Ok, I stole this from my buddy Andrew over at 4th Avenue Blues:

Layers....

LAYER ONE:--
name: Karin
birthplace: Iowa
current Location: North Carolina

LAYER TWO:--
eye color: Brown
hair color: light brown with shades of blonde
Height: 5'5"
righty or lefty: Righty
zodiac sign: Libra
your heritage: German/Norwegian
the shoes wore today Nike's that my son bought for me for mother's day..what a great gift!!
your weakness: chocolate
your fears: not seeing my grandchildren grow up.
your perfect pizza? Canadian bacon and pineapple with stuffed crust
goal you'd like to achieve: To have enough money in the bank so there are no worries.

LAYER THREE:--
your most overused phrase on yahooIM: LOL
your thoughts first waking up: Please let it be like 4 am so I can sleep longer.
your bedtime: usually around 11 PM--
your most missed memory: My dad and my grandparents, man I wish they could see my children now and the grandchildren, although I do believe that they do see them, I wish that they could be here.

LAYER FOUR:--
Pepsi or coke: coke
mcdonald's or burger king: Burger King
single or group dates: Single
adidas or nike: Nike
lipton ice tea or nestea: Lipton
chocolate or vanilla: chocolate
cappuccino or coffee: Cappuccino

LAYER FIVE:--
smoke: no, not anymore....going on 8 months yeah me!!
cuss: yes, I try not to though
sing: in the car
shower everyday: Yes-
have a crush: no
want to go to college? Yes,
like(d) high school: loved it
want to get married: I am married, it is wonderful.
believe in yourself: I try to
get motion sickness: If I read in the car I tend to get light headed
think you're attractive: I'm alright
think you're a health freak: not really
get along with your parent(s): absolutely
like thunderstorms: I love a thunderstorm
play an instrument:I sure wish I did, my husband plays the piano, guitar, drums, trumpet, you name it, he can play it.

LAYER SIX: in the past month...--
drank alcohol: no
smoked: no
done a drug: no-
had sex: yes
made out: yes
gone on a date: yes
gone to the mall: yes
eaten an entire box of oreos: nope
been on stage: No
been dumped: No
gone skating: Haven't done that in 30 years
made homemade cookies: no then I would have to eat them.
gone skinnydipping: No
dyed your hair: a little
stolen anything: No

LAYER SEVEN:Have you ever...--
played a game that required removal of clothing: yes
been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes.
been caught "doing something": Yes
been called a tease: Yes

LAYER EIGHT:--
age you hope to be married: already married
numbers and names of children: Jonathan (25), Emily Ann (22), Sarah Marie (18), Stephen (12 - step son),Amanda (10 - step daughter),
describe your dream wedding: I had my dream wedding, my husbands father married us, that is what I wanted.
what do you want to be when you grow up: I think I am already grown but when I was young I wanted to be a nurse.
what country would you most like to visit: I would like to go to Australia, or back to Amsterdam with just the sister that I like this time. I don't dislike my other sister but we have a hard time gettina along.

LAYER NINE: I took out layer 9 because it was what I liked in a girl and that is just too mushy for me, I don't want a girl....unless she is really hot...no, I am kidding.

LAYER TEN:--
# of drugs taken illegally: 2
# of people i could trust with my life: 8
# of CDs that i own: I would not have a clue.
# of piercings: just the ears
# of tattoos: a small one.
# of scars on my body: I don't know.


Last Person Who...--
Slept in your bed? David and I
Saw you cry? My husband this morning when he told me about the business meeting at church last night, I don't know how some of those people can call themselves Christians.. Sorry...trying not to judge.
Made you cry? My daughter in law when she said that she wanted to move to Wisconsin.
Spent the night at your house? Well, my kids did last night but that was just for the night, problems arose and they are fine now.
You shared a drink with? If you mean like Ice tea, then it would be David
You went to the movies with? Amanda, Sarah, Alex, Jasmine and David...we went to see Over the hedge, cute kid movie.
You went to the mall with? My daughter in law
Yelled at you? My 18 year old daughter, she is a brat like that sometimes.
Sent you an email? My mom

Have You Ever...--
Said "I love you"? Yes.-
Been to New York? Just passing through on the way to Amsterdam
Been to Georgia? Just passed through
California? Yes, lots of times.
Hawaii? Yes, my mom took me several years ago, that was a really nice trip, just me and my mom.
Mexico? No
China? No
Canada? No
Danced naked? yes
Dreamed something really crazy and then happened the next day? Nope
Stalked someone? Ewww. No.

Pick One...--
Apples or bananas? Bananas
Red or blue? Blue
Walmart or Kmart? Wal-Mart
Math or English? English.
radio or CD? radio
drawing or painting? painting
High school or college? High School

Ok, I guess that is all. I should explain why the kids had to stay at my house last night after they just moved out last weekend. Well, seems that they did not call the electric company to change the name over and on Monday they got a notice that the electric would be turned off on Friday this week, well they thought....we have until Friday to turn it over to our names...no sweat. WRONG...I am sure that the lady called that lived there before them and told the electric company that she was no longer living there so they came out and shut it off cause they did not know who to bill it to. So here I was kinda dozing in the recliner, kinda watching tv, all alone at home when I get a phone call ....Can we stay at your house tonight? Well, what could I say of coarse they could. Then here they come...with tons of crap (cause you know that you need tons of crap when you have 2 small children). I think that they have everything straightened out and they can stay in there own house tonight....at least I hope they do.

Ok, just a quick note

I just read that Andrea Yates has been found NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY!!
I am sorry, but this just makes me sick. Maybe she was nuts and maybe she is still nuts but she still MURDERED her 5 children. What does this mean for her? I don't know. I think that she will get institutionalized until she "gets well". Well, what if she "gets well" tomorrow? Do they just let her out...just like that?? She is not punished for MURDERING HER 5 CHILDREN?? I just don't know how a person can put their children in a bathtub and hold them under the water while they are flailing their arms and legs and just wait for them to die.

It just breaks my heart.

Do you all watch Big Brother All Stars?

I think this is the best season yet. I just love this show. I think Tuesday nights are the best nights to cuddle up and watch television. First you have Big Brother and then you get an hour of Dog the Bounty Hunter and then an hour of Roseanne.

