My Story and a Question

Ok, first a little background (yes, again) and then a question.

My biological father (of whom we will here on out refer to as the sperm donor) left my mother, my sister and I when I was 4. He never called, never wrote, never sent cards and most of all never paid a dime of child support. I guess I can't say he NEVER called. He called once when I was 15 to tell my mom how great he was doing and couldn't remember my name. My mother hung up on him. Last we heard, he was living it up somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona with the woman he left with. I don't remember much about him. I really only have two memories of him and neither of them are good. I have a picture of myself when I was a baby and he's in the background. You can hardly see his face, and that's the only picture I have of him. I've heard stories about him throughout the years. He was a very unpleasant man. He beat my mother pretty badly on a regular basis and was generally not nice to us girls. I've heard he subsequently had two sons. I got two different stories, one being that he gave them up for adoption and the other being that he kept them. I don't know which to believe but that's not really my point.

I really have no interest in meeting this man. My mother met a man when I was 10 and married him, and he's been my dad ever since. I don't even consider the other guy my father, hence the "sperm donor" comment. My problem is that as of late, I've been really feeling like I want to try and find my two half-brothers. I don't want anything to do with the sperm donor and I really would much rather he not find out I went looking for anyone, but I just can't shake this feeling that I need to try and find the boys (well, they're men now).

I talked it all over with Scott this morning and basically he said that if it were him, he'd just let it go. It has been 30 years since he left and he figures water under the bridge and all. I can see his point. However, I still can't shake this nagging feeling that I need to at least LOOK for those two half-brothers.

I'm really torn here. Scott's afraid that I'll find them and find out they don't want anything to do with me and be hurt. I'm thinking that hell, I'm hurt already and at least if I find them and they don't want anything to do with me...I'll know that at least I tried. I can't help but feel that I'll feel much worse NOT looking and not knowing, than I would if I just looked and found out they don't wanna see me.

I haven't decided what I should do and I really wanna know what others not so close to the situation think. I have a VERY small family that means SO much to me and I feel like a part of that is missing somehow. I don't know. It's all so confusing.

So...I beg of you...tell me what you think. What would YOU do in this situation? HAS too much time gone by? Should I just let bygones be bygones? Should I search until I find them? I want to know what you think.

OH yay! It's over!

I had a great holiday weekend, but OMG am I glad it's over! Three days of parties is just TOO much!

Christmas Eve we went to my parents' house. On the way there, we ran out of gas. The gas gauge in my car doesn't work so we have to keep track of mileage when we fill the tank. When we lived up north, we got GREAT gas mileage because most of the miles put on the car were highway miles. Now that we're down here, all our miles are city miles and we didn't take that into consideration. Also, Scott was driving and his close up vision is not great and he read the odometer wrong. Scott started to walk the mile back to the gas station we'd passed. Someone picked him up and drove him there. Then he bought a gas can (because ours was at home) and got 2 gallons of gas and started to walk back. He said he got about 10 yards out of the gas station parking lot when a nice lady picked him up and gave him a ride back to the car. We weren't stuck there very long. I was happy for that! So we got there...but a little late. My parents own a bowling alley and we always go down there after we open gifts at the house. The kids bowl until their fingers fall off and my mom and dad have a private party of just friends and family. It's nice. I usually end up tending bar, but I don't mind. I volunteer to help out.

Then Christmas day we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for Christmas with Scott's family. It was really nice. Everyone ate, drank and was generally merry. My brother-in-law wanted to have everyone there by noon so that they would all leave by 4pm so the two of them and Scott and I could go over to his neighbor's house and watch the Packer game on big screen. That guy cracks me up. We stayed until half-time then drove home. We were having Scott's family over here the next day and needed to get the house ready for company.

Then yesterday we had Scott's entire family here to see the new house. It was a houseful, I'll tell ya that much. Scott has 4 brothers and sisters, his parents were here, wives, boyfriends, an extra dog and a HOARD of kids! It was insane, but really nice to have them all here at once. We weren't expecting all of them to show up. I'm glad they did.

It's all over now and as much as I had a good time and was happy to see family and friends, I'm REALLY glad it's over. I haven't even gotten dressed today. I'm sitting around in my jammies...just getting some quality downtime. The boys are at a friend's house. They called a little while ago and asked if their friend could come over but I said "tomorrow". I need a day to just regroup.

I will be back to normal tomorrow.

Grades update

Scott called the counselor and talked to him about his son. Scott, his ex, the teachers, and the counselor have set up a meeting for after the winter break to set up an action plan for my stepson. He's been staying after school to get caught up on some stuff. His mother has been making him do that. At least she's doing something this time. Normally, she takes his PS2 away for a couple weeks but always ends up giving it back to him. She never calls the school and talks to them about anything. It's actually kinda funny. I called the counselor the other day and I told him my name and he knew me, who I was and who my children were without me even telling him. I like that. She could never say the same. Hell, when Scott talked to him, the counselor couldn't even remember Scott's ex's first name! LOL

I just wish my stepson had more help at home. She is so selfish and awful, she's so afraid he won't love her as much if he spends any time over here with me...that she can't see it's in his best interest to get help. I know no one has ever accused that lady of being the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but good Lord...you'd think she'd at least wanna do right by her kid! She actually said to him "You're failing school cuz you don't love me". Who does that to a kid??? I mean really...he's 12!

We are going to be fighting for custody soon. Just after the new year, when we have enough money for a lawyer. Enough damage has been done to this kid! He needs a loving, stable environment. I know we can give that to him. Until then, we'll do all we can from where we are.

The reports are in!

Mid-term reports came out for the kids today. My son and Scott's son go to the same school but have no classes together. We prefer it that way. They have a tendency to get in trouble when they're together.

I thought my son was going to have problems adjusting to the new school but it looks as if he was ahead of what they're doing down here up at his old school. I'm happy about that. My stepson however is failing badly. Five failing grades on his mid-term. We're going to talk to his counselor at school about it and Scott's going to talk to his ex-wife and see what they can do. Everyone wants to blame his mom (me included) but when it boils right down to it, it's really my stepson's fault. He's just not trying. It almost seems as if he's purposely failing the 6th grade! I can't for the life of me figure out why, but we will find out soon enough. He is always very open and honest with his dad when no one else is around so we're going to set up a little meeting of sorts between him and my hubby. I hope he can get to the bottom of it. I would really hate to see that kid fail 6th grade. Around here, they don't mess around and they have no problem holding a kid back for things like this. I can't help but wonder if there is something going on that we don't know about.

We've offered to have him dropped off here after school so that I can keep an eye on his homework and whether or not it's getting done. His mom however doesn't like me (not that I care) and Scott works second shift so she won't let him come over here if I'm the only one here. She doesn't want her son and I spending time together because she fears he will love me more than her. It's really stupid. This woman is 52 years old and acts like a 12 year old half the time! I know Scott's going to talk to her on Friday and maybe he'll be able to convince her it's in their son's best interest to have him come over here. She's not home when he gets home from school and she doesn't check his homework. I do!

I just wanna see the kids succeed. That's all. Plain and simple.

I always said he was!!!

I had Scott take the "evil" test and here are his results:


How evil are you?

I always told him he was one twisted individual!!!

I LOVE being right!!

*insert evil laugh here*

How in Hell did THIS happen???

Another fine item respectfully ripped off from my friend Livey



How evil are you?


How did I get to be so evil?? But, But, But, I'm GOOD!!!

*giggles*

Just for fun

Another item respectfully ripped off from Livey.

Pardon the Interruption

I know it's been quiet here lately. Too quiet, I think.

With Christmas coming up and getting the house the way we want it, I haven't had much time to get online. My in-laws are coming on Sunday to see the house and it's really important to me that the house be completely done by then. I just have to put a couple of pictures up and then organize a little better and we're all done. I spent most of the day today cleaning, organizing and getting everything straightened up downstairs. It looks nice. I'm very proud.

Unfortunately, with Scott working 12 hour days, I'm having to do alot of this by myself. I don't mind really. I understand how hard he works and he shouldn't have to worry about doing all this menial, tedious stuff when he's home.

On Saturday, I'm driving down to the Madison area to go visit a friend of mine. She's older and disabled and desperately has been wanting to bake cookies and such for the holidays but is unable to stand long enough to do so on her own. I'm gonna help her bake up a storm and make her a few meals she can freeze so she has plenty to eat without having to worry about cooking it all. I'm sure we'll have a blast! I'm taking along some Christmas CDs. I can't wait!

Then Christmas eve, we're going to my parents' house for celebration and general merriment. My parents own a bowling alley so after we open gifts at their house, we're all going to go down there and let the kids bowl until their fingers fall off (well maybe we'll stop just before that happens lol). My parents always open up the lanes on Christmas eve, just for close friends and family. It's always loads of fun.

