Thankful!

Since today is a day of thanksgiving, I would like to start by saying I'm most thankful that my family and friends are all safe and healthy today.

My oldest daughter is in Florida, preparing a thanksgiving meal for her family and her new in-laws and some friends. My middle child is making dinner for her girls and their father before she has to go to work later today (bad part about being an RN in a hospital) on the other side of state from where I live. My son drove all night, after getting off work at after midnight last night and made it home safely around ten this morning. I made dinner for the two of us here. If any of you know where Cox's Army is, please send them here because I'm pretty sure I have enough leftover to feed them all.

Poor John was not just tired when he got here, he is also quite sick. He stayed awake long enough to eat a meal he could barely taste and then went to bed after canceling plans to meet friends later today to ride four wheelers. I am thankful that although he is not feeling well, that he has a safe place to lay his head and that he is smart enough to know he needs to sleep and rest if he wants to get over this flu or cold or whatever he has. I am hopeful that I will not be on the receiving end of whatever he brought home with him. I am happy that he thanked me for what he was sure was probably a very good meal before he went to bed. I am thankful that he learned to express appreciation somewhere, anywhere, whether from me or someone else along the way.

As for me, I am tired. My back hurts, my feet hurt and I am exhausted. I am thankful for the opportunity to get this tired and achy. I am thankful that our dinner is over and cleanup is mostly done. I am thankful that I can finally lay down, on the couch in front of the tv with my laptop... not to mention how grateful I am for the Alleve and the heating pad.

I am very thankful that my mother is having dinner in her own home with my two brothers and part of their families. She is 85 years old and still in the middle of all of the preparation, even if she is huffing and puffing a bit as she works. She likes being needed and loves taking care of those she cares about... it is good for her (within reason)!

I am thankful that my sister is safe and well in her home in North Carolina, with her husband and youngest daughter. I'm thankful that her oldest daughter is celebrating with her husbands family as the two of them prepare to welcome their first child next year. We are all waiting on baby boy Miller to make his way into the world and to settle in our hearts once we finally get a name. I love that Melanie and I have the same last name... just thought I would throw that in there. I also love her husband Michael. I think they will be terrific parents.

My prayers go out to those who may be hurting and suffering in some way today, whether it is health issues, financial woes or other concerns or losses, such as my friend Gill whose mother passed away this week. In the midst of our thanksgiving, life (and death) marches on.

God help us to put one foot in front of the other and face what comes our way on this Thanksgiving Day and every day. Help us to be a thankful people.

What American Accent Do You Have

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The South
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Northeast
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I don't think people from southern Indiana sound anything like people from Missouri. Their southern Indiana accent is most like Kentucky and Tennessee to me. I'm from central Indiana and we sound nothing like people from southern Indiana. Oh well!

Tagged for Six Random Things

I've been tagged by Linda at this and that to do this meme that reveals a few random things about me.

Here are the rules of this meme:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

So here are my six very random things about me:

#1 I used to smoke but finally gave it up almost 13 years ago.

#2 I love to play word games.

#3 I drive a silver Nissan X-Terra.

#4 I struggle with depression from time to time.

#5 I used to be an avid reader but read much less often (at least comparatively) these days.

#6 I got a new son-in-law yesterday afternoon! (Watch for a post on this subject at a later date. I'm waiting for pictures!)


Now it's my turn to tag 6 other people. I'm not tagging anyone specifically since I'm certain most of the bloggers I know have done this one. If you read this post and would like to participate in this meme, then please do so and leave me a comment so I can read your post.

For Gill

Please add my blogging friend Gill and her family to your prayers. Her mother passed away last night. If you get a chance, please go by and let her know that you are thinking of her.

Gills's Jottings

Plain Ole' Joe

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Kayla

Just because I seldom mention her, doesn't mean that this little cutie pie isn't on my mind all of the time. Kayla is my youngest granddaughter. She is six years old and in the first grade in Florida.

Kayla is taking piano lessons and just started voice lessons as well. She has her first recital next Wednesday. I wish I could be there but I am just too far away to be there for every occasion. I plan on being there towards the end of the year so two trips with that quick of a turnaround just isn't going to happen.

I don't know if she will be singing at this recital since she just got started on the vocals. My oldest granddaughter, Erin, has a nice voice too. I'm glad. My own voice is terrible as I had damage to my chords from surgery as a child and I always sound hoarse or weak.

Anyway, I hope Jamie will take some pictures and send them to me after the program next week. I will post them for sure if she does.

