The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Yep, 2004 is just about in the history books. All in all I'd have to say it's been a pretty good year. I know, I know I certainly can gripe alot in my blogs about day to day activities around my house, but when you look at the big scheme of things I have come to realize just how enjoyable my life is. In my profession I see many very sad and destitute people everyday. Some of them I know are taking advantage of something free, but there are those that really touch your heart. It's those people that keep me going. I am grateful that I can provide for my family, it may not be everything they want but they definitely have what they need. Like many of you I have been deeply touched by the devastation in several Asian nations. I have been glued to CNN and Fox News for the last couple of days. Even with the horrific pictures and video feed, it's hard for me to imagine exactly what being there is really like. But it becomes very close to me when I see parents craddling dead children, crying and begging for help. I saw a story about a Mother that had two of her children on the beach when the tidal wave hit, she was able to grasp a tree or something to give her a little stability but as the waves beat against her and the children she felt her grip slipping with one of her children. Eventually another large wave did hit and one of her children slipped out of her hands never to be seen again. I can't imagine the horror. I was thinking last night if it were me I probably would have let go and tried to save my child, but this Mother obviously had enough reasoning to know that she would be sacrificing herself and another child. News reports also state that children will make up the bulk of the casulties. As we start this New Year I just ask that we all be mindful to the pain and suffering of these people of all nationalities and pray for their emotional, physical and financial healing.

Now on for those dreaded New Year's resolutions. Normally I make a couple and usually follow through with atleast one. My Mother's birthday is tomorrow and she used to tell us all she wanted for a gift was for each of us to eat one small serving of black-eyed peas? Is this just a Southern tradition? Folklore has it you'll have good luck and prosper if you eat black-eyed peas on New Year's day. Do other people believe that? My next question would be have you ever tasted the nasty little SOB's? ICK! And I love veggies enough to practically be a vegeterian but black-eyed peas taste like dirt. In fact dirt probably tastes better. I've been told that I've just never had them "fixed" right...Prime rib couldn't make these nasty little pods taste any better. My Mother did admit a few years ago that after all the black-eyed peas we've eaten, we hadn't seen all that much good luck. She said that in a joking matter because she knows just how lucky we truly are.

Now for some resolutions:
1. To learn to be more patient in most every aspect of my life.
2. To eat fruit when I am craving chocolate.
3. To see the positive side of things, no matter WHAT!
4. To love unconditionally
5. To stop and consider the bad circumstances instead of blowing my top.
6. To take care of myself and not push my physical limits.
7. To be happy(ier)

Peace and love to you and yours in the coming year :-)

Shannon

I'll admit I needed a day or so to recover from my last post, as I'm sure anyone who read all of it would agree. But there always is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yesterday morning(Tuesday) the man woke me up and asked if I would be able to do a little shopping after I got off work. In my sleep induced stupor I said yes. Curiously I began to wonder about this shopping trip once at work  considering we're flat broke and I've hidden the credit cards after Christmas expenses. He picks me up from work and I ask where we're going, he replies, "You'll see." Next stop, a local realtor's office. Puzzled I, like a little puppy, follow him right in. He takes me to an office and introduces me to the agent. Seems my husband had been there earlier and had a list of properties, local properties for me to look at. I nearly wept as I sat there. The man sat there beaming from ear to ear as we discussed each one of them. My heart was pounding, and for a woman who stays in chronic A-Fib, it's not a pleasant experience. I was so overcome with emotion. He had listened to me when I explained my need to stay in this area and he was willing to accomodate me. He's an absolute pig in many ways, but at times he can be so very loving and supportative. The good news is we found 8 acres of land that we fell in love with, it has a gorgeous view of the mountains and speaking in monetary terms, it's a steal. We are going to draw up a contract on Monday! What a perfect day....one would think. At 9 p.m. last night the bottom fell out of the happy bucket we'd been sitting in all day...

...the evil, wicked, moral-less, shell of a woman who is the mother of my step-children pulled out her trump cards and our world came tumbling down. Anyone who has read my blog for any amount of time knows the trouble I've had with my step-sons. But as much as I hate to admit it, I've become fond of them in spite of their behavior. The wicked ex-wife lives with her boyfriend who is a reservist in the Navy, he signed on for a 3 year program where he get's enhanced training and eventually will further his career. I'll give the guy credit for that, but the ex knew that him taking this opportunity would move her all over the country. They just spent a year in San Diego. The boys bounced back and forth between here and there. I tried to tell the man that was just not good for them, he finally realized this over the Summer. When the ex returned back here for Christmas he sat down and told all 3 boys that he was giving them one last chance to make the decision to live with either him or their mother(a total boneheaded idea in my opinion, but hey that's just me.) The oldest son decided last Sunday he would indeed go to Texas with his Mother, the two youngest vowed they were not moving again. Last night the phone rang and it was the middle son saying he too was going to Texas. My husband's heart was broken. This is something I've never had to deal with, I never gave my children a choice of who they'd live with after my divorce. Their Father was unable to support himself much less two kids. The wicked ex on the other side is very much the same way. In fact she walked off and left those boys when she decided she didn't want to be married anymore. She made no effort to see them for 6 months. My husband plays more fairly than I do, he never reminds her of that fact. He agreed to joint custody(bonehead decision #397). There's so much more that I could ramble on about but I think you get the jest of the situation. The one thing I am proud of my husband for is he's told the boys going that they will only be welcome back here for Summer break then they must go back to Tx to finish school, he's seen first hand the damage that comes from switching schools so many times. And that's a lesson the children need to learn, the fact that when they get angry, or tired of living in one place they just run back here. I must also interject that in order to convince the boys to go with her, the evil ex promises everything from cars to their own cell phones, she did the sasme thing to get them to California, yet in S.D. they were evicted twice for not being able/willing to pay rent. Why do kids forget so quickly? My husband and I can't make promises of anything except a roof over their heads, food in their bellies, a good time on Sat. night playing charades, and a few short vacations. I just wonder if this woman will ever realize what harm she's doing and I also wonder when she'll get her justice? Ok enough of the sad stuff.

I'm so excited about this property, I'm excited we're looking, even if this deal doesn't work out atleast I see there's hope! And that's a VERY good thing!

Well it's not raining but it's Monday and I have the blah's! In fact as far as the weather's concerned it's a gorgeous day. One of those days that make you want to thank God for. I actually ventured out with my best friend to our fav Chinese restaurant. It was good to see her. It was good to vent. I feel like all I do is vent these days. I think that's a sign that I need to make some changes in my life. And what better time than the New Year? But I can't put those kind of time restraints on these kind of decisions. Yes they are of a very serious nature. Recently I wonder if my resounding unhappiness is because of my upcoming 40th birthday? I find myself looking back at my life and instead of seeing all the good/positive things I've done all I can focus on is the negative. Now I know there are many of you who will condemn this self-deprecating attitude I'm sporting along with my new haircolor, but in a sense I see it as therapeutic. I've never been one to wallow in self-pity, in fact I know the dangers of such behavior. It's just a blah Monday.

