Checking in.

I have not had the most of exciting of days to report as of recently, but we did have one special event on Saturday. We drove north to visit old friends. We had not seen Brandon and Jenn in a long time and there little baby that we last saw is now four and there is a new beautiful baby boy. I wish I had a photo to share, but unfortunately, I did not take my camera.

Tomorrow we head out on our road trip. I am really looking forward to it. It is a six hour drive, so we think we will be there by ten pm. I am excited for Baiely to be able to swim. I will be sure to take photos.

Since there is nothing else exciting going on I am ending this post- I just wanted to make sure I posted so my faithful readers know everything is going smoothly here.

By the way- My grandmother is doing a little bit better. Her memory seems to be recovering some. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Let's hope her leg heals well too.

A new address

Thanks for linking back to check in on me. I hate to have to change my blog address, but it is not a comfortable feeling when someone you don't want reading your business is checking in on you! Today has been a pretty simple day and there is not a lot new, but I wanted to say thanks for finding your way back to my site! Love to everyone.

Say a prayer for her

It seems that someone always has a request- someone is ill, hurt, tired, depressed, in danger, or just plain struggling. We all know a family member or friend that needs our support and we in turn need support at different times from our friends. My grandma is 90 years old. For some time now life has been a struggle for her and she is getting "tired." For as long as I can remember she told me she did not want to live to be 90 because that is too old and all the old ladies she sees- it isn't worth it. Well, she is a strong lady and has lived to 90. She has been plagued with a slew of bad luck which has consisted of medical testing, a fall where she broke her foot, and now what should have been a simple procedure to make her see better- cataract surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery yesterday may have been too much for her and to make matters even worse they could not correct her vision. She was anxious to have the surgery to see better and all she was left with was a tired body. Since she fell last week she has not been getting around well and has been confined to a wheel chair since her walker is too difficult to use with the cast. Now, after yesterdays procedure she has memory loss and is not well enough to get up out of bed. She is not really eating and just wants to sleep. It is so hard for me to imagine her in this condition. I have not seen my Grandma for two years. This woman helped raise me first hand and is more than a grandma, but a second mom. I wish I could take all her pain away, but she is old and tired. I am not ready for her to give up. Please pray for her.

A road trip is in order

With Labor Day upon us we are taking to the open road and heading West. Well, west to Tennessee that is! It is not quite as exciting as it once was to travel when we had Europe at our fingertips, but we will make do. We are taking the kids to Chateau St. Jean for the weekend. Along the way we will stop in Nashville for a visit with MW's sister and then head to the mountains for a few days of peace and quiet. I do hope that we are able to visit a very special place. Those from Mt. Olympus should remember it- The Looking Glass in Clarksville, TN. It is really where our relationship started. Many of days we spent drinking peach tea and playing chess inside, or sitting out in the back by the ponds relaxing while to the sounds of the waterfalls. It was our first summer together and we would ride the Harley to the looking glass and "hang out." Here is a little info on the place: http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2007/07/26/step-into-the-looking-glass-45-stars/ For those of you considering your next duty station Ft. Campbell is a great place and it is not too far from the mountains when you want to get away! I need to go now- I have an afro to deal with. It has not gotten any better- each morning I wake up looking like an absolute freak! I could be super creative on halloween though....

Locks of Love

This adventure was not that easy. The first appointment I made I chickened out of. The second was a great salon, but specialized in a different kind of hair than my own. The third appointment was Friday night. I got to the salon that had such a great reputation and it was empty. Then a lady called out my name with a terrible accent that sounded nothing like my name. She had nothing to measure my hair with and told me that she did not think I had enough hair to cut and that I should come back in a month. Well, as if that was not disappointing to me enough she said in a bad accent, " I can cut your hair now if you want a man cut. I mean I can give you man hair..." Looking back it is absolutely hysterical, but at that moment I could not get out of the chair fast enough. So, I told her no thanks and went to leave when she looked to Jean and said, "are you next?" The look of terror in her face was priceless...She told her we came together we cut together and we left. I was so disappointed. So, Saturday morning I woke up and found another salon. The mission was completed. Now on to the next goal. A 1/2 marathon Dec. 8th.

This was me yesterday...

This is what I said good bye to. Ten long inches.

At the salon the stylist asked me if I really wanted to cut off all of that hair and I told him not to ask me again and to cut it off.

This is my look of terror.

There was no turning back...

After a while of sitting in the chair I left with a pretty good cut. I am still working it out. This morning I woke up with a terrible afro! My hair is wild!!! But- my hair is on its way to making a wig for a child in need!!!!!

Here it is from the back...

The finished product- accept today I did it myself and feel like it came out a bit better. Either way, this is the cut!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

102 degrees = HOT

Our UV heat index is on Violet. Violet is the worst of all possible rays and I have NEVER heard of the index being on violet. Needless to say, I am avoiding being outside. It is just as warm as last time I complained how hot it is here. I guess relief is coming soon. We should be in the low 90's this weekend. Funny how that feels "cool." On a different heat related note. I have mentioned before that I am donating my hair to locks of love once I get 10 inches of hair to spare. With this heat and a few other factors I have decided the time has come. I am going to modern salon in Charlotte tommorrow night and JW and I will leave with 10 inches of wig making hair to donate. I am not sure if it is related, but I have such a headache today. I can't have my hair up in this heat because of the headache. I have been noticing this "heavy" hair for a little while now. If I was not going to donate it I would have cut layers into it or something to try and lighten it up. I am looking forward to not having a neck strain anymore. For those of you who have not seen me in a while I will put together before and after photos of the hair cuts. This is how long my hair was in mid june. I probably have close to two additional inches now thanks to the folic acid supplements...

