The Roller-coaster of My Life

Maybe I am too old to want to go to ride the readily available array of roller-coasters at my disposal here in the heart of Florida but my own life has been and continues to be an interesting ride of twists, turns, ups and downs of life experiences.

After reaching the bottom of an exciting down hill ride or my summer travels I reached what seemed a never ending ride of depression. 

Scratching and crawling my way to hook onto the upward climb I began busying myself with online declutter and organizational classes to refresh and renew my home environment.  Chug, chug, chugging to the top I felt as if the walls of my domain were closing in on me.  Never ending projects of purging and cleaning.  Organizing, painting and planning my new "Scrap Studio".  Void of contents currently stored in plastic bins I find myself waiting for the long promised wood flooring to go into place.

Picture of Texas Trio

My dear spouse had yet another, well deserved, trip to Auburn, AL then over to Athens, GA for a big rival match of football between the Tigers vs. the Bulldogs.  Facing a long stretch of football widowhood and out of town work for my spouse I got on this trusty pink dell and shopped for prices to fly to Houston to see my TX Trio buddies!  I spent several hours talking to Kris about the possibilities including driving.  After I got my "ducks in a row" I called my dear husband to get his approval and was denied permission to drive.

Being the wonderful, giving person that he is he allotted me money to fly.  I did find a flight but my gut instinct (as a Christian I know this to be the Holy Spirit) told me not to do it.

I decided to shop online Thursday night for cubbies and shelves for my new scrap room and then drive to IKEA in Orlando to get them on Friday, only to receive a tearful call from my daughter (also an RN) who had but 3 hours sleep Wednesday night due to the admission of her long term boyfriend to the hospital.  Max had spit up blood and wanted to go to the ER.  He was put immediately (that's 4-5 hours in hospital time) into isolation for respiratory infection, scheduled for a bronchoscopy Friday.  My daughter was needin' a little mommy lovin' by this point.

Picture of Max and Erin

To make matters more complex she was committed to being a bride's maid for a co-worker and needed to attend rehearsal and dinner Friday night.  Max did not want to be alone when he came out of anesthesia from his procedure either.  So, having done my laundry that day I was ready to hit the road in an hour after packing, arranging, pet care, hitting the ATM and running the car through the car wash so that I could see through the windshield.

Saturday morning I dropped Erin off at a Park Avenue Salon to meet with the ladies of the wedding party and have her hair done and then travel via limousine to the church and onto the reception which was held at the Orlando International Airport at the Hilton.  Now this was a long haul from where I had gone back to Erin's apartment to do what mother's do and clean...

Meanwhile, Colin and Kristy, my son and daughter-in-law were hot to travel up to Orlando to see Max.  I then assigned Colin to pick Erin up at the airport and bring her home.  I then continued in my motherly role and waited to have my three children to myself for a moment or two only to have them arrive at 2:00 AM Sunday morning.

Colin and Kristy

While on the way home from Alabama, the football warriors had a break down in their vehicle north of Atlanta placing their ETA late Sunday night or early Monday morning!

Done playing mother for the time, I dashed over to Ponce for a little mother lovin' of my own, spent the night Sunday and watched Atlantis being launched into space from the white sandy beach.

Atlantis November 16, 2009

As soon as she launched, I launched my ready and waiting car, clothes washed that morning and repacked, to head over to Lake County and stay with our friends Linda and Jim at their hideaway in the woods.  There I would meet up with my husband and together we would go to the hospital for him to have eye surgery Tuesday morning.

Linda and Jim's Humble Abode

Linda, Todd and Jim

Earlier on this year when Todd had his first eye surgery we were delighted that we were able to hand pick Linda to be the RN on Todd's case as she had been interning at the hospital where I was coordinating Ophthalmic surgery in about 1990 when we first met.  We grew to be great friends as we both got the hell out of the "big house" in the big city and headed to a suburb to practice nursing in an outpatient setting for about ten years.  Although the following pictures of them were from the first surgery, it's like you've seen one, you've seen them all scenario...

Left Linda at work...Right Todd about to go under the knife...

Having forgotten his dress clothes for work Today he headed back south to our home to retrieve them and carry on to his "out of town" duties on the west coast.  I in-turn, stayed another night for one more evening of girl time.

This morning I headed back to Ponce to reconnect with cyberspace and share my story while sitting and watching the sunset reflect shades of pink, blue, and orange over the Atlantic...Yes, I know the sun sets in the west which I can see over the Inter-coastal waterway as well...life is good.

I'll be heading home this weekend to prepare for Thanksgiving and spend time Monday and Tuesday with this little monkey...

Savannah's first Camping Trip...

It's Going to Happen!

My scraproom is now all crated up and in the process of being painted and getting new flooring!  Meanwhile, I have boxes and boxes of stuff to sort and purge...this isn't going to be an easy project but oh so worth it!  I've wanted this for a very long time!  Goodbye plastic drawers!  Welcome cabinets and decorative baskets!  I'm just now trying to get a vision!

