December isn't my favorite month. Christmas isn't much of a favorite and New Year's Eve is usually just another day. And as of 2000 I have another reason to dislike December.

December 7, 2000 my beautiful nephew, Austin Tyreese was born. He was a chubby and rosy cheeked angel. On December 11, 2000 at 7:30 AM, while being examined by his doctors, he went into cardiac arrest and pulmonary failure. They immediately started CPR and after a half hour pronounced him at 8:00 AM. There was nothing the doctors could do. After an autopsy it was determined he died from SIDS. There was nothing wrong with his heart or lungs. His other internal organs were determined to all be normal. SIDS, it seemed, claimed another victim and Austin became a statistic in the medical community. To our family, though, it was a tragedy. It is something we all think about, all year.

No one knows this but I donate every year, in his honor, to an organization call A Child's Place. I started in 2004. On his birthday and on Christmas they get $25. This year I failed to be able to afford it. I guess that's why this month has been the hardest for me this year.

He would be 8. I see him in my mind's eye - tall with dark, soft, curly hair. A brilliant smile and outgoing personality. Chubby cheeks, still, with soft golden brown skin. And a little gentleman! :) I only knew him for four days but he made a lasting impact on my life. I miss him so much!

This year since I couldn't donate to A Child's Place I put together a donation page at a website called DonorsChoice.org in his honor. It is to benefit his peers - kids in the second grade (K - 2, actually). The best thing about the site is you can donate $5, $9, $20, $400 ... whatever you can afford. And you actually get a thank you from the students and/or teacher. Every person that donates a dollar is appreciated and you don't feel like you are expected to do more. I recently found the site and I already love it and what they do for our future leaders.

Giving Back for Austin

Have you heard of www.DonorsChoose.org? I was just visiting this site -- it has thousands of classroom project requests from teachers across the country. As you know, a lot of kids in public schools don't have the books, art supplies, or materials they need for learning. So, teachers submit project requests to www.DonorsChoose.org, and people like us can donate to the project of our choice.

I just funded a great classroom project, and soon I'll hear back from the classroom I chose to help!

If you want to consider doing the same, check out www.DonorsChoose.org -- you can search for projects by city, subject, grade level and more. There are thousands of classroom projects waiting for help. I'm hoping one of them will excite you.

Happy Holidays to all my LJ friends. Whatever holiday it is you celebrate, I hope it is a joyous one and not one filled with greed and commercialism.

Mine was pretty sedate this year. We celebrated on the 14th because Jesse is in FL with his Mom (her year this year). He got an iPod to replace his broken one. I got Spore - much disappointment in the game but I'm still playing it - and the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Steve got underwear and Fallout 3 which I found out was wrong, he wanted Farcry 2. So I need to get that later for him. Bobbie got a box of cereal (as a gag gift) with money in it. Kylar got a DS purse (a very cute little purse to hold her DS and games) and two shirts. Overall it was a very quiet and small Christmas. I'm not complaining though. I finished my shopping in two days. Would have been one but I found out that a friend couldn't afford to get his son anything this year so I bought a ton of 2 year old toys and some pull-ups for the baby as well as a little something for the parents.

So I called my Mom and found out the same thing with my brother - his two kids wouldn't have had anything for Christmas if it wasn't for my Mom giving him money. What the hell is family for? I don't put up with all my family's shit just because they're my family. I put up with it because I know they'll be there for me if I need them. I also know, however, that I must TELL them I need help if they're going to give it to me! *sigh*

Hope everyone has had a wonderful day spent with loving and happy family.

So ... why do people think taking copyrighted movie photos/clips and making them 100x100 is creating an icon? What happened to creativity?

So ... twitter is a lot easier to keep up with than LJ. Anyone else use Twitter?(opens in a new window)

I’m sick. My throat is sore, I’m coughing, my body aches, my nose is runny. Yet I’m still at work. I hate feeling like even though I have sick time I can’t use it. Granted I was already off Monday due to a doc appointment. And the Thursday before that due to an iPod malfunction. Yeah – I can’t get through a day without it! So it’s my own fault but I’m still sick. I’m still sitting here miserable and not being productive. I did complete my goal for today but barely. I have to do 65 cards – which I normally get done RIGHT after lunch… today I got 70 for all day. It will look weak up there next to the last few days of 104, 98 and 103. I don’t care, though. I’m sick. I don’t feel well.