I love Roseanne. I think that most people either love her or hate her. Well, I love her. I think that she is hilarious. I am so much like her with my kids that it is scary. And Dog the Bounty Hunter, what a show that is. I think his son Leland is just as cute as you can be. Now, their mouths sometimes leave a bitter taste in my mouth but hey, I was a teenager with a mouth, they just happen to be adults that have carried it over. I like how they pray each time before they go out on a hunt and I really like the way they treat the person that they have caught. They treat them with respect and dignity even though their butts are going to jail.

I can't wait until Desperate Housewives comes back in September and another show I cannot wait for is ER. I quit watching it for a few years but I caught the season finale this year and now just cannot wait to see it again.

Wait now, let me get back to Big Brother, for all of you that watch it. Do you think James did the right thing by nominating Jase? I think that was a mistake and I think that he should of put up both of the boys from Chilltown. If one of them wins Head of Household next week, I am sure that they are going to put up someone from season 6. James was not thinking. And just for the record, He should of NEVER put up Chicken George. Chicken George is great and not a threat to any of them. He is playing the game smart right now....GO Chicken George!!

Ok, I am rambling.....Just cannot think of something to blog about. Let me know what your favorite shows are if you have one, lets compare.

On another note, my sister called me this morning. You know how hot it has been out in California...People dying and all that. Well, she was passing a church this morning and noticed the marquee....it said.....Are you ready for this????

NO, IT IS NOT HOT AS HELL.

Don't ya love it.

Ok, who wants to hear about John Edward????

Me-Me-Me....yes, I hear it out there.

He is fantastic, good looking and very humorous. We did not get a reading but it just did not matter. I think that the people that really needed a reading, got a reading. Yes, we would have liked to hear from our dad, grandparents etc but it was still ok.

First, I should tell you that when he came out on stage, he took my breath away. I mean wow, he is good looking. The first thing I told my husband was "I'd do him", now, my husband just laughs at that because we joke about things like that all the time. I think it has something to do with trusting each other, we can say it and get away with it and it is alright.

He first talked to a girl that was about 5 or 6 rows in front of us. He talked with her father and asked who the little baby was that her father was holding. He told her that it was a very very little baby but her father wanted her to know that the baby was with him. Turns out that she had a miscarriage 3 days before. It was amazing.

He spoke with a couple of others then got to a guy and his wife about 3 rows in front of us. This guy's son had died but his own hands. He was not speaking with his father at the time he killed himself. His father was just distraught about this but knew that it was in the sons best interest that he not speak with him at the time, they were just not getting along. The son forgave the father and asked that the father forgive him. The father (visibly shaken) could hardly stand up he was crying so hard, as were the rest of us.

Next he got to the people directly in front of us, at this point we looked at each other and just knew that we were going to be next.....NOPE..He moved to a lady who's son was killed in Iran so that was ok, she needed to hear from her son more then we needed to hear from dad.

He was onstage for about 2 1/2 hours, the time went so fast, it was incredible. I will tell everyone that will listen, there is no way that he could be making this up. I will never believe it.

At the end he told us a story of his 3 1/2 year old son. Turns out that John's wife went to pick up the son at day care and his teacher said to her "I hear congratulations are in order" Now, John's wife is thinking "do I look fat or something" and tells the teacher no, that is not true, I don't know where he got that from. She went home and went about her business and a few days later she was laying on the bed reading and she said to John "I don't know why I am so tired lately, I have not been this tired since I was preg......oh wow" So this is how they found out that they would be having a baby. Their son told them. WOW!!

I would love to do that again someday. My sister told me that her husband said he would keep watch and when John's list goes down and they start taking names again, he will book us for an private reading. That will be very cool. His list right now is about 3 years long and he is not taking any more names until it gets down to at least 6 months. He does not want people to have to wait that long and did not want it to get this long to begin with.

So that was it for John Edward. On another note, the kids have found a house about a mile down the road from me. They will start moving this weekend. We are all looking forward to it. I did tell them that the cannot come to mom's to do their grocery shopping. They told me that they might have to for a few weeks until they are both getting a steady paycheck. Shoot, I was kidding. They can come and I will help them with groceries if they need help. I never want to see anyone go hungry.

Everyone have a great weekend

Ok, I am back!!

This one will have to be short and sweet however. My desk is piled high with work to do.

California was great, John Edward was fantastic!! and Vegas was fun.

My sister and I drove to Vegas in her hot little red Mercedes convertable, we had the top down, air conditioner on, she has air conditioning in her seats as well as a massage mechanism so that we got massages all the way from California to Vegas (4 hours). About half way there I told her that my shoulders were beginning to get hot so we put the top up. Today...one week later, I am still peeling, still burnt and still hurting but we had such a great time.

About half way there we also got pulled over for speeding. I was about asleep when I hear my sister say "oh shit", I asked what was wrong and she says that she thinks that we are getting pulled over. She moves over a lane and the cop comes up beside her and motions for her to pull over and then speeds up to get one other car. We pull up behind the police car (note: radar detector never went off) and he comes back to the car, points to the radar detector and asks us if it went beep-beep-beep, when we tell him no, he tells us that it was a waste of money...no shit. He asks for license etc. and says that he will be back in a few because he is going to check on the guy in front of him. We just laugh because...well just because. I tell her that she should take a picture of the cop car with her phone and e-mail it to her husband, we are laughing so hard when he comes back that I think he is going to take us out of the car and search us. He asked me where I was from (guess I don't sound like I am from California) I told him where I was from and told him that I was visiting my sister. He really is a nice cop, he hands my sister the ticket to sign and tells her that it is a $ 250.00 ticket and a point off her license. She looks at the ticket and gives him a little shit because the court date is the day before her birthday. She then asks him if she can "only get one speeding ticket a day" he just looks at her and laughs, tells her no. But, says that we are "too much fun" and crosses off the speeding ticket (93 in a 70) tells my sister not to go blonde on him, hands her back her license and tells her "next time, make sure that you have your license on you when you are driving". Give's her a $ 10.00 ticket instead of the speeding ticket. Tells us that the guy up in front of us is a dick and he is going to go get him. Tells us to "have a nice day ladies". What a great cop.

We really did have too much fun, I will tell you more about it soon.

Ok, so I thought since I showed you one grandchild I should show you the one that lives with me. This is an old picture, she will be 4 at the end of this month.

She does not understand at all that I am leaving tomorrow morning for California and will be back in 6 days. I told her that when I get back we will do something special, just the two of us. She has decided that we will see a movie, go to McDonalds and to top it all off, she want me to go and buy her some clothes. I swear this is the only child that I know of that when you come home from the store, it is not candy or a toy that she wants you to buy, it is clothes. She is such a girly girl and I love her more then I ever thought I could love another human being. It is not that I don't love my 3 grandsons just as much, but she is the oldest and the only girl and she makes no mistake telling people that she is grandma's girl.

