What The Person You Deserve Is Like

Someone posted this on my wall today.

What The Person You Deserve Is Like

The man I thought I deserved left me.

I cried as I read it because it brought up the pain and betrayal all over again.

 But then I realized, he didn't deserve me.

He's A Little Bit Country....

 

My relationship with W reminds me a little of the Donny and Marie Show:

 

He's A Little Bit Country, and I'm A Little Bit Rock'n'Roll

I stumbled on this revelation several weeks ago when he made a song reference that I didn't get, which is pretty rare, because to me, everything is a song reference.

I'm one of those people who can come up with a song lyric for almost any word you throw at me. (Further evidence that I may be a undiagnosed Aspie) But I don't do "country."

I don't remember what  the song was, but he said, " You know, Blah Blah Blah Country Song by Blah Blah?"

Crickets.

"Is it a country song?" I finally asked, "Cause you know I don't 'do' country."
Though it didn't really help, he sang me a little bit.  Still nothing.
"Well," he said, "that'll change if you ever ride in the truck with me."

I was relieved to learn that he does enjoy the now-classic rock that we both grew up with, so we do have some common ground.

Having been in the band, I was exposed to music of all types. I'm not strictly Anti-Country, it's just not my first choice.  I tolerate it.

A recent FB post about how much I love Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst (seriously, the man makes my teeth sweat)  drew a "like" from W. That surprised me, because if anyone is the total polar opposite of Country, it's Fred Durst.

That being said, today's post comes to you in honor of one of his favorite country stars, the beautiful and talented Sara Evans.

 

"Perfect" ~ Sara Evans 2003

Restless - RCA Nashville

 

 

And one of my favorite songs, from the extremely handsome, teeth-sweat-inducing (despite being overly tatted, which really ain't my thing, but in HIS case, I will make an exception) Fred Durst

 

 

"Behind Blue Eyes" ~ Limp Bizkit 2003

Results May Vary - Flip/Interscope

 

 

Apparetly 2003 was  a really good year

 

~En-JOY!

 



Gluten Free Made Easier!

 

Eating Gluten Free has just gotten easier....and cheaper!!

I am acustomed to paying narly $6 for a small loaf of GF bread (really makes me not want a sandwich).  Mixes for GF items are equally as pricey, twice, sometimes even three times the price. I am telling you, it is easier sometimes to just do without.

I was plesantly surprised to find that on my last visit to Aldi (my favorite grocery store...focus on the food, not the brand) had a large line of gluten free products! They were also very economical, with is rare for gluten free products. 

 

 



I know they thought I was crazy when I snapped this pic, but I had to sent it to mother. The highest priced item I purchased was just $2.99!

It was very hard to not buy one of EVERYTHING they had (but I came pretty darn close)!

You will see, over there on the far right, the brown rice spaghetti noodles that last night's dinner post was made from. At only $1.49 a package I will be picking up quite a few more of these! The fusilli pasta (corkscrew pasta)  was just $1.29.

The chocolate chewy bars were pretty good, but at $2.49 for only 4, I will have to decide if that one is worth it.

I purchased two boxes of mix: a pancake mix and the mix for lemon squares. $ 2.99 each.

I was not expecting the Snickerdoodles to be actual cookies. I thought they were a mix. at $2.49 for just 12 that was a little pricey, but the soft-baked cookies were pretty good.

The frozen pancakes were a little dissapointing. There are 12 in the box for just $2.69, but when I got them open they are "silver dollar" size. Not bad. They are actually pretty filling.

The crackers were the best! $1.49 for the bag. I got Sea Salt and the Rosemary and Olive Oil. Yummy!!

I was disappointed to read that these were "limited time" offerings but hopefully as those folling a GF diet buy them up, they will consider offering them full time.

In the mean time, I've gotta stock up!!

~En-Joy!

Per Il Vostro Piacere da Pranzo!

 

This evening for dinner I had spaghetti for the first time in years!

Aldi has introduced a line of gluten free products including a brown rice spaghetti noodle that is pretty good and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

~En-Joy!

Celebrating Memorial Day

I celebrated Memorial Day with my Mother, the Chief, and Dooder. 

The Chief grilled out, and there was enough food for several meals.

 Dooder and I cut up and joked and I left with a full belly and  a stitch in my side.

The only thing missing were my kids. Thankfully they were having a blast, celebrating at the lake. I enjoyed looking through the pictures that Julz had posted. 

