Road Rage is the Least of My Problems

Today I am suffering from a serious case of Road Rage. I went to go run errands during my lunch hour. One of those errands, the most important I mind you, was finding some place to drop off my ONG bill. Normally I mail it, but I had to wait to pay this one till my roommate got paid this month and it is due Monday. So I get online to find an ONG drop location. Homeland was the closest, so I went there first. Can I just say I hate Homeland (but that's a whole other post). Anyway, there were way too many people in line and a sign that said something about it taking their bill pay service five days…blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I left to go find a drop box location.

I couldn’t remember most of the drop off locations from the website, but did notice that you could drop it off at various bank locations (now I thought the website said BankOne, but we’ll come back to that in a little bit). I knew where all the banks were on Bryant, so I decided to try to find a BankOne. No luck. So this begins my search for a BankOne location. I some how remembered the address for the one on Broadway, so I started heading that way. Here is where the road rage comes into play.

Traffic was already bad when I was heading to Homeland, but it was even worse up by UCO. HOLY COW, I think every human being who has today off was in their car today. It was ridicules, plus I was running out of time to get back to work. I found myself wanting to pound my hands on the horn and just yell at everyone to get out of my way. I don’t like crowds, they make me Closter phobic, so I think bumper to bumper traffic has the same effect on me. My frustrations were irrational because everyone was in bumper to bumper traffic, but I just wanted breathing room and driving space. I just wanted the cars to part like the Red Sea!

I was finally able to find my way out of the abyss of cars and head for 1515 S. Broadway. Since I wasn’t exactly sure where this was, I was still a little frustrated with the number of vehicles because it’s hard to look for an address – on a building mind you – with a SUV on your tail. After a parking lot turn around, I finally made it to 1515 S. Broadway…or at least what used to be 1515 S. Broadway. It had been torn down – recently. Bulldozers were still there clearing the debris. Ugh!!!! I’m now late to work and still haven’t found any place to drop off my ONG payment. I gave up, came back to work, begged for a stamp (did I mention I have not a dime in my wallet…I never made it to an ATM), and I am now praying that my payment isn’t late!

But here is where the story gets oh so much better…when I got back to the office, I started writing my blog post. I went to add a link to BankOne and noticed that it had changed to Chase. I saw plenty of Chase locations while I was out. I was also curious if maybe I had remembered the address correctly for the place that had been torn down, so I went back to the ONG website. The address was correct, the bank wasn’t. I was supposed to be looking for a Bank of Oklahoma, not a BankOne! So I drove all over town, looking for the wrong bank which happened to be a bank that doesn’t even exist anymore! I give up!!!

Random Pictures

There really hasn't been anything exciting going on in my life lately (never thought I would miss the raccoons). Everything else going on either isn't worth posting or shouldn't be posted, but since I felt the need to post something (plus I'm bored) I decided to post some pictures I found on my computer.

This would be my family group from camp about three years ago. I'd point everyone out, but I don't remember some of the kids names (oops). This was a pretty cool family though. I had great co-leaders. This would be the only time all year I ever get called "mom". Of course a couple of these kids I would have gladly given up for adoption! Can I just say that I am so glad that I"m no longer a teenager!

This is my friend, Rachel, dressed like an Oompa Loompa (how do you spell that) at a Halloween party Lindsy and I organized two years ago. She and Carol are counting candy. Lindsy and I had all these people and we didn't know what to do with them, so we sent them out trick-or-treating. The team with the most candy won a prize. This party was much more successsful than last years. I think after last year, we're taking a break from hosting Halloween Parties (right, Lindsy?) =o)

This is more pictures of baby Zaine. Isn't he the cutest!!! I'm still waiting to get to see him in person, so these are going to have to do till then.


This is from the Rattle Snake festival in Mangum last year. I think it's coming up here soon, and NO, I will not be attending again. That was a once in a lifetime experience. It wasn't only the snakes that scared me. ;o)

This is my last Christmas tree. I didn't get to put one up last year because I was still unpacking from my move. I'm looking forward to decorating this year!!!!

This is from our float trip a few years ago (2002 I think). I I added the caption after we got this picture back. I love float trips. =o)

And finally, one of my favorites. I feel like saying this quite often.

Insight On The Weekend

This will definately be a bitter-sweet weekend. First of all, it's April Fool's Day tomorrow, which is one of my favorite days of the year. I used to pull some great ones on my family and friends. The best was the year I called my dad and told him that my car (which I had just gotten at Christmas) had been stolen out of the mall parking lot. I was laughing so hard that my dad thought I was crying and really fell for it. He was always so easy to get (which is funny since he was the one who introduced me to April Fool's Day when he told me at age 3 or 4 to go tell my mom that I threw up on the floor and then say April Fool's. It was all down hill from there).

Anyway, I found an article on MSN today about pranks pulled on co-workers. Here is an exerpt:

If you want to commit an act of April Foolery at work and need some inspiration, here are the top 10 work gags from CareerBuilder.com's survey:

1. Changed the caller ID on a co-worker's phone to read "Mr. Kitten" every time he called someone.

2. Placed random objects from people's desks in the vending machine.

3. Placed a live goldfish in an IV bag in a clinic.

4. Snuck onto someone else's computer and sent out an "I love you" e-mail to the entire office.

5. Wall papered someone's entire cube with headshots of his co-workers.

6. Pulled the shelves out of the break room refrigerator, hid inside and jumped out at co-workers as they opened the door. (wouldn't that get cold?)

7. Sat on the copier and placed the copies back in the paper bin. Anytime co-workers made copies, they had the image of the prankster's backside in the background.

8. Turned all the clocks in the office one hour back to make the work day seem longer. (This might not be a bad idea for one of my co-workers who shows up 30 minutes to an hour late all the time anyway.)

9. Locked all the doors, shut off the lights and put a "Closed" sign in the window when the boss went out for lunch.

10. Placed fake rubber chocolates in the break room and watched as co-workers tried to chew them.

The part that makes it bitter-sweet is Time Change this weekend. I like the one in Spring because the days are longer, but I hate trying to adjust to getting up an hour earlier. I'm already exhausted, so this one is going to be even worse. I might have to go to bed at 8 p.m. Saturday night to make up for it. On the plus side, I will now be in sync with the bird who finds it necessary to start singing outside my window at 5:30 a.m.

What In The WORLD!!!

I found this article today on MSN. Pllleeeaaassseee.

Jessica Simpson May Want to Adopt Kids
Jessica Simpson has babies on the brain. The 25-year-old singer filed for divorce from Nick Lachey last December but her publicist says Simpson is looking at adoption.

"Nothing has been finalized yet" as to when and how Simpson will adopt, her publicist, Rob Shuter, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. But he added, "It is true that she's exploring options."

Shuter said Simpson and her family have anonymously contributed funds to a smattering of Mexican orphanages for several years now. The singer started visiting the orphanages with a church group at age 11.

"I want to adopt, and I plan to adopt before I have my own kids," the pop star recently told TV's "Extra."

In the interview, Simpson cited a certain high profile mother as an influence.

"I think Angelina Jolie has done amazing, amazing things, and the international adoption rate just since her has skyrocketed," she said. "It's unbelievable."

Simpson is best known for starring in the MTV reality show "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" with Lachey, who gained fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees.

Now for my commentary...
I know I have friend that will be quite upset with my opinion due to her love of Jessica Simpson, but Jess has a lot of growing up to do before she should be shaping the life of a child. I'm sorry, but my gut says this is just a novelty to her. She is a spoiled child who really isn't an adult yet, she's just playing dress up! Of course, she won't raise this child. Her parents will or if the child is lucky, a nanny will. Oh please let the adoption official look at the potential parent and not the amount of money the potential parent has. Just my opinion.

Another Day in the Life Of

Well, we got rid of the raccoon yesterday. The pest control guy came out and removed him from the attic and took him elsewhere. Our upstairs now smells like raccoon again and we’re desperately trying to get rid of the scent.

I have learned some things about raccoons through out all of this (actually becoming quite the expert). For example, unlike most animals who mark their territory to repel other animals from entering their domain (i.e. dogs), raccoons mark their territory as in to say “hey guys, the party is here!” Seems raccoons are attracted to the scent of other raccoons. Lovely! I was advised to try purchasing some coyote urine and spraying it in my attic to attempt to repel them. Melissa’s comment was the best when she said “well, just add that to shopping list…eggs, milk, bread, coyote urine.”

