Friday Fragments: Good News/Bad News

Another Friday, and another Friday fragments...Today's theme is, "Good News, Bad News."

...I pushed and pushed yesterday, being a pest, but I FINALLY heard back from the surgeon about the moles. The surgeon said he wants to take the moles out in two different procedures - which means TWO surgeries - but at least we're going to get them taken care of. That's the good news...the bad news is, I will have to wait at least another week to have the surgeries since we're leaving town.

...we leave tomorrow for Florida, where we get to move into the new house that we bought last month. It is going to be exciting to have a winter home to escape the cold winters of Kansas City. The bad news is, Tropical Storm Bonnie is going to be dumping lots of rain on us as we visit...

...the good news is, school starts in three weeks! And I'm sorry - there IS no bad news for that, as much as my kids may disagree with me!

...the good news: we've had lots and lots of showings at our old house, which has now been on the market for three weeks. The bad news is, we've had offers - but not the offer we want, and some with contingencies...so, it's not sold. Yet.

And I guess that's it! I don't really have a lot of bad news, actually. I try to stay positive and upbeat through life, so it's difficult for me to find and focus on bad news. In the scope of things, life is good, and we'll tackle this latest challenge on the moles with a positive attitude and prayer and hope.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Peace.

Friday Fragments: The Summer Edition

A gorgeous Friday here in the Heartland, and I have nothing but fragments...

1. A cramp in my leg was my wake-up call this morning...ACK! I hate that. I kicked up my jogging a little yesterday on the treadmill, and I think this is the result. I won't be jogging today - as I am doing good to limp today.

2. I love the 99-cent Sonic sundaes after 8:00 p.m. Hot fudge is one of the best foods ever invented.

3. I played Boat Bunko the other night...picture four pontoon boats with 20 wild women, and you get the picture. Lots of fun, laughter and good times. I had the most wins of the night - that NEVER happens, so its worth mentioning.

The ladies of Boat Bunko in Winnebago....

4. I leave for Guatemala in one week...frantically getting last-minute things ready for my family to carry on without me for 10 days. We'll be feeding orphaned children in Guatemala City - I hope to have some amazing stories when I get back of how this mission trip has touched me.

5. Still waiting to hear from the lab on my 3 moles that were removed last week....praying for good news....

6. Went and watched 17-year old son pitch the other night...his new coach has "tweaked" his curve ball, and it's not as effective as what his "old" curve ball was. Baseball is 90% psychological - son is now struggling with his pitching, and it's hard as a Mom to watch. I can't wait for this summer season to end so we can kiss this coach goodbye and son can get back to his old routine and his old curveball, which was VERY effective.


7. I love Top Chef on Bravo TV...as well as the Real Housewife series...my guilty summertime viewing pleasures....

8. "Wipeout" on ABC makes me laugh...

9. Was driving home the other afternoon, and a Mama Deer and her baby fawn were on the side of the road. Because I take my camera everywhere, I managed to snag a photo. The fawn was too cute - but has a tendency to sometimes stand in the middle of the road, according to neighbors' reports. The fawn needs to learn an important lesson about cars...and deer...before it's too late.


10. Am I the only non-Twilight fan in the country? I struggled through the first book, gave up in the 2nd book, and haven't even picked up the 3rd or 4th books...I won't be watching the movies.

11. I AM reading a series of books now by the author Randy Wayne White...his "Doc Ford" books are pretty awesome. I'm in Book #3 right now - and there's 17. Yikes. I need to get going on that reading!

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Friday Fragments: The Rain Edition

A rainy day on Friday...

...somewhat happy for this, as the rain means it will wash away all of the pollen that is currently driving me insane.

...tonight, Daughter heads off for a Girl Scout campout....and although I'm the leader, I am NOT the camper...and I am blessed to have other mothers in the troop who LOVE camping, and will thus take the girls for the next 2 days...I hope they don't get too wet or too cold.

...which means Hubby and I will have a date night - not sure what we're going to do, but we'll figure it out...probably dinner and a movie.

...will be spending the weekend working at the old house, getting it that much closer to putting on the market. Today, new carpet and granite countertops are being installed. Hubby said the old house is getting such a makeover that I may regret moving out of it to the lake house. We'll see.

...continuing my intense exercise regime lately - and I'm seeing results...I've been trying to do some major arm work on the weights - and running on the treadmill every night. I'm up to 2 miles each night, but would love to be doing a 5K every night. Gotta ways to go, though...my legs get sore when I push it up to the 5K. I'm also doing crunches and push-ups...only up to 25 right now, but working my way up to 50. Very hard.

...the bird who crashed into my window earlier this week is at again today....every few minutes, BAM! Into my window. Silly bird - you'd think he would know better by now.

