Again - It's about perspective - Prayers for CA

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/30/california.quake/index.html

Feeling sorry for myself and the fact that my brain won't slow down enough to go to sleep. Then a friend who is staying with her parents in Milpitas, CA sends a text asking for prayers. Apparently tonight's 5.6 quake is expected to be followed by a larger quake/s in the next 72 hours. Evacuations are expected.

Prayers to all affected.

Perspective.

It's all about perspective

I thought my day was bad. Then it was put into perspective. Talked to a gal this afternoon that is not sure she wants to go back to work tonight. Where she works was held up last time she worked. Her $8 an hour "fun job" turned into an $8 per hour hell when she was threatened at gun point to turn over the measly $500 in her drawer. Thank God she's OK. She's one of these people that you know you'll be able to say, "I knew her when she was .... and now look at her!" Yet another reminder that I need to keep my blessings in mind at all times.

Whine - Someone went around me/over my head today at work.
Blessing - I don't have to sit across the hall from that person all day every day.

Whine - Cash flow is far from where I want it to be and I'm playing the juggle the bills game this month.
Blessing - I know where my next paycheck is coming from so I know I have the money coming into to cover most all of the bills this month.

Whine - My adult child that wants me to do something for them that they can very well do themself.
Blessing - I have an adult child that 1) is in my life 2) is able to want 3) is able to do

It's all about perspective.

I am really so unapproachable?

Both personally and professionally, I don't ask much from people. Be respectful is what everything comes back to. Why is this so hard?

If you have a problem with me, tell me. Don't skirt it. Don't pretend to be honky dory when it isn't. And TELL ME!! If you find the need to go around me or above me, that makes me think you just don't have a backbone. Why not talk to me about it first? If I don't know there is a problem, how can I fix it? IF you don't tell me who will?

**banging head**

Seriously. Am I really that unapproachable?

The Mom Song

Have you seen this video? I love this woman. Now if only I'd had this recorded to play for my kids every day I'd never have had to say a word.

Wedded Bliss

I do believe that the weather on Saturday topped 80 degrees. 80 degrees, small breeze. Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

L to R: Matt (best man), Zach (groom), Eric (my handsome youngest son), Jim (my handsome oldest son), and Jim (the hubby from whom the other two get their handsomeness) :D

Don't they look cute?

The ceremony spot before the wedding.

They tried to do a shotgun wedding picture but couldn't stop laughing. Neither could those of us watching which probably didn't help matters. :)

All in all we could not have asked for a more perfect day or a more perfect wedding. I can now proudly retire the magic wedding wand.

May we all find a little wedded bliss in our lives today.

Magic Wedding Wand

I am the keeper of the magic wedding wand. Did you know that? As keeper of said magic wedding wand, I can make all things happen in magically easy ways and everything just magically falls into place in a Cinderella's rags to riches kind of way. AND I can make money appear where there is none.

Aren't I the coolest wand waver ever!?

Now if only I could remember where I put the magic wedding wand down. Because I can't find it anywhere and Amber is counting on me having it by Saturday.

Back to reality.

Things are kind of coming together for Saturday. I know I'm panicking though because I started delegating. Unfortunately many of the tasks I delegated will probably end up back on my plate on Friday. Some of the delegatees aren't so great at the follow through. But who knows, they may surprise me.

Today is clean up the porch and move things to Amber's new apartment day. That is what we will be doing this evening. Then working on the house. Tell e again why I don't have a maid? OH yeah! That cash thing again. That and the incredible pleasure I get out of cleaning. eww.

Tomorrow I have to pick up the outside decorations and work on the yard. Then Friday is run around like a chicken with my head cut off day! My list for Friday is insane. Let's only hope I can find enough hours. I really want to be done by 1 or 2 as Jimmy and Allison will be here and we have people coming Friday night. Oh yeah!!

But on a REALLY big positive note, I have some of my favorite people in the world coming to visit this weekend. It's so much easier when they are all here. It may be the last time for a long time, as I can't think of any other major events that will draw everyone to Nebraska again anytime soon.