I have also learned that raccoons are quite the acrobats, so to Mr. Roberts who asked, “well, how did they get up there” that’s your answers! And, it seems that raccoons have a serious sweet tooth. Marshmallows are their favorite, but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches work well too (no joke!)

Based off of a website some one sent to me, this information is the most disturbing to me: “In attics and wall voids, the build-up of raccoon feces and urine can constitute health hazards to the homeowner.” All I have to say is YUCK! I’m serious…these little boogers are quickly depleting my savings. So much for a fence and new floors any time soon!

On the plus side, when I went home at lunch, it looked like the hole in the attic vent has been fixed. I don’t know about the roof since that can’t be seen from the ground. I guess we’ll see how the next few weeks go. As for the snake, I’m having mixed feelings. I don’t like that he’s up there, BUT it does keep rodents out. I never go up there anyway. Then again, with my luck, he’d die up there…on my end no doubt!

I would like to say this chapter has been brought to a close, but I seriously doubt it. I attract bad luck if you haven’t noticed. Then again thing could be worse. I could have a bear in my back yard or a hippo in my bathtub…it could happen!

Updates

We trapped a raccoon on Sunday night. I'll take pictures when the pest control company comes out today. Melissa said if it's possible, it's bigger than the last one. I hated to tell her our raccoons at camp are twice the size of the last one - so yep, it's possible. May have caught the snake too. There was a lot of comotion on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Oh, and the landlord for the other units acted like this was the first time I had told him we had raccoons and then asked me how they were getting on the roof. I assume they're climbing. =o)

I don't think I ever posted anything about this, but I've been doing brackets with both the ministers that I work with and with some camp friends. I'm tied for first in the office and tied for 3rd with the camp buds (which is okay, because I still did better than JT). I doubt I'll hold my lead though because both of the teams I had going to the championship game are out. I just think it's funny that I'm doing as well as I am because I don't really like basketball. I don't follow it at all and have no clue what I'm doing. That's probably why I do so well. I'm not trying to predict the upsets.

Cookie Recipe from Sunday

I here is the recipe for the cookies I made on Sunday. Don't ask me how they got this name. It's a long running family recipe that I changed up a bit.

Buffalo Chip Cookies

1 cup Crisco
1 cup Margarine or Butter Flavored Crisco
1 lg. & 1 sm. box Instant Vanilla Pudding
2 ½ cups packed Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tbsp Vanilla
4 cups Flour
¾ tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 bag Chocolate Chips*
1 bag Toffee Chips*
4 cups Oatmeal

*Optional ingredients that can be replaced with butterscotch chips, M&M's, peanuts, peanut butter chips, etc.

Start with a LARGE bowl.Cream together shortening, margarine, pudding and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla.In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture.Stir in remaining ingredients.Place ice cream sized scoops (for monster cookies) or a medium sized scoops (for regular sized cookies) onto ungreased cookie sheet.Bake at:
Monster Cookies: 350º for 10-14 minutes (Crispy) or 325º for 17 minutes (Chewy) – makes 30
Regular Cookies: 350º for 10-14 minutes – makes a bunch!

New Crush

I have a confession to make. Like many people, if their honest, I have had several “celebrity” crushes in my lifetime. In kindergarten, it was Donny Osmond. After that it was “Luke Duke” (aka Tom Wopat). In college, it was Jon Brennan, the cowboy on Real World Season 2 (I'm almost embarrassed to admit this). Right out college, it Bryan White (this one was serious -- I used to tell my boyfriend at the time that I was only dating him till Bryan White came to his senses). Then there was my whole Norm MacDonald stage (had to do with his guest appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire). But I have recently developed a new crush on my favorite Oklahoma City Meteorologist, Grant Johnston.

Here is my theory: if I’m going to develop a crush on someone that I have no chance with, it might as well be someone I don’t know instead of some I do know. It’s much safer this way. And the great thing about Grant is that tornado season is quickly approaching, so I’ll be seeing a lot of him, unlike the others.

Random Rambling

I got up this morning with every intention of doing a Random Rambling entry today and then saw Lindsy did one earlier this week. At first I almost refrained because I didn’t want to look like I stole her idea, but then, we do that all the time, so why not again today. It’s not really stealing if you accidentally had the same idea, just a few days later.

Auto Tinting
Yesterday I was having lunch with my friend Jenn & her daughter, Kayla, at Mazzio’s. Across the street is business called “Don Evans Legal Auto Tinting.” Is he implying that everyone else does illegal auto tinting? And what makes auto tinting legal or illegal? Just seems like a random name for a business. Maybe there is a plain ‘ol “Don Evans Auto Tinting” out there and he’s trying to distinguish himself by throwing “legal” in there. Hmmm…

Star Wars
I have been told that I have made it one step closer to coolness because this weekend I finally rented Star Wars Episode III. For those who don’t know, I have never watched the original Star Wars movies. Deprived childhood? Maybe. Some guys I used to know in High School almost couldn’t stand it that I had NEVER seen them. My cousins has the action figures, so I was semi-familiar. Anyway, when they started coming out with Episodes I-III, I decided to just wait and watch them in that order. So, last spring I watched Episodes I & II before III hit the theaters. But when I realized that I had to watch it with subtitles to understand what was going on, I waited to watch III till it came out on video. I’m told I am now due for a Star Wars Trilogy marathon sometime soon. I was also informed Tuesday night that I need to re-watch Space Balls because there is no way I could have truly appreciated it.

Sleep Deprived
Ever since I was informed I have a snake in my attic, I have not been sleeping well. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if it’s just mental, but I have weird dreams that all take place in my bedroom, so wake up several times during the night, freaked out until I realize that it was just a dream. This is not good because there are four stages of Stacey Sleep Deprivation: Stage 1 is when I’m just tired and dragging. Stage 2 is when I get cranky with a capital “C”. Stage 3 is when I get loopy…really really loopy. This can be a fun stage for some because I’m likely to do or say anything. Stage 4 is when I just can’t function any longer. I’ve been known to forget my own name at this stage. Right now, I’m somewhere between stages 1 & 2. Hopefully I will get to sleep in on Saturday to avoid a full fledged stage 2 explosion.

Trace Adkins
I have to make a little confession. My alter-ego is a serious Trace Adkins fan. Actually I think my alter-ego is a little bit of a redneck. But no joke, some of my favorite songs are “Chrome”, “Hot Momma”, and “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”. I caught the tail end of a CMT Hottest Men in Country Music episode last night and I don’t know if he made the list, but I’d be very disappointed if he didn’t. I was disappointed that Kenny Chesney made the top five. I guess he’s supposed to be the most eligible bachelor in Nashville, but honestly I think he is anything BUT sexy. Especially when he wears a hat because the lower half of his face reminds me of my uncle Garry in his younger days and that just creeps me out. Kenny Chesney just makes my skin crawl. BTW, Keith Urban was number one. Good choice!

Give Me My 70’s
Lindsy made reference to the weird weather we’re having. I’m HATING how cold it is right now. You can’t give a girl 70’s & 80’s all winter long and then expect her to be happy about 30’s & 40’s the end of March. Oklahoma had it’s chance for winter and it missed it. Sorry Charlie, you can’t have it both ways. Give me my spring weather back – especially now that it’s spring!

Todd Agnew
There is a song that KLOVE plays a lot by Todd Agnew called “My Jesus” and to be honest with you, I hate that song. I feel some what bad saying that about a Christian song, but it is poorly written in my opinion. The meaning to the song is great, but the arrangement is awful. It sounds like it was written by an amateur. If I’m in my car, I’ll change the station. But the people at KLOVE seem to really like it because I hear it A LOT! He needs to come out with something new so they’ll stop playing that one.

Locks of Love
A co-worker and I were talking about our hair today and she mentioned she was growing her hair out for Locks of Love. That was my intention when I started growing it out this last time, but I got frustrated with it recently and had almost 4 inches cut off. But now knowing I have a support system (someone to keep me from cutting off too much), I might have to give it another shot. I’m probably going to have to find someone cheaper to cut my hair though since I’ll just be getting it trimmed. We’ll see.

Relay for Life
Can't post today without making another plug for Relay for Life. This is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. The money goes to a great cause. If everyone would donate $1 for every person they have ever known that has been affected by cancer, what a difference that would make. No donation is too small!!! And if you live in the Edmond/OKC area, think about starting or joining a team. I have room for 254 campsites. How awesome would it be to actually have that many teams?!? YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Okay, I’m done. Time to go home and go to the grocery store!

