Reflecting on 2007......

There have been a lot of ups and downs.

This was the year that a favorite uncle was diagnosed with cancer. He valiantly fought the disease only to succumb in August. Uncle Mike, you are always missed....

Thankfully my dad is still cancer free. I'm thankful for that every single day.

I made some lifestyle changes starting with joining a gym in January and working with a personal trainer. Because of the changes I made in my eating habits and the exercise I was able to lose 20 pounds and 13 inches in 8 months! I feel great and have been told that I look great. And through all of the turmoil of the last 4 months at work I have not had a major weight gain.... just staying within a 3 pound range :)

Work has been a roller coaster. Basically since a co-worker's 2 week vacation (which was the same time as my uncle's death and funeral) I've been working 48-50 hours a week. I blogged about it before so no need to go into it again but the end is in sight! The new payroll clerk has been hired and today started her 3rd week. She is progressing quite nicely considering she was thrown into the fire with 2 holiday weeks in a row and a vacation day for me next Monday! I think things should be back to normal by mid-February and I can't wait!

One upside to all of the hours I've been working has been the overtime pay. Because of that I have been able to get myself into a better financial situation. I've loosely followed Dave Ramsay's "Total Money Makeover" after reading the book this summer. I feel very good about being able to pay for various purchases with either cash or a check. I have paid off my car loan and the HELOC. I have closed 2 credit card accounts leaving myself only 1. I'm now building my retirement fund.... I still use it for internet and gasoline purchases but the money is there to pay that bill when it comes :) What a great feeling!

On the fun side, I had several long weekends away this year. First was SSMI in East Lansing, MI on the campus of Michigan State University in January. I met some wonderful ladies and had a great time. Next up was SWON in London, Ontario, Canada in July. Again lots of wonderful ladies and a fabulous time. Then in August, a few of us from SS spent an afternoon at the Longaberger Homestead. Lots of shopping and eating and some new friends. That Michele.... she talked about the OH Fall Retreat so much that day that when work went to hell in September I signed up! Nothing like a weekend in Amish Country, Ohio to rejuvenate a person. Even more wonderful ladies and again a great time! But best of all was the weekend visit with Diane. She came from Grand Rapids MI to see me and the kids. I will return the favor summer 2008!

Of course, Pepper and Paige have been the lights of my life this year. Without them I'm sure the last few months would have been unbearable. I was away from them for more hours than usual and I can tell that they were affected. They missed me as much as I missed them. Oh yeah, they are at my feet as I type this.... comfort at its finest.

Last of all, I'm thankful for the friendships I've made online at ScrapShare. Some of those have carried over to real life. Love ya ladies!

Now, I'm really excited about 2008 starting with.....

SSMI II in 4 days!

Happy New Year to All!!!!

Naughty or Nice?????

You Were Nice This Year

You Were 25% Naughty, 75% Nice Okay, so you weren't *entirely* nice this year But Santa doesn't expect a modern girl to be perfect You were good enough - and you'll be rewarded for it

Were You a Naughty Girl or Nice Girl this Year?

When it rains, it pours.....

Last Monday I was offered a promotion at work. Seems the payroll clerk had decided it was time to move on. I was offered her job with a raise. I turned it down.

You might ask why. Well, I love the job I do now. That job has a lot of stress and I mean a LOT. I don't need that in my life. No amount of money would be enough.

Needless to say, she only gave 1 week's notice. Her last day was Friday. Of course, they haven't had time to fill the position so I will be doing her job for awhile. I hope they can have someone in by mid-December at the latest. I reminded them that I have time off scheduled for early January which includes a Monday -- payroll prep day. And it also is the week after 2 weeks of holidays which are no fun....

I am sorry that the payroll clerk left. I considered her a friend. She had been there almost 18 years. But even if she hadn't resigned, the health problems she had in September are flaring up again so she probably would have been off this coming week anyways. She did say that she wants to get the health issues straightened out before she makes any decisions about what to do next. I wish her all the luck in the world and she will be missed.

So it seems that I will be in work-hell again for awhile. Because even after they hire someone, it will take them time to be trained so I'll be expected to pick up the slack. For the next couple of months it will be 50-60 hour work weeks. Of course, the extra money will be nice. And, like I told the HR gal, I won't have time to get depressed this holiday season which will be a good thing.

So, don't miss me too much while I'm gone ;)

Halloween..... for Relay for Life

My employer raises money for Relay for Life. One of the fundraisers was wearing a Halloween costume for fellow employees to judge in 3 categories - Scariest, Funniest and Most Original.

I wore my costume and paid my entry fee, made me feel good to donate that money to Relay.

Now I don't know if I won anything, that will be announced tomorrow but if I don't it doesn't matter....

