Mid life crisis of an Ohio Queen

Calling all past, present and future pageant people

2011-03-24T09:16:00.001-04:00

Long time no write. YIKES!! I have to keep up a little bit more.

I am asking for help from anyone who has association with pageants. I cannot disclose a lot just yet but I can ask for help.

When at a pageant or going to a pageant what are the photos that you mainly take? Is it before competition, during competition, after competition??? Any and all help will be appreciated.

Thanks for responding!!

My Bucket List

2010-12-26T09:55:00.004-05:00

Wow!! It has been an incredibly long time since I have written on here. Facebook and work have taken over my life!! Guess I will need to post on here more often or change to a new blog.

I have come to a decision for the new year. I need help with this so I implore on anyone willing to push and motivate me to do it. I have to create my bucket list. I want to have a list of things to do in my lifetime. The first that I want accomplished is this

I want to publish a book.

This has been something that I have wanted for as long as I can remember. I have never been good with writing but I can try. There is always room for improvement in life and this can be one way to do so.

I have thought long and hard on what to write about. Do I write on pageantry? No. I have had an extensive journey but do not consider myself an expert. I have learned to surround myself with experts in the field to help me accomplish my dreams. That would make a very short book. Do I write on Marketing? No. I am better giving the suggestions face to face.

So I have decided. I am writing a book on Secondary Infertility. This will not be a fact book. This will be a book facing the emotional journey that our family has undergone. The only help I need is to get in touch with a ghostwriter and to reach a publishing company and get the idea of how to start. I have to schedule this into my life to be sure that I can get it done but it is something that I am very willing to do. Maybe it can be used as a healing tool.

Any and all suggestions are welcome!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year filled with many promises...

Miss California has finally heard the words "YOU'RE FIRED!!!"

2009-06-10T17:37:00.002-04:00

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Carrie Prejean has been stripped of her Miss California title.

"The Miss California USA Organization, in conjunction with the Miss Universe Organization and with the blessing of its owner, Mr. Donald J. Trump, announced today the termination of Carrie Prejean as Miss California USA 2009, citing continued breach of contract issues," the Miss California Organization said in a statement to Access Hollywood.

The group kicked the controversial beauty queen from her post due to "contract violations including Ms. Prejean's unwillingness to make appearances on behalf of the Miss California USA organization," the pageant's Executive Director, Keith Lewis, said in a statement.

Last month, Trump decided that Prejean would be allowed to keep her crown despite racy photos of the 22-year-old surfacing on the Internet. But Lewis claims that in the weeks that followed, the beauty queen did not step up to the plate.

"Since that time it has become abundantly clear that Carrie is unwilling to fulfill her obligations under our contract and work together," Lewis' statement continued.

Billy Bush broke the news to Prejean on Wednesday afternoon when he called her for Access Hollywood and "The Billy Bush Show."

"We've just found out from Keith Lewis, your executive director there, that it's official, they have put out a statement and you have been fired," Bush said.

"Well, that's the first that I know about that, Billy," Prejean said.

"Really?" he continued.

"Yeah. I was just talking to my lawyer and I just got a phone call from you and I've gotten some text messages saying 'Hey, is this really true?' and I said, 'True about what?' and they said, 'That you've been fired.' And I started to laugh because everyone's been cooperating and everyone's been getting along so well," she said. "This is the first that I've heard of it. This is funny to me. I have no idea what's going on."

Trump was also involved in Wednesday's dethroning, and leant his voice to her dismissal.

"I told Carrie she needed to get back to work and honor her contract with the Miss California USA Organization and I gave her the opportunity to do so," Trump said his statement. "Unfortunately it just doesn't look like it is going to happen and I offered Keith my full support in making this decision. Carrie is a beautiful young woman and I wish her well as she pursues other interests."

Miss Malibu Tami Farrell, who was the First Runner-Up, is now Miss California.

In addition to the semi-nude photo scandal, Prejean's reign as Miss California also created headlines at the Miss USA pageant in April after she answered a question from Perez Hilton regarding her stance on gay marriage. She said she believed marriage "should be between a man and a woman."

Shanna Moakler quit the Miss California Organization, where she had served as a co-executive director back in May after Trump let Prejean keep her crown. When asked last month by Access Hollywood's Billy Bush if she would return to the group if Prejean quit, Moakler said she would.

"Absolutely," she said. "In a heartbeat.... It's not [a] 'her or me'[situation]. It's you... have to, at some point, make her take responsibility."

And on Wednesday, not long after the news broke, Moakler issued a statement to Access over Prejean's firing.

"First and foremost, my faith has been restored in the Miss Universe Organization and with Donald Trump. I believed eventually what I intimately knew would come to fruition," Moakler said.

Coming Around A Full Circle

2009-03-28T09:04:00.002-04:00

A Circle Journal that is.....

I along with a group of other scrapbook junkies are participating in a circle journal. The purpose of this is to choose a subject that you want everyone to scrap about in your particular book. I chose family. I noticed that whenever you scrap a page about your family more love goes into it. I wanted to see that love on a page.

Then I realized how much of a circle my life has become. Not a bad circle. Just a circle. Everything is revolving around each other. Work, scrapbooking, school activities, Cub Scouts, etc.... At least once a week I have most of these occur then once a month the rest works its way in.

I cannot complain. It is a good circle. It could be a lot worse. I am taking what I have normal in my life and completely embracing it. It feels good to have some normalcy in a chaotic world. I have found that this year has brought a lot of change to my life but it has also brought new people into my life that I cherish. I have found that some of my prior relationships have changed dramatically and at first I was hurt and upset. But the more that I progress I notice the changes in myself too.

I love the people that I work with. I love my new scrapbooking buddies (but I need more Flexigirl scrapbooking time too). School activities have brought me to meet more people and watch my child grow and develop. Cub Scouts have brought us closer to more people that carry a lot of our family and faith values.

I have been lucky. And I appreciate what I have.

The Search is On for Mrs. Ohio, Miss Ohio, and Miss Teen Ohio International 2009!

2009-03-14T10:35:00.001-04:00

Here is information for the Ohio International Pageants. The deadline is quick approaching. It is April 4th. The competition is in May and it is a fabulous show and competition to be in. I should know!!!!!

This is my favorite pageant system (gee, I wonder why!!) and I encourage anyone who is eligible to compete in this spectacular event. It is definitely worth the experience!!

Join us for the Mrs. Ohio, Miss Ohio, and Miss Teen Ohio International Pageant this Spring… May 16th & 17th in historic & charming downtown Zanesville, Ohio!

Applications are now available, and contestants from throughout the Buckeye State are being accepted! The process for entering is easy! Simply visit our website (www.OhioInternational.com), download the Application Kit, and scroll down to FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), where you'll find nearly every answer you could imagine. Also be sure to watch the 4-minute promotional video to learn more about our program. We keep our entry fees affordable, and we provide a magical weekend for the contestants and their families with a first-rate stage production.

Last year, the winner of each division earned a prize package valued at over $10,000 including: a full page feature in SuperModels Unlimited Magazine, paid entry to the International Pageant in Chicago, the official crown & banner, a smile make-over, modeling/photo shoots, jewelry, scholarships & prizes galore! The prize package for 2009 is growing, and it could be yours. PRIOR EXPERIENCE IS NOT NECESSARY. We offer workshops and professional assistance so that each contestant performs at her very best!

Areas of competition & age divisions: Teen 13-18 and Miss 19-29: Modeling fun fashion, fitness, & evening wear; personality interview.* Mrs. 21-56: Modeling evening wear & fitness wear; personality interview.* NOTE: No swimsuit or talent competitions! Commitment to community service through a platform issue is highly encouraged and required at the National level. The International Pageants have teamed up with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women.

Contact us today to get started! We’re the new Ohio International Pageant System, and we’re restoring the integrity and tradition of pageantry! E) Director@OhioInternational.com P) 740-819-3170

Holy Busy Weekends Batman!!!

2009-02-16T08:33:00.002-05:00

This month is jam packed full of busy weekends!!

February 6 - 8

This was B's 7th birthday weekend!! I still cannot believe that he is 7 years old. I feel bad about not blogging on his birthday but we were spending quality time together and I think that mattered to him much more!! We had my family down from Bedford and a party that included 4 friends from school along with our neighbors and their kids (my adopt a nieces and nephew). It was a lot of fun but very exhausting...

February 13 - 15

B and I took off on Friday night to go to the Alumni Night basketball game at my alma mater. It was a great time for us as we included my brother and my niece to come along. Spent part of Valentines Day with my family and drove back to have the night with E. Sunday was a normal routine for us but a bonus for B was he had the chance to have a friend from class over.

February 20 - 22

I am going away on a scrapbooking retreat!! I have been looking forward to this for a few months now and have literally been packing for it since January. Just a little excited. The boys will be having a boys weekend and bonding time. That will be great for them both!

February 27 - March 1

I have a crop on Friday night and it is the first of many great fish frys at our church. Bring on Lent, I am ready!! We also have our Blue and Gold dinner for our Cub Scout pack on that Saturday and I think we will be going to an OSU hockey game that night. Should be lots of fun!!

I think things will die down in March but cannot be too sure of it. Busy is good so we will keep busy!!

