We are all something, but none of us are everything

this is North Berwick, it was a small town north east of edinburgh
it was probably my favorite place..........




this is where I stayed most of the time.........



this was the winter wonderland for Christmas & New Year's celebrations

Wow- it's been a really long time since I've posted on here!
So much has been going on, I don't even know where to begin..........

well first off, I just go back from a vacation to Scotland ~ it was so much fun and the people there are great!
I will try to post pictures later on ..........

My birthday celebrations will begin tonight and last thru Sunday :-) ...........I can't believe I am 32!

Owen is doing well, getting so big and he's into everything ...........really keeps me on my toes

I hope everyone's doing well!!!!
CJ

It's been a while since, I've posted on here ~ quite a long while actually
Seems like everyday something is going on after work & during the day, work has been busy ~~
I can't believe it's mid July already ~

Things have been going ok.............................

 ~  Owen's getting so big & he has such a cute personality now ~ & he keeps me on my toes !!
He eats like no other 16 month old, I have seen ~ he eats as much as I do for dinner &  he's not really chunky at all, I guess b/c he runs it all off and is so active -
He's into everything, always searching for something to do & yes, sometimes, he tests my patience  
but I love all the hugs and interaction,  I get from him now.
There's nothing like him tugging at my leg & wanting to be held,  wrapping his arms around my neck for a big hug or wanting to play with his blocks or showing me something new he has discovered.
He turned 16 months old on Monday and really, since his first bday, time has flown by. 
Owen's starting to repeat whatever you say, you really have to watch it ~ 
Ex: Matt had him saying "Po Po" last week - when we saw a police car on the way back from Wicks ~ NICE!! 
~~
Anyway, my job is fine ~ our team has put in for a 4 day work week & we should get a response from mgt. at the end of the month, if it's accepted or not 
~ I would love a 4 day work schedule. It would help me out in so many ways in regards to running errands, doctor/dentist appts, more time with Owen, & working out at
the gym 
&  that's been going ok ~ loosing the baby weight --  a little slower than I expected, but I have been starting to see some change over the past couple of months  
* I still want to loose another 15 pounds, but very happy when I went shopping the other day and was able to buy a size 8 skirt!! yeah! It's about time, still working on it, but starting to come around, seeing some progress

As far as some other excitement goes...............
I am taking a first ever "road trip alone" next week. 
I will be heading south & stopping along the way to visit friends. 
I can't wait & look forward to having new experiences, seeing old friends ~ some I haven't seen in years. 
I will make my way thru TN, GA, and finally end up in FL. 
Owen will be w/family & Dave while I am gone, so I am sure it will be hard to be away for about a week, 
but MUCH needed "my time" break ~ I am not going to check emails and will be on my cell phone as little as possible. Just relax..................YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been a while since I've been on a vacation and I am starting to feel burnt out- so I can't wait -- I will be leaving next Tuesday  

This weekend I am in a wedding so Friday and Sat. that's where I'll be
 ~ my bridesmaid dress has been a bit of a challenge (they ordered the wrong dress) 
but I hope to have my 3rd and final fitting completed and the dress picked up on Thursday night.  

Have a great rest of the week!
C

I knew a girl, that once said: 
"For a woman it's so much more complex, but for a guy -- give him his electronic device such as a computer or T.V., food, sleep, & sex and he'll be happy"
*personally I didn't agree to that statement.............................but maybe I am wrong????
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
I apologize that is long but I would like to know what you think about it............ 

So here's the article:

OK, ladies, let’s be honest. Everyone knows one or two or actually 
have been one herself or currently are in that situtation..................
*the good girl stuck on the wrong male................
~~~~
John Farrar, a counselor educator at Central Michigan University , calls it a phenomenon: the reoccurring nightmare of capable women choosing needy &/or dysfunctional men. Females who are charming, educated & successfully employed but mysteriously compromising their lives and futures by committing to, for lack of a better word, losers.

“It appears to cross all age, ethnic and socioeconomic lines,” Farrar says. “More descriptively, the pattern is one in which females of virtually any age, from teens to seniors, attach themselves to males who are significantly less capable, achieving or functional than they are.”
For the past several years, Farrar, a member of the American Counseling Association, has conducted his own research into why women fall for Mr. Wrong and has come up with some interesting answers. “I have counseled and surveyed girls & women, ranging in age from 16 to 60. They all had some of the same basic answers and universal responses. They all have been in this situation at some point in their lives or have known someone — their sister or their friend — who has lived with this.”

The strands Farrar has identified:
Low self-concept or self-esteem- “Self-concept, as it applies to why females end up in relationships with less capable males, appears to dictate to certain women that they are simply not deserving of a more worthy partner,” Farrar says. “Consequently, for women who suffer from a diminished sense of self, finding a ‘match’ can translate into pairing with a man less capable than themselves.” He adds that although her friends and family may see that the pair is obviously mismatched, the woman views her partner as an equal or believes she is getting all that she deserves from a relationship.

Nurturing- Farrar notes that nurturing is the most common strand identified by women in the survey. “There are, of course, many explanations for why women are drawn to this behavioral pattern,” he says. “Anthropologists would account for caretaking behavior as being biologically rooted in a female’s nature.

Excitement- Do nice guys finish last? In the case of women in this strand, yes, says Farrar. “Ironically, many women seem drawn to men who don’t treat them as well as nice guys do. These guys are seen as more exciting than the conventional, good guy.” In many ways, he says, this strand represents a polar opposite of the first two strands. “While the first two suggest introversion, domesticity and perhaps personal uncertainty, the excitement strand represents a desire on the part of some females to back away from traditionally held values related to dating and mating.

Need to be nurtured- This strand plays on a woman’s desire to be cared for by what some people jokingly refer to as the “sugar daddy,” described by Farrar as, typically, a male who is older than the woman by at least a few years. This man brings elements of status to the relationship, Farrar says, such as a nice car, or lavish spending. Young women in these relationships may feel admired or even envied by their girlfriends.
“In the beginning,” Farrar says, “he is attentive, exciting, romantic and powerful in a sheltering and supportive way. Unfortunately, things change. There’s a downward progression toward possessiveness, suspicion, manipulation and, eventually, abuse. The choices of these girls and women have their roots in their developmental experiences, principally in their relationships with the men who served — or more likely, did not serve — as father figures.”

Control -This is a common strand identified by more mature women, Farrar notes. “Its origins may be the most difficult to trace and, in all likelihood, probably has its beginnings in many disparate areas. The female who is seeking control, either consciously or unconsciously, may be exhibiting learned behavior from a dominant mother.” In these relationships, he says, either underlying insecurity is guiding these women to needier males, or the women are simply acting out their commitment to a feminist view, which makes them determined not to be dominated by any man. Furthermore, he adds, “the controlling female is the psychological ‘mother’ to her passive-aggressive partner. The woman who seeks control is buying into a trade-off situation. The compromise involves tolerating the non-achieving behavior of a mate for the right and ability to make the decisions, to call the shots, in the relationship.”

Chemistry- Chemistry is the miscellaneous, “there’s just something about him —a certain je ne sais quoi,” catchall strand. “Chemistry addresses the inexplicable biological magnetism and is aimed at accounting for relationships which do not fit into any of the previous five (strands),” Farrar says. “It accounts for relationships between individuals for whom there are no obvious common interests or personality matches. This strand accounts for why a given woman may concede that a given male is attractive without actually being attracted to him. Conversely, it also explains why a woman is drawn to a male who, on a more rational, cognitive level, she concedes has seemingly little to offer in terms of physical appearance or social status.”
The chemistry strand also includes biologists’ theories on pheromones, endorphins and motivations driven by unconscious genetic matching. Farrar admits that it might sound extreme, but says the chemistry strand offers an explanation for relationship choices that seemingly cannot be accounted for otherwise.

Preventative measures
After identifying the strands, Farrar took his research a step further and developed strategies to help women choose healthier relationships. Among his suggestions:
• Recognize personal tendencies, Recognize that sense of self determines direction, Understand that personal beliefs and ideas are the basis of personal choices, Learn the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships, While biology is a powerful influence, understand that individuals ultimately retain the power to shape their choices, Do the right thing. Come to grips with family background, values and cultural influences. 

So..............................
A woman’s perspective:

ACA member Nina Atwood has written and published three self-help books on relationship issues. 
Atwood says she has pinpointed temptations women should avoid in relationships: 
 
Loving a wounded guy. Solution: Hold out for a healthy guy who is your equal in every way. 
Dating without integrity. Solution: Make choices you can feel proud of and that are true to your deepest values. 
Choosing high-risk relationships. Solution: Make you your top priority. Pay fierce attention to the warning bells and red flags that tell you a relationship isn’t in your best interest. 
Settling for less. Solution: Remain carefully detached until you meet a real candidate for marriage. 
Aiming for the fairy tale. Solution: Be yourself and look for the same level of authenticity in the guys you date. Aim for a connection at the level of core values. 
Getting sexual too soon. Solution: Postpone sex while you really get to know a guy. 
Rushing into the relationship. Solution: Pace a relationship for real discovery and 
take a “we’ll see” attitude while it unfolds. 
Sacrificing authenticity to get the guy- Solution: Be real to yourself and him 

One of the biggest temptations women should avoid is falling for the wounded man, Atwood says. “That’s the guy who uses his issues in life, whether it’s a rough childhood, an addiction or whatever he is struggling with, as an excuse to avoid responsibility and/or commitment,” she says. She adds that women sometimes find themselves tempted by wounded men because these men are often very charming.
Women often recognize up front that this type of man has a few issues, Atwood says, but they also notice & are drawn in by his good qualities. They take him on as a sort of personal project, she says, thinking they can help to fix him, heal him or solve his problems. “She thinks if she just loves him enough, he will heal & then eventually give her what she wants or needs,” Atwood says. “The problem is you can’t rehabilitate the wounded guy by loving him. The way to rehabilitate the wounded guy is to kick him in the (rear end), confront him & make him face up to the issues. But most women don’t want to do those things.  We are so hardwired to want to nurture or caretaker. Often, (a woman) will try to be the caretaker & completely overlook the fact that she needs a partner who can also care for her and meet her needs too. It’s a two-way street.” 
 
“Women should look for courtship. It’s an old-fashioned word, but the principle of it still holds true. He must be willing to pursue you. Today, women don’t even know how to be courted — they don’t have any expectation of it,” Atwood says. “But as a woman, one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life is your choice of a life partner. Make a poor one, and the consequences could be devastating for years. 
Make a good one, and you have the foundation for a lifetime of happiness.” 
 

& on a personal note "Happy Mom's Day" to all the moms out there or moms- to-be
I am happy b/c I finally "somehow" am able to start listening to "Hits of the 90's" on my Yahoo mess 
I couldn't get it to work all morning!!!!!!! glad it's playing Weezer and then now Bush is coming on ~

 

I have had some type of funk illness all week -
I hate being sickly!!!
Owen went & stayed with Dave's parents for a few days, so he wouldn't catch it
He's back from Etown & that's the longest we've ever been away from him

Anyway, I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day!!
I got some really nice gifts ~ :-)

Here's a cutie pic of Owen and Creed the Cat
(they love watching the cars go by)

I haven't posted on here in a quite a while...........
December really was a "rocky" month & I am glad it's over :-)
I am happy things have started to turn around, well let's say for the time being they have ......

I am looking forward to the rest of 2008 - hoping for a better year over all

When you look back on the previous year - (& as w/any year)
there seem to be so many good times & then there can be so many bad........
I just always try to hope that the good will outweigh the bad

A few things to look forward to in 2008
*Owen's 1st birthday
*Lee's wedding
*a hopeful vacation
*Keeneland & Derby time
*I love the summertime - pool & grilling :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~
My office is moving into a different building in about 2 weeks - it's a bit crazy around here
It's going to be 3 blocks down, but it could have been 10 miles away, b/c we still have to pack up everything. (& with the new arena coming - I wish we were moving out of downtown b/c the traffic is going to be crazy!!)
~~~~~~~~
Owen was sick over the holidays, had a minor surgery, & is teething -- I think he's still battling an ear infection but overall he's starting to feel much better
He is pulling up on everything & trying to start to walk :-) he falls a lot
It makes me so nervous!
~~~~~~~~
Thanks so much to everyone for the birthday wishes!! I would like to start counting backwards now...

Quick Note before leaving for the day:

I am looking forward to a long break this week.
So, I am counting down the hours until ~~~~
Wed. 4:30
Yeah, about 48 hours to go................

I am not sure how much it will really help but all I can
say is: I am in need of a freaking wonderful,
colorful, rainbow instead of so much gloomy rain
& if not:
I think someone is going to have to admit me to Eastern State ~

The past 4 days have been just total crap & it just seems like
one thing after another. I am tired of it
and want to hear,feel good - be happy & cheery mood again
I absolutely hate feeling like this.........
Sometimes just simple things all add up, especially when it's not what you want to hear or deal with
Maybe, I need a vacation :-) - that's the only explanation I can come up with at this point
~~~~
So my positive aspects for the rest of the week - instead of being so negative:
Sat. we will be holding Major Turkey Feast 2007 with both fams~good food!!!!
As well as, I really look forward to going Christmas shopping on Black Friday.
Even though, I don't usually buy the early bird deals, I think it's funny to people watch & see the "crazies" scramble for the "specials"
I really can't imagine getting up at 3a.m. to get in line but whatever floats your boat
I enjoy Christmas and this time of year. I think that Fri. kick starts my holiday spirit

I really can't believe this week is Thanksgiving - I think (& all the past years)the fall season goes by so fast.........