This was a quick and easy, out of the closet costume. I used to do something like this in college, only thing missing is my jug of "moonshine"..... in fact, I used to wear these bibs over 30 years ago. Thanks to my recent weight loss, I CAN wear them again :)



Dad if you see this.....

Do you recognize the jacket?????

:)

Edited 11/11/07: No, I didn't win a prize but then again, I didn't expect to!

T-Minus 12 Hours.....

Until I leave for the 2007 Ohio Fall Retreat!

I've never been to Holmes County, Ohio, also known as Amish Country so I'm excited about that. I'm also excited about seeing old friends and meeting new.

But, I do hate the packing!!! Got the scrapping stuff packed, now to pack the clothes.

Best of all, 4 straight days off work. I need it so much after the last 2 months.

And, yes I do have my pictures packed :)

Look-Alike???

This interesting website was posted on SS. Of course, I had to try it :)



This was my 2nd try. My first try had me as looking like my mom by 7%..... I used different pictures of both Dad & I but the same pic of Mom.

May have to find some pictures of me as a child and my parents as young adults to see what it says....

Cleveland State University Vikings Volleyball

My cousin's daughter, Jordan, is a junior on the CSU volleyball team. She has played all 3 years and has been a starter the past 2 years. Last year I was able to see them play in the league tournament since it was only an hour from me at Wright State.

Earlier this season I was going to go to Toledo to see them play in an invitational unfortunately, I attended a funeral instead on that day. Friday night was my only other opportunity to see her play. They were at Wright State again for a league match.

Of course, my cousin, Sue, and her husband, Ed, were there and it was good to see them. Sue's dad, Uncle Bill, was there as well with his sister, "Aunt Betty" that I've known forever. But I was really surprised to see Becky and Nathan. Becky is actually a cousin to my mom and Sue's mom. We had a super time catching up with each other as well as watching the volleyball.

Needless to say, these 2 teams made it exciting. They went to 5 games with the score of the final game being 16-14. Unfortunately, CSU was on the losing end of that score.

Of course, I took lots of pictures (over 60) and I'm pretty happy with them. Here are several of them. First 2 are Jordan during introductions, she plays libero so is always in a different colored shirt than the rest of the team.... Makes it easier to pick her out!







And, here is an action shot.




I'm so proud of her!

Update on Work-Hell

Today was a very bad day. The project I was working on that was due on Monday just wasn't coming together like it normally does. That'll happen when people change procedures without thinking about them. I was so frustrated with it by lunch time that I had a mini-meltdown during lunch. I just sat here and cried for 5 minutes. Didn't even eat lunch, just drank a slim-fast shake.

I told the HR gal after lunch about it. She told me to be strong and not let it get to me. In fact, just before she went to lunch, she met with my boss and they had decided that she might possibly have to find a temp to help out. They were going to wait and see what she could find out tomorrow. She also said that she would ask co-worker to make up a list of some of the monthly stuff she does so that we don't miss anything. Small things like writing up a voucher for postage....

Later on, I saw the co-worker's daughter come in to see the HR gal. A little while later she called me back to her office to meet with her and my boss.....

My co-worker is officially on FMLA leave for an undetermined amount of time. Her diagnosis is some type of vertigo. She has to have some rehab and these sessions totally wipe her out.

And, with that they wanted to know what skills a temp should have. We discussed it and there are a few things that a temp could do to help me out that wouldn't take that much to learn especially since I would be available to answer questions. Hopefully, they can find someone and get them in place next week. They are thinking part-time for now with the possibility of more hours if my co-worker is off for awhile.

In the long run, I will still be working some long hours for the unforeseen future, but if I get help, maybe I can cut it back to 50 hours or less....

Until a temp actually happens, I guess I better plan on working 12 hours a day...

It has been a long 3 1/2 weeks.....

Dad & Martha came to visit for a little over a week. Love having them here. But unfortunately, the payroll clerk was on vacation that week so I was working 10 hour days. And, add to that, Dad's brother Mike passed away while they were here. Thankfully, the funeral was on Saturday so I didn't have to miss work for the funeral or miss the funeral for work. I'll blog about Mike later. Worked 48.5 hours that week.

Week 2 of the payroll clerk's vacation was the following week. Had month end stuff as well as all the payroll stuff. Worked 50.5 hours that week. Thankfully, it was a holiday weekend and I had 3 whole days to relax. I looked forward to her return from vacation on the next Tuesday. I knew I'd be working long hours trying to catch up on my work and doing all the beginning of month stuff (bank reconciliations, etc) that would need to be done by today.