Christmas day, my sister-in-law and I are co-hosting Christmas festivities at her house, so I'll have lots of food to make that morning. Generally, we have our kids on Christmas eve and then they go with their other parents on Christmas day, so we'll be sans children that day. I miss them so much on Christmas morning, but Christmas eve morning we usually do all our household family present-opening. I'm just so happy that we finally have some extra money to get the kids something nice for Christmas. They're good kids. They deserve it.

Y'all have holiday plans? Tell me about them!

I'm an Iris!

Respectfully robbed from Livey.

You Are An Iris

You are a unique woman who needs a lot of novelty in her life. An inspiration seeker, you often have to change scenery to recharge. You don't deal well with structure or rules. You need to do it your own way. Your ideal relationships are free and flowing. No one can tie you down.

What Flower Are You?

Why can't anything just be EASY??

No matter what I try to do these days, nothing seems to come easily. I've been setting up new checking accounts, a new cell phone, the cable/internet/phone. It seems like everytime I turn around, someone is passing the buck, thinking I'm stupid, unhelpful or all-around moronic!

I call the cell phone company and they tell me that what I have to do I can only do online so I go online and it says I have to call them. Well, ok then. Scott was already frustrated enough with them to hang up on them earlier lol. He has FAR less patience with people on the phone than I do.

Now, I'm trying to set up my new checking account so I can do my banking online. It says online that I have to call this number, anytime 24/7 and when I do...it tells me I have to either go online or wait until one of the offices is open. I sent them an e-mail. Let THEM work for ME! I'm sure it'll all get worked out...but it's driving me nuts that none of this stuff can just be easy!

I FINALLY have all my cable/internet/phone issues worked out. Took two trips by the cable company and then Scotto going downstairs and finishing what they did not...but it's all set up the way we want it now. What do we pay these people for?

Boycotting Walmart!!

I'm boycotting Walmart. They will never get another penny of my money. EVER!

In order to understand the gravity of the situation I was put in, you must first understand what it's like to be me at Christmas time. I HAAAAAATE to shop. I don't use the word "hate" all that often, but I do in this case. I don't like the lines, the pushy people, any of it. I would rather cut off an arm than go shopping. I never have and never will understand those people that go shopping just for the sake of shopping. I have no patience for any of it. So when I'm forced to go...I'm not happy about it.

That being said, I know there are alot of things that we need to buy for the new house here. For the sake of the family, I will put my personal feelings aside and go shopping.

Last week, Scott hands me his debit card (we have seperate accounts and he had more money than I did) and tells me we need some things at the store. So I drudge out in the cold and snow to get these things at our local Walmart. Now, this is not the first time I've used Scott's debit card...nor is it the first time I'd used his card at that very store. Suddenly, it's a problem.

I set out to get what I gotta get and get the hell outta there. I picked up a computer chair, a bath mat and a couple little odds and ends. Nothing major. I get up to the checkout and the lady rings everything up for me. I swipe the card and when she asked credit or debit I said "credit" because I know Scott will get charged a dollar if I use it on debit. The lady says she needs to see the card. No problem. I handed it over to her. She looks at the card and declares "You CANNOT use your husband's card". I said "WHAT??" and she repeated herself and added that I cannot sign for this purchase. I said "fine, you do whatever you need to do, ring it back up and I'll use it was a debit card and use the pin number". She said "Ok" and had the manager come over and delete the other purchases from the system. Then she RErung everything up and I swiped the card and put in the pin number. The transaction was approved and the receipt came out. The manager grabbed the receipt and looked at it. Then she said "this is the same card". I said "that's right!". She said "You CANNOT use your husband's card!". I said "You have GOT to be kidding me! It's already rung up...gone through!". Mind you, by now there is a line forming behind me pretty long. I was pissed! I said "You know what??" *grabbing my purse out of the cart and pushing the cart with the purchases in it* "Keep your shit!", and I walked out. The greeter lady told me to have a nice night to which I replied something to the affect of how I'd never shop there ever again.

The next day, I go online to check Scott's account (I balance his checkbook) and BOTH purchases were debited from his account! We had to go down there and let them know in no uncertain terms that they were to send a credit immediately! It took them 4 days to credit his account.

I told myself that I'd let everyone I come in contact with know about how I was treated that day and I have not failed on that mission yet. I figured one of the best ways to get the word out that Walmart as a whole is a piece of shit institution that doesn't deserve our money is to blog about it. So here I am.

I will NEVER shop there again. I'm standing up for my principles. My son thinks one person not going somewhere will not do any good. I say I may be just one person...but a whole army starts with just one. Isn't that what the government says in those cheesy military commercials? I figure if I let everyone know and everyone I know lets everyone they know about how I was treated there...maybe they'll lose enough business and pull the stick they have up their asses out long enough to realize they've done it all wrong. I STRONGLY believe in word-of-mouth. So...tell all your friends and have your friends tell their friends. I'm SICK of sending my money places it's not well-deserved!

My moving story (and I'm sticking to it)

Ok so I know you all have been waiting with baited breath to hear my moving story.

First of all, as I've already declared...it was the coldest day. And it snowed to top it all off!

We had hardly anyone to help us move. Basically one of Scott's brothers came to help us load up the truck and another one came to UNload the truck. Little did we know that brother #1 would leave as soon as we got to the new house. We used his pickup truck to haul Scott's Harley down here. According to what brother #1 is saying now, he thought he had to come up, pick up the bike and leave. He showed up at 10:30am with attitude and kept it the entire time we were moving. He's a real piece of work.

We had a 26' truck, 2 cars and a pickup truck and still ended up leaving some things behind because there just wasn't enough room to take it all. Thanks to brother #1, that is. He was in such a hurry to get things done, he wouldn't even let Scott take time to stack things nicely in the truck so there would be enough room for everything. My husband is an AMAZING man when it comes to moving. He has this uncanny ability to pack more shit in a truck than you would ever think would fit in a truck. I have to admit, when it comes to the physical aspect of moving, I'm not much help. I try really hard, but somehow always seem to fall a bit short of what everyone else is doing. We all know this about me, so most times I'm the packer/unpacker/cleaner in these scenarios.

Anyway, on with my story. We get the vehicles packed up and by now it's probably 5:30'ish. It's already dark and we still have to drive 3.5 hours in the snow and cold and unpack this damn truck! We stopped once on the way because us adults got sick of the kids whining about food (damn kids, always wanting something..."feed me" "gimme something to drink"...blah blah blah) LOL kidding. So we stop at Taco Bell. Brother #1 gets pissy about that too.

Ok, so we finally get to the new house. By now it's 10pm and we're tired, cranky and cold as hell! The kids no longer wanna do anything but play (understandably, of course). My daughter stands up and declares she shouldn't have to work because in her own words "I don't live here". She can be so sweet! She ended up going into one of the empty rooms and fell asleep. So much for her help. I swear they were dropping like flies.

Now, lemme tell you something about brother #2. He is a MULE! He moves like no one I've ever seen before and never once did he bitch about anything. I really like that guy! His wife is pretty cool too. He showed up here at 10:15pm (just as brother #1 dumped off the bike and split) and he stayed here with us til 4am. On his way home, he got a flat tire. I felt so bad about that.

Keep in mind, I had not slept ONE WINK in almost 48 hours. It's hard to be up that long and my body was seriously starting to shut down. I worked as hard as I could considering I was tired, sore and VERY cold! We managed to unpack the entire truck, aside from the boxes that were packed in the very back. We shut the truck and called it a night about 4:15am.

The next day we got up and the boys hauled butt with a dolly and got all the boxes in. My daughter called her boyfriend to see if he'd come over and help. He and his friend came to "help" a little while after that. They didn't do anything (aside from keeping my daughter occupied). I expected as much.

The Uhaul now being unpacked and everything is in the house, Scott and I decided to take the truck back. My loving husband looks at me and says "Where's the Uhaul key?". I said "ME? I haven't seen it. I never had it.". He looks at me and says "oh shit". We turned this house upside down 12 times over. We found no Uhaul key. We looked in every nook and cranny, every box, every corner, every snowflake, every pocket. No key. So I call Uhaul to find out what to do. The conversation went something like this:

Uhaul asshole: What is the nature of your problem?
Me: We can't find the Uhaul key.
Uhaul asshole: What does that mean?
Me: Can't find. As in lost, don't know where it is, you know...CAN'T FIND.
Uhaul asshole: Oh, well what can I do for you?
Me: Well, I wanted to call and find out what we needed to do now.
Uhaul asshole: Well, you'll have to call a locksmith at your expense.
Me: Then what happens? I've never done this before. Does he make a new key? How does that work?
Uhaul asshole: Well ma'am, I really wouldn't know, as this is NOT my problem!
Me: Some help you are!
*click*

I relayed the message to Scott. He called all troops in to find the key. We still found nothing. I called the locksmith. It was 5pm on a Saturday night. I asked him how much it would cost to send someone out here. He said $56 plus the cost of the keys if they could get the code off the steering column. If not, it would be about $100. I said fine...and he said he'd be out in about an hour and a half. He showed up about 6:30pm and went to work. Half hour later, he knocks on the door. He got the code and made the key. Scott goes into the coat closet, grabs his jacket and slips it on. He sticks his hand in his pocket and realizes he has a huge hole in his pocket. He pulls something out of it and tosses it beside me on the steps. Alas!! The Uhaul key!!! Turned up JUST as the locksmith showed up with the key (which by the way was the wrong key...he read the code wrong lol). It had fallen into the great abyss of his jacket lining. We paid the locksmith $48 for coming out and took the truck back. We laugh about that now, but I assure you...it was SO NOT funny when it happened.

