I need a vacation!

Okay, people...stop filling up my weekends!!!!

I just dropped off a birthday invitation for my son's birthday at one of his friends....chatted with the mom. Seems a couple of Josh's friends are with their dads next weekend BUT...the moms are trying to switch or make a deal with the dads to let Josh's friends come to the party.

For next weekend.

I had a blast over the weekend. For the past 3 months, 2 of my BFF's in the WWW and I were like, secret agent ladies or something...plotting and planning a surprise Open House Party for JohnB. It was just awesome!

When the final moment came....bringing him into the gym...his reaction was priceless.

JohnB is a very special guy. He is currently a lay pastor of Deaf Church of Cornerstone (in Swartz Creek, MI) and he just completed his Masters from a seminary in AL (online courses).

So anyway, it was fun surprising him---I did put together a video in his honor.

Enjoy.

Pffft....

I am not...NOT....going to be one of million people twittering (need to catch up on that) or blogging or commenting or whatever about those 2 celebrities who died today.

However, my prayers and thoughts goes out to their families & friends.

Anyway, I know I've not been blogging or twittering lately---just with summer here, and I'm still in training in one of my new duties at work and making heads 'n tails out of it.

I have no more nails left to bite...when I take over the "wheel" when my teammate is on vacation....

I have some stuff going on this weekend and I feel like I've run out of time. I have NOT been able to do much at home---almost everyday when I get home, I crawl in bed to sleep off headaches or whatever.

Today, a mother of all migrianes hit me hard. So I slept for a short time...waking up feeling better but still groggy.

My son has his BFF in the WWW here with him tonight. I had forgotten I said OK for him to stay tonight. Eh...if it makes him happy...then I'm a happy mommy.

One sobering thought....my daughter asked me..."What's gonna happen with Michael Jackson's kids now?"

I have no clue. I'm sure they'll report it somehow in the next few days/months ahead.

Tuesday's better than Monday...

Yes, that's right.

I know many of us have a hard time on Mondays. I had a really bad one AFTER work. Not during work.

I'm not saying that because *someone from work might see this blog and report me* but this is the truth, I did have a good, busy day at work yesterday. I actually do enjoy my job. Seriously.

It was just coming home to find that NOTHING...I mean...NOTHING...has been done. I got really royally ... um...upset and slammed my fridge and stomped off to my room, signing/yelling, "I'm on Mommy/Wife Strike! LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" and closed my door.

They (my family) had to fend for themselves.

The kids politely came in and asked for permission and made deals with me.

So...no problem.

Today, I sent an email reminding that I want a certain job to be done.

I come home, and it has been done.

Thank you, my dear family.

One of my BFF had quite a day yesterday. Being misdirected and ending up in one of those mega-michigan potholes....but thankfully just minor damage to the car. The pothole, on the other hand, was pretty big and ... bad. Bad.

And those guys who directed her to go that way got in big whooping trouble.

So....yeah. Today was much better....

The Mighty Ottawa River...and Lake...

I live on Ottawa Street.

When there's a party upstairs (heaven) of some sort, with lots of paparazzi (lightning) going on and spilling their water (rain) while bowling (thunder)....it's a big party up there.

This morning...I stepped outside and saw that my shoes would probably be pulled off my feet in the raging Ottawa river. So seeing Betty (my car, in case you didn't know that) nearly drowning, I quickly pulled my shoes off, and waded into the river. Got into Betty very quickly...the water was up to my ankles. Got her out quickly....then I look over to Van. Uh-oh...he's drowing in the Ottawa Lake.

So I encouraged Betty to take me over there across the mighty river....
and she waited at the edge of the lake...
while I waded into the lake....
and quickly moved Van out to higher ground....
Patted his side...and told him he'll be fine now.

The water was halfway up my calves. Thank goodness for capris!

Ran to an ATM for grocery money and ran over to Sister #5 ...she volunteered to shop for my groceries (thanks, sis!). As I sprinted across her freshly mowed front yard, she saw that I had no shoes on.

