Mariah's Place

Reminiscing

2011-07-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Have been doing a little reminiscing about things from my childhood lately.

We used to have a 'family reunion' every Labor Day weekend at Lake of the Woods State Park. These were so much fun and I miss them.

We always got the same picnic area every year. We would get there early and claim all the tables in that area. It was close to the lake. Slowly people would start arriving. Us kids would take all for all parts of the park. We would climb the bell tower, run around all over, cross the swing bridge and make it swing like there was no tomorrow. Some of the guys would fish, sometimes we would rent paddle boats. Eventually, we would head back and eat and then back out again.

The food was always amazing. Mother would make her to die for pineapple bars, always have a large container of lemonade and iced tea. Plus have a cooler full of pop. We always had the usual picnic fare. I remember one year, a cousin of my dad brought several watermelons but one didn't make it to the table to be cut. He had thrown it at my brother who was not expecting it and it went splat on the ground. We all had a huge laugh over the incident.

I miss those days. And I miss the picnic each year.

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T22:25:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. During your BBQs, I hope you took a moment to thank all the veterans and military service men & women for their time to keep up safe and allow us to remain free. Also taking a moment to remember all the service men & women who were lost while serving this great nation.

Thank you to all of our veterans and military personnel.

Hot Hot Weekend!

2011-04-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

I'm getting a little tired of getting the horoscope emails a day or two late.

It's been a good weekend. Saturday, Crystal, Diane, Dinah, Mary and I went on a shopping trip to Bloomington which is about 30 to 40 minutes from here. They have some shops there that we no longer have here and one of them is Lane Bryant. Unfortunately, I spent a little too much there, but I did get some things that I needed. We spent about two hours in that store. Then headed to Dress Barn and then had lunch at Chili's and then went to Cato. At Dress Barn I did buy a blouse, but didn't buy anything at Cato. I tried on a few things but they didn't fit well and then found out that their stuff runs small.

Then Saturday night, I went to a sex toy party. It was a lot of fun.

Today was a little on the warm side, but didn't really do anything. I should have done some yardwork, but just didn't feel like it.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

2011-03-23T20:52:00.000-05:00

Not really happy getting the emails with my horoscope, I'm not getting them when I should. They are arriving 24 hours later which means that I got yesterday's horoscope email today.

"You feel a deeper sense of excitement over something that started out small a while back. It may be a new love or a new job, but somehow, you are finally really clicking with it and ready for more."

I really didn't feel any sense of excitement about something that started out small or a while back. Was mostly an uneventful day at work.

The only excitement was the fire this morning on campus. A building built in the 1920's caught fire early this morning and two restaurants are now destroyed and possibly a clothing store. Zorba's is a campus tradition and will be dearly missed by a lot of people. Several of us had lunch plans today at a restaurant/bar near the fire. We did get there and it was quite slow. We had to duck under the yellow caution tape to get there.

No other excitement. Had an Occupancy Management Team meeting this afternoon. MAB had me prepare some statistics for the meeting, unfortunately, one set of information was not able to get but hope to for the next meeting.

Monday, March 14, 2011

2011-03-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

"It's tempting to give up -- but your energy is just about due for a profound change for the better, so make sure you keep at it. Losing ground is worse for you than usual on a day like today!"

Wasn't a day full of energy for me. With losing an hour this weekend due to Daylight Savings, still a bit tired. Did have trouble keeping my focus on things today.

Turns out that we are doing the basketball tourney brackets at work. I logged in to the site and the brackets do not include the official first round that starts on Tuesday. Those four games are just play-in games to make the official field. Did have to hurry and get things started. Luckily, Lorenzo offered his assistance to Frank and I which will make things easier.

Last week, the director sent out an email regarding the strategic planning leadership group and a change in some of the teammembers. I approached Mari Anne with some questions and what she thought if I decided to 'apply'. She thought it would be a good idea and suggested that I talk with someone that is currently part of the group. On Friday, I did email Bryan and he replied sharing his thoughts. I'm considering it. I decided that I was wanting to get some new experiences at work. Need to email the director by the 25th so I have a little time to think about it.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

2011-03-09T20:37:00.000-06:00

What a coincidence!!

"This is not the time to tackle new business -- you really need to deal with finishing up ongoing or nearly completed projects now. The feeling of satisfaction should leave you smiling tomorrow!"

I really didn't have time to tackle new business today. I did have to work on ongoing projects. Jeannie asked me to work on a response to the reply received regarding a problem with the database system. I told her that I would try but would be out of the office most of the afternoon in a meeting. I was going to lunch in less than half an hour, but did work on it and then finished after lunch and before the meeting.

When I told her that I was going to be in a meeting for most of the afternoon, she asked what meeting. I told her it was the phone interviews for the candidate search. She was going to be in the same 'meeting'.

The phone interviews went well, but conducting seven interviews of 30 minutes each is mind-numbing. A few of the candidates were long-winded. A few never really came out and answered the question completely.

Final set of phone interviews will be Friday afternoon.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

2011-03-08T20:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Fat Tuesday!

"That great energy has decided to stick around another day, and it's powering up your brain in a new way. See if you can get your friends or colleagues to send you new sites of interest."

Did not have that great energy today. And definitely didn't power up my brain in a new way.

Didn't sleep too good last night. I awoke about 2 am with bad acid reflux, luckily I caught it in time. I popped Tums and then the sugary Tums caused restlessness and had trouble sleeping. Was supposed to go to a "Fat Tuesday" breakfast, but was still having tummy problems because of the acid reflux and just didn't feel up to going.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

2011-03-01T19:53:00.000-06:00

Spring is just around the corner. Looking forward to spring and warmer weather.

"Your creative energies are flowing today, and they're best directed toward big problems that have been bugging you for some time now. It's a good idea to see what's going on across the way."

My creative energies were definitely flowing today, but they were directed toward reviewing a lot of applications & resumes. Yesterday was the deadline to submit applications/resumes for the position that I am on the search committee for and had to review them and make my recommendations before the committee meeting on Wednesday. Just can't believe some people do not use spellchecker, especially how many teachers make spelling errors. There are a lot of teachers applying for this job which really surprises me.

Friday, February 25, 2011

2011-02-25T20:26:00.000-06:00

Do think it was a hit on the nail.

"You aren't in the mood for chatter, and you should be able to show others that you mean business. It's a really good day for you to get work done and to cut to the chase in meetings or conversations."

I definitely wasn't for a lot of chatter today. I did get work done. Had several meetings that ended early.

Finally had the one-on-one meeting with Mari Anne this morning. Depending on the assessment outcome, I may be losing my office and I'm not happy about that. Really pisses me off that I got put in there and then have it taken away from me. I love having the privacy, room to work without all the interruptions and having personal voicemail. Why did they have to do this to me? I guess I shouldn't get too upset right now until we know more and that may not be until the summer. But the longer I am in the private office, the more I am not going to want to give it up.

Also had a one-on-one meeting with one of the assessment committee members. It went well. Got my say of things and some were not kind.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

2011-02-19T19:02:00.000-06:00

"Your impulsive nature has worn you out somewhat, so give it the rest of the day off while you go about your business as usual. It’s a really good time for reconnecting with your best habits."

I am worn out, but nothing to do with my impulsive nature, have a cold. I've been sick the last few days. Thursday afternoon/evening, I had a low-grade fever. I let everyone know that I wouldn't be at work on Friday. The fever broke early Friday morning. But when I was getting ready for bed, it had returned and a little higher than it was Thursday night and it was gone early this morning again. I stayed in all day today except took about 15 minutes and went to the grocery store for a few things. I sure hope the fever doesn't return.

Monday, February 14, 2011

2011-02-14T19:43:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Your natural modesty is enhanced today -- possibly to your detriment! You need to stand up for yourself at least once, but it may be much harder than usual. Are people willing to hear you out?"

It really didn't apply to me today. I didn't have to stand up for myself today, except for the rolling pranks in the office. In a meeting I was heard, even though I had a bit of trouble getting my thoughts to come out of my mouth to make sense. That may have had something to do with being late for the meeting because I fell asleep at lunch. lol.

I do need to talk with Mari Anne about things with the hiring of the new coordinator and what this means for me. Since I was moved to the coordinator's office, where will they be placed or me. After the past 5 months having my own office has been great and I'm not wanting to give that up.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

2011-02-10T19:05:00.000-06:00

Doesn't apply to me today.

"Your sense of right and wrong is a little riled up right now, and you probably ought to seek out an authority figure to help you set things right. A cop, a boss or a family matriarch should do the trick."

I didn't have a problem with knowing what was right and what was wrong.

We got new monitors at work. They are very nice and big. We got the 23 inch models - wider but squatty. A few aren't so sure about them, but I am loving it. I'm used to that style with my laptop.

Yesterday was Mother's birthday. Mother, Dad and I went out for dinner at "Texas Roadhouse". It was delicious, as usual. Our server was very attentive which usually bothers me but it didn't last night. Afterwards, I went to Mother & Dad's and we had cake that I made. It was dark chocolate with her favorite icing.

Yesterday, I was getting ready to go to lunch and was getting my cell phone and it wasn't in my purse. I figured it was at home on the table still, but I found it in the truck when I was heading home. Glad it had fallen out of my purse in the truck and not outside. I had missed a call and had a message. I didn't recognize the number but it turns out the call was from American Home Shield in regards to my letter requesting reimbursement for the service the denied. When I got home, there was a message on my home phone also from them. I called them this morning after I got to work, but the woman wasn't there so I left a message and she never called me back today. I'm sure they are going to tell me that my 'request' was denied. And then I will go to the State's Attorney's office and also the Better Business Bureau and file complaints. It's their choice. :)

Monday, February 7, 2011

2011-02-07T21:33:00.000-06:00

Has a ring of truth for today.

"You're learning new things today -- maybe despite yourself -- and should be having a blast with the new facts. It's a really good day for you to start off in some bold new direction!"

Yes, I am definitely learning new things today. At work, a job search just began and I am on the committee. I decided to volunteer to be on the committee so I could have the experience and step out of my comfort zone. I reviewed some of the applicants today. I didn't have the time today to study them enough to make any recommendations, but will soon.

I do need to let go of some stuff at work since I get a little overwhelmed with stuff and don't have the time in the day to get it all done.

Tonight a few of us met at a Cocina Real which recently opened. It was fun and good food. We had a blast but it ended sooner than I had wished.

More Snow

2011-02-06T00:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a crappy day. Awoke to more snow. We were only to get a dusting but it turns out that the local news said we got around 6 inches. And more snow on Sunday and Monday. UGH!

Mother worked this morning and I said I would pick her up. I had to drop off some stuff at my parents on my way. When I got to my parents Dad was outside cleaning off the driveway with the blower. I didn't stay long since I was running a little late getting Mother. When I backed out of the driveway, I got stuck in the snow in the cul-de-sac. I got so mad with Dad and two neighbors just standing there watching me and not giving me a little help. I finally was able to get traction and headed to get Mother. The roads were terrible, plows had not hit many streets and not many of the major streets.

When I got to the store, one of mother's coworkers asked how the roads were and I just said "shitty", which was the truth. We left there and decided to stop for a little lunch at Steak 'n Shake, which I am beginning to think is a mistake. We always have trouble with service. In the area we sat, we were the first to sit and order. Everyone around us got their food first. And when we finally got our food, the fries were horrid, they tasted like they had been sitting around for a long time and were cold. The manager came by and we complained, she brought us fresh fries right out of the fryer.

When we left, I was stuck...again. I tried and tried for about 20 minutes. I had Mother get behind the wheel while I pushed, but still no luck. Luckily, a guy came along and he helped. And then two more guys came along. FINALLY, we were free. I did go to Lowe's and bought four sand tubes for more weight (60 lbs each).

When I dropped off Mother and was taking her stuff out of the truck, Dad asked if I was feeling okay, I told him that I was just pissy and it was a crappy day. When I wasn't around for a moment, I'm wondering if Mother said something about this morning because he asked about it and I told him that I was stuck and three guys just stood around watching. He said that he didn't think I was stuck since the one tire he could see wasn't spinning. He figured that I was fiddling with the radio or something. HUH? Fiddling with the radio for five minutes? Whatever!

I should have just stayed home and stayed in bed.

Cookies Galore

2011-02-04T17:30:00.001-06:00

I took the last couple of days off from work. Did a little housework yesterday, not as much as I should, but at least some. Today was a day of baking. I have not made cookies in a while and have been wanting to make sugar cookies for quite some time. I was wanting to make them at Christmas, but just didn't have the time.

Old Fashioned Butter Cookies
1 C buter
1 C oil
1 C white sugar
1 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
4 C flour

Cream oil and butter, add eggs, sugars and vanilla. Add baking soda and cream of tarter to flour. Add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture. Drop by teaspoons on greased pan. Press with fork dipped in sugar.

Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

I ended up with about 20 dozen cookies. I had only planned on baking half of them and refrigerating the remainder of the dough to bake later, but next thing I knew, I was almost done and decided to bake all of them now. Will take some to my parents and some to work on Monday.

They taste so darn good and they literally melt in your mouth.

I remember as a kid making them at Christmas and we would mail to my grandparents in Arkansas. Grandma called thanking us for the cookie crumbs. Turns out these do not fair well in the mail. But they enjoyed the crumbs and had to eat with spoons. lol.

CORRECTION: I missed counted, it was about 10 dozen cookies. I counted the stacks of 6 as 1 dozen. lol There was probably more than 10 dozen, but not close to 20 dozen.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

2011-02-02T21:39:00.002-06:00

Not as much snow as predicted.

"You need to show off just how patient you can be, even though it may seem like you're on the verge of losing your mind! It's just a weird day to be you, but if you keep your cool, all is sure to go well."

I was very patient today and at times I was about to lose my mind. Got up early to start shoveling the driveway, didn't get it done until this afternoon. Even thought we didn't get as much as was predicted, there was a lot of sleet/ice pellets that was compacted, hard and very heavy. I would work for a while until I was too cold and too tired to continue and then would go inside to warm up and rest. I called my boss and told her that I wouldn't be able to make it in. I didn't finish shoveling until the afternoon and then finally had lunch. The bottom of the driveway was the worse. It was drifted about 16 inches or so and then underneath there was about 6 to 8 inches of compacted frozen slush which required me to use a garden shovel to break up so I could clear.

Several people called saying there were lots of cars and trucks getting stuck. Dad called saying that in their neighborhood, the snowplows hadn't come by yet and trucks were getting stuck even a neighbor who had 4-wheel drive. Just wasn't a pleasant day.

Tonight I do not have any strength in my right wrist from all the shoveling. And I think I need to get a new snow shovel. It should be fine for the rest of the season but questionable for next season.

"Snowmageddon"

2011-02-01T20:00:00.002-06:00

Haven't received my horoscope for today but wanted to get something off my chest.

Here we are in the biggest storm system for a while. It started Monday afternoon with sleet and freezing rain. All day today it has continued with some snow, freezing rain and lots and lots of sleet. When I finally got home, I probably have close to 6 inches of sleet/ice pellets on the driveway.

The storm is still raging right now. The winds have picked up today with gusts 4o to 5o mph. Overnight, the sleet and freezing rain will change to snow and to get 10 to 16 inches on top of all this sleet and freezing rain.

Whenever it snows, my driveway tends to drift even when the winds are slow. If we get the 10 inches of snow, I will have a drift of 18 to 24 inches across the driveway.

And then today I found out that I am still expected to show for work tomorrow. HUH? Naturally, the University never closes down when students are present but when the weather gets like this, only employees in classifications considered as essential are expected to work, But today, the director said that our office must be manned so we are expected to come to work. Great, I guess he doesn't care about the lives of his employees. The governor has declared a 'state of emergency' and that we are to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. I told my boss that if we get the snow they are predicting then I will have trouble getting there on time since my driveway will be drifted over and it will take a long time to clean off. I don't have anyone to help.

Monday, January 31, 2011

2011-01-31T21:41:00.003-06:00

Slip Slidin' Away!

"Listen carefully before taking action today. If you don't know exactly what's going down, you can't make a real difference. Check in with all the key players before you even dream up a plan."

Did have to listen today, but I will have to admit that it was not carefully. A gal called from one of the offices and she does have a tendency to bitch about things and she started in on that and I worked on some things and only half listened. And I wasn't the most professional with someone on the phone. I let the woman's anger get to me and I got a little pissy with her which I really hated getting that way with her and ashamed that I let her get to me that way.

There was no plan to dream up today.

The winter storm started about the time The Weather Channel said it would. It started out as snow and then changed to sleet and then to freezing rain. On the way home, the roads were not the greatest but not as bad as I thought. They were a little slick in areas, just had to drive carefully.

A friend sent this in an email and I thought it was just hysterical. I am in the white area. And it is so true. Even on the 6 o'clock news tonight, one of the newscasters mentioned how people were at the grocery stores today stocking up and she saw one guy just carrying a box of Franzia wine.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

2011-01-27T21:11:00.002-06:00

Ooops, almost put 2010. lol.

"Your family needs you -- even if they're hundreds of miles away. Give someone close a ring and see what's going on, because your input might be essential to heading off a catastrophe."

I was thinking of calling my parents soon. Doubt if they need anything from me.

Got my letter to American Home Shield written tonight and is all ready to be mailed tomorrow.

