Twas the day before the day before Christmas...

Hi y'all!

It has been awhile, but there is not too much new going on. I have all of my Christmas shopping done, so I have been laying around on the sofa a lot watching movies!

My husband and I decided to forgo the big holiday meal and have pizza on Christmas! That really takes a lot of pressure off regarding grocery lists and prep time...I was just not into it this year.

My Mom is coming to visit, but not until next week. She is spending Christmas with 2 of my sisters.

The new year will bring some change for me. I landed a job in the Critical Care flex pool at the hospital, so the carefree days are over come January 10th! However, I am grateful to be able to get a job in this economy. The sooner I get back to work and my husband's business gets rolling, the sooner we can buy some property and build a house :O)

My Christmas tree and fireplace turned out super cute this year but I have yet to take a picture. I will have to do that before it gets ripped up on Saturday!

Publix vs Kroger

Having to find a new grocery store was troubling for me. First, I went to Publix, which is 3 miles from my house. It was nice, clean and easy to navigate. However, they do not carry Wheaties, perogies or non-frosted blueberry Pop-tarts. These are serious grocery violations.

Then there is Kroger, which is 7 miles away. Deluxe, millions of choices, 3 different sizes of shopping carts and Wheaties. They also did not carry perogies or the appropriate Pop-tart. And the layout is confusing!

I feel like you should get your cart, enter moving toward the right and proceed directly into produce. In this Kroger, there is no clear path to traffic and the dairy is the first thing you come to...and then frozen foods. Weird?

So despite the weirdness I went with Kroger...for the Wheaties.

But last week something happened. I went back to Publix, selected a cart that had a very smooth ride, and proceeded in toward the right....into the prepared foods section and then to produce. It was such a wonderful, familiar feeling.

Now, I choose Publix. The carts are ALL easily pushed, the layout is welcoming and shopper friendly, the store-brand "toaster pastries" are just as good....and on a bottom shelf, in a dimly lit corner of the freezer section, was a little box of perogies. Welcome home :O)

disclaimer: For the record, my favorite grocery store of all time is Harris Teeter. This lovely east coast chain has direct produce entry, Wheaties and a vast Pop-tart selection. They also have the best in-house pizza ever created. This may be the only thing about Virginia that I miss.

Twinkle, twinkle....

So being the uber athlete I am (HA!) I decided that I would mix it up a little and run the stadium stairs. Luckily, I chose the little city baseball stadium and NOT the AU arena. After a few flights, I literally started seeing stars! ****SPARKLING****EVERYWHERE**** I stopped and laid down on the bleachers until the feeling passed. It went by pretty fast and I felt good....until I went to sit up and my hair stuck to the bleacher! UGH! I think it was a spilled Coke...I'm going to go with that :O/

On that note, the workout was over and I drove straight home and got in the shower. I felt contaminated and fat. Now I am watching The Biggest Loser and eating peanut butter cookies with mini chocolate chips....very disordered, I know.

I would also like to register my complaint with the person in charge of the time change...it is officially crap. No one gets any extra sleep and the early sunset is depressing. Boo Winter!!

On the opposite note, how much do we love the Patriot Guard? These are the Veterans (and others) who provide escorts for the families of soldiers and sailors who have died. They protect them against hate groups that protest at funerals with horrible signs and hate filled chants. Thank you Patriot Guard!!!

Don't I know you?

Hi everybody! It has been forever

since I have posted, but it has not

been for lack of material :O)

Of course we had the big move at

the beginning of September and

it took a while to get settled. I am

not a big fan of change, even if it is

something that I really want.

I have finally mastered the hills around here and have gotten

back up to my regular distances with my walking. I usually

go about 5 days a week, between 2-4 miles with lots of hills.

I look like a sweaty mess!

For the last few weeks I have been going over to the

university on Sundays and walking on campus. Just being

able to walk around (even through the hot mess after game

days) fills me with unbridled JOY! The pic above was from

the first game...people were kind of looking at me weird

because I was practically crying the whole time and taking

pictures of everything! I loved it!