She looked down at my feet, I looked down and wiggled my toes. Boo (niece) came out and gave me a hug. And giggled when she saw I had no shoes.

*I really love being barefeet. I detest socks and shoes....*

Jedi (nephew) came out and stared at my feet as I told Sister #5 how I had to rescue Van from drowning in Lake Ottawa.

I jump back into Betty and off we went....to work.

I did kind of expected to see people start rafting down my street, aka Ottawa River. Or go fishing in the lake, which is the town's free parking lot where we park Van....

We're due for more rain tonight/tomorrow. If it keeps up, I'll probably have to convert Betty and Van into rafts....thank goodness we live on the 2nd floor of this sturdy building.

Yeah.

*Thunk...*thunk...*thunk...

That's my head hitting the desk at work today.

Emailed my husband to please CALL the Self-Storage placed for me.

Very simple, right?

My husband likes to make things very complicated.

My request:

Dear Honey,
Please call 555-5555 and ask 3 things:

1. sizes of storage spaces...and rates for them...
2. can we meet them at 5 pm or after 5 pm?
3. if not, set up a time for Saturday to meet and rent a storage space?

Love, your wife...

I get a reply from him, and I could have sworn he got the information right off the internet! He even sent me the website link for that storage place!

So I said, "Did you ...you know, CALL??"

He writes back to tell me he forgot to include the locations and decided the one named Mohawk would be best for us...since it's closest to us. Then it was an afterthought...the P.S. part..."Yeah I'll call them about Saturday"

Finally! I exclaimed out loud, "THANK YOU!" as I typed those exact words back to him.

I mean, 5 emails and finally he gives me the answer I asked for in the first place....

Back to thunking my head on the desk....

*thunk...thunk....thunk....*

What a day kind of Wednesday...

It's been interesting couple days for me.

I came home yesterday from work, and while being locked out of the house, waiting for someone to answer the door, I was going through the mail.

Something I've not seen in a couple years. Maybe 3 years. Maybe longer than that.

A child support check.

Whoa.

Now, I know not many people know a lot about me. I may have at one point shared my life story sometime during my blogging history. But to briefly summarize...I was with the same guy for years, and has given me 3 beautiful children. Even though we never married, we lived like married couple. When we first lost our first child to cancer, we tried to make it work. After my son was born, we drifted far apart that we were more like friends than as a couple. With our constant love/hate relationship, and many breakups/makeups....it was countless. The final break up was not long after my son was born. And neither one of us have looked back since.

I'm not making excuses or anything, so please don't misunderstand me. I am quite comfortable. Sure times are tough but I never really worried about being able to provide for my children. I give them what I can. When I can. My ex is on disability. He is completely UNABLE to work due to serious health problems. His health has declined so much, I just know for a fact he would not be able to work again. So when he had his own struggles with the Friend of the Court, SSA, getting his income checks or not getting them...it was at the point, it's not very dependable.

I do have to admire Friend of the Court for making sure that all children are being provided for in cases like this. Divorce, single parenthood, etc. can be rough. But it also depends on how the custodial parent can handle things. I've been a single mom for years...and did have my moments, but I never let anything happen to my children.

So when I received the check, I had a big smile, and told Ashley, "Hey...we've been blessed!"

Summer Blues...

I find it harder and harder to get up in the mornings these days.

I do like my job...please don't misunderstand me. It's just unfortunate that this job is where I have to earn my vacation hours and sick time...and request it...or be sure I have enough number of hours if I get sick to take the day off to be...well...sick (and lately I'm doing pretty good not getting sick....).

I find it harder to go to bed on time (around 10 pm). I find it harder to get up in the morning as my body wakes me up anywhere between 5 -5:45 am...(darn it, body! Let the alarm clock do its job!).

The days are gorgeous...my kids are having the time of their lives...you know, going over to friends, biking, swimming....all the typical summer stuff we used to do.

I should get a job where I can have...summers off.

Awww.

Well, I better put my lunch together and pack up and head out (I rather head back to bed...)