Alot of people ask - "How are you doing?"
I guess it depends on the person asking the question, if they really want to know or not-
For the most part, I give the common response "I am fine - How are you?"
whether I am or not, it's what I say~~~ it drives my friend Jessica L. crazy -she says, I've been your friend for 8 yrs. & you still don't tell me crap!!
~~~~
I don't really have much going on this weekend, we are suppose to get pictures taken on Sunday. We will see how those turn out........I still don't have a clue of what I am going to wear
~~~
Work has been steady this week, it seems like it has been a long week!!
Maybe I am looking forward to a short work week next week-
Also, most of this week, I have been the only person here in my dept. - which can be good and bad
~~~
My older cousin Lisa is preggers, she has just recently moved to from Cali to D.C. (her husband's job)
She let me borrow her maternity clothes, so I am mailing them back to her.
With the increase in postage, it is going to cost me a small fortune to send them back - I am happy for her b/c they have been trying to have another baby for 2 yrs. now
~~~
I received this forward today--
Thought this was great -- some of these are so TRUE!!!!

I am not sure I should call it
"I've learned"
but I do like to be reminded........
some of these statements have to occur over & over,
in order for me to remember..........

I've learned.... That when you're in love, IT DOES SHOW

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the
most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be,
everyone needs a friend to laugh with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a
heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer
nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
(mine was a porch swing)

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we
ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so
spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be
appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I 've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only
letting that person continue to hurt you.

I 've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock
elsewhere.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender,
because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all
the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

Have a good weekend!

Happy Halloween

If you guys are bored........copy and paste this website
you can carve a pumpkin online-

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/pumpkin_sim.html

Wow, it's been a while since I have scribbled anything down in this journal....
I work/travel a lot in the fall, along with having a 7 month old -- so I haven't been on here much -tbh
~~~~~~~~~~
I can't wait to take Owen trick/treating - we really aren't going to ask for candy but at least dress him up in his costume. We are taking him around to see family & friends
He is going to be the sea turtle, Crush, from "Finding Nemo"



On Sunday night, we attempted to let him paint a pumpkin,
I don't have the pics downloaded yet, but you can imagine, the paint was everywhere
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This past Sat. we had people over & then headed down to 4th street for the Halloween festivities
When we first arrived at 4th street, while waiting for everyone to be carded and getting our lovely neon bracelets - we were able to see the Halloween costume contest going on in the middle of the complex
There were amazing costumes - but luns had a good point..........
- some of them were more like floats
don't get me wrong, they were cool, but one costume was a life size dragon, with moving arms and smoke-
How do you compete with that?
I kept wondering how they transported it downtown? & in what?

Some winning costumes(my opinion)that were out and about:
the guys from Dumb and Dumber - they had to have ordered the suits
Fast Food Gang - Jack in the box, with Burger King, Hamburgler, & KFC - Colonel Sanders
Jack Sparrow -with real goatee braids
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (all girls & all homemade costumes)

Anyway, we had a good time - I was glad my friend, Leah was able to come out with us....
I have a ton more pics but here are two.........
I will post more on flickr later

Dave is Dr. Teeth the mupppet and I am a western bar piano "girl"



Kevin is the "Scout Master"

So I was updating my profile info and added this to it:

Do any of you agree / disagree with what I have written below?


I have many more likes than dislikes but here they are:

Likes:
Watching thunderstorms/lightening on a porch
Chocolate - especially dark - I could it eat it everyday!
Christmas time - except the cold weather ~unless it's snowing
Beach - especially w/white sand
Photography - love looking at everyone's pics
Wine - any will do....especially come about Wednesday
All Music - well all music in doses
Painted toe nails - & a good color w/your skin tone
Different color pens - love red, pink, green, etc..
Hugs & kisses - from someone I actually want them from
Fresh Salsa - love Travis' homemade salsa
Shepora- that store could break me
Clean Sheets - w/a good fabric softner
Soft blankets - especially warm blankets on a cold night
Shoes - all shoes - I used to have a shoe closet- it was the bomb!
Certs -especially tropical flav
Candles- I would have them burning everywhere
Getting mail – actual post office mail
Spell check – I have to have it now!! That’s a good & bad!!
Fall – especially leaves
Jewelry - necklaces are my fav
Keeneland - Spring or Fall meet
Football - NFL & college
Lip gloss- all types & all shades

Dislikes:
People that don’t make eye contact
Cell phones in the bathroom – yuck!
Smoking - I hate it when my hair smells
Tuna - can't stand the smell
Nappy Hair for girls – get a brush
Parents that give their children awful names - please don't
name your child Apple
Public Restrooms – gross!!
People that wear the Ear piece for their cell phone
Nasty drinks- there enough choices out there – make it taste good

This weekend was overall a nice one..........I feel like I am due.......:-)

On Friday we celebrated for Tobi's 30th at 4th street.
It was fun & I went home a little after midnight.
I can not hang until 4:00 a.m. anymore & really do not want to.

Here's a pic from the evening -
a few of us being silly......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sat. was pretty much a "do nothing" day and Sat. evening Dave went to the movies - while Owen & I had some mom/son time
He's teething, so he's a bit fussy - but I know for good reason!
*Can you imagine your teeth coming thru your gums for the first time?!
I am so glad we don't remember anything relating to that as we get older.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have elevated to the next car seat level & O seems to be doing ok so far with it.
I can't believe we already have to use the "big car seat"- the carriers are so much more convenient when it comes to taking him anywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~
I was thinking about last couple of weeks
& I have pretty much been in a "mood" (so I am glad to feel better now).

I am so thankful when those that do know I am in a "bad mood" try to make it better -
It's so nice, that anyone takes the time out of their day to do so - no matter how good of a friend they are!
- just an email or message seems to give me a smile & makes me feel better overall :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway,

Today has been the longest day ever!! I am ready to go home
I am here in the office (in my section) by myself all week- so it's pretty quiet & boring

Lee is coming over tonight &
she hasn't seen Owen in a while
- I know she is not going to believe how much he's grown! I can't believe it myself! He was 5 months last week and weighs 20 pounds and is 28 inches
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the rest of the week, during the evenings, we will be getting ready for Luns party on Sat.

I felt like Debbie downer on that last post so.....this one seems better....
:-)

I probably have more UK stories than Dave & everyone else likes to listen to, & I do try to keep them at a minimum.
Last week we were discussing drinking during the week, and the day happened to be Tuesday.

A few memories start coming back to me.........(to the UK drinking days) when I would hang out with my friends Amy, Jenni, Amanda, Greg, Leah, Angela, Pada, Dan, Ali, Clay & many others......

Well, I don't really do that anymore, (drink during the week) especially now that Owen is here. But.........when I was at UK, honestly we drank a lot!

It got out of hand for about a year +,
I didn't realize it until a few years later - when a group of us were talking about our "stories."
Friends would start telling me about instances/things we did
& I usually didn't remember what they were talking about
or my version of the story was recalled a little differently.
Thank god for all the pictures I took!!! They provide a past for me during that time.

My roommate Amy P & I had birthdays during Jan. so we turned 21 about the same time & we drank equally as much. (even start in the shower, when we were going out at night)
We lived in Royal Lex. on campus & it was so easy for everyone to come to our apt. (Jescoe White nights we so funny!)
To continue on,(we also have to throw jenni in this mix, as she slept on our couch & had a key to the apt
& I also, to this day give many thanks to Angela who was constantly our DD.)

I was thinking about when we used to drink on Tuesdays & head over to Two Keys Tavern - going to see laugh track live (everyone we knew would be there)

It was the best!! From what I remember they would bring in some funny comedians from all over the US.
Leah & Tonya held Bud Light promotions there, so we would go early to get a table & to get free drinks from them
We had good times there & after a while the 2 Keys hype died down -

But of course, we still kept the Tuesday drinking tradition.

It wasn't until our older friend, Greg moved to Cincy,
we started saying
"We will drink b/c it's a Tuesday"
In the tone of voice that Wimpy asks Popeye for hamburgers - ha!
~~~~~~~~~
We would go visit Greg during the middle of the week, usually on Tuesdays.
Poor Greg!!!
He had a "real" job with Prudential, but Amy & I were still at UK & reality had not "set in" for us yet.
Everytime, we went to visit, Greg would tell us to stay in school as long as we could b/c we weren't going to like it very much when we wouldn't be able to drink on Tuesdays anymore......ha
In a way he was right and after college, I thought it did suck.

