Life Update

Oh my God, there is SO MUCH going on in my life right now! I saw a tshirt last week that would be perfect for me right now: "I'm Moving At 33 RPM In An iPod World". That is SO ME right now. It seems everything is just rushing 90mph around me and I'm having the hardest time keeping up. Okay, so here's an update on almost everything going on - everything I can think of anyway.

1. My brother - He's back at the VA Hospital. He's not completely back in our reality, but he's close. It was touch and go there for a while - he'd mentally regressed to a time about 10 years ago when he was in the Navy and stationed in Fort Worth. He thought we were all playing a practical joke or "punking" him when we talked about hospitals, aneurysms, and overdoses of Valium. My parents went to the VA Hospital and raised holy hell (gently of course) about the incompetence of whoever gave my brother the Valium. Needless to say, the hospital is accommodating just about everything my mother asks for in order to keep them happy & quiet. (I bet Wayne Dolcefino would have a field day with that one!) My brother transferred back to the VA's long term care ward on Friday, and he'll be there indefinitely. He has to be monitored 24 hours a day now. So if he does ever leave the VA, he'll go to a nursing home type facility. BUT we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now he's safe and happy back at the VA.

2. Break up - well it looks like my friends are definitely breaking up. I was (and still am actually) holding out hope that she'd come to her senses and come back home, but that hasn't happened yet. I've never been this close before to someone whose long term relationship has crumbled. OMG it's a killer! I hope & pray I never have to go through it myself.

3. Weight - My friend says she hasn't been able to eat for almost 3 weeks, her nerves are just shot from all the stress & worry of the break up. I think I've been eating my share PLUS hers. I'm a stress eater, and with all the stress between my son's surgery, my brother's issues, and my friends' break up, I've been scarfing down everything in sight! I've gained 3 pounds in the last few weeks. Ugh!!

4. Son's Surgery - My son is doing great after his surgery, thank God. He's pretty much back to normal. He had a follow up with the surgeon yesterday who said he's healing right on schedule... great!

I've been a bit out of it so far this week, Tuesday I forgot to "press" the coffee grinds in my french press pot before I poured my mug of coffee -- so I got crunchy coffee... eeewww.... and it's basically been downhill from there. I'm sitting here today nodding off as if I didn't sleep at all last night --- weird, cause I got about 6 hours of sleep. Oh well... just drink more coffee...

NEW PURE ROMANCE CONSULTANT

Here's a copy of an email I sent out earlier...

Hey Ladies!

Guess what?! You are looking at the latest Personal Consultant for Pure Romance! If you're not familiar with Pure Romance - we do girls only, in-home parties specializing in oils, lotions, lingerie, and "bedroom accessories" - woohoo! I can't believe I've done it! I've talked about signing up for this for quite some time now (as some of you know), and everyone I talked to told me I'd be perfect for it since I'm so open and nonchalant about everything. FYI, I researched about 4 different companies before choosing Pure Romance. I decided on them because (in my opinion) they have the nicest products at reasonable prices, and I liked the variety and selection of items.

I'm going into this blindly. I've never been to a Pure Romance party, much less run one! But I know in-home parties and I know my products. I'll be having an Open House at my house in a couple of weeks as a "test party" for myself. I also ask you, my friends, to please be a guinea pig and host a party!

Check out our catalog online - http://www.wendysimmons.pureromance.com/ - and call me at 281-536-8536 if you have any questions or would like to book a party!

THANKS SO MUCH!

Wendy

P.S. Please forward this to anyone & everyone you think might be interested. Pure Romance parties are a great idea for girl's night out, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, showers, pajama parties, or just for fun! And you don't have to do much when you host - just supply the locale and possibly something to drink and a little snack, I'll do the rest!

The little things

It's the little things in life that make us stop and appreciate all that we have. I ADORE my son. He's the sweetest thing on the planet. (of course!) For two days in a row now, I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off in the morning, trying to get the two of us ready and out the door to school and work. I've just been completely scatterbrained this week! Both days, right as we're about to leave, my son says "don't forget your apple Mama!" And sure enough, I'd forgotten it! It's just so sweet that he keeps me on track and even makes sure I remember my apples... what would I do without him??

Cool Picture of the boy

I'm too brain dead with my first day back to work after the holiday to write much today...

So instead, here's a really cool pic of my son roasting marshmallows weekend before last...