I have Kylar on Saturday. I also have to bring Tux to The Bird Store in Fort Mill so I was hoping to have a nice day out with Kylar. That’s not going to happen if I feel like this Saturday. I’m really debating on saying screw it and call in tomorrow or at least do all my current work in the morning and go home for half a day. We’ll see I guess.

I’ve been trying to keep up with the Presidential primaries and caucuses lately but I can’t focus. Last I heard is Clinton won what she needed to to stay in, Obama had a problem with some memo from Canada saying his position on NAFTA is just that – a political position (if it’s true I’m so disappointed!) and Obama still leads in delegates but not enough so the “smoke filled back room” (translation: super delegates) will be the ones to actually decide the nominee. At this point, I’m voting Nader again!!

So – what have I missed? Things were building up to the fourth so I have a feeling I didn’t miss much yet.

I have a friend. Her name is Michele. She is a well educated woman that knows her job and knows it well. She’s considered the “expect” in our regional district which covers the whole southeast. What she does isn’t important but what is important to know is that she makes well informed decisions. Always. Sometimes it becomes a flaw when I want to try a new restaurant or café. She has to spend time looking up their information on the Internet or asking other friends about their experiences at the location. She’s a great judge of character – she has me for a friend, after all. She is a no-nonsense kind of person, too. If she knows you’re full of bull she will call you on it.

So Michele falling into the problems she’s had as of late is baffling to me. She did all her research before she dropped her car off to be repaired at a reputable garage. She did find a website with lots of praises (not like they would publish bad ones) and didn’t find any complaints on them at the BBB, of which the garage was a member. She asked friends and they all said they hadn’t heard anything bad about them but admitted they never used the garage personally. She did everything necessary to insure she was taking her car to a reputable garage to be repaired. It was just a little fender-bender anyway. The quote was very competitive and even though she had one a little less she went with her gut instinct and brought her car to this garage.

The car was there for two days before they looked at it. Then suddenly the quote wasn’t right because there was more “hidden” damage than they noticed at the initial inspection. She was in the process of dealing with this issue when she watched a news piece on a local station about scams. To her horrific surprise she saw “her” garage. There were hidden cameras that showed a worker beating on the car and dinging it up more. Then they even removed the light and banged up things on the inside. It wasn’t her car. She never saw her car on the news story but suspected that was what happened. She was horrified and called to demand they do nothing more to her car and hand over her keys. They said they would have to charge her labor for taking apart the car for the full inspection of the damage. Sheesh, the nerve of some people. So she got her car and got out of there - $203.43 lighter.

So does experience always mean “the best”? Or should we look for something different? If I had to pay $100 more for a garage that would let me sit in there and watch them work (nice change, huh?) I think I’d pay it as opposed to someone that keeps their garage closed up and hidden. Sometimes experience means they just know how to go through the cracks and beat the system!

So - you got fired, eh? The sad thing is I don't know if you're just saying that because you quit or if you really did get fired. And if you did get fired it wouldn't surprise me that it's of your own doing. You were warned. If you couldn't make your quota you should have talked to them about it. Make them see it's unreasonable - if it is. Do something to fight for your job, man!! But no. You didn't reach quota but you left early anyway on several occasions that I know of. And your response? To go spend the night/all day today (I'm sure) at a friend's house and get wasted. And this weekend. I know you think you're going to use your last check as a sort of last "hurrah" until you get another job but you have another think coming!! You're already 18 days late with the rent for this month and it doesn't look like I'm going to even get rent next month so I swear you better give me my rent or you will NOT be living here. I will take your computer for payment and sell it!! Along with your month-old iPod nano! I'm sure I can get a pretty penny for that since I still have the packaging for mine I could put yours in and make it look almost new.

I just wish you'd grow up. I just wish you'd be responsible. I just wish ...


Love,
Your Sis

There is snow on the ground. It looks like it started melting about 3 hours ago so it should be gone by 9am. That sucks. I really do want snow - and a lot (which really isn't - a lot to me is about 6 inches). I want to build a snowman at least!

WINTER IS FINALLY HERE!! :D

I'm staying home from work today partly because of the snow and partly because of how I feel. I haven't felt good the last three days. Minor issues with my stomach and aches/pains in my feet but enough to make me miserable at work. I'll probably get a doctor's excuse tomorrow when I go back to see my Dr.

I just read something and it irritated me.

Quote: Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?

