Is it a woman thing? The more I talk t women the more I realize that women are more than happy to go without having certain needs of their own met but will work tirelessly to fulfill someone elses needs. Have we been conditioned to be happy going without and to find our fillfullment in serving others? I know I tend to feel guilt and selfishness when I focus on my needs. I often feel bad about asking for what I need or usually have learned a way to fullfill it on my own without the help of others.
DOES ANYONE ELSE FEEL THIS WAY? Anyone? I was able to go to a women's conference last spring. I didnt want to go, some friends talked me into going. And the discussion came around to this subject. The meeting turned out to be so uplifting. because one by one the women started to share experiences such as this. Turns out just about EVERYONE was feeling this way.
I took things a bit further and spoke to alot of my male friends. I was very shocked to find that very few of them felt this way. I think there were about 3 who said they experient it on a regular basis. But most guys don't really discuss these types of things most of the time either. Of the 12 male friends I asked, only 3 really experienced this.
What is it about the majority of women that we feel this need to be more concerned about everyone but ourselves? Part of it is the nature of being a mother and wife I'm sure. Especially most single mothers. The reason I single out single mothers is this: Most single mothers have their kids 24/7 with the exclusion of a couple holidays and everyother weekend. I've got a few single father friends who SAY they would love to have their child fulltime. I'm not sure they realize the impatience they have when they do have them for just the weekend. This doesn't mean they don't love them, because they do. Doesn't mean they don't miss them because they do. It doesn't mean they're sad to see them go when they leave because they are. But there is usually a sigh of relief that comes with getting their space and time and focus back on themselves.
I dunno, that's just my opinion from what I see in those around me.
Back to being so willing to go without. I was talking to my daughter yesterday. She's been in a funk this week and has decided not to go to a huge well known university halloween activity because she's afraid she'll put everyone else in a funk. A part of me cheers her on for her being such an unselfish child. She really is, she was never really greedy or one to get stuff just because she could or because it was free. She was always more concerned with someone else's needs above her own wants. But in doing so she's lost the balance of taking care of her own needs and wants. I'm not sure she really learned that balance, I know her mother hasn't. She voiced her guilt and discomfort in doing so. And being away at college she's figuring out what happens quickly if she doesn't learn to take care of herself as well as others.
I'm not sure how we go on this subject but I found myself in a dicussion about being co-dependant. This was a while back but whenever the subject of self sacrifice and going without comes up I remember the conversation about being co-dependant.
In our discussion we decided it was another imbalance of self love.
Too much self love brings on greed and lack of self awarness and flaws. It kind of mimicks too little self love which brings on lack of self respect and confidence and that can manifest itself as arrogance .
Too littl self love brings on passivness and people pleasing. Always bending and breaking and giving in to other peoples demands regardless of how it makes us feel. Always pleasing the other person to insure their friendship and love.
Well that's not good either. So what is the healthy balance of self love? What is the magic solution to finding a healthy balance of give and take?
In thinking this through it really is quite simple: Love thy neigbors AS thyself. As I have loved you, love one another.
Not more than yourself. Not less than yourself. AS... meaning AS MUCH AS... yourself.
It really does make sense.
If I'm taking care of you as much as I'm taking care of myself, and you're taking care of me as much as you're taking care of yourself, then we are both hopefully well taken care of.
I also heard... on a commercial ... someone actually said "if we all take care of each other then the world would be taken care of." Is it really this simple? Can it really be this simple? I believe it can be. I've seen it, and have experienced it in my community this summer. And when people realize they can put aside their wants for a little while and step up and provide a need for someone else it becomes very fullfilling for everyone.
We also need to be very careful about our own willingness to give. Giving can backfire if you enjoy doing it. Because people will expect and assume you to always have the ability to do it. So when you do take a mind to take care of your own needs, it becomes a problem especially in relationships. We have to be careful not to bend and adjust so much, that we lose ourselves and aren't getting what we need.
It's very loving to be able to take care of yourself. It puts you in a better position to take care of others. It actually makes you happier with others and more tolerable.
I think it's also very important to realize that more times than not, we are all on both sides of finding that balance. Our ability to talk and express it to each other with proper respect and undersanding to each other will help us all find that balance.
October 30, 2008
October 21, 2008
You Can Laugh At Me If You Wanna.....
BUT I..... AM.... AWESOME! No, seriously I am! GIVE IT UP FOR ME!
I made 3 gallons of homemade laundry soap. If you know me, you know I like making, baking, caking, creating whatever. And when I find something new to make, I take a recipe or instructions, analyze it, make it my own and then obsess and make tons of it because it' so exciting and new to me. This is no different. If I had containers I'd me making different colors and scents of the stuff. As it is I only made 1 batch and it'll probably last all winter long.
It's not that I can't afford laundry soap cuz I can. But shoot if I can make something at home for pennies of the cost why the heck not? It's like a fun science project that you can use on almost a daily basis and you can personalize it with different scents or no scent at all if you want.
It works so well I'm thinking of selling the stuff. It can be made into laundry liquid or powder so it covers all the basis. You can make it a family project. I can't wait to send it to my daughter in college so I can save her come $ too.
K. so I know you're anxious to get started on your own batch so I'll share the recipe and instructions. I promise you've never be so anxious and giddy to do laundry in ALL you life. You Pioneering generations that walked the earth hundreds of years before you did will gather as angels and sing praises to your good ol' fashioned old school roots. And this soap is as Eco and environmentally safe as YOU make it.
Let's get started!
The ingredients you'll need are quite simple:
2 bars of soap
(Use whatever you have on hand or whatever you like. Keep in mind this will also be what your laundry will smell like. I had some "coast" hanging around so I used that. All you eco friendly and Greenies out there, go find yourself an environmental friendly bar of soap that is fat or vegitable based and not petrolium based.)
1/2 cup of Borax
( This is a natural mineral mineral: , also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.) Although it is a natural mineral becareful and mindful of breathing too much of it is, it can be irritating.
1 & 1/2 cups of Washing Soda (this is usually found in the laundry isle in the Arm and Hammer box. it actually looks like a box of baking soda on STEROIDS.)
*Pppppst! I have a side note....* Notice above I mentioned washing soda and not baking soda? They are 2 different things. Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate. Baking soda is Sodium bi-carbonate. No, this doesn't meant it's corbonate that "swings both ways", it just means it a different compound. If you go to the website of the yellow box with bicept and mallet they'll tell you the 2 aren't interchangeable. And they aren't. You CANNOT use washing powder for baking, cooking or for any ingestion at all. However they do not tell you that you can, indeed, use baking soda for cleaning and external needs. I thing it's because they want you to go out and purchase their other product but that's just me. I bring this up to say that You can use baking soda is this recipe if you can't find washing soda and it does a might fine job as well!
3 gallons of good ole hot tap water
one 5 gallon bucket
First thing you wanna do is put 4 cups of water into on the stove and bring to just under boiling.
Then fill your 5 gallon bucket with 3 gallons of hot tap water ( you can boil this water as well but I haven't found it necessary)
While your 4 cups of water is heating you'll want to grate your soap into small slivers. You can use a potato peeler, cheese gater, or cut it up and then add to your food processor or blender for smaller pieces.
Then slowly add the soap into the pot of hot water and start to dissolve it. Make sure you're stirring the soapy water so it doesn't boil over. It can boil, but you dont want it to boil over. Stir soapy water mixture until all the soap is dissolved.
When all the soap is dissolved, add that mixture to the bucket of hot water and stir. Then add the Washing/baking Soda and stir that until dissolved. Then add the borax and stir until dissolved. When it's all mixed together... in the words of Ronco... "set it and forget it." You'll want to let it cool, usually over night.
When you wake up the next morning you have this GLORIOUSLY sludgy gel that works just as well as the leading laundry detergents on the market.
Now My own variations:
I used coast because I had some, I like the smell and wanted to see if that's how it would smell. Also the color was of interest. I wanted to see if it would make blue laundry soap. It did. It's a pale light blue and that's ok. So just know if you use a yellow, pink or purple bar of soap, that's what color your detergent will be.
So what ever bar you use will be the scent and the color. ( I can't wait to use my pink morrocan oil scented caress bar next *wink*)
I also added a little salt (sodium) t0 the mix because we tend to have hard water and this breaks up mineral deposites that make colors dingy and allows the fabric to keep their dye fabrics longer.
Last but not least I added Tea tree oil into the hot water bucket. about 7-10 drops. I chose tea tree because I had it readily available and because winter is coming.
Tea tree oil has the following properties: it’s anti fungal, anti microbial and anti septic. It also has been historically known to aid in headache, and sinus relief. ( See I TOLD YOU I WAS AWESOME!)
Now for those of you who don't have a place to store 3 gallons or poo poo on liquid laundry detergent, I have not forgotten you! You will use the same recipe except omit the water.
So with your bar soap, you'll put it in the blender/food processor with the borax and Washing Soda. Place wet towel over the top of it to capture the dust from the blending of it. Blend it all together into a powder. Put the washing powder into a jar or zip lock baggie for easier space friendly storage. Use about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per load.
Try it! And holla back at me on how it works for you.
I made 3 gallons of homemade laundry soap. If you know me, you know I like making, baking, caking, creating whatever. And when I find something new to make, I take a recipe or instructions, analyze it, make it my own and then obsess and make tons of it because it' so exciting and new to me. This is no different. If I had containers I'd me making different colors and scents of the stuff. As it is I only made 1 batch and it'll probably last all winter long.
It's not that I can't afford laundry soap cuz I can. But shoot if I can make something at home for pennies of the cost why the heck not? It's like a fun science project that you can use on almost a daily basis and you can personalize it with different scents or no scent at all if you want.
It works so well I'm thinking of selling the stuff. It can be made into laundry liquid or powder so it covers all the basis. You can make it a family project. I can't wait to send it to my daughter in college so I can save her come $ too.
K. so I know you're anxious to get started on your own batch so I'll share the recipe and instructions. I promise you've never be so anxious and giddy to do laundry in ALL you life. You Pioneering generations that walked the earth hundreds of years before you did will gather as angels and sing praises to your good ol' fashioned old school roots. And this soap is as Eco and environmentally safe as YOU make it.
Let's get started!
The ingredients you'll need are quite simple:
2 bars of soap
(Use whatever you have on hand or whatever you like. Keep in mind this will also be what your laundry will smell like. I had some "coast" hanging around so I used that. All you eco friendly and Greenies out there, go find yourself an environmental friendly bar of soap that is fat or vegitable based and not petrolium based.)
1/2 cup of Borax
( This is a natural mineral mineral: , also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.) Although it is a natural mineral becareful and mindful of breathing too much of it is, it can be irritating.
1 & 1/2 cups of Washing Soda (this is usually found in the laundry isle in the Arm and Hammer box. it actually looks like a box of baking soda on STEROIDS.)
*Pppppst! I have a side note....* Notice above I mentioned washing soda and not baking soda? They are 2 different things. Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate. Baking soda is Sodium bi-carbonate. No, this doesn't meant it's corbonate that "swings both ways", it just means it a different compound. If you go to the website of the yellow box with bicept and mallet they'll tell you the 2 aren't interchangeable. And they aren't. You CANNOT use washing powder for baking, cooking or for any ingestion at all. However they do not tell you that you can, indeed, use baking soda for cleaning and external needs. I thing it's because they want you to go out and purchase their other product but that's just me. I bring this up to say that You can use baking soda is this recipe if you can't find washing soda and it does a might fine job as well!
3 gallons of good ole hot tap water
one 5 gallon bucket
First thing you wanna do is put 4 cups of water into on the stove and bring to just under boiling.