It is 10 days later now. We're in the house, just getting every little thing just so. Putting pictures up. Turning our house into a home. I'm so happy it's over. Scott and I have talked it out. Next time, we hire movers!

I'm Eve!

I saw this over at Livey's and had to take it for myself. I think it fits me pretty well.


Eve


Which bad girl of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Home Sweet Home

Well, we're all in the new house now. We're mostly unpacked, all that is really left is this office a little in my bedroom and then putting pictures up on the wall. The move was quite the trip. I'll blog about it after we're all settled in here. Ya know, I'm beginning to think it's physically impossible for us to move and NOT have any issues! It was definitely something else! VERY COLD and SNOWY! NOT NOT NOT a good combination!

I'll write up a little something as soon as I have a little more time.

I hope all is well with everyone reading (if you're still reading). Drop me a comment here and let me know how you are!

Hugs

Thanksgiving update and a few other doodads

Well, looks like Thanksgiving has been canceled at my aunt's house this year. Seems she's sprung a leak in her kitchen and bathroom. Unless we all wanna be water-logged and wearing our scuba gear, we are not to attend. Soooo, figuring we didn't wanna miss out on EVERYTHING, Scott and I decided to have our Thanksgiving feast complete with all three of our kids at a wonderful restaurant called Wild Cat Inn Supper Club. Reservations for 5 at 5. Sounds yummy!! (Please note the happy inflection in the tone of my voice as I no longer have to pack, move AND cook!!)

Also, we're gonna be moving on Friday. Everything is falling into place. All the utilities are being transferred, shut off and turned on...whichever way it needed to be. Unfortunately when you move from northwestern Wisconsin to southeastern Wisconsin, not too many of the utility companies are the same. Oh well, it's done...that's my point.

I'm cruising right along on the packing! The kitchen is done, the bedroom is done, the bathroom is done, the living room is mostly done (minus the computer I'm using now and the one next to it that sits dormant most of the time because we think it's possessed by the devil himself).

I am now informing all of you that I will be offline from tomorrow night (Thanksgiving night) until sometime on Monday. Apparently the cable company doesn't like to work Thanksgiving weekend either! LOL

I managed to slice my thumb while doing some work today so I'm on this short little break. Being the "work-through-the-pain" kinda gal that I am, I just wrapped my thumb in paper towel and continued about what I was doing until I could get time to wash it off and wrap it in bandages. It appears I did a pretty good job of it though, about an inch and a half vertically down my thumb. DAMN blood thinners! I can't even cut myself without bleeding like a stuck pig! It's done bleeding now though, Thank God and I'm just about ready to continue on my crusade of getting every damn thing we own into a box somehow!

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving and are able to spend it with the ones you love! I will see you all on Monday as I probably won't have time to post again tomorrow.

With love and kindness (and a cut thumb),
Andi

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good...

We move in 4 days. The day after Thanksgiving. The good thing about that is that NO ONE moves the day after Thanksgiving and there are plenty of trucks available at Uhaul that day.


The bad...
I was suppose to bring my candied sweet potatoes, and a trifle to Thanksgiving and now most of my food is packed. I left out the stuff that I needed for my sweet potatoes, but just called my aunt and let her know I couldn't bring the trifle. My mom is bringing pies so at least we'll have a dessert there.


The ugly...
We're moving the end of November in Wisconsin! It's suppose to be cold so it'll really SUCK moving then!! LOL

What a difference 2 hours makes

I went out at 3:30 this afternoon, son in tow to run a couple errands. "Thirty minutes, tops" I say to my son as we leave. A little background here quickly. We live RIGHT on the edge of the city. We have a neighbor lady who is about 85 years old who lives about another 1/8 of a mile outside of town. The woman (whom we shall refer to from here on out as Mrs. B) has no family. She has outlived everyone. She never had children as her husband passed away when they were very young. So when Mrs. B has to go to town, she walks. Walks everywhere. Scotto and I have always been neighborly and picked her up to take her into town or drive her home. Today was no different.

I saw Mrs. B on my way into town. She was headed home. I pulled over and asked her to hop in and she did. She then told me that she was just going home to pick up her prescription bottles and then had to go back to the pharmacy (not in so many words though, as she primarily speaks German and her English is not great). So I took her home and waited 10 minutes for her to grab her stuff and took her back to the pharmacy. We waited about 20 minutes and when she hadn't come out, we let her know we had to run to the bank before it closed and we'd be right back. We did this and came back to the pharmacy, and she was still inside. We went in and at the counter was Mrs. B and a very young male adult. He just looked at me and gave me that "help me" look and shook his head. I asked what was wrong and was told that Mrs. B had pulled two bottles of stool softener off the shelf and opened them, safety seal and all...looking at the pills to see if that indeed was what she took. Of course, the pharmacy can no longer sell them, so they tell her they're going to charge her for them. This, she does NOT understand. The poor kid behind the counter had no idea what to say next. She had two prescription medicines there to pick up too. We decided that the stool softeners she had opened were the right ones and put those (as well as the two prescriptions and another full bottle of stool softeners she had brought with her) into a plastic bag. On this one she wrote "take" in german. Then she put the old medicines in a paper bag, and on this one, she wrote "do not take" in german. We got everything settled. She paid for her prescriptions and stool softeners and we started to leave. The young man behind the counter said to me "you know she said she was going to take one pill from each bottle", meaning 3 different stool softeners plus her prescription pills. I told him I'd talk to her about it after we left and he said "oh good" LOL. Poor kid.

I got her in the car and asked her if there were anywhere else she needed to go. She said she wanted to go to the courthouse but it was already closed. I wrote my phone number in big numbers on the back of my business card and spoke to her about how she is only to take ONE pill out of ONE white bottle a day. NOT all three. She wrote this down on the back of the business card, on the front of the business card and on two places on the bag she was carrying. I hope she remembers. I made it clear if she did take all three, she'd end up sick. She said she understood. I really hope she did.

I asked her on the way home if she had any food. She started listing off the things she has in her house and I figured she has plenty of food. I told her to call me if she needs anything from me. I also asked her if she wanted I would make her some meals she could eat during the week. She said she cooked. I'm happy with that. I dropped her off at home and waited until she got in the house. Then I went about my errands.

My half hour errand run took me from 3:30 to 6:15. I know I'll hear from Mrs. B tomorrow, so I'm ready to take her wherever she needs to go. I just wish she knew someone around here to help her out after we leave. I know she's outlived everyone in her family. How awful it must be to be so old that everyone you ever knew is now gone. Remind me to be nicer to my kids so this never happens to me. I'm gonna miss Mrs. B when we leave.

Whatta great weekend!

Scotto came home pretty late Saturday night. It was probably around 10:30pm. We decided to go somewhere to eat because I had not eaten all day. So we went to Perkins and then went to the store to pick up a couple things. We came home and went to bed. Yesterday, we spent most of the day packing and cleaning. We worked really hard all day long, but managed to squeak in a little alone time. It was a great weekend...regardless of all the hard work! LOL

Hubby is coming home tomorrow!!

With no kids!!! I hope I can find some time to jump his bones spend some quality time together!

You Can't Top an Andi!!

I went Here to Norman's and that led me to This slogan generator and put my name in.

I generated three slogans using my name that I just loved! Here they are!


Schtop! This Andi Is Not Ready! (that isn't true too often, but hey sometimes a girl needs rest)

You Can't Top an Andi (but she wouldn't mind if you tried)

and last but certainly not least...

The Andi that eats like a meal. (and this meal hasn't been eaten in a LONG time!)


Can y'all tell I've got a dirty perfectly pure mind today?

I guess I've been picked!

Ok, I guess I've been picked (not sure that's such a good thing lol), so here it goes!!