I want so badly to feel better physically. While I am thankful to God I have improved to the point I have, I still am unable to drive alone. I feel so dependent and I particularly despise that. I still have the 'pumpkin head' to deal with. Never in my life have I had a fat face, not even when I was morbidly obese. Vanity has consumed me. I can't stand to apply make-up to this enormous canvas! So of course this makes me feel down every day of the week. I see my cardiologist again on Wed. to get the test results. There's not much point in even going, I could just about verbatim tell you what he's going to say; "These are all just symptoms of your particular disease, Shannon. A pacemaker really isn't a viable option right now. You're going to have arrythmia's and yes one could be bad enough to kill you, but you've known sudden death is a fact of life for people with this disease." Then I'll be sent home to have that to ponder until I get sick of being held prisoner by this disease and I'll put it out of my mind. I learned a long time ago I couldn't live in the land of 'what if'. I  know the facts and have accepted them, but every so often, like a blah Monday, the reality of it all sets in. Really the whole heart issue doesn't trouble me that much, I am at peace with my maker and while I have limitations I deal with it pretty well.

Now what would a blah Monday rant/vent session be without dragging the husband into it? I love the man. He has countless faults, just like I do. I accept him regardless of his faults and love him just the same. I just feel like we're never on the same page anymore. There are many underlying issues that are a bit too personal for my blog. But the meat of the present issue is the fact that he wants so badly to live on the 11 acre property he and his ex wife bought. The property they both still jointly own. The property that has been designated as an inheritance of sorts for their boys. The said property is in the sticks, and that's being geographically kind. It's atleast a 35 minute drive from where we presently live, my hometown. When we first met we learned early on that we both had a desire to one day travel the US via RV. I thought it was really cool we'd both singled that out as something we wanted to do. I knew my then boyfriend had lived several places in his lifetime. I have for years envied people like him. I bitch and moan constantly about life in a 'small town'. I've dreamt over and over what it would be like to live somewhere else. I've had the opportunity but something's always held me back. I came to realize a year or so ago that deep down inside I didn't want to leave this place, atleast not now. This is my children's home, they love it here. All their family is here, so I made a commitment to them...and yes possibly that in and of itself was a safety net for me to stay here as well. I know a short move, even one to the location of my husband's property would not kill them, but it would make them very unhappy. Where I feel so cheated and yes downright betrayed is the fact that I made it very clear to my husband that I planned to stay right here until my children graduate High School. Call me crazy but I think stability is good for them. One look at his children who have been moved around from school to school all their lives only validates my point. Am I wrong for that? And this morning as we 'discussed' this potential move I told him I felt like I had been decieved since he'd been forewarned that I had roots planted here for  awhile. I was blown away by his response; "Well I thought once we were married you'd be willing to change and you'd be willing to make a few sacrifices!!!"  I couldn't believe my ears. Oh he didn't think I'd just magically change my mind he thought HE would change me. Little did he know that I don't go back on my word or my commitments. And my children are my MAIN commitment. I fully intend on giving them the best I can out of life, and to rip them away from the only life they've ever known to go to one that is absolutely no better financially or otherwise is not a change I'm willing to make. To back up his case he's began to read and quote Biblical scripture to me about how I am commanded to cling to my husband. Sorry Charlie but I have a pretty tight relationship with God Almighty and I'm not really sure he'd be in favor of me to pack up and follow you to Timbuktu and all the cock-fighting breeding neighbors of yours! Here's my major gripe, this land is right in the rectum of his former in-laws and their extended families. I know nobody in this small town. I have little to no hope of finding a job like I have now that fits my physical limitations. So not only would I sacrifice my children's happiness I am sacrificing my own happiness. I am not adverse to change, but why should I be subjected to his former life? He tells me I am totally unreasonable to feel this way when in fact some of his ex wife's family have told him they understand my feelings perfectly. I know he's proud of his land, I know he's thrilled it's almost paid off, but is that all worth sacrificing your marriage? And I am quite literally at that point. He even had the gall to suggest that I stay here and live with my kids and he and his boys would live there and we still remain married. WTF is up with that? Am I totally missing the rationality here? And let me state there are multitudes of places we could buy here. Small parcels of land. Then it would be something that was truly 'ours'. It would belong to all of us, a new beginning. He says he's open to that but if that's true then why does he continue to badger me about living there? Is it a male ego thing? For whatever reason I'm not sure he realizes what he's up against. I don't suggest that everything has to go my way, but I was upfront and honest about what my future plans were. My kids have had a rough go of things because of their Father's problems. I haven't had the luxury of splitting time in half with him. I am proud that he is recovering and I'd love for him to get to the place where my son could live with him for half of the year. But right now I am somewhat bound to my present locale. And I'm quickly losing all patience for these debates. The very last thing I want is yet another failed marriage, but I am not going to be bullied. He was perfectly satisfied here until just recently. In fact the property was on the market for 6 months, if her were so attached to it he would have never considered selling it, right? Oh hell it's making my head hurt all over again to keep typing about it. On to the next rant...

My house is a complete wreck. The hubby drove a good friend to Nashville to pick up his car after his plane got rerouted on Christmas Eve. I popped out of the bed and cleaned things up, the kitchen was spotless. I showered, shaved, loofah'd, lotioned from head to toe, doused myself in Bath & Body Work's new fragrance(Black Raspberry Vanilla, smells great), lit candles, slipped into a nice silk pj's and had planned to be waiting in bed for him with a red rose between my teeth. We'd planned the day for 'us' since this week we were supposed to be sans children. When I heard the van pull up I jumped in the middle of the bed, vouge'd myself silly and placed the rose between my teeth. Sounds like the perfect romantic afternoon right? Well it would have been had his two youngest sons not come busting in the bedroom behind him. Atleast it provided a good laugh for all of them. I took a Xanax and was out like a light by 8 p.m. *sigh* I can't totally blame the husband, I want to, but I hadn't told him of all the plans but he damn well knew he was going to get lucky since we have virtually NO time alone, ever. Oh well...

Blah Monday's suck...the only thing that could suck more would be if it really were raining. I do however recognize the good things, I had a great lunch with my girlfriend, there's nobody home right now so I can blog away while listening to 'Big Hits of the 70's on Yahoo LaunchCast radio without ridicule. I only wish I could fart too, since I'm not allowed most other times, you know lady's aren't supposed to do that, LOL. Ok that was a little crude but hey I am getting my sense of humor back, right?

Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure of it! If you read this far I appreciate it. I guess we all have to just get it all out from time to time. I'm glad you all were around to read :-) Here's hoping you all have a great week!

Now start the POSITIVE THINKING PARADE!!!!!

 

Found this and thought several were extremely funny and accurate! Hope you enjoy :)

(1) My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't!

(2) I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

(3) I Work Hard Because Millions On Welfare Depend on Me!

(4) Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.

(5) I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

(6) Don't take life too seriously; no one gets out alive.

(7) You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

(8) Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

(9) Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

(10) Quoting one is plagiarism; quoting many is research.

(11) I'm not a complete idiot -- some parts are missing.

(12) Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

(13) NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room- spinning medicine.

(14) God must love stupid people; he made so many.

(15) The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

(16) It IS as BAD as you think, and they ARE out to get you.

(17) Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.

(18) Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

(19) MOP AND GLOW - Floor wax used by Three Mile Island cleanup team.

(20) Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it!

(21) Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.

(22) Procrastinate Now!

(23) My Dog Can Lick Anyone.

(24) I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?

(25) FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. It comes bundled with the software.

(26) A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

(27) A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

(28) STUPIDITY IS NOT A HANDICAP. Park elsewhere!

(29) They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.

(30) He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead.

(31) A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

(32) HAM AND EGGS - A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

(33) The trouble with life is there's no background music.

(34) The original point and click interface was a Smith and Wesson.

(35) Why do only 10% of men get into Heaven? Because if they all went, it would be Hell!

(36) What do you call that insignificant part just at the base of the penis? A man!

This evening the kids, husband and I had our Christmas. Due to work schedules of the two older children plus the fact that the step-sons Mother is home and her family has decided to celebrate together on Christmas eve instead of their normal Christmas day party, we had to make some alterations. For years my family has gotten together on Christmas eve and my children would go to their Father's on Christmas day. This year we knew we'd have to alter our normal plans to accomodate everyone. It's comical that all the kids are teens and well past believing in Santa Claus, but I swear I think they get just as excited as they did when they were small, if not moreso. We exchanged our gifts saving all the 'big' gifts for the last one to be opened. I had gotten my husband a Shop-Vac, he'd given me a list of what he wanted so shopping for him was pretty easy. The only thing I'd told him I really wanted was one of those book lights that attach to your book so you can read in bed or any other dark room and not disturb anyone sleeping. I got that and also my 'big' gift was a new desk chair. It's something I definitely could use, the one I had was the chair that came with the desk. I call it a desk but it's more like a piece of furniture. It's a desk, but a desk you'd balance your checkbook at not sit on a computer for a couple of hours. While the new chair doesn't have the aesthetic qualities the other did, it sure is comfortable! Yep I'm typing in it now.

I got a very surprising gift this year too. For the last 5 years I've been buying gifts for my ex-husband, his wife and her two girls  my children  take them to their house. They are from my children to them. I felt like this was a goodwill gesture of sorts and my kids were excited to pick out gifts for them. I never spent a great deal of money on the gifts but tried to get things I thought they'd enjoy. Two years ago they began to return the favor. The first gift I got from them was a set of candles(which I always love to get) and this beagle dog Christmas ornament. A very strange looking ornament that played some sort of music. Last year I recieved a large candle, the ones that have 4 wicks in it. It was cucumber/melon scented which is my favorite. I fully expected another candle this year. But to my surprise I got a very nice bath robe and some great slippers, they're super furry and extremely comfortable. Here's my quandary; this year I had planned to buy a generic family gift. I'd purchased one of those popcorn tins adorned with NASCAR graphics on it. They are NASCAR fans. And I'd planned on making them a small gift basket of food items(I make these for gifts this time of year). But now I'm wondering if I should reconsider my gift choices.

Will I come off looking cheap with my gift? Should I brave the  droves of last minute shoppers tomorrow and buy new gifts? Or should I stick with my original choices?

I heard the 10cc song; The Things We Do For Love today, I love that song.  I loved it when I was a little girl. Do you ever hear songs on the radio that takes you back to your childhood? This is one of those songs. I used to hear it on my Mom's radio, this was of course before she got sucked into listening to country music. Today as I listened to it, I really listened to the lyrics and that got me started thinking. I started thinking of all the silly things we do for love.

I won't bore you with all outrageous things I've done in the name of love, but here's the most insane thing I ever did. Shortly after husband #1 delivered the news that he didn't want to be married anymore he came to pick up our daughter for a visit. I was 25 years old and thought I was madly in love with him. I suppose I was but I think more than anything I was terrified of being alone. He had come to get her and refused to come in what was our house. Ok, I'm thinking he can just be that way, but deep inside it broke my heart. As I gathered her stuff I began to cry. I finally composed myself, put on my sunglasses to disguise the red puffy eyes. When I went outside he scooped her up and told me he'd be back Sunday at 6 p.m. I was devastated that he didn't even want to talk to me. He couldn't just erase me that quickly, could he? I'm not sure what kind of alien force took over my body but before I knew it I was running after his car! Reaching it I threw myself on the hood of it, spread eagle, void of any self respect whatsoever! I'm not sure who was more shocked, me or him. He stopped the car got out and pryed my hands from the car and told me how juvenile I was being. At this point all my hurt had turned to anger. I was angry at myself, angry at him for not loving me anymore, hell I was just plain angry.

Now I can look back and laugh at that and be thankful he didn't hit the gas and throw me off the car. Today I realized that we all do some really asinine things in the name of love. That's my take on the subject and here's 10cc's version:

Too many broken hearts have fallen in the river
Too many lonely souls have drifted out to sea
You lay your bets and then you pay the price
The things we do for love
(the things we do for love)

Communication is the problem to the answer
You’ve got her number and your hand is on the phone
The weather’s turned and all the lines are down
The things we do for love
(the things we do for love)

Like walking in the rain and the snow
When there’s nowhere to go
When you’re feeling like a part of you is dying
And you’re looking for the answer in her eyes
You think you're gonna break up
Then she says she wants to make up

Ooh, you make me love you
Ooh, you’ve got a way
Ooh, you had me crawling on the floor
(solo)

Like walking in the rain and the snow
When there’s nowhere to go
And you’re feeling like a part of you is dying
And you’re looking for the answer in her eyes
You think you're gonna break up
Then she says she wants to make up

Ooh, you make me love you
Ooh, you’ve got a way
Ooh, you had me crawling on the floor

A compromise would surely help the situation
Agree to disagree, but disagree to part
When after all it’s just a compromise
Of the things we do for love
(the things we do for love)
the things we do for love
(the things we do for love)
the things we do for love
(the things we do for love)

What's the craziest thing you've done in the name of love?