More Dreams... What Do They Mean????

2009-02-01T20:20:00.001-05:00

I had an odd dream last night. I do not know why I had this dream but it is still very vivid for me today. Way too vivid.

So my dream was this. I was away at an amusement park with my family. I was sad but I did not know why. I remember laughing because my child was having a great time. At the amusement park I reconnected with a past acquaintance. We were connecting again and I remember feeling a little bit happier. When I returned from the amusement park I had discovered why I was sad. A person close to me had passed away. I was grieving and did not know it. And I was grieving hard. Then I realized in the paper that I was not the only one grieving. So was the acquaintance that I had seen at the amusement park. I met up with him at a store and we both lost it. We were crying and holding on to each other for dear life. Somehow we had a further connection and started to fall in love.

Next thing I knew we were at a beach swimming together and just being close in general. I remember feeling confident again and totally loved. A feeling I had lost when I had found out that the person I was close to had died. I still at this point cannot place who it was that had died.

Next thing I remember was being at his home and spending time with my child and his kids. They were not too fond of me and I was not too bothered by this. Heck, my in-laws can't stand me, why should I be phased that his kids did not care for me.

Then it hit me. The person that he had lost was his wife. And the person I had lost was my husband. From there I woke up.

So now I want to know what this dream means. There is a lot too it so I hope that I can follow it and get something from it too.

Back to dreammoods.com to figure out my dreams:

Amusement Park

To see or be in an amusement park in your dream, indicates that you need to set some time for leisure and more enjoyment in your life. Consider how everything in the park is an expression of some aspect of yourself. Alternatively, you may be too easily distracted lately.
Bereavement

To dream that you are in bereavement, suggests that you are repressing your grief. Perhaps something is bothering you more than you realize. You need to express your sadness and not keep it inside.
Store

To see or be in a grocery or convenience store in your dream, suggests that you are emotionally and mentally strained. Alternatively, you may be brainstorming for new ideas or looking for the various choices out there for you. Alternatively, the dream may be a pun on what is in "store" for you. And thus it could signify the inevitable.
Love

To dream of love of being in love, suggests intense feelings carried over from a waking relationship. It implies happiness and contentment with what you have and where you are in life. On the other hand, you may not be getting enough love in your daily life. We naturally long for the sense to belong and to be accepted.
Swimming

To dream that you are swimming, suggests that you are exploring aspects of your unconscious mind and emotions. The dream may be a sign that you are seeking some sort of emotional support. It is a common dream image for people going through therapy. To dream that you are swimming underwater, suggests that you are completely submerged in your own feelings. You are forcing yourself to deal with your emotional difficulties.

Home

To see your home in your dream, signifies security, basic needs, and values. You may be feeling at home at your new job or you finally feel settled and comfortable in a new environment. Alternative, the dream represents your basic needs and priorities.

In particular, to see your childhood home, your hometown, or a home that you previously lived in, indicates your own desires for building a family. It also reflects aspects of yourself that were prominent or developed during the time you lived in that home. You may experience some feelings or unfinished expression of emotions that are now being triggered by a waking situation.

Children

To see children in your dream, signify an aspect of yourself and your childlike qualities. You may be retreating back to a childlike state where you are longing for the past and the chance to satisfy repressed desires and unfulfilled hopes. Perhaps there is something that you need to see grow and nurtured. Take some time off and cater to the inner child within. Alternatively, the dream may be highlighting you innocence, purity, simplicity, and carefree attitude.

To dream that you are watching children but they do not know you are there, is a metaphor for some hidden knowledge or some latent talent which you have failed to recognize.
Hate

To dream about hate, indicates repressed aggression and your fear of confrontations. On the other hand, you may forcing your views and opinions onto others. Consider the symbolism of other elements in the dream to find out what is it that you really hate.

Self Psychoanalysis Says.....

After reviewing all of my notes my dream is indicating that there is a lot going on emotionally and mentally and there are intense feelings that are not being expressed and possibly repressed. There are also strong needs and deisres to build a family. There is a need to explore aspects and look for new ideas. And time for enjoyment is needed. Time to relax and enjoy life.

This has been circling around a lot of things in my life. I am busy trying to build my career however the strong emotions that I have expreienced with the secondary infertility are getting to me. A lot has been eating at me and there are a lot of things that I need to learn in life.

This is probably the cheapest therapy session I have had!!

Another January Gone...

2009-01-31T08:49:00.002-05:00

And so the year continues!!!

January was not too horrible this year. I had a great work month and got plenty done in the department of organization.

My office was a complete disaster area. I mean massively destroyed. On my last vacation day my good friend, Miss M, came over and helped me tackle my office. See, when I clean I am an ADHD cleaner. I cannot focus on one area at a time. It is not good. It drives my husband absolutely crazy. Thank goodness for Miss M's pregnancy becasue that whole nesting thing has come into play and she attacked the office with some serious gusto. After several hours my office was spotless. Except for my desk and that is a battle that I do not want to take on. Mind you, I have made a massive dent in it but it is not worth completely cleaning off as it will get cluttered again.

Then we have decided to have B's birthday party here and in the basement. Mind you, the basement is a disaster at times. But we are having a R/C car party for him so we needed to organize and organize now. I took almost all of a Saturday to attack parts of the basement that I have not touched since our move back from Texas. Three totes, two full garbage bags and one exhausted me and I had made a dent. We still have to clean my scrapbooking area but that is a challenge all on its own!

The rest of January has been a work struggle. My first week back I had a killer week then it started to taper off. I hate being slow and this is my slow season. It sucks. I did manage to pull second place on my team and on top of that had one more policy than a very well known agent here in Columbus. BONUS!!!

I took a good portion of the work month to learn about annuities. I have said for a year and a half that I have got to find a way to learn and understand annuities. See, with the recent market crashes most people want to make sure that their money is safe. What is safer than a guaranteed 3% gain? I do not know of any. Plus with so many people losing their jobs I wanted to find a better way to help. So my manager has asked me to present on annuities. I am actually excited about this as it has forced me to learn something that I have wanted to fully understand for a while.

So now I am looking forward to February. Hopefully businss will pick back up. Hopefully there will be new jobs available to those who need them and hopefully all starts to get better with the economy.

"I Was Possessed By Jillian Michaels!"

2009-01-14T08:45:00.003-05:00

This perhaps had to be the BEST line from reality TV last night!

If you are not aware, one of my guilty pleasures is reality TV. I deal with enough during the week with work and stress that this is one of my stress relievers. I am a competitor at heart and love to watch the competition aspect of it. But I will admit that I love to see what struggles others have to go through in life. Not bad, necessarily but their struggles.

Last night The Biggest Loser and American Idol were on. We DVR'd both of them. We watched The Biggest Loser first. This is my weekly tear jerker as I am inspired by those who do not want to give up and those that want to change their lives for the better. This season half of the duo's were sent home to do it alone for 30 days. Their other half on the ranch have to work harder for the opportunity to bring their partner back in 30 days.

I was extremely aggravated with one of the people there. She is a member of the silver team. When they had to vote the week before I felt that the other woman would have been better to have stayed there. They are best friends and this is a test of their friendship. The silver team woman was giving every excuse in the book and was a pain in the butt. She even drove Bob Harper to the breaking point. Calm, even toned Bob. Poor guy. He dropped more F-bombs than I have ever heard in my life from him! Even Jillian was amazed. While it was hilarious to see his reactions and Jillian's facial expressions I felt bad for him. He is not paid to deal with this. The contestants know that when you go on the show you will be put through the wringer. Shut up and take it. Unfortunately she did not go home. She should have in my opinion. Stupid yellow line.

Did I peak your curiousity? Watch the show for more inspiration and insight then!

American Idol was about the same. But I was in a nit picky mood last night and was extremely disturbed by many things on the show. Call it crazy and judgemental but boy oh boy was it driving me nuts.

First of all, had anyone in the first audition rounds hear of a dentist? Since it is a singing competition you are exposed to the teeth. I am figuring that if you are trying to be on TV, WHITEN YOUR TEETH! There was a lot of yellow going on with the contestants teeth. Also there were a lot of fangs. Two great pointy sharp teeth in the mouth. I have never seen that many fangs in my life. And my husband is obsessed with vampires so you would think that I have seen more. Drove me crazy.

Also, there was a lot of attitude last night. Especially from American Idol Barbie. Little miss thing decided to come into her audition in an Ed Hardy bikini and was a little sass from the very start. One thing I have learned from competition is to NEVER get on the bad side of a judge. It can hurt you in the long run. She was pulling massive attitude with Cara, the new gorgeous judge on panel, and that was just absolutely unacceptable. She got through to the Hollywood round however I do not believe it was on voice, it was on bod. Yes, I have done my share of modeling and being in swimsuit for competition but come on. That was ridiculous. I am positive she will get smacked down in the Hollywood round and I am looking very forward to that.

Now I am back off to work. I am looking at a good appointment today and for January I will take it. I will take anything that will be good. January is always slow and even though I had a great week last week that will not save me this week. Later....

Cleaning Up For The New Year

2009-01-03T14:38:00.002-05:00

Ok. This was not a resolution but this is what it looks like it turned out to be. A cleaning spree.