Christmas Lights Part 2

Well he was at it again today. He finished the lights around the garage, porch, and fence. Plus, he put out our inflatable decorations. All of this done in the ice cold rain. My neighbors must think we're nuts! He's still not fnished yet either, we still have the trees & walkway, wooden yard decor, spotlights, and the giant wreath! Oh dear...

Oh! and he HAD to buy a new inflatable this year. We now have an animated Santa in an airplane. The propeller & tail swirley spin...

Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

Amazon is proud to introduce Kindle - A wireless portable reading device with instant access to over 90,000 books, blogs, newspapers, and magazines. Whether you're in bed or on the train, Kindle lets you think of a book and get it in less than a minute...

I don't get it... it's a NEW WIRELESS READING DEVICE... haven't we always had those? otherwise known as books??

• Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.


• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.


• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.

It's a book! and only for the low price of $400!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2S5YCKCJJ64W8

Actually - I have to admit that I'm geek enough to want this. The more I read about it, the more I like & want it! Now... how to come up with $400...

Christmas Lights

I swear I'm married to Clark Griswold. Hubby started hanging the outside Christmas lights yesterday, trying to beat the rain storms that hit today. He didn't make it and was actually on a ladder hanging lights on the garage in the rain today. He's so excited. We're the first house on the street with our Christmas lights up. Obviously we're not finished with the exterior decorations, but the hard part's done - we have lights along the 2nd floor eaves of the house & garage. Now we just have to string the trees, the porch, the walkways, and put up our yard decor. I swear, all of this work for just a month --- and I haven't even started on the inside decorations. Our house will look like a Christmas wonderland by the time we're done!

God - Morgan or Alanis?

So I'm watching Evan Almighty and I got to thinking about who's a better God? I really think it's a toss up between Morgan Freeman and Alanis Morissette... but then again, could anyone really ever top George Burns?

Finally cold outside!

I'm so excited! It's finally cold outside! Up until yesterday it's been 85 freaking degrees outside -- definitely NOT Thanksgiving or winter temps. I sooo caught the holiday spirit while grocery shopping earlier. It was cold & cloudy outside, the grocery store smelled like holiday spices, and carols were playing over the store speakers. It just made me want to drink eggnog & make gingerbread cookies!

I'm Thankful For...

I'm thankful for my family - especially my boys (hubby & son)

I'm thankful for my friends - my friends are always there when I need them, with laughter & joy to share with me, a shoulder to cry on, and a kick in the ass when I need it.

I'm thankful my son's surgery went so well yesterday. He's home and doing just fine.

I'm thankful that the brown hair dye was only a rinse and has faded A LOT in the past week.

I'm thankful for the buy one get one free sale on Revlon makeup at Walgreen's - saved me $13!

I'm thankful for Luby's - and that they were open today so we could have Thanksgiving dinner. (We decided to skip the big holiday dinner this year, cause we didn't know how my son would feel.)

I'm thankful that my brother's suicide attempt was an ATTEMPT - a FAILED ATTEMPT. Let's hope & pray it's the only attempt.

I'm thankful for the rain today. It totally kills our plans to go to the Ren Fest, but my yard really needs the water.

My son had surgery & I'm exhausted

My son had surgery this morning - he had his adenoids removed & tubes put in his ears. Nothing really serious, but still nerve-wracking for us. I'm exhausted. We had to be at the hospital at 6:00am, and so we had to get up at 4:00am. The lack of sleep and stress of the whole thing really got to me... Just wanted to check in really quick... I'm out of here!

Lessons to learn in drying underwear...

Different ways to dry underwear... Everyone knows the standard ways of drying clothes, hang dry and dryer, but sometimes you need to be inventive when you need something in a snap. For some reason, I always end up needing new and exciting ways to dry underwear & bras. I know, only me -- only I would need this info. But of course!

Point to Remember - be VERY careful when drying underwear in a microwave. They WILL catch on fire. Once when I was living with my brother, our dryer went out while I was trying to do my laundry. Now, this is single life remember, so every article of clothing I owned had just been washed & was soaking wet. I had to be at work in 2 hours and there was no way my panties would air dry in time. My highly intelligent older brother suggested using the microwave. He said he'd done it before with socks, so it should work for me. Great! Thanks Bubba! So into the microwave they go! Then came the problem... exactly how long do you cook underwear to dry them? Well, they were just a small pair of bikinis, so I figured 30 seconds on high should do it. About halfway through, they started smoking. I pulled them out, and there were several nice round singed spots on them! LEE!! You told me I could microwave my panties!! You LOSER! He yells back, "I didn't say COOK them, what did you do?" So, I told him about programming it for 30 seconds -- at which point he replies, "Noooo... you pop them in for 3 - 5 seconds at a time, take them out for a second or two, and then do it again. Over and over until they're dry." "Well you didn't tell me THAT!" That would have been good info to know. Great - lesson learned if this ever happens again!