Then fill your 5 gallon bucket with 3 gallons of hot tap water ( you can boil this water as well but I haven't found it necessary)
While your 4 cups of water is heating you'll want to grate your soap into small slivers. You can use a potato peeler, cheese gater, or cut it up and then add to your food processor or blender for smaller pieces.
Then slowly add the soap into the pot of hot water and start to dissolve it. Make sure you're stirring the soapy water so it doesn't boil over. It can boil, but you dont want it to boil over. Stir soapy water mixture until all the soap is dissolved.
When all the soap is dissolved, add that mixture to the bucket of hot water and stir. Then add the Washing/baking Soda and stir that until dissolved. Then add the borax and stir until dissolved. When it's all mixed together... in the words of Ronco... "set it and forget it." You'll want to let it cool, usually over night.
When you wake up the next morning you have this GLORIOUSLY sludgy gel that works just as well as the leading laundry detergents on the market.
Now My own variations:
I used coast because I had some, I like the smell and wanted to see if that's how it would smell. Also the color was of interest. I wanted to see if it would make blue laundry soap. It did. It's a pale light blue and that's ok. So just know if you use a yellow, pink or purple bar of soap, that's what color your detergent will be.
So what ever bar you use will be the scent and the color. ( I can't wait to use my pink morrocan oil scented caress bar next *wink*)
I also added a little salt (sodium) t0 the mix because we tend to have hard water and this breaks up mineral deposites that make colors dingy and allows the fabric to keep their dye fabrics longer.
Last but not least I added Tea tree oil into the hot water bucket. about 7-10 drops. I chose tea tree because I had it readily available and because winter is coming.
Tea tree oil has the following properties: it’s anti fungal, anti microbial and anti septic. It also has been historically known to aid in headache, and sinus relief. ( See I TOLD YOU I WAS AWESOME!)
Now for those of you who don't have a place to store 3 gallons or poo poo on liquid laundry detergent, I have not forgotten you! You will use the same recipe except omit the water.
So with your bar soap, you'll put it in the blender/food processor with the borax and Washing Soda. Place wet towel over the top of it to capture the dust from the blending of it. Blend it all together into a powder. Put the washing powder into a jar or zip lock baggie for easier space friendly storage. Use about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per load.
Try it! And holla back at me on how it works for you.
October 08, 2008
Tis a BOOOtiful Seezun!
turned to my sister a couple days ago and said.... "I wanna get the house prepared for the fall!"
To which she said.. "OK, we'll start tomorrow." Tomorrow was yesterday. So I'm looking at fall-ish and harvest type things... Pumkins, cornicopia's, indian corn and all that and she's looking at skulls and tombstones and other goulish type things.
Do you smell a conflict??????
Naw, you dont. We've decided to do the outside haunted and the inside fall harvest. So our residence are total opposites. I must say, the outside is a little creepy. Im going in thru the garage entrance so I don't have to pass the tombstones and the 1ft spider with the 3.5ft leg span I bought to put on the bush outside.
we've got blinking eye balls in the upstairs windows, a phantom with bloody hand prints in the front window. The face is lighted and fades in and out. we've got blinking skull lanterns in one of the trees and a grave stone beneath it and several other tombstones in the front yard. Then we've got a couple of sound and motion censor things that scream, howl and play organ music while lighting up every time someone walks by or a sound is loud enough.
We didn't start the process until after dark because we wanted it to appear as if it happened overnight. I few neigbors came out to hear what all the screams and yells were because i was dark. We asked them if the stuff was too loud, and they LOVED IT.
Skull Spider
New doorbell. Lights up, plays oregon music
Mildred the Spider
To which she said.. "OK, we'll start tomorrow." Tomorrow was yesterday. So I'm looking at fall-ish and harvest type things... Pumkins, cornicopia's, indian corn and all that and she's looking at skulls and tombstones and other goulish type things.
Do you smell a conflict??????
Naw, you dont. We've decided to do the outside haunted and the inside fall harvest. So our residence are total opposites. I must say, the outside is a little creepy. Im going in thru the garage entrance so I don't have to pass the tombstones and the 1ft spider with the 3.5ft leg span I bought to put on the bush outside.
we've got blinking eye balls in the upstairs windows, a phantom with bloody hand prints in the front window. The face is lighted and fades in and out. we've got blinking skull lanterns in one of the trees and a grave stone beneath it and several other tombstones in the front yard. Then we've got a couple of sound and motion censor things that scream, howl and play organ music while lighting up every time someone walks by or a sound is loud enough.
We didn't start the process until after dark because we wanted it to appear as if it happened overnight. I few neigbors came out to hear what all the screams and yells were because i was dark. We asked them if the stuff was too loud, and they LOVED IT.
Skull Spider
New doorbell. Lights up, plays oregon music
Mildred the Spider
September 26, 2008
Let your self go....but ONLY if you can bring yourself Back!
I just finished my first physical therapy session. *whew* I'm glad I don't have to go to an actual medical facility for it, I can do it at my leisure. The neigborhood has a community club house with exercise room and pool. I'm on relatively light schedule for the first month, but it is painful. Here are the Dr's orders:
20 minutes on a stationery bike every other day ( I was told not to ride a real bike as I could fall and cause futher damage to my injury
stretching and mobilty flexing EVERYDAY on this knee
Light walking everyday
Naproxin twice daily... especially at night.
I have 2 groovy braces.
One is a compression sleave I bought while in Michigan. (Dr said "good move on that, by the way.") that's my daytime light activity brace.
the other is more for stability and control. It's got metal on the sides and straps that go around my leg keeping things secure and tight. I mostly use that one for when I'm running around on errands, climbing alot of stairs and sleeping. Both help temendously with the pain.
Oh, it turns out I may not have a medial meniscus tear.
They're really thinking it's more of a level 2 MCL sprain. So that means probably not surgery, but a longer healing time of about 4-6 months. AUGH! I seriously said to him... .Can we just break it? but it in a cast for 6 weeks, 2 weeks therapy after that can cut the healing time in half? *sigh* That was a no go.
Augh.... 4 months..... SERIOUSLY? (4 months in a brace and then as needed after that....)
Let's see it's basically october, november, december, Jan?
If the recovery time isn't bad enough, here's the list of what I can't do:
No softball or any other possible contact sports (so much for street hockey on roller blades for the fall
no Blading or skating
or ANYTHING with undeeded lateral movements. (you know those lateral angles that you , but pants, socks and shoes on?... yeah, I can do that, but it HURTS like.... like I wanna cuss.)
unnecessary driving is out. Getting in and out of a car.... yeah, kinda painful but doable. I'm suprizes at lateral angle one holds their legs when they drive it just sort of lays off to the side while on the gas. (thank goodness for cruise control)
No Skiing or snowboarding. So that big weekend on the mountain is out for this season
What I'm really gonna miss... is the yearly thanksgiving football game in the park. *sigh*. Gonna have to be a cheerleader this year. Oh... wait...no Jumping or kicks. :(
Wait.... it could be worse so I'm not complaining... just...preparing.
Sooooo this is the regime for the next 4 weeks. IF things aren't better than he'll probably go in for surgery. If there is improvements, he'll add on to the regimen.
So like John Legend says... I need to take it slow, which I'm really not good at doing.
I like to get things done ahead of time if possible. So I'm well prepared and not last minute stressing ,rushing and better prepared for unforseen happenings.
Oh, I'm adaptable and adjusts well under pressure. I do my best work under pressure. This was certainly not something I would want to have to prepare for. So Im just gonna roll with the punches.
I've been thinking, with this PT it's going to be a long road and I'll be 41 in november. I see my parents starting to need aide in there everyday living: Canes, glasses, and other assistance to make life easier. Im still relatively young, I look young. I forget Im a teenager and will do those things a 40 year old body has forgotten about.
I'm sick of walking up stairs and hills and being winded afterwards. Everytime I hit a set of stairs I sound like a bowl of rice krispy's. I am at my heaviest weight wise which is whole new Multitude of problems with a family history of diabetes, Sleep apnea, cancer, arthritis & high blood pressure. An over weight middle aged african american with a history of those things is just looking at older age of aches, pains and daily medication. I think I want to get these things under control in the next couple years. Getting old is going to be tough enough without me being lazy in my physical upkeep.
I have let myself go. I feel like I'm ready to bring myself back. This whole month and a half of knee pain... and Im talking severe... can't sleep at night, throbbing and spasm up and down my leg and can barely walk the stairs... had really made me see that I don't want to live with it for the rest of my life, however long that may be. We all die of something, but that doesn't mean we have to help death out.
I'm less concerned about losing weight and more concerned about living healthier, being more physically active and productive. I'm sick of clothes not fitting right and looking nice according to MY standards (no one elses).
As I think of the things we do on a daily basis anyway:
Shower/bathe
brush teeth
comb hair
wash hands after using the restroom and before eating.
Ok well I HOPE we all do these things on daily basis.
We eat daily to stay alive and sometimes for enjoyment
We should do something on a regular basis as well.
I'm on it.
( I got a good start, I came home from Michigan 15 lbs lighter and have lost another 7 since I've been back. I can fell the improvments on my joints and breathing already)
SOOOOOOO if anyone is bored between 6pm-7pm gimme a shout out, I'll be headed to the club house exercise room every other day. And then about 8 or 9 pm I'll be walking the neigborhood.
( I may even try to do some walking in the early morning... but don't quote me on that)
20 minutes on a stationery bike every other day ( I was told not to ride a real bike as I could fall and cause futher damage to my injury
stretching and mobilty flexing EVERYDAY on this knee
Light walking everyday
Naproxin twice daily... especially at night.
I have 2 groovy braces.
One is a compression sleave I bought while in Michigan. (Dr said "good move on that, by the way.") that's my daytime light activity brace.
the other is more for stability and control. It's got metal on the sides and straps that go around my leg keeping things secure and tight. I mostly use that one for when I'm running around on errands, climbing alot of stairs and sleeping. Both help temendously with the pain.
Oh, it turns out I may not have a medial meniscus tear.
They're really thinking it's more of a level 2 MCL sprain. So that means probably not surgery, but a longer healing time of about 4-6 months. AUGH! I seriously said to him... .Can we just break it? but it in a cast for 6 weeks, 2 weeks therapy after that can cut the healing time in half? *sigh* That was a no go.
Augh.... 4 months..... SERIOUSLY? (4 months in a brace and then as needed after that....)
Let's see it's basically october, november, december, Jan?
If the recovery time isn't bad enough, here's the list of what I can't do:
No softball or any other possible contact sports (so much for street hockey on roller blades for the fall
no Blading or skating
or ANYTHING with undeeded lateral movements. (you know those lateral angles that you , but pants, socks and shoes on?... yeah, I can do that, but it HURTS like.... like I wanna cuss.)
unnecessary driving is out. Getting in and out of a car.... yeah, kinda painful but doable. I'm suprizes at lateral angle one holds their legs when they drive it just sort of lays off to the side while on the gas. (thank goodness for cruise control)
No Skiing or snowboarding. So that big weekend on the mountain is out for this season
What I'm really gonna miss... is the yearly thanksgiving football game in the park. *sigh*. Gonna have to be a cheerleader this year. Oh... wait...no Jumping or kicks. :(
Wait.... it could be worse so I'm not complaining... just...preparing.
Sooooo this is the regime for the next 4 weeks. IF things aren't better than he'll probably go in for surgery. If there is improvements, he'll add on to the regimen.
So like John Legend says... I need to take it slow, which I'm really not good at doing.
I like to get things done ahead of time if possible. So I'm well prepared and not last minute stressing ,rushing and better prepared for unforseen happenings.