Work was work today. Had a meeting with my boss and someone from IT regarding some billing issues with the database.

Love having the furnace working properly.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

2011-01-26T17:27:00.002-06:00

The day started horribly and ended great!

"Your powers of intuition are making themselves known today, so see if you can get them to help you deal with whatever has been bugging you recently -- romance, work problems, where you left you car keys!"

Yes and no, maybe. The furnace was still not working properly and after two days of not hearing from the furnace company that was assigned, I called American Home Shield to complain. The AHS rep called the furnace company and they said they never got the work order. When she asked what was wrong with my furnace, she informed me that the problem is not covered because the furnace is still heating. I was furious with her. I then said "so I have to wait until the furnace overheats and burns my house down before it's covered?"! She didn't answer except to ask if I wanted to cancel the work order. I then called Jesse Heating & Air-conditioning and they had time available for 1 to 2 pm this afternoon.

I am filing a complaint with AHS and sending them a bill and asking for cancellation of my contract with them and requesting a three year refund. I pay over $500 a year for their service and in those three years, I have filed two service requests and both have been denied. My next step is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the State's Attorney's office.

My usual technician from Jesse Heating & Air came. When I saw the van pull in the driveway, I opened the front door and when he saw me, he waved just like we were old friends. He came in and without hearing the noise, he knew exactly what was wrong. He showed me that it was the blower wheel. He took it apart and then took off with the blower wheel for the store to get a new one. He came back in about an hour with a new one and installed. He did leave a mess in the utility room. But I do love having a furnace that doesn't make a huge racket.

Monday, January 24, 2011

2011-01-24T20:37:00.002-06:00

Still have a furnace that is not working properly.

"Your new gadget brings even more joy today. If you haven't given in, now is the time to buy that techno-toy and join the 21st century. You can get ahead of the curve if you keep going at this rate!"

I do have a new toy, but it's now two months old. And I'm wanting a few more new techno-toys, but it's the money issue right now. I would love to have an iPod and also a new smart-phone. The iPod will have to wait for a while. And with the new phone it will be when my current cell phone package is expiring. Just not sure which phone I want. I'm partial to Nokia brand, but they don't have one with a full keyboard that is offered by AT&T. I've thought about a Blackberry, but some friends have soured me on them and then I've been thinking about an iPhone, but not sure if I want the iPhone 3 or 4. A friend is not enthusiastic about the new 4, she has the 3 and loves it.

Did not hear from the furnace guy today. I was hoping that he would have called today to set an appointment time, but nope, no word from him. My experience from the past with AHS and getting service calls, they don't notify the contractors in a timely fashion and then they don't contact me in a timely fashion. When I was asked what number they wanted me to be contacted at, I gave them my cell phone so I could get the call at any time, but in the past they didn't give the contractor the correct number, so about 5 times during the day, I would call home and check my messages, but no message from the contractor. Before I left work, I called the contractor and after a few rings, someone answered but hung up immediately. I called again and this time got voicemail and left a message asking them to call me back. But so far, no one has called me. And it's really pissing me off.

Saturday, January 22, 2010

2011-01-22T21:49:00.003-06:00

"Rethink your approach to whatever long-term plans are foremost in your mind today. You should be able to shake yourself out of old habits of thought, and that can lead to fruitful new ideas."

Haven't been thinking about any long-term plans today. The only long-term plans currently are vacation in June, which I can't wait until.

Awoke to a lot of noise. My furnace is making a lot of noise. Dad came over and took a look and thinks it's the fan motor, thinks the bearings are going out. I called my home warranty service for a service call and now have to wait until Monday for the furnace guy to call to make an appointment. I'm hoping it doesn't go out before then and if it does, I'll be freezing. I do notice that the furnace runs a lot more since the fan is not working like it should.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

2011-01-19T20:19:00.002-06:00

Didn't realize it's been a whole week since I posted.

"You've got creative power to burn today. It's a really good time for you to dream up something new for you to do with your life, or to focus on smaller issues that you think need work."

Wish I feel like I had power to burn, creative or otherwise. I think I have a bit of a headcold, at least my sinuses are working overtime and I'm tired.

Work is going good, except it's been a bit busy this week with the new semester started. Even though we had a three-day weekend with the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday on Monday, I didn't get all three days off - I went to work on Sunday for 4 hours. It was hall opening and someone needed to be in the office for any problems that may have arisen. It was fairly quiet that day.

I emailed my friend letting her know that I wasn't able to attend her wedding in February. I can't afford either option - the cruise or just a few days in St. Thomas, USVI. Really hated sending that email. I received the proper invitation in the mail. Just wish I could attend. I do need to get them a gift and mail to them. Just not sure what to get or even where they are registered. I guess I should email her and find out.

Monday afternoon I did get a little work done at home. Did some cleaning in the kitchen. Cleaned off the microwave cart and put my new KitchenAid stand mixer on there. Now I can get busy working on some baking. Came up with a new idea for cupcakes, but need to get a fillertip. Nope, not going to say what it is until I get them done. lol.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

2011-01-12T20:58:00.002-06:00

Received wedding invitation today! I really want to go to this wedding.

"You need to explore more new areas today -- your mental energy is ready to soak up new facts and concepts, and you should be able to put it all together in a really fun way. Share with your people!"

I have soaked up new facts regarding the wedding invitation and the research I have done. Will talk more on that in a bit.

And I did share with my people. lol. Well...more of playing with the people. lol. Brett is very anal and OCD about his things. We have a lot of magnetic clips due to a little project Jamie is working on and Brett made an orange & blue "wave" on his overhead storage cabinet. I decided to mess with him and moved some around so that there were two orange and two blue clips together instead of his one orange, one blue, one orange, one blue, etc design. He didn't like that and got a little pissy, but he blamed someone else. Him and Jamie were heading upstairs and I was still standing there by his desk and I had a few clips in my hand playing with them (not ones from his design) and I started messing with him by banging one of them on the cabinet and he started freaking out and telling me not to mess with them. Katie #2 said that I should mess with the magnets on the end of the cabinet. I moved them around and actually made a smiley face with them. He didn't care for that either. I really don't think he knows it was me. lol. heee-heeee.

Okay, back to the wedding invitation. A friend is getting married on February 15. I knew that I would be getting an invitation in the mail but thought it was going to be in Texas where they live. I haven't received the invitation in the mail yet, but she sent me a text message this morning letting me know that the wedding on February 15 in St. Thomas USVI. And that there is a cruise from February 12 to 19 and wanted to know if I wanted to go. I WANT to go, but I don't think I will be able. I don't have a passport which will be required if I want to get off the ship in Nassau, Bahamas and St. Maarten. If I go on a cruise, I want to get off the ship at the port of calls to visit. I did do some research and found that I can get a Passport Card for entry/exit to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean islands. But then there is also the money factor. It's going to cost about $2,000 for the cruise and airfare. This will clean out the summer vacation money (when I get it from my tax returns in April) and that won't cover all. I could just fly to St. Thomas for a few days, but I would be alone in a strange place and then there's the St. Valentine's Day crap to deal with in such a romantic locale and being all alone. :(

I was so hoping that she was getting married in Texas so I could visit other friends in Texas. Oh well....

Monday, January 10, 2011

2011-01-10T20:43:00.002-06:00

"Taking out the garbage, disciplining an underling or punishing your kids don't strike you as all that much fun, but on a day like today, you're sure to at least take them in stride. Deal with the tough stuff!"

Will have to take out the garbage tonight and it's not all that fun, but a necessary evil.

Today was a good day until I found out that a friend & former co-worker had surgery before Christmas. HUH??? How come nobody told me? It brought back that feeling of being left out and just when I felt like I wasn't anymore. Oh great!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2011-01-05T20:38:00.002-06:00

It's been a few days since I've posted. Just been a hectic time for me.

"Your familiarity with power is deep and intense, but today you may have to find a new, subtler way to make use of it. Try to get people to see that your way is the best without bowling them over."

It's partially true today. I do need to get people to see the best way to do things, but it's not my way, but the correct procedures on how things are to be done. I sent several emails today to a couple assistant directors with things that were not done correctly and were causing problems. I really hated sending so many emails but am so tired of making the corrections for these people when all they have to do is follow the written instructions and there would not be any problems.

Three days in a row, I have worked late. And I am so tired because of it. Part of the problem on why I have stayed late to get things done is because half of my days have been spent in meetings and then so much of the rest of the day has been fixing the errors/problems. I stayed a little later than I had planned, but did get some things done that I've tried to do for three days.

Next week, I think I may need a night of drinking. lol.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

2011-01-02T18:25:00.002-06:00

WOW, can't believe it's 2011 already.

"Your need for travel rarely wanes, even when you're on the road. Today brings a new pang that could have you scouring the net or digging through old National Geographic magazines for inspiration."

My desire for travel never stops, I wish I could travel a lot. There are so many places that I would love to visit. And I love National Geographic magazines. And what's more, my dream is to be a photographer for National Geographic. So I do think this one hit the mark.

Not ready to go back to work tomorrow. Wish I didn't have to go to work.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T21:50:00.002-06:00

"Your eye for beauty -- and a good deal -- is heightened considerably right now, so get out there and look for new stuff for your home. Adding to or completing collections of all kinds is quite favored."

Hmmmm....eye for beauty and a good deal. Well...did make a few purchases today to help beautify me. Bought a few tops and some make-up (which was needed). The tops were on sale. And did find a few things for the home, but no collections.

Not much has gone on this week. Wednesday night, met a friend at Esquire Lounge for drinks around 6 o'clock, but didn't leave until after midnight. It was fun. Met a few of her friends who were all very nice. She's talking about having a Super Bowl party and said "you're coming", didn't ask me to come, but just said "you're coming". lol.

Normally I don't make New Years Resolutions, but will probably redo the one that I cook dinner at least once a week. I haven't kept on that one this year like I did a few years ago.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a blessed 2011.

Monday, December 27, 2010

2010-12-27T17:12:00.002-06:00

"Your sweeter side is out for the world to see right now, which means that your love life is likely to see a boost. It's a good idea for you to ask out that new hottie -- or to remind your mate why you're together."

Well.....was a miss today. Course, maybe that has something to do with not leaving the house today except to walk down the driveway to get the mail. Today was a 'holiday' at work so I didn't have to work, and I'm also taking the rest of the week off, which I really need a little break from work and recoup. Back to the horoscope. And there is no new hottie or even a mate so there isn't someone to ask out.

Didn't really get anything done today, except cutting out coupons and organizing the coupon keeper. Also changed to a new purse. There are things that I should have gotten done around the house.

Christmas was good. The morning started slow for me. I had trouble getting out of bed, then had to go out and shovel about 6 inches of snow off the driveway. And since there was so much ice under the snow, I spread some ice melt/traction aid also.

Mother and Dad got me a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I had an idea that I was going to get one since Mother and I have looked at them and discussed them, but was really surprised on which model I got. They got me the Professional 600 Series in Nickel Pearl. I am looking forward to using it.

Dinner was great especially since my brother's ex-wife/live-in didn't come, she decided to stay home with the dog so they didn't have to put her in the crate.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and weekend!

My Minion

2010-12-23T21:16:00.001-06:00

I created a minion. You can get yours too.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

2010-12-23T21:02:00.002-06:00

Nope, not today.

"You are feeling like a rock star, supermodel and President all rolled up into one fine package today -- and it shows! Your amazing personal energy is pushing you in ever more outlandish directions!"

Nope, did not feel like a rock star, supermodel or President at all and definitely not all rolled up in one package. There was no personal energy pushing me, except the energy for the workday to end.

Today was just a day for me to get things done and to catch up before I left for the holidays. And I did.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

2010-12-22T20:32:00.002-06:00

Nope, not today.

"Let someone else take the credit today -- it should make up for the times when people assumed you were the one behind all things awesome when you weren't around to correct their misunderstandings."

I don't take credit for things that I didn't do so there is no need to let someone take credit for something I did. And there was no need to let someone else take credit.

Sent the email today to about 300 new contracts for January. And took flack from on co-worker because I didn't include the roommate. Uhhhh...not easy to get that information using the reporting function. So now that means there will be a lot of emails from these people requesting that information. This guy gets on my nerves because all he does is complain complain and complain about things.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

2010-12-21T20:55:00.002-06:00

Rang pretty true today.

"Your emotions are under control today -- which is more than you can say for your friends or colleagues! You may have to be the calm one, though even your shining example might not make a huge impact."

My emotions were definitely under control but definitely not for one friend/coworker. She actually works on the 3rd floor. A few weeks ago, I got upset about a Secret Santa exchange that was occurring, which involved everyone in my office except me, and I mentioned this to a few friends. She happened to be in the bathroom today at the same time as the organizer (or so I thought was the organizer) of the exchange and asked (and not in a pleasant tone, I understand) how an entire office could be part of the exchange except one person. The woman did not know that I wasn't included since she did not organize. Excuse me? Didn't know? She was the one that went around for people to draw names. My friend had not planned on that, but she saw the woman and it all just came out. I think it's kinda hysterical. I guess there were some others that were not included who were not happy about it also.

And word got out among others which I knew would happen when I saw that woman down talking to one of my office coworkers. Then that coworker mentioned that there was an office Secret Santa exchange and it was all in a joking manner because of her giggling. I almost said something, but I just kept my mouth shut.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Monday, December 20, 2010

2010-12-20T19:39:00.002-06:00

For some reason, I haven't been receiving the emails with my horoscope, but did receive it today.

"Ask a friend for help today -- it's not like they don't owe you -- and see how far the two of you can go. It's easier than ever to make teamwork work, and your natural leadership helps it all stay sweet."

It is true that people owe me, but I didn't have to ask anyone for help today. I finished the assignments for Spring contracts but will need to check daily for new contracts.

I finally got my Christmas tree put up last night, but no ornaments except for the lights (pre-lit tree) and the angel on top. I'll get some ornaments put on, but not all that I normally hang.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

2010-12-15T20:42:00.002-06:00

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday, but the office Christmas party was last night. We had good food and lots of fun.

Today's horoscope has a little ring of truth in it.

"Even the most boring work chores keep you engaged and having fun today -- and house cleaning is a riot! Somehow, your good energy makes almost anything seem to be fun, so tackle the dirty stuff."

I was productive today and had the energy to get it done. I didn't take a lunch today, but ordered from Jimmy Johns and ate at my desk and worked. Was glad that I did and got caught up on things. Not completely caught up but made great strides and feel more comfortable about getting things done.

On the drive home from work, I started thinking about what I would have for dinner. I actually did some cooking and didn't just pop something in the microwave and heat it up. When I got home, I took some chicken breasts out of the freezer and baked some with chipotle and peach barbecue sauce and also a baked potato. It was quite delicious and am so glad that I did this. I need to get back on track and start cooking at least one meal a week.

Got all my Christmas cards ready to mail. I took them to work on Tuesday and worked on them at lunch and then took some time this evening and finished them.

Can't believe it's only 10 days until Christmas. Am not ready for Christmas.

Monday, December 13, 2010

2010-12-13T18:54:00.002-06:00

Today's Horoscope didn't ring true again.

"Tap into your creative energy today -- it could save the day! You need to be able to come up with alternatives to the weird plans and solutions your friends or coworkers are proposing -- and quickly!"

Creative energy? If you call trying to stay warm as 'creative energy', then yes. lol. No weird plans or solutions by friends or coworkers today.

It is so blasted cold here. I really doubt if the temps got to 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) today, it may have, but sure didn't feel like it.

Called the dentist first thing this morning to get in to have the crown/cap that came out Friday night recemented. Didn't get to see my dentist since he went out of town for the weekend and due to weather wasn't able to get back in town. I don't know why someone couldn't make it back to town with winds gusting over 50 mph and blowing snow?! I saw another dentist but wasn't thrilled with him.

Busy at work trying to get things done, but didn't make it completely, but did make a small dent in it. I thought about staying late but didn't feel like it since it was so blasted cold out and having to walk as far as I do.

Friday, December 10, 2010

2010-12-10T22:33:00.002-06:00

I didn't receive the email with Thursday's horoscope. It probably was another miss anyway. As is today's!

"You may be intensely frustrated, especially early today, with those who can't seem to figure out what they want. Let them noodle about -- your patience is sure to be rewarded if you can stick it out."

Today was a crappy day, at least beginning this afternoon. Already have enough problems getting in the Christmas spirit and feeling quite bah humbug, but today made it even worse. At work, I found out that I was excluded from the "Secret Santa" exchange. I wasn't even asked if I wanted to participate! I guess these people aren't my friends like I thought.

And then tonight to make the day even worse, while eating dinner, one of the crowns/caps on a tooth was feeling a bit odd when chewing and then while eating something very soft, not sticky, it came off! OH GREAT! And now won't be able to get it fixed until Monday when the dentist is in the office. What else can go wrong?!

I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

2010-12-08T22:16:00.002-06:00

ILL - INI!

Another miss with my horoscope.

"You may be wildly enthusiastic about your new project or health discovery, but you ought to keep it to yourself for now. It's not that you're boring -- it's just that others are wrapped up in their own business, too."

No new project today and no health discovery. Got a little pissy with a coworker, at least not directly at her, but by her attitude. At one point this afternoon, when the phone rang, she yelled out in a nasty tone that they were all on lunch. Understand that two of them should have been on lunch (don't stay in the office) but there were others in the office that were not on lunch and she didn't have to be so nasty. She needs to watch her step since she is still on probation. She's getting a little too big for her britches and needs to be knocked down a few notches.