Welcome Baby Zaine

"Baby Austin" is now officially Zaine (no middle name as of 7 p.m. last night) Powers. Mom and baby are doing great and "Aunt Stacey" is very anxious to see him.

Here is the funny story. Tonna went into labor at 9:30 yesterday morning, but didn't know she was in labor till it got painful, so they finally arrived at the hospital at 1 p.m. yesterday. Forty minutes later, Zaine made his way into this world. Only one day past his due date and a very quick labor. That little boy wasn't going to waste any time getting here.

Can't wait to post pictures!!!


UPDATE:

Introducing...











Zaine Michael Powers
8lbs 2oz, 21 3/4in

I'm So Excited!!!!

I'm about to be an aunt (well, sort of - closest I'm ever going to come it appears). They just admitted Tonna into the hospital to have "Baby Austin" (too bad their last name is Powers, I'm becoming quite attached to the name Austin). Cell phone is now attached to my hip till he comes!

Wild Kingdom

The following account is true. No names have been changed to protect the innocent. No details have been exaggerated for dramatic effect.

If you have kept up with my blog at all, you know that a few months ago I bought a townhouse that has been an interesting experience to say the least. I really do like my place. It’s a work in progress, but I like the layout and I like the location. I even like the fact that it backs up to a greenbelt. I love the trees and I love being able to look out my back window and not see a busy street. Having this greenbelt has though been the source of some of the excitement around my house.

It all started with the raccoon (a.k.a. the non-rent paying resident). To recap, I trapped on in January, and then a few weeks ago, heard another one, so I set another trap. I have yet to catch the second one, but I also hadn’t heard him lately. I wasn’t sure how they were getting in and I’m too afraid to enter my attic (for good reason as you will soon learn), so my sweet, kind, loving, younger brother came down with my mom on Friday to investigate and resolve the situation.

I had to work for a little while on Friday morning, so when my mom and brother got here, I gave them a key to my house and planned to meet them there later. There was a lot of chaos in our office Friday morning, and at one point, I was on the phone, my cell phone was ringing, my direct line was ringing and someone was trying to transfer a call to me. Before I could check messages on both phones, my direct line rings again…it was my brother. Here is our conversation:

Brad: Hey, it’s your brother. I need to ask you a quick question.
Me: Can I call you right back. I’m in the middle of something.
Brad: Well, just really quick. I need to know who you want me to call – Edmond or Oklahoma City Animal Control, or do you want to call someone else?
Me: Why? What did you find?
Brad: You have a creature in our attic.
Me: A creature? What kind of a creature?
Brad: A snake. A very large snake. About 10 feet I think.

The rest of the conversation pretty much consisted of me saying “uh-uh” and “no way!”

It seems that when my brother went up into my attic to investigate, he looked over at my heater vent and there was a very large snake wrapped around it. Probably a bull snake. Brad then decided to see if it’s still alive and tosses something at it. That’s when it raised it’s head up…yep, he was alive. Story has it Brad quickly exited the attic. My brother and I may not have a lot in common, but we both HATE snakes. But he’s braver than me. After calling me, he went back up there to figure out where it got in at. He discovered a large hole in my attic right above my furnace closet (also right where the snake was originally). He was trying to figure out where this hole lead, so my mom was opening doors till they found it. When she closed the door to the furnace, the grate below rattled and squirrel that was hiding in a yet to be found hole, came running out at my brother. I’m so sad I wasn’t there with a video camera, but I guess he was out of the attic, down the stairs and out the front door in nothing flat.

Meanwhile, I called a pest control company to come out and resolve the issue. They didn’t find the snake, or the squirrel, but find out where they are getting in at. Seems the unit two doors down from me has a significant hole in the roof and the wire mesh is loose on one of the roof vents. I called their landlord and he told me he would stop by on Friday – which he never did. I really hope he gets it fixed soon, because until he does, I’m going to keep having to pay someone to come out and put down traps and at $50 a trip, that’s going to get expensive. Right now, I’m trying to take up a collection so I can pay them to come remove the snake when we catch it. My skin crawls just thinking about it. We need to peek up there to see if we’ve caught anything yet, but Melissa and I are both too freaked out knowing a snake is up there and not knowing where that snake might be when we open the hatch.

If you haven’t noticed, the squirrel and the raccoon are the least of my concerns now.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, I’m having another wild life issue. I also have a bird outside my window that likes to start singing around 5:30 or 6:00 every morning. I like birds, but couldn’t he at least wait till 6:30 when I need to get up? If you’ve seen the movie Failure to Launch, you know which character I can relate to right now.

So, if anyone if feeling adventurous, come on over! I’m sure this will not be my last post on wild life. My book definitely has a new chapter. I just need to get writing.

Highlights from Tuesday

First and foremost (and I’m not ashamed to admit this), last night was the start of Season 4 of Nashville Star. Really the only reality show I have consistently followed. I was sooo excited!!! There really was only one contestant that I really wasn’t fond of (Jewels Hanson), but they got rid of her last night. She looked so stunned…almost “how dare you all give me the boot.” It was almost like no one had ever told her that she really isn’t as talented as she thought she was. She was the only one that all the judges basically said they weren’t impressed with her performance. Honestly, she looks like the type that if she got a recording contract, it would go to her head, she’d drink more that I assume she already does, and end up in rehab before she even had a chance to really make it big. Chick, they did you a favor – trust me! As for the others, they all sounded pretty decent, but nothing so far that really makes any of them stand out in a crowd. They need to work on that if they don’t want to be like the past two contestants who win this recording contract and you still hear nothing out of them on the radio. It’s like they get their 15 minutes of fame and then nothing. Buddy Jewel is about they only one you still hear any thing out of and his career probably isn’t as big as he hoped it would be. Four years later and he’s still the open act or doing state fairs. See, I told you I got into this! Oh, and one more side note - I love Phil Vasser & Anastasia Brown! Phil is just super nice (he can't say anything mean to ANY of the contestants, no matter what), plus he's fun to watch in concert. And Anastasia has the greatest hair ever!!!

Second, we got a new color copier at work yesterday. It’s much nicer than the one we had. It actually prints things the color they’re supposed to be. AND it duplexes, so when I need to print a brochure, I don’t have to run side one then flip it over and run side two. Woo Hoo!

I also made the day of what looked like a fourteen-year-old from some Baptist church. I was leaving Sonic and I looked up and some guy was waving at me out of the front passenger van window. At first I thought it was someone from church, so I waved back, till I realized that wasn’t one of our vans, and I didn’t know this kid. He got all excited and turned around to his buddies – only to say (I assume), “dude, she waved!” Yeah, I’ve always had a way with 13 & 14-year-old boys. Ones my age are another story. =o)

That’s all for Tuesday. We’ll see what happens today!

Laugh of the Day

I work for a church, right? Our Monday receptionist is sitting at the front desk reading a Danielle Steele book! Good thing it's a slow day!

Another Quiz

I just took this on Tams site. I'm not sure about the accurateness of this quiz, but I think it's very funny THIS is who I'm most like.

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

And here is my classic movie. Oh, BROTHER!!! I've never even seen this movie!

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Another Weird Dream

It’s not unusual for me to have weird dreams, but I had one last night that might not fall into the category of my weirdest dream ever, but it definitely has me wondering what that was supposed to mean.

I don’t remember much about the beginning of the dream other than I was driving down a street that they were doing some work on. I was going to church. On my way back, when I came to the main road that I needed to turn on, it has been completely torn up and it was very muddy. I was wanted to turn, but in the middle of the side of the road I needed to be on was a HUGE mud hole that there was no way I could drive through. What really frustrated me was that the opposite lane had two lanes of cars and as much as I wanted to try to head in the direction I needed to go in one of those lanes, the cars wouldn’t move into one lane so that cars needing to go in the other direction could use the other lane.

I ended up crossing the road and trying to get where I needed to go by taking a little back road (more of a path than a road), but eventually I ended up at some little cottage because I couldn’t drive any farther. When I got out of the car, I thought I would try to walk the rest of the way, but if I tried stepping off the sidewalk onto the grass, my foot would seep back into the mud because the grass was so wet. There was some other stuff going on at the cottage involving other people, but I don’t remember specifics. I just remember really trying to get to where I needed to go and not being able to get there and feeling frustrated.