Is a Latte a Latte to ask for?

Struggling with my espresso machine, a good one (Krups) for over a year now.  Finally decided to clean it with the cleaner that they use at Barnies, the Florida precursor to Starbucks.  My daughter worked for them her senior year in high school and through college, she sneaked me a bit home in a plastic cup.  It worked!  Now I too can have my homemade cup of java latte any time I want!  Someone put my tamp through the dishwasher so now I have to get out the aluminum cleaner!  Anyone know what works best?

Why Blog?

I've pretty much given up blogging. It always seems a blog needs more than a simp0le update. Either you have to add pics and some long thoughtful post. So I quit. I think that's why I like Facebook...it's quick and short and not so personal! There is already too much personal stuff out there on the web, I don;t need to voluntarily add more.

Quoting from another person on one of the message boards I frequet.

This gal was a friend of mine and we had a huge "falling out" that is hurtful to me this day.  She lives diagonally across the US in the NW.  It has been difficult for me but we both said some unkind things to one another.  She has chosen to have nothing to do with me.

This is exactly one reason I blog, not to say something "profound" or feel as if I must add pictures!  As you can see my blog is fairly simple!  It's my right to exercise the First Amendment of the US constitution.


About the First Amendment



By Brian J. Buchanan

First Amendment Center Online managing editor





Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution



The First Amendment was written because at America's inception, citizens demanded a guarantee of their basic freedoms.



Our blueprint for personal freedom and the hallmark of an open society, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.



Without the First Amendment, religious minorities could be persecuted, the government might well establish a national religion, protesters could be silenced, the press could not criticize government, and citizens could not mobilize for social change.



When the U.S. Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, it did not contain the essential freedoms now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers viewed their inclusion as unnecessary. However, after vigorous debate, the Bill of Rights was adopted. The first freedoms guaranteed in this historic document were articulated in the 45 words written by James Madison that we have come to know as the First Amendment.



The Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the Constitution — went into effect on Dec. 15, 1791, when the state of Virginia ratified it, giving the bill the majority of ratifying states required to protect citizens from the power of the federal government.



The First Amendment ensures that "if there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein," as Justice Robert Jackson wrote in the 1943 case West Virginia v. Barnette.



And as Justice William Brennan wrote in New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964, the First Amendment provides that "debate on public issues ... [should be] ... uninhibited, robust, and wide-open."



However, Americans vigorously dispute the application of the First Amendment.



Most people believe in the right to free speech, but debate whether it should cover flag-burning, hard-core rap and heavy-metal lyrics, tobacco advertising, hate speech, pornography, nude dancing, solicitation and various forms of symbolic speech. Many would agree to limiting some forms of free expression, as seen in the First Amendment Center's State of the First Amendment survey reports.



Most people, at some level, recognize the necessity of religious liberty and toleration, but some balk when a religious tenet of a minority religion conflicts with a generally applicable law or with their own religious faith. Many Americans see the need to separate the state from the church to some extent, but decry the banning of school-sponsored prayer from public schools and the removal of the Ten Commandments from public buildings.



Further, courts wrestle daily with First Amendment controversies and constitutional clashes, as evidenced by the free-press vs. fair-trial debate and the dilemma of First Amendment liberty principles vs. the equality values of the 14th Amendment.



Such difficulties are the price of freedom of speech and religion in a tolerant, open society.

If no one ever reads my blog I still have an online journal siting a number of interests to me, wide in variety.  Writing helps me think through, process my own thoughts, comments are welcome.  I like to know what other's are thinking!

Double Nickle

The month of October is flying by. This week I turned 55. My husband bought me a cake that said "Happy Birthday Double Nickle".

It was my quest to find two 1954 nickles, which I found on eBay for 99cents. I'll either have them made into charms or put them in my scrapbook.

Just finished a lovely visit with my friend Lynn who is one tiny little 5 foot, 100 pound soaking wet, size 0 wearing jeans, megabyte of energy.

We hit Florida Mall and my favorite scrapbook store in Orlando after she touched down at the OIA.

Wednesday we shopped Daytona including Biktoberfest where Lynn tried out a Harley-Davidson. She wants a street bike but this was the best we could do. She also bought a shirt.

We then spent two days in St. Augustine, shopping every day with some sight seeing and wine tasting. We also got airbrush tattoo's, crazy girls that we are!

Ended out Saturday night with a 3 hour meal at the bar (no tables were available) at the famous Columbia Resturant in St. Augustine. This upscale Spanish resturant started up in Ybor City in 1905.

On our way home to my house we stopped in Altamonte Springs to have lunch at The Elephant Bar where we met my daughter. Of course more shopping and home by 7:00 PM.