Break a leg Kayla!

Help Me Remember!

I must try and cultivate an eye for life's mercies... And life, while it has its ugly swamps, its vile weeds, and its sharp thorns, has always its fair flowers to charm the eye with their beauty, or to fill the air with their fragrance...

--Rev. John Flowers Serjeant, 1878


Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.

--Chippewa, translated by Robert Bly

Happy Birthday Anna!

'I feel that the real drama of life is never center stage, it's always in the wings. It's never with the spotlight on, it's usually something that you don't expect at all.'
- Fred Rogers

'something that you don't expect at all'... that's you Anna. What an unexpected addition you have been to my life. You taught our entire family just how important life is for the mere sake of life itself and for no other reason. No child, no young woman has ever been more loved than you. You are not often center stage but you are always at the center of this family's being. We are truly better for having you in our lives.

I love you Anna... Happy 14th Birthday!

Playing Bridge - On A Houseboat

I spent a good part of the day Monday, playing bridge with some friends. It's been a long time, over 5 years at least, since I last enjoyed that activity. I was surprised at how readily the bidding and play came back to me. It helped that the cards were kind and that I was with old friends who are no more serious about bridge than I am. The four of us, along with several others, learned to play bridge many, many years ago when we were all young corporate wives to husbands who transferred here with GM.

Many changes have taken place in our lives over the past thirty-some years; our children are all grown, we have grandchildren, some marriages didn't survive, some people transferred, some died. Over the years we've been homemakers and later we had careers, some moved away and then came back and now we are all retired... and playing bridge again!

It was fun to get back together especially on the houseboat, which belongs to my friend Diane's son, Danny and his wife Pat. Not only are they generous enough to allow us to use the boat, Pat, who was working from home that day, kept us in coffee. And that was much appreciated on a chilly fall day.

Here's a few pictures from our day.


A picture looking out over the front of the houseboat... the colors were gorgeous along the river.


This is Vickie.


This is Diane.



This is Janan, who was smart enough to bring ear muffs!


Vickie is mulling over her next play.


Diane is thinking about her next bid.


Janan is eating, which may be our ulterior motive for playing bridge... we munched all day.


This is Danny and Pat's Irish Setter, Abby. She's a beautiful dog who spent the day tripping the latch on the gate to break out and chase a cat that was teasing her from the nearby grounds.


She totally wore herself out chasing that cat! We bridge players weren't the only ones who had fun on Monday!

Giveaway @ Simple Mom

I'm hoping to win this printer from Simple Mom. Just click the link and you can enter the contest as well. She gives you three ways to get your name in the hopper for this terrific gift.



You can get the 411 on the printer here: Epson Artisan

Unbelievably Proud

I know. I just posted that I try to avoid political posts, but this one is more about my granddaughters taking a stance and expressing their points of view than it is about politics. It is about the character they show by the statements they made that I am proud of.

The first statement was made by my oldest granddaughter, Erin, who just turned 16 a week ago. I think it took guts for her to stand up and make this statement on her MySpace page.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

If you don’t have anything nice to say...
Current mood: annoyed

Alright, look. I'm really tired of hearing about this election.
It's Over. Obama Won.

I'm disappointed about the outcome of the election, but some of yall are being ridiculous. I wasn't an Obama supporter because I don't agree with his view on things like abortion, the economy, and the border control between America and Mexico. It had absolutely NOTHING to do with his race or his religion.

I'm a Christian. I believe very strongly in Jesus Christ and in God's word, and I take what the Bible says to heart. But to all of you out there saying that the world is going to end, the Rapture is going to happen, Obama is the anti-christ... You've obviously never paid attention in Sunday School. You see, God says that we will not be able to predict when the Rapture will happen. We're not gonna see it coming. If you say that the Rapture is coming in the next few years and you know it, you are basically arguing with God's word. Only He knows when the time is right, and it'll take us by complete surprise.

Yes, Obama is different. He's young and he's fairly inexperienced, but who knows? He may do this country some good. We're already screwed at the moment; how much worse could it get? I don't agree with the man's politics but that doesn't mean that I'm going to disrespect the leader of this country. If anything, he needs our support.