Went to the Illinois basketball game tonight with Linda. We had dinner at Houlihan's first. Won't go there again before a game. We were told since it was a game night that there would be a 45 minute wait for a table since we didn't have reservations. HUH? There were lots of empty tables that didn't have a "reserved" sign. The bar was packed so we couldn't find a seat there to grab a bite. A hostess came up to us saying that they just had a call canceling a two-topper. We took the table. Sitting there, a booth nearby remained empty for over an hour. We won't be making the mistake to go back there again before a game. Just not worth it especially since it's also a bit expensive.

The game was good, at least for the second half. The first half, they played crappy and couldn't make a shot. Did a lot of screaming and am surprised that I still have my voice. A few times it felt like my larynx was about to burst. I calmed down on the screaming.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

2010-12-07T20:25:00.002-06:00

It was a miss today with the horoscope.

"You need to walk away from any situation that involves your ego, because you are just feeling more delicate than usual right now. It's not too hard to keep everything on a less personal plane for a bit."

I was not feeling more delicate today and I didn't need to walk away from any situation that involved my ego, because there was no situation that involved my ego. And wasn't necessary to keep everything on a less personal plane today.

Work today was nondescript. Except I was amazed on how many college students thought that when they received a credit on their student account that they were being charged. HUH? It was so hard not to talk down to these people. Are kids taught these kind of things in school today?

Monday, December 6, 2010

2010-12-06T19:11:00.002-06:00

Wasn't able to post last night due to Comcast's major internet outage.

Today's horoscope:

"You've got little patience with those who can't see the big picture. Your own energy helps you to get the right perspective, and you should be able to make great progress if you stick to your vision."

How true was this for me today. I had patience with people. I did have a vision of getting lots of work done today and I did get quite a bit of work done and got caught up a little, not much, but a little. At least I made a dent in the work. Maybe this happened because I was able to get to bed earlier last night due to the internet outage. Hmmm....maybe I need to get to bed earlier than I do. Actually, there's no maybe about it, I definitely need to get to bed earlier than normally do.

Thought I was done with one project today but have a few tweaks to do on the document which won't take long to complete.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

2010-12-04T20:40:00.003-06:00

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Today's horoscope didn't quite work out today.

"Your energy levels never seem to drop today, so make the most of it all and push yourself harder than ever! You can get more done than usual, and might get a leg up on life tomorrow."

My energy level sure did drop today. That may have had something to do with having to shovel the driveway after 8 1/2 inches of snow overnight.

This afternoon Mother and I did a little shopping. Mother grew tired but that didn't stop her from shopping. The idiots were out today. When leaving Meijer, as I was in the crosswalk area in the parking lot, a car came flying by and about hit the cart I was pushing. The bitch didn't even stop at the stop sign. She was swerving around other shoppers also. Was a danger to all.

Played a little with my new camera. I went out about 12:45 am and took a few photos while it was still snowing.

The corner fence on the west side of the front yard.

My neighbors maple tree which overhangs a bit of my driveway.

And these were taken this morning after I had shoveled the driveway and sidewalk.

My blue spruce in the corner of my front yard.

The blue spruce.

The crabapple tree in the backyard.

Friday, December 3, 2010

2010-12-03T21:09:00.002-06:00

What a hectic and frazzling day of work. Today's horoscope could be true for today, but also a bit of not.

"Your intuitive side is quite active right now, so make the most of it! You may want to follow up hunches, toss out long-range plans in favor of spontaneous purchases or just enjoy the ride"

Not - I was given the opportunity to join in on a bus shopping trip to the Chicago suburbs, but decided against it. I just couldn't take the entire day. Had to be at the meeting place at 6:30 am and then wouldn't be back in town until 10 pm. No way could do that. First, would have to be up at 5 am on a Saturday and second, not home until very late and not getting anything done that needs to be done.

Could be True - I followed up on an administrative decision that was made that I did not agree with and expressed my thoughts on why I do not think it was not the right decision that it sets a precedence that others may try to use to their advantage. I was not argumentative, but expressed my feelings and made my supervisor think. It probably was a waste of my time, but at least I expressed my thoughts.

Today was a day that felt like the wheels were spinning, but not going anywhere. I had to put out fires and fix problems. At times I even felt flustered like I didn't know what I was doing. What doesn't help is that I am so far behind on things. I actually thought about working late, but just couldn't and had to get out of there.

OMG! We have a new guy that is temporary and this afternoon, I was on the phone when all of a sudden he jumped out of his chair and came running over by my door and started vomiting in the garbage can right outside my door. I was grateful to my boss for closing my door because I would have been next if I had smelled it.

Have a great weekend my friends!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

2010-12-02T20:45:00.002-06:00

Not so sure about today's horoscope.

"Your skepticism may shift somewhat toward paranoia today -- but that's not necessarily such a bad thing! See if you can get your most trusted friends to check over your big ideas first."

Wasn't paranoid or too skeptical today. Guess this one isn't correct for me today.

Today was a little busy for me at work. Had several meetings that interfered getting work done. I feel like I didn't get anything accomplished today.

A friend/co-worker came by and asked if I wanted to join a few others for lunch at the Illini Union. A former co-worker and friend (not former friend) was at the Union for the Bazaar so I said sure. We had lunch at the Ballroom. This lunch took 2 hours which I was not happy about. No one seemed to be in that much of a hurry to get back to work except me. I did buy one thing at the Bazaar - an Illini snowman gift card holder. It is so cute.

December 1, 2010

2010-12-01T20:37:00.002-06:00

Hello my friends!

Today's horoscope didn't pan out for me.

"Don't hesitate to ask friends or family for almost anything today -- it's a sure thing you can get what you need. In fact, you may want to push them a little to see what's available."

Actually, come to think of it, I didn't hesitate to as a friend and did get what I needed so I guess you can say that it did. Early this afternoon, I was working on a billing project and was hoping to find a way to help me finish quicker. I called her asking if I could import an Excel file in to the database system as a report or dynamic list. She came down to my office and between the two of us, we found a way to import as a regular list and not a dynamic list from a .CSV file. And it did help me finish a lot quicker.

At lunch today, a couple friends were trying to convince me to go on the bus shopping trip on Saturday as they have an extra spot available. It would be a lot of fun, but not so sure on getting up at 5 am on a Saturday. Just not a morning person.

Tonight after work, I finally got my hair cut and colored. Was so happy to get the shaggy and frizzy mess cut and to cover the grays.

Happy December.

Horoscope for November 30, 2010

2010-11-30T20:40:00.002-06:00

Okay, I'm gonna try and get this going again! My horoscope for today says...

"You need to get out there and socialize some more -- even if you've already got a full social calendar! It's a good day for you to make sure that you're reaching out to folks who don't get to see you often."

Hmmmmm......Well...I guess it's always good to get out there and socialize, but that wasn't me today. Just did the normal routine, except today started out with a visit to the dentist. Suppose that could be considered as "socializing" since I spoke with my dentist that didn't involve dentistry. Okay, that's a stretch. Did socialize at lunch but that was with the usual crowd. Oh well!

Okay, a little update. Mother got out of the hospital last Wednesday. She was in there for 1-1/2 weeks. She's doing okay, but is on a 'mushy' food diet for a month. Hopefully, she goes back for the procedure before Christmas so she is able to eat foods that aren't mushy.

And I bought a new "toy" recently. With the money I made working at the stadium, I bought a new digital SLR camera. I got the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. It's a very nice camera. Also got the 55 to 250 zoom lens.

Delay in Horoscope Posts

2010-11-18T22:35:00.004-06:00

There's gonna be a little delay in my horoscope posts. Time has slipped away from me this week. Mother has been in the hospital and I've been visiting with her after work. And the last few nights I've been busy baking 96 mini cupcakes to take to work on Friday.

Horoscope for November 12, 2010

2010-11-12T21:14:00.002-06:00

I know, it's been a while since I've posted. Just didn't take the time.

Thought I would try something a little different. I get emails everyday with my horoscope. Think I might try post the horoscope and if it was true or not.

"Power games are going on all around you. And while you'd usually jump right in to either win or defuse them, today you'd rather see how they play out from a distance. There's nothing wrong with that!"

Well...partially true. Yes, there were power games going on all round me, but unfortunately, I didn't just sit back and watch how they played out. I couldn't sit back when I found out decisions that impact my responsibilities were made by others that were not supervisors but were my underlings, basically. One has been there for 10 months, and the other for 3 months. Guess they thought they could make up their own rules. What really pissed me off was when our boss backed them up. Their actions not only impacted my job but others.

Our boss is not helping things in the office. There were a couple projects that I was to work on this week but she took me off them and gave to them. I would have had them done within a few days, but it took them 4 days and two of them were working on them. I had things laid out to expedite but then I was taken off these projects. And we got complaints that they were not done on time. Not my fault!

Quick Update

2010-07-20T09:45:00.003-05:00

Hello All! It's been a month since I've posted and thought I would submit a quick post.

I am currently offline at home. And don't know how long I will be. I had a little accident with my laptop. I spilled some stuff all over the computer. It was on at the time so I quickly shut down and started cleaning up. I didn't use it for 24 hours to make sure it was all dry. The keyboard is all messed up. Certain keys do some funky things and multiple things at the same time. Plus, there are now some missing keys because I didn't know the keys did not come off for cleaning like most keyboards do. Two lessons learned!

I talked with my insurance but it's not covered and it's not covered by the warranty.

I took the laptop to the Geek Squad for repair and was told that it could take from one to six weeks. They are going to replace the keyboard and hope that is all that is wrong.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Homeward Bound

2010-06-18T17:41:00.005-05:00

Final update on my vacation.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Monday night in Boone, NC, the decision was to be home on Wednesday. Was not happy that we were getting home a day earlier than planned.
We headed towards home instead of getting back on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We didn't drive directly home, but did make some stops on the way. We stopped at the Natural Tunnel State Park in Virginia. It was very cool. My parents had stopped there several times, but this is the first time for the rest of us. The boys loved it. In order to get to the tunnel, you have two options - walk down the mountain or take the chair lift (AKA ski lift). The boys were skeptical but they did it. Even though I am scared of heights, this does not bother me. I can't ride on a ferris wheel without freaking out, but have no problem on a chair/ski lift.
The one problem is that it was HOT on the chair lift with the sun blaring down on us. My legs were burning.

When we got down to the bottom, there is a short walk along a boardwalk to the tunnel. The tunnel is natural and was made by the Clinch River. There are trains that run through carrying coal but one didn't come through while we were there.

We rode back up on the chair lift. There is a short walk to an overlook to view the tunnel from above. Avrey, Lloyd and I did the walk. It was hot and humid, but a great view of the tunnel.

We got back on the road and headed towards Kentucky. We stopped at Cumberland Gap National Park. We didn't do much there except have a bite to eat for lunch. They have a very nice picnic area. While at the park, we had a few 'visitors', this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and a squirrel.

Next stop was the Days Inn in London, KY. We used to stop there almost every year, but the last time we did, we were not happy with the cleanliness. It's not any better.

We had a terrible storm come through as we were getting ready to go to dinner. We left just as the wind started. There is an old billboard sign nearby that was swaying a lot. When we got back, part of the billboard was missing. We had dinner at the Cracker Barrel and sat by the windows. The sun came out while it was still storming and we finally saw a rainbow, actually, there was a double rainbow, but I wasn't able to get a picture of it. Sorry this photo is not great quality, I didn't have my camera but did capture on my cell phone. In this photo, it's hard to tell, but we were actually able to see the full color spectrum including the elusive violet.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Home! We headed for home. Not much to tell since we were on the road all day. No stops except for gas and restrooms. We got in town a little after 4 pm and unloaded stuff at my parents' first and then I headed home and got home about 5 pm and took everything out of the van.

Blue Ridge Parkway

2010-06-17T22:31:00.003-05:00

Still trying to get caught up.

Monday, June 14, 2010

We left Morganton, NC and headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped along the way at many of the overlooks and museums or visitor centers.

Avrey on one of the large rocks on display at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals.

Arley on one of the large rocks on display at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals.

A view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the North Cove overlook.

One of our visitors - a Red Spotted Purple butterfly.

A view of the Linn Cove Viaduct from below along the short hike at one of the overlooks.

Along the walk, there is a rock formation with a natural spring running down.

Another view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Wilson Creek Valley overlook.

The last stop was at the Moses H Cone Memorial Park Visitor & Craft Center. It's a beautiful building. A storm hit while we were there and sat in the parking lot for a while until it cleared a bit.

It was getting late so we headed out to find a motel for the night. We stayed at a Comfort Suites in Boone, NC. It was quite wonderful. We had two deluxe rooms on the first floor. They were quite deluxe with two large beds and a very nice sitting area with two comfortable chairs and a sofa. The bathroom was outstanding, it had a whirlpool tub and shower. Hated to leave there.

Sunrise and a Wedding; and Goodbye

2010-06-14T20:06:00.005-05:00

Saturday, June 12, 2010

This was a day for catching up on things. Awoke before sunrise and caught a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.

This is just as the sun peaked over the horizon.

And a little later after the sun was completely above the horizon and caught a few pelicans.

Today was a day for laundry. We headed for the only laundromat. It was HOT. They don't have any air-conditioning and the fans don't do anything, not even move the air around. But we got laundry done and then did a little shopping. It was about the only day we did any shopping. Didn't buy that much.

We had to get back to the motel before 6 o'clock for the wedding. There was a wedding on the beach. The wedding party was staying at the motel and they had taken it over, which I wasn't happy about. They need to be considerate of the other guests. When we got back to the motel, the parking lot was practically full of wedding guests that were not staying at the motel. They should have parked in other areas and not in the motel lot. The wedding was practically outside our room on the beach.

After the wedding party had departed for the reception (glad it wasn't there), I headed down to the ocean with the camera. Took a few photos.

For dinner, we ordered pizza from American Pie and Ice Cream, which is owned by the Miller family. It's New York style pizza and delicious.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Such a depressing day. We have to leave. I do not know where the week went. It only seemed like we had just gotten there a few days before and not a week before.

This is the front of our room. It's not fancy, but wonderful. We have the end room with a great view of the beach.

This photo was taken standing in the doorway looking out to the ocean. It's just a few steps from the door to the beach. Our new neighbors that moved in on Saturday brought the umbrella.

We loaded up the vehicles and headed out. We headed to Western North Carolina to the Blue Ridge Parkway. When we got around Winston-Salem, we hit a terrible thunderstorm. We could hardly see where we were going. Traffic slowed down to 45 mph in a 70 mph speed zone. We stopped at a rest area to wait out some of the storm but the facilities were closed for repairs. The signs did not indicate that. We got back on the road and got into another terrible storm. We saw the remnants in the clouds of either a tornado or a funnel cloud. At one point, I did think I heard a tornado siren. We finally got out of the storm and made it to our destination for the night - Morganton, NC.

Bodie Island & Oregon Inlet

2010-06-14T18:33:00.004-05:00

Sorry for not posting the last few days. Just haven't had the time to get online. Will try to post a few updates

Friday - June 11, 2010

We made a stop at the Oregon Inlet which is between Bodie Island and Hatteras Island. It is spanned by the Bonner Bridge which is under discussions for replacement due to age and deterioration. We stopped on the Hatteras Island and walked along the bridge. There is a walkway that is used by fisherman. The old lifesaving station is currently under renovation. Last year they "dug" it out of the sand and are restoring and will use as a museum. In the past it was used as a restaurant but is being restored to original design.

We then headed to the Bodie Island Lighthouse which is also currently under renovation. When restoration is done, you will be able to climb. YEAH! About 5 or 6 years ago, metalwork at the top had 'rotted' and broke off. They barricaded to prevent you from getting near.

Lighthouse with the Keeper's House.

There is a walkway by the lighthouse which takes you back to the marshes and has a nice overlook. Got a great photo of Avrey which is hard to do. He was actually smiling and happy.

A view of the overlook through the grasses and brush.

Will try to post about Saturday, Sunday and today as soon as I can.

New Adventure for the Boys

2010-06-10T21:58:00.004-05:00

This morning, it couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to be cloudy or sunny. Was preferring the cloudy since the sun was very hot.

This little guy had his feathers ruffled.

The boys had a new adventure today, they saw some new things. Mother, Lloyd, Avrey, Arley and I (Dad didn't go) went to Currituck Beach Lighthouse. The lighthouse and grounds are beautiful.

This is one of the porches of the keeper's house which is now a private residence.

When we got there, Mother announced that we were climbing. HUH? She didn't tell me that earlier. I didn't think she would be able. Wish I had known beforehand so I could have worn more appropriate shoes. Avrey and Arley were refusing to climb. I can understand why Avrey didn't want to because he has problems with his balance, but wish he would have tried. Arley finally agreed to climb (and he loved it). I decided not to climb and stay with Avrey. Did find out that he was afraid of the heights. This picture shows Arley, Mother and Lloyd at the top.
After we left the lighthouse, we went to the Whalehead Club area and to the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education. The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education is fairly new and has great displays on the history and on the wildlife.