Fast forward 2 or 3 years... Christmas Eve 1995, I only own one bra (single & broke that I am) and I had to wash it at the last minute. There's no way it'll dry in time, and I can't put it in the microwave, it has a metal underwire... so what do I do? I had no choice but to run it down to my apartment complex's laundry room. Now, commercial washers & dryers are fine for general clothing, but not delicates. But I had no choice - I was stuck! So in the bra went. About an hour later, I pull it out and find that it's been SHREDDED. It looked like I'd run it though a wood chipper! OH MY GOD, what am I going to do?! I have to be at my grandparents in an hour! There was no way I could buy another in time, besides I didn't have any money! So I grabbed a handful of safety pins and pinned that sucker back together. It was beyond uncomfortable and looked horrible, but it did it's job!

Fast forward again to today... I'm sure I've had mishaps in between then & now, but nothing that really stands out. So... Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I remembered the panties I wanted to wear with my jeans today were dirty. So, I pulled them out of the hamper, hand washed them, and hung them in the shower to dry. Who would have thought that all night wouldn't be long enough to dry panties?! So this morning they went into the dryer. Now, that should have worked, but I wasn't thinking and put them in by themselves. And everyone knows the secret to drying something - NEVER put it in the dryer alone. For some reason, you always have to add a towel or something in with it -- and of course, I forgot that too. So, 45 minutes later they're still wet. Great, I HAVE to leave for work - what do I do?? HAIR DRYER! So... I stood there for God knows how long blow drying my underwear. But, this time I thought of everything. I used the warm setting, because the hot would be too hot and the cool might not dry as well, and I kept flipping them so they'd be uniformly dried. It worked! Not as good as the dryer would have done, but they were clean and dry! So I slipped them on, then my jeans, and flew out the door!

Weekend from HELL

This past weekend was the ultimate weekend from HELL!

It started out with a phone call from one of my best friends, she & her girlfriend/wife of 10 years are breaking up and she was breaking down. Poor thing cried non-stop all weekend it seems. I'm not giving any more details now, I'm sure she doesn't want to share with the world. I just feel so helpless. All I can do is be a shoulder for her to lean on. I wish I could fix things, put everything back where it all belongs, but that's just not possible.

Then we had the emergency & drama from my brother. That's been hell on everyone all weekend. He's still in ICU, but awake now. He's completely delusional again. He has no idea what's going on or where he is. We're afraid he's not going to come back this time. He's been confused a lot these last few weeks, and this might just be it. It's a crap shoot if he comes back to reality or stays confused from here on out. Obviously he can no longer be allowed to be alone, so the assisted living facility option is out. He has to be in a psych facility where he can be monitored 24/7.

And then to top it all off, another really good friend (bestest of my best) told me he's moving out of state. He slips the news to me via text messages while I'm at my friend's house helping her with her crisis. Hubby says he waited until I was occupied with other probs, so I wouldn't dwell on this one too much. I know - it's not my business, shouldn't concern me, but it just does. He moved here in January to try a new life in a new town, and he's already admitting defeat and leaving. He's lost 2 jobs in a year, and is having problems finding another. So, he's packing it in, giving up the apartment, and leaving. He's been one of my absolute closest friends since I was 15 years old (I'm not telling how long ago that was!). We've been out of touch for about 10 years now and finally got close again. And now he's leaving! Ugh! He says it won't be that much different, we can still talk on the phone and IM all day like we do now, but I'll still miss him more than he'll know. I LOVE having him 5 minutes down the road. Having him back in my family.

The one bright spot in my weekend was dinner at the in-laws Saturday night. How many people can say that? - the best part of my weekend was dinner with the in-laws! My husband's brother, wife, & 2 girls were there too. We had dinner & then roasted marshmallows over the firepit and made smores. I laughed all night & just had the BEST time.

Anyway... Monday's almost half over and I've had no real catastophes yet... this week is starting out pretty good...