So, tomorrow I am off. I leave Raleigh at 7:45 in the morning and get into Burbank at noon. On Thursday my sister and I will go to Vegas where we will see John Edward on Thursday night and then we will spend one more day in Vegas and head back to California. I will be able to spend some time with my mom and my brother as well. I guess my older sister is not going to drive down (she is in northern Cal.) to see me. I should tell you that this does not break my heart. I can get along with her for so long but she is the type of person that has done everything that you have done, but she has done it longer and better. I can only deal with that for so long. Also her children are thieves, yes I said it... they will steal you blind if you don't watch what you have. To top it all off, 3 of them are adults and they are just as bad. Now, my kids are not perfect in any way, shape or form but I can honestly say to you that they have NEVER stolen money from me. Her kids are not only stealing money from her but they have taken money and other things from my mother also. This is their grandmother, you would think that they would have just a little respect for her. But, they do not. I really don't think that they have been shown how to respect anyone and another sad sad thing is I don't really think that they have been shown how to love. Now, that just breaks my heart.

On the other hand I had better not see any of them taking advantage of my mother when I am there. I will not put up with it and I will say something. I can already tell you that my mother will ask me not to say anything because she just wants peace in her house but JEEZ...THEY ARE STEALING FROM HER!! One of them even went so far as to steal the medicine that her doctor perscibed to her for pain, thats right....for pain, the one that did this (and I know which one it was so, if you are reading this...know that I am coming after you) left her 1 that is ONE pill in the bottle. Now, when my mother told me about this she said "well, I was not going to take anymore anyways" I am thinking that it does not matter whether she was going to take them or not, they were not yours (and you know who you are) to take. Shame on you. Ok, enough rambling, I will be back on Wednesday next week, I don't think that I will be on here at all but I will try. Everyone please have a great week and pray that I will not be tempted to smoke.

I know, I know.....2 in one day??

I just read this and I had to share, what a wonderful story. The title is " To Read When you are Alone"


I was 13 years old. My family had moved to Southern California from North Florida a year before. I hit adolescence with a vengeance. I was angry and rebellious, with little regard for anything my parents had to say, particularly if it had to do with me. Like so many teenagers, I struggled to escape from anything that didn't agree with my picture of the world. A "brilliant without need of guidance" kid, I rejected any overt offering of love. In fact, I got angry at the mention of the word love.
One night, after a particularly difficult day, I stormed into my room, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, "To read when you're alone." Since I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not, so I opened it. It said "Mike, I know life is hard right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don't do everything right. I also know that I love you completely and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I am here for you if you ever need to talk, and if you don't, that's okay. Just know that no matter where you go or what you do in your life, I will always love you and be proud that you are my son. I'm here for you and I love you - that will never change. Love, Mom.
That was the first of several "To read when you're alone" letters. They were never mentioned until I was an adult. Today I travel the world helping people. I was in Sarasota, Florida, teaching a seminar when, at the end of the day, a lady came up to me and shared the difficulty she was having with her son. We walked out to the beach, and I told her of my mom's undying love and about the "To read when you're alone" letters. Several weeks later, I got a card that said she had written her first letter and left it for her son.
That night as I went to bed, I put my hands under my pillow and remembered the relief I felt every time I got a letter. In the midst of my turbulent teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I could be loved in spite of me, not because of me. Just before I fell asleep I thanked God that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed.
Today when the seas of life get stormy, I know that just under my pillow there is that calm assurance that love - consistent, abiding, unconditional love - changes lives.

Ok, the picture is my grandson. I miss him so much, I just had to share a picture of him with you. Come on now, its ok to tell me how adorable he is and I hope that when he is a teenager and he is rebelious (and he will be) I remember this post and I am able to be close enough to him to put a letter under his pillow once in a while.

So.....This is what I recieved in my e-mail this weekend.

Hello Karin
Your Quit Date is:Saturday, December 31, 2005 at 8:30:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free:188 days, 8 hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked:2260
Lifetime Saved:17 days, 6 hours
Money Saved:$396.90

Now I leave for California on Wednesday this week and I am scared to death that I will end up smoking. It has only been 6 months. I think that I should of put this vacation off for a little while but I did not think about this at the time.

I look at this and I am so proud of myself. I think ONLY 17 days of my life saved and then I think, I have 17 more days to spend with my grandchildren. I really don't care about the money saved, it was never about that. I also look at the cigarettes not smoked and think "holy cow", I don't want to go back to 1 cigarette not smoked again. I don't think I could do it again.

Please pray for me. I will be strong, I swear I will.

Hey all, I got this e-mail today so I thought I would pass it along, I won't tell you how I did on this little test because.....well, frankly I am embarrassed.

It's that time of year to take our annual senior citizen test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it!

Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of intelligence. Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer.

OK, relax, clear your mind and begin...

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWERS AFTER YOU GIVE YOUR ANSWER -- DON'T CHEAT!!!!

1. What do you put in a toaster?












Answer: "bread." If you said "toast," give up now and do something else.
Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, "bread", go to Question 2.


2. Say "silk" five times. Now spell "silk." What do cows drink?












Answer: Cows drink water. If you said "milk," don't attempt the next
question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said "water", proceed to question 3.



3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?











Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said "green bricks," why are you still reading these??? If you said "glass," go on to Question 4.


4. It's twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany.) Anyway, during the flight, TWO engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane fatally crashes smack in the middle of "no man's land" between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors: East Germany, West Germany, or no man's land"?











Answer: You don't bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, "You don't bury survivors", proceed to the next question.

5. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from Lond on to Milford Haven in Wales. In London, 17 people get on the bus; In Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon, two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, three people get off and five people get on In Carmathen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven. What was the name of the bus driver?











Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own name? It was YOU!!

Now pass this along to all your friends and pray they do better than you. And, I wonder how many of you will forward this right back to me. 95% of people fail most of the questions!!