I am actually taking a quick break now from organizing my scrapbook area to write this. It is a challenge as paper and embellishments take over very quickly. I am also getting myself ready for a scrapbooking retreat I am going to in February. I have decided for this year that I am going to do a few scrapbooks about me. I am usually doing a bunch of scrapbooking for everyone else but seem to forget myself in the equation. I am going to finally scrapbook my college years and a continuous scrapbook of me and my friends. I have so many people in my life that I care for and I know care about me and now I am going to commit it to my scrapbook. This way if anything should ever happen to me, my friends will always know what I had thought of them and how they influenced my life.

Yesterday was a massive cleaning of my office. This was a project that was 2 years overdue. With the help of my friend, Miss M, we tackled the office and came out somewhat victorious. See, I am not a good cleaner. I am way too ADHD for it. I get sidetracked quickly and need to refocus. We now have seen that yes, there is a floor in my office. There is desk space and there are filing cabinets under a mountain of paperwork. Her exchange with me for doing this. I now need to go and help her clean in her house. Not hard since her house is always spotless. I am so thankful to have her as a friend. She is awesome.

Now back to my scrapbook area. This is going to be a challenge. But I do think that I see a table. Progress!!!

Repeat of Last Year - New Years To Do List

2008-12-29T18:38:00.003-05:00

I had put this on my blog at the end of December of last year. I followed every one religiously and had a better year. I will have to say that I had a great business and personal year with some good twists. I did have some things that did not happen as I wanted them to (pregnancy) but I do know that it is in God's hands and the answers will come at some point. I just have to be strong enough to listen to them and see where they lead me.

Anywhoo. Here is that list again!!

How To Have Good Luck In The New Year!!!

I am superstitious. That is one thing to know about me. So this is important.

We had an okay year. There have been some struggles and some good things to come. I am very nervous yet excited about the new year. So I went on line and found these items. Hopefully it will bring great luck to us all.

Another one that is not on here is to eat only pork on New Years Eve and New Years Day. No chicken at all!!!! The pork is also pushing ahead where the chicken is scratching back into the previous year.

Suffice it to say, these will all be used. In some form or another.

Read what I have found on YAHOO below:

Traditionally, with the New Year’s Day approaching, people become more superstitious when it comes to luck. All around the globe there are so many traditions and customs that are supposed to bring good luck to folks. Many persons believe strongly in these good luck-bringing customs and they never forget to repeat them year after year. Here are some of these actualized good luck traditions. Hope to bring you good luck!

Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need
to be superstitious
optimism
to be open minded

Steps

Step One - An interesting good luck custom is to eat fish specialties at the New Year’s Eve Party! It is said that you’ll swim through the New Year like a fish. You will be able to move smoothly and easily and go beyond obstacles with facility in the New Year.

Step Two - At midnight, between the year ready to conclude and the one to follow, make sure you have some money in your pocket or purse. If the New Year finds you with money in your pocket, you’ll not miss them in the year to come.

Step Three - Another good luck custom is to wear something new on New Year’s Eve. You don’t have to buy the entire outfit for the New Year’s Eve Party; it’s enough to have one new item. The proper way to welcome the New Year is by wearing something new.

Step Four - The Dutch are eating donuts on New Year’s Day. They say donuts bring fortune because they have the shape of the ring, which symbolizes the full circle, the year’s cycle. If you don’t want donuts as New Year treat, you can try any ring-shaped food, like onion rings for example.

Step Five - Make sure you have a bell in your proximity, to announce the New Year. It’s a proper way to welcome the New Year and, guess what, it will bring you fortune.

Step Six - Be aware at the first visitor on New Year’s Day! He or she would bring either good luck or bad luck. It is said that if the first person who visit is a tall, dark-haired man, he will bring good luck to the house and hosts.

Step Seven - It’s a very well-known New Year’s custom to make a lot of noise by organizing fireworks, confetti showers and striking crackers on the night between years. This way, it is said that the old year is getting scared and runs away, making room for the new one. So, be noisy on New Year’s Eve, scare away the concluded year and prepare yourself for the beginning of a lucky one!

Another Christmas Over

2008-12-26T09:19:00.002-05:00

And we have the mess to show for it!!

It is always fun to open your gifts and to play with your gifts but it is such a pain in the butt to clean everything up. I am not a big housecleaning type anyway so this is not a joyous thing at all.

I have the rest of the year off to enjoy some peace and time with B on his winter break. We will have fun playing with all of the new toys we each got.

Easy breakdown. I got a bunch of scrapbooking stuff that I wanted, E got a bunch of R/C stuff he wanted and B got a bunch of Bakugan stuff that he wanted. Overall, that was successful. The best gifts were the homemade gifts that we had given and received. I made scrapbook calendars for my husband, my mom, my brother and his girlfriend along with making blankets for my husband, my dad and my brothers girlfriend. They all loved them and I was very pleased. I can honestly say that it was worth the blood, sweat and tears that went into each project. My brother made his infamous truffles for all of us and his girlfriend made us each something special. She makes signs that can be displayed. She made one for my son and one for us. She also designed special cups for us that reflect our personalities. They were super cute. I will post some pics when I finally get them up on the computer.

Now on to planning some fun activities for the week and planning for the new year. I have lots and lots of cleaning and organizing to do so this will be a big undertaking but it will be worth it when it is all done.

A Scrappers Night Before Christmas

2008-12-15T20:58:00.001-05:00

Now you have to be a scrapbooker to truly get this. But it was way too funny to not post. Thanks Jules for the laugh!!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,
"Hi Santa, " I said
"You know....good little girls
should be in their beds."
"I know I should Santa,
and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited
To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look
in this room where you work.
He shook his head quickly,
And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim
as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough stuff,
I'll see you next year!"

Overwhelmed and Underconfident

2008-12-06T08:10:00.003-05:00

Crazy title, huh?

This is all work related. Maybe a little personal but mostly professional.

Anyone who knows me knows that I work hard for what I want. I try to accomplish my goals to the best of my ability. I am so close to one of my goals right now that it is not even funny. And even though it is so close in my grasp it is so far away too.

I have a work contest. I am on track for Leaders Trip. Leaders Trip is to Hawaii. Out of the Consumer Products Specialists I am ranked 45th in the company. That is a huge jump for me considering this time last year I was ranked around 125th. I had a killer November (thanks to new clients) and on top of it I was the highest premium producer on my team. Big big big!!! That is great.

We need a certain amount of points to qualify for trip. I need 750 since I am still a rookie. In fact, I am in 3rd place of rookies!! I currently have 604 points. I am in need of at least 8 more booked life policies before December 30th. I need to have all of my apps in by December 15th. This is more difficult than you can imagine. I am wracking my brain for those whom I know that need life insurance and I am stumped. I need more kids policies than anything else and that is a struggle.

I am so overwhelmed with having to come up with this. Weekends do not exist for me now until the 15th. Good thing there is a cap on when you can call people or my friends would be receiving calls at 11 PM.

I am underconfident but I need to turn around my confidence and very very fast. That is not going to get me on trip and it is to the point where I don't want it, I NEED IT!!! Not only for me but for my husband. For the sanity of my family. For a great 10 year anniversary gift that this can provide to us.

Wish me luck. If you know of anyone who can help me please drop me a line. Thanks!!!

I Have A Cropover!!!

2008-11-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

Definition of a cropover - Where a scrapbooker goes to scrapbook for 12+ hours and dedicated himself/herself entirely to huge projects that you are hoping to get done in one sitting. It usually does not happen.

Symptoms of a cropover - By the next morning you are exhausted and can have a bit of a headache but you are still energized because you got something accomplished.

This is me today. I went to a friend's birthday crop (Thanks and Happy Birthday Tyna!) at Scrapbook Art. The crop started at 9 AM. I finally got there at 10:30 AM and stayed until 11:30 PM. So I logged 13 hours of work and play and eating in this frame of time. Fun? YEAH!!!

I was starting to loose steam around 9:30. I had awoken at 4 in the morning and was unable to go to sleep. So I did what every other crazy agent would do. I went into my office and tied up a few loose ends before I headed out for the day. Insane? YEAH!!!

I did accomplish some of my Christmas projects and that is a feat to be proud of. I have undertaken several Christmas Gift projects and am praying to have them all done by Christmas. I have another crop coming up in December on the 7th from 1 PM to 11PM. 10 more dedicated hours to accomplish my goal? YEAH!!!!

I did have a blast hanging out with friends and playing in paper, photos, stickers, embellishmens, etc. I think I am going to have a charity crop in March for Eating Disorders Awareness Month. Giving back to the community? YEAH!!!

I will include details soon of this crop. It will definitely be a comfortable crop and a ton of fun. Who knows? If I get enough interest I may have to make it a 2 day crop. I hope so!!

November - so far....

2008-11-16T08:42:00.003-05:00

This has definitely been a roller coaster month. If it could go any particular way, it has.

I will break down by category. Big shock. My trying to compartmentalize my life.