Oh, I'm adaptable and adjusts well under pressure. I do my best work under pressure. This was certainly not something I would want to have to prepare for. So Im just gonna roll with the punches.
I've been thinking, with this PT it's going to be a long road and I'll be 41 in november. I see my parents starting to need aide in there everyday living: Canes, glasses, and other assistance to make life easier. Im still relatively young, I look young. I forget Im a teenager and will do those things a 40 year old body has forgotten about.
I'm sick of walking up stairs and hills and being winded afterwards. Everytime I hit a set of stairs I sound like a bowl of rice krispy's. I am at my heaviest weight wise which is whole new Multitude of problems with a family history of diabetes, Sleep apnea, cancer, arthritis & high blood pressure. An over weight middle aged african american with a history of those things is just looking at older age of aches, pains and daily medication. I think I want to get these things under control in the next couple years. Getting old is going to be tough enough without me being lazy in my physical upkeep.
I have let myself go. I feel like I'm ready to bring myself back. This whole month and a half of knee pain... and Im talking severe... can't sleep at night, throbbing and spasm up and down my leg and can barely walk the stairs... had really made me see that I don't want to live with it for the rest of my life, however long that may be. We all die of something, but that doesn't mean we have to help death out.
I'm less concerned about losing weight and more concerned about living healthier, being more physically active and productive. I'm sick of clothes not fitting right and looking nice according to MY standards (no one elses).
As I think of the things we do on a daily basis anyway:
Shower/bathe
brush teeth
comb hair
wash hands after using the restroom and before eating.
Ok well I HOPE we all do these things on daily basis.
We eat daily to stay alive and sometimes for enjoyment
We should do something on a regular basis as well.
I'm on it.
( I got a good start, I came home from Michigan 15 lbs lighter and have lost another 7 since I've been back. I can fell the improvments on my joints and breathing already)
SOOOOOOO if anyone is bored between 6pm-7pm gimme a shout out, I'll be headed to the club house exercise room every other day. And then about 8 or 9 pm I'll be walking the neigborhood.
( I may even try to do some walking in the early morning... but don't quote me on that)
September 21, 2008
September 20, 2008
Yucky Week Ramblings.
I've been kinda blah all week. Im soooooooo freakin tired. I wondered if I were still on Michigan time. Who the heck knows.
So, this is my story for today:
Back in the beginning of August I slipped down the carpeted steps in our house. It hurt like a MUTHA! For 10 minutes all I could do is sit on the stairs and rock back in forth in pain before I even attempted to put any weight on my leg. after about 15 min I could stand on it. It hurt, but little by little the pain subsided. I was to be a chaperone for the youth at church to the local Amusement part. I prolly should have just stayed home and went to the Dr then. But I was bribbed into going about 9pm the night before and it was an AWESOME bribe: A black forest cake and a $100 bill. So I went. It's only about a 30 minute car ride if that long. So by the time I got to the amusement park my leg was stiff and painful. I eased my way out of the car and went about the day. I put ice on my swollen knee and ankle when I could, rested when i could. For the most part if I kept on moving or didn't stand or sit for too long or angle my knee and ankle too much I was in good shape.
The ride home, it was pretty stiff again. So when I got home I elevated it and iced it and stayed off it for a couple days and just took it easy. The swelling did go down but it's never really stopped hurting and still stiffens up when I'm not on it. Night time is WORSE, it not only locks up and becomes stiff and painfull, it throbs and shoots pains up my let to my pelvic area.
*sigh*
So anyway I just figured if I take it easy and keep it iced it would get better. 10 days after it happend I was on a plane to michigan and there I remained until about a week ago. In michigan it got worse. Humidity will do that to joints and sometimes it got cold to me and that didn't help. I had taken some pain meds and rationed them out for the 3 weeks. At night when I just couldn't take it I would resort to lortab and ibu 800. That would keep me through the night.
Well this passed week it's gotten to the point where I CAN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE! To this afternoon after my meetings and what not, I venture to the Dr's. I explained what happened a month and a half ago. They're pretty sure its not a fracture or a bone chip or anything like that but they take exrays to make sure.
Then the diagnosis: Torn medial Meniscus. yeah, I had to look it up too, y'all. basically that means the tissue on the inside of my knee is prolly torn and starting to heal with broken scar tissue and cartilage hanging around it. I'm picturing a chicken leg with shredded meat off the bone. It's probably not that bad but that's my mind for ya.
So he writes me a RX for some anti inflams that BETTER WORK DOGGONE IT! Cuz it wakes me up most nights.
Then he gives me this really AWESOME knee brace! It's got the metal braces on each side of the knee, it's fitting so it applies pressure where the pain is and is holding the tissue together and it's got velcro straps around the back and front to keep it secure on my leg. I'm excited to be adding this to my Klutz Kollection. ( I have air cast, broken foot boots, ankle braces, knee braces, neck braces, finger splints, crutches... )
So I was given the names of 2 orthopedic surgeons to call and go see on Monday. They're pretty sure I'll need surgery. :( I'm not too crazy about that. If I do need it, I'm gonna try and knock it out here in the next couple to three weeks and if that's the case I may as well get that cateracts surgery done at the same time since I'll be down anyway.
In the mean time the Dr put me on RICE. RICE=Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. And to avoid taking the stairs if I don't have to.
Poor Dr has never been to my house. I had to laugh. All (and I mean ALL the bedrooms AND bathrooms are upstairs. 13 stairs. You do go down 13 stairs and you hit the living room. then you go up one stair and there as small landing. if you turn left you go down 6 more stairs into the family room. if you go straight you go up 1 step into the kitchen. The washer and dryer are in the basement.
I can't see living upstairs close to the bathroom from now until whenever. But i can't see just living downstairs w/o the bathrooms.
ya gotta love it.
Right now I'm in my bed on my sister's lap top with leg elevated. She doesn't care but I like feeling like I'm being sneaky. she feels bad because I wanted her to drive me to the doctors since it's my driving leg that's messed up but she didn't want to go. I told her not to worry about it. But older sisters are supposed to I guess, it's their JOB. (besides she's only 11 months older)
So I've been thinking about this summer as a whole. It's been pretty stinky in some ways and absolutely awesome in others.
before I left for Michigan my wedding dress was a little tight. Now it's too big. They made me put it on as soon as I got back. And before I could suck in the thing was zipped up and hanging off me in front. Adonis is the best diet Ever :)
Oh, Did i mention I chipped a tooth on Monday? My front left tooth chipped off. I got that taken care of yesterday. My daughter and I were in the Dentist office from 8 am til 11 am. What's really cool is they had to put a crown on my daughters tooth and they made it on the computer, sent the image to a machine, and the machine made it right there in the office.
I also lost my phone Tuesday afternoon and some guy found it and got it back to me late thursday night. To make matters worse, Verizon towers were having trouble in the Cache country and wasatch front areas. So verizoner could get texts but not send them. I was proud when I got my phone back it had 1 bar left. Nice. To bad it's now dropping calls and peoples voices are sounding choppy for the most part when they call. It takes for ever to send a text it says "sending" a good 3 minutes before it says failed or message sent so I've all but been ignoring it today.
geeze anything else happen this week? Oh yeah, I found out my neice fell down the fire escape 2 nights before I left michigan. the family didn't tell me, because they knew I would have cancelled my flight home and stayed another week with them. She had a concussion and has a broken nose and what not. I feel sad i didn't get to see them much while I was there. I guess she fell 12 feet straight down a fire escape and landed on her feet, but she landed on a basket ball which caused her to fall straight backwards onto the cement flooring. The empact broke her little nose. She's got 2 blackened eyes and her teeth went thru her lip (just like her daddy, my brother, did when he had an accident as a kid)
blah. I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm anxious and nervous about this knee thing. I'm supposed to be job hunting this week. I'll do that inbetween dr appointments i guess.
Right now I'm gonna crawl downstairs... (shhhhhhhh! don't tell on me..) get some ice for this knee, crawl back upstairs grab my little personal dvd player and hang out with Harry Potter the rest of the night and enjoy some apple pie "ontha mode' ;)
To you I say RELEASE THE PEACE!
So, this is my story for today:
Back in the beginning of August I slipped down the carpeted steps in our house. It hurt like a MUTHA! For 10 minutes all I could do is sit on the stairs and rock back in forth in pain before I even attempted to put any weight on my leg. after about 15 min I could stand on it. It hurt, but little by little the pain subsided. I was to be a chaperone for the youth at church to the local Amusement part. I prolly should have just stayed home and went to the Dr then. But I was bribbed into going about 9pm the night before and it was an AWESOME bribe: A black forest cake and a $100 bill. So I went. It's only about a 30 minute car ride if that long. So by the time I got to the amusement park my leg was stiff and painful. I eased my way out of the car and went about the day. I put ice on my swollen knee and ankle when I could, rested when i could. For the most part if I kept on moving or didn't stand or sit for too long or angle my knee and ankle too much I was in good shape.
The ride home, it was pretty stiff again. So when I got home I elevated it and iced it and stayed off it for a couple days and just took it easy. The swelling did go down but it's never really stopped hurting and still stiffens up when I'm not on it. Night time is WORSE, it not only locks up and becomes stiff and painfull, it throbs and shoots pains up my let to my pelvic area.
*sigh*
So anyway I just figured if I take it easy and keep it iced it would get better. 10 days after it happend I was on a plane to michigan and there I remained until about a week ago. In michigan it got worse. Humidity will do that to joints and sometimes it got cold to me and that didn't help. I had taken some pain meds and rationed them out for the 3 weeks. At night when I just couldn't take it I would resort to lortab and ibu 800. That would keep me through the night.
Well this passed week it's gotten to the point where I CAN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE! To this afternoon after my meetings and what not, I venture to the Dr's. I explained what happened a month and a half ago. They're pretty sure its not a fracture or a bone chip or anything like that but they take exrays to make sure.
Then the diagnosis: Torn medial Meniscus. yeah, I had to look it up too, y'all. basically that means the tissue on the inside of my knee is prolly torn and starting to heal with broken scar tissue and cartilage hanging around it. I'm picturing a chicken leg with shredded meat off the bone. It's probably not that bad but that's my mind for ya.
So he writes me a RX for some anti inflams that BETTER WORK DOGGONE IT! Cuz it wakes me up most nights.
Then he gives me this really AWESOME knee brace! It's got the metal braces on each side of the knee, it's fitting so it applies pressure where the pain is and is holding the tissue together and it's got velcro straps around the back and front to keep it secure on my leg. I'm excited to be adding this to my Klutz Kollection. ( I have air cast, broken foot boots, ankle braces, knee braces, neck braces, finger splints, crutches... )
So I was given the names of 2 orthopedic surgeons to call and go see on Monday. They're pretty sure I'll need surgery. :( I'm not too crazy about that. If I do need it, I'm gonna try and knock it out here in the next couple to three weeks and if that's the case I may as well get that cateracts surgery done at the same time since I'll be down anyway.
In the mean time the Dr put me on RICE. RICE=Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. And to avoid taking the stairs if I don't have to.
Poor Dr has never been to my house. I had to laugh. All (and I mean ALL the bedrooms AND bathrooms are upstairs. 13 stairs. You do go down 13 stairs and you hit the living room. then you go up one stair and there as small landing. if you turn left you go down 6 more stairs into the family room. if you go straight you go up 1 step into the kitchen. The washer and dryer are in the basement.
I can't see living upstairs close to the bathroom from now until whenever. But i can't see just living downstairs w/o the bathrooms.
ya gotta love it.