Another big plus? My brother is bringing new baby Rachel to meet her auntie Carolyn.

I'm so excited!!!

RSVP is just a guess right?

So when you RSVP, how sure are you that you are going to attend? Do you ever RSVP and then not go to said event? Have you ever NOT RSVP'd and then gone anyway?

As of last night we have 65 RSVPs for Saturday's "beginning of wedded bliss" event. Holy schmoly. This was supposed to be small and casual. What happened to small? Maybe 20 will just not show and then we'll be back to the 35-40 I was estimating.

I'm starting to freak out.

Selsun Blue

Selsun Blue, Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda, Tomato Juice, Strawberry Suave, the smell of burning rubber, a plugged bathtub, soaking wet floors. Do you know what these all have in common? They are all in part responsible for why I was up until 2 am.

Went to go get Eric last night from work. En route, Jim calls my cell. He tells me what he called for and then adds, "the neighbors must be burning because all you can smell outside is burning rubber." I thought nothing of it. The neighbors up the hill burn all kinds of things that shouldn't be burned. But why they were burning at 9 pm made no sense. But then again, these are the same people that were mowing at 3 am this summer. Why would burning rubber surprise me? I came home from picking up Eric and as soon as we walked onto the enclosed porch it was like hitting a wall. The odor was enough to knock you down and probably out. The house smelled no better. I was ready to cry.

So I set out on a mission to find what smelled. Because it didn't smell like it outside so the smell had to be coming from inside. Went through the whole house trying to find the origination of the smell. It was definitely in the kitchen. Went through everything in the kitchen that could possibly give off this incredibly assaulting odor. None of the standard culprits were found.

Jim SWORE that the smell was outside and now while it had dissipated outside it was just kind of "stuck" inside. If I would just sit down and wait it would dissipate in the house as well. So I sat down to watch last Sunday's Brothers and Sisters online. The smell was worse. OK, that was just in my head, it really couldn't be getting worse. So then it went away a little. Then worse again. Nausea is starting to come into play. I have already opened all of the windows and turned on the fans. It's freezing in the house now. I exaggerate. It's about 47 degrees outside. The house is probably in the 60s. so now I am cold, nauseous, and annoyed.

The smell got worse again. Amber agreed. Jim said we are both nuts. So I went on the search for the smell again. Found nothing. But the living room seems to be the worst now not the kitchen. Huh. Sit back down to watch the show.

Jim complained that the smell was giving him a headache and heads to bed. I'm still trying to watch the show and am not much past the first chapter. The smell gets worse again. I give up! I walk through the living room very methodically. And then I realize the source.

OK, to be fair to the Tomato Juice, et al, it wasn't really their fault that I was up until 2 am. It was the Sally's. The dog. OK, maybe not the dog's fault. Let's blame the skunk instead.

Yes, we apparently have skunks on or near our property. Guess how I know? Oh yes my friends you have guessed well. Sally - 0, Skunk - 1. My poor smelly house is the biggest loser. Because the skunky smell is now in every room Sally was in.

So into the shower we go. Start with shampoo. That didn't work. I then remember the Brady Bunch episode where Tiger gets a bath in Tomato juice. I have a 32 oz can of tomato juice in the cupboard. Funny thing is, no one in my house drinks tomato juice and I can't remember why I even bought it in the first place. Whatever recipe I never made has now come in VERY handy.

The juice didn't work very well on its own so I tried to add baking soda. It kills smells, right? SO now my dumb skunk loving dog is covered in tomato juice and baking soda paste. I decided to let it sit on her for a while while I looked up skunk cures on the Internet. Eric came in the bathroom to talk to her while I googled "how to remove skunk from a dumb dog". It was about his time that I heard Sally shake. Now my poor shower is covered in what looks like something from a horror movie.