I am going to copy Christina from over there on Christina's Shoebox, she has a great blog. Check it out when you get a chance http://christinasshoebox.blogspot.com

1. FIRST NAME? Karin
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday when I realized that my daughter and grandson were suppose to be here on vacation now and because of stuff going on they just could not make it.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes,
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
6. KIDS? 3 kids, 2 step kids and 4 granchildren :)
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I'm a fun girl.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Does this count??
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Nooooooo...never!
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? When I was younger I wanted to, not so much anymore :)12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Sometimes
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? hmmm do I have to pick one??
16. SHOE SIZE? 8
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I always want my own way, I try not to be that way but in the end I still do.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My daughter and grandson...my mom and sister.
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? yes
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants and tennis shoes
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? A side salad from Burger King with Ranch dressing
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Airplanes in the hanger ( I am at work)
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? green
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh cut grass
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My son J
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? the eyes
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Well actually, no one sent it to me, I kinda stole it.
29. FAVORITE DRINKS? Non sweet ice tea
30. FAVORITE SPORT? Football (Go Vikings, thats the MN Vikings if you don't know)
31. EYE COLOR? Brown
32. HAT SIZE? I think it is 7 1/2 but I am not sure
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
34. FAVORITE FOOD? mexican or italian
35. There was no 35...
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATER? Over the Hedge with the kids.
37. COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Grey and white
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? I like the winter now that I am in NC, it is not as cold as Wisconsin and because you are asking right now and it is stinking hot outside I would have to for sure say the winter.
39. HUGS OR KISSES? I want both, thank you very much
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? mmmmm is there a bad desert??
41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Anyone who's bored
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Anyone who's not bored
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? I love christian fiction
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? nothingm it is blue
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Dog the Bounty Hunter.. I love that show.
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS: Thunder Storms
47. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles hands down!
48. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Amsterdam WhoOoOo
49. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Come on, I can't tell you that ;)
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? October 6, 1963, Iowa
51. WHAT IS THE MOST ROMANTIC THING SOMEONE HAS DONE FOR YOU? My wonderful husband wisked me away for a weekend at a bed and breakfast, it was wonderful.
52. WHAT WAS YOUR PROUDEST CHILDHOOD MOMENT? I can't remember
53. STAY HOME OR GO OUT? Stay home
54. FAVORITE MOVIE? Dirty Dancing, I could watch the last 15 minutes of that movie again and again, also Saving Private Ryan.
55. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? No one, I stole it from Christina

Now if any of you want to do this too, just so I can know you better, please feel free to leave it in the comment section or blog it yourself and leave me a comment so that I can go and check it out. Have a great night.

Happy 4th of July everyone. I don't know what we are going to do but I wanted to wish everyone a happy independence Day!!

These are not my children nor are they my wonderful grandchildren. A friend of mine e-mailed this to me. I think it is wonderful. The caption at the top of this picture was: When kids go bad at home. I love it.

I can remember when my husband threw out my son. Yes, he was 18 but he was still not ready to leave the comforts of home. He was not in school but was looking for a job. He was living in our basement so it is not like he was in the way of anyone but my X did not get along with J (my son). It started when J was probably 14 or 15 and he got into that rebellious teenage crap that all teenagers get into, including me and especially including my X. I think it all started when J would not do something the very second that the X told him to do it. I really can't remember all the details but I remember J left and did not do the chore exactly like my X wanted him to do it. So instead of sitting J down and talking to him like an adult would do, the X started screaming at him the minute he walked in the door and then gave him the silent treatment for probably a week or so. J lost total respect for the X at that point. When J would ask the X a question, the X would just pretend that J was not even in the room, man that pissed me off. I finally told J that he needed to come to me if he needed anything, We all knew that the X could not be the adult in the situation.

We lived like that for 3 or 4 years, sometimes the X would want to be J's best friend and another day (could even be the next day, or the same day) J would start talking to him about something and the X would just shut down.

One time the X got pissed at something that did not even have anything to do with J and he screamed at him for it, when we tried to explain that J did not have anything to do with it the X just would not listen. He finally just grounded J (this was after he found out that J had plans for the night). I told the X that he was punishing J for doing something he did not even do and that I was going to tell him he was not grounded. I also gave the solution that the X could tell him therefore saving "face" but he told me that he was not speaking to J anymore. I told J to go ahead and leave. About an hour went by and the X called the police to report J as a runaway. When the police came to the house to take a report, the X went outside to meet them, hoping that I would not know they were there, trying to be sneaky...what an ass. I saw the police car outside and went out to find out what was going on. They told me that the X had reported J as a runaway and they would try and pick him up. I spoke up right there and then. J was not a runaway, I was his mother and I knew exactly where he was. The look the X gave me was well, first of all priceless, I had never gone against him (not in public anyway) and also the look of death. I was scared shitless but I also knew that I was not going to have the police pick up my 16 year old son on a lie. It was just the X's way of getting back (at a teenager for heaven's sake).

So.....J turns 18 and I can just see the wheels turning in the X's head....how can he get J out of the house??? I don't know why he does not like J, just that J did not listen to him and that to him was disrespectful, and it was, but when I brought up the fact that he did not always listen to his mother, he said that he wanted J to be raised different then he was, he wanted J to be raised better then he was. Any way...getting off track here. A few weeks after J turns 18 we were all at home, it was a Saturday. Someone was in the downstairs bathroom so J asked if he could use the upstairs bathroom to brush his teeth, I said that was fine. Well, someone came to the door for J and I was hollering upstairs for him to hurry up, someone was at the door for him. He did not turn the water off all the way in the sink upstairs. Now, the X (who was a carpenter/plumber/electrician) knew that the upstairs sink was kinda clogged, Not really bad but it was slow to drain, givin this and the fact that J left the water streaming a little, the water started coming over the sink, the floor started getting sopping wet and eventually (after J had been gone for about 4-5 hours) the water started seeping through the floor, onto the ceiling of the downstairs. We caught it pretty much then but the X had a FIT!! Yes, I know it was going to cost some money to fix it but it was an ACCIDENT, that is why they call it an ACCIDENT!!

He started screaming and I mean screaming at the top of his lungs (so the neighbors and Jesus Christ himself could hear). He went downstairs and started packing all of J's things and throwing them out the backdoor onto the lawn. Screaming the entire time. I had to go out and pick up everything from the lawn and put as much as I could into my car to save it. Finally I turned to him and asked him what he would have done if it would have been me that left the water on by accident or one of the girls. He just turned to me with a wicked wicked look on his face and told me (and I quote)" If it was you, then I would be throwing you the fuck out of this house too".