I looked some of it up on DreamMoods.com. According to them, to see mud in your dream, suggests that you are involved in a messy and sticky situation. It also suggests that some internal cleansing is needed. To dream that you are walking in mud, suggests that you are feeling weighed down by a situation, problem, or relationship. I could see that right now.

To see a road in your dream indicates your sense of direction and pursuit of your goals. To see a winding, curvy, or bumpy road in your dream, suggests that you will experience many obstacles and setbacks in achieving your goals. You may be met with unexpected difficulties. If the road is dark, then it reflects the darker or more frightening choices which you have made or are making. Didn’t need to hear that.

To see a street in your dream, symbolizes your life's path. The condition of the street reflects how much control you have over the direction of your life. Obviously no control!

To dream that you are driving a car denotes your ambition, your drive and your ability to navigate from one stage of your life to another. Consider how smooth or rough the car ride is. Whether you are driving the car or a passenger, is indicative of your active role or passive role in your life. Well, at least I was driving.

To see a cottage in your dream represents comfort, peace and serenity. You prefer a life of simplicity. The cottage may represent an altered sense of reality and thus may be a means of escaping the responsibilities and problems that may be associated with your home. You need to approach life's difficulties one at a time. Seems contradictory to the rest of the dream don’t you think?

Why can’t I dream about a canoe, candy, a canary or something more encouraging???

Here is another interesting fact about my dreams in general (this one included). If I dream about being in a town, the town always resembles Anthony, Kansas where I was born and spent my childhood. Also, my whole life, it is always dark in my dreams – even if it’s supposed to be daytime, the sky is always dark. I know this is supposed to have a negative connotation to it, but it never bothers me. It’s not like its dark and I can’t see where I’m going, it’s just that the sun isn’t shining.

Your #1 Song

Okay, here is what you do:
Click here to find out what the #1 song was the day you were born (or any other significant day of your life). The day I was born, "You're Sixteen" by Ringo Starr was the #1 song. What's your's?

It’s Baaaccckkk!

Oh yes, my non-rent paying resident moved back in on Saturday. Is it the exact same one? Don’t know – kind of doubt it, but it does like the same part of the attic…right above my bed. I already wasn’t sleeping well on Friday night/Saturday, but at 5:10 a.m. when I am awoken by something walking overhead and the sound of plaster cracking, and going back to sleep was not an option.

At first I was mad that I was awake, then I was mad that it had come back, then I was freaked out that it might fall through the ceiling and I would not only have a big hole in my ceiling that I would have to have repaired, but that I would also have a raccoon loose in my room and well…you can picture the drama that would be taking place. At about 6:00 a.m., I finally yelled out “GET OUT OF MY ATTIC!” Not that it did any good, but I at least was able to vent my frustration without the fear of waking my roommate (she was out of town).

So yesterday we (i.e. Melissa) ventured back into her closet and opened the crawl space and once again set the trap for our “friend”. I didn’t hear him (I hope it’s a him, I don’t want babies up there), but I also didn’t hear anything in the trap when I left for work, so I think it decided to stay outside last night instead of coming in. GOOD!

Honestly, it’s my own fault. I should have figured out where it is coming in by now, but I’m just so freaked out by my attic, that I have not been able to bring myself to go get a ladder and climb up there and check it out. And now knowing that it is probably sleeping up there during the day really doesn’t encourage me to want to check it out. I guarantee you that if I came face to face with ANYTHING up there, it would not be pretty. I’d probably fall through the ceiling trying to get out of there. I did look out Melissa’s window to see if it was getting in the vent there, but even though it looks like something had bent the mesh, it doesn’t look loose – which probably means that it is getting in at my neighbor’s and I didn’t think it would go over all that well if he looked out the window and saw me standing there. Can you see the headlines now “Church Secretary Arrested on Peeping Tom Charge!”

So, if anyone out there wants to venture up into my attic and find the point of entry and fix it for me, there would at the very least be cookies in it for you, and maybe even dinner if that’s what it takes!!!!

Stuff Like This Never Happens to Me

Stuff like this never happens to me. Look at the email I got from my friend Jenn...

Hey, I have a cool story to tell ya...remember a few weeks ago I was telling you how I wanted to go to the Coldplay concert? Well, yesterday after school I took Kayla to the zoo and on the way there, happened to switch from the cd I'd been listening to to the radio and heard them say they were going to be at an undisclosed location later passing out 98 boxes of girl scout cookies...1 of which had 2 front row tickets to Coldplay in it. I thought, that's cool, I might even go by just for the cookies if they were on my way! So, we got to the zoo and forgot all about it. We got back in the car to come home and they were live from Edmond Kia on Broadway Ext. with about 40 boxes of cookies left. So, I decided since that was actually on our way, if they were still up for grabs when we got to that area, we'd run by. So, we did and there were about 10 boxes left. Kayla picked the only orange box left on the table-DoSiDohs. And guess what was inside...that's right, I've never been to a concert in my life but I will be front and center for Coldplay. I was so excited, everyone was screaming and I was trying not to cry and look stupid!!! Then they took our picture for the website and put me on the radio which was weird because they were broadcasting live so I could hear myself on the huge speakers at the dealership with about a 10 second delay. It was crazy and Kayla was a little freaked out but apparently she's got a lucky gene...we're planning a trip to Vegas in the near future!!!

SEE!!!

See, the first line proves that I need the article for clueless women!

Men See You As Choosy

Men notice you light years before you notice them You take a selective approach to dating, and you can afford to be picky You aren't looking for a quick flirt - but a memorable encounter It may take men a while to ask you out, but it's worth the wait

How Do Men See You?

For All My Male Readers

I found this today on MSN and thought it would be a good post for all of my male readers out there (all 3 of you). My next question is...when are is someone going to write an article for clueless girls. I think I need that one.

Does she want to date you?
By Alan Goldsher

Guys can be kinda dumb.

I’m not talking kinda dumb in a low-IQ kind of way—remember Ken “Mr. Jeopardy” Jennings? Last time we checked, he was a guy—and clearly not unintelligent. But in terms of figuring out how to comprehend a woman’s feelings about us when we’re trying to make the leap from “friends” to “friends who kiss,” forget about it. This is especially true for guys who’ve been burned in the past (and who hasn’t been?) who are wary about rejection. Maybe we’re not totally illiterate, but we often have a difficult time reading signals. So here, a few signs she’s interested—consider them your green light to get closer.

The “let’s laugh” signal
Distinctly not-dumb guy David Wygant, author of Always Talk To Strangers, is an excellent signal-reader. “If she makes you feel like a stand-up comedian, even though you’re not that funny, she wants to take it to the next level,” says Wygant. Similarly, Rosemarie of White Plains, New York, shares, “If I’m interested in a guy, I kind of tease him—I try to get a funny, bantering chat going. It shows that I’m interested in playing a bit of a cat-and-mouse game, you know? I’ll say something like, ‘I think you’re just making that up,’ or ‘Honestly now, has that line worked?’ but I say it with a big smile and eye contact so he knows I’m just joking.”

The tell-tale time sign
If you are friends with a woman and sometimes wonder if there might be more there, take heed of when she wants to hang out with you. If she wants to meet you for a quick workday lunch, chances are she doesn’t fancy you in the way you might hope. But if she asks you to meet her for a drink in the evening or to see a movie with her on a Saturday at 8 P.M., she may be casting you in more of a boyfriend role. Says Shelly of San Diego: “I work with a lot of guys and admit to getting crushes on coworkers from time to time. I’ll chat them up about new movies I want to see, and if one I’m interested in asks me out, I do what I can to make it at night on a weekend. That makes it so easy to grab a drink or food afterward and get to know each other on a more personal level.”

The body language clues
OK, so the odds of a woman reaching out to hold your hand while you’re flirting with her are slim to none. So how does she use her body to show you she’s interested? Jess from New York believes a woman’s gestures will send you the message. “Her body language will give her away—if a woman leans in toward a guy while he’s talking, mimics his body language, and maybe sneaks in a subtle touch here or there, these are pretty good signs that she’s into him. Obviously, he should get her phone number and actually call.”

And how does a guy know if a woman isn’t interested? “If she is looking around the room while he’s talking to her and crossing her arms across her chest,” says Jess, “she’s probably not that interested. Also, if she tells the guy that he would be perfect for her sister or she suddenly brings up the fact that she’s been talking to her ex-boyfriend, there’s probably not a spark there.” The guy should just move on to a woman who is worth his time or possibly take the uninterested woman up on her sister offer.