Two Names You Go By --

1. Mom
2. Andi

Two Parts of Your Heritage --

1. French
2. Canadian Indian

Two Things That Scare You --

1. Being out alone at night
2. Losing Scott and the kids

Two of Your Everyday Essentials --

1. Coffee
2. Oil of Olay Daily Moisturizer


Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now --

1. Jammie pants
2. A camisole

Two of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (at the moment) --
1. Steve Miller
2. Martina McBride

Two Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love) --

1. honesty
2. laughter

Two Truths --

1. I balance my checkbook 3-4 times a week
2. Even if my house is dirty, if my sinks, tub and toilet are clean I feel right with the world

Two Physical Things that Appeal to You --

1. Eyes
2. Nice broad shoulders and a muscular chest

Two of Your Favorite Hobbies --

1. Art (any kind)
2. writing

Two Things You Want Really Badly --

1. To be back together as a family living in one household again
2. Help moving!!!

Two Places You Want to go on Vacation --

1. Hawaii
2. Grand Caymans

Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die --

1. Fly an airplane
2. Go scuba diving

Two Ways that you are stereotypically a Chick --

1. I ALWAYS wear fingernail polish
2. I love long, flowy sundresses

Two Things You Normally Wouldn't Admit --

1. I'm a spoiled brat
2. I sometimes feel not as smart as I really am

Two Things You Are Thinking About Now --

1. When my mom will EVER learn how to work her laptop
2. Calling Scott


Two Stores You Shop At --

1. WalMart
2. Pamida

Two people I haven't talked to in a while --

1. My friends from back home
2. My sister

Two bloggers who may now dislike you for passing this on to them --

1. Whoever wants to do this

It's Poo Poo!!!

The snow dog!! LOL I am having WAY too much fun with the digital and this snowstorm!!

But the berries still hang on

No matter how icy that branch gets, those berries still hang on.

And it still snows

And it continues to snow!!! LOL I wonder how much we'll accumulate when it's all said and done.

Winter Wonderland

Gotta love the first snowstorm of the year!! This is my yard today.

I'm a Puppy!!! (I always told people that)

You Are A: Puppy!

Beloved by all, puppies are energetic, playful, and loving. Your playful and outgoing nature is part of what makes you a puppy. Known for their loyalty, puppies make great pets for young and old alike. And an innocent puppy face can melt anyone's heart!

You were almost a: Duck or a Pony
You are least like a: Groundhog or a ChipmunkWhat Cute Animal Are You?

All stocked up

They say it's suppose to snow anywhere from 3-7 inches tonight into tomorrow. I ran out in the cold rain to buy some stuff we may have run out of by tomorrow. We're all set here now to have our first big snow come. Andy's praying for a snow day. I think he's been waiting to get his snowboard out since the beginning of October now! That's one of the things I love about my kid. He'll find something to do outside in almost any kind of weather!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (now that I have soda, coffee and smokes) LOL

Back by popular demand

My snorkel picture!!!


Now smile dammit! LOL

Hubby not coming home...

Scotto's not gonna make it home this weekend. He was going to come today with his parents car and their trailer, but the wind blew the bottom right out of the trailer so they turned around and went back to his parents house. I urged him to come last night to beat the wind...figuring that a full trailer is harder to damage than an empty one, but he didn't listen. Guess I'll see him next weekend.

See my new picture?

Over there on the right. That's me! I took it last night to have an updated picture of myself. I think I'm brave...posting a picture of myself on the Internet with no makeup on. LOL

Jehovah's Witnesses

Ok...lemme get this part out right off. I have nothing against the Jehovah's Witnesses. Period.

That being said...

This old lady shows up at my door this morning. It's VERY windy outside so I invited her in. I am hard of hearing and I couldn't even hear her the wind was whipping so badly. She came in and started in on her little shpeel (sp) about how children have questions, this book can answer them, book is free, asking for donations...blah blah blah. She's a very nice lady. Was very pleasant and not at all pushy. However, she had the world's WORST breath! I swear I was holding my breath the whole time she was here! I about gagged! I was holding my little dog in my arms while she was here and even he sniffed her once and backed his head away so fast you'd have thought someone whacked him on the nose. Then I looked up at her and realized she was having a HELLUVA time keeping her bottom dentures in her mouth. I thought for sure I'd be picking them suckers off my floor! So question for y'all...

If they fall on the floor, is it perfectly acceptable for me to pick them up, blow them off and shove them back in her mouth?

Well slap my ass and call me Dorothy!

It's so damn windy here, I have shingles blowing off my house! I think I heard the cackle of a wicked witch. It sounded something like aaaahahahahaha *oof*. I'm pretty sure I heard faint groaning sounds underneath my house!! Anyone out east wanna catch me when I blow away in your direction?? LOL

This pisses me off!

I just watched 2 hours of the sentencing hearing for Chai Vang. For those of you who have not heard (if you're in a bubble or at the space station or whatever), Chai Vang is the man that was convicted of 6 counts of 1st degree homicide and two counts of 1st degree attempted homicide following a blood bath in the Northwoods of Wisconsin during hunting season, 2004. Now, the issue here is not whether or not he is guilty. That has already been decided. The issue today was to figure out what they are going to do with this murderous bastard for the rest of his life.

I watched for an hour and a half, as the families of the victims came forward one-by-one, telling the court how their lives have changed since their families were murdered, all the while fighting tears myself. I watched as Vang's family stood up and testified on his behalf about what a loving, caring, special man he is. I know they probably have seen a side of him that others haven't, but what he did does not direct anyone to believe that he could possibly have a loving, caring side to him.

Then I watched as Vang himself spoke about the love of this country, the thankfullness he has for his family and friends. I watched him tell a tale about how this whole situation can someday be a lesson for all to love one another regardless of age, race or color. These statements would have carried much more weight within me had they not been given by a man recently convicted of 6 murders and 2 attempted murders. Then he went on to thank the state of Wisconsin for housing him, feeding him and taking care of him for now he no longer has to worry about mortgage payments, paying bills and working so hard and still not having enough money to make ends meet. THAT is the part that pissed me off! All of us...us law-abiding citizens who pay taxes and resolve our issues with one another WITHOUT the use of a weapon have to get up early everyday, go to work and work our asses off to pay taxes so that this murdering man can live in a prison cell, with hot food in his belly, a roof over his head and other amenities I don't believe a prisoned person should receive. And for that, the murderous bastard thanks us! Not once did I hear the man apologize for his behavior. On the contrary, he defended his right to defend himself. Defend himself against 6 people that had no guns. Six people that were fleeing FROM this man and he shot them in the back anyway. How is that defending one's self?

After all the talking was done, the judge began to speak. He spoke of the heinous, heartless crimes this man has committed. He spoke of how there would be no ability to rehabilitate this man for he is not sorry for his crimes. Then the judge did the one thing we have all been hoping would happen for the past year. He sentenced this awful man to 6 consecutive life terms in prison plus 5 years for each crime of murder in the first degree. He then sentenced him to 60 years plus 5 for each crime of attempted murder in the first degree. He has no possibility of parole. He will die in jail. The only thing I can hope for now is that he dies in prison soon. My bankbook can't afford to house him for the rest of his life. If only Wisconsin had the death penalty!

Busy Busy Busy

So yesterday we found out we got the new house. We're thrilled to death, but now there is SO MUCH to do! We've been packing a couple of boxes a day for a couple weeks now, so it's not too too bad, but you know how it is...you have to pack, and clean, and pack and clean. I've been bustin my ass hump all day today getting the things all packed up that we know we aren't gonna need for the rest of this month. Holy Hell I didn't know we had so many unused spices! One of those things you don't use but you don't wanna throw it out in case some day you decide to make something that requires one of those spices! I'm still hurting, but have all this nervous energy right now because I've been off my antianxiety medicine for a couple weeks, so I'm gonna get as much done as I can. It's hard just to sit still long enough to type this post! LOL

I hope this post finds you all having a grand weekend!

Hugs,
Andi

Health Update

I had my CT scan today. I saw the surgeon after and he said that he saw some scar tissue and adhesions from previous surgeries. Thank God it was nothing major. He said it should clear up on its own. It probably got tangled up in something. He said if I don't feel better by Monday or if I start to feel worse, I should let him know and he'll go in and clean it up. I hope I feel better soon. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I really do appreciate it!!

Hugs to all!

Went Into the doctor

I went into the doctor. She did some bloodwork. They felt the lump too. I don't have a gall bladder or appendix anymore, so it's not those two things. It's too low to be the liver (even though my enzymes were elevated which is normal for me) and it's too high for appendix anyway lol. The pain and lump are right in the middle on the right side.

She sent me to the surgeon who I saw right away. I have to go back in tomorrow at 11am (after 4 hours of drinking this disgusting shit yummy orange stuff) for a CT scan. We'll know more about what it is then and if I have to go in for surgery to have it taken out.