So apparently hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and liquid soap is the preferred method. Selsun Blue is rumored to work as well. Guess what I don't have in the house? Off to the dreaded W. I hate that place but at least they are open at midnight.

Back from my dreaded W visit, I find Sally in the shower whining and standing still. The bottom of the tub still filled with what looks like tomato soup. Apparently the drain is plugged from all of the dog hair and the poor dog who is afraid to sit in water is stuck standing up the whole time I was shopping. Poor Sally.

The peroxide and soda mixture worked for all but her face. But she kept trying to shake it off. So now I'm covered in soda mix. Onto cleaning her face, Selsun Blue seemed to work for that. But my sleep deprived self bought the menthol version. Menthol and eyes. Not so great a match.

Poor Dog.

Everyone else swears it didn't smell like it this morning but I know it still does. I can SMELL it. :(

Waterworld

First off, let me just say that this movie was better the first few times I watched it. After the last dozen times of my husband watching it, I'm pretty sick of it. But something just occurred to me. And no, I don't think there was a deeper meaning in the story. It's just something I got to thinking about.

In the movie, the youngest character has a map on her back. It's a map of "dry land". The way to the place that everyone wants to be. I believe that it is true. The youngest among us are the ones that have the way to where we want to be. We spend so much time "growing up" that we lose our childhood. We try so hard to find that purpose, that something else, that we forget what we already have.

Kids have no idea of what isn't realistic. They believe that anything is possible. How do we lose that? They have no idea of prejudice. Adults teach them that. Children speak their mind in a honest way. It is the adults in their life that explain what is socially correct to say and what isn't. It's adults that take offense and choose not to hear the truth or to be hurt by it. Any criticism can be constructive. It's just that people choose not to learn from it.

We need to listen to our children more. Especially the smallest ones. They have a lot to teach us.

Ode to Diet Coke

"I have a Diet Coke. And all is right with the world." This is my mantra. I know it is a bad habit. But if this is the worst habit I retain then it's a good thing. I think it is as much a memory thing anymore as anything else. Is it possible to have an emotional attachment to a soda?

Diet Coke and Blow Pops. My best friend introduced me to the combo. It was the designated driver's combo of choice. Not that back then I was the designated driver very much but it was still a good choice.

Diet Cherry Coke. I can vividly remember the day that I found it in the store. The how I found Cherry Coke story is a little more interesting. You see I was with the church youth group on a trip to Colorado. We stopped at a truck stop outside of Loveland. I wasn't going to go into the store. Then people started coming out of the store with their purchases. Steve had a 3 muskeeters bar and I decided that I wanted one. So I asked him to go back in and get me one. He was supposed to be my best friend. Wouldn't a best friend go back in for you? He wouldn't. But he's a a%%. But that's a story for another day. So I went back in myself. Got the 3M, walked to the soda cooler. Reached for a -- guess -- yep, you're right, a Diet Coke. And there it was. Next to the Diet Coke. It's beautiful white and red can beckoning. Cherry Coke!! Not just for soda fountain's anymore. Now in your own home you can enjoy Cherry Coke without having to buy the grenadine. Heaven. And then a couple of years later I had a similar experience in Quik Trip. And the Diet Cherry Coke era was born.

It didn't last long though. Because the true addiction problem is with Diet Coke.

Diet Vanilla Coke was an experience. I was in the mall on a Tuesday when we first moved to CB. One of those survey people asked me if I was interested in doing a taste test marketing thingy. I went to the little room they put you in to ask you questions that have nothing to do with anything that makes sense. Then they sent me home with 4 bottles of soda. I had to fill out more questions. Took the questions back. And the buggers paid me $35 for the wonderful Diet Vanilla Coke experience.

Diet Coke with Lime. Eh, I can take it or leave it.

Diet Coke with Lemon. Ok, the REAL lemon in the Diet Coke is ok, but the flavored one. Ick.

Carp. Did I really just write an entire blog about Diet Coke?

I need help.

