Saturday Night

Today was the LAST race of the season. No more Drag Strip, no more Dirt Track. And, while I'm going to be SO glad to have my weekends back to me, the $$ stream will be sorely missed! Drag Strip will start back up in March. Sounds like a long time away, but can you believe that's only 3 months from now?? Crazy.

Tonight I'm up at the R. house. The 'rents are out for an evening minus rug rats, so I'm having the pleasure. L. and L. and I are watching "Extreme Loggers". Quite a show! Considering that this is what B. does, I guess I ought to be learning something about it!

I read about the death at the Wally World up north, and then the shooting at the 'Toys R Us'. Yeah, 'cause THAT's the holiday spirit! I think too often we get caught up in the stuff aspect. I was stressed about what I'm going to get everyone, and then I realized . . . it's so not about the stuff. I'm excited to spend time with my friends, and to get to enjoy those memories. If I can't make it, I'm not giving it. I refuse to use plastic to buy trinkets. I wish I was made of money and could get everyone the things that they want. Still, this year, more than previous ones, I want to make sure that the real reason is remembered. I've been listening to Christmas music, and can't wait to listen to the "Forgotten Carols." If you haven't heard it . . . look into it. Really, really good schtuff. What are you doing for the holidays? Anything to make this year more special than others? What are you excited about giving this year?

Black Friday

And I'm at work. Work, people. Yesterday was wonderful, with the exception of not having cranberry jelly (from a can!), and none of Mom's pumpkin pie. However. I did eat more than enough of everything else! By far, the very best part, was getting to spend time with my friends. I ate out at the cabin with the R. clan. B. had been hunting with the "men-folk", and they came in to eat, and then headed back out after Bambi. I then left from there and took off for home. Dashed in, made a batch of Apple Dumplings, then took the dog for a walk. Some day, I will learn. This time, at least it wasn't skunk. Just some other wonderful dead creature that smelled almost as bad! So, I rushed her home, gave her a quick scrubbing, just in time to get the dumplings out of the oven. Dashed over the mountain to Annette's Mama's house, just before it was eating time. It was wonderful to spend time with them, even if every one was missing Sidney. From what I understand, he's now in Baghdad. Remember him, and their family in your prayers, OK?

Today we've been listening to Christmas Carols, and every so often one will come on that has someone cringing. For me, it's "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and I think it's because it's been so long since I was in my house with my family. Carrie doesn't like "Chestnut's Roasting On An Open Fire", and Stacey doesn't like the "Twelve Days of Christmas". What about you? Any particular favorites? Or any that you just can. not. stand.?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope every single one of you has a beautiful day full of lots of memory making activities. I am so grateful to have the family and friends that I do. Now, I'm off to get ready for the day and the TWO dinners I've been invited to.

Black, White, and Red All Over

I couldn't help but leave this post in place for Wordful Wednesday's. It was just such a GREAT adventure, I wanted to share with my bloggy friends!

So, tonight I take my dog for our usual walk. We head down by the cell tower, since it's so cold, I'm just going to let her run for a bit. She's off running and playing, when suddenly, I notice a small creature waddling by me. All it took was a hint of white, and I was high tailing it. Unfortunately, dear sweet Britney decided to investigate, and got slammed by Mr. Pepe le PEW. Gross. Disgusting. The smell is NOTHING like what you smell in the air. It's a burned rubber/garlic/burned onion, and it is AWFUL. And, I have to let her RIDE back to my house in my car. YUCK. Gross. Ugh. I stopped by GE and picked up several large cans of tomato juice. And vinegar. I got back to the house, and ran Britney into the bathroom. I started dumping cans of tomato juice on her, and it occurred to me, "It looks like a blood bath in here! This would make GREAT blog material!" and I just the door to the shower, and went in search of my camera. Heeeerrreee's where it turns into a "blogg-able" moment . . . Britney, very unhappy about the skunk scent in her eyes, tries to come find me. She wriggles out of the shower, and out of the bathroom, and INTO the bedroom. Where she promptly shakes all over my light grey carpet. See?