When we got back to Nags Head, we were able to spend a little time down at the ocean, but not for very long since we had to get ready for dinner. While we were down at the ocean, a guy came walking along with his puppy. Arley wanted to pet the puppy so he approached and asked. The puppy was so darn cute. He was 15 weeks old. He wasn't quite sure about the ocean and all that water. When I started to head back to the room, the puppy kept following me.

We had dinner at Miller's Waterfront restaurant which is our favorite restaurant here. They have the best crab cakes. We had to wait a little for a table so we headed out to the gazebo which overlooks Roanoke Sound. I have a new favorite drink - Caribbean Breeze (Malibu Rum, Bacardi 151 rum, cranberry and pineapple juices).

Couldn't resist this picture of Arley at the gazebo.

Didn't have a great sunset tonight at Miller's Waterfront.

Animals & History

2010-06-09T21:23:00.003-05:00

Another beautiful morning in the Outer Banks. Sat out on the deck for a while this morning but the sun was blazing hot and couldn't stay out for long. Kept going back inside to 'cool' off. It wasn't a hot day, but the morning sun is hot.

We had breakfast at an Outer Banks tradition - Sam & Omie's. Cute place but crowded. They have great food. It is across the street from Jenette's Pier which is currently being rebuilt by the North Carolina Aquarium after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

We headed to Manteo on Roanoke Island to the NC Aquarium. This year, their program is all about Sharks. Avrey didn't want to go, but yesterday he announced that we were going to the aquarium today. When we get there, he didn't want to be there because he is afraid of sharks. He was in a foul mood and was so grumpy. Why did we go?! I love the section that includes the river life that has the otters, turtles, alligators and freshwater fish. The River Otters are so cute. One of them was in a grumpy mood, he/she kept hissing at another one.

"Here, let me help you."

"HELP, I'm stuck and can't get out!"

We had to hurry through things because of Avrey. And there were so many people and bratty kids all over. Sometimes, I just hate kids. lol.

When we left the aquarium, we went to the Fort Raleigh historic site. It was the first English settlement in the new world. The first Englishman was born on Roanoke Island - Virginia Dare. There is a lot of history here. This is also the site of the play "The Lost Colony" which is the story of the settlers that disappeared while the expedition's leader had returned to England and was unable to return for a few years.

This photo is the site of the earthen fort built around 1580.

After we got back, we spent some time down in the ocean. The waves were a little strong. Arley loves sitting in the surf and have the waves move him around.

After some time in the ocean, the boys wanted to go to the pool. We spent some time in the pool and played. They started fighting and arguing. It was a day for that.

We had dinner in Manteo at Big Al's Soda Fountain and Grill. It's an old-fashioned soda fountain. They have a dance floor with a disco ball, which I did not know they had. They sat us at a table right next to the dance floor. A group of kids started "dancing", but it was more of jumping and stomping and was quite irritating. Due to Avrey's health issues from when he was a toddler, he cannot tolerate certain noises and he was quite upset.

Back to the motel and enjoyed a little time on the deck. Arley did some ghost crab hunting.

FORE!!!!!!

2010-06-08T21:09:00.002-05:00

This morning was cloudy and it sprinkled a little.

I love this photo with the sun shining down through a break in the clouds. Makes me feel that heaven is shining down on us.

The plan for the day was to play mini-golf, but after we had breakfast at the Ship's Wheel, it started raining. Dad wanted to take the car in to have the air-conditioner checked since the fan didn't work properly on the way here, but it was working fine so he ended up coming back without stopping at the dealership.

Mother, my brother (Lloyd), the boys and I did a little shopping. I bought the boys an athletic outfit at K-Mart and an Outer Banks t-shirt at T-Tops Superstore. We always stop at T-Tops to check out the NASCAR apparel (unfortunately, he is going to stop carrying NASCAR since it is not going over well and is losing money on it, hate to see that happen) and Outer Banks gift items and t-shirts. I bought a sweatshirt and t-shirt for myself, plus a new sunglasses (as if I needed new ones) and the t-shirts for the boys. Oh and they wanted mood rings. I told Avrey that his would always say "grumpy". lol. We had also stopped at Brew Thru for the annual t-shirts. It has been a tradition to stop and get one every year. It's a must. I love the 2010 design.

After we got back to the motel and since the rain had stopped, we decided it was time for mini-golf. Avrey had originally wanted to go to Jurassic Putt, but when he saw Lost Treasure, he wanted to go there. It had waterfalls and "caves". There was a train that took you to hole 1 and you were assigned a certain course either DIAMOND or GOLD. We got the Gold course. We had fun. Lloyd won this year. I came in third. Avrey did come in last, but he won a prize. They have a mystery hole and if you get a hole-in-one on that hole, you win a prize. Today it was Hole 4 and Avrey got a hole-in-one on it. His prize was a token for a free round on any of the Lost Treasure courses. We had a lot of fun.

After we got back from playing golf, the boys wanted to go to the pool. Papa decided he would take them. Lloyd ended up going a few minutes later. I wanted to go down to the beach and get in the ocean. Mother and I went to the ocean. We ended up taking a short walk on the beach. I decided afterwards, to go to the pool but when I got up to the room to get my towel, Avrey had already come up because he was cold. I went down and got in the pool and Arley and I played for a little while. Lloyd decided to go up since I was down there. We played for a little while and then got out to dry off some.

We had a quick bite of dinner. We were sitting out on the deck and Arley said that there was something "orange" out in the ocean. I saw it and thought it looked red. He swore that it was orange. I grabbed the binoculars and sure enough it was red and shiny. We watched it float and bob along. Lloyd noticed that it was farther down and was now almost on shore. I used the binoculars for another look and decided that it was a red heart mylar balloon. I asked the boys if anyone wanted to go for a walk. Avrey said he didn't but Arley did. Lloyd went with us. I didn't know it but Avrey had changed his mind and we were too far down the beach for him to catch us alone. We walked about 1/2 mile down and then back. We got down to the lifeguard stand which was about 3/4s of the way to Nags Head Pier. It was a lovely walk. On the way back, we ran into Avrey and Grams. I felt bad that Avrey had changed his mind and didn't get to walk with us. He didn't know Lloyd had gone with Arley and I and when he was told that Arley was in his orange shirt and I was in my yellow sweatshirt and there was someone else in "orange" (was actually faded red) that he got confused so he didn't go any further without Grams.

We enjoyed the rest of the evening on the deck. Arley and Papa did a little ghost crab hunting and he actually caught one in a bucket. The crab was safely released and was unharmed.

Just Beachin' It

2010-06-07T20:58:00.003-05:00

A beautiful day at the beach. Monday has traditionally a day at the beach. A day that we relax after the long drive here.

Overnight we had strong storms come through, but it turned into a gorgeous morning. Had some clouds, but the soon went away.

Spent a little time lounging on the deck watching and listening to the surf. Here is a taste of the view out the window.

Papa and the boys headed down to the beach. They finally convinced someone to go down. I wasn't quite ready at the time. Was enjoying lounging on the deck in the chaise lounge. After a bit, I decided to head down with one of my new beach chairs. I loved sitting down on the beach at the surf line in the chair. The boys were having lots of fun playing in the water. At one point, Arley and I were in the water when I big wave came and he was drenched and there was a "half-moon" out.

After a while, they convinced Papa to go to the pool. I wasn't ready for the pool. I'm at the beach, I want to be on the beach and not in a pool. They abandoned me and I was left all along. It was so peaceful just lounging in the chair watching the surf and listening to it.

After a while, I headed back up to the room and sat on the deck with Mother. We enjoyed a snack of crackers and cheese spread. At least this year I got a few more crackers with cheese spread than I did last year. Last year, Lloyd had sat down and ate it all and I was so mad.

Mother and I decided to head down to the pool. When I got down there, Lloyd had the boys out of the pool sitting on the deck to dry off. I got in the pool and after a while, he let them back in. I had brought some squirt balls and they had fun with them. They loved throwing them and making me chase after them in the deep end. lol. I spent more time in the pool that I had planned. The three of us got playing and having fun.

I finally made them get out and we sat on the deck for a little while to dry off before heading back to the room. Lloyd came down and got Avrey for him to take a bath. Arley and I stayed there for a while and then headed up to wait for our turns. While Arley was in the bath, a flock of "bombing" pelicans flew over and a few of them decided to drop some "bombs". The chair next to me (with my beach towel) and dad took the brunt of the attack. They were both hit. I can't believe that I came out unscathed.

Mother and I gathered a few beach towels (one was mine) and Dad's jeans and headed for the laundry room to get them washed. We then headed for the Harris Teeter grocery store to get something for dinner. We found BBQ ribs and BBQ chicken wings. They were delish.

After dinner, we enjoyed sitting on the deck enjoying the sea air and the views of the ocean. The setting sky was beautiful.

After dark, Arley and I headed down in search of ghost crabs. We found a few. We almost stepped on a few before we saw them. I couldn't believe we had gotten that close to them before the scurried off.

Now in Nags Head, NC

2010-06-06T21:13:00.009-05:00

Hello friends! I was right that I wouldn't get much sleep Friday night. I probably didn't get more than one hour of sleep. Just too keyed up and excited to get going. We left early Saturday morning, the plan was to leave by 4:30 am, but my brother was late getting to Mother & Dad's. I got there a little after 4 am and then had to wait on him so we can load his stuff in the van. We are always waiting on him.

Saturday was mostly uneventful. We made it to Wytheville, VA for the night. I sent a text message to Cole (former boss that moved back home to Virginia 2 years ago), but didn't hear back from him. Him and the family live just down the road from Wytheville. We stayed at the usual motel - Day's Inn.

We got on the road this morning about 8:45. We made the usual stops at visitor centers along the way. We stopped at the North Carolina Welcome Center and they have milkweeds planted and the bees were thick. Avrey was complaining that he didn't like bees and wanted to leave.

We drove by Pilot Mountain and when we get south of it, you get a great view in the side mirrors. Yes, I am driving while I took this photo.

There is a real nice visitor's center in Columbia, NC along the Alligator River. Avrey and Arley said they didn't want to stop there because they were in a hurry to get to Nags Head and go to the beach. Arley ended up wanting to walk along the boardwalk on the water's edge. I usually love walking along the water's edge, but it was so blasted hot. The temperatures were in the upper 90's and very humid.

We finally got back on the road and made it to Nags Head around 4:50. We are now at the Beacon Motor Lodge. It's a very nice family oriented motel with some great rooms on the oceanfront. Mother, Dad and I are in our usual efficiency room on the oceanfront; while my brother and the boys are down on the poolside, but they spend most of the time up here with us.

After we unpacked the vehicles, Mother and I headed for the grocery store to get a few things. I think we bought a little more than planned, but isn't that the way it normally goes. When we put things away, we put on the swimming suits and headed down to the beach for a quick dip in the ocean. The boys joined us. They had only been in the pool and wanted to play in the ocean and on the beach. That Arley is a bit of a daredevil with the ocean. He had some fun playing in the breakers.

We have some very nice neighbors who are from Decatur and Tuscola. Fancy meeting neighbors that live within 1 hour from you.

It is a hot and muggy evening. The sandflies have recently hatched and are thick. And they are BITING. We have killed hundreds of them in the room and there are still some flying around. Hope there is an onshore wind tomorrow so they leave.

Well...I think it's time to say good night. It's been a long and hot day and I'm tired.

That Time of the Year

2010-06-04T20:48:00.002-05:00

It's been a hot and exhausting day. It's vacation time and that means packing and packing and even more packing. Gotta make sure I have everything that I need. But if I forget something, I don't need it and if I do, I can always buy it when we get there.

I have been hot all day. The a/c doesn't seem to be cool enough. I almost turned the thermostat down to 60. lol. Went to the airport to pick up the rental van. I turned on the a/c and it kept getting hotter and hotter. Was about to turn around when I noticed that the temperature controls were set on the warmest. Turned them down to the coldest and it was ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...................! Back home to finish packing. I was really amazed how well the packing went. All of a sudden, it was all done except for loading it in the van and that won't be until the morning.

It will be up by 3 am and on the road by 4:30 am. Outer Banks here we come. :)

Some Stitching Complete

2010-03-16T21:06:00.004-05:00

I have done a little stitching. I actually finished this about 2 months ago and finally got around to posting.

I created the design myself based on the stickers and other items from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was not a scan of an item but from creating on my own. I created for my own enjoyment. This was stitched on perforated paper. Was very tired of stitching all the white.

I am currently working on another design of my own, but haven't had much time for stitching.

Vacation 1973

2010-03-13T21:42:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted anything.

I received a new toy for Christmas. It's a slide and negative scanner. I am loving it. I have scanned slides from vacation 1973 to Alberta Canada. We went to Banff National Park and also Jasper National Park.

This guy was 'waving' at us.

This was a 'friend' of my brother's. He grabbed one of the horns but released before he was pulled out of the car.

We also went to the Columbia Icefield and took a tour on the snowcat snowmobile. It was so cool. Or at least I thought it was cool. When we got there, I remember a couple of guys teasing me because I was wearing a Boston Bruins sweatshirt and they said they would give me another sweatshirt if I would give them that one. I told them "no". I had received the sweatshirt from my aunt and uncle who were living in Boston at the time. I thought the snowmobile ride was cool. The roof retracted and you could stand and look out and take pictures. You could also throw your trash and cigarette butts on the floor. I remember there was a hole they drilled that was something like 1,000 feet deep.

This was a mule deer 'friend' of my mom's. She was able to pet her.

I am going to start working on 1968 soon and then after that will be 1969. I think there is also 1971 in slides.

I need to find the pictures and negatives from later years that were not slides.

After scanning these, I am putting them on CD's and DVD's for the family.

Game Day #4

2009-11-01T00:06:00.002-05:00

Today the game was at 2:30 pm. They were opening the doors 30 minutes earlier (2 hours before kickoff), so had to be at the stadium by 11 am. Didn't have to pick up Jamie since he was joining some friends that were tailgating right afterwards.

Being that it's Halloween, I decided to wear devil horns. Would loved to have work vampire teeth and have blood dripping down my chin, but didn't think it would have been to easy talk and work wearing the teeth. I think I was the only Housing/Dining employee there that wore any part of a costume. Everyone loved it. I got lots of comments. Many of the stadium employees wore some kind of hat or wig, one gal had on a tiara for a while, but noticed that she had taken it off before the gates opened.

The atmosphere with the bartenders was mixed. It was fine with a couple of them, but not so much with one. There's just a little tension between us. As Jeannie and I were heading to the bar on the north end, noticed that a table setup in the middle for a live deejay. YEAH! Love when we have the deejay.

The money delivery to the stadium was later than usual. We didn't get our money until 15 minutes before the doors opened.

The deejay was awesome. He's the same one that played a few games last year. He was doing a sound check and we started talking and I told him that I was so happy that he was there and how much fun it is when he's there. He said that he loves doing the games. He's not sure if he will be back for either of the last two games. Wish that he would. I asked if he needed anything and he said that he'd take a cola. I got it for him and didn't charge him. He's the entertainment. After he had played a few songs, Jeannie and I were talking and I wondered if he had "Bad Things" by Jace Everett from True Blood. So Jeannie headed over to the table and asked and sure enough he did. He told her that he would play it for me. He didn't play it right away. The marching band played for a while and then after a few more songs, the deejay came on mic and said "Katie, I didn't forget ya. Here's your special request." I loved it. He stopped playing right before the game started and he played again during half-time.

We got quite busy. My 'friend' came and brought someone new. And he introduced me to him as his girlfriend. I just have to chuckle when he tells people that. And as usual, his tips came to me and not the bartenders.

The bartenders did not share any tips this time. They claimed that they didn't earn enough to share with us. That is a lot of BS, since we know they received more than they claimed. I made a little of my own, but not a lot. Jeannie did decent on her own, especially from one customer who gave her a $15 tip. What is really irritating is how much we help out and the bartenders don't share bupkis. It wouldn't be so bad if all we did was just ring up the sales and take the money, but when we help out and do other things, it's only fair that they share.

My favorite bartender, Alaina, was back again, but at the other bar. Talked with her for a few minutes. Game #2 she didn't work because she had a cold and then for Game #3 she had the flu. Wish we could get her down at our bar and send the 'jerk' to the other bar. It would be so much fun working with her. Hmmm...wonder if I could get that worked out. lol. Wouldn't he just crap if that happened. lol. Oh well, only a dream.

There are no alcohol sales after the third quarter ends. And they have come to realize that and we get swamped. And we have to hurry before the drafts are disconnected in the basement.

After we were done with sales, headed to cash out in the money room. Didn't do too bad in sales, my register alone took in over $2,000. After gathering our belongings, headed out. Talked with one lady that works for Dining, really don't know her. She asked if I had fun. I told her that I did and that I love the customers, that they are so much fun. I mentioned that there were a few of the staff that I wasn't fond of and she agreed about that. lol.

Happy Halloween!!

Game Day #3

2009-10-10T23:26:00.002-05:00

An early day for a Saturday. The game started at 11 am which meant had to be at the stadium at 8 am. Not a fan of the early games, prefer the afternoon or evening games since I'm a nightowl. But it good for me since I had errands to run to get the rest of the stuff for the birthday party tomorrow.

It was kind of a slow day. We didn't have many sales until closer to the start of the game. It was a "Bloody Mary" day. With morning games, Bloody Mary's are the most popular mixed drink. And naturally, beer is the favorite. We had the normal troubles with the Blue Moon tap and lots of foam. I don't know why they can't figure out what is wrong and fix it. They gave a suggestion when pulling, but it didn't work all the time.