FUNERAL

As mentioned in my earlier blog, E's grandma had passed away. It was very sad for both of us but very nerve wracking at the same time. We had one final chance to see her in hospice and it was very hard. Grandma was a person who was always filled with life and an amazing energy and to see the cancer zap that out of her was hard. The hardest part of the whole thing was for us to see the Witch-In-Law. Please remember that the last time we have seen her or E has spoken to her was over four years ago. She acted as I would have expected her to act. At one point with us at hospice she threw herself on him. I could see that it bothered E but I gave him some space to deal with it.

At the wake was the real test of his family. To see who was well with us and who was going to treat us terribly. It was half and half. Two of his uncles and their wives were very nice to us and some of their children were nice. The other half worked to avoid us and not say a word. We at least learned who understood what was going on and those who just still (after four years) just did not get it. At least by the funeral we were prepared as to how we would be treated.

The funeral service was beautiful. I know that Grandma had planned the whole thing out in advance and that was executed very well. E's sperm donor was there and that was interesting. He was disrespectful (as always) in the fact that he actually wore his sunglasses through the entire service and following. Probably to cover his bloodshot eyes. Did not even bother to utter a word to E. Which turned on a huge light over my head. I had realized that in the entire six years that we have been estranged from him he has made absolutely, positively no attempt to have a relationship with E. The Witch-In-Law has pushed and tried to have a relationship but the Sperm Donor has not. Proof to us that it is truly a one sided relationship. My heart did go out to the Witch-In-Law because I know that she was close to her mother and I know that I would be at a complete loss if I had lost my mother. E was a pallbearer and once everything was completed we had to head out for our flight to Dallas.

DEER DRAMA

The morning of Garndma's funeral we were hit by a deer. No, I am not kidding. We were hit by an eight point buck in the middle of Downtown Bedford. The deer came out from between an Enterprise Rent-A-Car and a Labor Ready. E saw him barreling toward the car and there was not a thing that we could do. The deer came in through the back window of our Honda CR-V, hit his head on the headliner of the car, fell out of the car and obviously broke his neck. He then scrambled from the road into a car dealership where he damaged another truck, another Honda and finally died. Unbelieveable. The Bedford Police Animal Control was at the opposite stoplight from where we finally stopped and pulled over and he came over to investigate. His first initial reaction was WOW. Same as us. We were very fortunate at where he hit because if he would have hit my window (passenger seat) I could have been killed. If B would have been in the passenger back seat he could have been killed. Instead B was covered in glass but thank God he was not cut. After the police took their report we headed out with a damaged car and deer fur flying all over the car. Quite gross. E wanted to keep the deer but obviously he could not due to the fac that it needed to be field dressed immediately and we did not have time or resources. So now it is the ultimate battle of getting it fixed, coming up with the deductible, and all sorts of other stuff.

DALLAS

As I had mentioned prior, E and I had to leave the funeral to go straight to the airport to catch a flight to Dallas. We were both going to judge the Diamonds and Pearls National Pageant. We judged last year and had a phenomenal time. They spoil us to pieces when we judge and it gives E and I time together and a mini vacation. We really do have fun when we judge together and we do believe ourselves to be very fair since we really do not know these contestants. I hope that we get to go back next year. That would be a blast.

WORK

My work has actually been picking up. I am completely ecstatic by that. This time last year I was slow and this year not so much. I think that it helped to have our last Register to Win of the year in October. I am still striving for my spot on Leaders Trip to Hawaii. I need 10 more booked life before December 30th and time is going way too fast. I am praying that this can be accomplished. I have a lot of support from my team to get there. They have been so encouraging and I do not want to let them down.

This is all for now. We get to have a relaxing weekend this weekend and this is nice. We will be going to church soon and going grocery shopping later today. Have a great week!!

Rest In Peace Grandma Smith

2008-11-05T16:47:00.002-05:00

Early Tuesday morning this world lost a very wonderful woman. This woman is E's grandmother AKA Grandma Smith.

We last saw her in hospice and had a few precious last hours with her. She was an amazing woman and it was very hard to see her down like that. She was the kind of woman who greeted you with a warm smile and a great hug and loved you for who you were. Not what others had or have thought of you. She has always been extremely welcoming of me as E's wife and B's mother and treated me like gold. She is definitely irreplaceable.

E has been holding up well. I know that this has been hard for him and all I can do is let him know how much I love him and support him. She had a hand in raising E and for that I am eternally grateful to her. The best part for me was that I did have an opportunity to thank her for all that she has done and given to me. She cared so much about me and my family that it touched me.

Below is her obituary from the Akron Beacon Journal. Feel free to read about how truly wonderful she really was.

Grandma Smith - we love you, always have and always will. Enjoy the loving embrace of our Father in Heaven and be our guardian angel from time to time.

Dorothy Eileen (Whitehead) Smith
Dorothy "Dottie" Smith, 74, went home to be with her Lord on November 4, 2008 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Dottie was born on May 18, 1934 in E. Liverpool, Ohio to Lilly and Herbert Whitehead. She was a member of the Church of God of Prophecy and was a loving wife, mother and grandmother.

Preceded in death by her mother, father, brothers and sisters, her legacy includes a family who will miss her dearly, her husband and best friend of nearly 60 years, Ralph; daughters, Janit (Carl) Layne of Coventry and Carol (Tom) Blose of Canal Fulton; sons, Garry (Shelly) of Akron, Craig (Kathy) of Brimfield and Robert of Newcomerstown; 11 grandchildren, Eric, Tiffannie, Jamison, Amanda, Adam, Brooke, Brittany, Julie, Bob, Ashley and Alison; three great-grand-children, Tyler, Mikayla and Brendan. She is also survived by her brothers, John Whitehead and Jerry Fuller; sister, Phyllis Jean Nye; many, many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and numerous friends.

Her belief and faith in God was her guide through life. She knew that with Him all things are possible. There wasn't a person that met Dottie who didn't automatically fall in love with her beautiful smile and loving personality.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to all the staff at VNS and Hospice Care Center.

Family and friends will be received 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 6th at the Schermesser Funeral Home, 600 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road (Route 619), where services will take place on Friday, November 7, 2008 at 1 p.m. Final resting place will be Northlawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, please make donation to St. Jude's Childrens Hospital or VNS Hospice Care Center. (SCHERMESSER-GREEN, 330-899-9107)

Truth In Dreams?!?!?

2008-10-13T09:04:00.002-04:00

I am dreaming again. Vivid dreams. Dreams I am remembering once I wake up.

Last nights dream was interesting. In my dream I had found out I was pregnant and was told to consume a lot of almonds. These two things stood out in my memory very clearly. So I looked them up on dreammoods.com. Here is what it had...

Almonds

To see almonds in your dream, signifies that after a short period of sorrow and grief, you will experience great wealth. You will have time for reflection and leisure.

To dream of eating fresh almonds, foretells that you will have much success and financial gains.

To see an almond tree in your dream, signifies happiness. Wedded bliss is also in your near future.

Pregnant

To dream that you are pregnant, symbolizes an aspect of yourself or some aspect of your personal life that is growing and developing. You may not be ready to talk about it or act on it. This may also represent the birth of a new idea, direction, project or goal.

To dream that you are pregnant with the baby dying inside of you suggests that a project you had put a lot of effort into is falling apart and slowly deteriorating. Nothing works out the way you want it to.

If you are really pregnant and having this dream, then it represents your anxieties about the pregnancy. Women in the first trimester of their pregnancy tend to dream of tiny creatures, fuzzy animals, flowers, fruit and water. In the second trimester, dreams will reflect your anxieties about being a good mother and concerns about possible complications with the birth. Dreams of giving birth to a non-human baby are also common during this period of the pregnancy. Finally, in the third trimester, dreams consists of your own mother. As your body changes and grows, dreams of whales, elephants and dinosaurs and other larger animals may also start appearing at this stage.

So is there truth in dreams? Am I going in a new direction in life? Only time will tell....

HERE ARE THE PARTICIPANTS FOR THE NEXT SERIES OF SURVIVOR. Well, not really but read on for a great laugh!

2008-09-23T20:35:00.003-04:00

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teethand comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother!

After you get done laughing, send this to as many females as you
think will get a kick out of it and as many men as you think can
handle it. Just don't send it back to me.... I'm going to bed.

Happy Anniversary and more updates

2008-08-21T08:27:00.005-04:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

First and foremost I need to say Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband of 9 years. I cannot beleive that it was 9 years ago that I said my "I do's" to E. We have had quite a journey and it continues to go on and become stronger and stronger over time.

IN REMEMBRANCE

Next, I do need to take a moment for a friend of mine in Bedford. He lost his dear friend, CongressWoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was pulled over by Cleveland Heights Police when they found her driving erratically and found semi-unconscious. She passed away early this morning after suffering an aneurysm. She was a wonderful representative and I know that she will be missed by all that knew her dearly.

PAGEANT STUFF...

Well, because a blog of mine cannot have some pageant update!! The Ohio Cinderella Team did a great job in Las Vegas this year with a few Top Ten Placements in the Finals. I will get more of that as time comes. I could not get an entire list. I volunteered at Miss Black Ohio USA this past weekend and had a great time catching up with my Ohio International pals. I love how beautiful and intelligent each of them are. They are wonderful people.