That night it was up to me when J came home to tell him what had happened, he went to stay with a friend and things quieted down some. But that is another blog. That was the day that I knew I would be leaving, not that day but I would not live with such an evil man. That was also one of the hardest days of my life, I have tears running down my face as I think of how cruel that man was and how much I put up with. Thank God, that I am in a marriage where my husband would do anything for me or my children.

And as for the X, he is in Wisconsin. An alcoholic and has no friends, I feel sorry for him but this he did to himself for being such a bitter bitter man.

And now I leave you with a e-mail that I got from a friend, I wish everyone a healthy happy weekend. Do you all have to work on Monday? Yes, I do.

$20.00 - Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

Ok, so tomorrow is my anniversary for quitting smoking, 6 months.

I thought it was suppose to get easier, NOT!! I think right about now I could eat a cigarette. I just want to smoke. I like smoking.

When I quit, I signed up at this website: www.quitnet.com it is very very cool. They send me updates all the time. I think the last update was like almost 3000 cigarettes not smoked and I had saved like 15 days of my life. (Or maybe it is that I got back 15 days) Now, my husband would say that is great, 15 more days to spend with me. I tend to look at it like....ONLY 15 DAYS??? YOU JUST HAVE TO BE KIDDING!!! I have not smoked for 6 months and I only saved 15 days. How am I going to continue this?

I tell you how, this is the way I look at it. For the first 6 weeks I used the patch (come on now, I smoked for 26 years, I needed something). Then I used sucky candy. Well, I used that when I was on the patch also but more so when I "did not need the patch anymore". Now, 6 months later and lots of pounds heavier (yes, my husband says that he likes me this way, better then smoking - puke puke puke) I don't need the sucky candy anymore either. At least I don't think I do.

So, I cannot start again because I don't think that I can go through that first day, starting with the first cigarette "not smoked". I cried most of the day on January 1 because it was almost like losing a best friend. It sucked so bad.

I will need lots and lots of prayers when I am on vacation, my sister and brother in law smoke and although they know that I quit I am sure if I just helped myself to a cigarette of 2 (or 3 or 4) they would not say anything about it.

I am rambling. I am ending now. I know, this blog kinda sucked!! I want a cigarette!!!

On a better note 2 weeks till Vegas and John Edward

I think this is the site where you can read about my X's brother.
http://www.hennepinattorney.org/news_2.asp?NRecno=93

Now on to better news....I am going to California and Vegas next month.

My sister called me about a month ago and asked me if I would come out for her birthday, all expenses paid. She said this is what she wants for her birthday. She asked if I could get the time off. Well, I told you all that I do have the best boss. And of coarse it is no problem to get time off. Then she calls me and asks if I want to go and see John Edward you know, the phychic dude. I said that would be great, she says it is $ 175.00 per ticket, I said ouch, she says no, I am paying for the tickets, do you want to go to San Diego, San Francisco or one other place. Me? I don't care, I just know it is going to be a blast and I want to go. So, she calls me a few hours later and says that they are all sold out. Said that she is going to look around and see what she can come up with.



She calls me back the next day and said "instead of coming in September, could you come in July?" I told her that I could probably work that out and she told me that she could get tickets in Vegas for John Edward and that we could stay there for a few days. WOW !!

How much fun do you think we are going to have??? Next she calls me and tells me to look at this place we will be staying at. It is called the Wynn Las Vegas, go ahead and take a look at it under hotels.com, scroll down to Wynn Las Vegas and take a look at the panoramic view rooms, they are incredible, I am so excited.

Now, let me tell you about last night. First, I have told you that I gave my son, his fiancee and there children the date of July 1st to find somewhere. They are old enough to make babies, they are old enough to support babies and live on their own. Well, we found out last night that they have not saved any money except what they have given to us to hold for them ($ 160.00) now tell me, where in the world are they going to move on that amount of money? Then they say that well.......They think they might be going back to Wisconsin for a few months. My son has a friend that they can stay with and he can get him a job making pretty good money. They think they can make money, send at least half back to us and then in 3 months they will have the money for a place and some put away so that they can find jobs again. Here is my problem with that (maybe I am being a little selfish but shoot, I really don't care if I am or not) I think that if they move, they probably won't be coming back to North Carolina. My son's fiancee's mom and dad live in Wisconsin. I also think that they are not taking my grandchildren away from me like that. Now, if I could be sure that they would come back, I think I would be alright with it. (Probably not) but it brings tears to my eyes when I think they are going to take my babies away from me. You have to know that their daughter is going to be 4 this year and she is very close to me, or maybe I should say that I am very close to her either way it will not be good for either of us. Regardless, I don't want them to go. I already have a grandson there that I never get to see, although I just talked to my daughter and I am still trying to convince her to come home.

OK, enough ranting. I will end now and try and think of something for my next post.

Soooooo Mary decided to take the chance. Now if you are just getting her you need to scroll down to read the first Monday blog and then come back up here or you will be just weirded (is that a word?) out.

Mary breaks into the garage, it is the easiest to get into. She sees what appears to be a large rug rolled up inside of the garage. The police still will not help her because they cannot go in unless they know a crime has been committed, otherwise it will not stand up in court. So, Mary goes into the garage and keeping her back to the rug leans down and just picks up a corner of the rug. That is all the police need, they go into the garage and bring Mary out. It is Shelby and she has been dead for a few days. How sad is that people? Going into your sisters garage and finding her dead body....I just can't imagine.

Jim is no where to be found and of coarse a APB is put out on him. Now, first let me back up and tell you that those of us that knew Jim, also knew in our hearts that he did it. But, we were hoping that maybe, just maybe he did not. Maybe it was a drug deal that went wrong, yes, Shelby would still be dead but Jim just could not have done this to the women that he loves. Let me finish this and I will go back to my original story about my X. Jim is finally found a few days later, coming out of a crack house. He gets into Shelby's car and drives away. The police pull him over and arrest him. He confesses. Breaks all of our hearts but especially his son's, what a tragedy. STUPID DRUGS!!!

Now, so here we are, I know that Shelby is dead but Jim had not been found yet and I have to go and pick up my X at the nut hospital. I have to tell him about his brother. I don't know how he is going to take this but who else is going to tell him. I go and pick him up. I am driving and I tell him about it. He just kind of sits there is silence, does not know what to say. He is in shock. Finally he tells me that he had a dream and was going to call Shelby to find out how she was doing but now it is to late.