First of all, who said "our" children can't read a Bible in school? No one! A child can read it they just can't "preach" it or assemble in a state funded facility (i.e. school) to further the mission of any religion, INCLUDING Christianity. How much do you want to bet Christians would have a fit if they found out their money was being used to further other religions they don't agree with.

Secondly, the type of children that would end up in prison probably doesn’t want to read the Bible anyway. So now this statement turns the responsibility of turning out "bad kids" on people like me that think there really should be a separation of church and state. Instead of where it belongs - on the parents or on the child! What the HELL happened to personal responsibility in this country?! The kid was teased, the kid was bullied, the kid played too many video games, the kid listened to rock music, the kid wore all black, the kid hung around with the wrong crowd. Not that kid is bad, that kid's parents didn't teach him it's only a video game/only music, that kid made the choice.

Lastly, how many kids do you know want to read the Bible? I mean, come on! Even if the kid was religious and had parents that forced the crap down their throat encouraged it that kid wouldn't bring a Bible to school and read it unless it was a reading assignment of some sort. Of course that isn't for all kids but find me 10 kids that would read the Bible at school, willingly and of his/her own volition and I'll eat a worm!

Dear Bobbie,

I know it’s your birthday and you want to celebrate it the way you want to – and that’s fine. But do you really have to cancel Brunch for it? Yes there will be other people there but for you to say, “I don’t feel so bad now” really hurt my feelings. So you were just coming so I wouldn’t be alone?! You weren’t coming to celebrate the holidays with your FAMILY? You were going to show up and show your appreciation for all the things I do for you throughout the year? Gee, thanks!

As for Kylar’s Christmas – you know I was going to redecorate her room and I bought her tons of Hannah Montana stuff. You told me you were going to move the large dresser out of her room so I can do that for her. You said it was taking up space and she didn’t use it anyway. So to tell me now that you don’t know when you’re going to get it out of there really pisses me off! So now not only do I have to clean Kylar’s disgusting (I have no doubt it will be disgusting) room but I also have to clean whatever room the dresser is going in or haul it off myself. You knew for almost a month that I was planning this. You knew for two weeks that I had the stuff and was planning this. You knew for a week that I wanted to do it sometime this week. But your response when asked when it will be gone is, “I don’t know”. Gee, thanks!

Sometimes I hate family during the holidays! I’d be much happier and less stressed if I was just on a deserted island for the holidays. I’m sure you’ll still take advantage of my cooking and baking though, huh?

Your Sis,

Beckie

I know my last entry was religion-based (as this one will be) but it’s been on my mind – probably due to the season.

I was listening to a political podcast and they started talking about The Golden Compass. They explained that the book is under attack due to the religious undertones – or lack thereof. Apparently, the author is an Atheist and portrays the church as the “bad guy”. They also said in the first book it is pretty understated (and even more so in the movie) but in the second and third book it is more apparent and in-your-face. Religious groups all around the country are urging parents to boycott the movie and not buy the books. They are trying to get the movie to fail. So that brings me to another baffling thing Christians do.

I remember when the Harry Potter books came out and a mother was trying to get them banned due to the “witchcraft” it spoke of in the book. I think JK Rowling was very careful not to put religious undertones in the book and only one religious holiday exists (Christmas) in the book. Other than that I can’t see where religion was brought into it at all – but I am pretty naïve when it comes to symbolisms. But this mother thought the books were glamorizing witchcraft, Satanism and other Pagan beliefs. She was a moron.

Both these situations bring me to my point. Christians raise their children to believe in Christ, God and everything holy. They talk about how Jesus is in your heart and knows when you’re doing something wrong. They tell children that when you do bad things that Jesus is in your heart crying and dying. They tell you that Jesus died for you and if you betray that love it’s like he dies all over again. They tell you that if you’re bad and you hurt Jesus you’re going to Hell where you will burn in an eternal fire and writher in pain. But they also tell you that Jesus loves you. He would do anything for you. He is good. Really. He is. And all the death in the Bible is for your own good. So if all of that is true how can a child reading a book change it? Are Christians so unsure of their own faith and belief structure that they think one man with a tale of a fantasy world and fighting polar bears can undo all the brain washing they’ve done? Can they not sit down with their kids and explain with an Atheist is? Can they not let their child decide for themselves what they believe? No. They can’t. They are so afraid their child will not believe they try to block all of it from their children. They are so afraid the brainwashing they’ve been doing would be undone. At a certain age a child will have the ability to say, “Hey – wait. What proof do you have? You think I should believe some guy lived in the belly of a whale? This is nuts!” … then the parent would be an utter and total failure at life. They couldn’t even brainwash a small child and threaten them with burning in Hell forever to keep them in line. It would be Anarchy! Kids thinking for themselves, having nothing to fear, not being controlled by their parents … what a world!!! We must stop it!