Everyone's talking about how horrible he is. He hasn't even taken office yet, so how do you know, exactly? How do YOU know that Obama is so horrible, and that he's going to kill us all and destroy the earth and reveal himself as Satan during the 7 years of Trials & Tribulations? You don't. Most of you are just repeating what you've heard your friends, family, and the TV say anyways. You don't even know enough about McCain or Obama to form your own original opinion on the matter that you're so ignorantly debating. I didn't want him to be president one bit but I'm not going to sit here and bash him, either. Because I don't know what good, or bad, he can do to our country.

I say suck it up. He won, and there's nothing your whining can do to change it. In four years the world will still be here, America will be bored with Mr. Barack, and we can all move on with our lives.

Agree or Disagree. Doesn't bother me one bit.

The post below was made by my granddaughter Emily, who put this on her MySpace site the day before the election. I'm not certain, but I doubt that she will have a career in politics... what a shame... a little more blunt honesty might be just what the political arena needs.

Date: Nov 3, 2008 9:39 PM
Subject: oh my bama
Body: obama isnt even black!!!!!!!!!

my gosh if your gonna tell me im not voting for someone because they're black, make sure they actually ARE.

he's half black..he's also half white!
if a black person said they werent voting for obama, i could say "your racist, your just against him because he's white"

but everyone would think i was crazy.

and why? i dont have a clue.
but he is just as much white as he is black so DROP THE WHOLE RACE ISSUE!

i dont like obama or mccain . mccain is better, but i dont like him. theyll both mess up our country so it doesnt really matter who wins.

so get over it! it doesnt matter who gets elected. america is screwed.

Their political views do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog's management but I can say this, I am definitely proud of them for having the courage to take the high road where character and doing the right thing matters. Oh and that I am a little concerned about Emily's grammar... honors student huh? must be a myspace thing!

Privilege

I hope each and everyone of you took the time today to exercise your privilege to vote for the candidate of your choice. I made a conscious decision when I started this blog to avoid politics and political statements and for me, that was an appropriate choice. It isn't always easy for me to keep my thoughts and opinions to myself as I can be as opinionated and passionate as the next guy or gal. All I want to say here is that regardless of who wins this election, we will have change. It will be different than it has been for the past eight years and I am not sure we ought to expect anything more than that.

So if you have not voted and your polling place is still open, please go get in line and vote. At one point in this election season, I found myself quite tempted to not vote in the presidential election this year but I know in my heart that to not appreciate the privilege of voting and to deny my personal responsibility as a citizen to participate in the only way I can would be a mistake.

All that I have left to say is that I am praying for all of America and for her new leaders regardless of who wins the various elections.

God Bless America!

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

I am so frustrated. I literally hate AOL right now. I kept an AOL account for years because I travel to places, like to my mother's home and a few other locations, where I had no way to access the internet except by using AOL access numbers. I have DSL at home so I haven't needed that access here for several years, but continued to pay to have the access available to me wherever I went. AOL also offered it's paid members lots and lots of online storage for pictures and other types of files. I took advantage of that storage for many of the pictures, music and videos that I posted on this blog because it gave me more control. I justified the expense for the access coupled with the massive storage I had.

Long story short, AOL is changing how they do business and decided to do away with their ftp storage. Users had a one month notice to get all of their files to a new online location or downloaded if needed. Needless to say, the AOL ftp gateway was not accessible most of that time due to the sheer volume of files to be moved and because their clunky ftp software would only allow people to download one file at a time. Not a problem for me since I already have most of those files stored somewhere on my hard drive anyway. The real problem for me and lots of other people, including many ebay users, is that we coded the location of those files to reference the AOL storage site.

I contacted AOL several times about this matter and was assured as late as yesterday that even though I would not have ftp access (meaning I would not be able to upload / download files anymore), the files would still be there. I asked the question three times yet the tech helping me didn't understand what I was asking or deliberately misinformed me. I'm more angry at myself because I was fairly certain what was going to happen but let someone assure me of something that I suspected wasn't true. The point is, I now have holes all over my blog pages because of this. I just fixed the header but still have many files that I need to get to flickr or some other site and then I will still have to re-code every instance of the files that are affected or just remove the coding referencing those files completely. So if you see blank spaces or the dreaded red x on my pages, that's why.

If you see flames and smoke coming from this site in the next few days or weeks, well that will be coming from me!

EDIT: I decided to simply remove the coding referencing any files stored at AOL until I can get them moved to a new location. I've been thinking about re-doing the site anyway, but haven't found a look that I am satisfied with yet. Obviously, with the lack of updates, I've struggled a bit with what to post or what direction to take this blog in or if I even want to keep it going. hmmmm... seems like this blog truly is a reflection of my life.