Right now I'm in my bed on my sister's lap top with leg elevated. She doesn't care but I like feeling like I'm being sneaky. she feels bad because I wanted her to drive me to the doctors since it's my driving leg that's messed up but she didn't want to go. I told her not to worry about it. But older sisters are supposed to I guess, it's their JOB. (besides she's only 11 months older)
So I've been thinking about this summer as a whole. It's been pretty stinky in some ways and absolutely awesome in others.
before I left for Michigan my wedding dress was a little tight. Now it's too big. They made me put it on as soon as I got back. And before I could suck in the thing was zipped up and hanging off me in front. Adonis is the best diet Ever :)
Oh, Did i mention I chipped a tooth on Monday? My front left tooth chipped off. I got that taken care of yesterday. My daughter and I were in the Dentist office from 8 am til 11 am. What's really cool is they had to put a crown on my daughters tooth and they made it on the computer, sent the image to a machine, and the machine made it right there in the office.
I also lost my phone Tuesday afternoon and some guy found it and got it back to me late thursday night. To make matters worse, Verizon towers were having trouble in the Cache country and wasatch front areas. So verizoner could get texts but not send them. I was proud when I got my phone back it had 1 bar left. Nice. To bad it's now dropping calls and peoples voices are sounding choppy for the most part when they call. It takes for ever to send a text it says "sending" a good 3 minutes before it says failed or message sent so I've all but been ignoring it today.
geeze anything else happen this week? Oh yeah, I found out my neice fell down the fire escape 2 nights before I left michigan. the family didn't tell me, because they knew I would have cancelled my flight home and stayed another week with them. She had a concussion and has a broken nose and what not. I feel sad i didn't get to see them much while I was there. I guess she fell 12 feet straight down a fire escape and landed on her feet, but she landed on a basket ball which caused her to fall straight backwards onto the cement flooring. The empact broke her little nose. She's got 2 blackened eyes and her teeth went thru her lip (just like her daddy, my brother, did when he had an accident as a kid)
blah. I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm anxious and nervous about this knee thing. I'm supposed to be job hunting this week. I'll do that inbetween dr appointments i guess.
Right now I'm gonna crawl downstairs... (shhhhhhhh! don't tell on me..) get some ice for this knee, crawl back upstairs grab my little personal dvd player and hang out with Harry Potter the rest of the night and enjoy some apple pie "ontha mode' ;)
To you I say RELEASE THE PEACE!
September 13, 2008
Home Sweet Home??
So I left my home in Utah to go back home to Michigan for 3 weeks and now I'm back home in Utah. Home Sweet Home, right? Sure, why not... um... Which home are we talkin 'bout folks?
Being back home in Michigan was... surreal for me. Normally when you go BACK home you're staying with family in your old house you grew up with and seeing old friends and neigbors and what not.
Yeah.... well, not so much the case. I stayed with a Man I haven't seen or been around in about 23 years.
For the most part I enjoyed my trip and my time in Michigan. But it was difficult for me to be back in the the home town. I left with a lot of emotional loose ends. So all the old memories and intimidations and things came rushing back to me. Very little was familiar but so much was familiar. It was like being in a different world but running into parts of my life there.
I was able to see my my Grandmother that i haven't seen in about 4 years. Her health isn't all that great and I'm not sure when I'll be able to see her again. We went to her birthday party and I was able to see aunts, uncles and cousin's I haven't seen in a while. Awesome seeing them and looking forward to seeing them at the family reunion next summer.
I met Adonis Family. I think they're great and they remind me of my own family.
There are defineate things about Michigan I miss, like tree covered streets and the freshness of the evergreens and the wonder and beauty of the great lakes. I miss Volcano Pizza and Chicken Coop Wings, Hot stuff potato chips and faygo pop. And being 30 minutes away from some of the extended family and missing certain parts of their lives.
What I don't miss... is the Humidity. I have RA. Most nights I couldn't sleep because the pain in my knee and hip was so horrible and my meds didn't really touch it. I don't miss people cussing and swearing as part of everyday language. I don't miss the having to always watch my back and be on Alert 24/7. I could name a few others but I wont.
For the most part I've spent half of my life in Michigan and the other half in Utah. Both places have a unique beauty all their own. When asked which place I like better, it's hard to give an honest answer in terms of geographical specifics. I base which place I like better on where I have been most successful and thrived the most. Where I'm most comfortable, safe and at peace.
Well I've been both places and have successful to some degree in both places. I consider both places home and why shouldn't I?
It was fun to go back and see the old high school, football stadium and softball field where I, girl jock ROCKED at my sport. It was fun to see the houses I grew up in and the neigborhoods I rode bikes around and even some of the people I went to school with.
It was also fun to come back home and see the mountain side and sleep and wake up without too much pain and to be back in my house, my yard and my personal space. And to know Im going to a place... a community that genuinelycares about each other and that caring is welcomed.
Home Sweet Home???
Aw yeah..... Home Sweet Home!
Being back home in Michigan was... surreal for me. Normally when you go BACK home you're staying with family in your old house you grew up with and seeing old friends and neigbors and what not.
Yeah.... well, not so much the case. I stayed with a Man I haven't seen or been around in about 23 years.
For the most part I enjoyed my trip and my time in Michigan. But it was difficult for me to be back in the the home town. I left with a lot of emotional loose ends. So all the old memories and intimidations and things came rushing back to me. Very little was familiar but so much was familiar. It was like being in a different world but running into parts of my life there.
I was able to see my my Grandmother that i haven't seen in about 4 years. Her health isn't all that great and I'm not sure when I'll be able to see her again. We went to her birthday party and I was able to see aunts, uncles and cousin's I haven't seen in a while. Awesome seeing them and looking forward to seeing them at the family reunion next summer.
I met Adonis Family. I think they're great and they remind me of my own family.
There are defineate things about Michigan I miss, like tree covered streets and the freshness of the evergreens and the wonder and beauty of the great lakes. I miss Volcano Pizza and Chicken Coop Wings, Hot stuff potato chips and faygo pop. And being 30 minutes away from some of the extended family and missing certain parts of their lives.
What I don't miss... is the Humidity. I have RA. Most nights I couldn't sleep because the pain in my knee and hip was so horrible and my meds didn't really touch it. I don't miss people cussing and swearing as part of everyday language. I don't miss the having to always watch my back and be on Alert 24/7. I could name a few others but I wont.
For the most part I've spent half of my life in Michigan and the other half in Utah. Both places have a unique beauty all their own. When asked which place I like better, it's hard to give an honest answer in terms of geographical specifics. I base which place I like better on where I have been most successful and thrived the most. Where I'm most comfortable, safe and at peace.
Well I've been both places and have successful to some degree in both places. I consider both places home and why shouldn't I?
It was fun to go back and see the old high school, football stadium and softball field where I, girl jock ROCKED at my sport. It was fun to see the houses I grew up in and the neigborhoods I rode bikes around and even some of the people I went to school with.
It was also fun to come back home and see the mountain side and sleep and wake up without too much pain and to be back in my house, my yard and my personal space. And to know Im going to a place... a community that genuinelycares about each other and that caring is welcomed.
Home Sweet Home???
Aw yeah..... Home Sweet Home!
August 08, 2008
Memories
I hope this is a good idea
Everyone needs to play...This is Fun!
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember--it can be funny, weird, awkward, random, etc.!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Everyone needs to play...This is Fun!
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember--it can be funny, weird, awkward, random, etc.!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
July 29, 2008
Will Work for Food!
Seriously, because trying to pay for food didn't work at all tonight.
2 of my friends had birthdays today so a gang of us went out to dinner for celebration. We got to the restaurant at 6:30 and were finally seated at 7:15. The joint was hoppin and there was hustle and bustle all over the place. You would have thought it was rush hour on i-15 the way traffic was running through the dining room.
The waiter comes and takes our drinkk orders. There's a party of 12 of us and all but 2 of us have seperate checks. Our waiter was on it. I was unsure of what to order and he actually sat next to me as we discussed the 3 options i couldn't decide on. I like that he took the personal time to hang out with me for 5 minutes and discuss the details of tuscan potates and actually what capers were.
They bring us our salads and bread, and other appetizers and we pass the pre foods around the table. I'm anxious for the chicken dish I ordered sauteed in onions and mushrooms with red potatoes and so on. Each person's meal comes. He places mine in front of me and I'm staring at my plate... my red potatoes are blackened, my onions resemble black potatoe chips and everything tastes burnt. I stared at the waiter rushes of to get the other dinner plates and take care of his other tables. finally when he returned I have him check out my plate.
" Sooo, tell me Sean" I said... "does this look burnt to you?" And he gasps in embarrasement.
"well, let me take that back and have another one made up for you, or would you rather try something else?" "well, since this dish didn't work out so well, how about i try that 2nd dish we talked about?" " I'll get that right in for ya..." he said and off he rushes to the kitchen. Most everyone else is 1/2 way through their meal except for my sister who asked for medium well stake and was staring at a very RARE peice of beef... he takes her plate back as well and has them recook hers. By the time our dinners come out, we're full on famous salad and breadsticks and ask for our dinner to be put into a box.
Sean brings out our dinners, asks us to check them to make sure they're to our satisfaction. They look wonderful! So our waiter, who was actually on point for most of our stay, gets the boxes and begins to box our dinners. He gives my sister her dinner and begins to box up mine.
Im conversing with my dinner companions and the half of the table facing Sean breaks into a big "GASP!" I turn and look. A customer knocks into Sean and my dinner is now half in the box and half spilled on the tray. Everyone looks at me and I just laugh and think "oh well, it happens."
Good Ole Sean apologizes profusely and heads straight to the manager and asks her to comp my meal. He then comes straight over to me and lets me know he has the cook preparing a 3rd meal for me and he's having it boxed right ups and there will be no charge for it. I thanked him and assured him that he did a might fine job. I left him a 7$ tip on a 3.50 bill cuz Really, it's hard to be a server when the kitchen is off, and quite frankly, I LIKED SEAN THE SERVER.
I get my packaged food and my sister and I head home and I'm hungry. So I call my daughter who chose to stay home and back a store bought pizza. We're 1/2 a mile from home and I ask her... ' Hey is there any pizza left?"
To which she says... "umm aren't you at dinner? I the pizza isn't cooked yet because I didnt get hungry til now."
I tell her "put the pizza in, I'm starving!" I tell her.
She says... "lady what is wrong with you, you just spent 3 hours at the restaurant and you didn't eat?"
I told her I'd explain when I get home.
I explained when got home and we just laughed about it. True I had my "to go" dinner but decided to save it for tomorrow and I was quite looking forward to walmart pepperoni store bought pizza.
I'm sitting in the living room about 10 minutes later and I hear a very loud "AUGH!" come from the kitchen.
My daughter dropped the pizza on the oven door. By this time all I could do is laugh.
I've decided to give up on dinner tonight and just pray so it's called fasting and not starvation.
Anyway, if you know someone will an extra plate and some leftovers tell them you know someone who will work for food.
:)
2 of my friends had birthdays today so a gang of us went out to dinner for celebration. We got to the restaurant at 6:30 and were finally seated at 7:15. The joint was hoppin and there was hustle and bustle all over the place. You would have thought it was rush hour on i-15 the way traffic was running through the dining room.
The waiter comes and takes our drinkk orders. There's a party of 12 of us and all but 2 of us have seperate checks. Our waiter was on it. I was unsure of what to order and he actually sat next to me as we discussed the 3 options i couldn't decide on. I like that he took the personal time to hang out with me for 5 minutes and discuss the details of tuscan potates and actually what capers were.