Oh yeah, let's not forget to wake up my husband---he has job interview today. *crossing fingers*

Races are over

and there's people lined up on the curbside on M-50 here in town.

i can see traffic going by outside my window. one of the perks living downtown Tecumseh.

i. love. it.

the trucks blare by, blowin' their horns, and the crazy fans leaning on their horns and screaming on the top of their lungs...

(and yes, i could hear that!).

woke up feeling very cranky and my back was out of joint. had a horrific headache to go with it. took my drug, and went back to sleep.

til my husband woke me up, "sister #5 invited us to go swimming..."

i gave him the evil eye as he knows the rule of my nap...only time to wake me up is if the house is on fire or someone is close to death.

so i woke up...and grumbled a bit. then after waking up a little more, i grabbed my suit and went over to sister #5's house.

best decision i ever made. jumped in, swam a bit, watched the skydivers jump out of a plane, played with my niece.

went home, feeling good and relaxed.

watching legally blonde 2 now...i've never seen that one. so ...i should get back to that.

but had to share that the race traffic is going by....racing season has begun.

there goes another semi blowin' its horn.

Still sleepin' in....

Well, 3 kids and a husband, really, are the ones sleeping in still.

Not me...

Maybe because knowing I need to get Josh out to grandma's early enough and still make it to a mandatory meeting by 10 am....and all that driving around to do...woke me up early.

Ehh...that's ok.

My weekends for this summer is very quickly filling up. And sometime in mid July during the week, (not a weekend, but week days) Ashley and I are heading out to New York City! Wooo!

Actually, it was a spur of the moment thought I had....and contacted my friend in NYC. She just laughed at me...what? what? I guess her heart stopped a moment when I said, "My turn to come and see YOU!"

Interesting tidbits: she has 4 kids. The kids in NY are not getting out for the summer until the last week of June! With so many ethnic holidays, ethnic observation days, many snow days and what-nots. So that can really suck...and they would have a very short summer.

So....anyway, debating between making this a road trip for me and my daughter OR flying out...eeney meeney miney moe.

We still have time .... and with my daughter constantly busy with her friends, I've not been able to pin her down and ask her which---fly or drive.

If we drive, then we would leave right after my work on a Monday or Tuesday....drive halfway then stop for the night. Then the next day, proceed to NY and we will have arrived.

Yes we plan to visit NYC itself. I want to see Statute of Liberty. I want to see...what NYC has to offer. Times Square?

And if I'm driving, I'm gonna experience the traffic...oh yeah, and driving over one of their bridges...I think my friend said it was the George Washington bridge. Oh yeah, bring cash to pay some of the tolls....

Ah.

So....yeah, that's one of my things to do this summer. I. Can't. Wait! Oh yeah and to meet her newest baby....awww!

Things that irks me...

Sometimes there are every day things you don't give it too much of a thought. But when it keeps occurring, maybe all at once on a rare blue moon day (or full moon...take your pick). Everyone has something they have issues with---things that might just...irk them. So, every once in a while I might list things that irks me. Just to get to know me better.

When I'm commuting...these can be quite irksome:

• People speeding and trying to get ahead of us...by going 90 mph or something. Then soon afterwards you find yourself behind them...wondering, where WAS the fire? And end up slowing you down.
• I caught a young man driving a very nice, (probably brand new) SUV and when I looked over as I passed him, he was TEXTING! *gasp!*
• I once got stuck behind a woman who was weaving in and out...it was kind of hard to avoid her. And it was one of those heavy traffic days...and she was not watching the road. Why? She kept turning around into the backseat to deal with her kid there. Ah. *sigh*
• Cars that go like 20 mph BELOW the speed limit. Oh. My. And usually I'm ... trapped!
  