Yes another survey! Borrowed this one from Anastacia. It's a little different from most of the other's I've seen. If you like it too feel free to borrow for yourself :)

( ) You have not done (*) You’ve done

 

(*) Been drunk

 

(*) Kissed a member of the opposite sex

 

(*) Kissed a member of the same sex

 

( ) Crashed a friends car

 

( ) Been to Japan

 

(* ) Ridden in a taxi

 

(*) Been in love

 

(*) Been dumped

 

( ) Shoplifted

 

(*) Been fired

 

( ) Been in a fist fight

 

( ) Snuck out of my parents house

 

( ) Had a crush on someone of the same sex

 

( ) Dated someone of the same sex

 

(*) Had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back

 

( ) Been arrested

 

(*) Made out with a stranger

 

(* ) Made a booty call

 

(*) Been a booty call

 

(*) Stole something from my job

 

( ) Celebrated New Years in Times Square

 

(* ) Gone on a blind date

 

(*) Lied to a friend

 

(*) Have a friend lie to me

 

( ) Had a crush on a teacher

 

(*) Celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans

 

( ) Been to Europe

 

(*) Skipped school

 

(*) Slept with a co-worker

 

( ) Cut myself

 

(*) Been married

 

( *) Gotten divorced (Some may say I've been divorced 3 times but I don't count the first husband, married and divorced him twice. So to me it's still only twice, lol)

 

(*) Had children (Delivered 2, inherited 3)

 

( ) Seen someone die

 

( ) Been to Africa

 

(*) Had a crush on one of my Tblog friends (a very sweet thing)

 

( ) Slapped someone I love

 

( ) Driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball

 

(* ) Been to Canada

 

(* ) Been to Mexico

 

(*) Been on a plane

 

( ) Thrown up in a bar

 

(* ) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show

 

( ) Purposely set a part of myself on fire

 

(* ) Eaten Sushi

 

( ) Been snowboarding

 

( ) Met someone in person from the internet (met several, the best being a group of friends I play an online game with; the worst, that lying, coniving, psychotic man I married.)

 

( ) Been moshing at concerts 
 

(*) Been in an abusive relationship

 

(*) Been pregnant or got someone pregnant

 

( ) Lost a child

 

(* ) Graduated college

 

( ) Tried killing yourself

 

(*) Taken painkillers

 

(*) Had sex

 

( ) Intentionally burned yourself

 

( ) Wished someone dead

 

( ) Wished someone dead right now

 

(*) Admitted to a big mistake

 

(*) Been misunderstood

 

(*) Told someone I hated them when I didn’t

 

(* ) Told someone I loved them when I didn’t( I was very young and honestly didn't really know what love meant, but he did and I ended up hurting him badly)

 

(*) Love or miss someone right now

While cruising around tBLOG I ran across this survey on hippystink's blog. It was different than ones I'd seen before so I thought, 'what the heck' and here we are. Maybe a little more insight to twisted me! Hope you enjoy :-)

Ten random things about me:
1. I don’t have a cell phone
2. I love reality TV(duh there's a shocker)
3. I have the cartilage in my left ear pierced.
4. I can be very stubborn
5. It really bothers me when my bath towels are not folded correctly.
6. I have been paid to wrap other people's Christmas gifts-I get pretty anal about the bows and stuff. I make them all myself.
7. I type 90+ wpm
8. I don't like country music, at all.
9. I like being alone
10. I pick my battles.

Nine places I've visited
1. Regina, Sasketchewan
2. San Diego, CA
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Dallas, TX
5. Panama City Beach, FL
6. Durango, CO
7. Biloxi, MS
8. Albuquerque, NM
9. Charleston, SC

Eight things I want to do before I die:
1. Vacation in Venice, Italy
2. Take a cruise
3. Tell my parents how much I've appreciated what they've done for me.
4. See my children prosper and be happy...and giving me grand-kiddies!
5. Visit Washington D.C. and Boston
6. Act--yes with a local theatre group, then look out HOLLYWOOD. lol
7. Take piano lessons
8. Go scuba diving

Seven things to win my heart:
1. Accepting me for who I am physically and emotionally
2. flowers for no reason
3. A middle of the night roll over, nuzzle me and say 'I Love You' sleepily
4. A foot massage
5. Neck massage followed by many neck kisses!
6. Cry with me when I'm hurt

7. Willing to let me ramble on and on and on  and listen and actually comment.

Six things I believe in:
1. God
2. Fate
3. Karma

4. My Family
5. My Husband
6. Myself

Five things I'm afraid of:
1. Dying, really more afraid of how I'll die

2. Fire
3. Guns in the wrong hands
4. Reckless drivers
5. My husband, children or family dying.

Four favorite items in my bedroom
1. My Husband
2. My most comfortable bed
3. My Patrick(Sponge Bob's bud) collection
4. My computer

Three things I do everyday
1. Tell my family I love them

2. Take my meds
3. Take a shower

Two things I'm trying not to do right now:
1. Stress over the holidays
2. Worry about my health

One person I want to see right now:
1. I'll never be able to see him, but I'd love to see my best friend Rod from High School. He was killed in an automobile accident in 1986. I think about him so often.

Yes it's official; I have completed my Christmas shopping! A normally large feat but even more so this year.  As you may know I am recovering from pneumonia, so I am not nearly as strong and energetic as usual. After making my list I realized that I could purchase everything I had left to buy from Wal-Mart. Score! I knew I needed to shop during the day to avoid the bulk of the shopping public and scores of germs. Little did I know so many villages would have sent their idiots to shop this afternoon as well. This is a chore that I usually enjoy doing, while I am not a typical female that loves to shop, Christmas shopping falls into a different category to me. For the last two weeks I have been shopping online and around town for the really hard gifts; my parents. The two single most difficult people in the free world to buy gifts for. My Father is not wealthy but he is able to buy himself most anything he wants. During the last 20 years my sister and I have virtually stocked his kitchen with small appliances, we've bought him clothes, food and anything else we thought he might like. My Mother is also able to buy herself what she wants. I would rather watch a car rust than to try to find her clothing I think she would like. Don't get me wrong I don't mind people exchanging a gift I've bought for them, in fact I'd rather they do that if they don't like it. But God bless my Mother she wouldn't return clothing I'd bought  for fear of hurting my feelings, she'd just hang it in her closet and never wear it. A lavendar sweater and gray pants feeding a well deserving moth family in the back of her closet proves this.