Monday we went to the south end of Lake Okeechobee to catch an airboat ride and eat outside at Roland Martin's Marina and Resort in Clewiston and eat at The Gally there.

Tuesday we had time to shop Sebring, eat lunch at a local cafe, and for me to give Lynn a lesson in shifting a manual shift car to help her get the hang of motorcycle shifting! She did really well for her first or second try at this skill, and at least the car didn't tip over when she stalled out the engine!

While I don't have pictures of the casino in Brighton, we do have a fun picture of Lynn and I pulling the handle on a giant slot machiene at which time we were politely escorted to the door for her to place her camera in the car, but we did get the picture~

More fun stuff to come when I get the CD with her pictures in the mail!

October!

Well, I turn 55 in a few weeks but feel 35! I've been waiting to get back to blogging and this short post is just to let you know.



Righ now I am in the trenches of Simplify 101 and Organize Your Closet by Aby Garvy. It has helped me a great deal to declutter and purpose the items that live in my home or get rid of them. Last week I sent three tall laundry hampers that I hated to charity, over 300 pieces of clothing! I feel much lighter. Aby is a great inspiration and encourager as well as a smart woman with a plan to help you accompliish whatever area of your life you want to control, rather than it controling you!

More later!

Time Flies!

Amazing! Almost a month since I've blogged! Actually has been good for me to be away from this computer! Wednesday, May20, I drove my mother back over to Volusia county where they got 20 inches of rain. That's more than the total rain they got during Charlie, Fay,and Jeanne! The drive was horrendous with rain pouring cats and dogs! We did manage to hit a couple of stores on the way over in Polk county before we hit the deluge in Volusia. The closer we got the more rain and standing water. We had to take alternate detours to avoid the flooded Dunlawton main road to cross the bridge to the ocean side. The Atlantic was a roaring, angry sea but a beautiful view of nature and example of God's ultimate control of our planet and the universe. When we got upstairs to the fifth floor the water had blown in under the sliding glass doors so it was up and at 'em as I cut fun noodles to stuff in the tracks over plastic garbage bags and old towels on top of that! Most of the water damage was on the mainland.

Sandy

Nope, not gonna do it, too much wasted time! While under contract which I am no longer bound to, I created a vent blog with my alias Sandy! To take the posts from that blog and over to this one is too big of a task. If you like you can visit Sandy but she'll be quiet and not posting over there as I now am accountable only to God!

Greenfields

This is an old song and to listen to it is bitter/sweet as my father used to love this group, The Brother's Four, so I loved them too.

In Like a Lion

It's said, "In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb" so April should arrive all sweet and woolly! Our temps are seasonably low making it for one chilly Florida gal! The wind has stopped after the cold front pushed through. Not blogging much lately as I've discovered Facebook! You can catch me there sometimes! Come join the fun at Facebook.

America!!!

Migration of Sting Rays

Migration of Sting Rays


Migration of Stingrays

Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico . The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.

Gliding silently beneath the waves, they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula . Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks.

She said: 'It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind.

House at Pooh Corner

Cancer Angel

Could this be ME?

This is too funny! Thanks, and you know who you are for comparing me to this God fearing woman with a mission to outlaw those items of conspiracy that will make the nation fall!

The Friendly Duck!

Like When Was the Last Time?

So, I haven't blogged in like forevah!!! Darn antigen/antibody immune system wacko! Monday, the 5th, the last time I blogged, I got stung by a yellow jacket at the base of my hairline in the center back. Yep, if we had us some cold weather maybe we wouldn't be dealin' with stingin' bugs and bees, bitin' mosquito's and fleas!!! So, by Thursday after being sick and tired of being sick and tired I went shopping with my mother to pick out something nice to give my sister for her birthday. I thought if I just got out of bed and fixed up a little I'd feel better. NOT. Called the MD about 12:30PM first of all I was blown away that I didn't get the answering service. Well, 4 hours later I had me a shot in the butt and a pack of steroids to take. They've finally kicked in and I feel a bit better. I've got to get myself together and packed for my trip Thursday. All the while I'm starting a 365 project for my scrapbooking and a 12 week course called The Artist's Way!! My psychologist said it made her tired just to listen to my list of projects I wanted to do. Ya know I want to be productive, it's a whole 'nother ball game once you become an empty nester and quit your career. Anyway, it made me feel better that she thought I was over extending myself and now I'm so anxious for a ten day trip to Missouri just to get away and think, sleep, read but most of all spend time with my girlfriends!!! Laptop will be in tow so I hope to keep bloggin'! The one thing that saved me the afternoon I waited and waited ad infinities was my mP3 player. Gotta love Josh Groban when you need to calm yourself down.

Basic Gray Calendar 2009

Don't Ya Love it when you get something with a coupon! I bought this Basic Gray Calendar kit at Mike's with my 40% off coupon. They were in a bin in one of the center asiles near the scrapbookin' stuff!
















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