The look of “I like you”
A guy should also know what kind of eye contact is waving him in. Direct eye contact that lasts more than a couple of seconds is a sign of interest, say the experts. And if a woman looks from your eyes to your mouth, well, things are in very, very good shape. “I don’t know if it’s conscious or not, but when I like a guy, I find my gaze wanders from his eyes to his mouth,” says Moira of St. Louis. “It’s definitely a seduction move; it lets him know that I’m thinking about what it would be like to kiss him.” Gentleman, if you’re getting that signal, this is another time you want to go ahead and get that phone number.

Taking the next step
Once we men realize she “likes us, likes us,” our minds are oftentimes so blown that we have no idea how to proceed. Fortunately, Wygant does: “Once she gives you the hints, you need to close the deal. Ask her to talk to you away from her friends or call her up on the phone and say, ‘You know what? I want to take you out for a nice dinner—just the two of us.’”

What if the object of your affection is a woman you’ve known as a pal for a while? Over dinner, you have the talk, advises Wygant. “You say, ‘I’d really like to become more than friends. I’d like to start dating you. What do you think of that?’ At this point, she’s given you every single sign that this is the conversation she’s been dreaming about, and of course the answer is going to be yes.”

So it all really boils down to a two-pronged plan: Pay attention and take a chance. If you focus your energy on the woman in question rather than on yourself or your surroundings (which is what you should be doing anyway), you’ll pick up more than you ever thought you could have. And if you disregard the very obvious signs — the laughing, the touching, the eye contact — and you don’t go for it, well then, then you are kinda dumb.

Weekend Rundown

Friday
Spent the evening with Jamie, Elaina, and Melissa playing poker at Jamie’s. First of all, we didn’t play for money. I’m too bad at it to risk losing money I don’t have. I hadn’t played poker in a VERY long time, and really have only played a few times in my life as it is. The girls decided that I don’t have a very good poker face because I kept saying “dude!” every time I didn’t like the hand I had. Also determined that I can’t do color math. I would get so confused when I would try to figure out how to “make change”. I couldn’t figure out green minus blue equaled. I am a little better at Texas Hold’em, but still not great. It was actually a fun evening, despite the fact that my car was covered in ice by time Melissa and I left and the scraper wasn’t cutting it. That ice was just a preview of the weekend to come. Friday night was also the last time I left my house (other than running out to the mailbox on Saturday) till today.

Saturday
I got up and started taping the kitchen and moving furniture so that I could start painting. That took a lot of motivation. I wanted to get it painted, but it was cold and dreary outside so I was tempted to just stay in bed. But I didn’t let myself slack off and I started painting. The first coat looked like a smurf blew up in my kitchen. I did manage to get very little in places it wasn’t supposed to be (unlike the kitchen cabinet experience). Since I needed to wait 4 hours before I put on a second coat, I only got one coat put on – but that’s okay, I felt like I had accomplished something. Also had one of those reminders that God even answers our silly little prayers, which was good was a good boost of faith because I’ve got some biggies I’ve been praying and the answering of this small request was a reminder that He is faithful and He will answer the others too. Maybe not exactly the way that I would like (like this weekend), but the way that is best.

Saturday night, Andrew, Gregorio and Randy came over and the five of us played games. The boys (well Randy) kicked our butts in Tribond, but we had a come back in Oodles of Doodles. We then decided to play Uno, but we were trying to remember what cards were worth what. My comment was “I’ve never scored playing Uno”. I really need to think before I speak. After getting tired of Uno, we decided to move on to Uno Attack. I have not laughed that hard since the day I spent cracking myself up.

Sunday
Got up and got ready for church. As I was getting ready, I heard on the news that it was sleeting really bad outside, but so far, no mention of services being cancelled. I was having a serious debate about whether or not to go. I’m so pathetic, but my biggest concern about going was that by time I came out, my car would be covered in ice again and I really didn’t want to scrape it. I’ve decided this is another reason why I need a husband – to scrape the car when it’s covered with snow and ice (the other reason is to do all the handy work around my house I’m too afraid to attempt myself). Anyway, I checked the news one last time before I left and found out services had been cancelled. So I put on comfortable clothes and did something I rarely do…made breakfast.

Since I was trapped in the house for the rest of the day (my driveway is really steep, so I wasn’t about to attempt to leave), I decided to put on a second coat of paint. This turned out to not be as productive as I had hoped. 1) I needed trim brushes and a smaller roller to get in some tight places; 2) the rollers I bought were for medium texture and I really probably needed rough texture because it was taking more coats to get a solid coverage; 3) the color didn’t turn out the right shade of blue. I don’t hate the color, but it doesn’t match my pottery. It turned out to be more of a navy than a dark cobalt blue. I knew the colors weren’t going to be exact, but Jenny and I thought they would at least compliment each other. Turns out they don’t. I’m already going to have to go buy more paint, but my dilemma is, do I try once again to match the color or do I choose a color other than blue and start over. Of course if I do that, I will have to Kilz the wall first. I just can’t win! What’s worse is I kept waking up during the night wondering “what do I do about the color in the kitchen?”

So, I finished painting and decided to crash on the couch and find a good movie. Don’t know how many good movies I found, but plenty that made me cry. I had such a headache by time I went to bed. As I’m lying there wishing my headache would go away, I start to think about things needed to be done first thing this morning – especially since our office wasn’t opening till noon. One of them being calling and postponing the pick up order for our copier since it died and it has to go to the copier hospital. Side note: I could really get used to going to work at noon. I got up, read my bible, took a shower, ate lunch, did some things around the house. Did not feel rushed like I normally do. It was GREAT!

It has been a fairly relaxed day – which I really needed. This week has the potential of being one of the most stressful weeks I’ve had in a really long time. I might post why later, but it seems premature to say anything at this point.

But that has been my weekend. I’m ready for it to warm up. I guess I kind of got my snow day, but I would have much rather it been on a weekday.

A Work In Progress

I'm posting this in hopes that I won't talk myself out of doing it -- especially after all the work drama this has created (they wanted me to work on Saturday which is a long story and I really didn't want to because I had already sat this weekend aside).

Anywho, I should have taken a very beginning BEFORE picture, but this is my current project, a.k.a. the kitchen. The cabinets used to be a dark brown They were pretty beat up, so I decided painting them would be easier that sanding and staining. So far I think I was right, but "easy" isn't the best descriptive word here. I never dreamed it would take as much work as it did. I started painting them Thanksgiving Day. I finally finished after New Years (I think - around then). I have also painted the mantle/bookcase in the living room and some of the trim in the kitchen (you can't see the blue tape, but it's still there.)

So now, my plan for the weekend is to FINALLY paint the kitchen walls. It won't look like the same place when I'm done, I promise you! I'm excited about finally having some color in my house. What I'm not excited about is taping, taking down the blinds and moving the pie safe (that's the big brown thing). It would be very tempting to not tape or take down the blinds, but if I learned one thing from painting the cabinets, the clean up if you don't is a lot harder and takes a lot longer than the preventative measures.

It will be so nice to actually be able to use all of my counter tops! It will however be a while before this room can be classified as "finished". Seems that painting over my hardware didn't work as well as I planned, so I will have to replace the hinges afterall! And I will be painting the doors as well, but I wanted to wait till spring when I could take them outside. Oh well. So, if all goes well, this is the BEFORE picture and I'll have AFTER pictures soon!

Rasp or Raz?

Okay, I was looking at my profile (just because) and the question posted at the end (that I have never answered) is "Why does the color blue mean raspberry-flavored?" You know, this is a good question and here is my answer: Because blueberry flavored isn't that popular and every shade of red and pink were already spoken for by strawberry, cherry and watermelon, so like me, raspberry got the short end of the stick and got blue by default! But here is another question I'm now wondering -- why is it spelled raspberry. I have always pronounced it razberry. I have never heard anyone pronounce it with a "p".

Here is another question -- is it "hayride" or "hay rack ride"? I bet I can tell where you're from by your answer!

Moron Alert!

Went to Taco Bueno today to pick up lunch for me and a co-worker. I was sitting in the drive thru when my car started to smell like cigarette smoke. My car was pulling in the outside air and the guy in front of me was smoking and the smoke from his cigarette was filling my car. But this was not the totally moranic part. I'm watching him and all of a sudden it dawns on me that our state in under a burn ban, it's windy today, so we're under an extreme fire danger warning and this brain child is flicking his ashes out the window with a HUGE grassy field not 50 feet away!