Today the Super Wal-Mart was packed, of course. I found only half of the intended items. That left me and my husband to scavenge for alternates. Luckily we were on the same page and were able to agree on most everything. We both got buggies and would meet in major aisles to discuss the next item much like a football team would huddle up. It was on one of those side aisles that I think I found my stalker. An older gentleman who actually walked slower than I did would appear everywhere I did. It was eerie! I thought I'd throw him a curve when I went to the ladies underwear dept. to find my daughter some socks, but as I made my selection and started down the aisle, there he was, peering around the corner! I thought perhaps his wife was close behind me and he was actually just looking for her, but no, I never saw anyone. I had to make my last stop in domestics to buy some fabric for a Christmas craft, it was there I think I lost him.

Finally with all purchases tucked into our buggies we headed to check out. And naturally there were what seemed to be hundreds of other weary shoppers waiting to check out with only 10 lanes open! It's one week til Christmas, come on people there's 30 check out lanes, call in some back-up! The husband found a relatively short line. It didn't take long to figure out why it was so short. Our cashier was sweatin' like a meatloaf, I wasn't sure what the snafu was about, I only knew there were some problems. She was a pleasant lady but you could tell she was very nervous. Most of the customers were calm, but a few of them were getting very agitated. You can spot the really agitated ones easily, they have their checkbook open, already got it signed and dated, and finishing balancing thier last purchase and now they've got their hand on their hip and have set in to glare at our cashier. The poor cashier is doing the best she can, but the checkbook ladies feel she could be doing more. The lady in front of the checkbook lady turns around and begins to talk about how bad these women work, she just doesn't understand why they can't get better help! I'm thinking to myself "Why don't you put down your Dooney & Burke purse and get you a Wal-Mart smock and pitch in instead of just standing there bitching about it. They continue to discuss(loudly) how something should be done. One of them is late for a manicure. Awwww what a tragedy. At that point her cell rings and we get to listen to her give the play by play action to whoever that is trapped on the other end. Seems there's a problem at the Country Club that Tiff can't fix. Tiff is gonna need some help. The Dooney & Burke lady says "Tiff hon I'll be there as soon as possible, I'm stuck in line at Wal-Mart with all these Christmas shoppers. I only had to get the fresh pineapple and some phyllo dough oh, oh I need the fresh parsley too" blah blah blah. Ms. Dooney & Burke sent her flunkie back to produce. The blue collar group ahead of her were getting quite a giggle out of this, including me. Finally I was at the point where I could get the plastic bar behind the merchandice of the lady ahead of us and start unloading our haul. Just then I hear the flunkie say "Vivien I can't find the parsley. Maybe Viv we could just leave it out" These ladies were right beside me when my husband turns to me and says"Pookie are  you sure we got everything?" I replied, "Yes Tad this is everything, oh wait we need that Schlitz Malt Liquor for the punch!" Yes that little exchange got raised eyebrows from Viv and the flunkie but thankfully it was our time to check out. Amy our cashier told me right up front this was only her 3rd day so to bear with her. My husband and I looked at each other and didn't say a word. She was shaking a bit but didn't seem to be perspiring nearly as much as she was 30 minutes ago. She was very sweet and I worked hard to make her job as easy as possible. I had noticed she'd been having trouble with credit cards, I was using a credit card. Believe it or not the card ran through the first time, my buggy was loaded to the gill, and the cashier was able to move on to her next customer. As for Viv and flunkie they were still waiting in the next line. As I walked off I heard Viv's phone ring again, I was kind of sad I was going to miss the next emergency!

We loaded up the van and made our way back home. The trip we thought we could do in an hour and a half had actually taken 3.5 hours! But except for picking up a couple of small things we are done! Woo Hoo! I did realize that those small things were actually gifts for my ex husband and his wife and my husbands ex wife and her boyfriend! Urg. The gifts are from the young kids that don't work, I'm thinking maybe just give them a little money and let them buy them. I'm sure they'd love their too big, bright yellow duck slippers as much as I did ;-)

Any shopping stories to share? Next year I may spend alot more at OldNavy.com than I did this year, lol.

I am a very nocturnal person by nature, my husband is not. When I finish reading online each evening I normally grab a book and read until I fall asleep sometime around 1 a.m. By this time my husband has been asleep between 3 and 4 hours.

My husband pops out of the bed every morning thrilled to death to see the sunshine and ready to start another  day. I on the other hand have never been a morning person. The amount of sleep I get makes no difference, I just hate getting up. I always felt like I'd be perfect at working the grave-yard shift. When my kids were small I'd do laundry, clean the house, even go to the all night grocery store. It was just "my" time. Maybe that's when I became so nocturnal.

My hubby is in such a good mood in the morning he wants me to bounce out of bed and spend quality time with him until I have to be at work. I on the other hand want to hibernate under the covers til the last possible second. After a little chat today I realized he was a wee bit jealous of my nighttime schedule. I hate that for him! I mean I love him, and love spending time with him but I gotta have a little "me" time even if it is at midnight!

Are there anymore nocturnal wives out there? And what do your husbands think or do they even care?

A young woman from the North takes her seat on an outbound flight.

A young woman from the South takes the seat right beside the young woman from the North.

The Southern woman turns to the woman from the North and says, "So, where are y'all from?"

The Northern woman rolls her eyes and says rather haughty, "I'm from a place where we don't end our sentences with a preposition."

The woman from the South thought for a moment, turned back to the other woman and said, "So, where are y'all from, bitch?"

LMAOOOO sorry this one just kills me. Feel free to share any of your fav's!

Ah New Year's Eve. Amazingly it's here again. When I was single New Year's Eve ranked right up there with Valentine's Day as being one of the few times a date was almost mandatory. Have you ever noticed that most everybody has a date on New Year's Eve? Even the vermin in the double knit polyester leisure suit has a date on New Year's Eve. I learned several years ago that a bar or club was not the place to hang out with your girlfriends on New Year's Eve. The last time I actually went "out" for N.Y.E. was 4 years ago. My best friend and I had been invited to 3 different parties, instead of trying to pick one we decided to go to all of them! We began drinking wine early in the evening, but in moderation as the first party was 20 miles from our home base. Good thing we saved ourselves! Regrettably we didn't save ourselves from the wine and champagne at the 2 other soiree's. The final party we attended was 2 houses down from my house. By 1 a.m. I was toast. I stumbled home through my neighbors yard and slept fully clothed on my sofa. I woke up with what felt like moss growing on my tongue, luckily the kids were at their Dad's for the weekend. I don't remember much about the day except for the fact that I promised God if he'd let me live I'd never touch champagne again. I haven't had it since.

I think it's funny that while I was single I felt almost obligated to have N.Y.E. plans, but since I've been married we haven't done a thing. We stay home, rent movies and eat popcorn. Do you think we feel that obligation when single because of a  need to prove that we're "fun" people? Do we just stop caring once married?

As of now we have no plans for N.Y.E. in fact we're praying that everyone else in the house has their own plans so we might enjoy a little time "alone" watching the ball drop with Regis Filbin. What are your plans this year?

