Guess where I found this?

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You live to have fun, and your sense of humor is downright goofy. You are a big kid on the inside, and you have a very open heart. You try to make every day feel like a vacation, even if you have other responsibilities. Each day, you make a little bit of time to play and let loose. Your ideal warm weather place: Disney World

The Flip Flop Test

That's right...over at Sandy's! And this description is totally me...except that I'm not so much a Disney World person, I don't think!
I had a great weekend...caught up on my sleep, finally, and we took Mom out to dinner for her birthday at MY favorite restaurant! After church last night we sat and visited at Arby's and just had a relaxing time with some of the people from church, and I stayed up late last night. , doI had nowhere to be this morning (the school-age girls spent the night with my MIL), so I could sleep in! Ah...how late would I sleep? Turns out I started tossing and turning around 5:30, then woke up about every half hour or so until around 8:30, at which point I decided that sleeping in was more trouble than it was worth and I was getting up.
I worked on the grocery list all morning...it had been literally months since I had made an exhaustive list and gone shopping. Today's list was exhaustive in every way, including the way it felt to push the stuff through the store, load it in the car, and put it away when we got home (I'm so grateful to have healthy teenagers to bring them in for me!! :)) I spent more money than I had...ever, I think, at once...on groceries, dog food, cat food, cleaning supplies, etc, etc, etc...but we were out of EVERYTHING...I won't have to do this every week (thank goodness!)
I tried a new recipe tonight from my new cookbook...and it was delicious (and healthy, so NO FUSSING from the diet police!) Jamie and Bobby Deen had some shish-kebabs in their cookbook that looked awesome, and ridiculously easy, and I had never made them before, so I gave it a shot. It was just bell pepper, red onion, mushrooms, and sirloin steak marinated in bottled Italian dressing and grilled...ooooooohh! I made corn on the cob and we broke out a bag of salad and feasted like kings. The kids all liked it (the meat and mushrooms, anyway...they turned up their noses big-time at the onions and peppers, but that was OK...more for me!) so it's a keeper...I'll make it again.The only difficulty I had was that smack dab in the middle of cooking the things I heard a "pfft" and one of my flames went out...then "pfft", then another...and it repeated until they were all out...my gas tank was empty! Oh joy! So I had to unhook the thing, haul it down the road to the nearest Blue Rhino dealer, and swap out tanks. Hubby was home when I got home, thankfully, because I wasn't really excited about getting it back up the stairs onto the deck. He hauled it back up and hooked it up and we fired it up and got back to work. I wasn't too annoyed about it...I had been expecting it to happen for some time now...this is the first time we've had to refill the tank since we got the grill last June (and during the summer, I use it around once a week, so we got some pretty good mileage out of that tank!). I love onions, but they don't agree with me, so I am suffering a bit tonight for overindulging, but I'm not sorry :)
OK...enough chitchat...off to bed! Love you all! :)

Did you know.........

...I'm sure that you did, since most of you can hear better than I can...but did you know that these make a sound when they fall from the trees? I had no idea, until a couple of weeks ago...I was amazed!
 

Ahhhhhhhh!