Being HCIC isn't always what it's cracked up to be

Today sucked. Today I don't much like my job. I usually LOVE my job. Just not today. Definately not today. Today was an impossible deadline day. Ok maybe not impossible. I read 15 days and thought they meant 15 working days. Um...no. 15 calendar days. So that was today. I realized it at 8:30 this morning. Thus, today sucked.

Lately it feels like I'm in over my head. I know I'm not. I really am not. I just feel like it this week. There's so much to do most of the time that it's impossible to get it all done. I KNOW that. But it'd still be nice to at least have a resemblance of caught up. Or at least my head above water. Oh well. It's still a good job.

Did I mention I had to kick three people out this week? This week sucked.

Pics of the house (kind of)

I was looking for something else and found the link to the listing for our house on the MLS. I was going to post the link. Then it occured to me that that would constitute telling the whole world where I live. So instead, here is the pic I heisted off of Remax's website. :)

The pic definately doesn't do the house/property justice. I'll get around to taking more pics later. Because, as you know, we bought it for the yard, not the house. LOL

Talking when no one else is listening

I do love the internet. It has brought so many people into my life. Some that I love. Some that I have thought I couldn't live without and then realized that they were really sociopaths pretending to be friends. Others are mere acquaintances that I just enjoy hanging out with sometimes. Then there are the millions of others who don't know I exist and who I truly just enjoy overhearing what they have to say. Raise your glasses to the first amendment!!! And thank you to the countries without a first amendment who allow such things to happen anyway.

My favorite part of the internet is things like blogs and forums. It gives my insomniatic self someone to talk to or more specifically talk AT in the wee hours of the evening. I mean, I'd have to have friends overseas to be able to talk to this many people in the middle of the night. And my ADD self couldn't pay attention long enough at this time of the night to say much intelligent for very long anyway.

Thank you Al Gore. I really like your internet thingy.

Anybody else remember the Prodigy forums?

Keep in mind I have insomnia

So if you keep in mind that I have a hard time going to sleep most nights, it isn't unusual that I'm blogging post midnight. But that said, you can hold nothing against me later.

I started reading the tagged blogs on blogspot tonight. Went back through the archives and was looking at blogs of note for years past. I went through several months worth in the 2001 2002 era. Did you know that not even ONE of those blogs had a post later than 2003? I mean, how do you have this blog with a ton of hits and a ton of info and then just quit blogging on said blog? I mean, yeah, I get sidetracked and forget to or choose not to blog for months at a time. But YEARS at a time when you blogged daily? Makes you wonder what happened to them. That or becoming blogspots blog of note equals an impending kiss of death.

So which is it? sidetracked or death? I shall make it my mission to find out.

Planning a Wedding

no budget. Less than a month to plan. A wedding. Can it be done? Do I have a choice?

So Amber decided to get married. In less than a month. I know it's a good thing. Just keep reminding me of that. LOL

They are getting married at our house. Or more specifically, in our yard. Which should make it easier because we don't have to find a place to have it. Right? Um yeah. That just means I have to do the fall cleanup a little earlier in the season. It's going to be gorgous though. Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The colors are amazing. I only hope we can do the season justice with the wedding.

So what are YOU doing October 20th?

I forgot what I was going to say.

I'm having alot of that lately. I'd forget my name if everybody else didn't keep calling me by it. So I had a TON of really good ideas today on what I wanted to say tonight. Now I can't remember any of them. That's been true most nights when I sit down to blog. So I just haven't. I should still ramble. Or should I?

Welcome Rachel!

So there is a new addition to the family!! Meet Rachel Piper. She was born Sept 27th and is a 8 lb 10 oz bundle of joy. Proud parents, Bryan and Jen, are happy but a little sleep deprived. Imagine that.

The other little one in the pic would be the beautiful Emma Rose. Isn't she just a cutie? :)

So the lovely two little girls above have my mom grinning from ear to ear. And rightly so. What Grandma wouldn't be happy to have such beautiful grandbabies?