We get to the house and I drop him off and go to work. I still do not want to be around him but I tell him that I will come back after work and we will talk. When I get back to the house he is very calm. He tells me that he has come to terms with me leaving but he would like me to stay for a while, just as room mates so that I can help him with financials and that as soon as he is set he will help me find an apartment and he will help me move. He says that he knows what an asshole he has been over the last several years and he does not blame me at all. Now, I am taking all of this in but really not buying it one bit. I know that as soon as I let my guard down he will turn right back into the a**hole that he has always been. I told him that was fine. I could do that but we would have rules. The first being that I would be sleeping on the couch. I did not want to sleep with him let alone have sex with him again. When I said that it was over, I really had to look into myself and know that I was doing the right thing. I had to make up my mind that this would be done, that I would never have to go through this pain again.

This worked out fine until I would wake up in the middle of the night and he would be sitting on the floor staring at me, really creepy. I would ask him not to do that, tell him that it was just to weird. He still did it folks, it was so weird. So after a few weeks I told him that I was looking for an apartment. Low and behold the next day he came home from work and told me that he had found an apartment for me. It was a little further from work but it was affordable for the time being, the only thing was that until I found something better our daughter would have to stay with him most of the time because otherwise she would have to change schools and she did not want to do that. I talked to her and she was fine with it as long as I would come and pick her up when she wanted to come over. I had no problem with that.

After I moved out, he was always where I was, it was almost like he was one step ahead of me. When I was at the gas station, he was there. When I was at the grocery store, he was there. When I was at the Laundromat, he was there....Even though he had a washer and dryer at home. He would leave notes on my apt. Door, in my car and he would call me constantly. He came over at least 3 times a week and begged me to come "home". He was even really sickening nice to my son and his fiancee. He was letting them come over to the house and eat with him, watch TV and of coarse my son was soaking it in, he had never had this attention from him, he (my son) knew that it was not going to last but he was going to milk it for all it was worth. The final straw came when the X came over to my apartment got on his hands and knees and begged me to come home. When I told him that it was just not going to happen and he needed to move on he asked me if he could talk to me privately. When I stepped outside with him he told me that something has been on his chest for a long time. He said that one day a few years ago, I wanted to kill you. He said that he went out into the garage and got a hatchet, brought it into the house, into our bedroom and held it over my head. He said that "he could just not do it, he loved me too much". This is when I knew without a doubt, I had to leave. I knew that I had to get far far away. And with that I moved to North Carolina.

Wow, reliving that takes a lot out of a person. I should finish this up with after I moved to NC he would call me all the time. He would ask me that if he moved down here could the two of us date? I always said no. When it finally got into his head that it was in fact over, then the mean, nasty man came out again. Then it was all my fault for everything, I was the bad one. He always gave to me. I was just the bitc* that always wanted everything.

After a while he found a girlfriend (her name was Karen....Go figure). They got along pretty good for a while and then he started hitting her. I think the last time he hit her (or the last time that I know about) he ripped off her clothes and threw her out of her own house naked as a jay bird in the middle of winter. She had to call the police and have him arrested. The judge told him they were to have no contact for a year, guess what, she picked him up from jail and they just moved to another county. Now, she is through with him, as far as I know. My daughter that lives in Wisconsin says that he is an alcoholic, she says that if she needs to find him, he will be at the bar and he will be drunk or at least on his way to being drunk.

On that note, I should tell you that I feel sorry for him. I spent 20 years with him and then it was over. I hoped that he could find someone to love him like I think he deserved to be loved, a love that I could no longer give. I think that he would have to love himself before he could have someone love him and I don't think he even likes himself. I can tell you that I loved him and I still do love him, I just don't like him at all. I think you have to like the person you are with just as much as you have to love them. If you do not like them, it will never work. We had many many good times in 20 years. I am so glad that I can say that (my husband would tell you that he was married 10 years before me and he can not think of a single "good time" that he had with his X, I think that is really really sad).

So that is a story of part of my life. I have been through much much more but this is enough for Monday's blog. Hope everyone has a great day.....Any questions?? I don't know what I will write about tomorrow...oh wait, I am going on a trip. I will tell ya'all about that tomorrow.

Good Monday Morning to everyone !!

I had to go back and read what I had written on Friday, I did not want to start all over again. So I left you with him telling me to "Get the F out". I know that he did not mean it and I for sure know that he never expected me to take him up on that offer but, me being me with BIG balls I finally told him that I was leaving. I would be looking for an apartment for me and the kids but for now I would be going to stay with my best friend in the whole world Tammy ( she does not know about this blog but she will someday and just so she knows....I love you Tam!!). I told him that I would tell the children (I should tell you here that ALL of the children had in the last year or so asked me why I stayed with him) My oldest was 19 and not living with us any longer (because the X threw him out of the house, but that is another post for another day) my middle girl was 17 and my youngest was 14. Ok, I am getting off coarse here so let me continue.

I packed a few things and left the house. The next day I went to work and at about 10:30 in the morning I got a call from my X. He was very very lethargic and I knew it was going to be trouble. I left work and went to his house (yes, I called it his house even when we were together because even though we were married when we bought the house he NEVER referred it to as our house). I walked in and called his name, no answer. I went upstairs to the bedroom and he was sitting in front of the door and would not move so that I could get inside the bedroom and talk to him. I told him that if he did not talk to me I was going to call the police, he still would not answer me so I knew that either he was playing a game or he could not answer me. I went downstairs to the phone and picked it up, he had the upstairs phone off the hook so I could not call out. I yelled at him to hang up the phone....No response. I left the house and went to the convience store down the road and used a payphone to call 911. I told them that I had left my husband and I thought he was trying to kill himself or something. The police met me at the store and followed me to his house. When we walked in my X was sitting at the desk looking like hell. Yes, he had come downstairs all by himself, but did not think that I would really go and get the police. They talked to him and told him they were going to call for an ambulance because he could not even speak (turned out he had drank a bottle of Bacardi Rum and took some pills). He went to the 4th floor at the hospital (the looney bin) and had to stay for 5 days.

Soooo - I had to move back to the house, but that was OK, because he was not there. He would not take my phone calls the first day he was there. I really didn't care, I really thought this was all done just to get me back in the house. The second day the nurse called me and asked me to bring him some clothes, a toothbrush, comb etc. and said that he would like to see me. I really did not want to go....I dreaded going.....I was NOT going to feel sorry for him. But, me and the kids (all of them, including my son, who my X had not talked to since he kicked him out... Don' t think for a minute that my son did not come over to the house, he did, my X just did not talk to him, he would go into another room when he was there) Well, my X knew one of our biggest problems was how he treated my son. So when we got to the hospital the X was all hugs for everyone, just as happy as he could be. (GREAT BIG PUKE HERE). He told me that he would be getting out in a few days and that we hoped we could sit down and talk about things then. I said that would be fine. I knew that I was still leaving but I did want him to get better.