It’s always comical to me when I talk to a Christian and they resort to the “If God didn’t exist then people wouldn’t be moral” defense. It isn’t often it happens but it’s usually a last resort. They argue that God gives us a choice: to be moral or not. The ones that choose to be moral are so because of their fear of Hell and their love of God. What? Umm, aren’t you proving MY point, not yours? That is exactly why I say the Bible was written… control. The fear of Hell, burning forever and ever is what makes people fall in line and obey the “law” laid out in the book. Therefore there is a very good reason to write the book other than chronicling “history” and it can’t really be trusted, in my opinion.

Another argument for the implausible stories in the Bible that I’ve heard lately is that those stories are metaphors or not to be taken literally. However, the parts of the Bible that God spoke or the parts that talk about Jesus’ life … those are literal and to be taken as written. Hmmm, that’s convenient, huh? I can pick out what parts in the Bible I think are true and which parts are just bedtime stories… so why isn’t the whole thing a story? Why isn’t the whole thing a metaphor for something else? Oh, wait, I forgot. It is. *headdesk*

Religion is baffling to me. Christians – for the most part – just cannot believe someone would be “good” for no reward. They think if God didn’t exist that people would be running around raping and pillaging. But what do they think the Bible talks about? Especially in Deuteronomy! It talks about killing children if they are unruly, taking animals and killing enemies, cleansing the evil from people that do not agree with you… There is more murder and death in the bible than any action film today! And that’s where violence comes from? Please! Plus, in that book are also regulations for slavery and servitude as well as permissible objects for “loans”. Umm, how does that have anything to do with faith? And did you know divorce is allowed in this book? So where does the “divorce is a sin” come in? And one last thing – if you are an illigitamite child (naturally through no fault of your own) you and your offspring for 10 generations are not allowed into heaven. So … moral because of God/The Bible? I think it should be, “Moral in spite of God/the Bible”!!

Granny. Since it all pretty much started with her I guess I can start with her. Of course I know it didn’t really start with her – she didn’t just magically appear. But every tradition we have (which isn’t many) started with her.

My granny grew up in the Great Depression. It wasn’t called that because people just “fell on hard times” or was having trouble “making ends meet”. They were having trouble with everything. Life, in general, was miserable. And that’s exactly how my grandmother tells it! She always says she’s trying to figure out when the “good ‘ol days” were and why she missed them.

I love talking to my grandmother about her childhood. Mostly because it gives me an appreciation for mine – even though it wasn’t an ideal one it wasn’t one during the great depression! But I also like to talk to her because it gives me insight on who my grandmother really is.

Over the last … 10 years, I guess, I’ve gotten to know more about the “tougher” side of my granny. Last Christmas I found out she busted my grandfather in the head with a beer bottle because he was at the bar drinking beer instead of giving his wife money for food for the kids. This, in turn, pissed my grandfather off so he stabbed her under he right breast. The fact that he didn’t get her in a major organ shocks me. It probably did the doctor’s, too.

I also learned that she was the oldest of five that had to take care of the farm, the kids and her own schoolwork all alone through the week so my great-grandmother could stay in St. Louis and work through the week. She only came home on weekends. My grandmother was about 13. The other kids were as young as 5. Just last year I learned that the youngest of the five kids, Eugene, wasn’t actually my great-grandfather’s child. My great-grandmother had an affair right before she and my great-grandfather split up.

I guess with all that drama and hardship in her childhood it wouldn’t be a shock to learn she is a hardened woman. She is a no-nonsense kind of gal dripping with practicality. Not much fun when you’re a child – who wants their grandmother to be practical? They are supposed to spoil and adore you, not give you sensible gifts, healthy meals and life lessons!