I have not been using my time wisely and trying really hard

to find a job. I mean, I am busy all day long, but I have to

say that sleeping, walking my dog and working around

the house have been much more enjoyable than working

11p-7a 4 nights a week in the ER. I have also been cooking

every night to keep my husband distracted from the fact that

I do not have a job yet...so far, so good :O)

However, I have been doing work to keep up with my

continuing education credits and talking with a few people

I know at the hospital, so my days of leisurely living will probably

come to an end soon :O(

I have also been keeping up with reading all of the blogs

and trying to comment more. So while you all may not

have been seeing me, I have been seeing you and enjoying

visiting every day!

The death of me!

Hey y'all,

Since about February, I have been striving to exercise about 4-5 days a week in order to have more energy and tone up if at all possible. I started slow with no set ground rules. I walked anywhere from 1.5 to 3 miles either around the lake or in an office park near my house...fine, no problem. I lived in coastal Virginia with an elevation of ZERO! Not a hill in sight.

However, now that I live in Alabama, it is a whole different story! I can barely make a mile because of all of the hills! I can hardly go up because my legs are burning so bad and then I have to stop at the top to catch my breath. As a nice addition, it is about 90 degrees with 80% humidity at 7 o'clock in the morning!

I am so happy to be in Alabama, but the hills are gonna kill me!!!

Remembering...

Like most Americans, I am thinking about Sept.11, 2001 and what happened on that day. I was a student nurse at clinical on the Ortho unit. I was helping my patient get a bath when the first plane crashed. I was so nervous about my patient and then suddenly so frightened I remember going completely numb.

Then a page for me was called overhead. When I picked up the phone it was my husband. He said, "Did you see what happened? We are activating. I won't be home tonight and I probably won't be home for a long time."

I was frozen. I am normally very level headed in a crisis and I just couldn't move. I just turned and went back to my patient. The television was on and I heard about the second plane. I was completely spaced out. The wife of my patient told me I look pale and helped me to sit down. My instructor and my friend Patty knew my husband was in the Navy and they came to find me. My teacher told Patty to drive me home.

When I got home there were all of these messages from my friends and family wondering about Robert and offering support. I just lay down on the kitchen floor and cried like a baby.

I didn't hear from Robert for 3 days. They never did deploy that day, but they were at the ready in defense of our country.

I am lucky. Robert has spent the lion's share of 20 years on sea duty or shore commands with attached billets. He has been gone for much longer than he was ever home. But he DID come home, and that is what I am grateful for and remembering today.

The DMV

In the spirit of being a

good citizen, by husband and I scoured the DMV website and prepared

all of our documents in order to get our car tags and driver's license.

We got up early and went to the license window first. Everything was going

well for me right up until the end. She asked me to see my marriage

certificate. What? She told me that since i had a previous license in Alabama

(20yrs ago) under my maiden name that I would need proof of marriage.

OMG!!! I had my Virginia license, social security card, military ID and passport

and I still had to turn around and go home to get the license.

Meanwhile, my husband gets in line for the tags with titles, insurance and ID

and they told him he can only get a tag for the car that is physically at the DMV

because they have to verify the VIN. Well at the time, none of our cars were

there because I was going to get the marriage license!

I know they are following the rules, but I cannot believe this! So we will have

to take our other cars (my husband has a beater truck for recreation in addition

to our "real" cars) back to the DMV on another day...after I have gotten rid of

this migraine and can get my courage back up. DMV FAIL :O(

It's my birthday!

Hello friends! Today is my 39th birthday! For REAL!!

My husband took me to my favorite place for lunch, he bought me flowers and I have a delicious cake waiting to be devoured!

We have been in Auburn for about a week now and it is going better than I could have imagined. I am so glad we took a leap and ended up in a great place :O)

This may be the best birthday ever!!

Please proceed in an orderly fashion...

As you know, my husband and I are getting ready to move to Alabama. Since he is retiring from the Navy, they will pack and move us one last time. About two weeks before you want to leave, the moving company comes in to look at your stuff and estimate how long it will take to pack up your things. This is usually between 3 and 5 days.

She estimated 1 day. She said we really didn't have anything except our furniture because it appears we have minimal personal iteams!!

That was like music to my ears. I am the exact opposite of a hoarder. I really can't stand to keep things. I am forever purging my closet, emptying drawers, organizing the pantry and folding my hoodies so they are stacked in order from darkest to lightest.