My Brother's Suicide Attempt

My brother tried to commit suicide over the weekend. I’ve debated writing about my brother’s issues for a while now. I’ve actually written about it twice, just to delete it. Let me back up a little and give you a bit of history…

My brother had the first of two brain aneurysms 6 years ago in March of 2001. He went to the doctor for severe headaches. Everyone assumed it was migraines, but the test results showed a bleeding aneurysm in his left frontal lobe. Luckily it was caught in time (before it killed him) and he had surgery to remove it. Afterwards, his biggest issue was the damage to his short term memory – the trauma to his brain permanently damaged his frontal lobe & he lost his short term memory. After a year of intensive therapy, he was not quite back to normal, but on his way and doing well on his own. Until the headaches came back two years later and our worst fears came true. He’d developed a second aneurysm. 11 hours of surgery corrected this one, but unfortunately he didn’t bounce back afterwards like after his first one. The doctors say he has scar tissue growing in his brain. There’s no way to get rid of it. If you surgically remove it, more will grow in its place. It’s causing brain damage, and it will continue to get worse as it grows. He also developed severe depression after the second surgery. He couldn’t handle the fact that he wasn’t 100% anymore, and he turned to liquor to ease the pain. He’d rather be drunk, wearing rose colored glasses and creating his own reality, than sober and facing the hard truth. After four years of intermittent hell it seems – in and out of hospitals, detox, rehab, apartments, and shelters – his brain damage has built to the point that he can’t live on his own anymore. On a good day, it’s as if he has early alzheimers. On a bad day, he’s completely delusional – hearing voices, seeing things that aren’t there, and just completely out of touch with reality. He’s been in the psych ward of the VA hospital for the past month or so. His mental state has deteriorated enough that he can’t be trusted to take care of himself – can’t keep up with meds and can’t handle every day activities. The docs wanted us to put him in a nursing home – alzheimers or memory care ward – but my mom just couldn’t handle that. She couldn’t handle putting her 37 year old son in a nursing home (and who could blame her?). So, we found an assisted living community for him. He’d have his own one bedroom apt, but he’d be monitored by medical staff who’d check on him 3 – 4 times a day.

They checked him out of the VA on Saturday and were taking him there to get all settled in when it happened. Some moron – employed as nursing staff at the VA – gave my brother a bottle of 50 Valium when he was discharged, even though his chart clearly states that ALL meds are to be given to my mother NOT my brother! He was clear-headed enough to know to hide them from my mom, so he stashed them in his underwear – but not before taking 40 pills. By the time they got to my mom’s house, he was passed out in the back of the minivan. They started panicking when they couldn’t wake him up and called 911 (luckily). Of course, at this point they had no idea what was going on – no one knew about the Valium. The EMT’s just knew he’d OD’d on SOMETHING and gave him meds to counter it. They found the Valium stash at the ER. He’s now in ICU at the hospital near us, sedated and on a vent.

This sucks…

100 Question Survey

I'm such a sucker for "get to know you" surveys... here's the latest...

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? don’t have closet doors – but if I did, CLOSED

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? no

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? only tucked on the bottom

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before? I think so – don’t remember

5. Do you like to use post-it notes? yes – but never yellow, too plain and normal – I’m a nonconformist, wanna use purple or pink

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? every time – so I try to avoid coupons

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? OMG! What a question! Bear I guess

8. Do you have freckles? no – but I do have moles & birthmarks

9. Do you always smile for pictures? usually

10. What is your biggest pet peeve? only one??? Noisy eaters I guess

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk? used to – OCD and all – but I’ve taught myself not to

12. Have you ever peed in the woods? yes

13. What about pooped in the woods? I know I must have, but I’ve tried to block that from my memory

14. Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing? all the time!

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils? no – but I hold them in my mouth

16. How many people have you slept with this year? I usually sleep with hubby on one side & cats on the other, but I don't think that's what you meant (thanks for the answer Irma!)

17. What size is your bed? queen – we bought the frame while still in a tiny apt – sometimes wish we had a king. It’s a bit crowded with 2 adults and 3 cats.

18. What is your Song of the week? Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink? YES – my son has a pink tshirt that says “tough guys wear pink”

20. Do you still watch cartoons? YES – all the time

21. Whats your least favorite movie? Casino

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? I’m not telling!

23. What do you drink with dinner? Water or iced tea usually

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? depends on where: McD’s – sweet & sour and bbq, chick-file – polynesian, restaurants – honey mustard

25. What is your favorite food?donuts! LOL nah… I love all foods, can’t pick a fav

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Jurrasic Park, Independence Day, Twister, Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, the Matrix, Fifth Element, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Goonies, and tons more

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you? my hubby & my son

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout? no

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? for a substantial sum of money (thanks again for the answer irma)

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? about 2 months ago

31. Can you change the oil on a car? no (but I can drive to jiffy lube)

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket? no – knock on wood!