At 6:45 Tuesday (9/4), her daughter called and said she was in the hospital in Illinois! OK, I'm back to payroll mode. As the week goes on, it is not looking good for her to come back even though we heard she was admitted for dehydration. We find out on Thursday that she is back in Ohio and in a hospital here having all kinds of tests run on her to determine why she has the dizziness. On Friday, we find out a little more and that it looks like she won't be back to work for at least another week. So in 4 days, I actually worked 45.5 hours.

She called in today and she is out of the hospital. She has a couple more tests at the end of the week but has gotten a probable diagnosis. In the meantime, she is not allowed to drive. She is hoping to be back next Monday, but in my gut, I highly doubt it.

Today was the 4th week that I did payroll.... it was only supposed to be 2. The work that needed to be done for my boss isn't even half done although that was my priority last Friday. The only good thing to come out of this is that my boss and the HR gal now believe me that I need to have a backup for MY job..... Yeah, I don't have one. If I'm not there the work doesn't get done. You know what.... I have been telling them this for a couple of years.

It boils down to this. In the last 3 weeks, I have worked 144.5 hours. I probably spent no more than 40-50 hours on my work. If these were normal weeks, there would have been 112 hours of work that I would have doing for my job. In other words, I'm about 60-70 hours behind..... Did I tell you that I have to have ALL my billing done by 9/28? Yep, it is fiscal year end and all uniforms purchased and "sold" have to be done before the physical inventory is taken 9/28.

Needless to say, even if the payroll clerk comes back next week, I will still be working 10-12 hour days. I usually do in September/October but so far this year is the worst it has ever been.

On top of all of that.... I've been have "twinges" in the heart area all day today. I know it is the stress but they have not gone away tonight. I may have to leave work and go to the doctor tomorrow for an EKG just to make sure everything is all right.

I keep telling myself though, that the paychecks are gonna be mighty nice :) So nice that I've decided to treat myself to a scrapping retreat the end of October! At least this one is in OHIO!

Senior Moments..... 1973/1974

The latest Scrapshare blog challenge.

In honor of the new school year, think back to your senior year of high school, and answer these questions accordingly:

1. Who was your best friend?
Had 2, we were always together. Pam and Cindy.

2. Did you play any sports?
No

3. What kind of car did you drive?
1964 Ford Falcon



4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
High School Football Game in the fall. Basketball during the winter. Or just out with Pam and Cindy.

5. Were you a party animal?
No

6. Were you considered a flirt?
No

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
Band--loved it! Also choir but I'd rather forget that.

8. Were you a nerd?
No

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
No

10. Can you sing the fight song?
In my head, absolutely. Out loud, no way would I ever subject anyone to my voice!

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Tie between band director and bookkeeping teacher.

12. What was your school mascot?
You mean someone dressed as a mascot? We didn't have one. Our nickname was (and still is) Redskins.

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Yes with Gary.



14. If you could go back, would you?
While I thoroughly enjoy looking back on those years, I'd rather not live them again. Now if you would be talking college and my 20's, just maybe ;)

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
Walking in next to Marjean. She had her baby 9 days later.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
We didn't have one.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Started working at McDonald's the end of April a few hours a week.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
School cafeteria. We were not allowed to leave the school grounds. However, instead of senior skip day, some of the seniors did skip lunch one day the last week of school. My friends and I didn't but some others did. One girl told us in English class right after lunch that the Asst Principal stopped them and asked them to pick up some cigarettes for him while they were out.....

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Of course.

20. What did you do after high school?
Got a college education and have been working since 1978.

171 miles or 288 miles?

Which one would you rather travel to meet someone?

I'd rather drive 171 miles.

However, I drove 288 miles....

all the way to Ingersoll, ON Canada to meet Loridear from SS.

We laughed all weekend about "Indiana" and "Ohio" having to go to Canada to meet! Now that we have met, we hope to see each other either in Indiana or Ohio soon. Lori and I did talk about maybe making a run to Sonic in Fort Wayne and having emmylou drive down from Michigan to join us.

Here we are....

Diet/Exercise -- 6 Month Progress Report

I had a meeting with my trainer today and I later realized that I first met with her 6 months ago on Jan 23. I actually started working out at the gym 1 1/2 weeks before that. On Jan 3 I had a doctor visit and I was weighed at my all-time high of 145 pounds. On Jan 23 I weighed in at 140.6.

So Jan 23 is when I started changing my eating habits. I had of course been eating all the wrong things and not enough. She stressed that I needed to eat more, not less because I was starving my body and that's why I was gaining weight. My 2nd weigh-in with her I gained 2 pounds but since then I've always lost.

Now, today I was a little worried about my weight because of the weekend at SWON and not doing any cardio exercise. I actually hadn't done heavy-duty cardio since last Tuesday, just walked the dogs on Wed/Thurs/Sun. I knew what I had weighed on the gym scales last Tuesday. I was amazed today that I had only gone up 1 pound!