CSI, come take a look. Doesn't it look like a horrible murder scene??? I drag her back into the bathroom, where she takes off through the other door, and shakes all over the kitchen!!! I finally got her back into the bathroom, where I was able to bathe her in the tomato juice, then a good scrubbing with puppy shampoo.

I think I have all the skunk smell off of her, and I've now showered, and I'm on load 2 of about 4 loads worth of blankets and towels used in cleaning up. I also got the bathroom cleaned. See where I started?

Tomato Juice cans, vinegar, and her collar soaking in a vinegar/water solution. UGH. SO ABSOLUTELY BLOGGABLY DISGUSTING! I called Cindy, and thankfully, she brought over some coffee grounds (she's the only one I know who would have coffee grounds at 9p!), so I can roast them. I've heard it will help get rid of odors. Between that, and the 30 candles, something's gotta help, right? Right????

ETA - Did you know that Tomato Juice does NOT work? The puppy shampoo did more good! What does work, however, is a recipe of Baking Soda, Hydrogen Peroxide, and a few drops of dish soap. The candles and Febreeze helped with the house, but so far, nothing has helped with the car odor!!! I have pie pans of baking soda set out . . . any other suggestions?!?!?

Despair

Or rather, Despair.com. Pioneer Woman posted some of these today, and I couldn't help but share some of MY favorites. What about you? What really speaks to you today?

Personally, romance? HA! hee hee! Ho! Oh my word . . . have I EVER felt that way sometimes. Check out the others at http://www.despair.com/ . . . and don't forget to let me know what your favorite(s) is!

Mama Kat's Thursday Prompt

Mama Kat is one of my most favorite blogs to read, and this week, I'm going to play along. You pick one of her prompts, and then write about it.

"The Last Time I Laughed Really Hard . . ."

Occasionally, at work, an email will start. Then, you start to hear a snicker. Then a chortle. Then a guffaw. Every so often, you get to see one of your co-workers, taking her glasses off, wiping her forehead, and laughing so hard her face is bright red and there is NO sound coming out. That email was funny enough, but when you get a reaction like that, you laugh at them, then laugh at yourself laughing, and then, the giggles kick in and you simply. can. not. stop. How do I know? Oh, because it was Wednesday at about 3:45pm. What was the email? Oh, I can't help but share!

THIS IS HYSTERICAL!(I don't have a clue as to who wrote this, but....WHAT A HOOT!)

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal. The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair, and now . . . the wax. Read on.

My night began as any other normal week night. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours. 'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet.' So, I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.

It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand. They get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!! OH MY HECK!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. Wha?!?! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out . . . must stay conscious. . . must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe . . . OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip . . . it's not! I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake . . . remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to use the facilities . . . My head may pop off! 'What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand, into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub . . . in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom. I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter. 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!' There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?' She's laughing out loud by now . . . I can hear her. I give her the run down and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions, I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace . . . the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY HECK!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. IT WORKS!! It works!! I get a hearty congratulations from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair . . . THE HAIR IS STILL THERE . . . ALL OF IT! So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color . . .

Wordful Wednesday - Africa

I think my next few "Wordful Wednesday's" will consist of some of my most favoritest pictures from my Africa trip in 2006. I have over 1700, so please be patient with me as I try to narrow it down a bit.

So, hmm. Animals or scenery? Animals or ocean? I think . . . Oh, I don't know! Mix it up? Ok, I can do that!

Here's the thing. South Africa, or rather, Durban, didn't look ANYTHING like the Lion King! Here's the top of the waterfall in the mountains that we visited. Pretty, right? Yeah, but here's a shot of that same waterfall. Don't slip!

And, animals? These critters were at Tala, a reserve an hour or so outside of town. It was a small reserve, but the first "animal" place I visited, and I was SOOOO excited to see real African animals in the wild!