I'll let y'all know what's up.

Hurtin'

I'm hurtin' pretty bad today so I probably won't be online much throughout the day. I'm not sure what's wrong, but it hurts pretty bad on the right side, right at the bottom of my rib cage...but feels like it's inside more.

We shall see if it goes away.


***Update*** I have a lump in the same spot that it hurts about the size of a golf ball. It hurts pretty bad so I've called the doctor. I'm waiting for them to call me back.

I'm pissy

I'm pissy and I don't know why. So I'm going to bed. Maybe I won't be pissy tomorrow.

Happy Halloween All!

Happy Halloween To All!

My marriage and a confession

I got to see Scotto for a full 25 hours this weekend! I'm thrilled to death that we were able to spend some time together. It's always nice to have him home, to have him in bed again. I always sleep so much better when he's here.

I love my husband with all my heart and soul. I know he feels the same way. We have a very solid, loving, respectful, supportive marriage. We are always there for one another, we have great communication and we always seem to work our way through any problems that arise.

Here comes the confession...

My loving husband and I have not had sex in over a year. It's not something we decided upon. It just sort of happened. It started out that things were just a little crazy. We didn't have a whole lot of time, much less the privacy that we would have liked to spark that area of our lives. As time went on, it just became this "thing" we wanted to do, but never really got around to. At first, it didn't bother me. I figured there would be time for that part of our life when things settled down some. Lately however I have been starting to miss it. I wondered why it was it has been so long. I asked my loving husband about it and his answer was that he just "didn't have the urge anymore". I know it's not a physical problem as that is certainly not an issue. I think I'd feel better if it were physical. The way it stands now, it's hard for me not to wonder if it's just that he's not attracted to me anymore. He says he is. He says that's not the problem. I love my husband and would NEVER consider cheating on him. He knows that.

We use to have this tremendous sex life. In the beginning, it was fantastic! We had lots of fun in that area and were always looking for new experiences. I miss that part of our lives. I told him so this weekend. He said he thought maybe he should see someone about it. I've heard that before, so I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket, but I can't help but wonder how it managed to go this far. Every other aspect of our marriage is great! We have a connection that just seems to work. No matter what we've been through (and I assure you, we've been through alot), we always seem to land on our feet.

I guess my problem now is that I seriously have to consider that I am only 34 years old and it's a very real possibility that I may not have sex again. I don't want to do it just for the sake of doing it and I most certainly don't want it from someone else. I just want to feel that connection to him that we have been missing for so long. It's important to me. To me, it's not physical. Hell, I can get physical with myself! It's that connection, that closeness that I miss so much. I would never leave him over something like this...but I do wish that we could work on it and get that part of our lives back.

I sure would like to know what y'all think. Would you leave your man if the sex stopped? Would you cheat? Would you stay? And men...is this a normal thing for guys as they get older? He's 49 years old...does that have something to do with it? Would you guys stay with your wife/girlfriend if your sex life ended?

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear some thoughts on this.

Now

if only I could stop crying today.

Losing It

Tell me dear readers, how can one tell when they haven't had their antidepressant medication for awhile?


When the garbage man comes too early and you miss him...and a gigantic crying session soon follows.

I could tell last night that things were not going to be great when I was watching a tv show and I found myself unable to stop crying at the end. I told my best friend last night that I just felt like throwing a temper tantrum, crying and just all-around being a brat. This morning that happened.

The garbage man comes at 7:30am without fail every week. We are unable to put our garbage out the night before because the birds always get in it (we have a garbage can, but they still get into the recycling). My alarm is set for 7am every morning and on Friday's I always get up right away (instead of hitting the snooze a million times) and get the garbage out before they come through. Not this morning though. I awoke at 6:58am to the sound of the garbage man next door. I flew outta bed, opened the front door just as the garbage truck was flying by my house. I stood there for a second, and then said "Oh SHIIIIIT!" and slammed the door. That was pretty much it for me. I started crying, went into the kitchen and started the coffee, went to the bathroom and decided I wasn't ready to face the world. I laid in bed for a half hour crying my eyes out. Totally unlike me!

I'm generally a happy-go-lucky person, although I've been dealing with depression from my teenage years on. I can go for years and years and be just fine and then stress hits, and I cope. Major life changes, and I cope. I stuff it, I stifle it, I throw it off to the side...anything so no one will see on the outside how much I suffer on the inside. I did that faithfully until 2003. January of 2003, I was very sick and hurting all the time. I was in a very bad place. It took its toll on me and by the end of the month, I found myself committed to the hospital for a one-week stint of hospitalization and extreme therapy. They'd let me out and I'd be right back a week later. I spent most of spring that year this way.

When things finally got better...it was too late for Scott. I was no longer the woman he married, but someone completely different. I was dependent, needy, clingy and scared. We split up that year. Although we saw each other every weekend and spent some time together, it just wasn't the same. I got better everyday (thanks to medication and some serious counseling), I learned alot about myself and what sets me off, and I became a solid, independent person. That's when Scott and I started talking about living together again. The rest, as they say...is history.

Ya know, I wasn't planning on telling y'all this today, but I got to thinking. I originally started this blog, not just for fun...but for me to have an outlet. I spend the vast majority of my time alone. My kids have school and friends and homework. My husband works ALOT and needs well-earned rest when he's home. That leaves me to myself. I thought I'd start this blog, get out the things that bother me, make me feel good and to share my experiences with others that might understand where I've been and where I'm going. What I've succeeded to do is start a blog that many times is nothing but fluff. I don't talk about important world issues (not that I think I'd start that route, I don't think I have enough awareness to make it intelligible), I don't talk about the feelings, thoughts and experiences I encounter. What I do is...post little jokes, little cartoons and take quizzes. It occurred to me that I've been blogging for almost 5 months and not one of my readers really knows me any better now than they did the day I started. I intend to rectify that.

I know I've shoved stuff back so much, people honestly think my life has always been good, and solid and safe. I've found that those whose blogs are really making a difference are the ones that are written from the heart. I intend to do that too.

I am going to be ok. I know that. I have so much more strength now than I've EVER had and I will never go back to that place. My life is very much worth living and I intend to live a very long time!

The Asshole Quiz

My results cracked me up, so I had to post it for y'all. Take the quiz and let me know in comments how you scored!




You make me SICK. You probably love singing,
dancing and children. You're a parasite to
society. You're a novice asshole. Practice
hating people more. No wait, just forget it.
You'll probably fail again. I hate you. Ditch
your friends and spend all your spare time
hating Tony Danza.


The A-Hole Quiz
brought to you by Quizilla

Maybe I'm just ignorant...

I went HERE
today and read what this guy did over his weekend. Now I know I'll probably never agree with this man's ideas on how life should be. Some of what he says makes sense. I believe in hard work, having strong values and being a decent person. At the risk of sounding stupid, could someone please explain to me what he means when he says, "These boys are the fine examples of clean cut young professionals that live and work in the Research Triangle Area. They both drive big gas guzzling SUV's , a Blazer and a Yukon, and tell me that they are on the road to work and back at least 3 hours each day, sometimes four! I congratulated them on their understanding of the Peak Oil nonsense and encouraged them to move further out so their commutes would be longer!"? I guess I don't get it...so if someone more intelligent than I could explain to me the principal behind this, I would be much obliged.

I'm so happy!!!

I got to see my honey for a whole 17 1/2 hours!!! Wooohoooo! Poor guy put in 68 hours in this past week (including working 8 on Saturday) so he was pretty tired, but we managed to get some packing done so that we'll be ready when we move. He's looking at a townhouse tomorrow for us and I hope he really likes it so we can get it. It was SO nice having him in bed with me again! I forget too easily how much better I sleep when he's with me. I made him a late lunch today of italian breaded boneless pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn. I sent him back with a container with 3 chops left in it. His parents don't cook very well, and he's working so much, he doesn't have time to cook himself (although when he does...he's fantastic at it!) I know 17 1/2 hours isn't much for a week, but it'll make me that much happier to see him for another 17 1/2 hours next weekend!!

This guy's got what it takes...and then some

I came across This Link at Guy's Blog. He asked us to read this article and put it on our blogs if we feel the same way he does. That is only part of why I'm putting it here. I read this article and saw the picture and when finished, I came away with real respect for someone I've never met before. This guy has seriously got what it takes...and then some.

My Soul

You are naturally born with a gift, whether it be
poetry, writing or song. You love beauty and
creativity, and usually are highly intelligent.
Others view you as mysterious and dreamy, yet
also bold since you hold firm in your beliefs.


What Type of Soul Do You Have ?
brought to you by Quizilla


Respectfully ripped off from Livey

Emotional or Physical?

