Bringing You Up To Speed

Since the last time I blogged (seems like forever, really), I have moved out from living with “Joan Crawford“, and now reside with a gay couple (and their cat, let’s not forget the damn cat)!  They are 23 year-old guys, and not all that bad in relation to previous roommates.

Jeremy – The outgoing roommate, former marine, country boy, owns a ghost hunting company

Chris – AKA Sunshine, very quiet, acts like a child, walks around holding his game boy ALL the time

Winslett – The damn cat.  They couldn’t have picked a gayer name if they tried!

Mike – (36) Army dude who moved in with us temporarily, but has now turned into indefinitely. Unemployed, and vehicle doesn’t run. He dated Chris years ago, but only went out a couple of times because Chris played his game boy all through dinner!

Nick – (19) Mike’s boyfriend, who lives in Columbia.  Only had a part-time job. No vehicle

WHA?????

That’s all I can think of when I heard one of my karaoke buddies was shot and killed last night! His name was Ben Goeser, one of the nicest people you could ever meet!  He was always optimistic and just happy to hang out, have a beer, and sing with friends!  I was there when he asked his wife to marry him, and what an event that was!  He was SO excited, as was everyone else.  Here’s a picture of me and the happy couple, not too long after they’d gotten hitched, from my birthday last year:

Ben was a hugger, like a big teddy bear, and always happy to see everyone!  I just can’t believe that an (apparently) unstable man could just walk into a bar and shoot someone.  He apparently was obsessed with Nikki (his wife, the woman in the picture), and even posted this on his myspace blog a day before the murder:

FOREVER UNFORGIVEN! I know who you are,,,! RUN…

When I catch up with you I’m going to write the FN book on cruel…
You haven’t seen my bad side yet MFR but your going to….
Its going to be EXTREAMLY painful!!! where are you going to work that I won’t find you,,,lunch, dinner, supper,, sleep,, every FN waking moment..
I will be on the hunt..Predator and Prey.. Now You Pissed Me Off!!!
You’re FOREVER UNFORGIVEN !

What Kind of life do you have now!

I just hope this man gets the help he so desperately needs!  I just wish it hadn’t taken someone dying to realize he had problems.  Nikki’s a tough woman, but she needs all the prayers and support she can get!  So please say a prayer for her and Ben has (I want to say 4) children, and grand babies too!  Just a very tragic event that shouldn’t have happened!

Here’s a clip from the last time I saw him, with the dance they created!

RIP Ben!!!!  You will be missed a great deal!

Going Bananas!

Back to our series of How To Irritate Your Roommate, she’s done it again! I honestly don’t think I’m a bad roommate, not perfect, but I could be SO much worse.  In case you’re new here, click here to catch up

117 – Throw their food away

I had bought a hand (or so it’s called) of bananas…there were 7.  I ate 2-3, so simple math would conclude I had at least 4 remaining.  I came home one day last week, and there were 2 bananas. I didn’t remember seeing a chaquite sticker on the ones I bought, so I assumed they were her’s. I still wondered what happened to mine, but hadn’t seen the roommate to ask her (she drives me nuts, so I try to stay clear for the most part).   A couple days later, she tells me she threw them away because she just can’t stand to see bananas go bad, and something about how she used to grow them.  She did offer to replace them, which I appreciated, but with as much stuff she has in the fridge that I’m sure has something growing on it, you’d think she would’ve just left it.  Don’t mess with my bananas, or fruit, or food, or ANYTHING!  I know it sounds VERY possessive, but she’s the same way.  I wouldn’t dare throw her food away (because there’s really no telling what it is), that’s her stuff, I leave it alone.  I think it’s because it’s her house that she feels entitlement, and I can understand that to a point, but there are quite a few cases where she’s crossed the line.

On My Way To THIRTY!!!