OHIO INTERNATIONAL

Speaking of Ohio International, each of the girls had a great time competing at Mrs/Miss/Miss Teen International a few weeks back. Here are a few pictures of Gerri (Mrs. Ohio), Amanda (Miss Ohio) and Lisa (Miss Teen Ohio) from the cometition week.

Although non of them placed in the Top Ten, I know that they did their best and gave it their all. Thanks to the International Pageants website for these lovely photos.

Competition for the Mrs./Miss/Miss Teen Ohio International pageants is on January 1,2,3. Please let me know if you would like information as I am definitely always on the lookout for those who wish to compete.

OHIO REPRODUCTIVE

We are now officially on our journey to having another child. We have been on the journey for a bit but now we are taking a new path. We are going to Ohio Reproductive and giving that a try. Hopefully we will have some luck and success here. The only fear I have is the money. I know that insurance only covers so much and the rest is up to us. I am leaving this in God's hands to help us come up with the funding if we should so need it. For now, we are trusting the doctors and their expertise. They have made it very clear that their only point and purpose is to get us pregnant.

That is about all for now. More blogging to come and hopefully not in another month.

Now For A Little Political Humor

2008-07-27T12:26:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VufV6bh48DE

May And June Combined

2008-06-29T08:04:00.002-04:00

I have been absolutely terrible about blogging. And for that I apologize. I have read other blogs and have been up to date with Facebook but have not really taken the time to update my blog. How terrible.

To make things easy I am going to summarize the past two months to the best of my ability. A lot of things have happened to make me think and to give me inspiration.

May was a fairly decent month. A few ups and downs but I have survived. Here are a few:

Mothers Day - My Mother's Day is always in kind of a hiatus due to E doing sound at Ohio Cinderella States. Since the money is good and I get a pageant fix I do not complain. I wanted to do random photos on the beach or in a park with B. I am always behind the camera and rarely in front of it. We could not do it later that day due to the lovely Ohio weather and the threat of a tornado. My Mothers Day activity had to be postponed and we have not made it up yet. Kind of a bummer but it will hopefully get done soon.

Uncle Kenny's Got A Girlfriend!! - Yes, it is official. My brother has a girlfriend!! I will call her Nik and she is great!! He is completely smitten with her and her personality completely compliments him. This is the happiest I have ever seen him in a relationship and it is wonderful to see him this way. He had his annual cookout on his birthday (which coincides with Memorial Day) and she was there to greet everyone and converse with everyone. Everyone really liked her and that makes a huge difference.

How Hard Have You Worked? - Work has been picking up for me. Getting busier and busier. I look forward to the busy. May was not a strong month for me but thank goodness June was very strong. I am heading toward a strong July and I am thrilled with that. I hope to be as busy as I was last year around the 4th of July. I had a beautiful week last week but I definitely do not want to flatline after that. I relate my work performance to that similar to a heartbeat. As long as I have a steady beat with a few spikes here and there I am doing well. If I can gain more life insurance I will be doing much much better....

Crop Until You Drop - I have been scrapbooking a lot more lately. I have made a mental note to take time aside for myself every month to catch up on my lovely books. June awarded me two times to do it. Once with my CME gals and one with my mom and Nik. I did a regular Nancy crop (as I shall call it) with the CME gals and I did a Summer Lovin' Crop with Mom and Nik. The Nancy crop was for 6.5 hours and I got several pages done that evening including an extrememly cute crop kit that I got from the fee that I paid. The Summer Lovin' crop was for 14 hours and I got a record number of pages done. That record would be 20 pages!! I have to give mad props to both Mom and Nik for hanging in there with me. Mom was absolutely convinced that she could not do it for 14 hours and Nik was running on 3 hours of sleep. After a shot of a 5 hour energy drink she was perfectly fine and ready to tackle her albums. Mom finished her Alaska album, her wedding album and started her Disney album. Nik continued her Italy album and attempted to start her Hawaii album. I continued working on B's album and LoLi's album. We definitely had a great time.

More Activities Please - I have been busy finding activities for B to be a part of. He will have soccer again this fall. I am also putting him in Tiger Scouts as Boy Scouting has always been a big part of our lives. I found a troop for him and am trying to get a hold of the ScoutMaster. There will be boys from his school and other Westerville and New Albany schools so that will be good for him. I have also signed him up for Sunday School as he needs to be more exposed in our faith. I hesitated putting him in Sunday School last year due to the time constraint and we like to travel on weekends but now with the price of gas being ridiculous (Thank you Bush for yet another screw over! Hope that you and your boys are enjoying my money!!) it is the perfect time to do it. I have signed up to either help with the Kindergarten class or decorate the bulletin boards to help defray cost and to guarantee that we will be there. He will also be attending Vacation Bible School in another week.

Kindergarten Graduation - My baby has graduated from Kindergarten!! I cannot believe that the school year went so fast! I was an absolute mess that day. On top of the emotions I was feeling about him moving up another grade, I was sick with strep and a double ear infection. Not a good combination. They all looked so cute in their little paper graduation caps but it made me think about 12 years from now and that stirred a ton of emotion. My eyes teared up as I realized exactly how fast he is growing. It is too fast. I wish that I could slow time down to really enjoy more of him but I know that I cannot do it. And my heart breaks then....

Witch In Law calls - I actually had my Witch in Law call a few weeks back on my work phone. I have not spoken to her in three years. Does she really think that I will just pick up the phone and talk to her like nothing has ever happened? Not so much. After the call, I called his grandmother. The only woman I trust in that family to see why the Witch In Law would call. She then informed me that she had recently found out that she is in the final stages of pancreatic cancer and they really cannot do anything about it. She originally did not ask how much longer she had to live but she recently found out that it is three more months. With radiation treatment everyday it can be extended to at least 10 months. My heart breaks to think of her not being around and what we will have to face at her funeral. It will be a rough road. Please keep her in your prayers as she is a wonderful woman.

That is about all for now. Have to go get our God On. Thanks for reading!!

National Scrapbooking Day

2008-05-04T11:57:00.002-04:00

I had the BEST. NATIONAL. SCRAPBOOKING. DAY. EVER!!!!

For the day I had made plans to go on something called a Diva Crop. This was a crop that had everyone riding around in limos to various scrapbook stores to shop and then go back to our original destination to crop for the rest of the night.

The day started early at my house where Catwoman met me to load up the car and head out. After a quick trip to Meijer for drinks and snacks and a quick stop at Tim Hortons for my beloved Iced Cappucino we were off to West Jefferson. After a few wrong turns we were at the library to set up our area and to head out for our excursion.

The limos showed up and we were divided into two groups. My group started out in the Lincoln TownCar limo and then switched to the Excursion limo halfway through. Our first stop was to Archivers. I was excited to hopefully see FlexiGirl as she could not get off for the day. She did not start work until 2 PM. Bummer. I found majority of my stuff that I was looking for and checked out. I did make a small project while I was there and that was fun.

Next stop was to Scrapbook Groupies. I did purchase some stuff that I had not ever seen before at any other scrapbook store and we got a free Make and Take and a free gift. After that we went out to the limos for pizza and soda and we were off to our third destination.

Cord Camera by far gave us the best deals. They had extra coupons available to us AND gave us a bunch of freebies. That was awesome. I do not think that they were near prepared for our group as we had 24 women with us. But for what we got it was fantastic.

Last stop was PizzazzIt. The last time I was in there the owner was kind of grumpy and was complaining about our group coming for the day. I was not looking to really get anything from there but I did find some items that I have not found anywhere else and I really needed. So I took advantage of the 25% discount that was offered to us and took the plunge. They are having a scrapbooking garage sale soon so I look very forward to trying to get a table and get some of my items sold off to purchase new and better items.

From there it was back to our original destination for food, game and of course CROPPING!!!! Talk about a lot of fun. I did win a prize from the basket and it was the item I was eyeing the whole time so that was pretty fantastic. We did not leave until 11:30 PM. I had completed 8 pages of my sons album.

Not only did I have CatWoman to hang out with I had two of my cohorts from my Advantage account there. It was great to spend the day with them and laugh. We all know that it is relaxing to get to know people better outside of work and this is no exception. I am still thinking of good names for them. I am thinking of Mickey's Wife for the one friend and I am caught on the other one. I will think of it very soon.

I will score this as a pretty A+ day!!!

Ohio International Pageants on Facebook

2008-04-26T16:43:00.003-04:00

I am so excited. I have officially created my first group on Facebook. It is for the Ohio International Pageants. I am currently the Alumni Director for the new Executive Director and we are doing our best to expand the Ohio International group and involve those who have been a part of the system.

I did not get a chance to really post some photos from the pageant so I am going to post some now.

Feel free to visit our page on Facebook. I look forward to reconnecting to all of the former competitors. It will be a blast!!!

Here are the pics for your enjoyment....

Parents Beware!!!

2008-04-13T08:43:00.002-04:00

I received this e-mail from a friend of mine in Utah and I felt it important to share this with all of you. Please take this seriously as I certainly have.

