went home, grabbed the gas can out of the garage, and the three of us took his truck to a gas station. She was pretty hysterical until we assured her that we were "safe", she could trust us, and everything will be okay.
She was so cold she didn't realize she'd broken her finger until we got to the station.
We get back, put the gas in the tank. Now by this time the neighbor of the house we were "blocking" came out and was trying to help. He eventually had to get some jumper cables and jump her vehicle.
Now here's where it gets really interesting.
She was trying to figure out how to get to an interstate. "ANY interstate would be okay." Since I was the ONLY one that knew how to get to 465 from there, it was up to me to give her directions. So, we get back into this coworker's truck (It's only 8 degrees outside) and I start telling her. Well, a police officer decided at that moment to pull up, turn on his lights, and ask for IDs and this coworker's and girl's reason for being in this town.

Here's my question.. What business was it of his to ask that? We had already explained about her running out of gas, and just trying to help her.
Since when are good samaritians "punished" for good deeds by cops? All any of us wanted was to be on our way home. And lastly... Why couldn't he have helped give her a hand? He never bothered asking if she was ok, needed directions, or more gas. Isn't that what police USUALLY do?

This poor girl finally got out after thanking us 100 times or more, and left with a quarter tank of gas.

Here's another thing...... This coworker is from New Castle. He said "I just had a feeling I had to take this road home." So, What if I had worked over until 3 am? What if this coworker had taken his normal way home? This girl could've frozen to death before anyone noticed she was there. My neighbors don't get up until AT LEAST 4. She would've sat there for 4 hours or more in 8 degree weather with no heat.
That was 2 hours ago, and my thoughts are still on this poor girl. I pray that she made it home safe and sound.
Talk about God's perfect timing.

I FOUND IT!!!

As you know, I am a 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Sunday School teacher.. Before that I was the High School Sunday school teacher. So, when I switched classes I noticed that the posters in my class were over the heads of my 10,11, and 12 year olds.

I have been searching for 2 years now for the "PERFECT" picture for my class.

A couple weeks ago, my aunt Carol and I went to a Christian bookstore, and I fell in LOVE with a picture. I told Aunt Carol that this picture was THE picture. Well there were two small problems.... 1 It was framed... We are not allowed to put nails in the walls. and 2. It was about $100. (That's with the 30% discount... It was $139)

With a downcast heart, I ran across a postcard similar to that picture, not exactly what I was looking for, but on the same style.. I looked on the back.. Sure enough there was a website. Went to the website and FOUND several pictures PERFECT for my class. The great part is...... They are only 99 cents each. Okay so they're 5x7 postcards, but I do have a bulletin board in my room. Perfect size to tack up.


This picture I fell in love with is called "Storytime". It's a picture of a bunch of kids sitting on the floor as their teacher is reading a story to them. Jesus is sitting on the floor with these children listening along.

The other pictures I bought from this site are:
Johnny Made Whole
My Friends
The Family of God
and
The Lion and the Lamb (Which is really neat.)

The picture I bought at the bookstore is called:
Family Worship

You can see all these pictures at: (By the way, this web page has all of the pictures on one page. Don't have to search, just scroll down. Click on the picture to see a bigger picture of it.)

http://www.hartclassics.com/products.php?show=by_size

I found not one picture, but 5, ordered, them and now to wait for them to arrive. I am one HAPPY camper. :)

Books, Books, Books, and more Books!!!!!!

Everyone that knows me knows that I LOVE to read. I have a goal for this year..... 52 books in 52 weeks..... So far, I'm right where I should be...

I read a book last week that really grabbed me.... It's called "Between Heaven and Ground Zero." It's a true story about a woman that worked on the 36th floor of tower one. She described what she saw and how she felt so well it was almost like being there. She said she was reborn after leaving the towers. Before she was arrogent and "proud", afterwards she suffered from post tramic stress syndrome, but she learned to hand everything over to the Lord.
I learned things about the towers that I didn't know before.... I didn't know that tower one was leaning after the attack and never uprighted itself, and the ceilings were caving in. TV showed a much different picture. I started this book one morning, couldn't stop until it was done. Very dramatic, WILL make you cry, but it's a worthwhile read.....

MY 100th post!!!!!!!!

For my 100th post, I'm going to sing a song for the occasion.... Okay, maybe I won't, after all who wants to hear me sing? Besides, you CAN'T hear me sing,because this is a BLOG... You can only READ..... So, singing would be pointless and a very big waste of my time, not to mention yours, since you won't be able to hear me sing.


But, I do however have plans....... I discovered the other day that I am the only grandkid of the T side of the family that does NOT know how to play or is learning an instrument...I've already been told that the radio doesn't count, since ANY ONE can do that. So, to find an instrument I can play..... Instruments that use alot of air is OUT... I have no desire to pass out from lack of oxygen....
So, I'm thinking of either taking up the banjo or the Dulcimer..... I've heard that Dulcimers are very easy to learn. We'll see....

You sure you don't want to hear me sing? You do? Well..... TOO BAD, because you CAN'T.... Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Yes, I am laughing at you, and the best part is..... YOU CAN'T HEAR ME!!!!!!!

Morbid or preparing?

Okay, I'm going to leave it up to you, my dear readers, to tell me if I'm going insane or is this "appropriate behavior." Ok, here goes.........