...have spent the last two days doing major work for the Red Cross, in preparation for spring storms, floods and summer hurricanes. I'm exhausted.

That's it for now...hope everyone else has a great Friday!

Peace.

Friday Fragments: The Florida Edition

It's another Friday in the blogging world, which means that my brain can only think in fragments. So, here we go with another exciting episode of Friday Fragments:



...Kansas City just got walloped this morning with a severe, damaging storm...winds up to 70 miles an hour, toppling trucks, blowing down power lines, and ripping off roofs. Power is out in a lot of places, and a lot of tree damage. I HATE wind storms...I really do. They absolutely freak me out. And the irony of living right in Tornado Alley...that's just wrong. I need to move....



...speaking of moving, hubby and I are seriously considering a move to Florida. He's close to retirement; I'm already retired; and we want to go where it's WARM! This snowy weather just sucks. We've been looking at houses online, but we are planning an actual trip in June so we can meet with a realtor and look at some properties. The Cape Coral/Captiva/Fort Meyers area is calling our name....(and believe me, if a hurricane was coming, I'd be evacuating!!!! Actually, I'd probably be working it - with the Red Cross, but that's another story.)




...if we lived in Florida, I'd be just that much closer to Mickey Mouse and his House. I'm just sayin'.....



...besides Easter, we're celebrating family birthdays this weekend. I'll be hosting the dinner/Easter egg hunt/Birthday party at my house. I have 96 eggs to hide. Seriously. I have 8 "teams" that need to find a dozen eggs apiece, so I need to get busy and get them hid. I was going to hide them outside, but today - they'd be blown clear to Florida.




...hey, check out The Blog Rollers...one of my blogging buddies, La'Tonya, at 40 - Reasons to Live, Love and Laugh Out Loud is today's featured blogger...and she gave a shout-out to me in her feature! I am blown away! (Okay - no pun intended...considering today's windstorms here in KC!)



...I love my new car...I really do. It's "hot."

And it goes really, really fast. Not that I speed or anything (snort), but I do like cars that go fast. And make throaty engine sounds when they do it.



Speaking of cars, I guess I'd better go vacuum mine. Pathetic as it sounds, vacuuming my car is what I do every Friday. I don't like "crumblies" in my car - it's my OCD - so off I go.

Happy Good Friday, everyone!

Peace.

Friday Fragments

...am I the only person in the world who has not seen "Avatar"?

...why are the Olympics on a tape-delay when the last I checked, Vancouver is just north of us - and not halfway around the world? It really sucks when I already know who won what before I even watch that night....

...why is it that my children still won't wear a coat to school when it's 20 degrees outside and a wind chill in the teens?

...if we can have a show as inane as "The Jersey Shore", can we have a show based on where I live called "The Kansas Plains"? Do you think it would fly?

...why does my cat have nothing to do with me until I sit down with my laptop in my lap - and then he insists on sitting right on top of the keyboard?

...am I alone in thinking that Lady GaGa is very courageous in her wardrobe choices? I don't always agree with them - but I give her credit for her courage.

...would anyone care if "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" resumed filming again on TLC? Would anyone watch?

...why does it always snow the day after I wash my car?

...why do 16-year old boys always smell a little like a gym locker room?

...just wondering....

Friday Fragments

Another Friday...my Friday Fragments today are some thoughts and observations I have on current events. (If you remember, my dear Hubby seems to think I need to include current events in my blog - so this is to appease him, somewhat....)

...I keep dreaming about Haiti...I'm not sure if this is because my brain is full of the images I keep seeing all over the television, or if perhaps God is calling me to go there....It's the faces of the children that are filling my dreams and tearing at my heart strings...

...at this point, the American Red Cross is sending money to Haiti, but is not sending "domestic" volunteers, such as myself. They are utilizing the International volunteers only...I will be an International volunteer at some point in the future, I hope, but with children still at home, it's just not possible for me to do this now. If the ARC begins sending domestic volunteers, they will give priority to French-speaking volunteers - and that's not me. I speak Spanish - albeit, basic Spanish - but alas, no French.

...the situation in Haiti makes everything else seem so trivial - and ironically, the biggest "story" in our news, second to Haiti, seems to be the shake-up at NBC and "The Tonight Show." Frankly, I don't care. I really don't. If I'm even still awake after the 10:00 p.m. news, I like to watch re-runs of mindless comedies - so if it's Conan or Leno - I really don't care...

...a year ago today, "The Miracle on the Hudson" happened. Captain Sully and his heroic actions that day still warms my heart....