I seriously didn't think I'd make it to 6:00 last night...knowing that it was the last day made the hours drag on even more slowly than usual, I think. It finally came, however, and I hugged my way out the door. It wasn't sad...I mean, I live at that store anyway...we buy all our groceries there...and will see all my buddies several times a week. I did nearly break down just from the relief of being done, though. I have only realized just in the past few weeks how stressful it's been for me trying to juggle everything, and I really just don't know how much longer I could have handled it all. I loved my job...especially my customers...I really learned a lot about myself and who I am and what I want while I was working...but I also learned that enough is enough, and I have to take a bit better care of myself!
It was SO nice this morning to be able to sleep in. I have worked every single Saturday since December 4th, I think...with the very rare exception of a few Saturdays where I specifically asked off...and those Saturdays I usually had big plans that involved being up and zooming around all day long...so I never got to rest and relax. I didn't sleep as late as I probably would have otherwise, since Ellie came in and started poking me around 8:30 (I waved her away, but she kept coming back...bad girl!). I should be outside playing, but it's kind of cool out, so I'm staying in and catching up on a few things in here (I'm recharging my camera battery and when that's all done, my rosebushes are blooming, so I'll go out for that!). We were going to go out and celebrate my last day of work last night, but I was frankly too tired to do much celebrating, so we ran to get Mexican and then came home and crashed. Tonight we may be going out for dinner again...not sure yet.
I was so tired that I didn't even know there WERE storms last night (one of the things about being deaf is that if there's a tornado outside at night, the only way you'll know is if you wake up several blocks away in the neighbors' backyard) and woke up this morning to find that there had been several more tornadoes in Arkansas and Tennessee. As far as I can tell from what I'm reading online, they weren't even close to our county...*whew*. We did have a good bit of rain, so hubby and the kids didn't get to go do their usual yardwork thing today (although they are planting me a new Southern Magnolia tree today...hooray!).
One thing on my to-do list is to sit down and make a serious menu and go grocery shopping. That's one thing that I have simply not been able to do in months. I have worked such long, strange hours that cooking was something that rarely happened. I would throw together tacos or chili dogs or sandwiches...occasionally, I'd grill or crock-pot something, but I just didn't have the energy to plan and prepare for real meals. We ate out more than I liked and whatever money I made was probably spent in junk food...ha! I got a new cookbook the other day, and have several great recipes that I've picked up in this magazine or that lately, and am ready to start feeding my family again! I have missed playing in the kitchen!
My new cookbook is The Deen Brothers' Y'all Come Eat. I bought their first cookbook last year and liked it, but I like this one better. As a matter of fact, I'm going out on a limb and saying that this looks like one of my favorite cookbooks ever. The food is unabashedly Southern and nearly every recipe is simple and looks delicious. There are actually a few HEALTHY recipes in there (Southern? and healthy? an oxymoron if I've ever heard one!) and there are tons of colorful pictures. I give it five stars, myself...there wasn't anything I didn't like about it. If you're a fan of the Deen family, treat yourself to this book!!
A few shout-outs...my mom's birthday was yesterday...Happy Birthday, Mom! My brother-in-law and preacher are in Germany...they will get back Monday...keep them in your prayers, please. And last but in no way least, one of my very favorite bloggers had his cochlear implant activated Thursday. Unlike most of the CI users I know, David didn't lose his hearing gradually...he lost it suddenly in a medical implosion last fall. He blogs with eloquence and wit and warmth over at Life In a Cone of Silence...the past few entries detail all the sounds he's able to hear once again after eight months of silence. It would be well worth your time to visit!!!
For all those of you that ask: my favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's is "Banana on the Rum". I don't drink, and have never tasted rum, and wouldn't have ever even given it a try if we hadn't been in a scoop shop in Pigeon Forge, TN, and been on the receiving end of free samples. I was hooked from the first bite...it's just perfectly delicious. If you get one scoop of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream and one of Bananas on the Rum, and eat them together, in addition to your heinie getting wider, you'll also think you've won the taste lottery...it's that good.
I hope you're all having super Saturdays, wherever you are...love you all! :)

Got Ben & Jerry's?

Today is Ben & Jerry's Free Scoop Day! The nearest B&J around here is an hour away...and with gas prices what they are, it would be cheaper for me to take all the kids to Dairy Queen and BUY ice cream...but maybe some of you are luckier and live close to one! I AM jealous, though...my favorite of all their flavors is not sold in stores :(. Will have to get some the next time I go to Vanderbilt!

Summer fun!

