I am quitting smoking...

and I am a bear. It is only day 2 but I am really going to try this time.

In 1992 I quit for 3 years. So I know I can do it again.

In the last 5 years I have quit 3 times, the longest time was 27 days...so I have some goals, once I hit 27 days then my new record will be 28 days and so on.

I want to see my grandchildren grow up. I want to live past 62...I am 48 now and I don't want to go before I get to do everything I want to do. I have a "Bucket List" and I want to complete it.

For Puppy Monster

Thinking of you and sending you cyber hugs!

Snowbird Regulations

I live in a state that depends on the kindness of others to exist. Meaning, we depend on retired Northern individuals to come to Florida to escape from the harsh winters up North (fondly referred to as Snowbirds). Many of them even come from another country (Canada).

Now, don't get me wrong, Snowbirds are wonderful people and our state could not exist without them. They come into our state/community and buy groceries, go out to eat, shop and visit the many tourist sites around the area, they volunteer at non-profit organizations. They spend money here!! They are good for the economy!! They also own second homes here and don't get any breaks on taxes, etc.

I truly do appreciate our Snowbirds, but I really feel there has to be some sort of regulations put into place and now is the time to do it. Now, when the Snowbirds are headed back to their Northern residences and families. We have about 6 months to get these regulations in place, approved at the State level and sent to each of the Snowbirds at their "permanent" residence.

It would a simple agreement between said Snowbird and the permanent residents of the State of Florida. Something that as they come into the state, they pull over at the "Welcome to Florida" Rest Area and read the agreement and sign it. Nothing too difficult.

Agreement as follows:

• Snowbird will not schedule Dr. Appointments before 9 am or after 3 pm. See, as a working person, I schedule my Dr. appointments either first thing in the morning or the last appointment of the day. I work all day and I can't be taking off in the middle of the afternoon for an appointment. You are not working, you are retired, you can come to the Dr. in the middle of the day.
• Snowbird will not make a left hand turn in the far right lane. (shouldn't need any explanation on that one)
• Snowbird will not go to the bank (and/or post office) between the hours of noon and 2 pm. Again, I am a working person and try to do my banking during my lunch 1/2 hour. Yes, I only get a 1/2 an hour for lunch, so standing in line at the bank while you have the teller balance your check book or try and teach you how to use the ATM, does not make my day.
• Snowbird will not go grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday. Since I work Monday thru Friday, I tend to use Saturday and/or Sunday as my grocery shopping day. Now, mind you, I don't see a problem if you have to run in quickly to pick up another package of Depends, but come on, you have 5 other days of the week to pick up all that other stuff. There is no reason for you to park your shopping cart in the middle of the aisle, and study every can of green beans on the shelf.
• In order to drive, Snowbird must be able to see over the steering wheel of their car. If you cannot see over the steering wheel and must see through it, I highly recommend you get a booster seat. They make them, they are available and maybe then you won't have to make that left hand turn from the far right lane.
• Snowbird will look behind them when they are backing up in the parking lot. Going in reverse until you hit something, does not constitute looking.
• Snowbird will follow the posted speed limits. Which means, if the speed limit is 45 you will drive 45, not 25 and hold us all up behind you as your peer through the steering wheel, trying to see over the huge front end of your Lincoln, trying to figure out which left you really do want, that one, oh no the next one, oh wait, I needed the one back there so let's stop and start backing up...

And last but not least,

• Snowbirds required to be on oxygen cannot drive. Putting the oxygen tank in the back seat so you can still breath while driving does not work. If you are on oxygen don't drive!

These are just my suggestions.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

That's the way it is around here right now. I am in the middle of the major fundraising portion of the year for my job. Grant writing....

Why is it, every major grant has to come out between March and April, with due dates the end of April and fiscal year start dates of July 1. Our budget is $1.3 million and right now, I have about 1/2 of that sitting on my desk. The other 1/2 will be out in June and July for October start dates. Those aren't so bad, there are only 3 or 4 but 6??? Now???

The grants due this time of year are the majority of our 3 year grants. For the last couple of years I've been lucky, had renewals that had to go in. Adjust the Objectives, Outcomes, new budgets, etc. Not that big of a deal. Well, now we have to rewrite the whole thing and they are open to other agencies, which means much more competitive. Especially in the current economic climate.

Anyone else tired of that term "current economic climate"? Makes it sound like it is going to get better right? Don't bet on it. Even with this stimulus money coming down, I don't think things are going to get better for at least another 5 years. Maybe slight improvements, but that's it.