But, I suppose now being in a relationship, being a mom along with growing up, my priorities & outlook are very different. It's just not the same.
I still like to go out and do things but I get more enjoyment from grilling out w/everyone and sitting by the pool than going to a bar.

I will see Amy tonight & like always we will reminiscence about the "UK days" but...our evening will be very different from 8 years ago.
I am happy to sit with Amy & her 2 yr. old daughter, Ava.
We will watch/laugh at Ava trying to talk to Owen & Ava doesn't understand why Owen can't get up & go play with her...............
- WOW how things have changed.........but in a good way
~~~~~~~~~~~

*I say all of this, but I am going to dinner & 4th st. for Tobi's 30th bday on Friday --Marker's Mark Lounge & then to the 4th st. complex
- Leslie is my date & Dave is going to say home w/Owen. :-)
We will see how the evening goes......
I haven't really been "out" w/the old group for a long time, so we will see what I have to say about it next week.........

So the past couple of weeks, I have felt stressed.

I am not happy with many things right now.

Dave called & said Owen rolled over on his own last week.
I was already at work & I know as his development progresses
I am going to miss out on the many milestones coming up in his life. :-(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am having some issues with my cousin, Sam.
I tried to help him out financially & of course I am getting screwed.
I feel sorry for him, because his mom is worthless, so I have always tried to "make up" for her absence. His whole life my mom & I have done so much for him and his 2 other brothers.
I do think that's part of his problem, everyone tries to help him too much and he doesn't take any responsibility.
He says "whatever" & knows that his dad or someone in our family will take care of it.
I think this is the last straw with him and I will no longer help him in the future.
I don't understand because his other 2 brothers aren't like that at all??

Then, yesterday I had to go to my cousins funeral in BFE.
She was found dead in her swimming pool on Wed. evening. (enlarged heart)
I felt so sorry for her husband yesterday, he was so pitiful looking.
He travels a lot for work so hopefully, that will help "fill" his time up, but I am sure he is still in shock.
It was good to see my extended family, but it gets on my nerves that they give me a hard time for not visiting more often. I really haven't been there in about 6 years. They could come to where we live as well, there's so much more to do here. Oh well, I suppose some things will never change.

Well, on a positive note:
I am looking forward to meeting my "other" family tonight for dinner.
Grandma, Jen, & the aunts (it's my friend Rob's family- we were really close at UK and they are so nice and very protective of me)
*they haven't seen Owen yet, so it's time!!
-- I've already gotten an email from them saying they can't wait to see us


Here's a pic of Owen - he's 4 1/2 months old here
(the pic is about 2 wks old)


*He makes me smile!!

So I can not believe how slow the morning is going by....I wish I was at home in the bed....
I also can't believe it is August - I really do not want the cold months to be around the corner! The only good thing about Fall are leaves changing and Keeneland in Oct.

When this time of the year comes around, I reconsider staying here with crazy KY weather, maybe I should have moved to Cape Coral(aka: Cape Coma), FL when I had the chance.
~~~~~~
Owen is still teething and I am so tired.
I really need some Visine today~~~my eyes are so blood shot from lack of sleep over the past couple of nights -
It also doesn't help, I stayed up a little late last night to watch Hot Fuzz.
If you haven't seen it - you really have to like "British humor"
~~~~~~
I was thinking about a couple of different things...
This weekend is the Shelbyville Horse Show -
it's similar to Derby in the sense of, you don't really see a horse &
minus all the flashing & betting
~~~~~~
I didn't not get to go last year, b/c of being preggers,
but I do have my tickets & ready to go this Sat.
Owen is staying with my aunt in Shelbyville, while Dave and I attend.
He won't drink b/c it's August - so yeah for me

The tickets, which were given to me by Lee B, (so nice of him b/c they are $50 a piece)
-- these consitute entry into the horsemans tent and pavilion - where you get free food and any type of drink you wish - all night long
It's really like a SCHS reunion but I will say,
I have never had a bad time :-)

Two years in a row, a big group of my highschool girl friends went and we had the best time!
Another year, Huber and I went together- I can't remeber if Patrick was out of town or it was probably just his usual excuse
- wouldn't/didn't want to do anything --
From what I remember, Jason taught me how to swing dance and we had fun

I think you make the best of any situation regardless & I am sure this weekend will be fun. I am sure I can get some good pics too

~~~~~~~
I was thinking about Shelbyville & I was told this girl we will call Melinda, was complaining to a group about certain small towns, Shelbyville was on the top of her list.
In this group, there were probably about 4 or 5 people from Shelbyville or the other small towns she was dogging.

Background on M:
Melinda is from a small town in Southern KY.
Let's say she now lives in the city of Louisville, but she is constantly complaining about how "crappy" Shelbyville & some of the other smaller towns around KY are
- such as: Harlan & Paintsville

(Now, I know Shelbyville has it's bad points: rumors spread so fast, highly illegal immigrant population, & not that many good restaurants)

But, what I don't understand is: SHE is from a small town as well-

~~~~
I KNOW her small town has issues & can be "crappy" just like any other small town
There is NOTHING to do where she is orginally from & it's not even close to
a larger city in KY.
Atleast Shelbyville, is mid point from Louisville - Lexington.

I feel like every town has it's "flaws" but there are also always good points!!!