The only things I tend to keep are pictures, personal letters and Sharpies. I have a gallon ziplock bag full of Sharpies!

My husband estimated that if we did not have our large furniture pieces, we could move our entire amount of household goods in a 6 x 12 U-Haul. We like to travel light :o)

It has arrived...

My husband and I spent the last week

down in Auburn looking for a place to live and looking for leads on jobs. I was so happy, we

found a great place and I am so looking forward o being on a new path! Thank you Jesus!

The new me...

I have about a million things to do. I am moving in less than two weeks and I have spent the last two days laying on the couch and watching tv! What is wrong with me?? I should be sorting and packing...finding a job, securing a new place to live, saying goodbye to friends and generally being productive. However, I cannot seem to pry myself away from marathons of "Bethenny getting married?" and "Raising Sextuplets." I have problems.

Unreal...

Just like most of you all,

I read the blogs every day. I click on other people's blog roll to see what other people

are reading and find new things. I often happen upon a group of friends or people who

have become friends through blogging.

A few months ago, I started reading a blog called "Bumpkin on a Swing." It was a funny

blog that had a serious side...bumpkin's husband is a boat captain in coastal Louisiana.

There was a guest post on her blog this morning from her friend Trish...bumpkin has

passed away from ovarian cancer...she was 40 years old.

I did not know her in person, but felt I knew her through her blog. I am so sad and I

can't believe this happened so suddenly. My deepest sympathy to Capt. John and to

all of bumpkin's friends and family who loved her so much.

YAY!!!!

Make a wish...

I wished that we could get an offer on our house.

So we buried a statue of St. Joseph in our yard

last Wednesday. On Wednesday night we got

an appointment to show our house on Thursday.

The lady came for the showing and then wanted

to see it again on Monday. Yesterday she made

an offer...not a great offer, but an offer.

We are in the middle of some red-hot negotiations

that are making me sweat buckets and have my

stomach in a thousand knots.

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get

it :o)

(photo by deannedaffy via flickr)

acts of desperation...

Yes my friends, it has come to this.

I bought a tiny statue of St. Joseph to bury in my yard!

St. Joseph is the patron saint of real estate, and the story goes that if you

bury him near your "for sale" sign, head down, facing your house, that

you will soon sell your house! I also put a prayer card under my front door

mat and recited the Novena to St. Joseph while my husband was conducting

the burial. I wish I had taken a picture! If this works my husband has vowed

to recite the Novena and let me record it!

I hope this works, or my next step is VOODOO!!!

An open letter...

Dear economic recession,

I have tried to ignore you for a long time and go about my business...if you don't bother me, then I won't bother you. But now I have to address you face to face.

I need to sell my house and you are stopping me. I have taken a lot of leaps of faith that are all going to turn out great if you will just relent and let me sell my house. Come on now, give a girl a break.

Thanks for listening,

LBM

For the birds...

One of the big jobs at my Mother's

house is feeding the birds. When my Dad was

alive, he was basically a hummingbird whisperer.

He had about a dozen feeders with about 50 birds

a day. They were so used to him they would land

on the brim of his hat and on his shoulders when

he was filling the feeders. It was like a weird mix

of Snow White and Huckleberry Finn.

Anyway, after he died, my Mother was not interested

in spending her days filling feeders, but she could

not let go of Daddy's birds, so she only has about

6 feeders.

However, this did not seem to decrease the number

of birds. I filled the feeders everyday with over a

gallon of hummingbird food! That was of course,

after I made it :O)

Daddy's hummingbird food recipe:

4 cups of sugar

1 gallon of warm water

Stir until all of the sugar is incorporated and then

cool. Keep in the fridge...they like it cold :O)

On the last day I was filling the feeders, two birds

came and sat on my shoulder while I filled the

feeder. Love you, miss you Daddy.

All done :O)

Hey everybody! I am so happy

to be home!

I am thrilled to report that my Mom's knee surgery

went even better than I could have hoped for.

She was only in the hospital for 2 days and

could walk without support the very next day.

My Mom still lives on the farm and she

does not have internet and my cell does not

get a signal! I had to go to Piggly Wiggly in

order to use my phone and get on Facebook!

Needless to say I found a reason to go every day.