We didn't have pay raises last year, I don't see them coming this year. Not with the budgets I have been seeing. Even if we qualify for some stimulus money, it will just fill in the gaps that we currently have, maybe be able to fill one of the empty positions that we have. We aren't filling positions after people leave either, no money.

Not a good thing when you work for a domestic violence & sexual assault center. You need to have staff to work in the shelter, you need staff to take those hotline calls that come in 24/7. You need staff to go to court with rape victims who are finally getting a chance to testify at the trial for a rape that occurred 2 years ago. We need staff to be able to pick up battered women and bring them into the shelter so they will be safe and not end up dead or beaten in a truck stop somewhere.

Okay, that is my rant for the day. Anyone know any more funny jokes??

Hi There!

Wow, it's been a while. **cough** Excuse me while I brush the dust off of everything in here. It is a bit of a mess, can't imagine where all this crap comes from, especially when no one has been home!

Sorry, I've been away for a while. The first part of the year has been pretty tough and things don't seem to be getting much better. One of my co-workers has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is out of the office this week after her surgery. Luckily they were able to do a lumpectomy (sp?). Another co-worker is having heart issues, another one has a daughter who has been diagnosed with cervical cancer...just lots of joy and laughter here at work.

I have been wandering around reading blogs, not commenting much, but I have been reading you guys...and there is always drama going on in the blogosphere. I don't need drama, I have enough in my own life. I need humour, fun, all the good things that go on. I want to spit my Diet Coke through my nose onto my computer screen when I read someones blog.

So, come on guys, give me a hand....do something funny...'mkay??

Please say a prayer for Lisa.

It's Finally Here!!

Thank You Internets!

I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone for the condolences over the recent death of my father. I really appreciate every one who took the time to leave a note, email me, send me a Facebook message.

It's been a real crazy couple of weeks. Two days after my father died my girlfriend and her husband stopped by to visit with us and see if they could do anything. She said a couple of different times that she could not imagine loosing her father. Her family lives in Pennsylvania. We've met her parents, she has met my parents. We just never got our parents to visit us at the same time, so our parent never met. If they had, they would have loved each other because they are so much alike. Anyway, the next morning she received word that her father had dropped dead of a heart attack.

God, I felt awful. I felt like I was killing fathers. I left work immediately to go to her and help her through the loss. I even called a couple of other friends whose fathers were still alive and told them to stay away from me.

We buried my father Sunday, January 25, 2008, she buried her father Saturday, January 24, 2008.

I am not going to promise to be back to posting every day. But I am really going to try and post more often.

We were at a wedding in Key West last weekend. Boy do I have some stories about that!!

Thank you again, internets. You all truly did help me through a very dark time.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week

Do you or someone you know have a teen dating? How often do you really check your child's cell phone bill? Are you checking to see if they have gone over their minutes? Or are you checking to see who is calling/texting them? How often are they receiving these calls? Is your child getting any sleep at night? Or are the calls/text messages coming in all night long?

10 Teen Dating Abuse Facts

Physical and sexual abuse is the most often talked about piece of dating abuse.

• One1 in five teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner.
• One in three teenagers report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner.
• One in four teenage girls who have been in relationships reveal they have been pressured to perform oral sex or engage in intercourse.

However, dating abuse doesn’t have to be physical. It can include verbal and emotional abuse and controlling behaviors.

• More than one in four teenage girls in a relationship report enduring repeated verbal abuse.
• One-third or more of teens who have been in a relationship have been with a partner who frequently asked where they were and whom they were with.
• One in four teens who have been in a serious relationship say their boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family; the same number have been pressured to only spend time with their partner.
• Nearly one in five teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up.

As technologies like cell phones and social networking become a common form of communication, they can also be used to abuse and control.

• One in three teens (30 percent) say they are text messaged 10, 20, or 30 times an hour by a partner inquiring where they are, what they're doing, or who they're with.
• 68 percent of teens say boyfriends/girlfriends sharing private or embarrassing pictures/videos on cell phones and computers is a serious problem.
• 71 percent of teens regard boyfriends/girlfriends spreading rumors about them on cell phones and social networking sites as a serious problem.
  

Sources:
Teenage Research Unlimited (http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/surveyresults.htm)
Technology & Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2007
Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2006
Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2005

I received the phone call this morning at 3:34 am ET.