My WONDERFUL friend pointed out that I’m SO close to 30, and I just can’t believe it!  I thought I would’ve had my life in order, married, and dare I say it (when I was younger, and wanted kids), I thought I’d have kids!  And where do I stand??  0 for 3!  And I’m just not liking the number 26…can’t pinpoint why, it just bugs me, it’s a weird number!  Well, my birthday was on February 3rd, a Tuesday, which makes it hard to do anything until the weekend, but it was still a good day…it was MY day.  My mother was funny, she wanted to make sure she was THE FIRST to tell me Happy Birthday, so she called me Monday night to tell me.  I had to remind her (even after having birthed me, she has her flaky moments, and it wouldn’t be THAT far fetched had she been off a day) it was the day after.  She then called me @ 7am, the next morning to wish me a happy birthday again.   On Thursday, my small women’s group celebrated my b-day, Holly got me a cake and ice cream, which was REALLY sweet!  On Friday, my friend, Sarah, came to town (with her mother), so James, Sarah (AND her mother, who happens to be almost 70 and not all there) and I went to dinner at O’Charley’s, and had a nice visit.  Saturday night was my favorite though, we had a girl’s night out, which included a FANTASTIC dinner at J. Alexander’s.  My friend, Emily, even got me some orange daisies, and brought them to the restaurant before I got there (because she had to work), so it was really thoughtful, I felt loved!  Wendy got me a copy of TWILIGHT, but she swears she’s not trying to convert the rest of the world into the crazy phenomona!  She says by the 2nd page, I’ll be hooked…doubt it, but I’ll open it when I get a chance.  On top of the cake and ice cream, Holly threw in a nice notebook (great for our bible study) and the triple chocolate M&M’s, which I haven’t opened yet, but will! After dinner, we then headed to the movie theater, with the intention of seeing “He’s Just Not That Into You”, but it had sold out right after I had my ticket, so we ended up seeing “New In Town”, which was a really cute movie.  It was a great night, and it’s nice to know I’m surrounded by such good women and friends!  I am up for celebrating my birthday still, so if you’d like to get together, lemme know   For all those who wished me a happy birthday, THANK YOU!

S-L-A-C-K-E-R

Okay, so I’ve REALLY been neglecting my blog, but mostly because I figure most keep up with me on Twitter.  For those of you who may not, here’s a run down of what’s been going on since the holidays:

I started my new job – The new gig was a little rough in the first week, bored to tears in training, but made it out alive.  We’re in the 3rd week now, and it’s getting better.  Today, we got a little gift, which included a little keychain light, a mini first aid kit w/ plastic tweezers and bandaids, a mini calender, a set of crayons (not sure why, we didn’t get a coloring book), and it was all wrapped. Every so often, we get snacks and every Monday, we get free food.  So far, the perks are nice. Getting yelled at by old peeps that can’t remember what prescriptions they ordered blaming you for them running out of their meds…not so fun!  I can’t tell you how many times I heard “you people” and it drives me nuts!  I do like elderly people, so I’ve had some great conversations with some, and they’ll tell you their WHOLE life story, if you let them!  One girl even heard about how a woman’s bladder fell out of her vagina, or so she said…TMI!  And, even though I don’t wanna jinx it, there is some talk of hiring us permanently, so that would be cool.  And I’m assuming they need the help, they’re hiring another class to start next week…quite a few have either left, and one fired in less than 3 weeks!

Champ was put to sleep – yeah, it was his time, so my mother took him to the vet last Tuesday, and Casey apparently is still not quite over it yet…Vet did say it may take a couple weeks to a month, so hopefully, he’ll bounce back soon! May Champ RIP!

Champ

My foot – If you’ll remember back, I’ve written about my grossly abnormal feet, and it seems I have done something to aggravate them something fierce…some days, I’d rather have my right foot amputated, certain it’d be less painful!  The bad thing is there’s nothing that can really be done about it.  I’ve been told to get more calcium in my diet, and stay off my feet as much as possible.  I’ve had removable casts, and they help, HOWEVER, lack of insurance makes it a little less than feasible.  In the meantime, it takes me FOREVER to get anywhere…

Church – At CrossPoint, I had the opportunity to help out in the Kidz World last Sunday, and that was great!  As cute as the kids were, my stance on motherhood remains the same lol, but I got a chance to meet some interesting folks, like Lindsay Ferrier (I read her blog from time to time, and her hubby is on WSMV Channel 4 News, which I watch religiously) and Wally from Total Axxess (a great radio show on Christian radio…if you have a chance, listen to him, I GUARANTEE you will laugh), and thought it was neat to see all the people CP attracts.  I enjoyed it so much, I will be doing it on a weekly basis…well, really cuz Wendy asked me

Small Groups – My small group from TrueLife is going to be studying the book of Esther with Beth Moore, and we watched the introduction last night, I’m REALLY excited to get into it!  It’s a 9 week study, on Tuesday nights, at 6:30, in Pegram, so if you might be interested in joining us for the study, let me know!  Like I said, we are just starting week one now, so it’s not too late!  My small group from CrossPoint is starting up tomorrow night, and I’m excited about that one too, studying a book, not sure the name, but to my knowledge, it’s about Philipians, which should be good.  I found out who my “Sister in Spirit” is, and I’m even more excited…she’s one FABULOUS woman!

Well, I think I summed everything up for now, so I’m gonna head to bed, so I can do the whole work thing again tomorrow!  For some reason, though, I can’t seem to get up before 6am…I sleep through 4 alarms EVERYDAY, and I don’t know why!