Keep your fingers crossed that I get a good cut! I am a bit worried for the big change!

the blanket...in living color.

The blanket

When I was sixteen I made my first quilt. I loved it. I used it all the time. When I was 21 and went to spend a few weeks with MW at his bachelor pad I decided to bring it with me for a little bit of comfort in a very masculine house. It was not more than a day or two before the blanket was not being used by me, but instead MW. He would wear it around the house...mind you this blanket has a pink and white pattern on the back and many bright "girl" colors on the front. His room mates would ask him about his "pink" blanket and he would tell them, "it is not pink, it's maroon." When it was time for me to go home that summer the blanket ended up staying behind. On my next visit I took it back, reclaiming my blanket, but it was not long before it headed back with him to TN. So, the story goes. This blanket went to Iraq and on many other journeys. The blanket is OLD and it has had tears and I sew the seems back together, but in the last year it has started to basically decompose. The fabric is almost disappearing in places. MW begs me to fix it every time and a few months ago I must have sewn 15 tears closed. I left the big ones, the ones that are just missing fabric and there is no repair without adding fabric. Again, I was begged to fix it. I just pulled out my sewing machine and what a pain in the butt to try and sew patches on this thing. I don't think I have it in me. I would rather make a new blanket than patch this one. The blanket was my first quilt and I never expected it to last this long with as much love as it has had. It is faded and torn and looks like something a mother would throw away while a child is at school. (I am not scarred from my childhood- really) So, as I type I am wrapped in this soft little quilt that I do also truly love, and wondering if it is worth the aggravation to fix it, or if i am better off letting it grow old and dissolve. I almost feel guilt as I enjoy the softness of it, but then I clench my teeth thinking about repairing it. I may give it another shot...sew a few "big" holes shut. There are probably 20 at this point...The funniest part of it all is that I still have left over of one of the eight materials that is in the quilt. All these moves and years later. I guess I have to fix it. After all, I have the fabric.

It's a circus!

No sooner did I lose the contract I was working was I offered another contract in the same department. Supposedly, the budget was in fact cut and the position I was offered was once two positions and is now one. Well, the offer is somewhat a slap in the face since it is a lesser position that offers less money and responsibility, but is only two cubicles away from where I was sitting. NO WAY. Why would I subject myself to a demotion? As if having my contract cancelled in 9 days was not embarrassing enough. Back to the drawing board. In the meantime it is so darn hot here! It is to the point that I don't want to go outside. It is like being in a sauna and if you move to fast you may pass out. I really hope this heat breaks before the weekend. We are having a birthday party for my mom who will be in town and MW's sister. I won't want to attend my own party if it is that hot outside. A funny side note about the heat: Sam loves it and can't get enough. She goes out lies in the sun and just bakes. She sweats / drools all over her paws, but when you call her to come in she just looks at you. She is nuts. Meanwhile, if Bailey walks outside he is quick to turn around and run back in the house. He is not having it. Pretty princess should have been a beach dog...

And it is over- just like that

I was never big on the idea of accepting contract work since my goal has always been to find permanent placement at a company, but when the position of HR Business Partner came up and had the potential to be permanent I figured what the heck. So, a two to three month contract at the least, but hopefully a permanent job. Well, if anyone follows the stock market or the bond market they know the economy is volatile and precautions are being made. I was directly supporting a fixed income division which relies heavily on the bond market to make profit. That coupled with a manager who left on emergency leave left me with a contract ending 2 months too soon. Just two weeks into my contract it was cancelled. The only positive thing about it is that I was told if they get money in the budget again they would call me back. As for the permanent position? Well, it is now on hold too. There are far too many concerns about year end bonuses and making a net profit to keep a contractor around... If you haven't guessed I am completely frustrated. This job was a perfect fit for me. I am not pleased to be unemployed- and i had just gotten in the rhythm of working again only to be jolted back to unemployment. So, now I need to decide what my next steps are. First and foremost I need to remind myself to keep my head up and then I can begin the exhausting and frustrating process of looking for a job again.

Coop!

Last weekend the mini had a terrible “accident” occur. She was scratched on her back side. It was the first scratch she has gotten and the pain was tremendous. Coop seems to be coping well in the garage, but she has been in hiding ever since the incident occurred. She is embarrassed of her scar and wants to stay in the garage until she can get a band aid for her wound. I haven’t told her yet, but her appointment for a band aid is not until the 18th of August. Maybe they can mail the touch up paint sooner… I may be crazy to be this upset about a scratch, but the first scratch hurts the worst. It all went down inside of the garage when MW slipped while moving the BBQ grill. The grill then lashed out and attacked the poor helpless mini. She was only sitting pretty in the garage. She also needs to be serviced. Believe it or not I am having a low mileage service done to it. The car only needs to serviced every 12,000 miles and since when I was only driving it 8 miles a day while working in NY the mileage has actually leveled back out again. At one time I drove 100 miles a day round trip to work and then it went to 8. Now, MW and I are carpooling, so we can alternate vehicles keeping mileage low. I always say my two kids are Sam and Bailey, but this darn car has become a baby as well. I never expected to like it so much. No other car whips around like a go cart quite like coop. If anyone is in the market for a new fun car I recommend the Cooper S. Mine has no racing stripes, but it sure is fast and a whole lot of fun!