She also took measurements today and we calculated how many inches total I have lost. She is extremely pleased with my progress and is going to design a program to now focus on the firming up of the upper arms, abs and thigh areas. I'm to keep up with the cardio I have been doing but we'll add some more strenuous strength exercises.

Of my original goals I gave her, I have already met one goal -- the loss of 15 pounds. I have also gone down 1 size in clothes. So now my goals are to go down 5-6 more pounds and 1 more size. I'm extremely close to the size goal but my pooch of a belly is the stumbling block. Hence, the need to firm that area. I will never have "6-pack abs" -- never have, but the pooch could be smaller!

We also talked about the health concerns I had when I started with her. I told her I'd be getting my cholesterol tested in Oct again and hopefully it will be as low as it was in March after working out for just 2 months.

So as of today, from Jan 3 I have lost almost 20 pounds. I have also lost 13.5 inches! 8.75 of those inches have been in the waist, hips and thighs.

The lifestyle changes I have made are so worth the end results!

SWON!!!!

I made it in one piece.....

Took an hour to get across the border but otherwise the trip was uneventful.

I've met a lot of very nice women and spent quite a few hours scrapping. I have even used my CraftRobo to do some titles..... I've taken a few pictures but with 34 other women with cameras, I haven't worried too much about 'em. I hope they will share :)

We took our group picture today and I borrowed this for the blog.

Here we are..... SWON 2007!















That's me in the middle of the front row....

SWON...... here I come!

Here we go again!

Another SS retreat. This time I'm driving about 5 hours to Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. The retreat is at ElmHurst Inn. Looks pretty neat from what I've seen on the website.

Last time I had only met Diane before the retreat. This time I'll only know Christy.... I met her in Michigan. There are going to be 35 of us from Canada and the USA. I'm the only one from Ohio. I know of 1 going from Indianapolis, 1 from New Jersey and 1 from New York for sure. There might be 1 or 2 from Michigan. And, a whole lot of Canadians :)

I think I need to get back to packing..... especially this laptop!

See ya tomorrow girls!!!!

Someone Actually Noticed!!!

I went to the gym and did a little over 30 minutes of elliptical and treadmill and I was all by myself -- no one else there at all. I saw a car pull in as I was getting off the treadmill so knew someone else was coming in.

It was a girl who is there quite often with her boyfriend. They are probably in their late 30's/early 40's and she is in pretty good shape. You know the type, she can wear the workout tops with the real thin straps and her belly showing.... But she is a very nice girl and we always at least say hi.

She pointedly said to me "You've lost a lot of weight" and I said that it was close to 20 pounds. She then told me that she had mentioned it to her bf last week. She asked how I felt and I said good but there was still work to do. I told her about my cholesterol going down and she mentioned how her bf's triglycerides have really gone down since they have been going to the gym.

She then told me that I look great and to keep up the good work!

Dang if I wasn't walking on air going out the door

Summertiiiiiiiiiiiime

This week's SS Blog Challenge:

Summertiiiiiiiiiiiime, and the living is EEEeeezzzzzzy.

Tell us how you feel about summer. This summer, a childhood summer, summer traditions, random summer memories, summer sights and smells and sounds. Whatever. Wax poetic about summertime!

Can I just say that I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!

I love warm (or even hot) weather... I love being able to be outside... I love to people watch...

I inherited my love for summer I'm sure. My dad always loved being outside, he still does. That's probably why he and mom spent 4 months every winter in Florida... And, I always loved visiting them down there. And, I'm sure that had a lot to do with his decision to move to NC. He still goes to FL during the winter but spends the other 9 months where he can be outside. He'd be miserable in OH.... I know I am during the winter!

As a child I loved to go to the community pool. It is walking distance from my house. On Sunday mornings, they had "Family Day". Families could get in at 11:00. The actual hours were 2:00 to 7:00. We would go quite often. I loved to watch my Dad swim. He could dive into the shallow end and swim under water the length of the pool and back. And, it isn't a short pool. It is a regulation size pool and is used for swim meets. He would play with me in the pool and we always had fun.

And, during my college years, 20's and early 30's I will admit that I was a sun worshiper. I laid out to get a tan every chance I could. I tan easily... so does Dad and even Mom. But we always used lotion (even back in the days before SPF) although it was usually oil since we tanned easily. I love the smell of suntanned skin, can I say that is a very sexy smell to me?!?!?!

As I grew older I did stop the laying out, thank goodness for bottled tans :) I can still look good without the risk. One problem for summer though is my allergies. I've always had hay fever and as I've grown older, I've become allergic to more stuff. Very mild allergies, but allergies all the same.

But, my love for summer outweighs the allergies.

Just got back from taking the dogs for a walk and it was great even with the 86 degree temps. The sun is out and I'm a very happy person.