They bring us our salads and bread, and other appetizers and we pass the pre foods around the table. I'm anxious for the chicken dish I ordered sauteed in onions and mushrooms with red potatoes and so on. Each person's meal comes. He places mine in front of me and I'm staring at my plate... my red potatoes are blackened, my onions resemble black potatoe chips and everything tastes burnt. I stared at the waiter rushes of to get the other dinner plates and take care of his other tables. finally when he returned I have him check out my plate.
" Sooo, tell me Sean" I said... "does this look burnt to you?" And he gasps in embarrasement.
"well, let me take that back and have another one made up for you, or would you rather try something else?" "well, since this dish didn't work out so well, how about i try that 2nd dish we talked about?" " I'll get that right in for ya..." he said and off he rushes to the kitchen. Most everyone else is 1/2 way through their meal except for my sister who asked for medium well stake and was staring at a very RARE peice of beef... he takes her plate back as well and has them recook hers. By the time our dinners come out, we're full on famous salad and breadsticks and ask for our dinner to be put into a box.
Sean brings out our dinners, asks us to check them to make sure they're to our satisfaction. They look wonderful! So our waiter, who was actually on point for most of our stay, gets the boxes and begins to box our dinners. He gives my sister her dinner and begins to box up mine.
Im conversing with my dinner companions and the half of the table facing Sean breaks into a big "GASP!" I turn and look. A customer knocks into Sean and my dinner is now half in the box and half spilled on the tray. Everyone looks at me and I just laugh and think "oh well, it happens."
Good Ole Sean apologizes profusely and heads straight to the manager and asks her to comp my meal. He then comes straight over to me and lets me know he has the cook preparing a 3rd meal for me and he's having it boxed right ups and there will be no charge for it. I thanked him and assured him that he did a might fine job. I left him a 7$ tip on a 3.50 bill cuz Really, it's hard to be a server when the kitchen is off, and quite frankly, I LIKED SEAN THE SERVER.
I get my packaged food and my sister and I head home and I'm hungry. So I call my daughter who chose to stay home and back a store bought pizza. We're 1/2 a mile from home and I ask her... ' Hey is there any pizza left?"
To which she says... "umm aren't you at dinner? I the pizza isn't cooked yet because I didnt get hungry til now."
I tell her "put the pizza in, I'm starving!" I tell her.
She says... "lady what is wrong with you, you just spent 3 hours at the restaurant and you didn't eat?"
I told her I'd explain when I get home.
I explained when got home and we just laughed about it. True I had my "to go" dinner but decided to save it for tomorrow and I was quite looking forward to walmart pepperoni store bought pizza.
I'm sitting in the living room about 10 minutes later and I hear a very loud "AUGH!" come from the kitchen.
My daughter dropped the pizza on the oven door. By this time all I could do is laugh.
I've decided to give up on dinner tonight and just pray so it's called fasting and not starvation.
Anyway, if you know someone will an extra plate and some leftovers tell them you know someone who will work for food.
:)
July 26, 2008
Camp Dudley!!
IT"S THAT TIME AGAIN!!!!!!!
Camp Dudley Time! I started "camp dudley" about 3 years ago. My daughter and I had just moved into our new condo and 2 of my neices were coming out during the summer. So I created Camp Dudley. Since my daughter is an only child and was living far away from her cousins I wanted to find a way for her to know them and be close to them so Camp Dudley was established. When she was younger she would spend every other summer with family members. It was difficult at first sending my only child away for the summer. But it proved to be beneficial in the long run. She learned how to become less shy and afraid to be away from home. I learned how to give her some room to and be more independant and less of a worrying mother.
Camp Dudley last anywhere from a weekend to 2 weeks. I'm the camp director (cuz Im the favorite aunt... they call me the "Mary Poppins" of the family) My sister is Assistant Camp director, My brother is the Camp Maintenance and My daughter is now a Camp Councelor.
The Neices and Nephews are split in ages 19-3. 3 of them live in Utah, 5 of them live in California and 6 of them in Michigan. And add my daughter to the mix. I've never had all 15 of them at once although I would LOVE IT if it were to happen.
some of the activies we enjoy are:
Drive in movies
bbq's
Pool party olympics
Build your own pizza contest
Arts and Crafts
One of my nephews got to be on a parad float one year
Camping, fishing, canoeing
Riding the trax & light rail into downtown
State & Church History tours
Educational field trips
hiking in the mountains & canyons
Out door movies in the park
You name it, we've done it
Fun, Fun fun.
It's a good old fashioned tiring time and I love it.
This year it like the year of the Nephews. My brother's sons are all coming out but their stays are staggered. The youngest was here already for 2 weeks. It was his first real trip out here. The oldest came in last week and the middle one (my twin, we have the same b-day) flies in today. we're picking him up in about 3 hours.
I like how the family pools together for the one's who can't afford to come but would like to. Had it not been for that, when my daughter was younger she wouldn't have been able to be with family members every other summer. Although the family is somewhat staggered throughout the country we felt it was important we find a way to keep the cousins close. Every other year my daughter spent the summer with family members. She's been to california, Washington state, Michigan. My father just retired from an airline. He was a great influence in teaching the kids how to fly independantly. I've learned to have great faith in the safety of it. If the child is under the age of 12 they get flight wings, escort tags and an attendant to escort them to any connecting flights and to make sure they get to their destination. And an parent or predetermined adult need to pick the up on the other end. Children ages 13-17 must have an adult pick them up at the gate and they too, must be predetermined on the paperwork and show I.d before they release the child. It's been pretty fun experience and it's given them confidence in traveling alone. Some people say that was a bold step.
I look at it this way.. My success as a parent is measured by how well I've taught my child to funtion in the world without me. Not to say that I've neglected her. I haven't by any means. But alot of my comfort and confidence in sending her off to college is knowing that incase of an emergency, or unexpected change of plans, I know she can keep her head about her, make rational decisions of adjustment.
Back to Camp Dudley!
This morning was acctually an neigborhood 5k run, walk or stroll. A couple weeks before a sign up went out for volunteering breakfast items. So after the 5k there was big neigborhood breakfast for all to enjoy.
This evening after we pick up my other nephew, we'll most likely bbq, pool party, and either movie night or drive in.
Tomorrow my brother will come down with the other nephew and pick him up. We'll do another family bbq.
It's really been fun having the nephews out this year although they came out at staggard times. When the neices came out the came out altogether and we had diva weekend with just the girls and then the last day we had the family pool party & build your own pizza contest.
I LOVE MY FAMILY. It wasn't always this way and it's taken a while to get to this point. As they get old and life's paths move us along in our different directions I hope we'll all continue to provide some sort of Camp Dudley for our kids so they have the family bonds and continue to pass them on. Family reunions are fun, but they don't always happen. If we can create an opportunity for the kids to grow up together and continue the tradition of them having the desire to contact or get together even for a weekend during the summers then I think we've created a family legacy. We are actually looking for land to build a family cabin for such occasions. If i could leave the family these experiences, this legacy to pass down from each generation, I would be well pleased
Hurray for camp Dudley!
Camp Dudley Time! I started "camp dudley" about 3 years ago. My daughter and I had just moved into our new condo and 2 of my neices were coming out during the summer. So I created Camp Dudley. Since my daughter is an only child and was living far away from her cousins I wanted to find a way for her to know them and be close to them so Camp Dudley was established. When she was younger she would spend every other summer with family members. It was difficult at first sending my only child away for the summer. But it proved to be beneficial in the long run. She learned how to become less shy and afraid to be away from home. I learned how to give her some room to and be more independant and less of a worrying mother.
Camp Dudley last anywhere from a weekend to 2 weeks. I'm the camp director (cuz Im the favorite aunt... they call me the "Mary Poppins" of the family) My sister is Assistant Camp director, My brother is the Camp Maintenance and My daughter is now a Camp Councelor.
The Neices and Nephews are split in ages 19-3. 3 of them live in Utah, 5 of them live in California and 6 of them in Michigan. And add my daughter to the mix. I've never had all 15 of them at once although I would LOVE IT if it were to happen.
some of the activies we enjoy are:
Drive in movies
bbq's
Pool party olympics
Build your own pizza contest
Arts and Crafts
One of my nephews got to be on a parad float one year
Camping, fishing, canoeing
Riding the trax & light rail into downtown
State & Church History tours
Educational field trips
hiking in the mountains & canyons
Out door movies in the park
You name it, we've done it
Fun, Fun fun.
It's a good old fashioned tiring time and I love it.
This year it like the year of the Nephews. My brother's sons are all coming out but their stays are staggered. The youngest was here already for 2 weeks. It was his first real trip out here. The oldest came in last week and the middle one (my twin, we have the same b-day) flies in today. we're picking him up in about 3 hours.
I like how the family pools together for the one's who can't afford to come but would like to. Had it not been for that, when my daughter was younger she wouldn't have been able to be with family members every other summer. Although the family is somewhat staggered throughout the country we felt it was important we find a way to keep the cousins close. Every other year my daughter spent the summer with family members. She's been to california, Washington state, Michigan. My father just retired from an airline. He was a great influence in teaching the kids how to fly independantly. I've learned to have great faith in the safety of it. If the child is under the age of 12 they get flight wings, escort tags and an attendant to escort them to any connecting flights and to make sure they get to their destination. And an parent or predetermined adult need to pick the up on the other end. Children ages 13-17 must have an adult pick them up at the gate and they too, must be predetermined on the paperwork and show I.d before they release the child. It's been pretty fun experience and it's given them confidence in traveling alone. Some people say that was a bold step.
I look at it this way.. My success as a parent is measured by how well I've taught my child to funtion in the world without me. Not to say that I've neglected her. I haven't by any means. But alot of my comfort and confidence in sending her off to college is knowing that incase of an emergency, or unexpected change of plans, I know she can keep her head about her, make rational decisions of adjustment.
Back to Camp Dudley!
This morning was acctually an neigborhood 5k run, walk or stroll. A couple weeks before a sign up went out for volunteering breakfast items. So after the 5k there was big neigborhood breakfast for all to enjoy.
This evening after we pick up my other nephew, we'll most likely bbq, pool party, and either movie night or drive in.
Tomorrow my brother will come down with the other nephew and pick him up. We'll do another family bbq.
It's really been fun having the nephews out this year although they came out at staggard times. When the neices came out the came out altogether and we had diva weekend with just the girls and then the last day we had the family pool party & build your own pizza contest.
I LOVE MY FAMILY. It wasn't always this way and it's taken a while to get to this point. As they get old and life's paths move us along in our different directions I hope we'll all continue to provide some sort of Camp Dudley for our kids so they have the family bonds and continue to pass them on. Family reunions are fun, but they don't always happen. If we can create an opportunity for the kids to grow up together and continue the tradition of them having the desire to contact or get together even for a weekend during the summers then I think we've created a family legacy. We are actually looking for land to build a family cabin for such occasions. If i could leave the family these experiences, this legacy to pass down from each generation, I would be well pleased
Hurray for camp Dudley!
July 19, 2008
Random Thoughts of Summer Nights In Utah
Warm breeze rushing through my hair as the sun rest behind the mountains. One by one the evening lights begin their soft glow across the neigborhood. The sky changes from it daily azure blue into soft shades of amber, pink, and lavendar. The bird's song fades softly with the daylight and the crickets begin their evening choir hymns. In my back yard I sit at a table with paints, stencils and brushes. My sister at another table working on a puzzle. We're both under patio umbrellas illuminated by blue-white solar lights. The soft sounds of Boys II Men flowing with the breeze that's now turned cool. The faint smell of bbq lingers in the wind while we snack on s'mores made from the still warm grill on the other edge of the patio. Poking my head from under the patio lights into the sky and spying the northern star, and even cassiopeia shining so bright as if to call out and boast of her beauty to Juno herself.