Please read this story and be aware of the dangers of DUSTING. Some of
you might have this in your classrooms or at home. It is very
dangerous. Thanks, Officer Carter and Harwood

D U S T I N G

First, I'm going to tell you a little about me and my family. My name
is Jeff. I am a Police Officer for a city which is known nationwide
for its crime rate. We have a lot of gangs and drugs. At one point we
were #2 in the nation in homicides per capita. I also have a police
K-9 named Thor. He was certified in drugs and general duty. He retired
at 3 years old because he was shot in the line of duty. He lives with
us now and I still train with him because he likes it. I always liked
the fact that there was no way to bring drugs into my house. Thor
wouldn't allow it. He would tell on you. The reason I say this is so
you understand that I know about drugs.

I have taught in schools about drugs. My wife asks all our kids at
least once a week if they used any drugs. Makes them promise they
won't.

I like building computers occasionally and started building a new one
in February 2005. I also was working on some of my older computers.
They were full of dust so on one of my trips to the computer store I
bought a 3 pack of DUST OFF. Dust Off is a can of compressed air to
blow dust off a computer. A few weeks later when I went to use one of
them they were all used. I talked to my kids and my two sons both said
they had used them on their computer and messing around with them. I
yelled at them for wasting the 10 dollars I paid for them.

On February 28 I went back to the computer store. They didn't have the
3 pack which I had bought on sale so I bought a single jumbo can of
Dust Off. I went home and set it down beside my computer. On March
1st, I left for work at 10 PM. Just before midnight my wife went down
and kissed Kyle goodnight. At 5:30 am the next morning Kathy went
downstairs to wake Kyle up for school, before she left for work. He
was propped up in bed with his legs crossed and his head leaning over.
She called to him a few times to get up. He didn't move. He would
sometimes tease her like this and pretend he fell back asleep. He was
never easy to get up. She went in and shook his arm. He fell over. He
was pale white and had he straw from the Dust Off can coming out of
his mouth. He had the new can of Dust Off in his hands. Kyle was dead.

I am a police officer and I had never heard of this. My wife is a
nurse and she had never heard of this. We later found out from the
coroner, after the autopsy, that only the propellant from the can of
Dust off was in his system. No other drugs. Kyle had died between
midnight and 1 AM.

I found out that using Dust Off is being done mostly by kids ages 9 through 15. They even have a name for it. It's called dusting. A take off from the Dust Off name. It gives them a slight high for about 10 seconds. It makes them dizzy. A boy who lives
down the street from us showed Kyle how to do this about a month before. Kyle showed his best friend. Told him it was cool and it couldn't hurt you. It's just compressed air. It can't hurt you. His best friend said no.

Kyle was wrong. It's not just compressed air. It also contains a propellant called R2. It's a refrigerant like what is used in your refrigerator. It is a heavy gas, heavier than air. When you inhale it, it fills your lungs and keeps the good air, with oxygen, out that's why you feel dizzy, buzzed. It decreases the oxygen to your brain, to your heart. Kyle was right. It can't hurt you. IT KILLS YOU!

The horrible part about this is there is no warning. There is no level that kills you. It's not cumulative or an overdose; it can just go randomly, terribly wrong. Roll the dice and if your number comes up you die. IT'S NOT AN OVERDOSE. It's Russian Roulette. You don't die later. Or not feel good and say I've had too much. You usually die as you're breathing it in, if not you die within 2 seconds of finishing 'the hit.' That's why the straw was still in Kyle's mouth when he died. Why his eyes were still open.

The experts want to call this huffing. The kids don't believe its huffing. As adults we tend to lump many things together. But it doesn't fit here. And that's why it's more accepted. There is no chemical reaction, no strong odor. It doesn't follow the huffing signals. Kyle complained a few days before he died of his tongue hurting. It probably did. The propellant causes frostbite. If I had only known.

It's easy to say hey, it's my life and I'll do what I want. But it isn't. Others are always affected. This has forever changed our family's life. I have a hole in my heart and soul that can never be fixed. The pain is so immense I can't describe it. There's nowhere to run from it. I cry all the time and I don't ever cry. I do what I'm supposed to do but I don't really care. My kids are messed up. One won't talk about it. The other will only sleep in our room at night. And my wife, I can't even describe how bad she is taking this.

I thought we were safe because of Thor. I thought we were safe because we knew about drugs and talked to our kids about them.

After Kyle died another story came out. A probation Officer went to the school system next to ours to speak with a student. While there he found a student using Dust Off in the bathroom. This student told him about another student who also had some in his locker. This is a rather affluent school system. They will tell you they don't have a drug problem there. They don't even have a dare or plus program there.
So rather than tell everyone about this 'new' way of getting high they found, they hid it.

The probation officer told the media after Kyle's death and they, the school, then admitted to it. I know that if they would have told the media and I had heard, it wouldn't have been in my house.

We need to get this out of our homes and school computer labs. Using Dust Off isn't new and some 'professionals' do know about. It just isn't talked about much, except by the kids. They all seem to know about it.

April 2nd was 1 month since Kyle died. April 5th would have been his 15th birthday. And every weekday I catch myself sitting on the living room couch at 2:30 in the afternoon and waiting to see him get off the bus. I know Kyle is in heaven but I can't help but wonder if I died and went to Hell.

This Officer is asking for EVERYONE who receives this email to forward
it to everyone in their address book, even Law Enforcement Officers. Even if you do not have children, you can still forward this to friends & family who do.

Congratulations MONICA DAY!! Miss Congeniality at Miss USA

2008-04-12T18:53:00.003-04:00

Congratulations Monica!!! I was beyond thrilled when I saw on television that she won Miss Congeniality! To know Monica is to totally understand how she was chosen. She is not only one of the sweetest women that I have ever met, she is also the funniest. She can always keep me cracking up when I am around her.

I was bummed for her when she did not make Top 15. Seriously, what were the judges thinking? Did they lose their brains somewhere along the way. She looked stunning and confident and she is a heck of an interviewer!!! The girl has the gift of gab for the good!!! Here are a few photos of her from preliminary competition.

I was not 100% impressed with last nights competition. Majority of the girls in the Top 15 were more of a box shape. Not many curves. I do not even recall one of the women with an hourglass figure! Even if they had implants it did not make a different in their shape. And do not even get me started on the gowns. There was not ONE evening gown that I was completely blown away by. I started looking more toward the non-finalists and their gowns caught my attention more than the Top Ten gowns!! That is sad.

Also, can I say that I was beyond furious with Channel 4 here in Columbus last night. I understand that weather reports are somewhat considered important but not on pageant night! COME ON!!! Especially when one of your own reporters is a participant in the pageant. Where is the love!!! I missed all of the opening number and state intros. It was not a pleasant night in the house until the pageant finally came on. Then it was on to the Top 15.

I had to say that I did have Texas picked all along. She was the strongest in competition in every phase. I thought that it was funny that both of the states that I have lived in both won something important. Although I wish it could have been the other way with Texas winning Congeniality and Ohio winning the crown of Miss USA but there is something else meant for our lovely Miss Ohio and I know that for her sake it will be incredible.

Here is a photo montage of our new Miss USA, Crystal Stewart. Congratulation.

Spring Fever

2008-04-06T18:29:00.002-04:00

I am so far behind it is not even funny!! So instead of going back I am going to press on and move forward.

This weekend has been extremely useful. I have finally gotten a chance to get some much needed housework done. It is a myth that if you work from home that you should be able to get lots done around the house. I am about to disspell that rumor. It is completely false. I have the hardest time keeping up. I need a housekeeper and cannot afford one. I wish I could find the one that cleaned my neighbors house for $50 and a lunch of Power Bars and apples!!!

I managed to open all the windows throughout the house and completely air out the house which has lifted my entire spirit. I needed that. I have also vacuumed all of the carpets, put all the laundry away, cleaned all of the mirrors and much much more. I feel a bit better now.

On to tackle my work week. I need more life insurance and more policies. I had a decent first quarter but not enough life which can hurt my job. I do not want to go through that again!! So I shall press forward and work as hard as I can this quarter.

I am super excited for a few events that are coming up. This month is Miss USA 2008 and my dear friend, Monica Day, is competing as Miss Ohio USA. I am so nervous for her but I know she will rock it!! Next month I am attending something called a Diva Crop. The woman that is hosting it is renting TWO stretch limos, one Hummer and one Excursion limo, for the event. We will be driven all over Columbus to four scrapbooking stores and then returning to crop until midnight. My friend Catwoman is going with me and we are looking to make it an entire weekend. Then in July there is a bunch of us going to Mrs. International to watch the competition. My friend Kesh has fondly called it Mrs Ohio Gone Wild!! We are excited at the low cost that she got for the rooms and for the experience. We had both competed there but to watch as a spectator will be a blast. There are four of us going.

More to share in detail later. Here is hoping that I can keep up with blogging for now.

MIA

2008-02-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

I know, I have been missing in action for a few weeks. But I am back.

Right now the most pressing thing in my life is to get my work year off the ground and in the right direction. So far the beginning of the year is going well but I am FREAKING out about minimum standards for life insurance. We have to have 4 booked per quarter. I know that does not sound like a lot but it is harder than it appears. Help me. Save me. Protect your life and family today!!!

Enough begging. On to good stuff.