When I got to the house that afternoon my brother in law Mike, called me. Now, I had not called any of my X's family to let them know about him because I thought it would be up to the X to tell his family, not me. Mike wanted to know if I had heard anything from their other brother Jim or his fiancee (Shelby) lately. I told Mike that I had not spoken to them since Christmas (this was in April). Mike told me that both Jim and his fiancee were missing. Said Shelby's sister had come over to Mike's house and asked if Mike would go with her to Jim and Shelby's house to check it out. Let me back up a little here and give you some information that you will need. Jim (who I love dearly) had become addicted to crack. His fiancee Shelby was doing everything that she could to get him away from the drug and it seemed like she could for a while but then the devil would rear his ugly head and Jim would go back onto it again, it was a vicious cycle. Jim was wonderful when he was away from it but he was a totally different person when he was doing crack and that is why we chose to stay away from him for awhile. We knew at Christmas that he was using again. Mike said that Shelby's sister thinks something happened to them and she had filed a missing persons report. Mike did not want to go to their house because he did not know if Jim would be there or not and did not want to get into a hassle with his brother. He also did not know that he did not go Shelby's sister would go alone.

I am going to call Shelby's sister Mary for now. I do not remember her real name and I don't want to keep typing Shelby's sister. So..... Mary went over to Jim and Shelby's house alone, knocked on the door and no one was home. She called the police and had then meet her there. When the police got there she told them the story and told them that she was afraid for her sister. Wait......gotta back up here a little bit. I think when Mary had finally gone to Jim and Shelby's house, it was already known that Jim had been calling in to Shelby's work for her to be gone, told her boss that Shelby was with her mom up north helping an aunt that was ill. It was not until Shelby's mom called to speak with her at work and was told that "Shelby is with her mom up north" that things started to be weird. Any way... The police got to Jim and Shelby's house but told Mary that there was really nothing they could do. The place was locked up and they could not break in. Now, Mary could break in and they would look the other way but if Jim or Shelby wanted to press charges for breaking and entering they could. Mary decided to take the chance.

Now, I am going to stop here because I HAVE to get some work done. I will come back later with the rest of the story.

Happy Friday do-do-do (me doing the happy Friday dance) !!

Lets see.... I left off at stupid me, taking him back.

A few months later HE decided that WE would quit smoking. Now here I was, about 24 years old and some man was telling me that WE were going to quit smoking. I don't think so. We got into a huge fight and then it happened.....He started hitting me...A lot. Sat on me and just punched me over and over again. I finally got away and went to the neighbors house, but did I call the police and have him arrested NO.....Stupid me. I just called one of my friends who just happened to be a police officer and asked him what I could do. He said that he should come over and arrest him but he would do what I wanted. He also said that I DO NOT want to take the children and go to my parents in California, that would be taking them over the state line and it would be considered kidnapping. I KNEW my X was not that smart so I did the only thing I could do, I called my dad and mom and together (they were divorced at the time) they got airline tickets for me to come out to California to live. You would think that would be the end of the story wouldn't you but NOOOO.

I stayed in California for about 6 months, I found a job there that I liked but when I was laid off and my X calling me constantly to come home I finally caved and went back to Minnesota. I moved into my own apartment with the kids and he "visited". I did not take him back at first but eventually he started spending the night and then eventually he moved in and I got pregnant with my last child. I can honestly say that he never hit me after the first time. What he did was almost worse. It was the mental abuse that started more so then.

He was always putting me down, he was that "man", I would never be anything without him...blah blah blah. The sad thing is, I finally started believing him. He just beat me down and beat me down until there was nothing left.

We decided to move to Wisconsin to raise our children. Minneapolis was just getting to...I don't know....I don't want to say rough or that there were gangs because there are those things all over. But, we decided to move to the country...Or a smaller town and raise our children there, OK, he decided and I of coarse went along with him cause who was I to say that I did not want to go. He made more money than I did so, I quit my job (that I loved) and moved to Wisconsin, away from all my friends and co-workers.

I did not get a job right away in Wisconsin because my youngest was not in school yet and because my X told me that if we moved I would not have to work because he would be making all kinds of money (yeah, right). After my daughter started school I decided that I was sick to death of staying at home all day and I was going to find a job. It took a while but finally I saw an ad in the paper for someone who knew the Twin Cities and could deliver in the afternoon. What a perfect job, I knew the Twin Cities, I grew up there. I went and filled out an application. Had an interview and wa la, I had a job. The only thing I did not think of was, what happens when we get 5 feet of snow on the ground. I did not hardly ever drive in the snow and ice and now, here I was taking a job that included driving in the wintertime. Regardless, I loved the job. At first there were several women working there. I should tell you, this company that I went to work at was called Pro Paint Inc., it is owned by 2 brothers Pat and Mike and I love them both dearly. They mix and deliver automotive paint to body shops etc.

After a few months Pat asked me if I would come "in house" and start doing secretarial work. I thought about it for a while, you see, I loved going out everyday to different body shops, flirting with the boys, having basically my day to myself as long as I got everything delivered. But, eventually I did decide to go inhouse. Well, shortly there after, I found myself being the ONLY girl, the others had quit...So just me and all the boys. Now, I have to tell you that I am a big flirt but also that everyone knew that I was married and I would not cheat on my husband so I was what the call a safe flirt. I had so much fun at work and looked forward to going to work everyday. The boys steadily raised my self esteem and after 7 years of working there I grew balls, that's right GREAT BIG GIANT BALLS! One day my X and I got into an argument and he told me "Why don't I just get the f*** out", I turned to him a simple as I could and said very steadily "Be careful, Be very careful what you wish for, it may come true". After that I think we did not speak to each other for probably 2 weeks (now, don't go awww because this happened several times a year, at least once a month we did not speak to each other for a few days at a time.

So, I let it go for a few weeks and I decide, I am done! I need to get out. And with that.....I will leave you until the next post.

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by :)

Well, here it is....Thursday and I don't have any idea what to write about. I think I will tell you a little about myself.