We were all prepared for the half-time rush, but it never came. We were busy for a few minutes and then it died and we were just standing around twiddling our thumbs.

My 'friend' came by and this week, brought his brother with him. And he introduced me as his 'girlfriend'. lol. I finally asked him what his name was - Mike.

I had one regular guy come by and asked if I was born in the area. He looks familiar but then I do see him at the games.

During the third quarter, a couple came to get another 2 Bud Lights and 2 Michelob Ultras but it was only me and one bartender who was busy making some mixed drinks so I decided to pull them. I had to go down to the other end of the bar and while I was pulling them, Brent returned and said "You are getting good at it". COME ON! I'm thinking, "I'm better than you" but said "I've grown up doing this". Terry helped carry them down to the other end. The couple asked if they would be safe if they left them there for a minute. Terry told them that I would drink them if they left them. At first, they thought he was serious. The guy said that if I would chug all four down, he would gladly pay another $30 for 4 more. lol. They were safe. Would have been nice to have a drink, but not when on duty.

The end of the third quarter came quickly. All of a sudden, someone was taking off the tap handles. A few people came by to get drinks, but had to apologize and explain that no alcohol sales after the third quarter.

Didn't do to bad with tips, got a few. Nothing great, but every little bit helps.

Next game in three weeks on Halloween. The boys won't be happy that I won't be able to take them out trick-or-treating. I may get home about the time they go out, but won't feel up to it.

Every Year...

2009-10-09T22:34:00.003-05:00

...one of the boys has to get sick the last night I have them. While my parents were away on vacation, I helped with my nephews and the nights my brother worked, I kept them and took them to school. This is the third year and the third year that one of them got sick the last night I kept them. This year it was Avrey who will be 11 in a few days.

When I picked them up from school on Wednesday, I asked if they wanted to go out for dinner and they were excited. Arley wanted to go to Village Inn, but Avrey wanted to go to Jupiters. We went to Village Inn last year, so we were going to Jupiters. But I told them we were not going to be playing the games.

Before we left, Avrey was complaining about being chilly and having a headache. He said that he has been chilly all day. I didn't think much about it since he gets chilly so easily.

Jupiters has great pizzas and each of us ordered different ones. Avrey had the Hawaiian, Arley had Ham and I had the Barbecue Chicken. They loved their pizzas. We went downstairs for a minute so they could see all the games for another time when we have the time. I'm now wishing we hadn't gone down there at all. As soon as we got in my truck and I was starting it, I heard Avrey call my name from the back seat and when I turned around, he was vomitting. OH NO! I hurried home. The smell was horrid and Arley complained about it. I told him that was enough and no more. We were silent the whole way home.

I got it cleaned up, which is no easy feat for me, and cleaned up with Carpet Resolve, but that didn't take care of the smell. I took his temperature and it was 100.8. I had to run to my parents to get some medicine for him since I didn't have any.

He didn't go to school these past 2 days. Hope he's feeling better on Sunday since that is his birthday party!

The smell was terrible the next morning. It was not easy dropping Avrey at home with his dad (luckily, it's his day off) and Arley at school and then me to work and home. I had a great idea at work to use Fabreze and it has helped immensely. I sprayed and sprayed when I got home. It smelt a lot better. And even sprayed when I got home tonight just as a precaution.

Game Day #2

2009-10-03T20:02:00.002-05:00

It's the second home football game of the season and that means, it's time to work again. Since the first game a few weeks ago, there has been some discussion regarding the tip situation and sharing with the cashiers. There was a bartender meeting and it was 'highly suggested' that they share the tips with us cashiers, but it was up to their discretion on how much to share. One of the bartenders said it was only fair that they shared since we did as much as they did, the so-called head bartender at the bar said they would share but would not be an equal share. Oh great! I kept my own cup for tips and I think someone dipped in and took some out, which really makes me mad.

It was a cold and drizzly day for the game, guess it was football weather. The game was to start at 2:30 and we were to be there by 11:30. Was there about 11:15. It was a long and tiring day.

We got a little busy early on this time, don't think we brought in as much as the first game, at least according to the cash sales, but the credit card sales were up for me.

Before the game started, the marching band (or at least part of the band) performed for everyone.

My regular showed up and gave me a hug. And he got his usual drink. Some of the other regulars didn't come to the game or if they did, they went to a different bar. One elderly couple came by and I gave them the wristbands and the gentleman asked how come I didn't card him and I told him that I believed that he was 22 which made him feel good and he blew me a kiss. His wife was laughing and said that she knew that was coming. One lady who comes to every game came by the bar early and asked if she could get a little water so she could take a pill. I gave her a cup of water and she said that she would be by later for a Margarita. She came by later and asked for more water and said she wasn't quite ready for the Margarita. But she did come by later for that Margarita.

A hot item that was selling was "Bailey's and Coffee", but they were a little pricey and some people were a little surprised. Another hot item was hot chocolate and a few added a little extra goodie.

The bartenders did share a little of the tips, but were very skimpy on it. Next week, things will be a little different and they won't be getting all their ones traded out for larger bills. I have to recount them when I close out the register and make out the deposit.

Parenthood

2009-09-27T19:41:00.002-05:00

For the next few weeks, I am basically pretending to be a mother. My parents left on Saturday for vacation and will be gone almost two weeks. They usually care for my two nephews most of the time. My brother works many nights and his ex doesn't like caring for the boys, she actually doesn't have the patience for being a mother (and she has a total of 4 kids - two from previous marriages).

The one thing I hate about them staying with me is that I sleep on an air mattress on the living room floor while they sleep in my nice comfy bed. I really don't have a guest room set up right now for them to sleep.

I do not have a washer and dryer so I was at my parents' house doing laundry when my brother called to drop them off before going to work. While waiting for the dryer to finish, the three of us played a game. After the dryer finished, I unloaded and got things together to head home. I went in the bathroom and noticed that toilet was plugged. Oh great! One of them had been in there earlier and must have plugged it up. I went in search of the plunger (not sure where it was in the basement) and started working on the toilet. Thought it was undone, but it wasn't and it overflowed. I had water all over that blasted bathroom. I hate swearing in front of the boys, but in my anger, I did. Finally got the floor all cleaned up and the toilet unplugged.

Was not a fun first night with them.

Birthday Party #1

2009-09-20T21:00:00.003-05:00

Today, I hosted my youngest nephew's birthday party. Arley turns 8 on the 24th, but we had the party today. He likes it at my home. He chose Pokemon as the theme.

Love these candles. They are called Angel Flames and the flame is colored. They are so cool. I have another set for my other nephew's party in 3 weeks.

Arley is such a ham in front of the camera. He got a lot of great gifts.

Showing off one of three new Illinois t-shirts.

Giving the thumbs up for the new Bakugan Trap. They are new and he didn't have any yet.

Showing off his menagerie of stuffed animals.

It's Football Season Again

2009-09-13T23:40:00.004-05:00

It's college football season and that means, stadium work again. Oh Yeah!

Saturday, September 12 was the first home football game. I am working again this season as a bar cashier at the stadium in the premium seating area. Last year was fun and I loved seeing all the people. And I had my regulars that came to me all the time. And there was the flirtation with the guys. lol.

This year two other co-workers decided to be cashiers also and we were all to be on the same floor. When we checked in, we were told our assignments but they weren't right for two of us. I was still on the same floor but at the other bar. UH UH. And the other was assigned to a different floor than he was trained. When Chris, the manager for the registers, found out that I was at the other bar and Jamie was assigned to the 6th floor, she was very upset and told me that she would straighten it out. I had mixed feelings about moving to my spot from last year - 1. I was going to miss my regulars at Bar 2; and 2. One of the bartenders at Bar 1 was my favorite bartender, Alaina, who was so much fun last year and we got along and worked so well. Chris got me assigned back to Bar 2 and my other friend, Jeannie, was the other cashier at Bar 2.

At the training for the new cashiers, Jamie was told that only bartenders shared the tips and that cashiers did not get them. And if we received any, they were to go to the bartenders. That is not fair. They may be mixing the drinks, but we took all the orders and handle their complaints. We were not happy about all this.

The game started at 6 pm and we had to be at the stadium at 3 pm. That was a lot of waiting around. The fans were allowed to enter the stadium starting at 4:30. They started trickling in and finally after 5 o'clock, they started showing up. A portion of the Marching Illini performed. I love listening to them. This year, they did not play one song - William Tell Overture. And I missed hearing it, I love that song (I must since it's the ringtone on my cell - lol).

Sales were slow at our bar for a while. A few people bought drinks, but once it was kick off time, it got extremely busy.

My favorite regular finally showed up. He was very happy to see me and gave me a great big bear hug. He told me he would be back later for a drink. Which he did. He asked about who gets to share the tips and I told him that only the bartenders get them. He said that wasn't fair and that if I didn't get a share of them, he was not going to tip and he didn't. He said he was going to complain about it as he walked away.

There were a few other mixups (beside the assignments). The 4 beers on tap are Miller Lite, Bud Lite, Michelob Ultra and Blue Moon. They have it set up that two are on each end. The handles on our end were Bud Lite and Michelob Ultra. The bartenders were having problems with the Michelob Ultra and it being extremely foamy. The tap guy kept working with it but it wasn't getting any better. The bartender was complaining about the Blue Moon tap kept getting worse and the pressure was too low. A customer got a Michelob Ultra and said that it tasted like Blue Moon. Someone put the handles on the wrong tap. No wonder "Michelob Ultra" wasn't getting any better, it was actually Blue Moon. Then come to find out that Bud Lite and Miller Lite were also switched. OH GREAT! And then the Coca-Cola on the 'gun' at our end was not working right, it was mostly soda water and the Coca-Cola syrup was getting less-and-less. Something was wrong with the 'mixer' and they couldn't fix it at the time. Hopefully, it will be fixed by the next home game in 3 weeks.

Jeannie and I were not happy when one of the bartenders (he thinks he's the head bartender) started counting out the tip money and asked us to switch out the dollar bills for twenties. I don't know how much he asked Jeannie, but I was asked to switch out $80 worth. I believe between the three bartenders they each got at least $60, probably a lot more. And they didn't even share.

When the third quarter ends, there are no alcohol sales and the bars close down. My friend was not happy when he was wanting another beer. I gave him an apologetic look.

After we cashed out our drawers and grabbed our stuff, we headed to the kitchen to clock-out. When we got there, the dessert carts from the floors above were being returned and we were able to take whatever we wanted. I took a piece of a 4 layer chocolate torte that was so darn delicious.

On the way in to the stadium, I took a few pictures of the new Red Grange statue that was dedicated that day. It was just set up earlier in the week.

Next game in three weeks on October 3. Be expecting some more highlights. :)

Birthday and Massages

2009-08-19T20:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, the two have nothing to do with each other.

I recently celebrated my birthday on Monday. Well...several days of celebrating. I was a little disappointed that I had no plans for Monday night. Normally, I will go to my parents for a little while, but that wasn't going to happen, or so I thought, and I was a little depressed. When I got to work, I received another disappointment when there was no cake. A coworker who normally makes a cake didn't. She said that she didn't have time but had planned to bring some leftover cupcakes from her family reunion but had forgotten them at home. I said "oh well, that's okay" not really meaning it. Her husband found them at home and brought them in. It was very sweet of him to do that.

As I was walking back in the office from lunch, my cell was ringing but I didn't get to it in time to answer. I found that it was from my parents and was about to call them back and the office phone rang and it was Mother. She called to wish me a happy birthday and to let me know the boys (my nephews) would be there. I told her that I would stop by on my way home for a few minutes. She asked if I had a cake at work and I told her "no, but I did have leftover cupcakes". About 30 minutes later, I look up and she was walking in with a cake. She felt bad that I didn't have a cake and stopped at the grocery store and brought one to me. Such a sweet mother and too good to me.

On my way home from work, I stopped at my parents for a little while and they persuaded me to stay for dinner.

Tuesday night, my parents, brother, nephews and I went to dinner at our usual celebration place - Texas Roadhouse. I love their steaks. It was an enjoyable evening. And NO, no one told them it was my birthday because I did not want to sit on the 'horse'.

For about a month before my birthday, I have been receiving cards and floss from the BBI birthday floss exchange. I have loved getting them. I waited until my birthday to open any. I opened about a fourth of them that evening and then some more Tuesday evening and finally opened the remaining that I received tonight. I loved opening them and seeing all the beautiful colors of floss. I don't think I've received duplicates of any. I still have some yet to receive.

Okay, now about massages. At work, someone comes every other Wednesday to do chair massages. I have never had one. Work has been so stressful for me the last few weeks. It's that time of the year in the office. I inquired if there were any open times and there turned out to be an open time, but it was at a time that I had a meeting. They called me back asking when the meeting started and suggested that about trading slots with someone else. They called that person and I got an email saying the slots were switched. I had my first massage ever and it was WONDERFUL. I almost fell asleep in the chair even though we were talking the whole time. I think I may start getting them occasionally.

It's Time for Corndogs, Funnel Cakes and Lemon Shake-ups

2009-07-30T22:28:00.003-05:00

It's the time of the year for corndogs, funnel cakes, lemon shake-ups and rides and games - It's county fair time. Tuesday night, Mother and Dad were going for the evening harness races and I took Avrey and Arley for the rides and games, oh and some fair fare.

The first ride they wanted to do was the Super Slide. Last year, Avrey didn't want to go down, but this year he couldn't wait.

Both boys getting ready to go down.

Avrey going down.

Arley going down.

We played a few games and then just walked around the fairway, then decided on getting a couple lemon shake-ups and nachos. We sat down at a table and Avrey finally decided that he wanted a corndog. The stand was right by the table, so I gave him some money and he went up to order and the guy asked if he wanted the regular or large. They looked at me and I said the small. The large one was about a foot-long. We began walking again and ended up near the animals but decided not to go inside the barns. I didn't realize that you could get so close to the track during harness racing. We stood at the entrance gate for a little while and I got a few pictures.

We walked back to the fairway and I noticed that the clouds had grown darker and it looked the the forecasted rain was here.

Before we got to the fair, Avrey said he wanted to ride the bumper cars, but when we got to the fair, he decided that he didn't want to! Two years ago, he wanted to ride them, but neither were tall enough to ride by themself and I couldn't take both in the same car with me so we didn't get to ride them. Last year, Avrey all of a sudden said he didn't want to. He finally said he wanted to ride them. He was just barely tall enough but Arley was definitely not tall enough. I didn't want to leave our stuff on the ground for anyone to take. I had a tote bag with toys they won, my camera and also money. I told them that we had to go to the grandstands and leave our stuff with Grams & Papa. We stayed there for a few minutes and then headed back to the bumper cars. I should have taken some money also, but didn't think about it. When we left the grandstands it was sprinkling. We got in line for the bumper cars. The boys loved it. I thought maybe they would want to ride again, but they didn't. I think one thing that Avrey didn't like and why he didn't want to ride again was the music was waaaaaaaaaaay too loud.

When we finished with the bumper cars, Arley wanted more lemonade and reminded me that we hadn't had a funnel cake yet. Wish I had the money with me. We headed to the grandstands for the cups to get a refill and my money. He didn't want to go with me because it was raining a little harder. I told him that if he wanted the lemon shake-up or funnel cake he was going to have to help me. I wasn't able to carry all the stuff. After we got the lemon shake-up refills, he took his back to the grandstands while I went and stood in line at another stand for the funnel cake. I was practically soaked by the time I got it. It wasn't the stand I wanted to get the funnel cake, but it was the one nearest the grandstands. But it was delicious.

Until 2007, I hadn't been to the fair in nearly 30 years. Probably not since I was about 11 or 12. Just wish I could get someone to go on the Tilt-a-Whirl with me.

Some Wildflowers

2009-07-20T21:41:00.003-05:00

When I got home from work today, I grabbed the camera and took a few photos of some flowers.

One patch of purple coneflowers.

Just yesterday, the fence behind these was covered in black (deadly) nightshade, morning glory and field bindweed. Wish the neighbors would help with the weeds on their side of the fence and in their honeysuckle bushes and maybe we can get them under control.
Loved this shot with the bumblebee on the coneflower framed by the other flowers. The bumblebees were thick. I had about 20 of them flying around the flowers, plus one honeybee. Two years ago, I had a red admiral butterfly on the coneflowers, but haven't seen one since. :(

My blanketflowers (gaillardia) are not doing so great this year, only a few plants left and not many blooms now.

One of a handful of black-eyed susan blooms. There are only a couple of these plants left also. The purple coneflowers do seem to be taking over, but I'm not minding since I love them.
Also the coreopsis tickseed are not blooming as much now. I guess I forgot to take a picture of them as well as the shasta daisies. The liatris blooms are about over now.

There is one hibiscus bud that is going to be open in a few days. Today it was still a tight bud and not in a place that was easy to get a photo.

I want to get another hibiscus bush but a different color, just not sure which color; and also want to plant some white coneflowers and also some that are an apricot color.

I have wild strawberries growing all over the yard. I picked the single berry yesterday and tried it last night. It was okay, not much flavor and it was quite small. Tonight I found a couple more berries but they were even smaller and didn't even pick them. There are some blooms and will keep an eye on them and check out the berries.

Is This a Weed or Not??