When she was dating my step-grandfather, Eldon, she was even more of a pistol (which is a pun you’ll get in a minute). Apparently before they got married they split up for a little while. If I’m not mistaken about 3 months. After they were split up for about 2 weeks, my granny found out Eldon was dating a woman. She didn’t much like that so she got a pistol (see? Pun) and drove to his house to wait for this woman to show up. Yes, WAIT for her! Luckily (or unluckily?) the woman was already there so she didn’t have to camp out too long. She walked up the driveway with the pistol in her hand and started threatening the woman that she was messing with a “taken man” or whatever they called each other back then. Naturally the woman was scared off!! I can so see my granny doing that – especially since it happened again when she was in her late 60’s, early 70’s. This time it was with a shotgun, though! Same scenario. The strangest part of all of it, though, is that my granny is not one to “need” a man in her life. In fact, there aren’t many women in my family that hold on to a man. Almost everyone that has been married in my family has been divorced at least once. Granny and Mom has been divorced three times each. Terry once and Patty twice. Laura once. Heather once (recently). Christopher and his wife are having problems and might end up with a divorce on their hands. I could go on – all the way back to my great-great-grandmother. It’s an epidemic! *sigh*

The thing I will always remember about my grandmother, though, would have to be her kitchen. It sounds strange I guess but that is where all my childhood memories of her were made. In her kitchen we cooked holiday meals, sat at the table and talked for hours, shared cooking tips (ok, she gave me some and I listened – not much my granny doesn’t know about cooking!), etc. Out of every room in her house, her kitchen was always my safe spot. I felt uncomfortable in the living room – too formal. I felt uncomfortable in the bedroom – too much like an “old geezer” room. Not that my grandmother was one but she put all her old, outdated décor in her spare room…

Now my granny is in her mid-70s. When she has the strength she still works in her garden. She’s learning new technology and bought a computer (and a laptop). She e-mails family regularly and uses the internet to do research on our family’s genealogy. And she’s sick. She is having some major health problems. Last winter she got a cold and it went away this August. Just in time for another bout I guess. I wanted to go see her this Christmas but I can’t due to switching jobs. I’m going this summer. I’m hoping she will feel well when we go. It might be the last summer I get to see her for another 3 years. And who knows what will happen in that 3 years.

So - I just heard a story on my tech5 podcast that Livejournal was just sold to a Russian company. I wonder what that means for the future of this site? I can't read/speak/understand Russian. Maybe I should start looking around for another blog site. *sigh*

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! I hope you all have wonderful times full of family, love, togetherness and wonderful smells of food! Me? I'll be home. With Steve. And Kylar. No Jesse. No Mom and Chris. No Bobbie. Kyle will be here but he'll be asleep. Food? Hot dogs and chips, probably. At least for supper. Lunch will be had at Rob's. :) His Mom was kind enough to invite us over for dinner. We went over last year, I think, for dinner. Or maybe it was for New Year's Day we were there. I can't remember. Either way, it was very nice of them to invite us over. :) I don't know how I lucked out this Thanksgiving. No cooking or house guests! Woohoo! But I'm sure I'll more than make up for it this Christmas. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to make for everyone for Christmas. I need to make up my mind this week and start buying the stuff for it! It's getting close! I also need to come up with a menu as well as a guest list. Christmas Eve Breakfast will have to be the Sunday before Christmas Eve because not everyone is off that day. That's okay, it gives me an extra day to get ready for Christmas!

Not much else going on. I found out at work that the new scanner isn't going anywhere! Thankfully!! I was, as usual, stressed over nothing. Tomorrow will suck no matter what, though. Hardly anyone there so it will go sooo ssslllooowww!!!!

Kyle supposedly got a job at the Coca-Cola company down the road from Goodrich. If he passes a drug test. I told him if he doesn't pass he might as well not even come home. I don't know what he's going to do because he won't be driving my truck anymore! He might as well just move his happy ass in with Mom and Chris in California... because he won't be able to stay here. Rent or not. Anyway - think positive! Wait, negative! Umm, whatever the test should be so he can GET the job. :) If he does get it, he'll be working 6am to 3pm. I should be able to change my hours so that he and I can commute together. I'm not thrilled with waking up that early but if I don't make sure he gets his ass up and to work on time he won't do it. He has GOT to get out of the 3rd shift routine!

Currently at work my main job is scanning in repair cards. Once I get caught up I get to move on to bigger and better things but until I get the 4 month backlog of repair cards caught up that’s all I’m doing. It’s such a boring job and a monkey could do it but it’s a no-stress job. It’s actually just what I need right now!