When I was growing up:
we didn't even have to worry about locking our front doors
we didn't worry about the candy while trick/treating
we ate dinner at my grandparents every Sunday with the family
Everyone around you would "pitch in" if you needed anything at all

Sometimes it's not so bad to actually know your neighbors & have somewhat of a sense of what's going on around you.
You may NOT want to know that Mr. Smith, that lives across the street, is banging the Sunday school teacher & his wife has no idea, but atleast you know he's not a sex offender, only a cheater.
It doesn't make him a "good person" &
I know this may sound crazy, but when it comes to having a family,
I can see where/why my parents made the choice they did.

I don't know.....
I feel like anywhere you live or visit there are going to be trade offs, but I will always "take up" for Shelbyville. I don't appreciate when someone who is not "from there" speaks so disrespectful of it.

Everyone thinks, Melinda, is annoying to begin with. This really is a hard story to explain but it disappoints me,
when she was complaining, they (the people that were there from the small towns) didn't tell her to shut up
or
at least say there are positives about each location
- just like I am sure where she comes from, so please stop talking about how much you hate it

Anyway,
anyone has the right to say anything they want about where they are orginally from, but please keep your mouth shut about where I am from, especially at a social gathering.
No one wants to hear you talk about how much you hate their home town.
Or actually, I would just recommend:
stop freaking going there or stop bitching about it.

If I am out with a group of people, & see someone I went to highschool with, that person is introduced with
their name and then almost always it is said
"They are from Shelbyville"
I am not sure why all of our friends feel like it's important to point that out every single time someone from s-ville is introduced, it happens.

Well, I know, no one will actually ever tell this girl to shut her pie hole & to stop going to Shelbyville, if she hates it so bad.
I will not see her, so I suppose, this is my own way of doing so

I tried out TrustFlow II for LiveJournal. The following people not on the friends list for goldielocksnky are close by:

• ( Read who...... )
  
  

TrustFlow II: Who is closest to your friends
list?

What do the results mean?

TrustFlow is making a guess at who is "near" your friends list; who might be on it, but isn't. It does this by looking at your friends list, and the friends list of your friends, and so on. 

So I have a million stories I could write about...
but I was thinking I never really said much about when Owen was born

On March 13th
9:00 a.m.
I am sitting in the patient room at my obgyn's office, waiting for the dr. to come in.
As soon as she comes into the room, she's says "Wow, Carrie you don't look well"
My face & body were swollen & I had gained about 55 pounds total.
In the few weeks before this visit, I was heading to the dr about twice a week & having an ultrasound every week. I had been on bedrest for a total of about 2 months.
The placenta fluids had been low & my blood pressure was too high. One positive thing, the dr. kept telling us, was that the baby's heartbeat was at a good rate. I kept having to give urine samples and giving blood. It was awful.
So, the dr. continues on, doing the normal routine of checks & pushes on my body.
I was only there for about 10 minutes & she said we are going to induce you in the morning, can you call the hospital at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning & make an appt? Well, of course I can and will.
As I am walking out of the patient room, the doctor says,
"Oh C, you can't eat or drink anything after midnight tonight & everything is going to be ok"
I guess she said this to give me a level of comfort I probably needed & the baby was going to be about 2 1/2 weeks early.

So we headed home trying to contact everyone we needed to, telling them the 9 1/2 month wait was over & he'll be here tomorrow, most likely late afternoon.
That evening we load the car up & try to make sure we were ready as much as we thought we could be.

11:55p.m. rolls around & I am drinking & eating as much as I can before midnight strikes.
I scarf down some crackers & eat some cottage cheese along with fruit.
I set the alarm clock & try to go to sleep. I am not sure if it's the excitement, stress, and every emotion you can imagine, dave snoring, but I don't think I went to bed until after 2:00a.m.

The alarm clocks goes off at 5:00a.m. & I call the hospital, I was able to make the appt. for 6:00 a.m. and Dave drives me to Suburban.
Luckily, it is only about 9 minutes from the house so we were one of the first to arrive that morning.
I had pre registered about a month before, so it only took about 35 minutes & we go up to the delivery room.

Once in the room, I change into the hospital gown & I am hooked up to monitors. My delivery nurse, Hilda, comes into the room.
She is this older, larger lady that is very straight forward.
Everything you would expect in a "Hilda".
The pitocin starts to drip & Hilda tells us it will take a few hours for the contractions to start.

Meanwhile my doctor comes in around 9:30 and has a big long plastic stick looking device w/a large hook on the end.
I looked at her with my eyes so wide
"What in the world is that for?"
Well, she says, "I have to break your water."
I never thought about that and NO ONE told me about the plastic hook!! She continued with what needed to be done & luckily it didn't really hurt, just a bit weird. More physcological than anything.

The Pitocin starts to work & the contractions begin. When they started, I was holding onto the bed asking for the epidural. It's not like any pain I have every experienced. It feels like someone is kicking you in your stomach.
Around 11:30, the epidural team came in & I am sitting on the bed sideways with my legs hanging down & my arms draped on Hilda's shoulders.

I told everyone in the room I did not want to see anything! No needles or equipment- it freaks me out & the worse thoughts start running through my head.
So, blah, blah they insert the needle into my back but
my right leg starts to really hurt.
The dr. asked if everything was ok & explained I would have some pain in my back.
I said "No, I think something is wrong, my leg is in extreme pain and is shooting down toward my feet"
She does some other things & I am still hanging out - holding onto Hilda.
She starts talking to me about her love for the Pie Kitchen,(mine too) trying to keep my mind off what's going on behind me.
When you are that pregnant and trying to sit in that manner, it is not a great position to be in.
Then I hear, "C, we are going to have to try the epidural again"
I know Hilda could see the look of horror on my face.
I just told them to please hurry!

Anyway, the second time around worked &
I was just happy to get back into a better position on the bed.
The epidural is the best thing, you don't feel anything from your waist down and your mood is so much better. It just made me feel better all around.

I am lying there watching the minutes go by and it's about 1:00, Hilda comes in & increases the pitocin dosage & checks my bp. Things are going as planned & the family members start to trickle in and out of the room.
3:00 rolls around and I am dilated 10 cm but the baby is not far enough down to come out.
She tells me it may be another 30 minutes and we will get started.
Well 4:00 rolls around & he still isn't in the right position.

Finally close to 5:00- Hilda says we are going to get started
(I think she wanted to get it over with b/c her shift ended at 7-ha)
The leg/feet straps come out and the lights come on.
Hilda is telling me to push, breathe and Dave is holding my hand.
I am pushing, breathing- I know that my face is turning red and I just want it to be over......more pushing, breathing.... at 5:49 Owen came into the world

Now, I know I make it sound easy but truly it really was.....
(sorry to people like Jess L that had to push for over 3
hours and had stage 3 tear)
The delivery was fine and I think Hilda helped out so much.
The part that I had absolutely no warning on was,
when you go home w/the baby & you are still
in pain from what your body has gone thru along w/your meds wearing off.
It's so hard to take care of yourself for the first few days along with an infant & trying to nurse.
If you want to do anything for anyone that comes home with a new baby- take them food - it saved us time and kept us fed!