33. Ran out of gas? no

34. Favorite kind of sandwich? grilled cheese

35 Best thing to eat for breakfast? anything chocolate - I like sweets! Or the typical southern breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes or grits, and a biscuit

36. What is your usual bedtime? 10ish

37. Are you lazy? oh yeah

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? oh wow – black cat, Zorro, Wonder Woman, a flapper, harlequin clown, alice in wonderland, I know there were others, but I don’t remember

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign? I have no idea

40. How many languages can you speak? unfortunately, just one

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? People, US Weekly, The Advocate, and Buddhism Today

42..Which are better legos or lincoln logs? LEGOS

43. Are you stubborn? yes

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman? Hate them both

45. Ever watch soap operas? no

46. Afraid of heights? no

47. Sing in the car?every day!

48. Dance in the shower? no, sounds dangerous

49. Dance in the car? yes

50. Ever used a gun? only once

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Christmas 2005

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? no – love them

53. Is Christmas stressful? only the shopping

54. Ever eat a pierogi? no

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? does coconut meringue count? If not, then cherry

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? ballerina, broadway star, teacher

57. Do you believe in ghosts? yes

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? yes

59. Take a vitamin daily? I need to, but I forget all the time

60. Wear slippers? big foofy houseshoes sometimes

61. Wear a bath robe? no

62. What do you wear to bed? night shirt

63. First concert? Elton John

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Walmart

65. Nike or Adidas? neither – new balance

66.Cheetos Or Fritos? cheetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? both

68. Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? no

69. Ever take dance lessons? yes – ballet, tap, & jazz as a kid and two step with my husband

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? I have a future spouse? What happened to the current one?

71. Can you curl your tongue? yes

72. Ever won a spelling bee? no – but I got close!

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? yes

74. Own any record albums? yes

75. Own a record player? No

76. Regularly burn incense [candles]? candles – all the time, Incense - sometimes

77. Ever been in love? of course

78. Who would you like to see in concert? Cher again

79. What was the last concert you saw? yikes! It’s been so long I don’t remember

80. Hot tea or cold tea? depends on my mood

81.Tea or coffee?again, depends on my mood: coffee – in the morning, tea – in the evenings

82. Sugar or snickerdoodles? snickerdoodles

83.Can you swim well? yes

84.Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes

85. Are you patient? NO WAY

86. DJ or band, at a wedding? DJ

87.Ever won a contest? several

88. Ever have plastic surgery? No

89. Which are better black or green olives? both! I love olives!

90.Can you knit or crochet? I am teaching myself to crochet

91. Best room for a fireplace? bedroom

92. Do you want to get married? I'd like to stay married

93. If married, how long have you been married? almost 11 years

94. Who was your HS crush? hmm… I had several – and I don’t name names

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? I don’t cry, but I do pout & stomp my feet!

96. Do you have kids? 1 son

97. Do you want kids? depends on what he’s done that day – how much trouble he’s caused! j/k

98. Whats your favorite color? Hot Pink! (and blue)

99. Do you miss anyone right now? yes – my grandma

100. Did you watch, Next Great American Band on FOX? no

"So You Think You Can Dance" Live Show

OH MY GOD!! I had the absolute BEST time last night!! Steven, Mom, & I went to the So You Think You Can Dance live tour show last night. I'm still giddy from it - I had SO MUCH FUN! I know I know, I'm a total dork, but I can't help it! It was SO GOOD! 2 1/2 hours of non-stop dancing! Hubby didn't understand why I was so excited --- "it's the same people as on the show right?" YES "doing the same dances as on the show..." YES "well then you already saw it all on tv. I don't get it". But it wasn't the same. The energy was pumping, and the whole audience was into it. My throat is hurting so bad this morning because I screamed my lungs out for the whole 2 1/2 hours! I screamed & clapped when they introduced the dancers, then when I recognized the music & dance number, and THEN after they finished! ALL NIGHT LONG! I really ought to apologize to my mom, she said she couldn't hear out of her right ear for the rest of the night -- and the poor people in front of me! Poor things - I know they were thinking, "great! out of all the seats we could've picked, we get the ones in front of HER!" LMAO Oh well! I paid my money just like you did, and I want to scream like a banshee!

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

They did all of my favs - especially this one... I swear, I could've just watched them do this routine over and over again all night!

My Coworker Quit - one for the books

Wow... some people have nerve... (steel cajones!)