I have been enjoying a lot of family time lately on top of my crazy schedule. Since we are all stuck indoors for the winter we are getting more and more family time. Which is awesome. It is fun to watch my son grow and develop and turn into an incredible little man. E has been having fun with us too. We have been embracing our time together and now we are dying to get into the warmer weather.

I have been judging more pageant lately which is very fun for me. I hope to do more in the near future but get back to traveling.

I have been doing more and more scrapbooking lately and am currently working on a gift for a friend of mine. I cannot wait for him to see it.

On the medical side, E went in for outpatient surgery on Friday. He is recovering well and we will have soem results by Tuesday or Wednesday, I know that things will be okay. But it will be nice to have some more answers.

That is it for now. Until later....

More Prayers Please

2008-01-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

Ok. I have heard from a few people and it looks like we need to keep the prayer chain going.

Catwoman - she is a friend of mine from college and she recently lost her job. Gotta love our job market right? We all know that it is not easy to get a job when you are already out of work but I have got some serious prayers going for her. Join me will ya?

Update on Grimm - Brain surgery went well with the exception that he has lost feeling in both arms from the elbows down. He found this out Monday night and since then has regained use of his right thumb and a small percentage of use back in his left arm. Keep the prayers coming.

E - surgery was scheduled for the 24th and now they have changed the date. We are uncertain as to the date again but it will be soon.

Hope that everyone else is doing well. Take care.

People Prayers Needed Please

2008-01-09T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have a few people that need some prayers so if you can spare some I would appreciate it.

Grimmy - he went in for brain surgery this week and as of right now he has no feeling in his arms from the elbow down. He is a co-worker of mine and a great friend to me and my family. I will be seeing him soon so that will be good for him and for me. I am praying for no permanent paralysis for him as that woudl inhibit his work.

E - sometime this month my husband will need to go in for outpatient surgery. We have been having some fertility issues and hopefully this will correct his end of it before they start my side of it. As some of you may know we have been having problems conceiving another child and we so desperately want to expand our family.

If you can keep them in your prayers it would be appreciated. Thanks!!

New Years Resolutions Anyone?!?!?!

2008-01-02T17:43:00.000-05:00

I hate resolutions. Hate hate hate them.

Every year you are expected to resolve that you will do something and majority of people break it in a week.

I have caught myself doing the "I resolve to do this." and "I resolve to do that." I think it is just a natural association with the season. But it drives me crazy.

I am a preson who cannot stand to break a promise. Probably because I have had so many people do it to me in the past. But I cannot help but to want to resolve something.

So if I must resolve to do something here is what it will be:

My resolutions are:

1) To be a better wife, mother and friend to those around me.
2) To remember to take one hour to myself per day for sanity reasons.
3) To be the best Insurance Agent I can be.
4) To scrapbook more with my friends.
5) To take a minute per day and be thankful for what I have.

Forget the weight loss resolutions and the save more money resolutions and all the other countless ones that will be forgotten in five minutes or less.

This is what I have to offer. Hold me to it, okay?!?!

How To Have Good Luck In The New Year!!!

2007-12-31T09:06:00.000-05:00

I am superstitious. That is one thing to know about me. So this is important.

We had an okay year. There have been some struggles and some good things to come. I am very nervous yet excited about the new year. So I went on line and found these items. Hopefully it will bring great luck to us all.

Another one that is not on here is to eat only pork on New Years Eve and New Years Day. No chicken at all!!!! The pork is also pushing ahead where the chicken is scratching back into the previous year.

Suffice it to say, these will all be used. In some form or another.

Read what I have found on YAHOO below:

Traditionally, with the New Year’s Day approaching, people become more superstitious when it comes to luck. All around the globe there are so many traditions and customs that are supposed to bring good luck to folks. Many persons believe strongly in these good luck-bringing customs and they never forget to repeat them year after year. Here are some of these actualized good luck traditions. Hope to bring you good luck!

Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need
to be superstitious
optimism
to be open minded

Steps

Step One - An interesting good luck custom is to eat fish specialties at the New Year’s Eve Party! It is said that you’ll swim through the New Year like a fish. You will be able to move smoothly and easily and go beyond obstacles with facility in the New Year.

Step Two - At midnight, between the year ready to conclude and the one to follow, make sure you have some money in your pocket or purse. If the New Year finds you with money in your pocket, you’ll not miss them in the year to come.

Step Three - Another good luck custom is to wear something new on New Year’s Eve. You don’t have to buy the entire outfit for the New Year’s Eve Party; it’s enough to have one new item. The proper way to welcome the New Year is by wearing something new.

Step Four - The Dutch are eating donuts on New Year’s Day. They say donuts bring fortune because they have the shape of the ring, which symbolizes the full circle, the year’s cycle. If you don’t want donuts as New Year treat, you can try any ring-shaped food, like onion rings for example.

Step Five - Make sure you have a bell in your proximity, to announce the New Year. It’s a proper way to welcome the New Year and, guess what, it will bring you fortune.

Step Six - Be aware at the first visitor on New Year’s Day! He or she would bring either good luck or bad luck. It is said that if the first person who visit is a tall, dark-haired man, he will bring good luck to the house and hosts.

Step Seven - It’s a very well-known New Year’s custom to make a lot of noise by organizing fireworks, confetti showers and striking crackers on the night between years. This way, it is said that the old year is getting scared and runs away, making room for the new one. So, be noisy on New Year’s Eve, scare away the concluded year and prepare yourself for the beginning of a lucky one!

"I am a Ken Doll. I am just hidden in a Homer Simpson body!!"

2007-12-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

This was honest to God a comment that my husband made to me.

We were talking about what people immediately think when they see a person. Usually whenever I mention that I am married they expect that my mate would look like a Ken doll. Then they are surprised when they see my husband. Mind you E takes very good care of himself. He is just a bigger guy. And that can throw people off.

We are looking to remedy that by the beginning of the new year. We have stockpiled healthy dinners for him and we are looking for the best food and exercise plan for him. I will be working along with him on that and will hopefully drop about 20 pounds too. I am not necessarily heavy mind you but I would like to be a little leaner or more toned. I am not sure what to do yet but it will be good.

Any suggestions????

The 12 Days of Christmas

2007-12-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

I received this e-mail from my aunt who is also my godmother and thought it was interesting. For all of you fellow Catholics out there it may help you to truly understand the song. At least it made sense to me.

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
Today, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

- The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

- Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

- Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

- The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

- The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

- The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

- Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit -- Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

- The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

- Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit -- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

- The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

- The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

- The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish."

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone.....

Power Of Prayer

2007-12-13T08:42:00.000-05:00

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRAYER!!!

I have been going through a lot lately personally and emotionally. It has been way too much on my plate and I needed relief to happen soon before having a nervous breakdown. Very important not to have one of those.

So last Sunday I decided I needed to go to church. Not a want but a definite need. I went to church by myself and prayed. Just let God know that I could not handle this much and I needed his help. In church I even teared up a bit because the pain was too much to handle.

I know that everything comes in due time. This was one of those days that it actually happened. My phone started ringing for business again and I received a call that made my life a little easier.

I am blessed and I am thankful. Now to pay it forward to someone else who needs the help like I did. It is all that I can do to say Thanks!!!

Sadness........

2007-12-11T09:40:00.001-05:00

I have no idea why but lately I have been feeling a lot of sadness.

No particular reason why but just feel sad. Maybe just that business is slow and that I have more time to think. Maybe for people that I feel sorry for because of hard situations that they may be in. Maybe because we are still having a hard time conceiving another child that we so desparately want. Maybe because good people that we know are being screwed over in various ways. Maybe because finances suck and due to slow times it hurts even more. Maybe because sometimes no matter how hard I try to fit in I just do not.

Who truly knows?

I have a lot to be grateful for and I know this. I just cannot help how I feel inside. And truthfully, it scares me to the core.

Hopefully my mood will improve and get much better. I have a little kid that needs my spirits to be up for the holiday.

And The Pageant Controversies Continue

2007-12-05T08:10:00.000-05:00

This would be an absolute nightmare to happen to a person. I have been asked this question before in a pageant but to have it happen to someone can be devastating.

The question is: "If you were to win the title tonight and then found out later that you were not actually the winner, what would you do?"

My answer has always been and will always be to give the title to its rightful owner. My time would come and it would not be fair to the person who won that night. This scenario happened to a former competitor of mine and the girl who had the title did not give it up. Completely not fair for my friend because she lost her shot to compete at Miss Ohio.

Here is the article:

Miss California loses crown to rightful winner after mix-up

5th December 2007, 13:45 WST

An accounting mix-up led to the wrong woman being crowned Miss California USA, and she has relinquished her crown to the rightful winner, organisers say.

Christina Silva, 24, was declared the winner of the annual state beauty pageant, but she gave up the title to Raquel Beezley, who was originally named the second runner-up.

Beezley, 21, will represent the state at the Miss USA pageant next April.

The pageant’s state director, Keith Lewis, said several judges questioned the results of the November 25 competition at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Lewis said the error was discovered the next day after the ballots were opened and recounted.

“It was a simple human error,” Lewis said.

Silva has hired a lawyer and is weighing her legal options, according to her manager, Tony Brewster.

In a news release, Silva said she felt pressured to step down.