I also had some animal encounters and

exciting adventures but I will post about those

later...I have 1000+ items in my reader and I

am going to read every.single.one! I can't

wait to catch up with everybody...missed you!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

Well kids, I will be gone for 3 weeks.

My Mother is having her knee replaced and I have

been called in for some private duty nursing.

I am also sad to report that she lives in the last place

on earth that does not have a high-speed internet

connection or cell phone service! It is hard to

believe that such a place exists isn't it?

I might be able to sneak in a little Facebook or

Twitter if I am sent to Wal-mart or something, but

otherwise I am cut off from the outside world.

I will miss reading all the blogs, and I will be

looking forward to getting home and catching up!

love you, miss you!

Must love dogs...

My friend V. put a post on Facebook earlier today about the her husband and kids wanting a dog.

I, of course, had to throw my vote in for a Frenchie! You would have thought I had dropped a bomb on her wall! She got about 30 responses begging her to adopt from a shelter and not succomb to the pressure of "buying a designer dog." How dare I suggest buying a pure bred dog?!?

Now listen up...I would put myself at the top of the list when it comes to people who love dogs...all kinds!

It just seems weird to me that there is such a stigma against pure bred dogs! Am I supposed to be ashamed that I chose a breed that was suitable to my lifestyle, hopelessly cute and paid more than a shelter adoption fee for her? Yes, I support adopting shelter dogs! They are wonderful dogs...but not because they are from a shelter, BUT BECAUSE ALL DOGS ARE WONDERFUL AND DESERVE A HOME!

So yes V., get a dog...any dog...whatever kind you like!

I am a cutter...

I love tan feet with pretty

toenails, but I have a slight problem. I am a cutter.

I have a weird hang-up with nails that are long. This

"feeling" turned into a full-on phobia when I was in

nursing school and was introduced to the full array

of things that could get trapped under fingernails

and toenails...and how long they grow if neglected.

After a few run-ins with people who have not cut

their toenails for years, I began developing a strange

habit. I started cutting my fingernails and toenails

everyday. Not good. They are painfully short at

times but I find it hard to stop myself.

Anyway, I said all of that to say this...my friend Amy

asked me to go with her to get a pedicure this Friday

and I almost had a panic attack. I barely have enough

nails to paint, must less form into something attractive!

So I have not cut my toenails in a week. This is like

an alkie trying to give up the booze! I don't know if

I can make it until Friday!

I am trying not to think about it, but I can almost feel

the fungi multiplying and the nail beds thickening

even as we speak! So gross! Maybe Robert will

let me cut his toenails....

All done!

So Thursday night was my last night at work. I went to the RN program at that hospital and then worked nights in the ER for 8 years and 20 days. It was a small hospital in a small town, and everybody was related or knew each other in some way. I love that.

I look back and think about the endless stream of people that I cared for. I was lucky enough to save some lives and I have been blessed to be with many when they died.

I am thankful for that place and for those people who have helped me become who I am. I am grateful to those who have shown me the kind of person I never want to be.

I had a great send-off. Lots of delicious food and kind words, but my last night was a busy one, and reminded me that I am leaving to find a more peaceful place.

My husband and I have spent the last 20 years living passing lives. In total, he has spent about 5 years of our marriage deployed overseas and another 5 out of port on training trips or work-ups. This pace has worn us out!

Our house went up for sale today...we are all done here, we are moving out and moving on!

Learning to fly...

I just got through watching an episode of "17 kids and counting" where Jinger was learning to drive. It made me think back 21 yrs (eek!) ago when I was learning. My Mother took me out on the first day in my Dad's truck and we drove for hours. First the dirt roads, then the back roads, then the main roads and finally the highway.

I remember being super scared, but my mother was never the type to go in for that...my Mother is a BAD ASS and always made us feel like we could do anything! She always encouraged us to learn to do anything and everything because you never know when it could get you out of a jam.

But driving was a big one...if you can drive, then you can leave...and never be anywhere you don't CHOOSE to be!

Learning to drive, learning to fly...same thing...thanks Momma :o)

Post-N-Go

I love convenience stores. Actually, I love the names of convenience stores, especially in the South. Names like Gas-N-Guzzle, Zip-E-Mart and Get-N-Go just make me laugh. There is a little store down the road from my new house (which I haven't bought yet) called The Lazy Bee! I love it! Does anyone remember a chain called Magik Market?