The Zebra (pronounced Zeh-bra) are actually dark brown and white, and NOT the same on both sides. Huh. Who knew? And, they LOVED to pose!

The giraffes were mildly inquisitive. Beautiful, graceful creatures. Quick story. (It is WORDFUL Wednesdays!). One of the missionaries had a strong accent, and would roll his R's. One of the other Elder's left a message for him to call a certain number, and ask for a Mr. G Raffe. With the R Rolled. It took him a couple of tries to realize they had given him the number of the local zoo!!! Ok, back to pictures.

The Rhino's were beautiful, if not a little intimidating. I'm guessing that while Dad was pretty laid back, Mama didn't want anyone to mess with her "baby"!

Want more? Come back next Wednesday . . . I'll have lots more to share!

7 Things

Alright, alright, I confess. I have a bad habit of stealing fun ideas. This is the second one I swiped from I Just Call It As I See It. I'm jealous of people who get to do fun EMS things, since my night calls lately have involved being cancelled before we get on scene, or no calls at all! So, here's how I'm going to amuse myself this morning. Let me know if you play along!

Divulge 7 things I plan to do before I die

- Get to a point where I don't stress about every dime coming in and out
- Own a house
- Safe a life
- Deliver a baby (either my own or someone else's!)
- Buy a new car
- Learn to let it go
- Visit Italy

7 things I do now

- Worry too much
- Not say no often enough
- Love my life
- Have a ridiculous morning routine
- re-kindled my love affair with Dr. Pepper
- Open bags, etc. from the bottom (sorry Cindy!)
- Make my bed every morning

7 things I can’t do

- Whistle with my fingers in my mouth

- Pay off all my debt with one paycheck
- Run 10 miles

- Forget how certain scents affect me
- Go without toe nail polish
- Do major mechanical work on a car
- Play a musical instrument other than the piano

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex

- How they smell
- Their smile
- Their values
- How they treat other people
- Their eyes
- Sense of humor

- Ok, ok, I admit it - how well they flirt!

7 things I say most often

- Are you serious?
- Thank you for calling . . .
- Sugar bunches/Lovey Bunny/Angel Bumps (ok, stupid nicknames for my dog!)
- Oh man

- Shheshellfresshel
- How are you?
- Dagnabit

7 People I admire

- Michelle

- Annette
- Karey
- Laurie

- My parents

- My grandparents

7 Interesting Things About Myself

- I'm adopted. Go ahead. Ask me anything you want - I love talking about it and my view points.
- I do "fake" Sheri well - unless you really know me, I can be SO nice you'll never know I'm not really being so.
- I have a touch of OCD. I like things done a certain way, and I don't like to have my routine thrown too far off
- I love kids. I majored in Early Childhood Education, but decided that all the red tape and aggravating parents weren't worth the effort.
- While I'm an EMT, and love running squad calls, when people come up and say, "look at this", I get SO queasy! I like emergencies where they belong . . .
- I prefer to use humor in most situations. If you can make someone laugh, you can usually get what you want/need accomplished.
- I was a cat person all up until Msh got her puppy, Baron. Now, I'm totally a dog person.
- I have a sad addiction to new products. I believe that the NEXT one will give me the model-y shine-y hair I see in the commercials. However, when I do find that amazing, oh-my-gosh it totally works "thing", I LOVE to tell people about it. (Ask me about the new Venus Breeze razor sometime!)

Your turn. Let me know so I can come visit you!

5 Things

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago-

Living at SVC
Driving my CRX
Not realizing how good I had it
Getting over a broken heart
Developing a relationship with my BFF Msh

Things on My To-Do List Today-

Fixing "audit" stuff
Walk my dog
Bake a cake
Talk to B.
Pay bills

5 Snacks I Like-

Popcorn
PB & Honey
Peanuts (in the shell!)
Cookie dough
Skittles

5 Things I Would Do If I Was A Millionaire-

Pay off my debt
Buy my house
Buy a new car
Go to the Caribbean - and take my friends with me!
Invest, invest, invest.