Just two more days of work now, before I'm officially retired for the summer. Part of the reason I was wanting to take time off this summer is because we have a lot going on...I'm going to a convention in June, the kids have camp in July, we have a vacation planned somewhere in there (more than likely in June or July...haven't decided exactly when yet), and I may have a few Dr. appointments in there (no cause for alarm...just an interesting turn of events, and if anything comes of it I'll post all about it). This will be Ellie's last summer before she starts school, and I want to enjoy the little one while she's still home (although there's a distinct possibility that she might make me crazy...she has her mama's gab gene). I know it all sounds like a lot, but there will be entire weeks when nothing's going on, and I don't want us to all sit around on our duffs all summer (although there may be some duff-sitting out by the wading pool I bought the little girls last week if the weather ever warms up). To that end, I am making some plans for summer fun...plans that can be done at my leisure and after nine AM most mornings in case I decide to sleep in :).
Sitemeter told me that someone took a look at my "50 before 50" list the other day, and it got me started thinking that it's been a year and a half since I started that list and I still have a long way to go. I looked over it a little while ago and there are some things that just are not going to happen (let's be practical here) and some things that are an ongoing work in progress, that won't end at 50, but will always require constant tweaking and shifting and praying. I plan to revise that list a bit over the next day or so...but there are a few things that I am wanting to accomplish THIS SUMMER, and I am going to post them here, today, in hopes that if I document them publicly I'll actually DO them.
So: here goes...
I'm going to tackle #14...learning American Sign Language...first. The girls ALL want to learn it, and I have been working on it off and on for nearly a year now. I know about 100 words, although that's just scratching the surface, and won't carry me very far in any decent conversation. My ultimate goal is to become a certified interpreter, but that won't happen this summer. This summer's goal is to learn enough to carry on basic conversations and be understood...and I think that's doable. Anyone wanna learn with me?
I would love to visit at least ONE of the places in #1-10...but we're still debating road trip vs. beach. I DO like the beach...but only for a couple of days, usually. This ADHD girl does better when there's a constant change of scenery, something always going on, something new and different every day. A beach house, the ocean, a couple of books, and seafood, are good for a couple of days...then I start getting restless and antsy. The kids love it, though, and I hate being a party pooper, so we usually go at least for a few days every year. I wish there was some way to combine the Great American Road Trip and beach...but the road trip to the beach we go to has been totally done to death. Maybe we need to look into a different beach!
I definitely want to do #23...drinking more water. I've gotten out of that habit at work, and need to get back into it!
I'm going to take a stab at #28...making a coconut cream pie to rival Marie Callendar's. I have already decided that my sister-in-law Lisa can be my guinea pig and help me determine when I have it right...she loves those pies nearly as much as I do. I have several good recipes lined up...now to see if any of them come anywhere near the mark!
I can do #39...hanging my collection of antique plates...I know I can...that can be done in an afternoon. I am not sure why I haven't done it before now!
And I'm going to try to get back to #45...taking better care of my body. I am bad about getting started on that and then falling off the wagon. I loved walking last summer but got out of the habit...I'm going to start that again. I talked to one of my doctors today and she wants me on hormone replacement therapy. I have resisted that idea pretty steadily for several years now but I've decided that it's time. I hope it will help my stress level, my moods, my sleep, and my health...we'll see. I've been bringing home junk from the store, and that's gone on just about long enough...from now on, I'm going to try to only bring home junk with the Blue Bell label on it...and try to make the rest of what we put into our bodies count. I will need cheerleaders for this one, I get the feeling!!
Will post more later...have to run to the store and pick up something for dinner. Hope everyone's having an awesome Monday! :)

SO tired!

After a week of working and playing hard, I was looking forward to going in for a few hours this morning and then heading out to take advantage of the sales tax holiday. The schedule showed that I was supposed to work 7-11...so I dragged myself out of bed at 5:45, got cleaned up and ready to go, and headed to work. Swiped my card, and the machine beeped and said, "LOGIN REJECTED. TOO EARLY". Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaa? No way, Jose...there's no way I'd be there at 7 if I didn't have to...I checked that schedule carefully! Fired up now, I charged around the corner to the schedule and looked, and there I saw it: it was 7 PM to 11 PM. OK, that was stupid. I haven't worked nights in two months...and never a four hour shift at night...and I work days all next week...who in the world made that schedule up?!?! I rustled me up a manager, who was properly sympathetic, but professed to be unable to do anything about it....grrrrrr!! So I went home, changed clothes, and the kids, hubby, and I went shopping. I picked up a new dress for the HLAA convention and the kids all got new summer shoes. I found quite a few t-shirts on sale and bought them for the girls...they wear them all summer long. I had a horrible time shopping at JC Penney's....I tried on what must have been ten shirts and three dresses...and not a thing fit...argh!!
Anyhow...came home, and didn't really have time for a nap...headed to work in about half an hour. I'll get home at past bedtime...I know I'll be zonked!! Just a few more days, though, until I'll be 'retired' for the summer and can catch up on my rest and blogging! :)
Have a great weekend y'all! :)

Brief update:

Sitemeter tells me that I've had quite a few visitors tonight Googling and wanting to know when "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" will air again. I don't have that answer, but do know that at the end of the movie it said on the screen that it would be available on DVD on May 15th. I would imagine that you will be able to pick it up at most Hallmark Gold Crown stores...if I find any ordering information or if I know that it will be aired again I'll post that..stay tuned! :)
For those of you that missed it, I loved it...it was a great movie. It ended with no decision being made about whether or not the child would get a CI...but I don't know why I didn't expect that...it wouldn't have been politically correct of Hallmark to have made that decision...it's simply not a decision that anyone can make until they stand in the shoes of the parents. I think that the boy in the movie was definitely old enough to offer his own input as to whether or not he wanted to hear...especially since he had previously HAD hearing and knew what he was missing...or not. I, personally, am in favor of everyone hearing...especially since I have been blessed over and beyond what I ever imagined in the hearing department...but not everyone agrees with me...and that is definitely their right. When I was a little girl, being involved in the Deaf community would have meant packing up and moving to another area entirely...there WAS no "Deaf Community" in our area. My parents gave me every opportunity...to hear, to sign (I took Signing Exact English classes), to have good speech. Now I'm in the position to decide if I want to be deaf or hearing...and here I sit...fundamentally deaf without the CI, hearing very well with it, working and interacting with the hearing world every day at work, at home, and in church, and relearning sign language so I can interact better with the Deaf community. I have the best of all worlds...and I'm grateful :).
News flash: I am taking a hiatus from work! I turned in my two-weeks notice on Friday, and my last day will be May 2nd. I love my job, but there is SO much that I want and need to do this summer, and my home and family time has just been stretched too thin the past few weeks...so I am taking a beak. I would like to think that I'll go back sometime in the fall, unless something better comes along. This week will be interesting...tomorrow is Earth Day, and we get to wear green shirts to work (!!!)! I am so bored with the same old blue shirts...and am so excited about the change! I did ask if I could wear my Kermit the Frog "It's Easy Being Green" shirt and I seriously think that the manager was considering it until I told him it was a white shirt...then he gave me a cheerful "Nope!"...white shirts was pushing it just a bit too far ;).
Wednesday I delve into a female rite of passage which involves x-raying certain areas in a monster mashing machine to look for lumps (or the lack thereof). I am none too thrilled about this coming-of-age event and will be exceedingly glad to have it over and done with. I will more than likely not blog the play-by-play. You can thank me for that later.
Thursday I am off...and have NOTHING planned...ah! :) A bilateral CI buddy is in town this week (she lives in Chicago) and wants to meet me for dinner one night so I am going to try to meet her Thursday night. I haven't seen her since before Christmas and can't wait to see her again! :)
I work Friday and Saturday...short hours, thankfully. This weekend is Tennessee's tax holiday so we will probably SHOP at one point for summer shoes, jeans, etc. that I've been meaning to buy but haven't gotten around to yet *sigh*. Our tax refund will probably be in the bank by then...just in time to start spending it! :)
Both my Mom and Laurie recommended the movie "August Rush"...and Mom sent a copy of it home with me last night, so I'm off to try to watch a little of that before I head to bed...nighters all!! Love y'all! :)

Two things:

This will be on tonight at 9 Eastern, 8 Central: Hallmark Hall of Fame's Sweet Nothing in My Ear. Marlee Matlin and Jeff Daniels co-star as parents embroiled in a debate over whether or not to implant their deaf child. This story may be hypothetical, but the debate is real and has gone on for years. The movie looks like it will be very good...check it out!


Also, another video can be found here (I wish I could embed it!!). Here is a bit of information on it:

Tune in to ParentsTV to watch Advanced Bionics' Bionic Buddy in his broadcast debut! The "Can My Baby Hear?" video, which aired yesterday (April 16), spotlights Buddy along with Advanced Bionics' customer New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and 18-month-old bilateral Harmony user Caitlyn in a powerful piece about the importance of early detection and intervention, and the value of cochlear implant technology in maximizing the hearing potential of children around the world.

"Can My Baby Hear?" is part of Parents' recently launched ParentsTV Reports, a broadcast portal dedicated to providing parents information on topics and issues related to raising healthy children. The video can also be viewed on the Web sites of Child and American Baby, and will also air on DirectTV.

If you look over the audie's shoulder while she's talking, you'll see a monkey with a CI sitting on her desk...his name is Buddy and he has a CI of his own. I have my very own Buddy (anyone surprised?) and my girls are crazy about him...his CI is velcroed on and they love playing with it!

Will return to your regularly scheduled blogging soon...but wanted to share these two videos with you and give you time to plan to watch (or tape) the movie tonight!
Love y'all! :)

Borrowed....

...from Melli!

1. Do you still talk to the person who hurt you the most?
Yes...quite often, in fact.

2. Do you lecture people about drugs?
I don't like the word "lecture"...it implies preaching. I do have conversations with my kids about drugs...but they're interactive conversations, not lectures.

3. Favorite animal?
Monkeys! :)

4. Have you ever kissed anyone named Bob?
Yes...on the cheek! :)

5. Have you ever been in a relationship you weren't 100 percent sure of?
Oh yes! Hasn't everyone?

6. Name something funny that happened this week? I'm sure something has happened, but I can't remember it right off...and am in a hurry...will come back to this one!


7. Anyone ever told you that they want to spend the rest of their life with you?
Several people have...awwwww! :)

8. If you could pick the temperature of the outdoors for the rest of your life, would you?
Honestly, yes. I would love it to be around 60-65 at night and about 75-80 degrees during the day. I don't at all mind an occasional thunderstorm or the very occasional snowstorm, but I don't do extremes of hot or cold very well.

10. Are you moody?
Yes, occasionally.

11. What's bothering you right now?
The fact that I'll have to go in to work in a few minutes...I really don't mind my job, but knowing that my schedule is still so messed up really stresses me out :(

12. Do you believe that you can change for someone?
I believe you can, but I've tried it, and it didn't work for me. Trying to be who other people want you to be to make THEM happy doesn't work. I liked Melli's answer...just be who you are and who God wants you to be.