Hazards of the job...

This is just one of the hazards

of the job...I am surrounded by GERMS! I can

usually protect myself with my kick ass immune

system and some good handwashing, but a

bad one slipped passed me Wednesday and

has had me on the ropes for the last two days.

It started with that "not so easy feeling" and

peaked with and all exits blow-out of epic

proportions! Needless to say it is a good thing I

work in the ER where I got much needed fluids

and meds...and I got to take my IV home for

additional fluids. I also got to leave work 30 min.

early in hopes of not sitting in traffic and being

forced to poop or barf in the car! I would have

left earlier, but due to staffing shortages, I was

forced to stay :o(

Luckily I was only sick for about 36 hours, but now

I feel like a limp noodle. I have no energy and

even less interest in finding any. However, If

I don't get up and around soon, I am going to

develop bed sores. Maybe I will ask Robert

to turn me every couple of hours :o)

What about me?

This is me. I took this pic of myself in the bathroom on Valentine's Day. I just got lucky that my bathroom is red, but no matter what time of year, the color always makes you look like you have a little color.

In a nod to many of the blogs I read, I thought I would list a few quirks/facts about me that one might(?) find interesting. Here we go:

--I don't have a sense of smell (childhood head injury, whole different story).

--I don't have any children, by choice.

--I don't eat shiny food, anything that reflects light will not be eaten by me i.e. jello.

--I am a nurse and it makes me nervous to go to the doctor. I get all sweaty and jittery, especially if I know they are going to touch me.

--I love to be in my bed, you may find me there at any given time of day or night.

--I have worked nights for 8 years, and that has led to a seriously disturbed sleep pattern which results in the previous situation.

--I have never had a Mountain Dew or a Dr. Pepper in my life.

--I have super sensitive hearing. I usually watch TV with the volume so low most people can't hear it, yet I manage to work in one of the loudest places in the world...an ER! I crave silence!

--I have a genuine fear of unknowingly committing a crime and going to prison.

--I could easily give up sweets, but would never be able to live without bread.

--I desperately want to be a "pretty runner", one with a smooth, effortless gait. Instead I look like a charging rhino.

So there you have it...super exciting huh? HA!

In Rememberance...

In honor of our fallen soldiers:

We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. Adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of our slain defenders.

Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor.---John Logan

It never ceases to amaze me...

Yesterday, SunshineMeg posted about some barbarian spitting on a public bus driver. Who would ever do something like that? I was mortified.

I must also have been hallucinating because when I got to work last night, it seems like every person wanted to cuss me out! What kind of logic guides someone to seek the help of others and then think the best way to go about it is to call them every name in the book and then physically threaten them?

One guy had a hangnail and was discharged without any intervention (whatcha gonna do?) And he said, "all I want is a f*cking band-aid b*tch!" Seriously? Then take your sorry *ss to Walgreens and get one! Thanks so much and have a great day :O)

Has it been 20 years?

Twenty years ago today, a very cute boy from my German class called me on the phone and asked the magic question that has set us on an odessey of love and devotion. What were those life changing words you ask..."do you want to go out to dinner or what?" That is the line that lured me in!

We went to eat at Guthrie's and then to see "Glory" at the free movies at Langdon Hall. We have been together since. That's love people...❤

All mine!!!

I have thought about

making these cookies all weekend. I

haven't done it mostly out of laziness.

However, now that my husband has

left town (again), I am keenly aware

that if I make these cookies, then I am

free to eat them all myself. I am feeling

a sudden surge of energy...

That isn't normal?

I had a patient at work last night that was

freaking everybody out! He was sleeping

with his eyes open and he looked dead! Of

course something like this would be fun to

see....if my own husband didn't sleep with

his eyes open!

I have to say that if you have never seen it

before it is kinda scary. His eyes are usually

wide open but with this 1000 yard stare that

is spooky and weird. After 20 years together

I am pretty used to it, but there have been

many times when I had to check to see if he

was still breathing. Knowing my luck he will

collapse somewhere and I will just chalk it up

to an afternoon nap!

I think he would be mad if I posted a pic, but

if I can catch him in the act it is definitely

worth a peek!