Pepper's Turn....

And, then there's Pepper. Because he is a black dog it is very hard to get a good picture of his face without "redeye". Instead I get such cute shots of him just being adorable....

He loves to lay in the garage and watch the cars go by on the street....















Looking out the windows on the screened in porch from the dining room...
















He loves to watch the neighbor's dogs from this vantage point....
















Scoping out the neighborhood....
















Guarding his pool......
















And, his favorite spot for a nap in the house.....
















Here's my all time favorite picture of him from October 2004....
















He makes me laugh.....

Can't help but love him :)

Paige the Photogenic.....

I finally took the time to download a bunch of pics from the digi camera and go thru them....

I now have a new favorite of Paige.

















Then there is this one....
















and this one....
















and this one....
















Dang.....

She's cute!

Rene-ology

This week's SS blog challenge:

ARCHAEOLOGY: the study of material remains
What's the oldest article of clothing you still wear? ummmm, too many to name that are 20+ years old although they are mostly 'around the house' wear
What's the oldest article of clothing you won't get rid of? might have to say that U of Toledo football jersey my cousin gave me in 1973 - it was a practice jersey
When was the house/building you live in built? 1964
What in your fridge needs to be thrown out? for once.... not a thing

BIBLIOLOGY: the study of publication
What are you reading? The Total Money Makeover and The Five Love Languages
Do you have a favorite quote? nope
What's the most recent music you purchased? Aerosmith Greatest Hits 1973-1988 and Aerosmith Classics Live (2 cd set)
What book could you read again without being bored? The Total Money Makeover

CARDIOLOGY: the study of the heart
How old were you the first time you fell in love? I thought I was in love at age 18
What charities do you have a heart for? ACS Relay for Life
What's the best way someone can show their love for you? listen when I talk and care about what I'm saying
Name five things you "love": Pepper, Paige, oldie music, the internet, and my Dad

PHYSIOLOGY: the study of physical function
Are you right-handed or left-handed? right-handed
Do you like your smile? yes
What's your best feature? my sexy legs
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? tonsils as a child, gallbladder as an adult, wisdom teeth....
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? taste

OMNOLOGY: the study of everything
What color do you think looks best on you? black
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? not that I remember
What's your favorite flavor of gum? none, can't chew gum
Where's the first place you went today? back door to let the dogs out
Do you stand or sit in the shower? stand

AXIOLOGY: the study of the nature of values and value judgments
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? no
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? no
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? no
What value is of utmost importance to you in a friend? to accept me as I am, faults and all
Would you accept an indecent proposal for $1,000,000? yep!

TECHNOLOGY: usage and knowledge of tools
What's the last movie you saw? Netflix - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
What's the first website you visit when you log on? BrightSite, a portal page by my ISP
What's your ring tone? default, I don't use the cell phone except for emergencies
Would you quit blogging for $25,000? yep
What piece of equipment do you wish you owned? nothing comes to mind at this moment

GENEALOGY: the study of relationships within families
Is there a specific family member you're really missing right now? my mother....
Who is your oldest living relative? Aunt Belle (my Dad's aunt) just turned 100 on June 1. Dad's oldest brother will be 86 in 9 days.
Are you named after anyone? supposedly after my Dad's French girlfriend.... Mom always told the story and Dad never denied it!
Is there anyone really famous in your family tree? Paul Harvey is a 5th or 6th cousin of mine....

7 Years Sure Went By Fast!

Seven years ago today I was lucky enough to be blessed with Pepper coming to live with me. He has been the light of my life and is such a joy. You can tell that he just adores me (as much as I adore him!).

I fell in love with him from seeing a picture. Actually, I saw his picture in April and thought that little guy was so cute. Little did I know that 6 weeks later he would be mine.

Here's the pic.....


See that little guy on the right.... That's my Pepper. I fell in love with that face from this pic.

Here's the pics Kim sent to me so I could decide if I wanted him :) How could I not fall in love all over again.....

Scrapshare Blog Challenge: Mosaic

This week, I was inspired by Ali Edwards' blog for our weekly challenge.
Choose a set of photos and make a mosaic with this EASY PEASY (and free!) mosaic maker!

I uploaded my photos to Flickr and created a set there. But it looks like you can upload to the photo maker directly from your own computer files, too.

If you don't take digital photos, you can still participate. Just choose a sampling of Flickr photos that inspire you, and go from there. (That's what Ali did!)

My favorite photographic subjects during 2007....



I uploaded the pics to my photobucket.com site and used those links to create the mosaic.