Anyway, Owen came into the world screaming and the nurses lift him up so Dave can take a photo. They weigh and measure him and place him in my arms.
The doctor continues to do some work on me and I am looking away the whole time.
She asked if I was ok?
I just didn't want to see anything she was doing and wanted to close my legs

Everything was fine, he's healthy & they let about 15 people that were in the waiting room come into the delivery room.
It's such an overwhelming feeling, you've had this baby in your belly for 10 months and now he's here. I was glad he was here and healthy!

We then had to wait for about 3 hours to get moved into a room & I am worried about having Owen back in the room with us & getting something to eat.

The hospital visit was ok- I had a some issues with the nurses.
Here's some examples
*When I got the the room- my epidural had completely worn off & I didn't have pain meds for about 4 hours after that- I was in pain! & they wanted me to get out of bed!
*Then the nurse came to take my blood and missed 3 times! I had been poked enough!!
*The lactation nurse came in with a room full of guys and asked if she could help me and if I had any problems! come on!!
*The took Owen away and didn't bring him back for about 8 hours
*One of the nurses brought rolled him in the room in the middle of the night, at 3:30a.m. said
"I bringing him in here to you" and walked out!
These are just a few crappy examples but I was just happy to go home!

We asked for no visitors for 2 days at home & I think that helped us to get adjusted.
He's been such a good baby - we feel so lucky!!
I do have a different version of what it means to be "tired"

I don't know that I could honestly say I could ever "be ready" to have children.
It takes so much out of you but the it such a good feeling when he smiles or laughs back at you.
I do know it changes the way you look at your life and puts a different prespective the things you do.

I am back at work today so surfing the net, I came across some interesting articles. There's some much crap out there it's unbelievable....

I am sure some people feel very strongly about these topics.
I think, as far as relationships go, everyone usually has issues & regardless of the age & it will have absolutely
nothing to do with the partnership problems they may have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SO here's the first article: written by a female in her 20's

Someone I look up to, respect and admire had a child with somebody much older than her.
Anyway, as I learn more about her and the father, I come more and more to realize that my hypothesis about men who look for younger women is completely correct.
All of the older men that I have come across, who date younger women, are immature. Immature, selfish, not prepared to deal with the real world and still stuck in that 20-year-old mentality.(This happens a lot, no matter what age they choose to date)
They don’t know what they want in life. Don’t know where they’re going, and probably can’t remember where they’ve been. A great majority of them are just ridiculously stupid and ignorant.
When women look for an older man, and I mean seek out, they are generally looking for somebody that they can relate to, as they are more mature themselves. They are looking for someone who doesn’t play games, is faithful, confident, and stable. Kind of ironic???
OR the opposite -- they are looking for somebody who knows where they’re going, and knows what to do to succeed in life. Or, you know, they’re gold diggers.
Anyway, I imagine this is why a lot of relationships between older men & younger women don’t work out.
Because of the parallels between what each sex is searching for.

But, I am sure there are rare instances where a nice older man and a lovely younger woman can meet, and a relationship can blossom and grow into something much more strong and stable.
And that is precisely what I hope for. A strong, stable relationship no matter what age.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another "touchy" topic/article: PORN

Whenever anyone talks about porn around our group of friends, it's not really a big deal. If you want to watch it in on your own- then go ahead.
I think whatever you do when no one is around is your business.
Sexually, for men, I do believe they are aroused by visual appeal - much more than most women.
(I will say, I do like to watch The Girls Next Door show on E - not b/c it's Playboy but it makes me laugh)
I thought this was very interesting & I have never thought about the male "issues" that may come with porn

~~~~~~~~~
The problem with pornography begins when, instead of being a temporary stop on the way to full sexual relations, it becomes a full-time place of residence."
Men addicted to porn have convinced counselors that "the more time you spend in this fantasy world, the more difficult it becomes to make the transition to reality. Just like drugs, pornography provides a quick fix, a masturbatory universe people can get stuck in. This can result in their not being able to involve anyone else."

Men, as much as women, hunger for intimacy. For many males, are locked into a life in which self-esteem has grown intrinsically entwined with performance, sex assumes an almost unsustainable freight of demands and needs. Not only does the act itself become almost the only means through which many men can feel intimate and close, but it is also the way in which they find validation.
And sex itself, of course, cannot possibly satisfy such demands.
It is into this troubled scenario that porn finds such easy access. For in pornography, unlike in real life, there is no criticism, real or imagined, of male performance.
Women are always, in the words of the average internet site, "hot and ready", eager to please. In real life, by contrast, men find women are anything but: they have higher job status, they demand that they be sexually satisfied, and they are increasingly opting to combine career and motherhood.

Unlike real life, the pornographic world is a place in which men find their authority unchallenged and in which women are their willing, even grateful servants. "The illusion is created," as one male writer on pornography puts it, "that women are really in their rightful place and that there is, after all, no real and serious challenge to male authority."
Seen in this light, the patently ridiculous pornography scenario of the pretty female flat-hunter (or hitch-hiker, driver with broken-down car, or any number of similar such vulnerable roles) who is happy to let herself be gang-banged by a group of overweight, hairy-shouldered couch potatoes makes perfect psychological sense.

According to psychoanalytical thinking, pornography answers men's fetishistic
need for visual proof of phallic potency. Lynne Segal, professor of psychology and gender studies at Birkbeck College, University of London, writes: "Men's specific fears of impotence, feeding off infantile castration anxiety, generate hostility towards women.
Through pornography, real women can be avoided, male anxiety soothed and delusions of phallic prowess indulged, by intimations of the rock-hard, larger-than-life male organ."
Pornography, in other words, is a lie. It peddles falsehoods about men, women and human relationships.
In the name of titillation, it seduces vulnerable, lonely men - and a small number of women - with the promise of intimacy, and delivers only a transitory masturbatory fix.
Lost in a world of pornographic fantasy, men can become less inclined, as well as increasingly less able, to form lasting relationships.
In part, this is due to the underlying message of pornography. Ray Wyre, a specialist in sexual crime, says pornography "encourages transience, experimentation and moving between partners". Morgan goes further: "Pornography does damage," he says, "because it encourages people to make their home in shallow relationships."

````````````````
well......................?

First off, I am not a great story teller.
Also, when I write online,
my stories can be very jumbled and abbreviated
- it's usually b/c I am at work & I get interrupted a lot.

I have also realized (or it's been brought to my attention) that "our group of friends" have an abbreviated/slang language we use &
I write w/that thought process
- it's not a good thing but I don't even realize I am doing it
- until after the fact
* sometimes when I go back and read posts I feel like I sound like a Valley girl and hate it!!!!!

Well, on with it,
I have so many things I would like to talk about so here are a few things I have chosen.