I took a few pics of my own.

 

The Chief also decorated for the event.

 

Goodies from the grill!

 

I left stuffed and napped the rest of the day away!

 

W got "volunteered" to help a friend install an above ground pool. In exchange for his help, they fed him too. By the time they were done, the Sandman had already paid me a visit, and I missed all of his phone calls. 

 

 I'm gonna have to select a louder ring tone.

 

 

 

 

What Day Is It?!

I really hate taking a long weekend and then coming back to work on an odd day, like Tuesday.

It messes me up for about two weeks.  I ask somebody nearly every day I am off, "What Day Is This?!"

 I took two days off least week and combined with the holiday I've been out five straight days.

So, today, I am back to the grind.

 

"Workin' For a Living" ~ Huey Lewis and The News 1982

Picture This -Chrysalis

 

~En-JOY!

Because of the Brave

Sometime during your boating and barbequing and beer, be sure to remember to reflect on the somberness of today, and the price that someone's son (or daughter) paid for your party.


Land of the Free Because of the Brave

 

"Arlington" ` Trace Adkins 2005

Songs About Me - Capital Nashville

Forever Asleep in Dress Blues

I have never personally known someone killed in action. Nearly all my veterans died at a ripe old age.

But either way, this is  what Memorial Day is about.

Remembering...

As We Remember

Today is the start of a very important American holiday.

Memorial Day

Yeah, I know what you might think about Memorial Day. The holiday that starts summer. A three day weekend. Beach-beer-barbeque.

But the reason that we can enjoy the freedom of a three day weekend is because someone fought for that freedom on our behalf. 

And some paid the ultimate price.

They paid for your freedom with their life

Here is to those who have served

Thank you

 

American Soldier ~ Toby Keith 2003

Shock'n Y'all - Dreamworks



Graduation

It is the end of an era: Kit-Kat graduated.

The day was not without the usual amount of drama. It just seemed to be a little more than usual, but I don't know why.

I will try to list these in order:

I had a dream that I was choking to death and woke to find out that I actually was. Because I didn't have to work,  I slept late, apparently sleeping through my allergy meds. I dreamed I was back in majorette camp, with all the girls I had been a majorette with and our trainer. One thing that may seem odd to some, but made perfect sense to us, was running. She would make us run laps around the outside of our bandroom/gym building. It was for endurance and in the end, helped more than I ever imagined.  I always hated it though and would develop a nasty stitch in my side about the 3rd lap. Thing was, if you didn't complete the lap, she would add another for everyone. I start hacking and coughing right away and I stop. Everyone running by me is asking if I am okay, I can't tell them that I am choking, They are trying to help me run. I finally manage to tell them I am choking and then I wake up to find that I was! I had coughed to the point that I couldn't stop and my nose was so stopped up no air was getting through. I thought I might pass out before I got to the sink for some water. Scary.


"W" was sent with his crew to the furthest corner of the state to work on a new site. Sent early...like earlier than he should have been up. I can only imagine how groggy he was with so little sleep, despite our best efforts to both be in bed early. He called me from the road, a very pleasant surprise. I never get to speak to him first thing in the morning.  He said he thought he'd surprise me, but I know keeping him awake had something to do with it.  After his frustrated little rant earlier this week, he was ready to put his hands around the neck of one of two less than stellar employees, quite possibly the yahoo that dropped a wrench off the top of a 300 foot tower just a few days earlier. I reminded him that I got paid this week if he needed bail money.

After I spoke to W, I called my Mother, who is still recovering from her ablation. We talked for an hour. Ten days out of a surgical procedure on her heart and she is doing great! She gets tired easy right now, but is getting stronger and stronger. We talked about all the funny things she said after her procedure...bless her heart.

After our hour long conversation, I debated on going to get coffee, but am really glad that I did. I ran into an old majorette pal at Waffle House! We talked for an hour there at the counter, over coffee and an All Star breakfast. I brought her up to speed on what had been happening in my life and she brought me up to speed on hers. As I reconnect with more and more people from my past, I am beginning to wonder if this is the "life flashing before my eyes" that everyone speaks about when they are about to die and I am getting mine this way.