Lots of fun choosing the pics! That darn Paige is so photogenic.... There were so many more good ones of her that I had to leave out!

love/hate with the 5 senses

SS Blog Challenge:

LOVE:
the SIGHT of Pepper and Paige waiting for me at the back door -- Pepper always dancing and Paige wagging her tail like there is no tomorrow.
the SMELL of pizza.
the TASTE of Dr Pepper.
the SOUND of the river flowing over the dam when I take my walks.
the FEEL of the sun on my skin (with suntan lotion, of course!)

HATE:
the SIGHT of dogs being neglected and/or dogs in cages 24/7.
the SMELL of freshly mown grass, allergy alert.
the TASTE of any burnt food, especially popcorn.
the SOUND of a dentist's drill.
the FEEL of stones underneath my bare feet.

Relay for Life - Mardi Gras 2007

This weekend was the annual Relay For Life in my county. It started at 6:00 p.m. Friday and ended at 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

This year I purchased luminaria. One for my dad, a cancer survivor. And, one for his brother, who is in the midst of battling cancer. I had watched the luminaria lighting ceremony in previous years, but had never participated. A whole new experience. As I listened to the words being spoken over the loud speaker and watching the progress of the torch around the track being carried by survivors, I was moved to tears.

Here's the luminaria before lighting.




























And, immediately after lighting before the stadium lights were turned back on.















During my hour of laps at 2:00 a.m.





















And, to my dear sweet Laraine, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in NYC in 2002.... know that my prayers are with you in your upcoming battle. Some of my tears during the luminaria ceremony were for you, my friend....

Derby Day.... there's nothing like being there!

Many years ago I had the opportunity to go to the Kentucky Derby.

My boyfriend, Jim, and I along with another couple (Daryl & Jody) decided to go to the Derby just a couple of days before... We had hoped to take a camper belonging to the mother of the other girl but on Friday that fell thru. So we took Daryl's car instead. All of us worked on Friday so after work, we started our journey. Naturally, we didn't have motel rooms so we had to just drive until we found something. Finally, about 2 a.m. we found a "cheap" motel room.... in Elizabethtown, KY. Yeah, we had driven thru Louisville and headed south in order to find something. We did have ulterior motives though. On Sunday we planned to visit Mammoth Caves and that wasn't that far from E-town.

We got a few hours of sleep then got back in the car to head back to Louisville. We were able to find a place to park that didn't cost that much. We were there.... at the Kentucky Derby.... 1980 version.

We went into the infield and found a place to hang out in the sun all day. Naturally, Jodie and I being shorter, didn't really see a whole lot. We did some betting on some of the pre-race races... well, the other 3 did, I saved my money for the big one! I pretended to know what I was doing and picked my bet.

I picked 2 horses to bet on.... Genuine Risk, a filly to place and Jaklin Klugman to show. Now, Jim and Daryl were making fun of my choices.... According to them there was no freakin' way Genuine Risk was going to win, place or show and I was wasting my couple of dollars (yeah, I bet real big!). And, Jaklin Klugman to them was a nonentity. Just because this horse was owned by Jack Klugman, the star of "Quincy, M.D." didn't mean the horse was any good. All I know is I wanted those horses so Jim did place my bet.

Who got the last laugh????

Winner - Genuine Risk
3rd - Jaklin Klugman

Jim begrudgingly stood in line to collect my money. Here's me while he was away :)





















And, yes, that is a Mint Julep in my hand..... Just a little strong for me, but I wanted the glass!


The Kentucky Derby is not what you see on TV. To see the race, you are better off watching it on TV, unless you have the bucks or the name to get in the grandstand. But, the experience in the infield.... as one website describes it "Part Woodstock, part family reunion, this is the gathering place to exercise the first rites of spring Louisville style!" Here it is, 1980 version...














And, here's the crowd at the ticket window.

















A once in a lifetime experience.

Special memories.

What a great day that was!

I need to get away more....

create your own visited states map

Now I did not include Arizona.... I saw the runway at Phoenix airport on my way to CA in 1997.... And, I might have been thru PA once but I'm not sure!

SS Blog Challenge: Laugh

This week, write about the last time you had a really good laugh. A belly laugh. A laugh that took your breath away. A laugh that starved you of oxygen and gave you a headache. A laugh where you tossed your head back and really let 'er rip.

If you can't recall a time when you've laughed that hard, then figure out WHY NOT, and write about that.

Laughter.
It's good for the soul.
If only it burned more calories.

Daily occurrence in my house :)

That will happen when you've got 2 clowns dressed as Havanese living with you. I will walk into a room and look at them and just start laughing.... Sometimes so hard I have to lean against the wall or sit down. Even just watching them play with each other will do it... especially those times when they are trying to run on the laminate flooring, they slip and slide all over the place!