5 Places I Have Lived

Utah
North Carolina
Idaho
Virginia (x 3 places)


5 Jobs I Have Had-

Cashier
Fast food (various positions)
Customer Service Manager
Teller
EMT

5 People I Tag to Answer

The five people that read this!!

What I'd Like For You to Know

This morning, I had a complete blank about what to write about. I started several, and they were all, well, just blah. Kind of like the weather today. Then, I read one of my favorite blogs, Rocks in my Dryer. There's an article there every so often about "What I'd Like For You to Know" which I love. I think the reason I couldn't think of anything to write today, was because it had already been written here. So, go check it out, and then let me know what you think. The part about a single person at church? So true. About wanting to play with other people's children? Again, nail on the head. I'd love to hear your comments.

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/11/welcome-to-anot.html

Rick-Rolled

Ok. I admit it. I shamelessly stole this from Happy Meals and Happy Hours. Gotta check her out. I tried to keep (for the most part) politics off my blog, but this was too funny NOT to share!

Rick-rolled (rik'-rold)
An internet prank whereby someone is directed to a link unaware that it is actually the music video to Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up".

Monday

I'm sick.

Blah.

'Nuff said.

Saturday Alphabet Soup

How about some Friday fun?

A is for age:
32, baby!

B is for beer of choice:
Yuck. I hate beer!

C is for what you care about right now
Very, very, concerned about the next four years. I don't think it's going to be sunshine and lollipops like people think.

D is for your dog's name:
Britney

E is for one essential item you use everyday:
Deodorant

F is for one favorite TV show:
Desperate Housewives

G is for favorite game to watch:
Football

H is for Home town :
H'ville, NC

I is for instruments you play:
Piano

J is for favorite juice:
Apple today

K is for whose butt you'd like to kick:
Eh, no one's at the moment

L is for last place you ate:
My bedroom. I was getting ready for work!

M is for marriage:
Between a man and a woman.

N is for your Middle name:
Same as my mama's!

O is for overnight hospital stay:
Never happened.

P is for people you were with today:
No one yet - it's Saturday!

Q is for quote:
"It's always easier to get forgiveness than permission."

R is for Biggest regret:
Him.

S is for SEX:
I am a female, yes.

T is for time you woke up today:
7:02, Britney whining. 7:03, Kenny singing.

U is for underwear you have on now:
Comfy!

V is for a vegetable you love:
Artichokes!

W is for worst habit:
Self doubt.

X is for xylophone (because it always is):
I used to play one of those too.

Y is for something yummy you ate today:
Gotta go with the Cinnamon Sugar donut!

Z is for zodiac sign:
Taurus

My Mama

It's that time of year. I got past Halloween, I'm hearing Christmas Carols at Wal-Mart, and I'm starting to pick out new and exciting recipes for this year. So what does that mean? It must be my Mama's birthday!

Mom and I go way back . . . way way way back to the phone call. "Sister W, are you ready to become a mother? You need to pick her up by 5." Really. It happened like that. See? I told you babies come from the baby store!!! Labor and delivery, overrated, I tell you! My grandpa didn't believe it . . . he thought some idiot had decorated the wrong truck! But, then, there were the 3 of us . . . Grandma, Mom, and Me! So, without further ado, here's Mom!

In looking through photos this year, I'm come to realize something. Dad's always the one taking the pictures! So, since Mom is one of his favorite people, it's been fun to go through these. (Mom, are you sorry you left the photo albums with me yet?) Anyway, I'm pretty sure that this one was taken at Lagoon, in Utah. A very long time ago!!

And, I'm guessing, this was at a park in Roy. Easter Egg hunt . . . maybe?