2009-07-19T22:12:00.002-05:00

My poor flower beds have been sorely neglected in the last few months. Got weeding done before vacation at the end of May and then it was no weeding. My one flower bed was horrid looking.

Last Sunday I decided that I was going to get some weeding done. Mother came over to help. I had some strange things showing up. Finally found out what this one weed was (okay, there was A LOT of it) - it was called Everlasting. The blasted things were about 5 feet tall and took some digging to get them out. They were kinda pretty, but were taking over the garden or at least one section of it. And there was also A LOT of goldenrod which I think I have finally got all of it out.

Today I got that one flower bed mostly done with the help of Mother again. Another thing that I have a lot of is morning glory (that was planted by the previous homeowner), field bindweed and black nightshade (AKA Deadly Nightshade). Sure wish I could get rid of those three. And also seem to have a lot of pokeweed thanks to the neighbors, there is a patch that they don't do anything about and it blooms and ends up in my garden. Also had some other weeds that I'm not sure about.

While sitting there weeding, I got so excited by finding a certain insect that I hadn't seen in a long time. (Yes, I tend to get excited by some of the silliest things). Mother asked what was going on. On one plant I found a praying mantis that was about 1 inch long. I hadn't seen them in such a long time. Then Mother was pulling out some nightshade and something fell on my leg and it turned out to be another praying mantis but this one was about 1-1/2 inches. I have two 'baby' praying mantis'.

Right now, my purple coneflowers are absolutely gorgeous. They are spreading like wildfire and I am loving it. But they are kinda taking over the black-eyed susans, blanketflowers, shasta daisies and coreopsis. And there are supposed to be some other wildflowers, but they don't seem to be found - probably still there, but just hidden. lol. This year I found something new that was to attract hummingbirds, but they haven't bloomed. They are still there.

Oh, and the hibiscus is loaded with buds. I cannot wait until the blooms open. This is the third year for it and it has grown so beautifully. Last year I was a little worried in the spring that it hadn't survived the winter, but I fretted for naught. It made it and was beautiful. This spring, I didn't worry but when weeding early on, I was excited to see it peeking up through the soil. It has grown big this year and it seems like there are about 100 buds. If all buds bloomed at once, you would not be able to see any green.

I need to get back out there and take some photos. Maybe I'll feel up to it Monday after work. As soon as I get some photos I'll share them.

Back In Business

2009-07-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

My garage door opener is fixed. I do have to figure out what is going on with the battery backup to make sure that the battery was hooked up properly, but the opener functions and opens and closes the door and that is all that matters at the moment.

The representative from Chamberlain (okay, I'm now going to name the manufacturer) last Monday said that he was going to send the motor head, but when it came yesterday, it was the whole kit-and-kaboodle meaning that it was a completely new garage door opener system and not just the motor head. This is a $249 system they sent for free.

I had contacted the contractor Monday afternoon and he said that he could be there at 5 o'clock tonight. I left work 3o minutes early to be home before he got here. He brought an assistant and it was all done in about 45 minutes.

I am so happpppppppppppppyyyyyyyyy that I have a functioning garage door opener. I even played with it. Opened and closed it several times just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. lol.

I am very satisfied with Chamberlain's customer service and all the help they provided despite that the first person I talked with didn't tell me that the logic board was fried and should be replaced. One complaint I have is how long the hold time is to talk with someone. All three calls the hold time was 15 minutes before I was able to talk with a representative.

I decided that I should keep the new logic board that I bought and decided to remove it and for some reason I was hooking up the old one to the unit. I don't know why I 'had' to hook it back up, but I did, after all, it was going in the garbage anyway. Well.......it is definitely fried now. I forgot to undo the battery backup and I plugged in one thing wrong and 'fried' the old logic board. Boy...did it every smoke and stink. The guys made a comment about the stink several times. lol. I was lucky that I didn't get a shock from the unit.

The Latest...

2009-06-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

...of the garage door opener saga.

Monday night after work, I called the garage door opener company and talked with another representative. He asked if I was by the opener. I had to move my truck out of the garage so I could get out the ladder and mess with the opener. He had me do some testing and after about 5 minutes he said that from what the indicator light was doing, the motor head was burnt out. WHAT? The motor was burnt out? He said the 'motor head', but it's still the motor. After some discussion, he ordered a new one for me at no charge to me. But I have the choice of installing myself or paying someone to install.

I called a co-worker's husband who is a licensed contractor and he said he would install for me. He said to call after it arrived and he would 'squeeze' me in. I asked on the charge and it would be $25 an hour. I told him it would probably take him 5 minutes to install while it would take me 5 hours. lol.

Another Update

2009-06-28T21:59:00.002-05:00

Just another update on the garage door opener saga.

On Friday, the new logic board arrived and so did the surge protector. I was so excited to finally get them so I could install.

This afternoon, I grabbed my tools and borrowed my dad's wire cutters. I first replaced the logic board. It wasn't too bad to do, but wasn't the easiest to remove and there are some wire connections and the wires are quite short and was hard to disconnect and then reconnect in such a small area, but I did it. I finally got it attached and then worked on the surge protector. The lady on the phone said that I would need about 10 feet of bell wire to connect the surge protector to the opener, but the surge protector came with the additional bell wire needed - score!! I attached the wires to the surge protector and then attached them to the opener and then plugged it in. OMG! The lights lit up, a very good sign that it was working. Then unplugged again and worked on the wall control. Got the fried one off the wall and then hooked up the new one and attached it to the wall. Plugged back in the opener and the lights on the wall control lit up. Another good sign. My dad showed up while I was working on the wall control.

It was now time to reprogram the controls which took a few minutes. I was on the ladder pushing the button on the opener while he entered the code in the wireless pad on the outside of the garage. According to the opener lights, the controls were all programmed to work.

I then reconnected the door to the opener and it was time to try it out. Pushed the button and no go, the door didn't move, just heard a click of the opener and the light came on. The light coming on was a good sign because it comes on whenever you push the button to open or close the door. Okay...that means that you had to reset the opener on where you want it to stop when it is opened and closed. Tried that but it didn't work. You push the black button to set the open position and then the purple button to set the closed position, but it didn't do anything.

I even retook the logic board off to make sure all the wire connections on the inside are connected properly. They were. I did notice one thing, when you break the sensor beam the lights on the opener do not come on like they are supposed to.

This means I have to call the opener company on Monday to find out what is wrong. I may have to find a contractor to come out and work on it. And if that is the case, I should have just bought a new opener for all that I have put in this one.

I want this stupid thing to work because I am sooooo tired of manually opening and closing the door. It is heavy and it hurts shoulder to open.

I think I'm just gonna go have a cry now. lol.

Update

2009-06-22T21:26:00.002-05:00

I talked with my insurance agent's office today and inquired on my homeowner's policy deductible and it won't do me any good to turn in a report since the cost of a new unit is less than the deductible. It was worth a shot.

I also talked with the manufacturer and the technical representative said that the Logic Board was definitely fried and the rep on Friday should have told me definitely that it was instead of making other suggestions. She said a new board would cost $92 and that it was very easy to install and all I would need to install would be a screwdriver. I decided to order one. The woman was very nice and gave me a $40 discount since the opener was only 6 months old.

Sunday night I had ordered their surge protector to prevent this from happening again.

Next weekend, I should have the opener repaired (hopefully) and I will be so glad. My garage door is wood and very heavy.

The "Power" of Storms

2009-06-20T23:51:00.002-05:00

It has been a rough couple of days for me. Thursday morning, I was awoken early by a severe thunderstorm. It was going on 6:30 am when lightning struck very near by house. My bedroom was lit up so bright and I probably cleared the bed a few feet. Within 5 minutes of that lightning strike, my electricity went out. OH GREAT! And I have to get ready for work in the dark. I decided to turn the a/c off in case the electricity started going on and off while I was at work. I was thinking of one saving grace and that with the garage door opener I got 6 months before with battery back up was going to operate so I wouldn't have any problem leaving for work. WRONG!! So I had to take it off track to open manually.

My electricity came back on in the afternoon while I was at work, something between 1 and 2. My dad was there at the time and got the garage door opener back on track but it still wouldn't work. When I got home, I grabbed the manual to start working on it. I turned the a/c back on, but the thermostat display didn't come on. I left it turned on but the a/c never started. I went out and worked on the opener and couldn't get it to work. I called my dad for him to come over and help. We couldn't get either to work. The thermostat quitting was coincidental. When I turned it on a few days before, the display didn't show anything and I had to turn it off and back on a few times and then it worked fine. I went to Menards and bought a new one and my dad came over and installed for me. It felt so good when it started.

Friday another severe storm started around 4:30 pm and hit really hard right before 5 o'clock when I was to leave work. The rain was coming down horizontally. I waited it out for a while and got a ride to the parking lot from a coworker that had his vehicle nearby. There was a lot of tree damage from the storm. One intersection the stop lights were not working except flashing red. I knew that when I got home, my electricity would be out also. And I was right.

Earlier in the day, I had called Lowe's regarding the garage door opener failing. It had been purchased there and installed by them. They said that I would have to call the manufacturer. I tried in the afternoon from work, but was on hold for about 10 minutes and decided to hang up and try later.

Mother and I were planning to have dinner that evening so I called to let her know that I would be over soon. I decided to call the garage door opener company first and was on hold for about 15 minutes before I got to speak with anyone. While I was on hold, I decided to head to my parents', yes, I know that I shouldn't be on the cell phone while driving, but I didn't have to hold it while driving since I had the speaker as loud as it could go and I was able to hear it quite well. And they didn't come on until I got to my parents. It turns out that the sensors were blown from the lightning on Thursday and so was the wall control panel. And since it was from lightning, it's not covered under warranty. OH GREAT!

Mother and I decided to have dinner at Monical's Pizza. On the way there, another thunderstorm hit. When we got to the parking lot, we waited inside the vehicle for about 10 minutes until the rain slacked off. Listening to the radio, a tornado warning for the county was announced. Never did hear any warning sirens. The rain slacked off enough for us to make a run for the restaurant. I was wearing my leather thong sandals and the parking lot was flooded with about 1-1/2 inches of rain. Oh well, it's just water. We had a good dinner. When we left, the stoplight at the intersection outside the restaurant was out and a cop was there. We decided to drive a little to see some of the storm damage. A club/bar had lost part of it's roof and there were lots of trees broken over even one large tree that was broken at ground level.

I called my house and the answering machine never picked up so that meant that I didn't have any electricity yet. I went home and opened some windows to get some air in there. I read by lantern and headed for bed. I had trouble sleeping since it was kinda warm and humid. I probably didn't sleep for more than 1 hour at a time. I awoke around 7 am and still had no electricity and then awoke a little after 8 am and it was FINALLY back on. When I was setting the clock on the answering machine, it was saying that it was 2:28 am and at the time when I was setting it, the actual time was 10:26 am which means that my electricity came back on at 7:58 am.

I am so happy today that it is on since it was hot and humid. I went to Lowe's to buy the sensors and the wall panel, but they discontinued the wall panel last year. I then went to Menards to see if they had it and they did and they also had the sensors $15 cheaper. I bought them there and returned the ones to Lowe's. Now I just need to install them. Dad said he would help me.

Vacation

2009-06-13T22:47:00.016-05:00

Since I was not able to get online with Wi-Fi at the motel, I was unable to post like I wanted. I was able to get connected with Wi-Fi there, but when I tried to open a webpage, I kept receiving a message saying the page couldn't load and it didn't matter what browser I used. Really made me mad. Our 'neighbors' (Suzanne and Rodney) also had problems getting connected.

Saturday, May 30

We left very early - had planned to leave by 4:30 am, but that didn't happen. We were on the interstate by 5 am. We made it to Wytheville, VA for the night. My former boss lives very close and he said to contact him and even talked about stopping by the motel to have dinner with us. I sent him a text message saying "Greetings from Wytheville". He sent a message saying to have a wonderful time, but they couldn't stop by since they went to Bristol, TN.

Sunday, May 31

Headed out early for Nags Head, NC. When we got there, it was a beautiful day, not overly hot, was sunny and just plain gorgeous.

Monday, June 1

All of us (except Mother) went to Mutiny Bay mini-golf. The boys had a fabulous time. They loved it. Dad and Lloyd both had at least one hole-in-one, but they didn't win. And neither did the boys. Yep, I beat them all. lol. I had 15 holes in 2 shots and the other 3 in 3 shots. I almost had a hole-in-one a couple of times, but the ball just wouldn't go in. I had to tease them by saying "the girl beat the guys". lol. All week, Avrey said he wanted to play mini-golf again. We never did go again. Next year, we'll go and try a different place - probably Jurassic Putt which is dinosaurs. Spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and in the ocean.

Tuesday, June 2

We got an early start to the day and headed south to Ocracoke Island. We were almost the last vehicle on the ferry, there were two more after us. It turned out to be the front of the ferry because they turn it around after it leaves. We drove to Silver Lake and stopped at the Park Service Visitor's Center and also looked at all the yachts and sailboats in harbor. I have always wanted to go to the other side of Silver Lake, and since I was the driver, we did. It dead ends but now I can say I've been on that side. lol. We stopped at the Ocracoke Light and right after we got there, a ranger with the park service pulled in and she opened the lighthouse so you can get in but you can't climb. We then headed back to the ferry landing to head back. When we got to the ferry landing, there were no cars waiting and they had just finished loading one. We waited no more than 30 minutes for the next one to arrive and was the first vehicle on and the second to get off. I didn't get out of the van as I didn't need to get anymore sun than I already had, just stayed in there with the seat reclined and the sliders open and the windows down. Had a nice breeze most of the time. We stopped at Hatteras Landing and did a little shopping in some of the stores. Next stop was the Cape Hatteras Light. Headed back towards Nags Head and had to stop by the house (Serendipity) house in Rodanthe featured in the movie "Nights in Rodanthe" to get a photo. Wasn't able to really stop but my brother grabbed my camera for a quick photo. We got back to Nags Head and had a little time for the beach.

Wednesday, June 3

It was a day for the beach and relaxation. Mother and I did a little shopping and then went back to get some beach and ocean time. That evening, played Spades with the 'neighbors'. My brother and Suzanne were partners while Rodney and I were partners. Suzanne and Lloyd beat the crap out of us. lol. But it was a lot of fun.

Thursday, June 4

Went to the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island. I love it there, but there was at least one school trip with lots of kids around the 5th or 6th grade age that were irritating. Very loud and raucus. Always in the way. In the hands-on section, you are able to 'pet' skates, horseshoe crabs and guitarfish in one 'pool' and another one you are able to touch sea stars, urchins, hermit crabs, anemones and other small creatures. You are able to touch the sea stars but not pick them up and these kids kept wanting to pick them up. The hermit crabs you can pick up but not take them out of the water, but they kept doing that also. The lady working the pool was getting mad at these kids and they were warned over and over. Some of the kids were good about it and did like they were supposed to.

This was the only night we went out for dinner. We went to our favorite restaurant - Miller's Waterfront. They have the best crab cakes and hush puppies. It's the one meal that I always pay and this year my brother chipped in. Over the years we have gotten to know the owners or at least the ones that run it. The Miller's daughter, Whitney, runs it with her husband the chef and her sister, Alex, also works there. Unfortunately, Whitney had already gone home for the night but Alex was there.

Friday, June 5

It was laundry day. YUCK. The laundromat is hot and is going downhill. Every year, at least one more dryer is not working properly. There were 4 dryers that were marked as 'no heat' and one was marked as 'does not work'. One customer was outside on the phone and I heard him say that out of 24 dryers only 4 were working. I thought he was on the phone with a friend but it turned out that he was complaining to the people that run the laundromat. I doubt if it helps. There is not much of a choice in laundromats, in fact, I don't know if there is another one nearby. A few others that I knew about are closed. Afterwards, did a little shopping and some exploring. Mother has a new boss that has several boats for hire around the country. She says that she has one at the Kitty Hawk Marina. We tried to find the Kitty Hawk Marina, but never did. She thought maybe it was on Colington Island, but we drove around and never found a marina. What I thought was a harbor turned out to be a gated community. We gave up trying to find it and then headed for Nags Head Woods. I have always wanted to go there, but never knew where it was. It's actually in Kill Devil Hills and not in Nags Head. The Nature Conservancy has a place there on a pond that appears to be scummy but is actually covered in some kind of water lettuce or something. It is very peaceful. Drive a little bit into the Woods, but not very far. The road is a very hard packed dirt and is quite narrow, places really couldn't get two vehicles through.

All day it kinda rained and later the wind picked up and the ocean was a little too rough to get in.

Saturday, June 6

After breakfast, had to run through the Kill Devil Hills post office to mail a card and then we headed to Nags Head Woods and drove through. Actually, couldn't drive completely through, you could go so far and then had to turn around when the signs said "No Trespassing" and it appeared the road ended. Drove by the "Yellow House" where a guy lived for around 40 years alone. Mother, Lloyd, the boys and I did a little shopping. One of the stops we had to do was the Brew Thru for our yearly t-shirts. After the stops, we headed back to the motel but really wasn't able to get in the ocean. The water was horribly rough due to a storm system off shore. It was kind of chilly and very windy with rough seas. Mother and I headed back out for a few stores that the others didn't want to stop at. Of course, Avrey was complaining about shopping.