Actually a previous blog entry was one of those moments. I was home from work because of a blizzard and sitting on the couch watching TV and surfing the web. The dogs were playing in another room and started chasing each other. They ran into the living room. When I looked over at them, there was Paige, sitting (in a perfect sit, of course!) on the other side of the coffee table just looking at me. Thank goodness I had a camera right there but it sure was hard to stop laughing long enough to take the pic. In fact, every time I look at that pic, I start laughing again :) Here's the link to that entry: Bad Hair Day.

Laughter.... It's been a very good medicine for me thanks to 2 less than 15 pound pooches. I love my life!

Winter of Flooding

We've had quite a winter in my area of Ohio.

I live in a town with a river running thru it. I actually live very close to the river and drive past and across it everyday to go to work.

We had quite a rainstorm yesterday and some reports are that we had over 3 inches of rain. So it figures that we would have some high water today.... Well, it was a little higher than I thought so at lunch time I got my camera then spent some time getting pictures after work (you know, the scrapbooker in me :) )
















This is the river behind downtown. Just past the gazebo and tree is a retaining wall. The water is normally 6 to 8 feet below the top of this wall.















Here's another view of the retaining wall. The river curves at this point and you can see the wall continue on in the background of the pic.














Here's the parking lot..... Now there are usually parking spaces filled with cars along the retaining wall. Not today!















We've got a boat ramp and a little park too..... Well, that is when the park isn't flooded. See the big rock on the right? That's where the boat ramp starts!















A little ways down the river (that's downtown off to the right in the background of this pic), we have another larger park. There's a couple of ball diamonds along the river here. The one ball diamond outfield also doubles as the football practice field. During the winter, there is an "ice rink". That wasn't used much this winter. As you can see, the practice field is mostly under water!















More football equipment. This is actually on the little road beside the ball diamond (the football uprights would be just to the left of where this picture is taken). The houses in the background are across the river. They are located on the main street in town. I have to say, they are pretty used to flooding but since most have extremely large (long) backyards, they don't have too many problems.















A little farther west of the park we've got another road. This is the bridge I cross every day. Underneath it is the damn. Normally you can see the damn because the water on the west side of it is usually 6 to 8 feet below the damn. Not today. See the rough waters? That's where the water is going "over" the damn. And, those trees.... They are usually on grassy land, not in the middle of the river!















And, the final picture to share. This is the cornfield along the road I take every single day. It is a good thing the developers of the subdivision I live in never developed this piece of land.....

I took more pictures but these were the interesting ones and showed quite a bit of the flooding. This is the 4th time this winter we've had flooding like this. Early December, early January, mid-February (after the blizzard snows melted), and today. I don't remember this much flooding in one winter in a long time!

Except for the February flood, I've got pictures of all of it! And, yep, I'm going to scrap 'em!!!

Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus

I was coming home from working out tonight and had to stop for a train. Luckily it was near the end so I didn't have to wait long.

Most of the cars at the end of the train were the flat bed type and on them were trucks and trailers with the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus logo on them. There were also cars, pick-up trucks, and 4-wheelers on some of the train cars. I even think I saw several cars that had cages on them. Couldn't tell if there were animals in them since it was dark but I'd speculate it was a definite possibility.

I know the circus spends time in Florida during the winter and I was surprised to see this equipment, etc this far north when it is still winter. But as I thought about it, considering the amount of stuff I saw, it would definitely make sense for it to travel by train. It would get there a heck of a lot faster than if every truck and vehicle were to be driven this long a distance.

For the record, the train was heading north....

OK, I'm doing an edit here. I got curious so looked up the circus on the internet. And, what do I find but a blurb about the "city without a zip code"....

The dream is as much a part of the American culture as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® itself: to run away and join the circus. For the human performers, animal stars, and crewmembers of the two unique editions of The Greatest Show On Earth®, life on the road is the best life you could imagine!
The Red Unit and Blue Unit trains criss-cross the country 11 months out of the year, logging more than 25,000 miles as they bring America's Living National Treasure® to millions of families in more than 90 cities! More than a mile long, each of the privately owned Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey trains is an international melting pot of cultures and skills.

I also looked up the schedule and found that they will be doing shows in New York on March 7. The train could easily make its "turn" towards the east a little north of where I am. There are a couple of pictures on the website that show the passenger cars of the train. More than likely I missed seeing those cars because they were probably at the front of the train.

I learned something today!!!!

Cancer again....

Just about a year ago I wrote about my father being diagnosed with prostate cancer. I am relieved that I can say he is cancer-free. After his PSA rose again last summer, he chose to have radiation treatments and in November was declared cancer-free.

About the time he got his all-clear, his brother had a very high PSA. The doctor felt it could be an infection and treated him for that to begin with. Unfortunately that was not the case and my uncle has now been diagnosed with cancer. This is the brother that he is closest to... both age wise and as friends. Mike is 15 months older than Dad and they are like "2 peas in a pod".