So - I get to work this morning and there's a 9x12 envelope on my desk. That's not unusual, I AM the receptionist, and there's usually a stack of envelopes to be mailed out waiting for me in the mornings. But this envelope is addressed to one of my VP's, and there's no return address or postage. Now that's weird... So - I send the following email to my VP:

Hey - you have an envelope/package at my desk. It's weird though - no return address or postage. I'm not sure where it came from.

- Wendy

He comes up to get it, opens it, says "that son-of-a-bitch", and asks me again where I found it. Okay, so now my curiosity was really piqued, and I HAD to ask what it was. Come to find out, it was a letter of resignation from a coworker! He decided yesterday was his last day, and left the letter along with this keys and security key-card for me to find this morning. Wow - I can't believe the nerve of some people!

Night Screaming

My poor husband… I don’t know how he does it – how he can sleep in the same bed with me every night. You see – I have a horrible habit of talking in my sleep, flailing about, moving/walking, and even waking up screaming. I’ve always had very vivid dreams for as long as I can remember. Periodically as a kid, I’d talk or walk in my sleep – one time I even changed clothes! But the “waking dreams” and screams didn’t start until my late teens. My “waking dreams” as I call them are instances when I wake up and look about, but instead of seeing the “real world” I still see the dream. Either completely as if I’m still immersed in it or partially where I just see certain images from the dream mixed in with reality. A lot of times I just wake up very confused and I have no idea where I am or what is going on. Then the worst is when I wake up screaming – no warning or build up. I just start screaming. I first remember experiencing these dreams the summer before I went to college. Once I woke up and there were decapitated heads surrounding me all over my bed. Another time I saw a 4-foot rat next to my pillow. My poor college dorm roommate had to deal with me too – I nearly scared her to death the first time I woke up screaming, not to mention the time I saw a zombie sitting at my desk. The dreams come and go. I may have 3 in one week, and then nothing for 3 months. It’s completely random. I think the scariest one so far was the time I was living alone in an apartment and saw a dark figure standing over my bed. He had no substance, basically just a silhouette. I had to get up, walk across the room, and turn on the light to make it disappear. That was usually the only way I could make any of them fade away. Luckily, I now have hubby to shake the dreams off of me. He was introduced to them when we were still dating. I remember waking up and instead of seeing the bedroom wall; I saw a daylight street scene with a man in a Hawaiian shirt looking at me. I kept slapping the wall asking who he was. Poor hubby had to shake me awake. I remember once grabbing my cat (who was asleep on the pillow next to me), sort of shaking her, and asking over and over “what is this?!” I don’t remember what kind of creature I thought she was, but I did NOT see my cat! I’ve seen my son standing next to the bed, people and things that aren’t there, you name it. Last week I even tried to climb my black iron headboard – I dreamt it was some sort of ornate gate. Apparently I’m on a roll now with the dreams. I’ve been having them more and more lately. Hubby said I woke up screaming again a couple of nights ago. Poor thing has gotten to the point where he just yells at me “Wendy go to sleep!” – and whacks my arm. I just grumble grumble, roll over and go back to sleep. More times than not, I don’t remember anything the next morning. I’ve thought of having another sleep study done to investigate them, but there’s no rhyme or reason – no pattern to them. Most likely I’d sleep like a baby in the lab.

This morning I offered to sleep in the guest bedroom so hubby can sleep in peace. He hasn’t taken me up on it yet, but it’s still a possibility. Poor thing, this is just one more thing on my list of crazy quirks and habits. He really had no idea what he was getting into when he met me! LOL Well, like my mama always says – life with me will never be boring!

Put that boy on stage!

Mark my words... one day, my son will be on Broadway! He absolutely LOVES to sing, dance, and act! I heard him singing this morning while I was getting dressed. I didn't have to see him to be able to picture the scene. He was singing like Pavarotti, with a serious bellow & bravato -- I just know his arms were up & open. The funny thing is that he was only singing "This and That! That and This!" over an over! But it was like "Thiiiiiiiiis and Thaaaaaaaat! Thaaaaaaaat and Thiiiiiiiiiis!" over and over again! LOL!! He's always making up songs for everything he does. It doesn't even have to make sense, he's still singing! He loves anything to do with music. We took him to Disney World when he was 3, and one of his favorite things was the Beauty & The Beast stage show. He was mesmorized! Last year my parents took him to the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show - again, he was enthralled. We love to watch So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars together - it's a fun Mommy & Benjamin activity. I think I own every movie and play soundtrack published, especially if it's Disney - and we LOVE to sing in the car together. Plus - we own High School Musical 1 & 2 DVD's and Disney's Jump In. He will watch the dance scenes, rewind & play again while mimicking the stars' dance moves. He does this over and over until he has it perfected. (Which honestly, only take two or three tries!)