Sunday, June 7

Awoke to a beautiful sunny and warm day. Blasted and we were leaving. :( Loaded the vehicles and said our goodbyes to Suzanne and Rodney their kids. They were also loading up. They had to get home that day since Jonathon still had 3 days of school left.

We drove to Morganton, NC for the night.

Monday, June 8

We left the motel and headed for Asheville to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped at the Folk Art Center and then drove to the new visitor's center. It was quite nice. They have a 'green' roof with grass growing on top. We headed south on the Parkway and stopped along the way at some of the overlooks. First time we stopped at the overlook for Cold Mountain. Made our way to Maggie Valley, NC for the night.

Tuesday, June 9

Our plan was to make it to Williamstown, KY for the night. There's a nice Days Inn with a nice pool. When we got into Tennessee, instead of taking the interstate, we headed up Hwy 25E and stopped at Cumberland Gap National Park on the way. When we got to the motel in Williamstown, the pool was closed. They couldn't open the pool until the state inspector came out for the inspection. Second year in a row that the pool was not open. The boys were very disappointed. I was a little disappointed with the motel this year. It wasn't as nice as it usually is.

Wednesday, June 10.

Back home. Headed for home. It was a very stormy day. Went through several bad storms.

I did make some friends while in Nags Head. Our 'neighbors' (Suzanne and Rodney) were from Pennsylvania and have two kids - Jonathon, 8, and Camryn, 2-1/2, (she is adorable). Had a lot of fun with Suzanne and Rodney. They mostly spent their time on the beach or down at the pool with the kids. We would sit on the deck outside our rooms and talk and talk. We shared food and drink. Rodney makes a mean Pina Colada.

Normally, we talked with the 'neighbors', but it never went farther than that. I really liked them and even thought that it would be fun to do have dinner with them or something. The room they stayed in is rented Saturday to Saturday and we are Sunday to Sunday. They moved to another room for Saturday night. Mother, Lloyd, the boys and I had gone out to do some shopping and when we got back, I noticed they were down on the beach laying out. Avrey was wondering where Jonathon was and Papa said they were down there on the beach. He yelled down to them. Jonathan got up and came running up to the deck. Suzanne looked up and waved. She then got up and walked up to the deck also. She came and sat down on the wall and talked. She asked what our dinner plans were for the night because they were hoping that all of us could go out. We were going to clean out the fridge of baby back ribs and chicken tenders and I was ordering a pizza. I was tired of the other stuff since we'd already had the ribs and either fried chicken or chicken tenders 3 nights. No more for me and it had already been planned to order pizza for Saturday night. Arley and I ordered the pizza.

Suzanne and I exchanged our contact information. She actually called Wednesday right after we got home and had just started unloading. We are now Facebook friends also.

Wish I was still in the Outer Banks. I love it out there and would love to move there sometime.

Birdwatching

2009-05-19T21:09:00.002-05:00

This evening after I had gotten home, I was looking out the kitchen window and saw a couple bright flashes of yellow. I love seeing the American Goldfinches on the upside-down finch feeder. I then noticed another bird that was darker and thought it was just a female goldfinch, but then it turned and I saw the brilliant blue of an Indigo Bunting. I've never seen the Indigo Bunting here. I didn't realize they were able to feed upside-down like the American Goldfinch. But then, I've got a sparrow that has learned how to feed on the upside-down feeder - he will be on one perch and stretch to reach a seed hole on the side.

I also had a Carolina Wren up under my deck overhang. I might have a wren nest soon there. It would be cool to have a nest, but not sure if I want it over the deck.

I love watching the birds at my feeders. Last year I had several pairs of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, but they didn't stop by my feeder this year. I was hoping they would have stopped.

Weeded, Planted and Mulched

2009-05-18T21:46:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, I managed to get out and get the minimum what I needed to get done in the flower beds. Luckily, I had some help from my aunt. She came by and helped with the weeding while I planted a few new plants in the front shade flower bed. Two of the ferns I bought last year didn't make it over the winter, I replaced with another fern and a new plant (can't remember the name). And planted two New Guinea Impatiens (orange with white centers) in the planter by the front door.

Then headed to the backyard to join my aunt and first thing I did was pound in the edging that was coming up or was already out. Then started weeding also. After the weeding was done, we got out several bags of cypress mulch from the shed. She had to leave and then I finished planting the new perennials and the last three New Guinea Impatiens that I couldn't put int he planter out front. After they were done, I mulched one area to keep down on the weeds since I won't have any time before vacation to work in the flower beds. I am one happy gal to have this done.

I was one tired and achy gal this morning.

A Few Things

2009-05-16T23:15:00.002-05:00

Rain Rain Go Away! This week has been a rainy & stormy mess. Tuesday night and Wednesday it stormed and lots of rain. Then Friday night, had a horrific storm come through with strong winds and lots more rain. I was at my parents when it hit. The rain came down so hard you couldn't see anything out the windows. The wind blew the rain almost horizontally and I had windows open, luckily, when I got home, it didn't come in the house. When I headed home, it was almost an obstacle course with all the branches in the road. When I got to the end of their street, it was flooded. Then when I got to the intersection of my street, it was also flooded, but a lot deeper. One area was about 12 inches deep. I have to cross a creek and I haven't seen it that high since it washed out the bridge many many years ago. There is a concrete bank with a drainage pipe that is about 3 to 4 foot high and the water was coming over the top but the creek was so high that it was almost level with the top of the concrete wall.

I stopped at my parents this morning and they were having water seeping into the basement. My dad ended up spending the whole day cleaning it up as it came in.

Thankfully, there is no rain in the forecast for the next week. Let's hope it stays that way.

Sunday I plan to get out and work in the flower beds, as long as it's not too soggy. I need to get them weeded and the new flowers planted.

In two weeks, the family and I will be heading for the Outer Banks. I cannot wait to get there to get my toes in the warm sand, to smell the sweet salt air, feel the ocean breeze blow through my hair, the warmth of the sun on my face, to hear the woosh of the ocean as the waves crash ashore, and the cry of the gulls. And to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean and the sunset over the sound. Oh and all the wonderful fresh seafood.

No Go

2009-04-27T21:46:00.002-05:00

Friday was a 'no go' on cross stitching and the same for the weekend. The upper-respiratory cold turned into a stomach bug and really knocked me off my feet. I am finally feeling a lot better and can get back to work tomorrow.

Some Stitching Has Been Accomplished

2009-04-23T21:42:00.002-05:00

The last few days I've been home sick. It started Monday night and it's basically all sinuses. I worked on Tuesday, but didn't feel the greatest. Wednesday and today I stayed home from work. I have a horrid cough that almost sounds bronchial, but it's not down in my lungs (thankfully). So far it hasn't turned into a sinus infection, I wouldn't be surprised if it did. It probably started with my allergies. Being home, I was able to get some cross stitching done.

I'm working on a small Dimension's kit called "Native Still Life". Par for the course, today I goofed with some background. There's a sun/moon in half-stitch and I started it in the wrong spot, but I'm not going to tear it out, just adjust the remaining. And then theree is cloud/sky in white half-stitch that I also goofed up. I wasn't looking at the pattern and just kept going along the whole line and was supposed to skip a few for light blue, which I left and will probably fix by stitching over with the light blue. That'll teach me for not paying attention to the pattern.

I'm getting close to being done. Just have the sky area and the top border to finish. If I had more days like the last two, I could have it done soon, but once I get back to work, I won't get as much chance of stitching. I plan to go to work tomorrow, but I also said that last night.

YUCK...GROSS..........EWWWWW

2009-04-08T22:14:00.002-05:00

Tuesday night was not a good night and it continued into this morning. I was taking my nightly shower and I heard 'gurgling', I looked down at the drain and the water was draining fine. I figured it was probably the toilet. A minute later I noticed that the tub was no longer draining. OH GREAT. I hurried and finished my shower. After getting dressed, I got out the plunger and worked to unclog the drain. No go. Then I found some drain opener and poured lots down, but still no go. I grabbed some paper and cleaned up some water on the floor and flushed it down the toilet and it clogged up. WHAT? A little TP clogged the toilet. I plunged that also, but then noticed that the water was coming up the bathtub drain. UH OH, that ain't good. I called and talked with my dad about it and he came over to help. We worked on it for a while but didn't work. I have a home warranty service which covers this and I called them and they called in a plumber. They didn't know which plumber would accept the job so they said that I could call back in an hour to find out. After more than an hour, I called them and found out which plumber it was. I waited and then called the plumber who was a JERK. He got a little nasty with me. Yes, I understand that it's night but this is an emergency. I only have one bathroom in the house.

Early this morning, the jerk of a plumber called and said that someone would be out sometime before 8 am. Someone did show and said that I had a mainline stoppage. Great! Just get it cleared. We couldn't find the access pipe. I paid my service fee and he called in to the office with the findings which would be sent to the home warranty service for their approval. I got a call from the home service and they said it was denied because I didn't have 'ground level access'. I then called the plumber to find out what happens next and they referred me to a sewer company. The sewer company called me and said they could get it done today and they could send someone between 9:30 and 11:30 or 1:30 and 3:30. I naturally took the morning time and the service van pulled in the driveway at 9:05. Two guys got out and did some checking outside and then let me know that they would go through the roof vent to clear and got to it. One guy climbed onto the roof and the other manned the 'snake' machine. It was all done in less than 45 minutes.

The blockage was caused by tree roots in the main pipe.

I now have a bathroom that can be used. YEAH!!!!! And now I have a sparkling clean bathtub, naturally, had to clean it after all that gunk came up the drain.

I will never use that plumber again, but definitely use the sewer company (if the need ever arises again).

My apologies for the gross posting.

Centenary Milestone

2009-02-26T20:17:00.006-06:00

Today my great-aunt celebrated her 100th birthday. She lives alone in her own house in LeRoy, Illinois. She has helpers come in each day to help her with the stuff she can no longer do. I took a couple days off so we could visit her to celebrate. Mother, Dad and I drove over for a while this afternoon. Lots of people dropped by to give her birthday wishes. The cake was brought by a distant cousin and his wife of my mother. He's okay, but I'm not 'thrilled' with her.

The picture on the left is my mother and great-aunt. The second is me (sitting on the left), dad, mother and great-aunt.

She has received cards from people that she does not know. A Sunday School class of a church in Champaign sent her homemade cards. Pat Quinn, Illinois Governor, sent her a 100 year certificate, several Illinois Senators sent 'certificates' also, one Congressman sent a card with the House of Representatives seal on it, and an aide of a Congresswoman dropped by with a framed Congressional Proclamation which will be read at the next session. Unfortunately, the President of the United States did not send his greetings even though I had submitted her birthday a long time ago. She used to get birthday greetings from the President, but she stopped getting them.

Happy 100th Birthday Aunt Lucy!

It Arrived

2009-02-06T21:34:00.003-06:00

Well...my prize finally arrived. I received a Lighthouse Digest coffee mug.

I'm a Winner

2009-02-02T21:45:00.003-06:00

Each month the Lighthouse Depot sends out an e-dispatch of news on lighthouses which includes 3 trivia questions. You don't have to answer all three to win. They choose a winner for each question from the correct answers received. I answered two of the questions and won for one of them.

"Although I no longer stand, having been replaced by another tower,
I witnessed what has been called by many as the "First Overt Act of the
Revolution," by the colonists in America. What is the name of this lighthouse?"
(The correct answer is Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, which is also known as
Fort Point Lighthouse and Fort Constitution Lighthouse in New Castle, NH. The
lighthouse was located at Fort William and Mary. Paul Revere made one of his
famous rides to warn the colonists that the British were coming to reinforce the
fort, which resulted in the first overt act of the Revolutionary War. The Fort,
now known as Fort Constitution, is owned by the State of New Hampshire, which
has not been a good steward in its care of the fort. Congratulations to Kathleen
Bradley of Illinois whose name was randomly picked from among the correct
answers.)

I was thrilled when I read that I had won and now I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my prize to know what I won. It doesn't matter what I won, but the fact that I won is what really matters. When I receive the prize, I'll post an update.

Honey, I Blew Up the Computer

2009-01-15T21:58:00.004-06:00

Okay, I didn't literally blow it up, but it sure seemed like it. My computer at work has been giving me fits for the last 2 weeks. It takes so long to boot up in the morning and it just grinds and grinds. This morning it took nearly 10 minutes for it to boot up and for me to get clocked in. I couldn't take it any longer so I put in a work request on it this morning. A tech came in less than an hour and started working on it. He was checking this and that and even started a defrag and it was taking a very long time. He checked the McAfee Antivirus files and found a lot of quarantined files. It is setup to remove them routinely but for some unknown reason it was not doing that. He started removing them and there were nearly 24,000 quarantined items going back from the very beginning of when I got the computer (probably 3 to 4 years). It took several hours for all those files to be removed. He still has some work to do on the computer, but it is running a lot better now. He was going to come back late in the afternoon on Friday and work on it more. He decided to work on it late so it doesn't disrupt my work that much.

Course, I really don't want to go to work on Friday. I just want to stay home all snuggled up in blankets. It is so blasted cold. Today's high was -4F. Tonight is going to be nearly -20F, right now it's -10F. I'm thankful that I'm not living up North, it's cold enough here. Luckily it will start warming up some tomorrow.

UPDATE 2/2/2009: I continued having problems and would have to restart at least once a day, sometimes three times. The tech kept checking back with me to see how it was running unless I had contacted him. One day, while checking on something else, I came across the 'quarantine' folder and decided to check it out and was so surprised to find over 49,000 quarantined files that date back to 12/4/2008. I mentioned this to the tech and he was checking it out. I kept telling him that the hard drive was going bad. My computer is scheduled to be replaced in October 2009 so they are waiting until then. The decision was to add more memory. WHAT? Okay. While he was waiting for some process to finish to install the memory, he announced that the hard drive was definitely going out and gave it a month before going out completely. That means another 3 weeks. We'll see.....

A Finish

2009-01-12T21:26:00.002-06:00

Okay, the finish is not cross stitch but a book. lol. I finished "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell last night, yep all 500 pages. It was an okay book, not her finest. For more than half the book it didn't hold my interest. I had figured out 'whodunit' in the first half, there was just something about this person that I had my suspicions which turned out was correct. I'm not gonna say who because I don't want to spoil it for anyone that might be reading or plans to read.

My next reading endeavour will be "Being Elizabeth" by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It's the third in the Ravenscar trilogy. I finished "The Heir" a month or so ago which is the second book.

Happy New Year

2009-01-05T22:18:00.002-06:00

I'm a little late wishing everyone a Happy New Year, but better late than never.

Christmas was good. As expected, everything came together Christmas Eve and I was ready for Christmas. Though, I didn't get any baking done before Christmas, which I really wanted to do especially the Butter Cookies. They are heavenly and literally melt in your mouth. When my grandparents were living in Arkansas, we had sent some in the mail to them, they arrived in crumbs. On New Year's Eve, I did make the coffee cakes.

I had taken the four "reduced service" (December 29, 30, 31 and January 2) days off from work. It was real hard to go to work today. While off that week, I did get quite a bit of cross stitching done. I haven't had a lot of time over the last year to get much stitching done and also the desire or drive to stitch. Ever since I finished the "Snow Leopard", I just haven't felt like stitching much. I've started several projects, but they get set aside. The "Snow Leopard" was a large project (not framed at this time still) and after finishing, I couldn't do another large project, even though I have started two different large projects, both set aside for now. I have only been able to work on small projects something that I can see progress and an end time soon. I am currently working on a small Dimensions Kit called "Native Still Life". I am loving the bright colors. Another problem why I have trouble with some stitching. The "Snow Leopard" was all muted colors - mostly whites, creams, greys, grey-brown, etc., and I need cheerful bright colors. I started one project called "Nantucket Dreams" which is a seaside design, but the colors are soft and muted. Another was a larger Native American design with lots of the same colors of rust and browns. I need to get pictures of the "Snow Leopard" to share. I thought I had some, but they are not on my computer or the external hard drive.

I hope 2009 is a better year than 2008 for all!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T23:11:00.004-06:00

I'm not quite ready for Christmas to get here. I still have to go and get one last present that I forgot. I really didn't want to go shopping on Christmas Eve, but it looks like I'm gonna have to do that. With all the illness I've had over the last couple of months, I really haven't felt up to doing much. I've still got presents to wrap and a house to clean. But everything will come together by Christmas morning.

The weather hasn't helped much. It's been extremely cold and very very icy. We get a little snow and then it changes to freezing rain. The neighbor's tree is hanging over my driveway heavily laden with ice just a few feet off the ground. At least we haven't lost electricity.

I hope everyone has a blessed and a very Merry Christmas.

Been Awhile

2008-12-11T21:45:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I really haven't felt up to it or much at all. Almost the last month I have been sick most of the time and missed quite a bit of work.

On November 16 I awoke with an ear infection and am not completely over it yet. I'm still having problems with diminished hearing. Then last week a sinus infection hit me and when I visited Convenient Care, the nurse practitioner refused to prescribe an antibiotic because I only had it for a few days and she said it takes 10 to 14 days for a full-blown sinus infection to require an antibiotic. I have a history of getting sinus infections and get them quite easily. I was dumbfounded. Luckly, I had part of a prescription of an antibiotic at home from the ear infection in November. After 5 days of this one the doctor changed to a stronger one and I still had it on hand. Yes, I know I shouldn't have taken it without doctor approval, but I was in severe pain. My face hurt so bad and so did my teeth which made it hard to eat. And if you really want to be grossed out, the sinus infection affected my eyes and I kept cleaning out "gunk" from them.