• People who passes you, and they ... stare ... at you as they go by. What, do I have a booger hanging from my nose? *checks mirror*
• Being "caught in a crossfire" of a serious road rage. Oh. My. Goodness. It was very hard to get outta there---and I just had gotten Betty (car). Oh Lord...keep 'em away from me. I have seen other road rage but this one really was bad...and the close up look on that driver's face --- scary. Glad I wasn't the target but still...dan-gee-urrr-ous! *shudder*
• I think everyone can agree with me....accident sites. Oh everyone must slow down to gawk over accident sites. Oh yes. It could be someone dealing with a flat tire or a 3 car pile-up...let's keep the traffic moving. Don't want any more...accidents, please. thankyouverymuch!

That's about all I can think of. If anyone has some they are easily....irked...about on the road or anything related to driving...I'd love to hear it! Yes, misplacing car keys counts!

Oh yeah, to my friend in NY...thank you for that wonderful word, "irk". I love it. It sounds just right to describe...my irks.

Snippets for Saturday

Today I slept in late. Lovely.

Today I took a long hot bath and finished a novel. Lovely.

Today I took my daughter shopping for a new swimsuit. A 2 piece, $12.00 per piece, totaling $24. I looked at my receipt, and I saved $38.00! So if not for the sale, it would've been about $65!! So am I good or what? Lovely!

Today I accomplished doing a load of laundry. Lovely.

Today I tried out a "new" vacuum and even though it's musty because not used in a long time (this was given to me from an estate sale) when using it, it really sucks! Lovely!!! I love vacuum that really works! Lovely!

Today I made tacos for dinner. Lovely!

Today, I took a nap because I didn't feel good. Not lovely.

Today, my husband had to get my Rx refilled for my migraines. Thank you, Honey!

Today, I have a migraine....but I took my Rx for it. It's working. Normally it conks me out, but I was waiting for Josh's friend, Milkboy, to show up. He was late getting here....but glad he's here now. Lovely! My son is very happy! Lovely!

So...um...let's see. I'm craving sweets but I can have a bit of coca-cola. That's sweet enough.

Onto other things on this Sunny Saturday (even though we had some rain this evening)....

My husband and I had a long talk with someone on the Video Phone and was given great advice how to handle a serious situation ....and that a serious meeting will take place very soon. I am not worried, as I am totally at peace with God being in control over the situation. It's just too bad that some people are not willing to accept someone's apology OR give forgiveness when asked for it. A lesson was learned, apologized for it, will not let that happen and if anything like that does happen, will go to that person first instead of going to another person. Asking for forgiveness and be willing to meet one one? (The bible clearly states that). Since the "offended" refused to accept apology or forgive, it is too bad that it shows that person's "true colors" or true nature. It will not only affect the person asking for forgiveness, but the "offended"'s relationship with any of us, and whatever group settings or organizations or whatever...can be deeply affected by that. It's just too bad that this "offended" person can't find in his/her heart to forgive, and to move on from that point. Not accepting...well, ok. But this "offended" person will have a very difficult time from now on, if he/she is the type to hold grudges and seeking ways to destroy those around him/her.

My heart is heavy but I know God will prevail. The Truth will come out, and set those free. I have no worries, and I know that He is always in control. And I look forward to this meeting being successful and that the "offended" person will find in his/her heart to move past this and make things right, like the Bible tells us we should do.

I normally do not stand up here and preach...so forgive me if I've gotten preachy. I just find it so stupid and so ... pathetic...when a person claims to be a man or woman of God. And only to find out they don't practice what they preach/teach.

So beware, be very careful what you preach/teach. Because when you do, you are setting yourselves up as role models or example of what you preach/teach. When you don't follow through, then...I guess, you'll be called a hypocrite.

Well, that's my rant for this day. Not a rant, but a caution...and just ... be careful.

My migraine seems to have pretty much dulled down...wow. Maxalt really works! So I'm just going to drink some coke and chill out ....and listen to Josh & Milkboy rough house for a bit.

Tweens will be tweens....

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom.

That was fine, but after they put on their lip stick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night...

(you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers ... and then there are educators.

*thanks to a friend who had emailed this as a forward---so I can't take credit for this story*

Moody Monday...

I have absolutely NOTHING to post about today.

At least I'm making a post about nothing.

Yeah, ain' that something?