I'm a little concerned about Scott Peterson's demeanor today. I really don't know how to read these attorney's or their clients. You'd think there'd be a little more emotion when you were told chances are you're going to die for killing your wife and unborn son. Throughout the the trial, what bits and pieces I saw, he seemed stoic at time and bored others. His lawyer said immediately following that there would be a request for a new trial. Don't they all? After that trial goes on and on he can go on and petition the Federal Courts. In other words the post trials could take decades. And lets face it California isn't executing death row inmates at warp speed. Since Ca. brought back capital punishment in 1978, only 10 executions have been carried out; the last execution, in 2002, was for a murder committed in 1980. The state's clogged death row now houses about 650 prisoners.

After exhausting state appeals, Peterson’s case would move to the federal courts, usually with a new attorney. The case would go to U.S. District Court and then to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has overturned more California death sentences than it has allowed.

Bottom line is it could take forever. I think(hope) justice has been served. Maybe now all the innocent families can begin to put their lives back together. This whole trial is yet another sad testament to our society.

That is the question. Well not literally but my husband loathes and despises disco music and I was wondering if there were more out there like him? I raise this question because PBS is currently running a special entitled Get Down Tonight. It features numerous musical acts from the 70's including a very different looking KC of KC And The Sunshine Band fame. I was a little shocked when I saw KC considering I still remember him as the very hot guy in vividly colored spandex and sequin costumes. KC does not look the same. Which led me to the realization that I don't look the same either. But I digress.

If I want to get rid of my husband for an hour or so, I normally only have to turn on Trading Spaces. But last night I was watching the PBS special and he practically stormed out of the room. And on his return proclaimed how much he despised "that" music. Granted I am 6 years  older than he is but he has to remember those songs. And he was a young boy when they were popular so how could he dislike them so much? During that particular era I was a pre-teen/teen and I think my affinity for the music has something to do with the fact that it's at that age most kids, especiallly girls, get their first records, cassettes and even 8-track players. I remember when I'd get my allowance I'd go to Redfords 5 and 10 cent store and buy atleast one 45. For those who may not know what a 45 is, it's the equivalent of a CD single. In 1978 they were 99 cents each.

There are alot of things about the 70's that I'd like to forget, the fashion for example. But suddenly all that stuff is cool again. A few fashion fads I thought I'd never see again would include hip-huggers, polyester and leg-warmers. Oddly enough all of them are in stores right now. To me the fashion was 100 times worse than the music. My husband disagree's, but then again at the time that "Rubberband Man" was popular he was wearing "Garanimal" apparel!

Top 10 Singles Jan. 1978

1. How Deep Is Your Love-Bee Gees


2. Baby Come Back-Player


3. Blue Bayou-Linda Ronstadt


4. (Everytime I Turn Around)Back In Love Again-LTD


5. Here You Come Again-Dolly Parton


6. You Light Up My Life-Debby Boone


7. Slip Slidin' Away-Paul Simon


8. Sentimental Lady-Bob Welch


9. You're In My Heart-Rod Stewart


10. Hey Deanie-Shaun Cassidy

Was it really that bad? FYI I thought the PBS special was great. If you like the music at all try and catch it!

 

Well this weekend we are to begin a new tradition here in my home. We're getting a live Christmas tree. I haven't had a real tree since I was a child. I don't have my beautiful artificial tree anymore, but let's not dwell on that. All the kids want a real one as does the hubby. So I relented and agreed it would be ok. Eventhough I'm deathly afraid of fire--I know good maintenance and common sense will prevent that. And I hate vaccuming up the needles--but I have several teenagers that possess good vaccuming skills. Then there's the dog...that wretched little dog. The man had a job last month for an elderly couple, they had got this dog thinking it would be a good companion for them. But he was a little "hyperactive" and the situation just wasn't working out. Hyperactive is an understatement, he's more like a rat on acid! He's a rat terrier but I think he looks more like a fruit bat. I can only imagine what kind of damage he could do to a Christmas tree.

We're supposed to go to a tree farm tomorrow and cut ourselves a tree. I think it will be a neat thing to do! Very different from how we got live trees when I was young. My Daddy, my middle sister and I would strike out in his old beat up truck and head to the mountains. Buying a tree was crazy when mother nature has so many to offer--that was our parents reasoning for cutting our own. We did have fun on these journey's. But one in particular sticks out in my mind. It was a very cold day and Daddy had told us we wouldn't be able to hike around and look like we normally did. And he was grouchier than he usually was. Maybe he and Mother had argued before we left, who knows. So we parked the truck, grabbed the axe and took off. About the only choice in the woods around here for Christmas is cedar trees. All the pines are just too big. If you're not familiar with cedar trees, they are the red headed step-child of the forrest. Very unattractive. They grow round and skinny. They are prettier when they are full grown. But the ones you could actually get home are just a round, green column. They do smell good, they have that going for them. Normally my sister and I got to pick the tree.  But not on this trip, Daddy was agitated and it was really, really cold. We heard him whistle which meant he'd found one, we made our way over to him where we both just stood, dumbfounded. There before us was one of the biggest trees I'd ever seen considered for a family Christmas tree. This tree was more in line with a tree you'd see in the middle of Rockefeller Center! It was a struggle for us to get it back to the truck. It hung over the back and front of the truck by atleast 4 ft. Daddy didn't say much on the way home except he did mutter "Maybe this one will satisfy her". Well there  you go, obviously Mother had given him detailed "instructions" about what kind of tree to get, hence explaining his quiet demeanor. He was plotting his rebuttal. I began to dread going home and Mother seeing this monstrous tree.

It took quite an effort to get the tree on our front porch. Daddy grabbed his saw and began to cut away the bottom of the tree. He told us to get the tree stand. Now I wasn't very old but I knew there was NO way that tree was going to fit in our living room. The living room is huge, 30ft long with 11ft ceilings. I retrieved the stand and helped attach it to the beast. As we started in the door my Mother made her appearance in the living room. She didn't say one word but I sure saw the "look" she gave to my Father right before she rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen. When we stood the tree upright, literally half of it was doubled over at the top. "Well looks like we're  going to have to trim her down a little bit girls", was my Daddy's reply. Back to the front porch we went. He says he cut about 3 ft off of it, I'd be more inclined to believe it was more like 7 ft! Not only was this cedar tree tall, it was a rare cedar tree with a metabolism disorder, it was fat as mud all over! Back in the house we go. This time there's no excess tree at the top. That's a good thing. We move it to the corner where all our trees go, stand it up and step back to admire it. "I think it looks good" my sister says, "Ya it sure is big" I reply. My Father says nothing. We start to turn away just as we here a creaking sound, looking back all we see is cedar in our faces. The tree is so heavy the stand can't support it. After my parents "discussed" what to do my Daddy came up with an idea. He went to the basement and came back with his tool box and some lightweight rope. He then began to wrap the rope around the trunk of the tree. He was going to tie that tree to the wall! I couldn't believe it. But he was hell bent on us having that tree. Now I know he was just doing it to spite my Mother. With the tree anchored to the wall we decorated it and put the presents under it. It actually was nice in that big room with the high ceilings.