Summers in Utah are phenominal with it's midnight hikes in the foothills and smaller mountains of the wasatch range illuminated by the full bulb of the moon, or it's moonlight picnics in the open fields off the sides of one the old back highways.
The meteor showers light the skies like lightening bugs dive-bombing the earth every 30 seconds.
Evening bonfires polka dotting the mountain sides with its glow against a chill breeze.
There are nights where we tailgate at the drive in finally settling down to catch the last half of the first feature and totally falling asleep during the 2nd feature only to wake up in the back of a friends pick up truck or suv amidst pillows, socks , shoes and blankets, chips, soda bottles and chocolate wrappers an hour after the theatre lights have gone down.
I love recieving a text on an insomniac night at 2:00 am from a bunch of your friends who can't sleep and are headed to Flying J truck stop for breakfast, strawberry short cake, or whatever else they have a taste for.
I've enjoyed the night life of New York, Chicago, New jersey, L.A, San Diego, Dallas, Vegas, Honolulu and many other places. Been to the clubs, casinos, nightlife, beaches and so on.
I'd much rather enjoy the quiet intimate nightlife with a few friends and family away from the contemporary hustle and bustle of city life. I prefer the soft sounds of the river's rush and the crickets churp, or even my own C.D playing soulful R &B from the 70's or 80 while on my back patio looking in the night sky for pegasus or Orion over hearing the degrading lyrics of Rap and Pop surrounded by smoke and drinks at the club or bar, or even looking at a tv with glossed over eyes.
I'm sure each city has it's own natural quiet beauty and entertainment. But I have yet to experience anything like the absolute peace and comfort that comes from summer nights in Utah.
* Hawaii & Idaho are a close second* ;)
Summers in Utah are phenominal with it's midnight hikes in the foothills and smaller mountains of the wasatch range illuminated by the full bulb of the moon, or it's moonlight picnics in the open fields off the sides of one the old back highways.
The meteor showers light the skies like lightening bugs dive-bombing the earth every 30 seconds.
Evening bonfires polka dotting the mountain sides with its glow against a chill breeze.
There are nights where we tailgate at the drive in finally settling down to catch the last half of the first feature and totally falling asleep during the 2nd feature only to wake up in the back of a friends pick up truck or suv amidst pillows, socks , shoes and blankets, chips, soda bottles and chocolate wrappers an hour after the theatre lights have gone down.
I love recieving a text on an insomniac night at 2:00 am from a bunch of your friends who can't sleep and are headed to Flying J truck stop for breakfast, strawberry short cake, or whatever else they have a taste for.
I've enjoyed the night life of New York, Chicago, New jersey, L.A, San Diego, Dallas, Vegas, Honolulu and many other places. Been to the clubs, casinos, nightlife, beaches and so on.
I'd much rather enjoy the quiet intimate nightlife with a few friends and family away from the contemporary hustle and bustle of city life. I prefer the soft sounds of the river's rush and the crickets churp, or even my own C.D playing soulful R &B from the 70's or 80 while on my back patio looking in the night sky for pegasus or Orion over hearing the degrading lyrics of Rap and Pop surrounded by smoke and drinks at the club or bar, or even looking at a tv with glossed over eyes.
I'm sure each city has it's own natural quiet beauty and entertainment. But I have yet to experience anything like the absolute peace and comfort that comes from summer nights in Utah.
* Hawaii & Idaho are a close second* ;)
June 30, 2008
Sabbatical
Alot has been going on in the last week or so. You can get details on the Journal of A Black Mormon Girl" blog under my menu or "web hood" listings.
Needless to say I've been out of work for a week. I tried unseccessfully in the middle of last week to return to week but it was too soon. I'm advised by my doctors to possibly take another week off work :(
Some friends of ours rented a beach house at Bear lake last week and suggested we come and join them for the weekend. They picked up Alieshia on Monday for which I am grateful. I know she was very concerned about my being ill and didn't want to leave me. Insisted she go and not worry about me. I decided Thursday it might be a good ideah to go and get away from the things that were adding to my anxiety. So we left Friday morning for the lake house.
This house was 2.5 million dollar home. It had 3 floors, 6 bedrooms (2 on each floor) with beds 26 people EASILY.
There were 2 bathrooms on each floor. The main wall in the basement is a climbing wall. The basement also had a theatre room with one wall being the screen. There was a deck off the back side of the house and and firepit with amphetheatre style seating in the back yard. The house also came with a canoe...which is one of my absolute favorite things to do in the summer/fall besides camping. It was awesome to get away from it all, clear my mind, relax and forget about the stresses surrounding me.
Friday night we went into "Pickleville" for an outdoor BBQ and a small town production of "Totally Modern Millie" The bbq and the play was really cool for small town entertainment. I really enjoy small towns and their make shift ghetto entertainment.
During the week they enjoyed wake boarding, jet skiing, wave runners, horse riding and cave exploring. They even got a rattle snake and skinned it. The evening was bonfires at the pit and fireworks on the beach. I guess Alieshia made homemade apple pie for everyone and they said it was really good. Im so glad she had such a great time. It was also fun checking out the skeletal remains of the different animals on the beach and collecting shells. I wasnt too thrilled about the bat that greeted us on the porch when we got home from the BBQ/theatre production but even that was still a little cool.
Sometimes ya just gotta get away.
June 11, 2008
Hell Has Frozen Over!
Utards, notice how it's June 11th and when you look into the mountains there is still snow? I know, I know, that hasn't really happened since 1992.
I have an explaination for that.
It appears that Hell is freezing over. I'm sure it has everything to do with my setting a wedding date.
I wrote earlier this year about a young man I knew in high school. Well he convinced me to marry him. I guess I got GOT. The date is set for sometime in September so far. We're working out logistics as he's in Michigan and I'm in Utah so we're finding ways to make things work out.
If you wanted to keep updated on how things are coming along our blog (yeah, we have a joint blog) is www.ak-collaborations.blogspot.com
I'll throw a link in my web hood menu.
Anyway, bundle up, it's going to be a frosty year.
I have an explaination for that.
It appears that Hell is freezing over. I'm sure it has everything to do with my setting a wedding date.
I wrote earlier this year about a young man I knew in high school. Well he convinced me to marry him. I guess I got GOT. The date is set for sometime in September so far. We're working out logistics as he's in Michigan and I'm in Utah so we're finding ways to make things work out.
If you wanted to keep updated on how things are coming along our blog (yeah, we have a joint blog) is www.ak-collaborations.blogspot.com
I'll throw a link in my web hood menu.
Anyway, bundle up, it's going to be a frosty year.
June 10, 2008
Graduations, Celebrations and Fun.... OH MY!
It has been a whirl wind couple of weeks.
Baby girl graduated from high school.
My whole family was there and it was an amazing time. The last time all my siblings from my mom and dad WITH my mom and dad were together was 11 years ago at my younger brother's wedding. My parents divorced about 25 years ago. It was almost spooky and sort of cool to all be in the same house doing the day to day routine and having the day to day conversations. It was like a warp in time of how things might possibly have been had my parents stayed together. There was no sadness in thinking that, it was actually sort of comical. I enjoyed the time together and the family dynamic as is.
The Graduation was AWESOME! I screamed for Alieshia, her friends and all the kids in my Sunday school class. So much so that I lost my voice for a week! It was worth it. The class officers did an great job with their remarks and as they called each students name to recieve their diploma, they flashed the graduates senior picture and next to it a baby picture of them
My thoughts couldn't help but go back to her first days of preschool and all the day inbetween of laughter, heartache, peer pressure, studying, writing papers and so on. There were days when she couldn't get enough of school and days when she was soo ready to be done.
I can remember telling her how horrible I was in math and how if she needed help on it, she'd have to seek out the tutors at school. Her senior year, one of her interships was a math tutor and she earned a scholarship from it.
I can remember telling her how horrible I was in math and how if she needed help on it, she'd have to seek out the tutors at school. Her senior year, one of her interships was a math tutor and she earned a scholarship from it.
A couple of nights before graduation was the senior awards night. There's where all the honor students and their parents are invited to an assembly and the students are recognized for their Academic Achievments. They announce all scholarships that have been offered for each student, as well as honorable societies and awards. She rec'd a 4 year tuition scholarship at one of the State Universities, and 2 intern scholarships, one with employment full or part time, which ever they choose.
When she hit Jr High I required her to play an instrument, sport and pick a language that I asked her to maintain through high school. I wanted her social interactions to be just as important and well rounded as her academic interactions. As a result she's learned team work and leadership, international communication and the joy of fine arts through music and theatre. Although she has near perfect pitch and sings alto AND suprano, she chose to play the violin. Her language is spanish... I guess she writes and reads it better than she speaks it, and her sports were basketball in Jr high and she threw the Discuss on the track team in high school.
I think she's ready for the world. She's been several places and seen several things. I put opportunties befor her that would challenge her fears and strengthen her independance and I am quite confident that she's ready.
She'll only be 2 hours away. It's time. I'm excited to see what she can add to this world. My success as a parent has much to do with how well she functions on her own. Im anxious to see her "do her thang" out there.
She'll only be 2 hours away. It's time. I'm excited to see what she can add to this world. My success as a parent has much to do with how well she functions on her own. Im anxious to see her "do her thang" out there.
She has beat all the "single parent household stereotypes"
all with dealing with one hella crazy family ESPECIALLY her mama ;)
(Mom, Graduate, Uncle)
The day after graduation was the graduation party. I think we had just over 100 people at the house rotating in and out for the night. It was awesome. She chose a "fiesta" theme so we had latin music and colorful lanterns handing outside lighting up the back yard from the night sky. We made "mocktails" ( smoothies) and hand them in colored martini glasses. I believe it was 11 pm before they even started busting up the pinata. The celebration lasted until after midnight and it was a fabulous time.
Each guest recieved a bottle of "vintage Designer Labeled water" with my graduates photo on it.
Congratulations Ali-doodle-bug-boppy-pocahonri-lieshi-ancumr!
Let's do it again in about 4 more years :)
May 15, 2008
The Job
Sometimes I complain about my job, I guess we all do. But in reality, I measure the atmosphere of where I currently work with other places of employment. Nature's Sunshine Products is unique in the way the employees treat each other... well at least in my department.
I dare say my department deals with each other almost as much out of work as we do at work. I'm with these people more than I'm with my family for the most part. They really are my second family. And we've created an atmosphere of genuinely caring for one another.
Last year one of our coworker's didnt show up for work on a Monday. When she didn't show up on Tuesday when she didn't come and no one could get ahold of her or her grown children on the phone, 2 other colleagues when to her house. Long story short she was very ill and was in the hospital for about 3 days after we found her. Her blood pressure levels had dropped to a point where she was unable to wake herself up. She was about 24 hours from passing away when we found her.
When she was in the hospital we went to her home, did he laundry for her, cleaned her home, took care of her pets, stocked her fridge. Under the circimstances...we had fun doing all of it for her. It brought us closer as friends and collegues. Some of us have gone to the movies, dinner, taken cooking classes together, bailed off for the weekend and so on. It really does make the work atmosphere more bearable AND I gives us each security in knowing we're partner on the job and look out for each other. I've never had that kind of working atmosphere.
I can remember times when we'd be off the clock and still at work chillin 30 minutes after we should have gone home. Such are the calibre of people I work with.
Other departments we enjoy as well and even partner with in company competitions and it makes it a more enjoyable atmosphere. We've gone to each others weddings, Graduation of kids from high school, shared the birth of children and grand children and several other things that secures those ties that bind.