I'm doing better now. I have an appointment on Monday, December 15 with an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. I saw him back in May 2006. I am actually looking forward to this visit and wish I could get in sooner. Originally, the appointment was on Friday, December 19, but I called and luckily they had a cancellation on the 15th. I've called every couple days and there hadn't been an earlier time available. At least it's only 4 days away.

Stadium

2008-11-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

Our local newspaper did a feature on the premium seating at the stadium, where I worked 5 of the 6 home football games. (On the one picture, there is a link to a slideshow but it is not working.) Now that the season is over, I have actually missed working at the stadium. I plan to work the 7 home games next season.

I Need to See Your ID, part five & final

2008-11-17T21:10:00.001-06:00

Saturday, November 15 was the last home football game and the last one I would work. I awoke Saturday morning not feeling the greatest, but also not that bad. My sinuses were a little more than usual. I still worked. The game was at 11 am which meant that I had to clock in by 7 am and be at the stadium by 7:30 am. There was a shuttle to take us to the stadium due to the cold and possibly snowy weather, but I still drove and parked in my lot. Wishing that I hadn't, will explain later.

When I got there, Charlie was already there setting up the bar. Along comes Alaina (YEAH) and Brent. Had a new cashier also, Carrie. I liked her. She was the new event planner for Catering. I was so happy that Alaina was back and that we would be working together one last time. But that didn't work out like planned. Keith ended up reassigning her to the other bar since they only had the one. Charlie was normally the other bartender for Bar 1, but after working the last home game with us, he said that he wanted to be reassigned to us. He didn't like working with the other bartender, heck, nobody did. They had complaints against her. Poor Alaina having to work with her. We had a skeleton crew working the last game. We only had the two bartenders and needed at least one more. Greg couldn't spare any of his student bartenders because he had a skeleton crew also. Oh well...we managed.

It was slow at first, but it finally picked up right before the game. We were running a special drink - Bailey's & Cappucino. It cost $9! WHAT? $9? A shot was $5 and the cappucino was $4 so that made the drink $9. Had a few people shocked when they found the out the price after they ordered it. But it turned out to go over well.

We had a live DJ again and part of the marching band played again. The DJ played great music until right before the game started.

I had my regulars who came by and some new people. There are these two ladies that are a little uppity that always came by and are never happy about things. The one said that she had specially requested Malibu Rum that we were to have, but we didn't. She then asked if we had Parrot Bay, which was also a no. She was not happy that she had to settle for Bacardi or Captain Morgan.

One guy that I ID'd turned out to be a former football player. As I was looking at his ID, I saw his Rose Bowl ring which was GORGEOUS! I commented on it and he appreciated it. Probably why he was wearing it so it would be noticed.

Since we only had the two bartenders, Chris and Keith dropped by a lot to help out and I even poured more drafts and bottle beer than before. I still didn't do mix drinks. I've looked into getting certified online. I found a site that costs $25 to complete the online course. I'll think about it.

My one regular came back and was joined by his wife. She was lovely and very nice. When he sidled up to me, she quizzically looked at us and said that it looks like he made a new friend. I patted him on the shoulder and said "yep", he then put his arm across my shoulders and gave me a little squeeze saying yes he did have a new friend. Still do not know his name and never will. Oh well. He came back a couple times and the last time, he gave me a tip from his change. He put gave me a $1 bill saying to put it in my pocket and ended up giving me the 50 cents also. Only tip that I got. Earlier another regular gave me a $5 tip but like an idiot, I put it in the tip cup and Brent and Charlie kept it. Those jerks didn't even share their tips with Carrie and me. They pissed me off, I couldn't even say bye to them after I cashed out.

When the end of the third quarter came near, we got busy and I rang up several sales before it ended, but the guys downstairs undid the kegs immediately and we couldn't even fill those orders properly. There were people not happy and nothing I could do about it, except apologize.

After I cleaned out the drawer and put the money in the bag, Brent comes along to count out their tips and had me change for larger bills. I think both of them took home about $45 in tips, but refused to share with Carrie and me. What jerks! After I cashed out in the "vault" room, I headed back to the bar and got my jacket and bag, and was about to say something to them, but changed my mind and headed out. I stopped by Bar 1 to see Alaina and say goodbye to her. She said it wasn't too bad working with the that other bartender. She asked if I was heading to Bunny's, but I didn't know. I was so blasted tired that I knew that if I went home first, I would pass out on the sofa, which I did.

The Director of Dining & Catering arranged a gathering for regular workers to celebrate the last game at a little place called Bunny's. I had three offers to do things after the game and I did none of them. I just went home and crashed.

On the way back to the other building to clock out, I had trouble getting there. I went my normal route and when I tried to turn left onto Oak St., the cop directing traffic motioned for me that I couldn't turn. I rolled down the window and explained to him that I was heading right there to clock out. He said that they weren't letting anyone turn left that it was one-way the other way and that I would have to go around. Great! Okay, so I headed to Neil St, and had to go all the way to St. Mary's Rd and when I tried to turn (left) north onto Oak St (which was one-way north), the cop at that intersection said NO. WHAT? How in the heck am I to get there. I changed lanes and headed further south to get out of there and headed home. I emailed Payroll and told them what happened and what time I would have clocked out if I had been able to get there.

Sunday, I awoke with an ear infection. Went to Convenient Care for the official diagnosis and an antibiotic.

The Autumn Ritual

2008-11-10T21:54:00.000-06:00

I've taken a few days off from work this week to relax and enjoy. On Sunday, I had planned to get out and clean up the yard, but it was so blasted cold. It was a bone chilling cold. Today was nice, but still a little on the cool side. After lunch this afternoon, I got out and started that autumn ritual of raking and bagging the leaves. Dad had come over with a blower and a blower/vac. He took one and I took the other and started blowing the leaves into piles. At least got the front yard and the sides all cleaned up. The backyard is not that bad except under the maple tree, but that can wait for now. Mother did come by also with Arley who stayed home from school sick. Poor little guy has had the flu since this past Thursday when he came home early from school. He stayed in the house and played his video games.

I do need to get a blower/vac of my own; otherwise, I have to go over to Mother and Dad's and get one of their's or just use the back-breaking and hand-wrenching rake.

It's doubtful if I will get the backyard done in the next couple of days when I am off work since it's supposed to rain the next couple of days. Tonight we might get some freezing rain. Oh joy!

UPDATE: I Need to See Your ID, part four

2008-11-03T22:10:00.002-06:00

I talked with Mari Anne today and she didn't say anything to Brent about sharing the tips with us cashiers. Really surprised that he did that then. Unless someone else said something, but who?

And today, Don (director and the man in charge) and Rita were talking about some stuff from Saturday and as I was approaching where they were, he looked at me and said something like "there's the Money Maker Katie". He then said that either I alone or Bar North brought in the most money each game. WHAT? Really? He wanted to know why Bar South didn't bring it in. I told him that we were the fun bar. lol. I know that my register alone brings in a minimum of $1,300 and as much as $1,800 each game. I've got some great regulars that come to me and after the next (last) game, I'm gonna miss them.

Gametime for the game on the 15th was announced today and it is 11 am. Which means an early morning for me - up at 5 am. UGGH!

UPDATE: 11/4/08 -- I talked with another gal who's in charge of the computer system about how I can find out if my register is ever over or under. She told me who to contact. We then started talking about how much money I have brought in. She said that I WAS the one that brought in the most and one reason is how fast I am in ringing up the sales. Plus I have these "regulars". How Cool!

I Need to See Your ID, part four

2008-11-01T22:32:00.001-05:00

After taking the boys trick-or-treating last night and walking all over for 1-1/2 hours, and working at the stadium for the football game today, I am beat.

Yep, today was a home football game and I worked it again. I was still a cashier at the north bar on the Colonnades Club floor. The game was scheduled for 2:30 pm and this time, instead of the 4 hours, we had to be at the stadium 3-1/2 hours prior to the game (which is 11 am) and clocked in at the other building around 10:30. Someone was trying to confuse me. lol. Oh well, just cost me 30 minutes of work time. There's not much for me to do to get ready. I did help set up the bar and clean it up.

Was a little surprised when a different bartender was assigned to the bar. It turns out that Brent was the only usual bartender at this bar today. Three other bartenders were also assigned - Amanda, John and Charles. Brent and Charles worked the other end of the bar with the other cashier and I had Amanda and John. If it wasn't for Brent, Charles and myself, the bar would not have been set up properly. Okay, Amanda did get the bottles ready, but that was all. What irritated me was that Amanda and John spent a lot of time with their cell phones either texting or talking on it. Come on, you are there to work not text or talk on your phone. I had mine in my pocket, but didn't take it out while working.

It was a slow day. The tips were not that great early on, but we did get a few nice $5 tips. With 4 bartenders assigned, you would think there would be plenty of bartenders to get drinks, but nope, it wasn't. Not that we were that swamped, but some disappeared or wasn't available. Or they were helping someone. I started out getting soda or bottled water, but then I also ended up getting some drafts or pour some bottles. Even though I could get some mixed drinks I left that up to the bartenders. I do have to admit, that I did a better job pulling drafts that Amanda and John, they would have waaaay too much of a head. I received some compliments on my pulls and also pouring of the bottles. I know how to pour a beer.

Close to the end of the 3rd quarter (no alcohol sales after the end of the 3rd) Brent took all the tips and counted them out and divied up in fours. The tips weren't the greatest and each got around $26. As Brent was passing them out, I overheard some of what he was saying and was a little shocked at what I heard. He told them that they should share some with me, but the amount was up to them. Each gave me $5 of their tips. That was very nice of them. Earlier in the morning, Brent and I were just talking and he mentioned that he had run into Mari Anne and talked with her. We had been talking about a lot of people at work and the comment didn't raise any eyebrows. On the way home, I got thinking that maybe Mari Anne had mentioned the tip situation to him. She also bartends at a few places in the area and had said that bartenders are to take care of their barbacks, cashiers and others by sharing their tips.

As the end of the 3rd quarter neared, we were inundated with people. Even though there is to be no alcohol sales after the 3rd quarter ends, we had to take care of the people that were standing there waiting. Some of the admins weren't happy that we were still serving, but we had to take care of these people.

I did manage to take a few pictures before most employees got there. This one is of the bar I work and I stand at the end on the right.

Before the game started, part of the marching band played and then some of the cheerleaders did a few routines.

There's one more home game in two weeks and I plan to work it also.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I am now feeling great and went to work today (Friday). It was a slow day after I caught up on the work that I missed the last two days.

The weather was gorgeous and nicely warm (in the 70s). My dad had told me a week or so ago that Amanda (step-niece) and her family(hubby and 3 kids - Justus (6), Lexi (4) and Makenna (3)) were coming over to go trick-or-treating with my nephews, Avrey and Arley, and me. Then Thursday night while chatting with Amanda she said they were stopping by but weren't going out. I talked with Mother and Dad and they were told they were going. It was a mixed up affair. A little later, Amanda sent me a message saying they would be by at 6 o'clock and would trick-or-treat with us until 6:30. Okay.

Dad called me in the afternoon and said that the boys were going out with a neighbor kid (Matthew). WHAT? Actually, I love this. Dad called Amanda and they were still coming by. Matthew couldn't go out until 6:30 so we were still going out with Amanda and family and then when Matthew got back home, out with him.

The boys had a great time with both groups. Yes, the boys did hit a few houses twice.

Avrey dressed as Pikachu from Pokemon and Arley was a black dog. Grams had started these costumes last year, but their mom did get costumes made at the last moment, as usual. I forgot to take my camera over there to get pictures. I am so ashamed.

Being Sick Sucks

2008-10-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

It really sucks being sick. I've had my usual sinus problems in the last week or so. This past Friday night my nose was constantly running and I was blowing all the time. In the mornings I don't feel the best but usually feel pretty good by late morning. Sunday, I awoke feeling great. I helped Mother put up her Halloween decorations outside even though it was a bit chilly. I guess I shouldn't have.

Monday I decided to stay home since I wasn't feeling too good and wanted to get the rest I needed. Today I needed to go to work because Linda was off today because he husband was having a couple medical procedures done; Jamie is off all week helping his parents move; and Wendy had to leave early because her dad had surgery; which left no one in the office except the two assistant directors who are always in meetings all day.

Wendy asked one of the student workers if she was able to come back in the afternoon after classes. She was able to get there about 2:30 and could work until 5 pm. Thank God! I planned to leave about 4 pm to go to the walk-in clinic because I knew that I had a sinus infection now. Early in the afternoon I started running a fever. I left at 3 pm and headed directly to the doctor.

I was running just a slight fever, but the doctor said that it was a viral infection and not a bacterial infection. She said that she would prescribe an antibiotic and to take it if I'm not feeling better in a couple of days.

I have to be feeling better by Friday since I have to take my nephews out trick-or-treating. And I am wanting to work the football game on Saturday so I have to be fine by then.

I am definitely staying home on Wednesday and will see how I'm feeling tomorrow night before deciding on Thursday.

What Is a True Friend?

2008-10-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

What Is A True Friend?

A true friend is one that will stand beside you during any crisis or fight.

A true friend is one that will not hold grudges.

A true friend is one that will not stab you in the back because of a fight or argument.

Are you a true friend?

I Need to See Your ID, part three

2008-10-20T20:50:00.001-05:00

Howdy All!

I worked at the stadium again this past Saturday for the football game. It was a night game (7 pm) which meant that I had to be clocked in by 2:30 and at the stadium by 3 pm. I expected heavy traffic so I did leave a little earlier than normal, but traffic was fine.

I did take a few photos (with my cell), but they are not that great. This is the bar that I cashier at. I stand at the far end of it.

The bartenders were Brent, Amy and Alaina. I worked with Amy the first week I worked but the 2nd, she had an injury and couldn't work so they brought in Alaina and Jason. Jason was assigned to the other bar this week. I'm glad that Alaina worked at this bar, I had a blast with her last week. Just wish that she worked my end of the bar.

Ana wasn't able to work as the other cashier so they reassigned a student worker (Leslie) to be cashier. Chris asked me to train her with the register. During the training she asked me what she was supposed to do since she was approved to leave at 6:30. HUH? The game doesn't start until 7 pm. Her family was coming and they were all going to the game. Great for them, but what are we supposed to do. I saw Chris and flagged her down and mentioned this to her. She wasn't flabbergasted on why Keith assigned her there. She talked with him and next thing I knew, Maria was there and I was training her on the register. Cool, at least she was there for the entire time. After I got her trained, next thing I knew Leslie was back as the cashier. What in the heck is going on? Then all of a sudden, another full-time employee was there, Ann, and I had to train her. I went through everything with her and next thing I knew, Chris was training her also. Oh well! Around 4:30, Jeri came along and grabbed us to go get our money. We were the last of the cashiers to get our money. Got the register all set up and ready for the customers.

People started coming in at 5 pm, but naturally, they weren't drinking quite yet. We had a few people.

About 5:30, loud music started and found out that we had a DJ. He played jazz, swing, stuff from the 50s, 60s and 70s from all genres of music. It was awesome. And it sure brought out the customers. And naturally, Alaina being Alaina she was dancing around behind the bar. I joined in a little, we looked like Mutt & Jeff twirling each other. lol. And when it comes to a song that I love, I have to sing. I warned Alaina that her eardrums could burst from my singing. She just laughed. Her dancing sure brought the customers around. There were other people dancing also. Next thing I knew, part of the marching band were there and setting up in the center area of the floor. The DJ announced them and they played their repertoire of the music they play during the games. They were awesome and me being the way I am, I let them know how I appreciate their music and playing. The upper floors didn't get any of the entertainment.

I did get to serve some drinks, Carol brought a guy to the bar and they were standing there talking and she asked for some complimentary drinks and there wasn't any of the bartenders available to serve them. Okay, they were not alcoholic drinks since they were for his kids, just a Coca-Cola and a couple cranberry juices. He did buy a draft for himself and had one of the bartenders get it for him.

We got slammed right before the game started. One guy got a little impatient and upset by the amount of time it was taking to get the drafts for him. I asked one of the bartenders 3 times for the two drafts and he/she finally got it for him. We had some great customers and repeat ones from previous games. One guy came sidling up next to me asking for a wristband and when I asked for his ID, he said "come on, don't ya remember me from last week?" Yes, I remembered him, but I told him that I have to follow proticol.

The end of the 3rd quarter came and that was the end of alcohol sales so the bar was shut down. I cashed out. Ann and I were the first cashiers to get to the armed cash room to count out (last ones to get cash and first ones to turn in cash). I headed back to the bar to get my stuff and head back to clock out. I asked Alaina if she needed a ride and she decided she wanted to walk and Amy said the same. The three of us left at the same time and they beat me back to clock out. The 4th quarter went fast and a lot of the people left at the same time. Traffic was a pain. I got home at 10:30.

I'm planning to work the next game which is on November 1. Just found out late this afternoon that they have announced game time which is 2:30.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to work with Alaina, Amy and Brent again, but Terry may be back. He retired in September and he says that he'll be back after 30 days, but others say that you can't work for 60 days. We'll see. I liked working with Terry, but I really like working with Alaina.