I'm already in a mood because it looks like I'm going to have to work on Saturday, so I was so tempted to go impart wisdom on this man. But obviously he's an idiot and I'm sure nothing I would say would have done any good.

Memorable Valentine’s

I’m not exactly the biggest fan of this holiday. Never have been. I don’t hate it, just indifferent more than anything. Trying to run errands the last 2 days has made me REALLY not fond of this holiday though. I mean, seriously people. They’ve been running Valentine’s ads on TV since Christmas! It’s not like this holiday snuck up on you!

Well, I could go on for days, but all of this Valentine’s stuff has gotten me to thinking about my most memorable Valentine’s Days. In third grade, there was this boy in my class named Brent Bogdanovecz. We’d gone to school together since pre-school, but one day (for a brief moment) I decided that maybe I liked him. My big mistake was telling my best friend who told our gym teacher who shared that info with our whole class. I was trying to cover my bases, so I told everyone it wasn’t Brent, it was Blint. Not too good at covering my bases in the third grade obviously. Well, I thought the whole thing has passed till Valentine’s Day when he signed my Valentine “From Blint”. Yeah, I was busted.

My sophomore year in college, I was on a serious anti-Valentine’s kick and on the calendar in our dorm room put a big heart with a slash through it on February 14 and wrote “death to anyone who gets roses.” Well, one night shortly before Valentine’s Day, I answered my friend Melissa’s phone and got into a conversation about the whole thing with her friend Jeff. He asked me what I would do if someone sent me roses and I told him I would cut all the buds off. On Valentine’s Day, I get a delivery at the receptionist desk. Someone had sent me a dozen long stems, no buds, in a vase with baby’s breath. The card attached had a calendar drawn on it to match my own calendar – but no name. I knew it had to be Jeff, but I wasn’t sure. I thought it was the funniest thing anyone had ever done for me (still my best Valentine’s Day ever). He called me that night to find out if I was mad (which of course I wasn’t), and gave me the scoop. Seem he had gone to get roses for his girlfriend and the florist was making corsages, and he asked her what she was going to do with the stems. When he told her what he was going to do, she felt bad for me and threw in the vase, greenery and baby’s breath. His roommates and co-workers thought he was the biggest jerk, which then made him reconsider what he had done, which is why he called. But I seriously thought it was so funny!!!!

I guess last year deserves honorable mention. Even though it was really awkward time and I really just wanted to get the whole holiday over with, it was the first time I had actually gotten flowers (buds intact) for Valentine’s Day from anyone other than my parents.

All the rest of them were pretty much like any other day (even when I’ve had boyfriends). I seem to attract practical men, not romantics. Oh, and then there was the year I had the chicken pox. That was memorable!!!

This year, Valentine’s is being spent hosting Bible study at my house and frankly, I’m not too upset about that fact. Tomorrow, it will again just be another day.

Oh No!!!

I was driving up Bryant earlier today (which is the street I live off of) and what did I see on the side of the road? A dead raccoon!! I don't know if it was my raccoon trying to make it's way back to my attic (which I still don't know how it got in because I'm too scared climb up there), or one of his relatives.

BUT I want the record to show that he was already dead when I drove by. I will not be held responsible for it's untimely demise. I'm not a raccoon hater or killer, I just didn't want it living in my attic!

I Want To Be a Bought Cow

Last night I was at Chili’s with a group of friends and we were having a very “deep” conversation. One Jason was handing out dating advice to the ladies at the table. His insights were humorous and fearfully accurate I hate to say.

All of this lead to “analyzing” the a relationship of one of the girls at the table. We were giving her a hard time about not making this male in her life step up to the plate. I then jokingly added “why by the cow when you can get the milk for free.” That’s when this girl (who will remain nameless) announced, “I want to be a bought cow!”

Of course we all bust out in laughter, but it has really stuck with me. I want to be a bought cow too! I know the phrase that sparked this comment was meant to refer to “putting out”, but I think the meaning could go deeper than that.

I am guilty of making things too easy on the guys I date. I don’t express my feelings, instead I just make myself overly flexible -- almost a doormat in a sense. Too often I tend go out of my way to try to meet their needs, but don’t usually get my needs met in return. And even worse, instead of saying “hey, I need more than this from you” I just smile and nod and pretend that everything is fine because I don’t want to be one of those whiney, demanding girlfriends.

In doing this I’m almost saying “I’m giving milk (i.e. their needs) away for free.” And you know what – I’m tired of that. I’m tired of being someone’s sounding board when they need one, but getting nothing back in return. I’m really not trying to sound like the world should revolve around me. I LOVE to be generous with the people I care about. I love for them to feel like they can talk to me and that I’m there for them, but it gets tiring when you’re not getting any of it reciprocated. I believe that relationships aren’t always 50/50. Often their 80/20 and I’m okay with that as long as I’m not always the 20.

So I guess what I’m getting at is that I agree. I want to be a “bought cow!” I don’t want to be a free milk giver! Well, that is unless their intention is to butcher me. Then I’ll pass on the whole thing!

I'm Still Cracking Myself Up!!!

I don’t know what got in to me today, but I am seriously making myself laugh. My ribs hurt. I keep sitting in my office, just laughing – out loud. Sometimes there is no immediate reason (I am usually still laughing at something I did 30 minutes before) and sometimes it's because of the following email exchange. It all started with my previous post. I told Suzy and Susan to check out my team page before I posted it on my blog and this is what followed:

Stacey: “Okay, I’ve been busy and am just now getting around to actually setting up my team page. Check out my picture! I crack myself up!”

Susan: “Well, Suzy if this doesn't make your day then I don't know what will!!! That is the best thing I've seen ever!!! Who wouldn't want to donate to that beautiful picture!! Now all you have to do is send out those emails!! It really just takes a minute or two!!!”

Suzy: “That is awesome! Really you kind of look like her anyway. I would kill for that waist!!!!!”

Stacey: “I’d kill for her boobs!”

Susan: “Oh my!!! You two have to stop!! That is the funniest thing I've heard in a while!!!”

Suzy: “I just had a thought. Susan we should try and do what Stacey did on our main team page. Get Andrew to be Rhett and Stacey can be Scarlett and we can use other people in the movie as well.”

Susan: “That would be awesome! I really don't know how to do that...if only we had someone with that talent and access to our church directory pictures... Hm.... Think Susan!!”

Stacey: “Hey, if I had pictures, I could probably do it. It would be a crack up!!!!”

Suzy: “I was also thinking that Andrew actually looks more like Ashley Wilkes and not Rhett Butler. Brett could be our Rhett could he not Susan.....get it Brett/Rhett. Come on it was a little funny.”

Stacey: “Oh, brother!”

Susan: “I think it should be Stacey that sticks to the jokes today! No offense of course!!”

Suzy: “Ouch. I'm funny. Dad gum it and people like me. Susan you knew I was fragile today and yet you still felt it necessary to hurt me like that. Like putting the "no offense" disclaimer was going to help.”

Susan: “I only did the ‘no offense’ b/c you did earlier! I know you're funny. That joke earlier was just a little stretch! You are one of the funniest people I know!!!”

Stacey: er

Suzy: “Someone seriously give this girl something to do. I can't see through my laughing tears! Stinking hilarious!!!!!”

Stacey: “I’m so making myself laugh today! My ribs hurt!!!!!”

Susan: “I don't know if I can believe you anymore when you say you're always swamped at work. I know this might be a rare occasion but still!”

Stacey: “It is a rare occasion!!! I’ve been spending all day (besides this) getting caught up. You should see my desk! You can almost SEE my desk!”

From there it went into a discussion about the state of our desks. If laughing is good exercise, I definitely lost a couple of pounds!

I Crack Myself Up!

Okay, this is SORT of a shameless plug for the Edmond Relay for Life, but more than that -- it's showing off my wonderful photoshop skills. Check out my personal page on our team site. I make myself laugh. I was going to use this picture, but the resolution was too low and it didn't look good on the page. I still think it's funny. This alone should make you want to donate to the American Cancer Society! And for those of you who don't know who on the team to donate to, you can donate to the team in general. It's all for the greater good! ;o)

My Dad

Yesterday would have been my dad’s 66th birthday. It’s still so strange to think that he’s been gone for five years now and that it’s been seven since his accident. In some ways it seems like it was a lifetime ago. In others it seems like just yesterday.