13. How many times a day do you drop your cell phone?
I drop mine about once every two weeks, and into the toilet approximately once every three months *sigh*

14. Do you drink coffee?
Until it comes out my ears, yes.

15. Do you get along with girls?
Yes, usually, although it seems that girls tend to be moodier than boys and you have to tiptoe carefully around those moods sometimes.

16. Do you like funny or serious people more?
I like funny people more...I like people that make me laugh and smile. Serious people can occasionally pull that off, too, but it's rare :)

17. Do you put yourself before others?
I love helping other people, and I do that often, but yes, I do take the time to put myself first. I have found that if I don't I tend to melt down rather quickly.

17. Do you like surprises?
It depends on the surprise, ha!

18. Do you have a teddy bear?
Honestly, I don't think I do. I like monkeys more!

19. Do you think people have any misconceptions about you?
They might, but with me, pretty much what you see is what you get.

20. What'd you do last night?
Mexican for dinner and Wednesday night Bible study

21. Who was your last call from?
I can't remember who my last call was from, but I called my mother-in-law yesterday afternoon.

22. Who's the last person you had a deep meaningful conversation with?
Deep? Meaningful? Me? What?

23. What's on your mind right now?
That I have to get up and get going to get ready for work in a bit!

24. Do you have family problems?
I think everyone does. Thankfully, most of mine aren't serious...mainly normal family stuff :)

25. Who are in three of the pictures in the room you are currently in?
Ellie, Jaydyn, and the entire family in San Diego

26. Plans for this week? Monday - Work, work, work, Bible Study, perhaps a shopping expedition (I need to take my CD-on-tape back to the Cracker Barrel!)

27. What kind of car have you been in today? Today I haven't been in the car yet :)

28. You ever been to California? Oh, yes, and loved it...and am going again in a few months, I hope!

29. How many hours of sleep did you get last night? 9 hours....ah! :)

30. Have you cried today at all? No, not today, but I've only been awake an hour ;). Seriously, though, I rarely cry...I have to be really frustrated before I will.

31. What were you doing at 8:00 this morning? Waking up and feeling my way to the coffe pot!

32. What were you doing 3 hours ago? Sleeping

35. Three words to explain why you last threw up? Hole in head

36. What color is your hairbrush? We have hairbrushes all over this house in various sizes and colors and I can never find one when I need it!

37. Where/when did you buy the last thing you bought? A black top yesterday at Kohl's...for the convention. It was on the clearance rack...and it was SO cute!

38. Where do you keep your money? Most of it is in the bank.

39. What was the weather like today? I couldn't tell you....I haven't been outside yet. Yesterday it was about 75 and sunny though...a bit breezy for my liking, but gorgeous nonetheless!

40. Do you want to cut your hair? I have had it cut three times in the past month, so NO...I am done for a few weeks!

42. Do you watch wrestling? Um, NO!

43. Do you know anyone named Daisy? I sure do...and she is one of my favorite people in the entire world!

44. Do you make up your own words? All the time...and love to watch people's faces when I do!

45. Are you ticklish? Yes...horribly so.

46. Are you typically a jealous person? I don't think so...occasionally the green-eyed monster will pop up, but for the most part I'm happy with who I am and what I have :)

47. Do you have curly hair? Not one tiny little bit of it!

48. Whats the next concert you're going to? Oh, I have no earthly idea! I haven't been to a concert in forever!

48. What should you be doing right now? Getting ready for work!

50. Do you have a nickname? A lot of people call me Jen...some people call me Jenni, and the entire internet world knows me as "Sweetpea". If they don't know my name, they remember the "Sweetpea" part!

51. What are you listening to? I don't have an ear on yet this morning...so nothing!

52. When was the last time you did the dishes? I washed A dish this morning...does that count?

53. Do you like anyone? I like nearly everyone! I like people until they give me a reason not to! :)

54. Do you trust all of your friends? I don't trust any of them with everything...some things are just between God and me. I generally don't share much with friends...just not my style.

55. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? I TOTALLY believe this. We might not know the reason right away, but we will someday.

56. Could you make a dollar in change right now? I could make many dollars in change!

57. Which one of your friends do you think would make the worst doctor? It terrifies me to think of ANY of my friends being a doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

58. Are you afraid of falling in love? Um, that's not something I've ever been particularly afraid of :)

59. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times? I liked Melli's answer...many someones! I think of a lot of my friends at random times...depending on whatever situation I'm in! :)

60. When was the last time you flew in a plane? Think it was when I went to California with Lisa a few years ago. I'm flying again in June though...and can't wait!