Then I went to Wallyworld. I had a few things like soap and shampoo to pick up. As I got in the car twenty minutes later, my phone went off and it was Kit-Kat who had been at my house for the past thirty minutes! She was threatening to break in since I had not answered any of her calls. She was coming to retrieve her graduation gift from Mother. When I arrived, she, her boyfriend Cotton, and two friends, were sitting my driveway.  She was grateful for the generous gift Mother had sent. Because her cap hung off her head at baccalaureate like it was stapled to the back of her head, I gave her advice  on a simple way to alter it so the mortarboard laid flat. A pet peeve of my own Senior sponsor when I was in high school. I was her teacher's assistant then and she ranted for the whole month before graduation about how girls never wear their cap properly with the point between their eyebrows and the mortarboard flat on top, not the back, of their heads. I showed her a quick fix for that. She wanted to know what I was wearing. I told her that I needed her help identifying W's niece, because I had not seen her since they were park league cheerleaders in 6th grade. She asked why I needed to know who she was. Oops. I had not planned on telling anyone about W just yet. Things are still new and undefined. I tried to explain without going into any detail. She squealed, grabbing me and hugging me tight: "I'm so happy for you! You deserve someone who will treat you nice for a change"

Before long, it was time to start getting ready for graduation. I was a little apprehensive, given the date, and how I would be in the presence of D/H (which no longer stands for "Darling Hubby" by the way, but in the interest of continuity, I will continue to call him that for the purposes of this story). Just as I was putting on my new (size SIX) LBD. my phone went off.  It was The Boss calling to verify that she had the only spreadsheet with the pre-orders of the Nationally Known Coffee Shop customer that I manage. I get this spread sheet every six weeks from the Production Manager that contains the customers forecast for the upcoming six weeks. I key all the "production stocking" orders so that they pop up in production report to be filled. Then every week the buyer from the Nationally Known Coffee Shop sends me the actual order, which I adjust accordingly and submit to the warehouse for pick up. Each forecast is submitted with a job number which I use to match the pre-orders to the actual PO's. The problem with this is that the job numbers didn't match a single pre-order. I couldn't answer any of her questions without seeing it and everyone else involved had gone home. I  could not explain the discrepancy and the Production Manager offered to call some people at home to straighten it out.

Time was ticking, so as I dashed out of the house and jumped in the car, I had only 30 minutes to make it down the valley to the church.

Still plenty of time, I kept telling myself.  Everything was going relatively smoothly

until

my gas light came on

Great.

I could see myself on the side of the road, missing Kit-Kat's graduation because I had forgotten a very important errand....to buy gas.

Julz called to find out where I was. The church was filling and they were holding my seat. I quickly explained my dilemma. When I panic, my Drama Queen gene rears it's ugly head. (Try not to cry, try not to cry...) "Calm Down Mother" was her reply. "If you run out of gas, I will come get you, it's going to be okay." I prayed for what seemed like ten miles (but was actually only 2 or 3) that the Lord drop a gas station on this curvy country road.  A block from the church, a gas station appeared and I happily pulled in. As I pumped my few dollars worth of gas,  young man tried to sell me some very expensive meat from a freezer in the back of his truck. "No thanks," I replied, "I'm a vegan" (Forgive me Lord for lying to that young man that I really had no time to deal with)

I pulled up at the church, parked my car, and dashed inside. I walked into the sanctuary, along with the graduates. We were seated in the balcony, on two rows. My former in laws, Julz and "Ricky Martin" and me on one row, The First Wife, her husband and boys, Cotton, Tigger and D/H behind us. From our vantage point, Kit-Kat seemed very far away.  By now, several classmates had bedazzled their caps, some with their initials, some with little designs. One with an intricate gold design that covered the entire surface of the cap. But it made them easily identifiable.

All the graduates carried a little plastic ball, that they handed the principal as they shook her hand. Last year, at Tigger's graduation, the teachers were scrambling to find something to put them in. This year, they came prepared with a basket, but it wasn't quite big enough. By the time Kit-Kat handed her ball off, there were several rolling around the stage, hers included.

We left our seats during the singing of the alma mater, my former father-in-law anxious to beat the rush. I took only a moment to hug Tigger, remind him that I loved him, that he would always be my son, no matter what happened, and that I would always be there for him. I teared up, turned, and walked away.

I called W as I walked back to my car. He was still on the job site and not very happy. His crew had gone to "motivate" the crew from another company. The other crew sounded completely bumfuzzled as to what needed to be done and had pretty much left all the difficult work for W's gang.  It was nearly 8:00 pm and he was having to spend the night. Not a happy camper, but my call came at just the right time and he could focus on me instead. 