I was definitely a daddy’s girl when I was little and I definitely had him wrapped around my little finger. I was fortunate to get to spend a lot of time with my dad when I was little. He and his twin brother owned an International Harvester dealership when we lived in Anthony and my dad would occasionally take us to work with him (never both at the same time though – which was smart on his part). He also used to take us on service calls with him when we weren’t in school. I think I spent more time playing on farm equipment than on playground equipment growing up.

My dad had a great sense of humor and very ornery (yes, for those of you that know that side of me, that’s where I got it). He also was a great story teller. I guess that explains a lot too. I loved for my dad to tell us stories about when he was growing up. He was also a funeral director and that definitely gave him some good story telling material. He was also had a great voice. He & his twin brother actually decided into the funeral business (yes, they did everything together) after singing at a funeral. My sister probably inherited his vocal talent because my brother and I didn’t.

Even though I was really close to my dad when I was little, our relationship was really strained during my teen and early adult years. Some of that was due health problems that affected his personality, some of it was due to the fact that he had this need to be depended on and unfortunately he had a very independent daughter, and some was due to the fact we both pretty stubborn. It really bothered him that I could take care of myself. He wanted his little girl to find someone to take car of her and get married. Oh, heavens, he’d be a total wreck now if he knew his little girl STILL wasn’t married.

Although he drove us NUTS the last 13 years of his life, I also know that it was because he loved us – sometimes too much. And despite it all, I miss my dad. There are all of these little things you take for granted, like how he would always gas my car up for me before I headed home, how he’s scrape my windshield and warm up my car for me in the morning during the winter. How anytime I had something that needed repaired, he’d make a day trip just to help me out. Even how he’d go to the store late at night when I was little because I needed cookies to help me sleep. ;o) And you all wonder why my expectations in my men are so high.

Groundhog's Day

Our mail server is down again and I’m running out of stuff I can do. Actually thinking about going home since I don’t feel all that hot anyway. I’d be okay to stay if I had work to do, but since I don’t at the moment, why not take advantage of the fact I fill blah and call it a day? I just might!

Anyway, I was surfing the Net and found this article on Groundhog’s Day on the MSN homepage. Actually pretty interesting. Groundhog’s Day has never really made sense to me anyway. If he sees his shadow, then the sun is out, shouldn’t that make him think spring is here? As the writer explains (and I guess I knew this) the temperature is actually warmer when it’s cloudy (clouds hold in the heat).

I’m actually ready for spring. I’m not a big cold weather fan anyway, and since Oklahoma weather can’t seem to make up it’s mind this year, I think it just needs to call it quits and give us spring. When you’ve had more 60 degree highs this winter than 30 degree highs, you’ve forfeited your right to winter weather. In my book, the only way Oklahoma weather can redeem itself is to give us a REALLY good snow storm. One that keeps me from having to go to work for at least a day or two. And honestly, I’m not complaining about the lack of cold weather. Anything that cuts down on my gas bill is fine with me!

So, happy reading and happy Groundhog’s Day!

Let's Try This Again Tomorrow

Have you ever had one of those days when you just want to go back to bed and call it a day and start over tomorrow? I had one yesterday.

I started out not feeling too hot to begin with. I’ve really been trying not to get sick yet (I need that to wait till the end of February), so I wasn’t thrilled to wake up feeling blah. When I get to work, things start out pretty normal. THEN the mud slide called “my day” begins.

All of a sudden, our mail server goes down. Granted there are some things that I kind of needed my email for, but I could live without it. The reason this is such a bad thing is not because I can’t email, but because my co-workers begin calling me saying “my email doesn’t work”. I reply, “I know, nobody’s does and we don’t know when it will be back up. I’ll let you know when it’s working.”

It would seem logical that they not call me again till I tell them its working. Oh, no. We’ve been down this road before. They will continue to call me every half hour to find out if email is working again. Did you try it? Was it working? Then the answer is NO!

I leave the server room knowing this is going to be a long day, but nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I walk back into our office and was notified by our receptionist that one of the elders is trying to reach me. Come to find out, the elders want an article in the bulletin on Sunday and one of our ministers not only failed to tell us this, but also told him deadlines are at noon on Wednesday. I’ll spare you the details of bulletin preparation, but this isn’t exactly accurate. So now, I have an irritated elder who wants his article in the bulletin and my only option is to make a bunch of phone calls and ask people to now cut the length of their articles so I will have room.

At this point, because I don’t feel good, I really just want to cry. In the scheme of things, it’s really not that bad, but I feel like crap and my day is going downhill fast. That’s when I learned that we also can’t print and our database is down. Seems email isn’t the only thing on that particular server.

Since I can’t do much in the lines of work at the moment, I decided to take an early lunch run an errand out at the mall. I’m about to get on the turnpike when my check engine light comes on, my car starts to rattle, and it smells like something is burning. I actually by this point have to just laugh because it would figure today would be the day all of this would happen.

I manage to get my car back to the church (my car stalling on Memorial Road would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back) and call Woody (head of our Transportation Ministry) to see if he can determine if it is safe to drive to the mechanic. As far as he could tell, it was but there was definitely something seriously wrong. He does tell me though that there is some corrosion around my battery and quote “I should probably get my boyfriend to clean it off for me.” And who does he suggest that is because if he knows, I have a few other “honey-do’s” for that boyfriend!

Anyway, I call my mechanic and he doesn’t answer. Seems he’s building a new shop, so he’s closed for a few months. Luckily, a mechanic I know from church had time to look at it. Seems I needed a new spark plug and new spark plug cables. It could be worse – I could need a new engine! So, I’m now $180 farther away from replacing my stove, floors and furnace than I was (which was already quite a ways away).

There were a few little glitches through out the rest of the day, but nothing else major (which was good because I might have shown up on the 10:00 news if anything else had gone wrong.)

Today, I still don’t feel great, but we have email and can print, so things are off to a better start. Let’s just hope it stays that way.

Birthday Rundown

The highlights of my birthday actually started the evening before when I got a package in the mail from Tonna. Her package containing what she referred to as “ooh-la-la pajamas” really made my day. Now I must say, they’re not THAT “ooh-la-la” but they’re red and super cute and I guess if you’re 7 ½ months pregnant, you probably would consider that “ooh-la-la”. (Love ya T!)

Birthday morning – my brother called while I was in the shower. I guess he thought he was going to be sly and wake me up early for my birthday. Maybe he should have tired calling before 6:30 a.m. I didn’t hear the phone, so instead I got a “happy birthday” voicemail. I’m just impressed he remembered to call at all! Also got really good news later that day that it doesn’t look like he’s going to have to have surgery on his heart after all! As long as he does everything the doctor says, things should be fine.

After I got to work, Nancy (our events coordinator) and Janice (one of our volunteer receptionists) sang “Happy Birthday” to me in the lobby and gave me a hug. This was followed by a VERY cute little 2-year-old who came into my office and brought me a balloon and a “treat bag” filled with Chewy SweeTarts, Reese’s cups and a Diet Coke. She knows me well (at least her mom does). Couldn’t get her to sing to me (too early in the morning I think) but I did get a hug. I also received several entertaining e-cards (by the way, Suzy, I finally pinned the tail on the donkey!) The afternoon was kind of slow, so I also finished my taxes (paying a little out to federal, but getting some back from state).

At 4:30, I got a call from Randy wanting to see if I wanted to go to dinner. He remembered my birthday was the 26th (which actually surprised me since he claims he has a difficult time remembering his own family’s birthdays), but didn’t realize that Thursday was the 26th. I didn’t really expect him to remember anyway, but was thrilled that my “birthday dinner” didn’t require the eating of PB&J or going to the grocery store.

Friday night, my friend Rachel took me to get a pedicure (I’ve never had a real one since the beauty school in Chickasha doesn’t count – nightmare day). I now have pretty pink toes! After that, we had dinner with a couple of friends and then went back to my house to eat cake (which was awesome!). We had the intention of watching a movie, but we were too tired, so instead we talked and watched HGTV (I know Jason was thoroughly educated).

Saturday I went out to eat with my friend, Jenn. We were going to try to go see a movie, but there really wasn’t anything we wanted to see that evening, so we went shopping instead. I still want to open a booth in The Market someday. Anyone wanting to give me interest free start up money?

Sunday night Suzy, Rachel & Randy came over and watched Flight Plan and helped me put a bigger dent in the birthday cake. The movie was good till the very end. Very corny last 5 minutes. But the rest of the movie was good. Oh, and I must give props to Suzy for the Lowe’s gift card! It’s becoming my new hangout and I’m definitely excited to use it. Just have to decide on what. I also have Pottery Barn and Target gift cards to use too. I’m one of those people who likes to put my gift cards to good use and not spend them frivolously!