62. Have you ever kissed anyone with braces? I VERY rarely get to plant one on my teenage son, so yes! :)

Tagged!!

I've been so SLOW getting around to this...I'm sorry!! I've been tagged by four of my sweet readers...David, Abbie, MomToToes, and Melissa. I saw it first on David's blog, then it has spread like wildfire among the CI bloggers!! I have had so much fun reading everyone else's answers!!

Here goes! :)

The Rules-
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


What was I doing 10 years ago:

Ten years ago I was seven months pregnant with my third child and already had a five year old and three year old. We had recently moved to a big house in a nice neighborhood and were about to find out that it was infested with Brown Recluse spiders *shudder*!.

Five Snacks I enjoy in a perfect, non-fattening world:
1. Blue Bell Ice Cream (I like nearly all flavors, but chocolate-covered strawberry is my favorite)
2. Krispy Kreme donuts
3. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
4. Chocolate anything (and the more, the better!)
5. PayDay candy bars

Five healthy snacks I enjoy:
1. Edamame
2. Bananas
3. Grapefruit
4. Sonic's Diet Cherry limeade (ok, it might not be healthy, but it's not fattening, either)
5. Trail mix

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Travel all over the world. I have a rather extensive mental list of places I want to go...and there are very few places that aren't on that list!
2. Donate money to various organizations and causes
3. Buy myself a "toy" car...something fun to drive besides my big ol' bus (right now I'm leaning towards a Cooper Mini)
4. If we stay in this town, I'd remodel this house...but my dream is to move to the big city somewhere, and we could definitely afford it then :)

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Librarian's assistant in high school
2. Prep cook at Mariano's Restaurant in Lubbock, Texas
3. Bookkeeping/secretarial stuff at my BIL's heating and cooling business here in town
4. Photo lab assistant
5. Cashier at a local department store

Three of my habits:
1. Computer junkie...big time!
2. Coffee...every morning as soon as my eyes open
3. Checking e-mail on my BlackBerry

Five place I have lived:
1. Middle Tennessee
2. Henderson, Tennessee
3. Lubbock, Texas
4. Middle Tennessee
5. Middle Tennessee (*sigh*)

Add one new part:
What do you consider to be your best and worst qualities?
I'm a very outgoing, friendly people-person, and rarely meet a stranger...and being able to hear has just really brought that out even more. However, I'm terribly disorganized and scattered...and that makes me, and a lot of people that know me, absolutely crazy sometimes!

Five People I Want to Get to Know Better: (a nice way of saying TAG!) But don't feel obligated!
I am not gonna tag anyone for this...because so many of the CI bloggers have already been tagged, and something similar to this went around a while back and a lot of my other blogfriends have already done this. However, if you would like to play, I wish you would...and let me know that you've done it, so I can come visit!! :)

Home again...and exhausted!