He asked if the graduation went well, to which I replied that it did. "Are you okay?" he asked. He knew what the other significance to the day had been. It was weird, but I realized not only had I not thought about it, I didn't really care. D/H had looked uncomfortable, and unhappy, and for the first time in a really long time,  I didn't really care what he was thinking. For the first time since all this had happened, I felt sorry for him instead of me.  "Yeah" I responded " I'm good."

W promised to call me back when he got settled into the hotel. That gave me time to get home as well. I sent him the picture of Julz and me after graduation that was taken with my phone.  He shot back "His loss, my gain."

And with that, I graduated.

Commencing

 

"Baby" Girl, All Grown UP

 

Today is a bittersweet day.

Not only is it Kit-Kat's graduation, her first official step into adulthood,  it would have also been mine and Darling Hubby's fifteenth wedding anniversary. We will find ourselves, dressed in fancy clothes, surrounded by family, in a church. It would have been the perfect anniversary present.

Just as those graduating today thought they would never see this day, I am happy to say I've come out the other side of these past five months a better person.  From merely surviving the storm, to learning to trust again, to maybe even daring to love again.

Much like the graduates, moving from the world they knew for so long, toward an uncertain future, I face it with renewed excitement, but also trepidation.  I want to tell them "Real Life is Not Upward." Real life is not fair. If you didn't learn something about winning and losing, you'd better learn quick, because in real life, they really do keep score. But only you can chose if you are going to be the victim or the victor.  The victim laments repeatedly over the bad luck and bad breaks in their life. How nothing ever works to their favor. How everyone must owe them something.

I. myself. chose victory.

Follow your passion.  Think of the one thing that you love to do and do it. Follow it with reckless abandon. And do it will all of your heart and soul.  I really enjoy helping others and making others happy. That is how I wound up with a career in Customer Service, but I have kinda always done what I do, in one form or another. I really don't see myself doing anything else. It's about serving others and that makes me happy.  I am really good at it. I used to think, at times, that I hated my job.  People mistakenly think that the opposite of Love is Hate, but it's not. Hate still contains passion and fire. It's still love, just in another form, and  can still be turned back around, as long as that passion is there. Apathy is actually the opposite of love. And when you are apathetic about something, it's dead.

Use the gifts God gave you.  The sermon this past weekend is about finding your spiritual gifts. One thing that the pastor said that stood out to me was to never discount a talent as a gift God meant for you to use. Like my writing. I have always been good at it. Others have always told me that putting my thoughts down in words, or finding a way to express their feelings in words, came easy to me. And I must be pretty good at it for those who "hate" me to still be reading my blog. LOL! Perhaps this has been my spiritual gift all along but I never saw it as that before because I was so short-sided that I couldn't see how He could use it.

Make your mark, in your own way. Remember how I mentioned that Kit-Kat bedazzled her graduation cap. It made her stand out. People noticed. It was a little thing, but it had made a big impact, there among the sea of navy blue. Some small gestures. like being courteous. or being generous with time and talent and expecting nothing in return, also makes a big impact. People will notice and remember.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or for a lifetime. Be willing to accept that, and learn to recognize which ones are which. I think of the lessons that I learned from the "season" that has just passed. The importance of being honest, loyal, trustworthy, frugal, but most of all, appreciative for the life that I worked so hard for. I've rediscovered some friends along the way, that the Lord put in my life long ago, for this very moment in time. I found Cyn again, my BFF partner in crime. We hang out, joke and cut up like nothing ever happened. Or like L/G , who I had impressed all those years ago and find today that that attraction is still alive. Or "W," who I knew of, just as he knew of me, but should have met. They may be the reason: to teach me something about myself right now; they may be my next "season": to help me grow more and move on to the next level; or they could very well be the lifetime friends that I grow old with. We shall see.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I present to you the graduating class of 2014.

~En-JOY!

This Is It

So this is it. Tomorrow Kit-Kat graduates.

I'm a little meloncholy. All of my children are out of my house They are all old enough to be out on their own.  Where does the time go?

I can't help but think of this song and the meaning behind it.  Singer/songwriter Kelly Keagy, of Night Ranger, wrote it for his kid sister, Christy, and despite all that has been speculated on it, it's really about coming of age.

Taking flight.

How ironic that the video starts with her graduation.

 

 

Sister Christian - Night Ranger- 1983

 Midnight Madness (RCA Records)

Baccalaureate

Today is Kit-Kat's baccalaureate.