On Christmas Eve we sat around with my Grandmother opening presents. Everyone had opened just about all of their gifts when without a sound the tree crashed over on top of all of us. Back then we used those big lights that got so hot? They slapped me in the face and wrapped around my sisters neck leaving little burn marks. Several ornaments fell victim to the crash. And there were a multitude of cedar shavings all over everything. The tree went from the living room floor to the curb immediately, decorations, lights and all.

This one incident is really making me look forward to a trip to the tree farm! Any funny Christmas tree stories to share?

If you read newspapers or watch any of the news channels offered on television I'm sure you've read/seen coverage of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's press conference in Kuwait yesterday. There's an interesting editoral from the New York Times here http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/09/opinion/09 thu2.html" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/09/opinion/09 thu2.html" target="_blank"http://www.nytimes.com/2004/1.... I have an opinion on the war in Iraq but I would rather not debate it on a blog or anywhere else. I've learned that politics and religion are two topics that are almost guranteed to start an argument. Now however I have a vested interest in what is going on in Iraq. One of my best friends husbands, my landlord, former school mates and several acquaintances are members of the National Guard 278th Regimental Combat Team that was activated recently. It was a soldier from the 278th that confronted Sec. Rumsfeld yesterday about the condition of many of the vehicles they are to use in Iraq.

When the community got word that our local unit would be activated everyone was shocked. I don't have the historcal facts but in my lifetime this unit has never been activated. My children's father was a member of the 278th. I remember him being told that this unit would never see combat outside the U.S. But then again the Army told him alot of things before he enlisted.

After the inital shock wore off,  this small county joined together and began the process of preparing to  send our men and women off. My friend's husband, who I also consider a friend, has had an especially difficult time. She has two young children. Another friend of mine has a son and husband now gone. I can't imagine what their lives must be like now. Now these wives, mothers, husbands and children have something else to worry about. I would worry but I'd also be fighting mad to know that my loved one has been told to go to an unstable place like Iraq only to find out their equipment would be sub-standard. We're the richest country on the face of the Earth. How is it things like this happen? Why are our soldiers asked to rummage through landfills to find scrap metal to put on their Hummers? I just don't get it.

Some people have criticized the soldier that asked Mr. Rumsfeld the question concerning the equipment condition. I commend him for having the courage to do so. These men and women put their lives on hold, leave their families, jobs and most everything else to go provide freedom for a country that needs them. I think they should be provided with the best, most state of the art equipment available. Period.

I know my personal interests make me a bit more emotional about this issue. This has made me realize that before the 278th was activated there were thousands of troops sent to Iraq only to find unsafe vehicles. I'm sure there are facts of this war that we won't know until all our soldiers return home, that's been the case with every war we've been involved in. But the fact is we know about this, and I think the American government should not stop until this problem is corrected for every branch of the military serving in Iraq.

I'm proud of the soldier from TN that confronted Sec. Rumsfeld yesterday, I'm proud of each and every U.S. soldier involved in the war to liberate Iraq. I want my friends to come home. I think these soldiers deserve to be protected, I think we owe them that.

Has anyone ever had a cyber date that didn't quite live up to your expectations? You know maybe someone you met in chat, got closer to and eventually decided it would be nice to meet?  So you go through the obligatory phone calls planning your "date". Meet at a well traveled restaurant with good lighting. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. These days most everyone has a digital cam or at the very least a webcam, so you should have a pretty good idea who you're having dinner with, right? Wrong. The one factor that men seem to never be honest about is their height. Or atleast the ones I met up with. I've been told by men that women do the samething only they are never quite honest about their true weight. C'mon guys we're NEVER gonna tell you how much we actually weigh, because as we speak we're plotting ways to shed 7 lbs. before we meet you for dinner. The men I've talked to are adamant about the fact that they could deal with 7 extra pounds, it's the other 40 that bothers them. As a woman I take a little offense to that, my husband has no idea how much I weigh. Mainly because I don't look like I'd weigh that much. A man online would freak out if a woman said, "I'm 5'7 and weigh 160lbs." They'd frickin be thinking beached whale. When in fact that woman would be well proportioned. Unless a man has been married to a woman that size, he would have no clue just how nice she actually does look. Anyhow back to the man dilemma. I found that 75% of men online looking to make a Love Connection lie about how tall they are. Case in point, I'd been chatting with a guy that lives relatively close to me for several months.  I didn't have a particularly strong attraction to him, but he was very funny and I thought would be a fun date. So we decided to meet at neutral restaurant. I'd told him what I would be wearing and vice versa. He'd told me several times in conversation he was 5'9, that's a little short for me but I thought what the heck. I'm only 5'6 but on a date I'm always going to be wearing a shoe/boot with 2-3 inch heels on it. Figured we'd see eye to eye.

When he got out of the truck, or should I say when he jumped out of the truck, I knew I was in trouble. To see 5'9 this guy would have had to be wearing John Travolta's platform shoes from Saturday Night Fever. He strolled overe to me, gave me a hug, his head was tucked under my chin! I felt like I was hugging my son.

We had a nice dinner and he was quite funny. But for me there was just no attraction. I didn't think I was better than him, it's just that I had expectations. I don't think that makes me shallow either. He could have been honest and said he was 5'5 and I would had still wanted to meet him, granted probably wouldn't have wanted to date him. Also once we met in person we both found that we really didn't have that much in common. Online chat is a strange thing, you seem to talk about everything but when it comes down to it you really know nothing about the real person on the other side of the monitor.

Am I coming off a bit like Shallow Hal here? Or have any of you had similar type situations? C'mon make me feel better and tell us about it!

I'll admit it, I am a reality TV junkie. This is not a new thing, I was addicted to MTV's The Real World from the very start and if memory serves me correctly that was some 12 years ago.  I am an avid Survivor fan and even the completely senseless Big Brother. I like The Amazing Race and will The Bachelor but don't plan my life around them. A month or so ago my husband and I were channel surfing on a Wednesday night and ran across a new show called Wife Swap. The premise of Wife Swap is you trade wives for two weeks, the first week the "new" wife follows the rules of the real wife. Week 2 allows the "new" wife to make new rules for the house. My husband likes this reality show because it's over in an hour, no watching for months on end to find out what happens. I found out recently that FOX has it's own version of Wife Swap called Trading Spouses. I watched my first episode two weeks ago. The shows are similar in the fact that wives trade places with a rank stranger and lives in her house. Trading Spouses only requires the wives to live in the new households for one week. The biggest difference though is the fact that each household receives $50,000! Granted there are some really weird families out there. And yes I do think the producers overturn many a rock to find some of them! So the more odd the family the higher the ratings. It's all about money after all.