I got home last night around 11:30 PM...whew! I had to be up to get the girls off to school around 6:30, and had to be at work at 10 so today has been a long, tiring day. Tomorrow I have to be at the orthodontist with Will at 9, and I go in to work whenever we're done with that...so I'm trying to get this posted quick and hop into bed!
The walk was AWESOME! I had a bit of a time getting up and moving...I asked Rosemary to wake me up at 6, and we left the house at 7. We got to the walk site about half an hour later, and I had a great time meeting the Florida folks for about two and a half hours (the walk started at 10). I met several other CI users and we had a great time swapping stories. I got to see Molly again...which was a real treat. I met her first online, here on the blog, then I met her in Oklahoma City. She is SUCH a sweetheart! Always smiling and so friendly and encouraging...a real cheerleader...gotta love that! At around 10 Kathy and Judy Martin offered a few opening remarks and then we were led in a rousing workout by a personal trainer. I have to admit that I was just about more tired after the workout than I was after the walk! ;)
We hit the trail around 10. I didn't have any trouble with it at all...in fact, I thought it ended too quickly. I thought it was going to be a 5K (3.1 miles) and it ended up being just two miles, so it was over pretty fast. I did stop about halfway along the route to run my mouth a bit with a fella that will be having CI surgery in a couple of months (wanted to cheer him on a bit, you understand) and then ran to catch up with the crowd. There was lunch for everyone and we stood around and talked for another couple of hours before we headed back to Kathy's house. I enjoyed so much meeting other deaf and hard of hearing folks...they feel almost like family, it seems, because of the common bond we have. There were people that signed, people who wore hearing aids, people with CIs, adorable tiny little ones with CIs (awwww!!), people with service dogs (it was SO hard to "not pet"...some of them were just adorable!), and a few hearing people that showed up to support family and friends. I think there were between 150 and 200 people there, although I'm not positive...and nearly 50,000 was raised for HLAA!! AWESOME!!!
When we got back to Kathy's house I packed up my things, and after saying good-bye to my gracious hostess (and her hubby, Tom) and Rosemary, I hit the road again. Kathy and Rosemary are planning to be at the HLAA convention in June, so I'll be seeing them again VERY soon...can't wait! :)
I headed north from there...up towards Augusta, GA. I spent the night in Statesboro, GA, which is about an hour and a half or so from Augusta. I was so tired that night that I think I was asleep before I hit the bed. The Hampton Inn I stayed at there had just been remodeled...it wasn't too fancy in general but the bedding was so luxurious that I just kinda sank into it and was a goner literally within seconds. It was SO hard to get up and get going the next day!!
I went to church in Augusta on Sunday morning ( can say that I was in Augusta, GA on Masters Sunday...in the same town with Tiger Woods...cool eh?) and then met one of my online friends, Gloria, for lunch. Gloria works for Advanced Bionics and has long been one of my favorite online people...and I had been wanting to meet her for quite some time. I gave her a little warning that I was on the way and she suggested we meet for lunch at O'Charley's. We had a GREAT visit...she's one of those people that seems to have a gift for making people feel right at home with her. I felt like I'd known her for years...what a sweetheart (Gloria, I'm STILL working on my phone...got the javascript thing working, but still not the IM....grrrrr!)! She, too, will be at the convention in June...and I'm so excited about seeing her again! :)
I left Augusta (or attempted to...I managed to get turned around trying to find the interstate...grrr) around 2, and drove to Atlanta. On one of my previous trips I had visited a congregation there and hit it off really well with a terrific lady named Maryanne. Maryanne took me under her wing immediately and invited me out to dinner that night and we stayed out and talked until close to midnight. I was anxious to see her again and decided I'd try to surprise her. Surprise her I did...after a few seconds of uncertainty (you could just see the data processing going on in her head), she recognized me and nearly leapt over her pew in an effort to reach me. The last time I saw her was after I FIRST started losing my hearing back in 2006...before my first CI. The first thing she said was, "CAN YOU HEAR??" She was overjoyed to know that that I could indeed hear!! After church her congregation had a potluck at a nearby auditorium and she invited me to come along (actually, she and her husband asked me several times to stay overnight with them, but I really felt like I needed to get home). I did take her up on the offer...free dinner was not to be turned down...and it gave us more time to visit and catch up. She co-piloted while I drove to where the potluck was...and was delighted that I could hear her as I drove. I got to meet several of her friends at the dinner, and eat lots of good casseroles (we Southern women love our casseroles, you understand!).
I left Atlanta around 8...and drove straight home, only stopping once for a bathroom break. When I got home I was so tired that the only thing I brought upstairs was the laptop and my purse...I asked hubby to just leave the car today so I could unload it at leisure this afternoon (and he did). I was asleep about 20 minutes after walking in the door...I don't remember anything after hitting the bed!
I finally got a few pictures up! They're here at the Picasa Web Albums. Check 'em out!
I'll be back tomorrow...I've been tagged for a couple of memes and I am definitely playing along! :)
Love y'all!! :)

Walk finished!! I'm hot and sweaty and having a great time!!

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Hello from Tampa!!