This is what I am wearing for it. I bought it as an alternative to the blue Easter dress.  Love Cato: found everything but the shoes there.  I've gotten lots of compliments on it and the day hasn't even started.

In two days, my "baby" will be a high school graduate. 

I can't believe the little girl that I fell in love with all those years ago, is now at the jumping off point for adulthood.  Heaven help us all!

Here we are at Baccalaureate.

She "bedazzled" her graduation cap. You can't see it in this photo, but she made a really pretty design with white pearls. (Okay, so maybe some of my pageant-diva rubbed off on her...giggle)  As she came down to stand with the other graduates, everyone in the congregation was straining to see what it was.

Only Kit-Kat.


As for graduation, I guess I will have to sit by myself.  I was going to sit with"W". As luck would have it, his neice is a classmate of Kit-Kat's. But he just just told me that he doubts he will be back in town in time for the graduation ceremony. A new job site he is working has been installed incorrectly and they are having to take it down and start over. He's a little mad, because he had mentioned this event tothe powers that be, when he got the invitiation, but no one expected this site to be so problematic. He said they don't have a set finish time. They have to stay on site until it is complete.  His neice is going to be disappointed ,but if it starts at 6:00 p.m. there is little he can do. Maybe it's just as well.

Somethings ya gotta do on your own

My daily scripture today was this:

“The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.’ ”

(Deuteronomy 1:6, NIV)

How about that for a wake-up call?

The message from Joel and Victoria goes on to say:

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Have you been facing a mountain for so long that you feel like you are just sort of stuck there? Maybe at one time you knew you would break that addiction. You knew you would beat that sickness. You knew you would get married. But, you’ve gone through disappointments. It didn’t happen the way you thought. Today, God is saying to you what He said to the people of Israel. “You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.” It’s time to move forward. God has new levels in front of you, new opportunities, new relationships, promotions, breakthroughs. But, you’ve got to stir up your fire. You’ve got to get a vision for victory. The dreams, the promises that you’ve pushed down and thought, “Oh, it’s not going to happen. I’m too old. I don’t have the connections. I don’t know the right people,” God has it all figured out. If you will start believing again, start dreaming again, start pursuing what God put in your heart, God will make a way where you don’t see a way. Press past the mountain and move forward into victory!

The promise of victory: a constant reminder that I am a winner, no matter what life has thrown at me.

Yeah, things are definately looking up

Monday, Monday....

I can't believe that it is Monday again so soon!

I have a really busy weekend. "W" has been keeping me up late, and my days and nights have started running together.

Saturday was miserable. Despite getting the rain over pretty early, the whole day was cold (yeah, extremely unusual for  mid-May in the South). I ached all over, and spent most of the day wrapped up in my fleece jacket AND a fleece throw.  Several hours after the sun had come out and dried up all the rain, my hips, knees and back still throbbed. I told Miracle Mary that there had to be another storm front coming through. She told me I was being dramatic. 

When the next front blew in yesterday, I shot her an "I told you so". My knees never lie.

We all went out to eat after the day was done. I suggested my favorite Mexican place but this time the whole experience fell flat.  But my food was good, so it wasn't a total loss.

Since I can't tan and shave on the same day, I shaved my legs in a rush. That always ends up with the bathroom looking like the set of a 70's slasher film, but this time, I managed to only cut my leg once.  I can't believe that in 30 plus years of doing this, I haven't gotten any better at it. But my smooth legs will feel really nice on my new 1800 count Egyptian cotton sheets (Really...omigosh...they feel just like silk!!)

"W" had his children this weekend. I try to back off and let him be Dad, but he always calls me after he tucks them in.  That is why our converstations always run late into the night.

We compare notes on the places we should have met when in school. The parties that we both attended. The people we hung out with.  All the near misses.

He had been there the night when  the jealous exgirlfriend of one of my guy-friends, a preppy girl from the tony section of Birmingham, had chased me down, trying to provoke a fight by slapping my face.  He said the look on my face would have frozen Hell itself.  He just knew he was about to see the redneck girl school the prep on how we do it out in the sticks. But I had walked away, bravely turning my back to her. No fear. He said he always thought that was cool. 