I don't know if y'all know, but I've had pretty bad medical problems for alot of years. I'm not saying this because I expect anyone to feel sorry for me, quite the contrary...I'd much rather have fun than have pity. Here's what's happenin now.

Scott left on Sunday to begin his new job 200 miles away from here. I think I'm ok with it, and I know I'm tough. But it's the strangest damn thing...for the past two days I've been miserable! Not emotionally, I seem to have that going well, but physically I feel like shit! I'm EXTREMELY tired all the time. I have pains on the left part of my chest, feels like I pulled a muscle or something. I get headaches everyday. It's the weirdest things. Now, I know alot of what goes on with me is physical and beyond my control, but I have myself wondering now if part of my problem isn't on the emotional side. You all know how that goes...emotional issues can be directly related to your physical health.

I don't think that things are so bad, that I need to see a doctor or anything, just a little taxing on my brain these days, that's all.

What do y'all think?? I would love to hear your thoughts on this one!

Total Sitemeter Addict

I will admit it...I'm addicted to my sitemeter. I go in there everyday to snoop around, see who has been here and how they found me. I think it's so cool to be surprised by finding out you're on someone's blogroll or they've posted a link to your page! Especially when it is someone you don't even know that's done it! I also have to laugh at some of the searches people have used to get to my blog.

Every now and then...I come across a person who got here from someone's blog that I've never heard of. I usually go to this person's blog to find out how this person got to my blog from wherever they were. Sometimes I read the whole blog (some of them are relatively short) and STILL have not found anywhere in the blog or the comments a mention of my blog or a link to me. How does that happen?? I think it's one of those strange phenomena that no one can explain.

Sad

I just got done kissing my sweet hubby goodbye. He's off to his parents' house where he will be staying during the week while he works at his new job. I know it's temporary and we'll have a house to move into together soon, but I'm still sad. I'll be fine...I'm very tough. I'll miss him though. I can't wait for Friday to come so I can see him again!

I'll be gone

I'll be gone all weekend now. Today, Scott and I are going to a wedding and then the reception is at the Holiday Inn, so we just got a room. Scott's last day at his job was yesterday and he starts at his new job on Monday. He'll be down by the Milwaukee area, working and looking for a house for us. I'll be up here with my son and I'll only be seeing Scott on the weekends. Neither one of us is looking forward to being apart, but we're strong...we'll make it. This wedding this afternoon is for a couple that Scott has been working with up here. So EVERYONE that Scott worked with will be there (hence the reason we got a room lol). We didn't figure there'd be much driving afterward.

Oh and guess what??? My daughter got her driver's license on Thursday!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Ash!!! I can't believe my daughter is old enough to drive a car!! She's so sweet, though. The first big amount of driving she did was last night when she picked her brother up at his dad's house, took him out to eat and then bowling. I love that girl!

Have a great weekend all...I'm off (and I'm not talking about my mental state although that's probably true too!).

How Boyish or Girlish I Am

You Are 50% Boyish and 50% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Some folks should not reproduce

I found this article at The Smoking Gun website

Girl Eats Pop's Pot Brownies
Wisconsin man faces drug charge after five-year-old sickened

OCTOBER 11--Meet Luke Schoepke. The Wisconsin nitwit is facing a felony drug rap after his five-year-old daughter got ill from eating brownies that he allegedly laced with marijuana. Schoepke, 24, has been charged with pot possession and obstructing a police officer, a misdemeanor, according to the below Circuit Court criminal complaint. Cops reported that the child was brought to a Waukesha hospital emergency room by the girl's grandmother, who noted that the child was lethargic and had an unusually large appetite. The girl told her grandmother that she had "eaten some brownies at the residence of her father," who had dropped the child off at the woman's home prior to attending a concert. A field test of the leftover brownies confirmed they contained pot. When confronted by cops, a "very nervous and agitated" Schoepke denied any connection to the brownies. However, an arresting officer noted that he detected "the very faint odor of fresh marijuana" on Schoepke. Not to mention that Schoepke had a baggie of pot in his jacket pocket. If convicted of the drug charge, Schoepke faces a maximum of three and a half years in prison.

Some people should NOT reproduce! What in sam hell was this guy thinking?? Don't get me wrong. I'm not ANTI-pot. I've done it in the past and I don't really see anything wrong with it. My problem is not with a pot-smoker/eater. My problem is that this guy is the father of a 5-year-old child!! How many 5-year-olds do YOU know that aren't going to be all up in them brownies when he/she sees them? It was stupid of him to be baking the pot in those brownies and then leaving them sit out for that little girl to eat! He shouldn't get busted on drug charges, he should be busted for reckless endangerment of a child and just general stupidity!
What an idiot.

Brain Patterns

Your Brain's Pattern

Your brain is always looking for the connections in life. You always amaze your friends by figuring out things first. You're also good at connecting people - and often play match maker. You see the world in fluid, flexible terms. Nothing is black or white.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

I stole this from Norman Thanks!!

Where'd it go??

My money that is. I get money in...I grab the bills and settle in for the morning and pay them all. By the time I'm done, half of my hair is missing, my hand is cramped from writing checks, I can no longer add 2+2 nor can I subtract 2-2. I finish paying all the bills and now it's time for me to balance my checkbook. I get out my trusty calculator and start totalling up this and that, subtracting where needed (unfortunately, this subtracting thing happens more often than not), and getting it all worked out. I finally am done balancing. I look down at the number....



WHAT DO YOU MEAN $5.13???? Oh God, I'm so broke, I can't even buy myself a Big Mac meal if I wanted one!!!

That's when the crying begins. It won't stop til the day before the next time I have to pay bills. LOL


Ahhhhh life in 2005...it sure is...is...is...interesting. Yeah, interesting...that's it.

Embarrassing Moments Part Two

A number of years back, before I met my husband I dated this guy. We'll call him "George". George and I use to have so much fun together! I hate to shop and he loved it so it was nice that he would go shopping and get what we wanted/needed and I didn't have to go. Every now and then I'd go with him to the store. It wasn't often and after "the incident" I didn't go with him again. It was about 9pm on a Saturday night. "George" said he had a hankerin for some junk food and asked if I'd go to the store with him. I wasn't dressed properly (as in no bra) so I just slipped on my new jacket. Let me stop and explain the jacket for a second. "George" had bought me this jacket the week prior to my incident. It was a suede jacket and the inside was all fur. It was gorgeous, very warm and quite heavy. Ok, so I put this jacket on over my t-shirt and off we went. It was cold outside but with my jacket, I was toasty warm. We pulled into the grocery store parking lot and walked into the store. We grabbed a cart and started walking up and down the aisles. The jacket was heavy and it kept sliding back and the front would come up and get right up on my neck. I hate that! So I kept grabbing the front of the jacket and pulling it back down. All through the store, I kept doing this. Well, we finally got done shopping and we're at the checkout. Suddenly, we realized that we forgot to pick up onions, so I said I'd run over to that department, grab them and run right back. As I headed for the onions, I noticed there were people looking at me funny. I got to the onions and there were two guys standing there and they were staring at me and laughing. I couldn't understand what everyone's problem was. I reached down to grab the onions and when I looked down I realized that my left boob was hanging out!!!! Every time I would pull the front of my jacket down in the store, my t-shirt underneath would roll up a little. After doing this throughout the store, my shirt had rolled up so it was sitting just above my boobs. As I was running to get the onions, the top button on my jacket came open and my left boob popped out. I wanted to die!!! I quickly closed my jacket up, grabbed the onions and slinked back to the checkout. I'm sure I looked like someone who was stealing something because I was making a conscious effort to keep my jacket closed. We paid for everything quickly and left. When we got out into the parking lot, "George" asked me what was wrong. I opened up my jacket and showed him my dilemma. He laughed so hard, I thought he was gonna pass out! I told this story to the girls on the team I bowled with and to this day, I still hear it told back to me!! It was pretty bad!

Embarrassing moments Part One

Ok...so I'm going to divulge a couple of my most embarrassing moments to y'all.

Today's moment:

Last week Friday, Scotto, Andy and I went to the post office on our way out of town. I had two packages to ship out to my customers and so I went in alone and Scott and Andy stayed in the car. I went in, there was no line so I got right up there, had everything taken care of. I walked out of the building and there are four steps leading down to the sidewalk. I have been having dizziness issues lately so I was being very careful about walking down those steps. I got to the bottom of the steps and walked to the car. I grabbed the door handle and found that the door was locked. I did what any normal person would do...I knocked on the window and said (rather loudly) "Hey, lemme in!". Right after I said that, I looked into the car and staring back at me was the face of a woman I don't know. She was talking on the cell phone and looking at me as if I'd just escaped from an insane asylum! I realized then that I was trying to get in the wrong car! I could instantly feel my face get very hot and red. I walked away from her car and headed for our car parked right behind her. I opened my car door and the lady in front of us got out of her car and headed toward the post office. I just looked at her and said "I am SO sorry!". She was really nice about it and said back, "That's ok!". I got in our car and I looked at Scott and said to him, "Why didn't you honk the horn or something?". He said that he thought maybe I was doing a favor for someone and grabbing a package out of their car. I put my face into my hands and I didn't move until we were far away from the post office.