The following is from one of his grandchildren:

Dear Grandpa,

I know you haven’t been feeling well and you might not be able to read this by the time I get it to you. I also know times might be rough and life might not be the easiest right now. You still make it through day but day.Even though it has been a long time ago. I still remember the days you would play trucks and tractors with me when no one else would. Even the time we went camping you would play trucks in the sand on the beach with me.It must be painful to watch us as you lay there. BUT NO NEED to fret we all look at you just the same. I hate to watch you fade away like an innocent sand castle slowly falling apart. There are people that don’t understand what you are saying, but I can. The screams of anger, the helplessness you feel, the words you want to say. Don’t fret I can hear those word.All the times we had together are now memories, But our memories together, are just like diamonds. they last forever and will always be shiny and clear. The words and wisdom from you will run through my head forever. You will always be in my memory.You don’t need to worry about a thing because as I watch you lay there in that bed I think that is your sandbox and I will play with you as you did with me.

RIP

William O. Applegarth

November 18, 1932-January 12, 2009

Wenatchee, Washington

Daddy

I'm waiting for that one phone call that everyone dreads. The phone call where part of your life ends.

Friday night the hospice nurse told my mother my father had 24 hours. Today is Sunday and he is still with us. Today the nurse came by and can't believe he is still with us.

It's time to go daddy. I love you, but it's time to rest.

One Innocent Morning

I popped over to bloglines and read some of my feeds.

Shrinky posted some pictures of an annual event that occurs in her lovely hometown. If you are of the faint hearted persuasion...I would not enlarge the group picture.

Happy New Year!

Another year is about to come to a close. While it wasn't a completely wonderful year for me, it did have some wonderful moments. The birth of my first granddaughter occurred at a time when the whole family needed a lift.

The economy is in the pits, people are loosing their jobs and their homes right and left.

Retirement accounts have hit all time lows.

Our government finally admitted something that we knew for at least the last 8 months...we are in a recession.

I am feeling quite blessed though. I have a job, Not a Grampy has a job, both of my children have jobs. We all have roofs over our heads and food on the table.

We have family that we love and that love us.

With that, I wish you each a Happy New Year and hope that 2009 is a Blessed year for you.

Catch up Time!

First off, I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas. I will catch you all up on ours in a little bit.

The broken rib is doing pretty good. Still a lot of pain, especially when I cough, sneeze, hiccup, move, laugh...you get the picture.

Do you know that it is impossible to shave your legs with a broken rib. Yeah, I look like a cave woman from the thigh down. I think I may have to bribe Not a Grampy to shave them for me. Of course, his payment will have to wait until my rib is healed.

On to happier things, Christmas.

Not a Grampy was the hero of the day! We had 18 people over for Christmas dinner. A 15# Standing Rib Roast with all the fixins. Plus we rented another table and chairs so everyone would have a place to sit. He was able to get it all out, almost on time, and get everything cleaned up without loosing his cool! Which if you know my hubby and his family...(we don't refer to ourselves as the Looney Family for no reason) is a miracle in itself. Just goes to show that Christmas is the season of miracles. That and Not a Grampy's penchant for having everything scheduled down to the nano second!

Now on to the fun part! Pictures!!

Here is Gizmo wishing you all Merry Christmas!

Not A Grampy on Tuesday, peeling potatos for Christmas dinner.
Can you tell I have some good drugs??

This is GK #2, nope he really wasn't with us this Christmas. He was in Tennessee with his parents...looking for snow. (They didn't find any)

GK #1 opening his gifts. He spent Christmas with us!

Luckily we have a large yard. Our dinner guests were outside...

..and inside.

We had a wonderful time. Family, friends good food and good fun! Hope everyone had a blessed holiday!

Oww!!!

Owwie! Owie!! Owwie!!

I broke my rib. The 9th one on the left side. (who knew ribs were numbered)

I have 20 people coming for Christmas dinner in two days and I can't do shit...

Did you know they don't wrap the ribs anymore? Nope, just leave them on their own with instructions to rest and not partake in any strenuous activities? WTF does that mean??

I have this breathing thingy that I am supposed to take 10 deep breaths into every hour. That's to make sure I don't come down with pnuemonia. See since my rib is broken I don't take very deep breaths...(because it hurts like hell).

I have to go to work today, I am off tomorrow and the rest of the week, but I have to go in today. Shit, that means no Vicodin...

Oh, how did I break my rib you are wondering????

I jumped off of the bar stool out by the tiki bar Saturday night. Only when I jumped down, I forgot that my left foot was wrapped around the bottom wrung...Yup, slam right into the wooden/tile top of the tiki bar.

Did I ever mention that my mother never included Grace anywhere in my name?

Merry Christmas to all!! Wish me luck with dinner, Not a Grampy will be doing most of the work!!