I grew up in Minnesota (and I will be a Vikings fan to the end). My family moved to California in 1979, what a stinking thing to do when your child is in high school. I thought I would "just die" so I stayed in Minnesota with my grandma (bless her heart). Well, you know what happens when your parents are not around, you ALWAYS get into trouble. I did some crazy things and a judge told me that I would have to go to California and live with my parents and not come back to Minnesota until I was at least 21 years old. (I don't know if he could do that or not but because the police brought me to the airport and put me on a plane, I was going to California). I gave my parents such grief, I feel bad about it now, but hindsight is always 20/20.

I started seeing this "boy" when I was 17 and ended up getting pregnant, then I found out that this "boy" was 25 not 18 like he told me. I ended that relationship quick, ICK, I was 17 and I was not going to be with an old man that was 25 and besides, he lied to me about his age. I didn't care that I was going to give birth to his child, shame on him for doing that to me and I just thought that I was old enough and smart enough to handle it myself.

I started letter writing (no e-mail in those days) to an X boyfriend of mine in Minneapolis, he was in Washington at the time, in a Job Corp, getting his stuff together. We wrote quite often and developed more of a friendship.

When he was done at Job Corp he came to California, we got married 4 days after I turned 18 and we promptly moved back to Minnesota. Please it there are any girls out there that read this DO NOT get married when you are 18. He did not want to work, I can't remember the exact reasons but we lived with his mother and she did not get on him to get a job and he complained that it was winter and he had just studied to be a carpenter so there was no work for him. I got the job, he stayed at home with my son (who he eventually adopted when he was 4).

We eventually had 2 more kids (both girls). He was always such a butthead, always had to have everything his way, made me feel like shit all the time, like I was not worth anything. He always said "my way or the highway" like it was something special.

When I had our first daughter, things were pretty good between us. She was wonderful and my son was very proud. When she got to be about 2 and the son was like 3 1/2, My X had an affair. I can remember it like it was yesterday. We had decided that we would go to Iowa to see my relatives. We were having a 3 day weekend or something like that. He was working nights at a plastic factory and so we were going to leave at about 8 in the morning when he got home from work. Well, I waited and waited and he never came home. Now this was before cell phones so I had called everywhere I could think of and nothing!! Now remember, this was on a Friday morning. He finally came home on Tuesday. He comes waltzing in the house, happy as a clam, hickeys all over his neck. I ask him where he has been and he just blows me off. Goes into the bedroom, takes his dresser, puts it in the car and leaves. What an ass. We were staying with his mom so here I was with 2 kids, living with my husbands mother and he is moving out. I was completely devastated. He was gone approximately 2 or 3 weeks and then came home. I took him back, why you ask....Because I was sooooo stupid!!

Ok, that was just a little of my life, it gets so much better.....Stay tuned

A new day...

Did you ever wonder how some people can be so nice and others can be cruel if you just look at them the wrong way?

First, let me brag a little about the boss that I have now. He is so good. There is nothing that I cannot talk to him about. He genuinely cares for his people.

Now, let me tell you about the icky boss that I used to have. He thought he was about everyone. Thought he could look down on people because they did not have the money that he has. The last Friday that I worked for him I was on the computer getting the numbers for all the stores that he has and figuring out how much each store made for the that week. He called me and asked me if I was finished yet and I tried to explain to him that my computer had crashed so I was having to do it all by hand, it would take a little while longer and I would let him know when I was done.

He asked to speak to another employee and said that he would talk to me later. When she was done talking to him he had her send him back to me and I tell you...I saw that wrath. He SCREAMED at me that he needed those numbers and he had told me to get it done and G** Da** it when he tells me to do something I am to do it right then. I tried to explain to him once again that I was working on it but he just kept screaming and cursing at me. By this time I was in tears (yes, I am a baby that way) and finally just hung up the phone.

Now, it just so happened that this day was also the day that we (the entire office) got together to send out statements (about 600) of them, this means we had to attach all invoices to the statements, fold them, stick them in an envelope and then I would get them all together and bring them in the mail room, send them through the machine that would lick and stick them and I would bundle them all together to take to the post office. So because of this I decided that I would stay and help with statements but when we were done I was leaving.

The next Monday morning he called me into his office (silly me, I thought he was going to appoligize to me) he sat me down and told me that if I told anyone what had happened there I would be fired immeadiately. Needless to say I just walked back to my desk, cleaned it out and walked out of the office.

It was a fun place to work when he was not around but boy oh boy when he was there it was like he wanted everyone to bow down to him. Hindsight always being 20/20, I just wanted to call him and tell him that no matter how much money you have, this will not get you to Heaven. When we get to the pearly gates, he will have some explaining to do.

So, if you are ever in North or South Carolina, I will warn you about going to Black's Tire Service or dealing with Mr. Ricky Benton. Now, let me tell you one more thing quickly, the rest of his family is supurb. He has 3 sons, a very nice wife (who in my opinion he treats like dirt) and best of all he has a daughter in law who is married to the oldest son. She is like sunshine. But the father is a big puke.

You know, I read a lot of blogs a day (approx. 23) and there are 2 that I read that stand out because they are from men that complain about their wives, you know the story...not enough sex, no interest in sex etc. So...I thought that I would change things around here just a little bit. I am not going to complain about my husband because...Well, I have to face it, I am the lucky one in this marriage.

My husband is such a great guy. He is a wonderful provider, a great father and a superb step-father. He is my rock and I don't know what I would do without him. His parents definitely brought him up right. He was brought up in a Christian home, his dad is a preacher and his mom was a school teacher among other things. He has a sister and they get along great (always have). He had the basic "Leave it to Beaver household". So, I think that is what taught him to be the man that he is.

It is all the little things he does, like doing dishes if I don't feel like it. Cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry (although I would rather do this because he does not fold the towels right (ladies, you know what I am saying here)).

Last night before I got home my daughter got bitten by something and had a allergic reaction, blowing up like a balloon, severe hives all over her body and she started seeing dots. So the wonderful husband that I have whisked her off the the emergency room. I got home to the rest of the kids and they let me know what was going on. But, because my step kids are here and also my grandson was home, I decided to stay home and take care of them instead of taking them all to the hospital and sitting around there. My husband called shortly after and said they had just made an announcement that all the beds were filled in the ER and it would be awhile before some were seen. He told me to just stay where I was, there was no point in all of us sitting in the ER half the night. Finally she was checked out and they got home around 11:15 PM (they were there at 5:30 PM).

She is fine and my point is, he is just so good. My X would have never done that but that will be another post. Have a great day and God Bless