Now, I...like many people in the world have occasionally walked in on people in bathroom stalls where the door wasn't locked. That's embarrassing enough...but I have NEVER tried to get into another person's vehicle! All I could think about for the next hour was what would have happened if her car door hadn't been locked! I would have gotten in that car!! Funny thing is, her car didn't look anything like ours. We have a green Pontiac Grand Prix. Her car was a dusty blue and I think it was a Honda or Toyota or something like that.

Scott has been telling a lot of jokes lately, at my expense of course. He thinks it's hysterical that I would try to get into someone else's car. Everytime we drive by a car he likes, he'll say, "Hey, you should get in that one!" That man sometimes...I swear I could just smack him! LOL

Trees

Two tall trees, a birch and a beech, are growing in the woods. A small
tree begins to grow between them, and the beech says to the birch, "Is that
a son of a beech or a son of a birch?" The birch says he cannot tell. Just
then a woodpecker lands on the sapling. The birch says, "Woodpecker, you
are a tree expert. Can you tell if that is a son of a beech or a son of a
birch?"

The woodpecker takes a taste of the small tree. He replies, "It is neither
a son of a beech nor a son of a birch. It is, however, the best piece of
ash I have ever put my pecker in."

I'm Who????

You're Lili St. Cyr!


What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


I stole this from Livey

Prayers and Love

My best friend is one of the greatest people I've ever met. She's kind, funny, straight-forward, strong and yet gentle. She also has a developmentally delayed son. He's 2 years old and one of the cutest little boys I've ever seen. In his short life, he's been through more medical problems than some 40 year olds I know.

His latest issue is called tethered cord. His spinal cord is tethered to the back inside of his body. It extends further than it should and is creating problems for him with regards to developing his standing and walking skills. Today, that little man is in surgery. It's a long surgery that hopefully at the end has a tremendous amount of promise for his future. The surgery is not meant to fix the problems he already has, but to stop new problems from forming. Once the surgery is finished, they intend on keeping him sedated for 3 days in order to keep him from moving around too much. He's such a fantastic little boy and it really pulls on the heart strings to see him going through so much in his life. My love and prayers will always be with that little boy.

Throughout this all, his parents...my best friend and her husband have been like rocks. They have taken everything that life has given them with such grace and patience. As much as they hate what life has given their son, they are stronger now that they've experienced all they have. She's always saying to me that he's their miracle baby and God must have given him to them for a reason. She always believes that if God has this much faith in her, to give her a special needs child...she's going to make of it the very most she can.

She, her hubby and their son have ALL my love today. I wish I could be there with them, to hold their hands and give them the emotional support they so need. They understand why I can't...and they know I'm merely a phone call away. Whatever they need...I will be there.

Hugs to them all!

Whatta weekend

Well, my birthday/anniversary weekend is now over. Yeah, Scott and I got married on my birthday, 6 years ago! LOL

Friday night we went to a nice supper club. It wasn't bad, but kinda expensive for whatcha get. Y'all know how those places are. But it was nice to get out.

We had no kids all weekend, so we could do whatever we chose to do. On Saturday, we were going to head on down to my parents' bowling alley, but on our way down there, my mom called to let us know they weren't going to be there that night. So we thought about going to a movie. Well by the time we got back toward the movie theater, we changed our minds. So we stopped, grabbed some movie food and such. Then we rented 3 movies and stayed home alone doing that. It was really nice.

Yesterday we went driving. We've got bear up here and lately they've been out and about alot. I have yet to see one, but I hear they're around. So we went driving to find one so I could take a picture. No bear were to be found, however we did see a pack of 5 dogs, a bunch of geese and some cranes. I got some great pics of the colors changing on the leaves though, so I'm happy about that. I got some good ones of the Highground too. Great war memorials there! I'm thinking of making a post with those. We'll see how it goes.

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah

They say it's my birthday!!!!


*giggles*

Well it's official...

Yesterday afternoon, Scotto put in his 2-weeks notice at a job he's had for 29 years. It was such a hard day for him. Mixed feelings on SO many levels left him confused and irritable. I wanted to be there for him. To tell him he made the right decision. To tell him it was ok. To tell him that I understand how hard it had to have been for him. But as any good wife knows, a man doesn't talk 'til a man is good and ready to talk. So last night, about 10:30pm, he was good and ready lol.

The company that he's been working for for the past 29 years is a company that I'm POSITIVE he was thinking he'd retire at. Unfortunately, this is one of those companies that believes that the grass is greener on the other side of the border. The intent is to move all the plants down to Mexico within the next two years. Right now, it's just a rumor. But I have worked at the company he has been working at, that's how I met him. The rumor mill at this company is more reliable than any line of crap that flies out of the mouths of managers there.

He had no choice. It was jump or be pushed. This job has already taken us 250 miles away from all of our family when the plant he originally worked for closed and he was transferred up here. Not that we don't love it up in the Northwoods area of our beautiful state, but all of our family is southeast. Not here. Here, we have no one. Nothing but this job.

My loving husband has always said that there were only two jobs he'd ever leave his current job for. Well, he got one of those jobs. He knows our future with this new company looks very bright. It's not his head that's screaming at him now though. It's his heart. Twenty-nine years of loyalty and lay-offs and hard times, and overtimes...it is all suddenly running through his head like a lifetime of memories flashing before one at the end of their life.

I feel for him, I really do. I wish there were more that I could do. What I DID do was sit down with him, next to him. I held his hand. I told him that no matter what he chose to do, I'd be by his side 100%. I told him that as hard as it was giving notice for his job, deep down we knew it was the right thing to do. This new job has so much promise for the future of the whole family, and I know he realizes as much. It's hard to explain to the man that you love that he's not leaving because HE is disloyal, but because he works for a company that was disloyal to him. It's hard for a man to leave a job he loved even if it was with a company he didn't.

I hate to see him hurting. He's so strong, you'd never know there was a problem if you didn't know him for as long as I have. We ended our conversation last night with a very long hug. He looked me in my eyes and said "I may need this pep talk again next week". Next week, and every day in between, I'll be right here, heart open...mind open to give him whatever he needs.

So I was thinking...

Does anyone remember ever having telephones in their classrooms as children? (No fair Guy, we all know telephones didn't exist back then *giggles*) I don't ever remember having a telephone in my homeroom or any other room for that matter. My son just called me from his homeroom. I mean really from his homeroom! Practically right from his desk! I can hear his teacher in the background, talking. And he calls...

Was it important you ask?

Was a limb falling off?

Was he near bleeding to death?


NO SIREE BOB!

He was calling home to ask if his friend Dustin could come over after school so they could practice their band instruments together!

It is so hard for me to fathom HOW he managed to get the teacher to OK that phone call!

Here's how the scenario plays out in my head...

My son: Pardon me, Mrs. E...may I use the phone to call my mom?
Mrs. E: What for?
My son: I need to find out if Dustin can come over to my house after school.
Mrs. E: Why sure!!! Wanna call Kansas too?? Please, help yourself to the phone! NO, I mean it...REALLY!! Take it with you!

What is WRONG with these schools now-a-days??? They have NO money for school nurses anymore, so if your child gets sick, he/she runs down to the office where the secretary hands the kid a phone to call mom or dad and have them picked up. Yet...they have enough money to install telephones in EVERY classroom for the children to use freely??

Ya know, they have computers and a place to eat too. All they need to do is install Play Station 2 and I'll never see my son again!

Yaaaaaaaaay!!!

I gots me a purty new windshield!!! It's so beautiful!! It's clear, it's glass, it's NOT broken!!!

I'm in heaven!!

(course my hood still dented, but I don't care lol)

well....I CARE, but I can drive it. THAT'S what I care about. Ya know, it's kinda funny. When you look at the car just right you can actually see the outline of the deer we hit. I think it would be cool to leave it there as a momentum for us and a threat to any other sumbitch deer wantin' to hit my car!!!

Slinky People

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKYS
THEY AREN'T GOOD FOR MUCH
BUT THEY STILL MAKE YOU SMILE
WHEN YOU PUSH THEM DOWN THE STAIRS


And with that, I will say AAAAAAAAMEN!

Disaster on the Highway

Ok, I'm going to start this story out with a little background.

Every weekend, we drive 3.5 hours one way to pick up my stepson and drop off my son at his dad's house. Then we turn around, drive home and two days later, we make the trip all over again, only in reverse. We do this EVERY WEEKEND.