...I'm about ready to cancel my subscription to People Magazine. Last week, I'm subjected to the horrific image of Kate Gosselin and her $7,000 hair extensions, and this week, it's the horrific image of Heidi Montag and her 10 plastic surgeries done on one day. Do I really need to know this? Really? I don't think so. Good-bye, People. It was nice - but I think it's time for me to move on...

...airport security is beefed up - yet again - due to the looming threats from our ever-present terrorist friends. Coming home last week from Jamaica, we were subjected to several intense searches - bags, our bodies - as we boarded the plane. I am all for the searches - the more, the better - if it thwarts the plans of the bad guys. Heck, I'm in favor of the body scan x-rays that are controversial - I want the good guys to do whatever it takes to make flying safe, however inconvenient it may be...

...the 2nd wave of H1N1 seems to have subsided, and yet medical experts are warning of a 3rd wave coming soon...I didn't get vaccinated and I wonder if I should...I always worry about "new" vaccines and the potential long-term side effects from said shots...

...and that's it...my ramblings are over. Just some thoughts on the news...and with that said, I'll go enjoy my Friday. I hope all of you enjoy yours!

Peace.

Welcome!

Wow...my first entry in my first-ever blog! How exciting! I have been reading other people's blogs for years - and have always been intrigued by various posts, thoughts, words, etc. Now it's my turn...will I intrigue someone? Will my blog be inspiring? Interesting? Boring? Hmmm... I guess only time will tell.

What do I hope to accomplish? I'm not sure...I used to keep a journal for many years - especially when I was in college. It's now interesting to pick up the old journal and browse through it - well, it's beyond interesting - it's rather amusing! So, perhaps this blog will be amusing years from now; who knows?

So...sit back; enjoy the ride...I hope you enjoy my blogging.

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Today sucked. 

Going to sleep last night was "The Impossible Dream". After much tossing and turning, I slept fitfully for a few hours - only to be awakened by a shrill telephone ringing at 5:57 am. UGH! It's a recorded message - school today for the kiddies is canceled due to snow. Thanks a lot - I REALLY needed to know that at 5:57 AM!!!  NOT!!!  

So - we have snow...lots of it. After dragging my tired butt out of bed - I begin the slow process of putting on many, many layers of warm clothing, in preparation of going outside to shovel the **!!## stuff. What's that line from "A Christmas Story"? I had so many layers on, I looked like a tick ready to pop. Hubby had already gone to work, so it befell to me to go out into the cold and shovel...and shovel...and shovel some more. Joy to the world, and all that.

Moving snow from driveway to a huge pile in the yard is now complete - and time to come in to dry and warm up. 

I am a volunteer with the American Red Cross - have been now for over 3 years, ever since Hurricane Katrina. Besides national disasters, part of my volunteer work involves being on call 24 hours a month for local disasters - particularly house fires. Today is Tuesday - and that means I am on call from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm - just like every Tuesday. At exactly 9:01 am, my phone rings - there's a duplex on fire nearby, and the dispatcher asks if I can go. Normally, I would jump in my car and be all over it - but with the snow day - the kiddies are home from school - and no babysitter....so, I am very sorry - but I can't go. I truly feel bad - but dispatcher reassures me that there are several other volunteers he can call today; not to worry. However, I hear later that the one of the duplex residents slipped on ice (from the firemen's hoses) and broke his wrist. Ouch. What a sucky day to have a fire - and I empathize with the duplex tenants, and silently offer up a prayer that they are doing okay tonight.

So, the morning moves on....I have been having stomach pain for several months now - to the point that I have sought medical attention. I had a CAT scan last week - and today my doctor calls to tell me that "lesions" are showing on both my liver and pancreas. He's hoping that the lesions are nothing more than benign cysts - but I need to go in next week for an MRI. More joy - don't you just love going in for medical tests??

You would think this would be enough for one day - but OH NO - the day is not over. Hubby comes home early from work - at 2:00 pm - as we are supposed to meet with our financial advisor at 3:00 pm. Hubby walks in - hears a strange noise coming from the north side of the house - and realizes that our water pipes had frozen - and had now burst. We rush down to our (finished) basement and find 3" of water coating the top of our carpets. OMG! Will this day never end??! We shut off the water; call a plumber; rush up to buy a Wet Vac - and proceed to pull everything out and begin the drying off process. More joy to the world, and all that.

So - what a day. If I truly think about it, though, it really could have been so much worse. My issues and problems are so trivial compared to what others are going through. Yes, there was snow - but we still had electricity. Yes, I got "possible" bad news on a medical test - but there's still hope that it can turn out to be benign. Yes, my basement flooded - but I still have a warm house that didn't burn down. So, I guess I truly DO have things to be joyful for...Life IS good. 

Be sure to do your part today to save the world - one act at a time, one day at a time.

Drama Queen