Anyway, today is the worst day of work this week so far.......(besides my lunch)
I have nothing to work on today at all! I have been on the net & talking to people in the office all day
- I haven't even received that many emails 4 work related issues today!
Yeah, you could say
"Well that's nice you get paid to do nothing", but I don't see it that way, because it makes the day go by so SLOW.........I would rather be a busy bee

*Anyway, I am not sure who the Human Resource associate is that hires for our parking garage, but the guys that monitor the "comings and goings" of everyone
- Well, I really wonder what their stories are and how far their vocab stretches??
They same the same exact thing to me every morning and every afternoon.
"Good Morning Young Lady"
"Have a Nice Afternoon Mam"
I asked some of my co-workers and they say the same sayings to them as well.

The morning attendant is a middle aged guy w/a David Letterman gap & is slick bean.
The afternoon guy is probably pushing 80 and looks like he can barely stand.

Just about every other day, I have been trying to chit chat w/them to get a different response from them- but it's not happening........
same boring statements

I suppose they see so many people a day - it's just easier for them to have the same dialogue?????????
It's not really a big deal just something I have began to laugh about on the way to work and leaving work in the afternoon.
I am glad they are both friendly & don't seem like they would jack my car.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Dave and I were having a discussion last night on why famous people pay for sex & then are shocked when it goes public?

Dick Cheney, John Kerry, Eve, Eddie Murphy, Kevin Costner, Arnold, Hugh Grant, etc....
Why do these famous people have to pay for sex in the first place?
There are so many fans & groupies out there that would do it for free!!!
It's sad but true....
Do you think b/c they are paying a considerable chunk of $, that "hooker" should be silent?
Well, it usually doesn't happen- someone usually finds out!
Why hasn't anyone learned their lesson?

~~~~~~~~~~~
I saw a great line when I was recently reading some articles----
"So where to find a hooker?"
"On the Internet, of course! Nerds, lead the way."
"Wow. It's like a Zagat guide for hookers"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, where am I going with this?
I was just thinking about a convo I had w/someone about:
*Is it bad as a guy to know that you are only going out w/a girl
to try to get into her pants & afterwards want nothing else?

*or just go on & pay for it, no strings attached
& hope no one will find out?

~~~~~~~~~I guess it depends on the person, situation,
along with your conscience & morals

& I know most males think differently about sex than most women so it's hard to relate and answer that ? above

Last thing,
I went to lunch today at Melillo's - my favorite!!!
You should go there if you are ever downtown Lou
www.melillos.com
check them out!! Best eggplant parm ever!!

I have some downtime again today, so I've been searching around on the net
(If you have any good website suggestions- please send them my way)

I am not looking forward to my plain jane lunch of lettuce, almond accents & water so visions of sugarplums have been dancing in my head

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoy watching the show "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network
I looked on that bakery's website - www.charmcitycakes.com
(you should check it out- they really have
some interesting cakes on their site)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- I wish I was that creative in the cake design area
.... or maybe I don't .......
I don't need anymore sweet treats around me......
I still have about 25 pounds of baby weight that needs to come off!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a few I find interesting:

With new Harry movie coming out:


Happy Birthday or Happy Halloween:


If I ever need a wedding cake:

I don't have much to work on today so I am trying to “look” busy

Every Monday, I open emails & answer/ask the same question
of my friends

“How was your weekend?”

But, this morning,
I did not go into great detail w/the emails:
I did reply w/the normal response
“The weekend was fine & I didn’t want to come back to work today”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I started thinking & instead of writing an LJ entry
“we did this, we did that”
I am using simple words to accurately
describe my mood/feelings from the past couple of days:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Speechless-
temporarily deprived of speech by strong emotion, exhaustion

*Happiness-
pleasure; contentment; joy

*Disturbed-
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief; "too upset to say anything"

*Content-
satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else

*Exhausted-
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired

*Interesting-
engaging or exciting & holding the attention or curiosity

My memory for the past year has been shot!
(truly, this is not always a bad thing, but I feel so unorganized!)

Previously, I have never had an issue w/my memory
*I've always been able 2 remember anything, everything, & everyone

BUT NOW,
I write it down on my 5 calendars & that helps :-)
- on the fridge, in my purse, at my work, myspace, outlook
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For some reason???????
I do well w/remembering where odd things are located-
especially placed around the house

As far as remembering to do something,
buy something at the store that we need, &
keeping dates with friends- I suck!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hate it
- I've always been the organized one &
able to keep my schedule/plans straight -
so I will be writing everything out &
keeping track of some things the "old fashioned" way -
keeping calendars & lists

Plus, it helps to have gmail :-) they let you keep everything
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I believe the contributing factors have been:
getting older, being a new mom,
trying to keep a "social" life, & working full time
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope everyone has a great 4th!!!
We are going to a cookout this evening at Amanda's new house
- yeah :-)

I really am trying to complete a lot of small projects at work but needed a slight break.

I had to go get a shot, (in the rear end at that) this morning for poison oak.
Since last week I have had poison oak on my arm, right above my elbow.
I am highly allergic to both “poisons” & it is continually spreading up my arm.
I feel like I have tried everything and enough time has passed.
Plus, I am concerned that Owen could “catch” it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before I left work, for the doctor, I went in to my boss's office
—just to give her a heads up that I needed to leave for a bit to go get a shot.
*****Keep in mind- she is from IN
so............. this upcoming statement may sound like the stereotypical advice coming out of someone’s mouth from rural KY, but it’s not.
We were talking about the poison oak (& I had it last year too, about this time)
---- then she says to me
“Well, C I have some wolf fat I could bring in to you & you can put that on your poison oak.”
“It’s in a tube & we bought it at a farm store in English, it really stinks and is thick, but it works really well. “

I know the expression on my face said it all!
I told her thank you but I would rather go get a shot- something I thought would never come out of my mouth
I just can’t imagine applying anything like that to my skin and then especially if it stinks!
It was very nice of her to offer & I do appreciate her understanding that I would have to leave to go get the shot, but I will never do anything with wolf fat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will tell a “poison” story from my childhood.
I was about 7 and my neighbor, Melanie and I decided to go play in the woods near our houses.
We found pokeberry & thought it would be great to pick the berries & play around with them, “painting” the sidewalk around my house with this new found wonderful paint with a dark purple color.

On a side note: what the heck are pokeberries good for?

So, on with the story:
Of course, the pokeberry had poison ivy intertwined in it. That evening my face & arms starting breaking out, getting very red.
I remember how much it itched & I wanted to scratch so badly!!!!!!!!!
At that time, we lived out in the country, so we were about 20 minutes from any type of healthcare provider.
Well after about 30 minutes, it was much worse & absolutely nothing she seemed to be doing was working.
The “poison” had spread all over my face & starting getting in my mouth & eyes.
I was rushed to the hospital & on the way there, my face started swelling up.
My eyes were swollen shut by the time we arrived to the emergency room in Frankfort.
I was so embarrassed that I covered my face with a blanket while I was waiting to be seen. My mom had to help me walk around because I couldn’t see anything.
That night I got the shot for the “poison” & it took about 2 days for the swelling to go down.
I had to drink soup & vowed to never touch pokeberry again! ha
Anyway, that was the beginning of the first of many “poison” shots I have had to endure in my life.
You ask what happened to Melanie? nothing – it turned out she wasn’t allergic

I am getting ready to go into a meeting but wanted to write about a few things from last night and this morning.