Mike and his wife have 4 children. 2 girls and 2 boys (not to mention the grandkids and great-grandkids!). The oldest girl is 9 months older than me and the next girl is 9 months younger.... We were close growing up and I still spend a lot of holidays with their family. They consider me a part of their family and have for many years. When I heard about his diagnosis, I was floored. Not only does he have prostate cancer, he also has bone cancer. And from what I have learned the bone cancer is not only in his back but also small spots on his one hip, a rib and a lymph node. And, the prostate cancer is Stage 4.... He is having treatment for both cancers so we can only hope for the best.

I am again raising money for our county Relay for Life. But, you know what.... Mike's 2nd daughter has raised money for Relay for several years also. Last year, our efforts were for my Dad. This year they will be for her Dad.....

I.hate.the.word.Cancer.

I'm such a procrastinator!

Yup.

Tax time.

I said last year that I would keep up with my Quicken program to make tax time easier in 2007. I lied. Well, I did good until April but let things go after that.

So this weekend I sat down and got all the papers in that Longaberger basket (at least it was a smaller basket this year!) together and started the process. Amazingly, all the data input was done in less than 8 hours. Then it was time to double check everything and do the bank recs. Got that done this morning.

Next I installed my tax program and started the process. Getting rid of Schedule C sure makes it go faster! I then e-filed my federal return thru the tax program. Also, love the state of Ohio tax website where I can file both the state and school district returns for free. All 3 done by 5:00.

Now to get back the refunds :)

Bad Hair Day

Need I say more....

Even dogs have bad hair days....

LOL!

Blizzard - Day 2

Woke up this morning to hear that my employer canceled 1st shift :) Made me a happy camper especially after I looked outside.

The drifts at the garage door were close to 2 feet in places. Not sure the 4-wheel drive would have made it thru since I would have had to back out.

As the day went on, I was getting more and more upset since the guy I hired to clear the drive never showed up and he had told me yesterday he would do it again today! Not to mention the 3 closest neighbors to me are all guys in their 30's. Of course, one is the guy who flaked on me. One used to do it but stopped several years ago (when flake took over). And, in a dire situation a couple of years ago I asked #3 to help and offered payment but he refused. Today all 3 of them looked at my drive, saw that I was home but did any of them ask if I needed it done.... NO.

I tried shoveling an area for the dogs and had to quit after 5 minutes. Went back out later and just tried to knock some of the snow in the deep areas down so it wouldn't go up the exhaust pipe in the morning. Didn't get very far with that either.

But, about 5:30 the dogs started going crazy so I thought my friend might be out there. Nope. It was some guy in a pickup and I didn't recognize him. He was plowing my driveway. When done he just drove away.

For once, somebody did something nice for me without me asking....

Thank you whoever you are.

Today's pics:

7:30 a.m.















10:00 a.m.















10:00 a.m.

BLIZZARD!!!

Ohio version that is.

On Sunday, it was a winter storm warning.
On Monday, it was changed to a heavy snow warning. Tuesday 1 a.m. to Wednesday 7 a.m.

Today at 1:15 p.m. it was changed again.

Blizzard Warning until 7:00 Wednesday a.m.

My employer decided that we could leave early once any necessary work was done. Several left before lunch and the rest of us stayed a little longer. The IT guy and I left at 2:15. I wasn't worried about getting home since I have 4-wheel drive. The drive wasn't too bad since it was all in town driving. Days like this I'm super glad I live and work in the same town. The wind had really kicked up by this time so there was lots of snow blowing across the roads.

I was actually more worried about my driveway. The guy I had arranged to clear my driveway this winter (lives across the street) hasn't done it yet! Sunday I saw a friend and asked if he would do it for me. He also lives in the neighborhood so he wouldn't have to go far. He said he would. He knows what time I get off work so I was afraid that since I was early, it wouldn't be done. At first it looked like it wasn't but then I realized that there were piles along the edge of the driveway that weren't there before. He called after I had been home a couple of hours and told me he had done it late morning-early afternoon. When he called we were having very high winds and it was still snowing. I couldn't even see my tracks from 2 hours earlier! He wondered if he needed to do it again before I go to work in the morning. Luckily my employer has no problem with us waiting to come in during daylight hours so I told him that. I also said I'd just put it in 4-wheel drive and barrel my way out if needed!

Here's my driveway at 7:15 this morning....















Here it is at 2:45 this afternoon....















And, here it is at 6:00 this evening....















These 2 pictures show the bush in the front flower bed at 2:45 and 6:00.
































And this is how far the snow has drifted against the garage door a little over 3 hours.














Now I have to admit, it is pretty to look at now that I am home and I don't have to go back out. But, even with that, can I say how much I hate winter?!?!?!?