Several months ago (as in November) I bought this book thing called "Making Things Easy For My Family." It a "journal" type thing that I write down what my family would need to know at the time of my death.. The first page is a step by step thing to do.(call family,friends, employer, etc).then the next pages are important phone numbers, Location of personal papers, Benfits you can expect (life insurance etc)insurance polcies, real estate and auto papers/information, record of what I owe, banking info, Record of what is owed to me, Burial and Memorial preparations (Where I want to be buried, who I want to speak, who I want as pall bearers, and desires for the funeral), personal notes, and personal property.

Okay, I know what you're thinking........ NO!!!! Don't even think about it..... Yeah, I agree, but you know.... I went one step further...
Okay what I did next is even more morbid than the first part of this post... Ready?

I am in the process of putting my favorite songs on cd to be played at my funeral... Yes, All my favorite songs (that would be appropriate at a funeral) on one cd. That way all the songs are there, there will be no hunting or searching for songs.

But that's not all. If you order now, we'll send you not 1 BUT 2 cds. Wait.... There's more..... If you call within the next 10 mins, You not only get the funeral cd and the free cd, but we'll throw in a set of steak knifes all for $19.99. WOW!!! That's a $289 offer for only $19.99... Order now supplies are limited.

As you can see, I've watched WAY too many informercials. Then again, they are usually the only thing on TV at 2AM.

Lost money found again........

Don't you hate it when you go to the bank to get money and you lose it? I went to the bank to get money out for a bill, I went straight to Walmart to get a money order (the place I pay my bill doesn't accept checks or cash.) I get there and realize that I'm $100 short. I searched my pockets and emptied my purse. NOTHING. We counted the money 8 times. So, I thought, ok the bank shorted me. I go ahead and get the money order, drive downtown to pay the bill, and then drove ALL the way back across town to the bank. Pull into the parking lot, open my purse, and there's the $100 bill laying right on top.
There's NO WAY I could've missed it.

Backwards spelled backwards is sdrawkcab

I pulled a 12 hour shift yesterday.... 11-11, so by the time I got off work, I was pretty slap happy. And it didn't help that I stopped by Starbucks on the way home. My best friend, Lois, worked over 3-3. By 2/ 2:30AM, we were texting each other crazy/silly things.... She started it by saying... "Did you know that Captain spelled backwards is niatpac? I didn't." We'll it just snowballed from there.

eW detrats gnitxet ekil siht. I dlot reh taht ew era hcus sresol. We texted whole conversations BACKWARDS. I told her one good thing about it, is if anyone found our cell phones, they'd think we were speaking a different language. I have made up my mind that I am going to be able to type/text backwards just as fast as I do normally. That is my goal in life. Pretty pathetic isn't it? Then again, it would drive everyone I know insane.
Things you think to do when you're bored and sleep deprived.

Chasing Rainbows

One rainy summer day when I was 12, my friend, Sandy, and I waited out the storm in her garage. After it rained there was a HUGE bright rainbow. Well, being kids we decided to follow the rainbow hoping to find the pot of gold. As we walked we discussed how we were going to spend our new found money. They were childish dreams full of candy, ice cream, and buying out toy stores.
Of course, the rainbow disappeared before we got anywhere near it, but we did find ourselves a few miles from home in a beautiful meadow in a woods. This meadow had 20 different flowers (we counted), rasberries, and wild strawberries. We spent a couple hours exploring this meadow. This meadow became our "secret" place. We promised NEVER to tell of it's existance. Mainly to keep my brother and her brother and sister away from it.
Sandy moved to St. Louis two months later. On the first day of school while I was meeting my teachers, she was heading out of town. I didn't get a chance to see her off. We did send a couple letters back and forth, but before long, we lost track of each other.
That summer was the first and only time I went to that meadow. After she left, it just seemed wrong to go by myself. However, my mind goes back to those lazy summer days.
I discovered recently that life is like chasing rainbows. It's always fun to dream, plan, and wish for things to happen. But when they don't, and if you take the time to look around, you might make wonderful discoveries about things you never new existed.

Finally got it!!!!

Well, I finally got IT. No it's nothing you can buy on eBay. It's more personal. I finally caught the flu. Came down with it Wens. night, and missed two days of work. THANKFULLY I worked 4 hours over one night and worked Sat. So, I came out even with 42 hours.
All I can say is......... Is this week over YET????

Gloom, despair, and Agony on Me.. Whooa

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but my phone lines are still down, so I'm using my parent's computer. This has been a ROTTEN few weeks........
As you know, my grandma T. passed away before Christmas, which was hard enough.

Two weeks to the day she passed away, our previous neighbor died of cancer. He found out in September that he had it.

Then I go to work yesterday and found out that one of my coworkers, and a good friend, Tim, committed Suicide. If someone told me last week he'd shoot himself, I would've laughed in your face. He was a strong Christian man who was taking care of his seriously ill wife, and his ill mother-in-law. He was told he had cancer about a month ago, and that's when his drinking started. I guess he got some bad news at his last doctor's appointment, and decided to end it all.

Then when I told my sister about it this morning, and she said "I hate to add more rain,but....." I don't feel free to go into all the details here, but please keep Aaron and Chris in your prayers, they are having a HORRIBLE time right now. In which it very well can and possibly will affect the whole family.

I told my friend Lois that I've cried so much in the last few weeks that I could sink a ship. I keep thinking of that old Hee Haw song.........
Gloom, despair and Agony on me... Whooa
Deep, dark depression excessive misery... Whooa
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.... Whooa
Gloom, despair, and Agony on me.