These things make this week even more sorrowful. One of your colleagues went to preparing for his 18 year old son to Graduate high school in 2 weeks to laying him to rest on Tuesday. The basic details: His son was in a car accident due to having a seizure. was taken into the hospital to find out the cause of the seizure. A brain tumor was found and removed, brain hemmoraging, stroke, coma, and then the family pulled the plug that kept him alive after the coma. All of this happened from Friday-Tuesday. That's only a 5 day span. How is it your world can be totally normal one day and so drastically changed the next?
Although most of us in my department couldn't go to the funeral, because the world doesn't stop when people leave it, those of us who were able to go were so deeply touched and relayed all the details of the service to the department. When one of us rejoices, WE ALL REJOICE! when one of us has sorrow WE SHARE THAT SORROW.
To make matters more difficult We are in the middle of one of our conventions this week as well. So we have about 150 distributors in town touring the offices and manufacturing centers. We've been playing tour guides and hosting banquets and formal dinners and socializing at dances and such while fielding questions about the company, mixed in with questions about the the colleague who lost a family member.
About a year and a half ago we lost 2 colleagues within a few days of each other. It was a devistating blow to the company more so because we lost "family members" who some of us hand known for 10-25 years. There was an earie feeling walking the halls, as we came in we would take a head count of who was at work that day and then verify who had time off and panick if someone called in sick. After about a month things got back to normal but it was still hard on us a whole.
I've worked in places where you just go in, do your job, and leave, without any real ties to those around you. I'd much rather work in an atmosphere where I know close ties and emotions run deep.
People in my department have given rides for months when there's been car trouble,
Made meals when others were ill
Gone shopping with and for each other
taken another to 2nd jobs
Car maintenance
home maintenance
gone to sporting events
taken and picked up other kids from school
taken lunch to the hospital when a loved one was in surgery all day
visited the hospital
Forever sending flowers for various reasons
baking birthday cakes
grabbing lunch or breakfast just because
lending money when times were hard
....and the list goes on and on.
I may complain some about my job...
... but I complain about my family too...
And most of the time, this place called work
really is just like home.
I dare say my department deals with each other almost as much out of work as we do at work. I'm with these people more than I'm with my family for the most part. They really are my second family. And we've created an atmosphere of genuinely caring for one another.
Last year one of our coworker's didnt show up for work on a Monday. When she didn't show up on Tuesday when she didn't come and no one could get ahold of her or her grown children on the phone, 2 other colleagues when to her house. Long story short she was very ill and was in the hospital for about 3 days after we found her. Her blood pressure levels had dropped to a point where she was unable to wake herself up. She was about 24 hours from passing away when we found her.
When she was in the hospital we went to her home, did he laundry for her, cleaned her home, took care of her pets, stocked her fridge. Under the circimstances...we had fun doing all of it for her. It brought us closer as friends and collegues. Some of us have gone to the movies, dinner, taken cooking classes together, bailed off for the weekend and so on. It really does make the work atmosphere more bearable AND I gives us each security in knowing we're partner on the job and look out for each other. I've never had that kind of working atmosphere.
I can remember times when we'd be off the clock and still at work chillin 30 minutes after we should have gone home. Such are the calibre of people I work with.
Other departments we enjoy as well and even partner with in company competitions and it makes it a more enjoyable atmosphere. We've gone to each others weddings, Graduation of kids from high school, shared the birth of children and grand children and several other things that secures those ties that bind.
These things make this week even more sorrowful. One of your colleagues went to preparing for his 18 year old son to Graduate high school in 2 weeks to laying him to rest on Tuesday. The basic details: His son was in a car accident due to having a seizure. was taken into the hospital to find out the cause of the seizure. A brain tumor was found and removed, brain hemmoraging, stroke, coma, and then the family pulled the plug that kept him alive after the coma. All of this happened from Friday-Tuesday. That's only a 5 day span. How is it your world can be totally normal one day and so drastically changed the next?
Although most of us in my department couldn't go to the funeral, because the world doesn't stop when people leave it, those of us who were able to go were so deeply touched and relayed all the details of the service to the department. When one of us rejoices, WE ALL REJOICE! when one of us has sorrow WE SHARE THAT SORROW.
To make matters more difficult We are in the middle of one of our conventions this week as well. So we have about 150 distributors in town touring the offices and manufacturing centers. We've been playing tour guides and hosting banquets and formal dinners and socializing at dances and such while fielding questions about the company, mixed in with questions about the the colleague who lost a family member.
About a year and a half ago we lost 2 colleagues within a few days of each other. It was a devistating blow to the company more so because we lost "family members" who some of us hand known for 10-25 years. There was an earie feeling walking the halls, as we came in we would take a head count of who was at work that day and then verify who had time off and panick if someone called in sick. After about a month things got back to normal but it was still hard on us a whole.
I've worked in places where you just go in, do your job, and leave, without any real ties to those around you. I'd much rather work in an atmosphere where I know close ties and emotions run deep.
People in my department have given rides for months when there's been car trouble,
Made meals when others were ill
Gone shopping with and for each other
taken another to 2nd jobs
Car maintenance
home maintenance
gone to sporting events
taken and picked up other kids from school
taken lunch to the hospital when a loved one was in surgery all day
visited the hospital
Forever sending flowers for various reasons
baking birthday cakes
grabbing lunch or breakfast just because
lending money when times were hard
....and the list goes on and on.
I may complain some about my job...
... but I complain about my family too...
And most of the time, this place called work
really is just like home.
April 28, 2008
It's THAT time again........!!!!
This is a Reprint from about this time last year! Since it's THAT TIME AGAIN... it's worth a repost cuz on Friday night..... IT IS ON! ;)
"Some of us have been talking about going to the Midnight drag races for sometime. Last night was the night! We started the night at the Flying J on 2100 for Steaks. The service was bad. The waitress was worse. But the steak when it game was good eatin. Afterwards we ventured west to Rocky Mountain Raceway, Home of the Discount Tire Midnight Drag Races! We traveled through the maze to get to the parking lot and found a space not too far away from the entrance. The ticket lines were long... and the people in those lines were Redneckishly Ghetto Fabulous! For 7$ you could do all the people watching and drag race watching you wanted. One of the things I liked best was the Local R&B/Rap Station was not only broadcasting live, they had a DJ set up and spinnin in a show room garage. You could dance til your heart's content. My friends and I waited in line to purchase our tickets. While in Line we came across a Ghetto Fabulously Redneckish sign that said: Any children under the age of 8 not accompaniedby and adult will be evicted from the park at 1:00 am.
I loved it! You gotta love an establishment that will make a six year old hanging out by himself jump on his bigwheel and peddle home at one in the morning if he's not with Mamma or Daddy. On the same board a 2nd sign read: Due to West Vally City Curfew ordinance anyone under the age of 15 must be accomanied by an Adult. Does that not negate the first sign? I'm telling you, the night was full of it's Redneckishly Ghetto Fabulous self. While standing in line for our tickets, I watched a family smooze their way into the stadium by paying off the security guard with a $20 bill. Let's think about this. It's $7 a person to get in. This was a family of 3. It cost them $21 to get tickets, then another $20 to get in. Just so they didn't have to wait in a 5 minute line. 5 minutes. it was actually 3 minutes because it was going so quickly. Do they realize they could have taken that $20 and added a 5$ bill to it and drag raced their own car all night long? We entered the stadium and the night was perfect for a new adventure: The smell of burnt tire rubber and diesel in the air. A plethora of teenage kids scantilly dressed and hanging off each other. There were hairless grampies and legless grannies in wheel chairs. There were babies and babies daddies and babies mama's and even Baby Mama Drama! The Latino's and Asian and African- Americans and Polynesians and Caucasian were all there, and all getting along! It was a ghetto fabulously redneckish melting pot of diversity all coming together for the same cause: TO GET OUR DRAG RACE ON!
We made our way though the stadium to our seats. The air was thick with.....the sounds of engines revving up and tires squealing and alla that. The racing vehicles....were the most eclectic assortment of match box cars and trucks any small boy would be proud of.We watched Chargers and Mustangs and Coupes. OH MY! There were Dodge Rams and F250's and Diesels dragging. Sentra's and Civics and Corolla's. Bullet Bikes and Old school Roadsters. There was no vehicle too proud to drag. I must say my favorite.... The VW Rabbit and the GM Pacer! I got a tear in my eye with pride for my country when these two cars stepped up to the mark to claim their place in drag race history at the Rocky Mountain Raceway Discount Tires Midnight Drag Races! Is this not what American is all about? Any car any where has the opportunity for success at RMR Discount Tire Midnight Drag Races.There is no Vehicle too big or too small, to old school or new, too rusted or polished, to loud or quiet to Drag race at the "RMRDTMDR."
It was a night I will not soon forget. So if your on the Wasatch Front and find yourself sitting around on a Friday on some summer night just remember, The Rocky Mountain Raceway Discount Tire Midnight Drag Races start at 11pm. (they go til about 2am.) Make sure your 8 year old is accompanied by an adult or he will get kicked out at 1:00 am. Head on out 2100s west and follow the signs for a Redneckishly Ghetto Fabulous night out! You'll LOVE IT! See you there :)"
Sooooooooooooooo Guess where I'll be Friday night?
"Some of us have been talking about going to the Midnight drag races for sometime. Last night was the night! We started the night at the Flying J on 2100 for Steaks. The service was bad. The waitress was worse. But the steak when it game was good eatin. Afterwards we ventured west to Rocky Mountain Raceway, Home of the Discount Tire Midnight Drag Races! We traveled through the maze to get to the parking lot and found a space not too far away from the entrance. The ticket lines were long... and the people in those lines were Redneckishly Ghetto Fabulous! For 7$ you could do all the people watching and drag race watching you wanted. One of the things I liked best was the Local R&B/Rap Station was not only broadcasting live, they had a DJ set up and spinnin in a show room garage. You could dance til your heart's content. My friends and I waited in line to purchase our tickets. While in Line we came across a Ghetto Fabulously Redneckish sign that said: Any children under the age of 8 not accompaniedby and adult will be evicted from the park at 1:00 am.
I loved it! You gotta love an establishment that will make a six year old hanging out by himself jump on his bigwheel and peddle home at one in the morning if he's not with Mamma or Daddy. On the same board a 2nd sign read: Due to West Vally City Curfew ordinance anyone under the age of 15 must be accomanied by an Adult. Does that not negate the first sign? I'm telling you, the night was full of it's Redneckishly Ghetto Fabulous self. While standing in line for our tickets, I watched a family smooze their way into the stadium by paying off the security guard with a $20 bill. Let's think about this. It's $7 a person to get in. This was a family of 3. It cost them $21 to get tickets, then another $20 to get in. Just so they didn't have to wait in a 5 minute line. 5 minutes. it was actually 3 minutes because it was going so quickly. Do they realize they could have taken that $20 and added a 5$ bill to it and drag raced their own car all night long? We entered the stadium and the night was perfect for a new adventure: The smell of burnt tire rubber and diesel in the air. A plethora of teenage kids scantilly dressed and hanging off each other. There were hairless grampies and legless grannies in wheel chairs. There were babies and babies daddies and babies mama's and even Baby Mama Drama! The Latino's and Asian and African- Americans and Polynesians and Caucasian were all there, and all getting along! It was a ghetto fabulously redneckish melting pot of diversity all coming together for the same cause: TO GET OUR DRAG RACE ON!