So, that was the birthday in a nut shell. I’m just thankful that I wasn’t sick this year!

Garmin Nuvi

I just have to give props to my friend, Jonathan! I got an email from him today telling us that this project he's been working on this last year has been nominated as the Top GPS Device of 2005. Check it out. It's pretty cool. You can even go here to nominate it to win this award. Way to go J.T.!

Birthday Observations

I got this email from Shelleye this morning and it just seemed appropriate. =)

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Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life .. .. you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! (Actually I didn't do anything at 21 that I couldn't have done at 18. Now 25, that was monumental - my car insurance went down! YESSS!!!)

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away.

Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there.

Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them". (My theory: I'm only as old as YOU think I am!)

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's. (Does pocket Tetris count?)

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets,keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Good Point!

My aunt sent me this email about why the U.S. Navy is better than the Iraqi Navy. This made me laugh!

US Navy

Iraqi Navy

Final Eviction – I Hope

Well, on Friday I finally gave in and got a trap from Jay (our maintenance supervisor) in hopes to catch our non-rent paying resident. The big question from everyone at work was what we were going to do when we caught it. We resolved this by offering to make Randy dinner if he would come get it (I think by Saturday night, I had guilted him enough he finally gave in).

By time I got home on Friday, it was dark, so decided to wait to Saturday to catch us a squirrel. Now this was a chore in itself. First, we had to figure out how to set the trap (which we finally did), then we had to put it up in the attic. When I say “we” I mean Melissa. I was not going up there for anything as long as there was something living up there. Putting it up there was not as easy as we thought it would be. Turns out our step ladders were not tall enough for anyone to actually climb up there and the crawl space was too small to actually lift the trap directly up into the attic, so Melissa had to turn it on end, feel around to find a good spot to put the trap and then set it up there. THEN we had to get the bait in there. Since the bait had to be put in the back of the trap, this was really tricky. We didn’t want to set the trap off in the process, but since our ladder wasn’t tall enough, there was no way for her to reach all the way to the back of the trap. She ended up having to stick her fingers through the holes in the trap and working the bowl of bait towards the back (very impressive I must say). Once everything was in place, we closed up the hole and waited.

I got home before Melissa on Saturday night, and I didn’t hear anything when I got home, but by time she got home, she could definitely tell we had caught our non-rent paying resident. I didn’t know this till after church Sunday morning. I guess it had kept her up all night trying to get out of the cage. When I got home, she opened the crawl space back up and tried to see if she could see anything. Her first comment was “I see fur.” Then she looked again and said something I didn’t expect – “it’s NOT a squirrel.” She saw ears and at first thought it might be a cat and then looked a third time and concluded it was a raccoon! She even stuck her digital camera up there to confirm it.

So, here was our dilemma. Though Randy offered to take the squirrel out of our attic, wasn’t sure that offer would apply to a raccoon AND he was in Enid and I didn’t want to leave that thing up there any longer than necessary. So I called Jay since he’s all about anything that has to do with wildlife. As you can see, we weren’t exaggerating. We really did have a raccoon in our attic. It was really pretty tame for a wild raccoon. Jay said he kept trying to play with his shoe laces when he took him out to Lake Arcadia to let him go. Tame or not, I did not want him (or her) living in my attic.

So far, I think we’re resident free, but not 100% sure yet. We need to get a taller ladder so we can peek up there and see if we can tell where it was getting in at. THEN I’m hoping my brother will come visit me and patch up the entry spot it it’s on my end of the unit (if it’s not, the land lord for the other three units will be getting a phone call.)

Oh, and I must apologize to the squirrel that I blamed for living in my attic. I'm sorry Mr. Squirrel, but let this be a lesson to you -- you move into my attic, you will get re-located.

The Squirrel Has GOT to Go!

I’m sorry, but it’s either that furry woodland creature or me! This waking me up at 4 a.m. thing has got to stop. And this morning was the final straw. I swear he’s (or she most likely) trying to make a nest ABOVE MY BED! I laid there for a good half hour or more just hoping it didn’t fall through the ceiling. I could hear the plaster making these cracking noises and all I could picture was the panic and chaos that would take place if that thing came through my ceiling and landed in my room – or worse, on my BED! I mean, picture it… that thing running in circles, trying to get away and me SCREAMING and trying to get the thing out.

I’m sure you’re reading this and laughing, but seriously, this is a quandary for me. If it was just a matter of putting a trap in the attic – I could handle that. But as Suzy pointed out, it won’t do any good unless I know how it’s getting in and fix the situation. As I have mentioned before, I’m scared of the attic. The thought of doing anything more than poking my head through the opening in Melissa’s closet (which I would have to psych myself up for), freaks me out. I’m pretty self-sufficient and getting good and fixing things myself, but I don’t do attics. It’s times like this that I miss my dad the most. He would be down here in a second and would repair the situation for me. I could ask my brother, but it would be a few weeks before he could make it down and I’m afraid of what kind of damage that “thing” might do between now and then. I seriously need a knight in shinning armor!

Regardless of when and how the removal of the squirrel takes place, I’m getting it on tape because I have a feeling it won’t be without incident!

Close But No Cigar

Yes, it did snow this morning, BUT it has seriously fallen short of giving me the snow day I requested. Snow Day means that it snows enough that I don't have to go to work. Nice try, though.

Word of the Day

The word for today is STOP!

This goes out to every customer service person I talk to who doesn’t actually take the time to look at the account I’m calling about to realize that yes, there is a problem.

This goes out to the people at ONG who still have yet to send me my gas bill!

This goes out to ever person who walks into my office wanting me to do something that they’re too lazy to do themselves.

This goes out to the postage meter people who failed to mail us our postage meter update, even though I called them last Tuesday to tell them we still hadn’t received it.

This goes out to everyone out there who likes to grip about the way something is being done, even though they didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to put in their input.

This goes out to every person who thinks they are more important than they really are.

This goes out to the wildlife creature who is trying to become a non-rent paying resident. You’re not being sneaky. I can hear you tapping loudly on my wall and I can see where you’re trying to make a hole. STOP! I don’t want to hurt you. Please make your abode in the many trees I have provided for you in my back yard. They are all yours!

Yes, I’m cranky. Yes I’m tired of playing nice only to get slimed in the end! I NEED A SNOW DAY – CHANGE THAT A SNOW “WEEK”! And is a 16 oz cup too much to ask for?!?

The Song of the Day

I've decided this is my theme song for the day - well, the "I wanna go home" part at least. By the way, my birthday is coming up and I would live to have this CD ;-)

"Home" Michael Buble

Another summer day

Has come and gone away

In Paris and Rome

But I wanna go home

Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by

A million people I

Still feel all alone

I just wanna go home

Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you

Each one a line or two

“I’m fine baby, how are you?”

Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough

My words were cold and flat

And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane

Another sunny place

I’m lucky I know

But I wanna go home

Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home

I’m just too far from where you are

I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life

It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right

And I know just why you could not

Come along with me

But this was not your dream

But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come

And gone away

And even Paris and Rome

And I wanna go home

Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by

A million people I

Still feel alone

Oh, let me go home

Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home

I’ve had my run

Baby, I’m done

I gotta go home

Let me go home

It will all be allright

I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home.

Snow Day Please!

I need a snow day, maybe even 2! I’d be happy with a good ice storm. Just something that allows me to keep power, but keeps me from being able to go to work for a day or two. I’m having trouble getting everything situated in my house and there just isn’t enough time in one weekend.

I was thinking yesterday that I would like to have powers like Samantha on “Bewitched” or Jeannie on “I Dream of Jeannie.” After discussing this in depth with a friend, I think Jeannie won out. 1) I can blink and nod my head easier than I can twitch my nose and 2) Samantha’s husbands (there were two Darrin’s you know) had issues. One was a drug addict (though not his fault) and the other one played for the other team. Now my friend pointed out, Jeannie lived with a man that she had to call “Master” and he never married her, but I have since learned, he did eventually marry her. Some guys just don’t know a good thing when they see it and it takes them a while to clue in.

Totally random side thought: I find it very funny that when I pulled up my MSN home page today, the very top bar said “Find: engagement rings”. Sure I can find one, but buying one for myself just isn’t the same. It needs to say “Find: man to buy you an engagement ring.” MSN is kind of jumping the gun here! Now how’s that for random?!?