In the beginning I was scanning the documents in the repair card (anywhere from 5 to 150 pages of documents, sticky notes, tags, etc) on a copier/scanner that was creating a PDF record. The images weren’t all that great and the machine was very picky with the pages. You see, the repair cards follow the airplane parts though the shop. If fuel, oils or any kind of chemicals spill they normally get all over the papers and folder. This causes problems internally in the copier since the pages are going through a page feeder at the top of the machine. Once the chemicals/oils get on the rollers and glass it causes a big mess. That causes the next three or four folders to screw up as well. It’s a big pain in the ass, honestly!

About three weeks ago I got a Fujitsu scanner. It’s great! No longer am I standing up for eight hours scanning into a copier but I can stay at my desk and run everything from there. The one we have is a demo just to make sure we’re interested in it and I say yes! It makes life so much easier. And quicker. And easier!! All we need to do is put in a purchase order for one. So I get a call today saying they’re coming Monday to pick up the scanner. When I was told a week ago that the move (of my desk from the middle of the shop to the library) was postponed until January I specifically asked if I was going to loose the scanner and have to go back to the copier. The answer was no. So I didn’t care that it was taking longer to order. If I have to go back to scanning the old way I think I’m going to climb on top of the roof and jump!

In the end I know I’ll just do what I need to and smile about it. I would say I understood the delay and I’ll do my best to get as much work done as I can with the old way (even though my work will be cut in half if not more). I’ll grin and bear it. And I’ll survive. I hate that I will. Not that I don’t want to but it seems that every job I work at I have to grin and bear it and since I do survive – and don’t gripe – the “temporary fix” becomes a permanent one… so I end up screwing myself out of something I could really benefit from! *sigh*

Well, it's done. I'm now the latter part of a Mr. & Mrs. couple. It's weird. I've been writing out Thank You cards and signing them Mr. & Mrs. Strange. Just glad to be rid of my maiden name. Which is a whole other story that I'm sure I'll touch on in a later post.

What am I doing up this late, you might ask. On a work night, no less. Well if you're more than an occasional reader of this journal you'll know why - INSOMNIA. Between Steve's snoring and my legs/feet bothering me I couldn't get back to sleep. Oh, and not to mention I had a very awesome/strange/freaky dream that I kept replaying in my head.

Last Tuesday Steve and I left the house and headed to TN. We stopped in Sevierville and got the marriage license then headed to Pigeon Forge to check in. Once we got to the cabin I was instantly upset. I specifically asked for secluded and forwent a few amenities that I wanted because I was told our cabin was secluded. The first thing I noticed was how close the cabin above us was. Oh well - we'd not really be on that side since the porch/hot tub/front door was on the other side. But when I saw the cabin below us I was furious. I could sit in the hot tub and look down into their hot tub. They were close enough that they could look up into ours, too. Plus they could hear anything we said/did. And to top that off, during the day the highway noise was very, very noticeable.

The cabin itself wasn't all that clean and the bed was horribly uncomfortable. So much so that a warn shower and stretching exercises was the only way Steve and I could move after sleeping in it. And I'm not exaggerating! It was like sleeping on a rock. And the sofa wasn't much better.

I called the office to complain about the big thing - lack of seclusion - and the reply was, "I don't know who would have told you that ... this is a RESORT, none of our cabins are secluded." Hmm, well I wasn't aware that RESORT = no privacy. Now I know. *headdesk* And when I say no privacy - that isn't an exaggeration, either. The cabins were build right on top of each other. Just like the houses in the newer subdivisions. There are a LOT of old cabin owners that are selling. Over half the cabins for sale were established cabins so more than likely they didn't like the direction the neighborhood went. It's more like renting a house in a cramped, over crowded neighborhood - not a "resort" in the mountains. Asphalt roads, club houses, swimming pools, tennis courts, kids riding bikes on the street, loud stereos, kids running around being obnoxious... if I wanted all that I would have bought a house in a suburban neighborhood! Needless to say we won't be back.

Other than the cabin/location everything else was okay. The wedding ceremony very brief at noon on Wednesday and photos afterwards which I will NOT be sharing as I am NOT ordering any. They are too expensive for what they are. I could have taken the same photos with my camera that cost about $1000 less than what the "photographer" used... which by the way looked to be a newly graduated high school student that was trained in "poses" and briefly in lighting. I would like to get the high res digi files when they are available at a lot less than $250. Apparently when they are about to purge the files they make one last ditch effort to get some money out of you and would only charge $75 in about 6 months so I'll wait for that.