So tonight as my husband and I are watching Trading Spouses I say to him, "I really think we should sign up for this." I was completely serious, I mean it's only 7 days. And even if the new wife is a vegan hippie who serves my family tofu enchiladas and doesn't bathe, it's only 7 days. How bad could it be? I could eat tofu and tolerate stench for $7,142.85 a day. My husband didn't share my opinion, "There's no way, period. Not for $50,000, no way" was his reply. "But honey just think what we could do with that amount of money. Think of education for the children, a new van, a dream family vacation", I argued. He shook his head and rolled over in the bed. I think I could wear him down if I really put my mind to it! We are middle-class hard working Americans, we don't get the opportunity to earn that kind of money in that amount of time very often. Plus we wouldn't have to sacrifice the integrity of our marriage, the "new" wife is provided her own private bedroom and never has there been any hint of romance between the "new" wife and husband. The basis of the show is how two wives interact and react to a totally different living situation. Of course there is a hitch! The "new" wife, after living in the house for a week, gets to decide how the $50,000 is spent. Since I am a new viewer I don't have alot of data to go on. But from what I've seen the money has been spent pretty well. Going to things like new vehicles, vacations, additions to exisiting homes and such. So yes besides taking the risk of living with someone that you absolutely despise for 7 days you must risk a total stranger to spend $50,000 on your family.

I've already said that I would do it and the reasons why. I am curious to know how you feel? Would you agree with me or perhaps never consider it like my husband? If you'd like to know more about the show before answering here's the link: http://www.fox.com/tradingspouses/home.htm" title="http://www.fox.com/tradingspouses/home.htm" target="_blank"http://www.fox.com/tradingspo...

We trade cars, baseball cards, recipes and gossip. But would you be willing to trade spouses?

Was reading around tonight and saw Scuba's post on first kisses and it made me start thinking. For me personally the "kiss" is the most intimate form of human contact. I know alot would disagree, but to me it's just the most passionate expression two people can share.

I don't even remember my first "real" kiss, I remember who I kissed but not much else about it. That leads me to believe it probably wasn't that great. I haven't had too many memorable kisses, mainly because it seems like the older I got the quality of kisses I got declined sharply. Far too many men who seemed to be trying to suck my tongue out of my mouth, eek! And then there were the corn lovers. You know the guys that once your lips meet seem to start imitating the art of eating corn on the cob. Geez the gnashing of teeth! *shiver*

There is a silver lining to my somewhat gray kissing cloud! My husband. We had been on 4 dates before he worked up the nerve to kiss me. We had met for dinner and he had walked me to my car, we were just making small talk. I knew he was going to kiss me, well I was really hoping he would. But in the same vein I was very nervous. "What if he is a corn man?", "What if is afraid to touch my tongue?"(yes I had a germaphobe once too), "I really like him alot, I'll just bet he is crappy kisser." All these thoughts were racing through my mind. Luckily he moved in close and kissed me before I broke into a sweat! 20 seconds later I broke into a sweat anyhow! Whoa Moma! Could this guy kiss! Perfect kisses, not too hasty, not too forceful...the kind of kiss you dream about. The one that makes you weak in the knees, wanna jerk off all your clothes kind of kiss! I didn't rip off my clothes, but let's just say he could have had me pretty easily. The sweetest thing about this whole kiss was when he put his hand on the small of my back, I could feel  him shaking. He was nervous!  It was just so precious. He may not have had me at hello, but he certainly did after that kiss :-)

Do you have an unforgettable kiss? If so tell us about it!

 

Thanks to kurtmaddox I now have my blog back! It's a little uglier than before but I'll fix all that tomorrow. And no kurt didn't have any hand in the ugliness, lol.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

My entire blog has just disappared. I can't find any help with tBLOG. There seems to have been something removed from my html but I'll be damned if I know what it is. Is there anyone that can tell me how to get my stuff back?

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

 

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

 

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing up is mandatory; growing old is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

 
SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is .. . . not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends..
At age 16 success is . . . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . . having money.
At age 70 success is . . . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . .. . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . . not peeing in your pants.

I have found myself recently watching every baby I see with immense longing. The television is especially brutal during this holiday season, with all the new toys geared for toddlers. I said to my husband tonight, "I want a baby to play with." Tim has big Bambi eyes naturally and when I glanced over he looked like a 63 year old woman with a raging thyroid condition. "You want a what to play with?" he asked. "A baby. Look at them laugh and giggle. Wouldn't you love to have a baby around right now for Christmas?" His reply was, "Not no, but hell no. Go out into the living room and look around at the human slugs eating all our food and sucking up our money and realize that's what babies grow up to be!" That was a pretty sobering thought. The rubber band of reality so to speak. But I still want one...to play with.

I really don't want the responsibility, I don't want the work. Yes I just want the fun stuff. You see I can think like this because I have been spayed and my husband has been neutered. It's not even a possibility. I wonder if that's why recently I've become so obsessed about it? Always wanting what you can't have?

I think I'd make a wonderful Mother this time around. I've made just about every mistake possible to this point, so I'd know exactly what not to do. I'm sure I'd be just as overprotective as I was/am with the others. This afternoon I ventured out for a ride to the bank with the hubby and as I sat in the car I saw atleast 3 babies with no hats on! I was just amazed. It was a very cool, windy day. I mentioned it to the man and he laughed...of course. If that had been one of my kids we would have been in the peditrician's office 2 days later with an ear infection. But that would only be because I am too overprotective according to the husband. His kids never wore hats and they didn't get sick. Oh they got sick, they were the sick ones that drug in all the germs to school to the overprotected kids like mine, lol.

Well I suppose I can look forward to Grandchildren. I hear they are really the fun ones! The ones you can play with then give them back when you're tired of them. That sounds like a pretty good deal, huh? But I'm not pushing the grandchildren thingy, I want my kids to at the very least get an education before they start spawning my playthings. And at 39 I'm not to hip to being called "Granny".

Perhaps some Anne Geddes merchandise is the answer!

 

Well it took some searching but I found a website that has the lyrics and the beautiful voice of Kathy Mattea singing! I didn't have complete lyrics on the post below but luckily this site has it. And it's FREE! lol Something that's unheard of these days.

Like I said below just listening to this song sends shivers down my spine! I hope you enjoy it just as much :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Shannon

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