All I remember of that night was the fact that she had come after me, unprovoked, in "the lot" that we all hung out in. Pretty ballsy, given she was out in my neck of the woods with my friends, instead of up in "the brook" with hers. The boy was not someone that I even dated, but we were close and confided in one another. That had made her see red. And despite the fact that slap had rattled my teeth, I was determined not to show it. And that I wasn't going to fight someone over something as trivial as a boy. In the end. they are really not worth it.  I heard later that the guy-friend had told her that he would never speak to her again if she ever laid a finger on me from that point forward.

I miss the girl I used to be. What have I let people do to me these past thirty years?!

I got a message from the LifeGuard, checking on Mother. Her phone was busy all day, so I didn't get to pass the message along.

This week is Kit-Kat's graduation. It's so hard to believe that she will finally be out on her own.

My mission is complete. 

Thank you Lord for those 15 years and what was accomplished, despite the obstacles of gambling,  mistresses draining our finances, and other fiscal irresponsibilities, and the toll they took on our home life. I praise you and thank you for removing that stumbling block, and how easy my life is now. I may be broke, but all my bills are paid on time, I'm well fed, and I'm not missing a thing.

Looks like I'm gonna be fine.

Sorry...So Busy....

Sorry....too busy to write anything today....

Thanks "W" for keeping me up so late yet again last night (smirk)

So I leave you with this

 

Lovesong ~Adele - 21 (2011 XL Records)

(originally The Cure  Disentigration 1989 Fiction Records)

 

~En-JOY

Currently Stuck

Watching This Means War last night and this song got stuck in my head....

 

Sabatage - Beastie Boys 1994

Ill Comminication - Grand Royal Records

Back to the Grind

So today I am back to the grind.

Mother's procedure went extremely well, although we won't know for a month if the procedure did it's job.

Latest reports from the Cheif indicate that she had a really good night and should be released sometime this morning.

Reporting to the hospital at 8:00 a.m. we settle in for what turned out to be quite the wait. But we had enough to occupy our time. We had laughed and cut up all day. I don't know if it was because I was tired and the Chief was tired, but everything was funny. We took a video of my mother on the "feel good medicine" they had given her for the ultrasound. I was stuck at how much I sounded like her. We sent it to Julz and Dooder.

I had held it together, right  up until they came (at ten minutes to 3:00) to get her for prep.  Then in that moment, I just grabbed her. I begged the Lord to protect her, and to be with the doctor and the medical team and bring her back to me. When I let her go, she was teary eyed, and I was too.

The next three hours dragged by. The hospital is a notorious cell phone dead zone. Sometimes, I would pass through an area with cell service and my phone would ding wildly as text messages filled my inbox. The space was about 2 foot by 2 foot and was just to the right of the elevators near an interior window, overlooking the 5th floor courtyard.  I had known this from my brother's lengthy visit a few years back.  About the only place I could get a decent signal was the courtyard but it was far too hot and muggy to spend any real time down there.

"The W" had sent me a "mid-day distraction"  message, ( a funny little message sent around lunch, innocuous to some but given how our minds work and our similar sense of humor, they have been wildly suggestive in the right circumstances...anything to take our minds off work, right?) but I couldn't get the picture to load. I hopped back and forth on one foot, trying to hit the sweet spot, to no avail. I protested and he shot back "Well, just know that I'm thinking about you."  Really, I could be a penguin for all I know. He sent it again, and it is currently still loading. I can't figure out how to stop it. The Chief had offered to show me how to get it, but given I did not know what it was, I thought better of it. Julz chastized me for "trading nudie pics."  If only!

My brother showed up around 5:00. He sat across from me, peeling skin from his knees, thatnks to his Talledega sunburn. We talked about recent developments in the BPD; a recent string of murders and accidents involving various law enforcement officers in his department. I worry about him. Talking about these things makes me uneasy.

It was nearly 7:00 p.m. before we got to see her.  She again, talked out of her head, and asked the same questions over and over again, but she was awake and that was good enough for me.  Julz and her Ricky- Martin- Imposter boyfriend met us on the floor her room was on. Talk about being "family ready" right away. First Easter lunch then BAM family crisis. But he dotes on her, he gets our humor,( ironically, just like "The W") and he plays along; I think he's a keeper.

I bid everyone adieu and headed home just before 8:00pm.  I was suddenly very tired, the adrenline from the day washing away.  As I cleared the parking deck, my phone once again, dinged repeatedly as all my messages poured in. 

I do not remember my head hitting the pillow

And now, we wait...

Matters Of The Heart

Today is the day that I have been dreading for some time now.