I'm here!! :) I'm on Kathy's computer, since she doesn't have wireless and she told me to make myself at home on hers (wasn't that sweet?). I don't want to upload pictures to her computer so I will try tomorrow to get a few up...wherever I end up tomorrow night (yet to be determined!)
I got to Tallahassee after a looooong day of driving at about 5 PM last night. Joyce and Zemi met me at the door. It was awesome seeing Joyce again and Zemi greeted me warmly...with a real heart-melting smile! What a beautiful baby! We visited for a few minutes then we headed out for a while. We went to the ballpark so I could meet her hubby Jason and her two boys, then us three girls went out to eat at a yummy little local Italian restaurant. We had planned to go shopping for a bit afterwards but Zemi was feeling kinda puny so we headed back to the house. I was going to do a bit of blogging...posting pictures and all...but the cable kept coming on and going off, finally going off and STAYING off, so I gave up. We talked until about 1:30 and then I CRASHED!!!
Woke up this morning, took some Advil for my headache (allergies have been HORRIBLE lately), got ready, and then we headed out. We went to Starbucks for some coffee, then hit up the brand new Kohl's in Joyce's neighborhood (it is less than ten minutes from her house and I am insanely jealous!). From there we took a whirlwind tour of a few sites in downtown Tallahassee. Tallahassee is the capital city (I didn't know that) of Florida and we drove right by the governer's mansion...cool! We didn't have a lot of time because I needed to hit the road for Tampa and we had to go to the Whataburger first! I got me a big old burger (I have photographic evidence) and dreamed of living in a Whataburger neighborhood. That big old burger filled me up...I haven't really been hungry again since.
I said good-bye to Joyce and family and headed for Tampa around 2...and would have probably gotten here around 7 but took a detour to find a Wal-Mart and was detoured longer than I intended to be. First off I had to FIND the Wal-Mart...and then it ended up being the OLDEST Wal-Mart I'd ever been in...seriously, I think it was older than I am...then had to find what I was there for (I asked for directions a lot) then had to get checked out (of course, my line was held up). Then I decided to try to find an alternate, faster route back to the interstate, which ended up being a much slower, terribly convoluted route (can we say "lost"?). That detour set me back about an hour!
I got to Tampa around 8 PM. Great timing, because it was nearly too dark for me to see the directions by that point. I got on my first ever toll road (well, the first that I remember, anyway) and found Kathy's house. Kathy is one of the co-chairs for the Tampa walk and such an incredibly dear hostess! I met her sister Rosemary online several months ago...she had her CI surgery the day after I had my second surgery back in November...and when I told her I was coming to Tampa they offered me a bed to sleep on. Rosemary is just as sweet in person as she seemed to be in her e-mails and I have felt so at home here!
Tomorrow, registration for the walk starts early, and the walk itself starts at 10 AM. I have NOT been walking...so tomorrow night I may be too pooped to blog, but I'm going to do my best! I seem to be able to blog by BlackBerry fairly well, but am having issues getting my pictures posted...seems like something always comes up. Maybe tomorrow! (and there will be plenty of them after that!)
OK...off to bed...it's late and we're getting up at *ack* 6 AM!
THANK YOU again to everyone that's supported me...financially and by e-mail...your encouragement has been incredible! I have had nearly 40 people to donate and we've raised nearly 1200.00. I'm a little annoyed that the website didn't list all of my donors, but found out that there are a limited number of names that that it will post, and it posts the highest donations first. I hate that...because every single donation, no matter what the amount, meant a tremendous amount to me. If I can get hold of my walk t-shirt before the walk I'm going to print everyone's names that supported me on it...and y'all can walk with me...won't that be fun?
OK...SERIOUSLY off to bed now! Love y'all! :)

I'm here!
However, the cable is having issues here...so I haven't been able to
get online for more than a few minutes all night long. Joyce and I
have had a great visit...and her family is beautiful.
We are headed out tomorrow morning for a little while....then I am
hitting the road for Tampa after lunch! Hopefully I'll be able to
catch you all up once I get there!
Love you all!!

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Takin' a road trip! :)

I'm leaving in the morning for Florida! The Walk4Hearing will be Saturday morning bright and early and I'm just taking my sweet time getting there. I'm taking a little detour through Tallahassee to see Joyce...and will stay there tomorrow night. Then it's on to Tampa...I plan to get there sometime Friday night. The rest of the weekend will basically just be played by ear...depending on how tired I am, etc. I will be blogging about it as it happens...so stay tuned for pictures and the play-by-play!
There is a Whataburger in Tallahassee, and Joyce has promised to take me for lunch on Friday...hooray! (can you tell it doesn't take much to make this girl happy?)
Thanks to all of you who took the time to encourage me after my grumpy Monday. Tuesday was much, much better...it just had to be, ya know...it couldn't be worse ;). I felt much better and had a lot of fun at work and actually managed to drum up a donation for the walk from one of the customers (she is a family friend, so don't think I'm hittin' up all the customers for money, ya hear...she was bragging about going to a convention in Orlando and I told her I was going to Florida and one thing led to another...before I knew it she was pulling out her checkbook...). I also met one of the new cashiers who talked to me for a few minutes and asked me if I was wearing a hearing aid. I told her that it was a CI and launched into a brief (for me) recap of the whole story. She seemed incredibly touched and then she pulled back her hair and showed me her hearing aid! Awwwwwwwww!! She also shared that she thinks her 18-month old son is at least hard of hearing...so we talked about that for a few. It was neat to know that she's working there with me...someone that I have that in common with!
I did a little packing and a good bit of cleaning today, then went off to get my hair worked on for a while. I had been having issues with the hair ever since I cut it several weeks ago...and could NOT get it right. I'm proud to say that I think we got a handle on it today and it looks better than it has in a while...*whew*. There will be pictures over the next few days so you'll have opportunity to see it! :)
OK...off to bed...but watch this space! I'll be posting from Florida soon! Prayers for my safety will, of course, be appreciated!!
Love y'all! :)