Anyone who knows the kid knows he's overly dramatic with EVERYTHING he does and says. He's perfect for the stage! We're enrolling him in jazz & hip-hop dance and musical theater classes in the spring. I know he's going to love it all!

And just you wait Henry Higgins --- you'll see his name in lights one day!

NO GUM! I NEED GUM!!

CALL 911 - I'M OUT OF GUM!!

I have a SERIOUS gum addiction. I equate it to someone else's nicotine addiction or my former Dr. Pepper addiction. I am completely & totally addicted to Dentyne Fire gum. I always chew 2 pieces at once, because get real people - the pieces are freaking tiny! Anyway... because I chew 2 pieces at once, all day long every day, I tend to go through it fast - 1/2 to 1 pack every day. Well I chewed the last of my stash here at the office on Friday. I bought 6 packages of Dentyne Fire over the weekend, but like an idiot I left them at home this morning! AAUUUUGGHHH!! I am going nuts right now! I NEED GUM!!

So... if you hear on the news tonight that a newly brunette receptionist went postal and hacked her co-workers to bits with an envelope opener, staple remover, & scissors - it's just me. They pushed me just a tad bit too far while I'm on edge with my gum jones.

I have brown hair!

Ack! I have brown hair! A slight hair salon misjudgement has resulted in me becoming the world's latest brunette. For a girl who's been naturally blonde all of her life, this is serious!

So I go to my stylist on Friday -- it's time to get my roots done. For the past year now, I've had bright red streaks and light blonde highlights in my hair. Usually when she first does it, the red is WOW bright red (actually mimicked Manic Panic Vampire Red last time) but it fades quickly into a bright copper color. It's really bold, but I like it.

So the first thing my stylist asks me is do I have any fancy parties or holiday portraits scheduled soon. I answered "no", and she exhales & says "great". Huh?? It reminded me of Steele Magnolias - "Does your dress have to go over your head?" "I'm nervous and my work tends to be poofy when I'm nervous." She then explains that the hair color company she has used her whole career closed and she doesn't know if she can match the color I normally use. I told her don't worry about it, I'm not that picky. Use me as guinea pig, experiment away! So... I have 3 colors in my hair now in addition to my natural color -- a base color of sandy brown/dirty blonde, blonde highlights, and coppery brown streaks. It's darker than I've ever had before! But - unbelievably, I like it. And it's gotten a pretty good reception with the family, so I'm going to keep it. Who knows - maybe I'll be smarter as a brunette! Uh-oh... I just hope I don't lose out on some fun!

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to everyone!

From my Papa who spent his career in the Air Force to the boyfriend I kissed as he shipped off to Navy bootcamp, I've always had veterans in my life - and I have the utmost respect for each and every one of them.

To all of you who have served our country in times of peace and war - Thank you for everything.

My dad again

It's been three weeks since my dad called looking for me. Since my mom gave me his number. I haven't had the nerve to call him yet, and I haven't stopped thinking about him. I lie to everyone and tell them I don't care - I've moved on, but that's just not true. Those closest to me know it - apparently it's obvious. Steven said he never realized I was still so angry. Until he read my last post about my father. It was filled with anger, rage, hurt, and all the emotions I've been holding inside for 20 years. I've been lying to myself too. Trying to convince myself that I don't care, but I do. You'd think after 20 years with no contact, I'd let it go and move on. I've tried and I really thought I had, but obviously not.

A quote from Grease has stuck with me since I was a little girl. Frenchy told Sandy that the only boy a girl can trust is her daddy. I was a small child when I first saw that movie, but that quote stuck out even way back then. What happens when a girl can't trust her daddy? What then happens to the girl and the woman she will become?

My new book is here - yay!

I had a good surprise waiting for me when I got to the office this morning --- my latest JD Robb book came in and was waiting on my desk! It's really odd too, I was just talking about those books last night and now here's the latest! Now I know what I'm going to be doing this weekend --- it's a hard back, 337 pages, but I should be done with it by Monday.