Today my mother has an ablation on her heart to correct her arrhythmia.

We were told that when all other treatments for it fail, the ablation has a pretty good success rate. I'm not sure how one doesn't have a heart attack waiting to have it. The procedure entails piercing her heart wall, to introduce an electrode that will burn out the area of her ventricle causing the nerves to misfire. I, for one, am terrified. I can only imagine how Mother is feeling.

I've tried, unsuccessfully, to distract myself all weekend.

 Having Auburn starting offensive lineman Chad Slade volunteering at the Miracle League was pretty cool. Being a hometown boy, he was familiar with the league and what we do there. He had volunteered with the MHS football team when he was in high school.

 

We let him throw out the first pitch

 

 

 

We paired him up with "Hot Stuff"  a local celebrity in his own right.

 

He even let me try on his National Championship rings.

 

Then my plans fell through and the remainder of Saturday was pretty much a wash.

 

Sunday, of course, was Mother's Day and Mother was pretty much on my mind all day. We got to enjoy lunch with Julz. We got to her work early and were practically the only patron's there! The whole staff came by our table at one time or another. Julz is a very popular waitress. Everybody loves her, and they had no qualms about telling us.

 

So today, I am back to being nervous. And praying incessantly.

I'm told that it's a pretty routine procedure.

But nothing is really routine when it's your mother, is it?

 

Updates to follow

Mother's Day 2014

Happy "Mummy's"Day!

Weekend Plans

        I can't wait....

 

No Diggity ~ Blackstreet featuring Dr Dre, Queen Pen

Interscope 1996

 

 

 

I'm out

~En- JOY!

L O L

Giddy Up!

I'm feeling a little giddy today.

I'm not sure if it is from the new attention (and interest!!) I am suddenly getting from an old friend, whom I will call "The W", or the lack of my heart medication for the last two days.

Either way, I am feeling happier than I have in a very long while.

 

Walking on Sunshine ~ Katrina and the Waves

(self titled album - 1983)

 

~En-JOY!



Facebook Saved My Life

!Casi me muero de Cinco De Mayo!

For those of you who don't speak Spanish that reads:
"I almost died on Cinco de Mayo"

 WelI, I don't suppose, really, but I did have a wicked allergic reaction/drug interaction to my new blood pressure meds.  But I guess that I should have said "Facebook saved my life"

I had noticed a few days ago that my lips would tingle for an hour or so after I took my heart pill. I had also developed a little tickle in my throat that I attributed to sinus drainage. I didn't think it was anything related to my meds, especially my heart pill. It was one of two medicines I had been taking for months so I really didn't think anything of it. But when the symptoms worsened yesterday, I became a little alarmed.  My face was all tingly, my lips were swelling and I was developing hives. There was a lump growing in my throat. My next door neighbor was over using my wifi and kept asking if I was okay.

I posted my symptoms on Facebook. Instantly my phone went off. It was D/H's High School Girlfried, who, as luck would have it, just happens to be an ER nurse! What are the odds?!

She told me what I needed to take (Benadryl and Pepcid)  and what to watch for.

Though she told me that it wouldn't, the Benadryl made me very drowsy.  I laid down on the couch and woke up 4 hours later. My phone was lit up like a Christmas tree! I had several notifications, several missed calls and several worried text messages.  (Thank you all for your concern!)

So, I sit here waiting for the doctor's office to open, my heart beating out of my chest because I have not taken any more of any of my blood pressure meds.

I hope the rest of Cinco de Mayo ends up better than it started

!ole'!

Happy "Star Wars Day"

 

To All the Star Wars Fanatics out there

En-JOY the day!



Now For Your Dining Pleasure...

 

A little Asian fusion!

Okay, so I am calling it that because I threw everything in a skillet to see what happened.

Experiments with food = sue me

 

Here is what I used

 

A pound of ground turkey, browned with onions and garlic

1 cup Carrots, sliced

1 cup Sweet Whole Kernel Corn (I used canned, drained and rinsed)

Diced Tomatos (I used one 14.9oz can)

1 cup frozen Edamame

1 bottle of Marketside Sesame Ginger Dressing (add to taste)

 

Another dish that needs to simmer at least 25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

That is when I made the rice.

No need to heat the Sesame Ginger dressing, it warms up when you add it to the hot food.

Add the dressing to taste, and serve over rice.

 

It kinda reminded me of those frozen Chinese dinners that comes in what looks like a little Chinese carry out box that you microwave with the plastic still on it. I forget the brand.