After the ceremony Steve and I went to a restaurant called Bullfish. He liked the name so we went. Go figure. It was actually very good, though. I figured they were a chain but come to find out the only one is in Pigeon Forge. I'd compare it to Flat Rock Grill if I had to compare it with anything but more emphasis on the BULL part than the FISH. Flat Rock Grill has better FISH than BULL, lol.

We spent a lot of time in the hot tub as we both needed the relaxation. It had been quite a while (almost 2 years) since we were last in a hot tub so we enjoyed it while we could. We still want to get one but there are so many other things we need to accomplish with the house first, like hardwood floors and hopefully a new furnace that doesn't require GAS! :(

We decided to leave early on Thursday instead of Friday. I just dreaded spending another night in that horrible bed! We had tickets to go to the Dixie Stampede dinner show but were going to give them away. We ended up going anyway though. It was nice. I actually enjoyed it. It was nice to see the horses do what horses do - run and jump and pull buggies and such. Things horses naturally do. Not like teaching a bear to ride a bicycle for the morbid amusement of the guests. The "tricks" were human tricks. It was amazing the humans could do what they did - not the horses, if that make sense. And they were beautiful horses, too! I don't think I ever ate a meal for that long, though. An hour and a half show with food served throughout! Overall it was a good night. Heather wants to go so we might end up going back up for a long weekend and getting tickets. :)

I do have some photos on my camera I'll share once I get them uploaded...

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Buckle up - it makes it harder for aliens to suck you out of your car

The party was nice, not as rowdy as usual. Not sure what was different this time. It could be because I wasn't feeling well.

I'll update once I get back from the trip. Three more days until the wedding...

Yes, insomnia again. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep but short of taking the stapler that's sitting on my desk and lodging staples into my brain to shut it up it doesn't look like I'm going to be.

Things are all about the same. I finally did get confirmation that my new nephew's name is Pierce Ryan. He's two weeks, one day, 13 hours and 10 minutes as of right now.

Bobbie's boyfriend has turned out to be an alcoholic. I guess maybe alcoholic is a strong word but anyone that goes out of his way to drink like he does is either one or headed down that path. Bobbie thinks he's a liar, too, and we don't need that again! Malcolm was enough for a lifetime! So I told her to kick him to the curb. As a friend don't abandoned him but tell him there isn't enough room in her life to have to worry about someone else's problems plus her own. It's a shame, too. He was such a nice guy. Well, he still IS ... but who the hell wants to be around someone that can't get through the day without a drink. That's why I didn't move in with Tillman when he asked before I moved to NC. I was so in love with him and would have in an instant if he didn't drink so much. I love him still - more as a brother now - but I still couldn't be with him because of his drinking.

Kyle still hasn't done shit but play the beta version of Hellgate London. It does look very cool and similar to World of Warcraft. The graphics are a lot better and - according to Kyle - it's easier to play/level. I doubt I get it, though. I do good to play WoW three times a week (no more than 2 hours at a time) for $15/mo. But I digress. Kyle needs to get off his ass and figure out what the hell he's going to do. If his car breaks we're all fucked.

I downloaded a Tommy Roe album from iTunes! LOL. I'm such a geek. I listened to that when I was a kid because my aunt - being the sadistic bitch that she is - would only let me listen to 50's type music. Now I am nostalgic about it and love it. Sadly. I was just listening to it then Ugly Kid Joe comes on. What a change.

I also downloaded the Audiobook Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Of course I didn't read the book so I'll just have Jim Dale read it to me. According to Kevin Smith it's the way to go since he does all the voices to go along with the text. :) I guess we'll see tomorrow today at work.

It was rather expensive for the Audiobook ($44.95) but that might be the only way I'll ever "read" the book. I know it's not the same thing as really reading it but my days are so hectic now! When I get home I have to fix dinner, give the dog her meds, tend to the foster cat that hates everything and everyone, entertain Tux (the foster cat that doesn't shut up until someone is petting him constantly), keep Tux and Cera from fighting, pet Mattie because she's jealous of me petting Tux, fight with Jesse to get off the computer and do dishes, check e-mail, plan the weekend and various AAL (www.mynextpet.com) doings ... all while trying to get in bed before 10PM. Of course that didn't work tonight and I'm just sitting here spending money on iTunes but oh well. One night won't hurt, right? Maybe I should just e-mail my supervisor's supervisor and tell him I'm not going to be in until noon because ... ummm ... iTunes is 24 hours.

Less than 2 weeks before I get married....