We made our way though the stadium to our seats. The air was thick with.....the sounds of engines revving up and tires squealing and alla that. The racing vehicles....were the most eclectic assortment of match box cars and trucks any small boy would be proud of.We watched Chargers and Mustangs and Coupes. OH MY! There were Dodge Rams and F250's and Diesels dragging. Sentra's and Civics and Corolla's. Bullet Bikes and Old school Roadsters. There was no vehicle too proud to drag. I must say my favorite.... The VW Rabbit and the GM Pacer! I got a tear in my eye with pride for my country when these two cars stepped up to the mark to claim their place in drag race history at the Rocky Mountain Raceway Discount Tires Midnight Drag Races! Is this not what American is all about? Any car any where has the opportunity for success at RMR Discount Tire Midnight Drag Races.There is no Vehicle too big or too small, to old school or new, too rusted or polished, to loud or quiet to Drag race at the "RMRDTMDR."
It was a night I will not soon forget. So if your on the Wasatch Front and find yourself sitting around on a Friday on some summer night just remember, The Rocky Mountain Raceway Discount Tire Midnight Drag Races start at 11pm. (they go til about 2am.) Make sure your 8 year old is accompanied by an adult or he will get kicked out at 1:00 am. Head on out 2100s west and follow the signs for a Redneckishly Ghetto Fabulous night out! You'll LOVE IT! See you there :)"
Sooooooooooooooo Guess where I'll be Friday night?
April 24, 2008
PuZzLeS hAvE mE pUzZlEd
Around January everything felt so up in the air. Just about every aspect of life was coming together and then something happened the end of January that just blew into my world like a tornado. I saw Dorothy, the wicked witch, even poor little toto.
Not it's the end of April and the peices of this puzzled called my life have dropped from the air and landed. I'm gathering those peices and putting them back together.
As I'm putting together the items that are fitting into place I'm noticing something strange....
The peices that have landed are NOT the same peices that were up in the air in the first place.
There are some faint remnants of the old peices but it's a whole new puzzle I'm putting together.
But the scenic view on this puzzle... totally better than what I threw in the air.
( http://ablackmormongirl.blogspot.com/ )
check back on my puzzle building skillz :)
Not it's the end of April and the peices of this puzzled called my life have dropped from the air and landed. I'm gathering those peices and putting them back together.
As I'm putting together the items that are fitting into place I'm noticing something strange....
The peices that have landed are NOT the same peices that were up in the air in the first place.
There are some faint remnants of the old peices but it's a whole new puzzle I'm putting together.
But the scenic view on this puzzle... totally better than what I threw in the air.
( http://ablackmormongirl.blogspot.com/ )
check back on my puzzle building skillz :)
April 10, 2008
I Had A Transplant!
It's true I had a transplant. No, not and implant although I am looking at having a reduction ;)
After 18 years I've left the "UC" (Utah County- Provo to be exact).
People in Utah call Provo "Happy Valley."
Where I come from happy valley is home of JoPa and the Nittany Lions! I Love JoPa! But that's a whole nother story.
Anyway, I guess they call it happy valley because that supposed to be the place in Utah where the strict goody-goody Mormons live as opposed to other part of Utah where anything goes as long as they sit in church on Sunday or at least on special occasion. ( Simmer down, I'm just kidding). There is a HUGE division in this state and the line is right off the point of the Mountain: the Salt Lake County and Utah County lines. It's also where the state is divided as to who Votes for UofU or BYU during football and basketball season. The "Holy War" rivalry doesn't just stop at college sports I'm afraid. There is a real HATE relationship going on much like the Hatfield's and McCoys or I should say for Montague and Capulet's for those snooty educated Utahns.
There's an automatic stereo type that comes with living in the U.C (Utah county) And the U.C retaliates with it's on stereotype of living in S.L (Salt Lake county).
Me? I've lived both places. I'm a transplant from the Midwest and to tell ya the truth... coming from outside of the state it's pretty much all the same to me "YEW TAW!" So it makes me laugh when I see this rivalry back in forth outside of college sports in which the BYU fans state "You can't spell "suck" without "U". And the UofU fans state "Y?"
It's pretty entertaining to watch.
I moved to a nice little neighborhood in South Jordan. I LOVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD!
What I like best about it: It's an old school neighborhood. When I say old school, let me describe to you a scene from a couple Saturdays ago: It was about 70 degrees. My daughter and I were in the front yard planting my favorite flowers (callla Lillies). Everyone on my street waves! They don't need to know you, they just wave, cuz it's the polite thing to do. I look down the street and people are out riding bikes and scooters and skateboards. The park is full of kids playing soccer and other games. I took a walk down the street and came across a cauldesac where a group of small kids were playing ball in the middle of the street. I remember playing ball in the middle of the street! And there was a homemade ramp for jumping bikes, skateboards and roller blades and remote control cars. I remembered a few of my own homemade ramps as well. Suddenly a little 2 year old darts outta the house stark nekkid and into the yard doing his "free at last" dance squealing and running in circles! Late that evening groups of women were taking walks, laughing and enjoying each other's company while fathers were loaded up on bikes with a couple of kids in tow behind him.
I felt like I had stepped back about 30 years before game boys, PS2's, x boxes and cell phones. We were more people oriented and less gadgetly inclined. Back when you needed to talk to a neighbor, you took a little walk and knocked on their door. Had some people to people contact and got a little exercise as well. I LOVE IT!
I love that I live in a people oriented neighborhood. Although our gadgets make life easier to live and more convenient, I have a great disliking for how physically and socially lazy they make us. I think where people would rather deal with one another thru machinery than human touch, there is a problem. I think when people would rather read texts than hear a voice, there's a problem. I think when people would rather sit quietly next to each other and watch a movie or stare at some game with hand controls, then spend time with each other engaging in conversation or attentive communication, there's a problem. I'm not saying these things shouldn't and can't be done. I just think it shouldn't be the normal routine.
God gave us great minds and creativity for these thing to be invented. I don't think they're evil, or of the devil. I do think when we spend more time with them than people it becomes a strain.
I have seen families use these tools in moderation and have the greatest joy from them and each other. I have also seen these tools break up families and be the major source of contention. There should be, as in all things, a balance.
I love my neighborhood, but in a way I feel bad for my daughter, now 18 preparing for college. When she was younger, she had basketballs, roller blades, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, bikes and so forth. However to most of her friends, these items were foreign. So when she did go and play with them, it was with the computer and video games. Ultimately she would be home an hour or so later bored. She may as well come home and watch TV since that's pretty much what was going on anyway. I like the fact she would lose herself in reading books when there was no one to play with. I became the one to go out and play with her and I'm so grateful for those times. She kept me active and more healthy than I could have been. Now we've moved to the neighborhood I wished she could have been in as a child.
Moving to this neighborhood has made me take a look at myself and my old school ways. I miss them. I miss receiving real mail from those who took the time to sit down, write out their thoughts put it in an envelope and put a stamp on it. Sure email is fun. Texting is fun. But there's nothing like getting a letter in the mail or hearing the joy, concern, anger, love and friendship in the voice of someone you love.
Yeah, I think I'm gonna like this neighborhood and am reinstating some of those old ways of communication. So I AM having a transplant. I'm reinstating the personal touch, the human touch back into my communications with friends and family. It means more... at least to me!
After 18 years I've left the "UC" (Utah County- Provo to be exact).
People in Utah call Provo "Happy Valley."
Where I come from happy valley is home of JoPa and the Nittany Lions! I Love JoPa! But that's a whole nother story.
Anyway, I guess they call it happy valley because that supposed to be the place in Utah where the strict goody-goody Mormons live as opposed to other part of Utah where anything goes as long as they sit in church on Sunday or at least on special occasion. ( Simmer down, I'm just kidding). There is a HUGE division in this state and the line is right off the point of the Mountain: the Salt Lake County and Utah County lines. It's also where the state is divided as to who Votes for UofU or BYU during football and basketball season. The "Holy War" rivalry doesn't just stop at college sports I'm afraid. There is a real HATE relationship going on much like the Hatfield's and McCoys or I should say for Montague and Capulet's for those snooty educated Utahns.
There's an automatic stereo type that comes with living in the U.C (Utah county) And the U.C retaliates with it's on stereotype of living in S.L (Salt Lake county).
Me? I've lived both places. I'm a transplant from the Midwest and to tell ya the truth... coming from outside of the state it's pretty much all the same to me "YEW TAW!" So it makes me laugh when I see this rivalry back in forth outside of college sports in which the BYU fans state "You can't spell "suck" without "U". And the UofU fans state "Y?"
It's pretty entertaining to watch.
I moved to a nice little neighborhood in South Jordan. I LOVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD!
What I like best about it: It's an old school neighborhood. When I say old school, let me describe to you a scene from a couple Saturdays ago: It was about 70 degrees. My daughter and I were in the front yard planting my favorite flowers (callla Lillies). Everyone on my street waves! They don't need to know you, they just wave, cuz it's the polite thing to do. I look down the street and people are out riding bikes and scooters and skateboards. The park is full of kids playing soccer and other games. I took a walk down the street and came across a cauldesac where a group of small kids were playing ball in the middle of the street. I remember playing ball in the middle of the street! And there was a homemade ramp for jumping bikes, skateboards and roller blades and remote control cars. I remembered a few of my own homemade ramps as well. Suddenly a little 2 year old darts outta the house stark nekkid and into the yard doing his "free at last" dance squealing and running in circles! Late that evening groups of women were taking walks, laughing and enjoying each other's company while fathers were loaded up on bikes with a couple of kids in tow behind him.
I felt like I had stepped back about 30 years before game boys, PS2's, x boxes and cell phones. We were more people oriented and less gadgetly inclined. Back when you needed to talk to a neighbor, you took a little walk and knocked on their door. Had some people to people contact and got a little exercise as well. I LOVE IT!
I love that I live in a people oriented neighborhood. Although our gadgets make life easier to live and more convenient, I have a great disliking for how physically and socially lazy they make us. I think where people would rather deal with one another thru machinery than human touch, there is a problem. I think when people would rather read texts than hear a voice, there's a problem. I think when people would rather sit quietly next to each other and watch a movie or stare at some game with hand controls, then spend time with each other engaging in conversation or attentive communication, there's a problem. I'm not saying these things shouldn't and can't be done. I just think it shouldn't be the normal routine.
God gave us great minds and creativity for these thing to be invented. I don't think they're evil, or of the devil. I do think when we spend more time with them than people it becomes a strain.
I have seen families use these tools in moderation and have the greatest joy from them and each other. I have also seen these tools break up families and be the major source of contention. There should be, as in all things, a balance.
I love my neighborhood, but in a way I feel bad for my daughter, now 18 preparing for college. When she was younger, she had basketballs, roller blades, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, bikes and so forth. However to most of her friends, these items were foreign. So when she did go and play with them, it was with the computer and video games. Ultimately she would be home an hour or so later bored. She may as well come home and watch TV since that's pretty much what was going on anyway. I like the fact she would lose herself in reading books when there was no one to play with. I became the one to go out and play with her and I'm so grateful for those times. She kept me active and more healthy than I could have been. Now we've moved to the neighborhood I wished she could have been in as a child.
Moving to this neighborhood has made me take a look at myself and my old school ways. I miss them. I miss receiving real mail from those who took the time to sit down, write out their thoughts put it in an envelope and put a stamp on it. Sure email is fun. Texting is fun. But there's nothing like getting a letter in the mail or hearing the joy, concern, anger, love and friendship in the voice of someone you love.
Yeah, I think I'm gonna like this neighborhood and am reinstating some of those old ways of communication. So I AM having a transplant. I'm reinstating the personal touch, the human touch back into my communications with friends and family. It means more... at least to me!
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