 

And just like the curried dish from earlier this week, I have a TON of it left.

 

~En-JOY!

 

 



Endless Possibilites

Today is a beautiful day, full of endless possibilities!

I have done my "regular" Saturday "chores": vacuum, cat box (ugghh), my 3 loads of laundry (whites, casual colors, work darks), wipe down the counters, run the dishwasher. I'm done by 8 or 9 o'clock.

I don't have to go to the ball park today, thanks to the craziness that is Talledega race weekend.  Yes, I live close enough to Talledega that the craziness spills over into my town. One of my fellow divorcees lives just a bit up the interstate, between here and there. Plans are being made as we speak to vacate the premises with the young children to put a buffer between them and all the madness.

I do need to wash my car. It hasn't been washed in a long time. I haven't washed a car myself in 17 years. I know it won't be washed nearly as good today as it has in those 17 years, but I will do my best. I've gotta wait for the sun to go down some now, because I don't want to get burned.

I didn't have to buy coffee today, thanks to the nice folks in National Accounts cleaning out their storage closet and marking some thing "Free To A Good Home"

 

I usually prefer the taste of coffee from an industrial quality machine to anything a home machine will do, but this one is pretty close to the mark. It makes just one cup from that little filter pod right there. Now, where to find the filter pods. I know that I can buy them from the office. I just missed the Keurig machine, where those pods are available at Walmart.

So now that I have had my coffee, and gotten my chores done,  what to do with the rest of the day?

The possibilities are endless!

~En-Joy your day!

Talledega Nights

Well it is that time again....

It's a Talledega race weekend.  Ugg.

Talledega is only 45 minutes from my home along the same stretch of I-20. Twice a year for 3 whole days, life is unbearable. But the tourist money is good, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

"Welcome Race Fans" banners and flags will be everywhere.

The RV's and the Winnebegos and other motor coaches pulling trialers with grills and hot tubs started arriving yesterday.  This evening, traffic may very well be at a standstill.The locals (and that stretches all the way out to folks in Birmingham) make use of backroads to get around and avoid the traffic. 

Grocery stores will be packed, as tourists buy those last minute race snacks. One won't be able to get into a local restaruant, like Cracker Barrell and Waffle House. Oh, and guess what: my county STILL doesn't sell beer on Sundays, Praise Jesus.  Heathens. Shop for it on Saturday night like the rest of us Baptists.

I don't have Miracle League this weekend (we do schedule around it) so I will be in hibernation.

In honor of the upcoming nights in Talledega, I present this clip from Talledega Nights, featuring my brother, Dooder. Look for him on the left side of your screen. He is the fella sitting next to Michael Clark Duncan (Lord rest his soul) on the platform.

Yes, we know he looks like Dale Earnhardt. That irony was not lost on the film makers either.

Pardon the language, y'all.

~En-Joy

Weathering The Storm

Today, my prayers go out to those on the Gulf coast, who are facing severe flooding.

I am particularly concerned with my friend CM. She and her five children are currently trapped in their flooded home.  She posted pics yesterday of the flood waters. I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing this one.

 

 

Yep. That is her car under water in her carport.  So she is waiting patiently for the water to recede and the power to come back on.  She tells me the neighbors "swam over" to check on them yesterday, a noble, if not heroic gesture, given that the water is full of  (gulp) snakes.

 

CM is also a recent divorcee just like me. She too was the victim of a lying cheater, who is currently still with his homely mistress. But her lying cheater had a pretty spiffy job...hence the flooded Beemer in the photo above.  I admire her for the courage to face the situation, especially raising all the children by herself.

 

But she is positive and focused and takes one day at a time. She has removed all the negative influences in her life, including weeding out her Facebook.  She is rolling with the punches, and has landed a few herself. She is one of the friends I consider the "cream of the crop," and as you know,the cream always rises to the top. She gave me the best advice of anyone during these past five months: Stay Positive. Continue to Give Back. You will Reap exactly what you have Sown.

 

I am reminded of how we all weather the storms in life. Be it an actual storm like the ones Monday and Tuesday, or the metaphysical storms of doubt, dishonesty, divorce.  But having troubles is not the surprise everyone makes it out to be. It is actually the norm. We are to expect trouble:

 

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

 

When the storms in life come, anchor yourself to the Lord. He will help you weather the storm.

 

 

~En-JOY