Ok so here's how it went...

Friday we went down and came back up completely uneventful. Then yesterday, we went down there without any problems and on the way home, about 2 hours from here, we had a blowout on the highway. Other than it being dark outside, there was really no big deal about it. We put the donut on and away we went. We got to about 20 miles from the house. It was dark and kinda foggy. A deer was trotting along from the left side of the highway to the right. We had no time to stop. No way to swerve and we hit it pretty hard. It was a HUGE buck. It hit my hood, then hit the windshield, then rolled up on top of my car and scratched the shit outta my roof, then came down, scratched the back window and the trunk before it finally hit the ground.

Sexual Hell

I saw this Here and couldn't help but take the test myself. Here's my score. Thanks Livey!!

HELL LEVEL 2 Raw score: 80%

You're just about as deep in sexual hellfire as a person can get. Virtually no urge, however demented, will go ungratified; practically no boundary will go uncrossed. You're probably proud of your adventurousness, and, honestly, you should be. Few people are confident enough to pursue pleasure on their own terms. Your morals could sink a bit further, sure, but it's likely that you've got a pretty good idea of what you're into and what you would do...above all you're honest with yourself with what you want. If more people were honest with themselves, you'd have a lot more company down in the flames. AVOID: the lost souls in sexual heaven and (above all) the denizens of sexual purgatory. You don't need any prudes or wishy-washers in your life.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 57% on hellishness

Link: The Sexual HELL Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

Other little doodads I came across

Too Much Coffee Man

Came across this. It sure does sum up how alot of us are feeling lately.

Frozen Tundra

Good Lord, I woke up this morning and boy, was I shivering!!! It was 38 degrees this morning when I woke up. As of now it is still only 40 degrees outside. As I sit here, I can't help but think that I'd be a little happier snuggled up in my nice warm bed. Ahhhhhhhhh bed...lovely bed....comfy bed...warm be...huh? what? Sorry!! Got distracted. Where was I? Oh yeah, it's cold. It's like the state of Wisconsin somehow heard that autumn just started. Autumn started and Mother Nature said "WAIT!! Oh yeah, it's suppose to be COLD in Wisconsin now!" and then WHAM!! we're all freezing. Anyone got room for one more person somewhere in the south?? I promise I won't get in the way.

We need help please

A long-time friend of mine has a daughter named Lindsey. She is now 19-years old. A year ago, she was diagnosed with malignant schwannoma, a cancer that forms in the lower half of the body usually. She went through a round of chemo, radiation and surgery and they managed to remove the cancer from her leg. Now, they have found that her cancer has spread through her bloodstream and into her lungs. She's so very young. She has a VERY long uphill battle with this, as 5-year survival rate is considered unlikely. The fact that she is so young will work to her advantage here, but she needs to know that there are MANY people on her side now as she fights for her life.

This is a card drive. I have the name and address of this beautiful young lady and I would LOVE if you all could please send her a card to let her know she's not alone in all of this. I think it will really lift her spirits and give her the strength she needs to fight this terrible disease!

If you'd like to send a card to Lindsey, please e-mail me at andis@tds.net and I'll be more than happy to give you the address to send an encouraging card to.

Please please...help if you can, she really needs it!

Thanks so much all,
Andi

Blog Spammers?

Now I'm even getting spammers on my blog?? What the hell is that?? Internet folks aren't safe anywhere anymore. I find it completely ridiculous that when I open my comments to my blog, I find spammers trying to get me to come to their sites by telling me how great my site is. Well thanks alot, they're right...it IS great, but don't expect me to be a visitor of theirs anytime real soon!

One Funny Guy!

I just happened across THIS article. It was originally printed Feb. 27, 2000 but it absolutely applies today. He is so funny, I LOVE reading his articles. Go check it out and see for yourself what I mean.

Just a Reminder...

The website to go to...to order my frames (customized to your liking) is...


http://uniqueandi.tripod.com


They make AWESOME gifts!!

New Pain Reliever...Money???

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline finally had their baby. I'm thrilled for them and I'm sure they're excited about what lies ahead.

Here's what chaps my ass...


A couple of weeks ago, Britney said something to the affect of how she was pretty certain she was going to have surgery. That she hoped she could have this baby via c-section. And miraculously, IT HAPPENED! So now if one has enough money, they can completely bipass the pain involved in child birth and have the baby CUT out? What is that???

I guess one can only come away with one of two lessons here...If you wish for something hard enough (like a c-section), amazingly it'll come to you! Or...Money can buy EVERYTHING!!!

The Reason I'm So Tired

For a couple years I've been blaming it on lack of sleep, not enough sunshine, too much pressure from my job, earwax build-up, poor blood or anything else I could think of.

But now I found out the real reason: I'm tired because I'm overworked.

Here's why:

The population of this country is 273 million.

140 million are retired.

That leaves 133 million to do the work.

There are 85 million in school.

Which leaves 48 million to do the work.

Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government.

Leaving 19 million to do the work.

2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied with killing Saddam Hussein.

Which leaves 16.2 million to do the work.

Take from the total the 14.8 million people who work for state government.

And that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.

At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals.

Leaving 1,212,000 to do the work.

Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons.

That leaves just two people to do the work.

You and me.

And there you are sitting on your butt, at your computer, reading jokes.

Nice, real nice.

Ughhhhhhh!!

Stupid people PISS ME OFF!

I went to the doctor on 5/10/04...yes 04!! The dr office sent a claim to my insurance company. They got no response. They sent two more claims, with the same result. FINALLY, nine months after they sent the last claim, they sent me a letter telling me they haven't received payment for that date of service. So I call my insurance company and they say "We never got a claim for that date of service". So I call the dr. back and tell them to fax over a new claim. My insurance company reprocesses the claim and denies it because the time between the date of service 5/10/04 and the time the claim was filed 8/17/04 was more than 15 months. So I call the insurance company back. They say to call the doctor's office and have them fax proof that they sent claims to them PRIOR to the 15 month period ended. So I call the doctor back, they have NO idea what I'm talking about. They don't have a date of service with that date, they have no idea what I am saying. They have no recollection about any of it. So I call the doctor himself. They gave me a new number to call. So I call them, FINALLY she says, "yeah, it's right here. I'll send it out right away". I was beginning to think I was losing my mind!

I swear, I wanna just collect the addresses of every idiot slacker that has NO clue how to do their job and just take some vacation time, driving around beating the ever-loving SHIT outta each and everyone of them! But I won't. I'll sit in my little hole of the world taking stupid people's crap everytime something like this happens, just like the rest of the free-world.

My new website

Hey all! I got my business site finished.

http://uniqueandi.tripod.com


I know it's a free site, but until I start makin money in this business of mine, I can only afford free things. LOL

Please, let me know what you think of it.

One busy lil' beaver

Take that title however you see fit.

I'm gonna be one busy girl for awhile now. I have 4 orders for custom picture frames and 1 order for a nameplate mosaic. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOVE having all these orders and seeing things take-off for me finally. I'm so happy!

Busy isn't such a bad thing. Just means I can't get into any trouble for awhile. I know, it's sad. Badasses are just gonna have to do without me for awhile. I'm a WORKIN girl! lol


Woooohooooo!

Forceful Evacuation

Ya know, this is a tough one for me. I STRONGLY believe that property-owners should be allowed to do what they please on their property. That includes staying on said property should a disaster occur. However, I also believe that America as a whole should be able to protect its people against imminent danger. It's so hard for me to wrap my brain around either concept at this point. I want to see those people be evacuated and taken care of. I don't want to see anymore people die in this disaster. However, I can't help but think that if someone wants to stay in their home on their property during a disaster, even if it means they will most certainly die doing so, it's their right to do so. Isn't it? Like I said...tough one for me.

OMG

I was just peeking into my site meter details and found out that someone managed to get to MY blog by typing into MSN's search engine the words "Big boobs live cam". LOL Them search engines can be pretty quirky things. I'm thinking maybe this person got misdirected here by my August 1, 2005 posting called "Lumpy Boobs and Doctor Tales".

Things that make you go "WHAT?!?"

I came acrossthis article through Snopes. Honestly, I'm darn-near speechless. I'm sure she meant no harm in saying what she said, but one would think that after being the First Lady, she would have a little more finesse in saying the things that are on her mind.

Memorials

I was reading this article on Yahoo News this morning. When they described the memorial they are going to build for the Pennsylvania 9/11 crash victims, I was building this mental picture in my mind. I could actually hear the sounds that memorial will make in the light breezes of spring.

It's been almost 4 years since the attacks, and I'm really happy to finally be seeing how they intend on memorializing the people who lost their lives in that terrible tragedy. Now I just can't wait until I can make the trip out east to see these memorial pieces.