I found the JD Robb "In Death" series about 7 years ago. I love Nora Roberts, she's one of my fav authors, and I discovered that she also writes this series under the pseudonym JD Robb. There are 27 total in the series - set in New York starting around the year 2050, about a homocide Lieutenant, her cases and her life. They're all named "something In Death" and you have to read them in order. Each book centers on Lieutenant Eve Dallas's latest case, but in them you get to know her, her life and family/friends. Each book picks up where the previous ended - introducing her to her husband - her courtship, wedding, and married life; her best friend's life - courtship, wedding, and children; her husband's skeletons and struggles, etc. Each time I pick up a new book, it's like catching up with an old friend. I've become attached to these characters. I have all 27 books in my collection - proudly displayed on their own shelf in my book case. The first 15 or so in paperback (bought used all at once it seems, so I could catch up) and the remaining in hardback. I even have it set up now so Amazon alerts me when a new book is available for pre-order and ships it to me the first day possible. (How's that for obsessive?)

Anyway - I can't wait to dive into "Creation in Death" and read all about Eve's latest case...

Titles by JD Robb:
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Midnight in Death
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgement in Death
Betrayel in Death
Interlude in Death
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Creation in Death
Jointly with Nora Roberts - Remember When

Daily Postings

Okay, I'm going to take the challenge... I've noticed several of my blogger friends post every day. It may not be much, but they check in and give an update every day. My thoughts and musings entertain most people so what the hell, I'm going to give it a shot. I figured, what's the worst that could happen? You just won't read it. Oh well, no biggie. and hey - I've always wanted to write in a diary...

- Wendy

Beware of the Watchtower People!

Oh my God - a couple of WatchTower ladies snagged me at the gas station this morning. I was running REALLY late and of course was out of gas (isn't it always that way?). So, I pull in to Texaco. Now being the multi-tasker that I am, I had my makeup bag sitting on the trunk of my car - I locked the pump so I could let go and stood behind my car putting on makeup as it filled with gas. Let me just say, I looked a tad busy... When the next thing I knew a Lexus pulls up next to me and a woman hops out --- ok, maybe she's lost and needs directions or something. Then I see the flyer in her hand - dammit, I recognize that. It's a WatchTower. The first thing she says is "I can see you're really busy, putting on your makeup and all" (Yes, I am - please go away.) "but I wanted to share this booklet about our children with you." She then told me to keep doing my makeup, there's no reason to stop, while she talks to me. I'm sorry, but my mama taught me better than to ignore someone while she's talking. I HAD to stop & pay attention. So she goes on with her blah blah, and I stand there looking interested while actually thinking about anything/everything but what she's saying. Then thank GOD my pump stops, and I make an excuse about having to finish up quickly & get to work. She smiles, hands me the booklet, and goes back to her car. Ugh! What's next?! The frozen food aisle of the grocery store? The dressing rooms at the mall? The stall in the ladies restroom at the cafeteria??

Gecko in my mailbox

I have a gecko living in my mailbox – just thought I’d share. What amazes me is how long he’s lived in there – about 5 years now! I had no idea they could live that long, especially in the wild – and especially in a MAILBOX. He scared the shit out of me the first time about 4 summers ago. I opened the door on my brick mailbox and reached in to get the mail, when I noticed something moving in the back. Of course I SCREAMED and dropped all the mail (thinking it was a spider), but then I noticed the cute little lizard about 2 inches long. Well he’s been there off and on ever since. I leave him alone, and he scoots to the back of the box whenever I reach in – neither of us wants him hitching a ride on the mail. It really does amaze me though that he’d live that long in one place, but I can’t imagine more than one discovering the cool gecko condo. Maybe they’re spreading the word and it’s a timeshare or something…

Cat Alarm Clock

I love this cartoon! It is SO true! Anyone who's owned a cat can associate with it, and anyone who's owned a cat has adapted to be able to sleep through anything like that. It's the only way you CAN sleep when you have a cat. Last night I watched one of my cats jump up on the bed - land smack in the middle of hubby's head - then climb over him across the pillows to get to me. In 12 years she hasn't let him forget that his side of the bed used to be HERS. No matter which side she starts on, when she jumps on the bed she always walks around to his side, up onto his head, and across the pillows to get to me. She sleeps next to my chest & on my pillow every night. It would be so much easier for her to just walk around and jump up on my side, but OH NO. We have to have the nightly ritual of walking across hubby's head every single time. Oh - and where does she sleep when he's NOT in bed? Right in the middle of his side, half on his pillow, if it's there -- she actually prefers that I remove the pillow so she can stretch out. Geez my cats are spoiled...

Ugh - I broke a nail...

I hate Mondays sometimes... Here I am sitting at my computer, trying to think of something - ANYTHING - to write. But I can't, my mind utterly completely blank - ugh... this week is just not starting well for me... and dammit - I broke a nail!