My Trip Home

Well, I made it safely to Grand Blanc, Michigan (home of the Buick Open).  After SEVERAL hours on the road, you’d think I’d made a trip around the world, however, I did pass through Miami, Lima, and Boston. I really don’t know why I constantly complain about Ohio being the most boring state, I do more driving in Kentucky…wasn’t sure I was ever gonna get out of that state! The snow wasn’t really evident until the last quarter of Ohio, and then in MI, where there was a detour, and, for some reason, they can’t put the detour signs up properly in Detroit, so I was lost a good hour or so!   It’s been great thus far.  I got home, my mom made me some tomato soup and grilled cheese, and we just chatted.  Got to see my dogs, Champ and Casey, and man, they are getting so old!  The oldest, he’d be 12 in May, probably won’t make it until his next birthday, according to my mother, and even the youngest one, he’s 8, isn’t getting around that well either.  Casey, the youngest one, still thinks he’s a lap dog (he’s a 100 something pound dog), and came to wake me up this morning…in my bed!  Usually, I wouldn’t mind it, except, I’m on in inflatable mattress, and it apparently has a slight leak in it, and he put me closer to the ground lol.  He didn’t care though, he just wagged his tail, waiting for some attention!  Both dogs like to talk in their old age now, the oldest goes outside, and tells the world of his troubles with all his barking, the youngest one grunts and moans ALL the time, but it’s a good type my mom says.

I GOT A JOB!

You read correctly. I had been so excited, I guess I forgot to blog.  Just as almost all hope was lost, I snagged a job! It’s a temp job (6-8 wk assignment), but it’s something, and even though they couldn’t promise anything long term, I’m confident that as long as I show up ON TIME and do what I’m supposed to, and be my wonderful self, that it very well could get me a permanent job, and if nothing else, maybe the temp agency will be able to set me up on another position.  I’ll supposedly be taking orders for prescriptions.  I wasn’t interviewed by the company itself, just the temp agency, so I’m not too sure what I’ll really be doing, but it can’t be rocket science!

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff!

I received this in my inbox today, and thought it was worth sharing:

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER – by Erma Bombeck
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would
Go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day
Because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television
And more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical,

Wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,
I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment
Growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, ‘Later.
Now go get washed up for dinner.’ There would have been more ‘I love you’s’ More ‘I’m sorry’s.’

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute.look at it and really see it . Live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what
Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Driving Pet Peeves

As I have proclaimed in previous posts, I truly beileve I’m one of the best drivers in the state of Tennessee, which if you live here, it really doesn’t take much.  I almost wish I’d realized how horrible drivers are down here prior to my move here 2.5 years ago, because I really think it may have changed things.  My biggest pet peeves while driving include, but are most likely not limited to:

• broken brake lights – just don’t drive if they’re out, it’s dangerous!
• failure to use a turn signal!  Seriously, it doesn’t take much to hit the lever!
• flashing your brights at me, as if mine are on, when, clearly, mine aren’t on! Sorry if I have a newer car, where I can actually see where I’m going (without the brights on) in the dark.  In Michigan, flashing your brights is illegal, why not here?????
• Drive at least the speed limit if there are cars behind you, and can’t pass you!
• If you are in the passing lane on the expressway, PASS people!!!!!

I will admit I have some road rage, and when I say some, I’m not quite telling the whole truth!  I don’t act out on my road rage, but my windows have to be up when I drive, and children are not allowed to ride with me, for fear they will learn new words!  Northerners are agressive drivers, and we don’t like putzers…So quit putzin’!!!!

Do you have road rage???  Did I miss any pet peeves you may have?

Prayer Requests

Instead of the oh woe is me, I need a job post, I figured I was past due on prayer request for other people, forgetting that A LOT of people have it worse than me.  Here are my requests for now:

Amanda’s little girl, Maddie, has been having some SEVERE allergic reactions to something, but they’re not exactly sure what it is, and can’t get in to the doctor to find out for sure until next Friday. In the meantime, poor Maddie can’t go outside for extended periods of time.  Pray for Mom too, she’ll need the help keeping a 6 year-old entertained!  Also, pray for her small group, it’s just not quite going as she’d hoped.

My mom, she is on the job hunt as well, only up in Michigan, which has had an even worse market than Nashville.

Of course, there’s my jobless self, which needs SOMETHING to happen!  I would seriously take ANYTHING right now, I just can’t be on my feet all day long (due to hairline fractures I’ve had, in my feet, and they never really go away).

I know there’s a ton of other requests, but I really can’t think of anymore at the moment, so feel free to let me know, and I’ll add to the list!  Have a great weekend all!