Picnics were a big thing for my family. Many a time there would be fried chicken, potato salad, and other fixin's (although, while still in UT, those were fixinG's) and take off for the mountains. Usually VERY cold water to be found, which was perfect for chilling a watermelon.

Ok, so, I missed this trip, but here's Mom and my brother, Brad. She'll have to fill me in on where and when this was taken!

Going exploring . . . always fun, and the more of a teenager I became, the more obnoxious I became about what fun was. But, Mom was always up for some adventure, and always annoyingly positive about what a GREAT time we were going to have. And you know the worst part? She was right!

But, as teenagers go, there's always a way to get even . . . esp. if Dad is handy with a camera! This was taken in a Haunted House in Gatlinburg, TN. Yeah, I only WISH I had a figure like that!

My Mom, a natural redhead with beautiful green eyes. And the interesting thing? People would always tell me I looked like my Dad, and Brad, like my Mom. I'm sure it was the eyes . . . Brad's were a crazy awesome shade of green, too!Mom, and her Mom and Daddy. See? Everyone comes from somewhere . . . it's just from the baby store, I tell ya!Mom and Dad are still in Texas, doing the whole mission thing that they love so much. I admire them, out there, standing by their beliefs, teaching, sharing, and loving. These last two pictures, from my visit this past April. I love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!!!

More from the Weekend

So, the trip back from North Carolina was exquisite. There are times that living in the Blue Ridge Mountains, ain't so bad!

Bruce kept getting frustrated that I was reading so much, but between "New Moon" (if you're not reading Twilight, ugh, you don't know WHAT you are missing!) I did manage to see, and appreciate, the scenery!
We wanted to get back, because Ms. Boss Lady had put together a family afternoon. We had a different means of transportation, and headed up the mountain. See? Recognize her? That would be Laurie, from my previous post.
It was hard to get pictures while bumping and moving around, but I managed to get a few of the ride up. Absolutely breathtaking. I love the fall!!

We would stop occasionally, to allow someone to ease through a rocky spot, or just to stretch a bit. Somehow, they managed to be at the prettiest spots!
Eventually, we got to the "high point", which was the lookout tower on House Mountain. Talk about a view . . . worth every second of the trip up there!
Can you believe I went all the way to North Carolina when a view like this was in my own county??? I'm so blessed to be here!

I think LR's T-shirt sums it up the best:
Plus, it's hard to find fault with a kid playin' in the dirt!!!

Other than the view, the best part was getting to spend time with friends that I consider my family away from family. Not only am I blessed to live in amazing countryside like this, the people that I get to consider my friends are SPECTACULAR! That's Ms. Boss Lady's mom on the left, Laurie in the middle, and me on the right. Talk about a weekend to remember.

We went back to the cabin, had take out from one of my favorite establishments (that would be Ms. Boss Lady's Catering!), and then roasted marshmallows. One weekend truly for the books.

Wordful Wednesday - Charlotte

So, as I alluded to earlier, friends of mine and I went to the World of Outlaws show in Charlotte. It was an awesome weekend! See, this is me and Laurie . . .

And, here's turns 1 and 2 . . .

One of the highlights, by far, was the hotel. And, while the hotel was nice, and clean, and what you would expect, this was the BEST feature . . .One of the first things Laurie and I did was go on a hunt for some Mr. Bubbles! Thankfully, Walgreens had us covered, so every night, guess what I did before hitting the sack? Long, hot, soaks!

I loved the mini-bulance that rolled out for every incident. I tried to get a look at the inside, but, unfortunately, no luck!

See the dust? That's not haze, or a bad camera, that's the dirt that settled on everything. Remember that sticker? "If there's no dirt in your beer, you're not a real race fan?" Now, ya get it? Hey, look . . . it's Laurie again! They were 2 rows down from Bruce and I.

I loved the fireworks. They also had the first ever flyover for a dirt race, which was cool, but by the time I had the camera out, they were already gone!
More racing . . . and the trip home and adventures there tomorrow!