So I had the weirdest dream last night - blast from the past
I walked into a room and there were a ton of people at a dinner, we were all gathered around a huge table.
It was pretty loud and there were so many people I went to highschool with.
Some of the people in attendance- I haven't seen in forever.
Matthew Galyon, Ryan McDowell, John Tyler, Bryce Stella, Jacob Morris, Kaye Shields, Tobi, Leslie, Melissa L, & Jessica Holmes to name a few.
(If you went to highschool with me & are reading some of the names above I know you are cracking up.)
I haven't heard Matthew, Jacob, or Ryan's name in probably 11 years.

So I am not sure what this was about???? just funny to think back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So my morning drive in:

I drive to downtown every morning for work and usually the commute is a boring one. Possibly, this morning I was paying more attention??? who knows
but I saw the ugliest article of clothing - well top 10 ugliest
A lady was standing on the side of the interstate on her cell phone, her car was broken down (I do feel bad about that) but she had on a full length purple camoflouge dress.

It is too bad her car was broken down, but I wondered where on earth was she going in a dress like that?

So I was just thinking and you wouldn't believe I found a short version of it on ebay
Nice!!


So to add to this--
On the drive in I also saw an old civic that probably wasn't worth more than a $1,000. Why did it have rims on it that looked like they were worth more than the value of the car? I am just wondering why people do this?

I really have so much I could write about - for some reason....but here's what I have chosen for now...........fortune cookies and pet peeve about ice

This past Friday we had dinner at a pretty good Chinese joint- I had some tasty Mandarin Chx!
So, of course, at the end of the meal we received fortune cookies

~~~~~~~~~~~~SIDE NOTE:
I absolutely hate it when I try a new dish from a restaurant
& when it comes out,
it looks so appetizing &
as it's placed in front of you,
you pick up your fork for the first bite & BUT WAIT
your tastes buds are sensing something similar to
cleaning supplies rather
than the great new meal you are hoping for!!!

It's disappointing and gross at the same time, so
then you have to hope the person you are with
will share their meal with you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, on with the point.............
The fortune from my cookie said
"Don't be afraid to take that next big step"

Well of course, you know how it goes when you open your fortune cookie --
you usually read it aloud with the
person you are dining with & then you both
laugh at the fortunes you've received &
throw the pieces of paper back on the table

Well, for whatever reason I was thinking
about mine this morning - (mostly because I don't want to be at work)

Is there any merit to this silly fortune I have received?
one possibility is career related change
or staying at home with Owen --
I suppose we will see............
There could be a few other possibilities too
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, on with my pet peeves
& trust me I know there are more important things
in the world to worry about
but it's just a little peeve of mine

I really like a cold drink - so plenty of ice in my glass please

The fridge in the house doesn't have an automatic ice maker
so we use ice trays
& nine times out of ten this works out well :-)
but there's the occasion that it does not & there's a glitch in the matrix

so you can guess what my pet peeve is

I hate it when someone uses all the ice from the trays but doesn't fill the trays back up
- so you are left with no ice & a hot drink !!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~
The "old" version of Carrie
would have taken their drink
out of their hand and took their ice or poured it out in front of them so they wouldn't have any ice either

but instead, of course, I just griped to Dave

-- I think what made it worse, (to no one's surprise), the culpirt
it is not even someone that is a member of the household

My solution:
Get a bag of ice & put it in the freezer
or get a new fridge with auto im

I am in Georgetown this week for work.
I have been here since Sunday, but have mostly been driving back and forth; except for this evening. I will be staying the night in Lexington. I think at Kevin's - I guess I should call to confirm that.

Yesterday was actually a good day!
Last night we went to Sephora, that place is the "devil store" for me.
I could spend everything I have in there! I love it!
I did buy my favorite pink grapefruit scrub- it's the best!!!
I do like Bliss Orange Scrub, also but it's about twice as expensive and really not worth the extra cost.
I was disappointed that they no longer carry the Sephora bubble bath.
I did get to buy my favorite fresh gloss, so that made me very happy.
This was one of the best weekdays I have had in a while.

I do like being out of the office, but the hours for work are much longer.

I am taking the group on a tour of Toyota today.
Last year we went the the Claiborne Horse Farm, so I glad we will be doing something different.
Today will be a long day for me and then tomorrow I will be finished around 1:00.
We may go see the movie Knocked Up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tobi is suppose to come to Lexington tonight to meet me, but we will see if that happens.
I am going to try to meet Lee later on.
I am not very organized this week.

Have a good weekend!!!

I am at work today and the morning is going by so slow!!!
To add to my day:
I left my lunch on the counter at home, so I will have to figure something out for my lunch plans

I wanted to share a pet peeve I have with you guys:
When a driver is turning in their car, why do some people put their turn signal on as they are turning and not beforehand?
What's the point of turning it on as you are turning?
That's a little too late- don't you think?

*As far as driving goes, I do have to admit: I sucked yesterday!!
Not sure why - maybe I am tired? mind on other things?

Also, what happened to Certs? I can't find them anywhere?

*I really could go on & on but that's enough

I am so glad we are having a girls dinner at P.F. Changs tonight- love the orange peel chx!!

Some of these are so much easier said than done...........


MAYA ANGELOU'S BEST EVER......


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .......
One old love she can imagine going back to...
& one who reminds her how far she has come...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own
even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
Something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her
old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
One friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her
family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal
that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
A feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
When to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips,
or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
That her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Whom she can trust, Whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

Today we were up & roaring by 6 a.m.
Dave took O to the daycare and I will pick him up this afternoon
I don't think 4:00 can come soon enough

I just called the daycare and they said he's doing fine
(of course they are going to tell me that)
I would, of course, rather not have him spending 9 hours a day
with strangers~~~
At that same token, he's not the only child to go to daycare, so I will live with it for now

SO first full day back to work:
This morning has gone by sooooo slow........
I don't mind the work I have to do

So I was thinking to myself - "What is it?"

Well of course I would rather be spending time with O but
I don't think the job is challenging enough
along with working in a "gossipy" office with mostly women
I really do not miss this place at all!!
+Adding to that: the stop and go traffic to downtown with gas being close to $3.30 gal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway this weekend was a nice get away to Lexington
My highlights from the weekend:
*Kev letting us crash! He's the best host always!
*I met R2Leigh2 and she was great in every respect
*We were graced with the presence of Dan the man- I hadn't seen him in forever!
*Kate B joined us, coming all the way, from D.C. & drove us back to KK's at 2:30a.m.!
*I was able to talk to a few people about a job/apt. for my cousin that will be moving to Lex. in the fall
*Kevin's pics were freaking funny
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a great day!