“They never could explain their accounting error, but told me that if I didn’t give up my crown to Miss Barstow, my personal integrity could be questioned, and my career could potentially suffer,” she said.

The contestants were scored by five celebrity judges who independently ranked them.

The mix-up occurred when the points were reversed, with the lowest point given to the winner and the highest to the fourth runner-up, Lewis said.

Roger Neal, who represents the Miss California USA pageant, said Beezley was the rightful winner.

The pageant allowed Silva to keep her crown, sash and necklace and returned her $US1,500 ($A1,700) entry fee after the error was discovered, Neal said. Duplicates were being made for Beezley.

LOS ANGELES

Happy 300th Blog

2007-12-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

Wow!! I have hit my 300th blog. I am so cool ;)

I know that a lot of my friends have far surpassed that but I am happy with what I have.

Till the next blog!!!

A Great Night for Miss Day

2007-12-03T16:28:00.003-05:00

By Shawn Tyree
PDT Feature Writer

On Saturday evening, the 2008 Miss Ohio USA crown went to Miss Greater Columbus USA, Monica Day. The decision was the end result of a weekend full of interviews, swimsuit and evening gown presentations.

Day expressed a sense of premonition about her emotional experience throughout the pageant.

“It's been amazing. I got here and they talk about feeling like you're going to win, or feeling the crown on your head, and that is so true,” she said. “Every minute this weekend I tried to present and show people that I already felt it, in hope that they would catch on. It worked, luckily.”

Day said she benefited from her experience in previous Miss Ohio USA pageants.

“I've been in the top 15 before and I've never gotten any further,” she said. “So when I got in the top 15, I said (to myself), ‘OK, I've made it this far, they like me. Let's keep doing what we're doing, and push a little bit further and make it to the top five.'”

Her strategy paid off. When Day continued to progress, she was able to retain a winning attitude through the elimination stages.

“Standing there in the top five it was like, they're going to ask you a question and all they want to know is who you are and what you think,” Day said. “With that, I was not nervous at all.”

Day approached the judges with straightforward answers.

“I expected to be myself and hope that the judges liked that,” she said. “I'm a reporter in Columbus, I'm on television, where I cover traffic and entertainment.”

The newly-crowned 2008 Miss Ohio USA expressed positive personal and pageants representative goals.

“Obviously, I've competed in the pageant a few times. I really want to use this pageant to promote myself and take my career to the next level, and also promote this system. It is a great system, there are a lot of wonderful things for people,” Day said. “Through this, I can really inspire and feel like I'm making a difference. We all want to make a difference, and this is a great way to do it.”

If the published schedule for last year's winner, Anna Melomud, is an indicator of the road ahead, then Day will receive many opportunities to make a difference in 2008.

Monica Day Is The New Miss Ohio USA 2008

2007-12-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

I am absolutely elated to announce that my friend, Monica Day, is the new Miss Ohio USA 2008!!!

I have known Monica now for almost 10 years and she is an incredible young woman. Very bright, very beautiful and extremely funny!!! She can always manage to make me laugh. She is usually in the company of her grandmother, Diana. They have both been wonderful to our family and they are very well known for sending the best photo cards.

Monica can be seen on NBC 4 in Columbus as the Traffic Reporter. Tune in to watch her bright and early in the mornings.

I cannot believe that for the second year in a row I will actually know someone who is gracing the Miss USA stage. Last year, Rachel Epperly was on the Miss Teen USA stage. Although she did Ohio proud she did not crack the Top Fifteen.

Best of luck this year Monica!! We are very proud of you!!!!

End of the Day, End of the Week, End of the Month.....

2007-11-30T17:23:00.000-05:00

It has been a VERY long month....

For me, it has been a crazy month. The month has been a little slow as everyone is spending towards the holidays and I do not handle slow very well.

I am trying to find the bottom of my office and I have not found it yet. I feel like I am buried in paper and cannot come out of it. Luckily for me the boys are heading out to play tomorrow morning. As sad as it sounds I may take the time to find the bottom of my office. And fast.

I am hoping that December comes with a little more busyness and business. I want to end the year strong but may have most of it go to the next year. Just to build a good base to enter in. Always nice to have a cushion to fall on.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Ohio International Pageants Has A New Director!!!!

2007-11-28T08:27:00.000-05:00

I am excited to know that there is a new director for the Mrs. Ohio, Miss Ohio and Miss Teen Ohio International pageants. When my director, Susan Botek, went into pageant directing retirement last year I was worried that it would just fall. I had actually found out over a week ago that Vicki LeVeck was the new Executive Director! I have known Vicki since I had competed with her at Miss Cuyahoga County Fair in 1993 in a Miss Ohio America preliminary.

Vicki has always treated me very well throughout my years of competing and has always been extremely supportive of me. I know that she will do an incredible job as the new director! We will miss Susan very much but I know that she is excited to be able to sit in the audience as a former titleholder and just enjoy the show.

Below is the first article that I have seen in regards to the change in directorship. Many thanks to Abby Bollenbacher for providing the link!!

Zanesville new home for state pageant
Executive director excited about moving headquarters
By HOLLY RICHARDS
Staff Writer

ZANESVILLE - With the definite prospect of an economic boost, Vicki LeVeck is excited to bring the state pageant headquarters to the Y City.

LeVeck, who serves as the executive director of the Muskingum County Convention Facilities Authority and Miss Southeastern Ohio Scholarship Program, will also wear the hat of executive director and owner of the Ohio International Pageant System.

Earlier this month, she officially acquired the Miss Ohio, Mrs. Ohio and Teen Ohio International franchises, which could lead to a major boost in tourism and business.

"This will create an incredible spike in the local economy," LeVeck said. "In addition to the three divisions of the state competition, the competitors' friends, families and fans will be staying in our hotels, buying gas at our gas stations, shopping at our retailers and attending events like this that we've been looking to bring to Zanesville."
She said she will bring these three competitions to Zanesville as early as March, and will be marketing throughout the state.

"This will heighten awareness of Zanesville and who we are," she added. "I hope this will be another opportunity to put Zanesville on the map, welcome people to the community and continue to grow."

While experimenting with these responsibilities, LeVeck said she still plans to head up the annual Miss SEO competition.

"It almost directs itself," she said. "The community has been so supportive and hungry to see it return, and I've got an incredible committee that helps run it. And this year, we will offer the new Miss SEO an opportunity to go on to Miss Ohio International, and we will waive the entry fees."

LeVeck said Zanesville seemed to be the perfect fit for the headquarters, which has been located in Toledo since 1991.

"They were looking for new franchise owners, and I wondered if Zanesville could support the program; they were impressed with what they saw," she said. "Being the director of the Muskingum County Convention Facilities Authority and pageant system goes hand-in-hand, especially when trying to define entertainment in Zanesville. These are family events and business events, and they bring literally hundreds of people into Zanesville. I hope we will continue to see great things."

For more information about the International programs, visit www.MrsInternational.com, www.Miss-International.us or www.MissTeenInternational.us.

hrichards@nncogannett.com
740-450-6772

The Great Pop Tart Debate

2007-11-27T17:44:00.000-05:00

Ok. This one should definitely be an interesting blog.

My husband and I have been in a debate over Pop Tarts for the longest time. It has now become the family debate!!

The argument is this. I say that the proper serving of a Pop Tart is one toaster pastry. My husband says that the proper serving of a Pop Tart is one wrapped package which consists of two toaster pastries.

The box clearly says the serving is one Pop Tart. Not two, just one.

His argument is that if it were meant to be one Pop Tart they would have wrapped them separately, not together.

And for this argument alone I am the new Food Bad Guy!! Flexigirl should be able to understand this one as she is the Food Bad Guy around her family too. We have yet another thing in common.

Please feel free to weigh in with your commentary. I look forward to seeing which side each person is on.

Happy Birthday Lorilea!!

2007-11-24T11:03:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe that my niece is 6 years old today!!! It just seems like yesterday we were rushing up from Columbus to go to Marymount Hospital to await the arrival of a little girl to be named Lorilea.

Hope that you have a very Happy Birthday Lorilea!!! We are looking forward to the birthday party and the celebration!!

Black Friday Madness

2007-11-23T16:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, I confess. I was one of the crazy people up at 3:30 AM to go out and to find the best deals for the Christmas holiday.

We plotted and planned a bit of an excursion for this bright and early morning. We knew first and foremost that we were hitting Wal-Mart first and going on to Jo-Ann Etc. after that. Then from there it was totally up in the air.

We got exactly what we wanted at all of the stores that we hit. E was the only one who was having a hard time. He was looking for DVD-R's at the really good prices and they were completely out by the time we got there. Sorry E!!

And the craziest thing. We are not even completely done yet!!! We still need to go see Santa at the mall and try to hit one more store. I am exhausted but really having a lot of fun. And you can sleep when you are dead so I am not stressing too bad over being tired!!

And the sad part is this. I am already starting to look forward to Black Friday for next year. So sad....

Happy Turkey Day!!!

2007-11-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is here once again and I do have a lot to be thankful for.

This year my brother has my niece for the holiday. Since his divorce he is on an every other year deal and this is our year. The kids are running all over the house having a great time. They keep calling the turkey "Turkey Lurkey". Too cute.

For me it gives me the chance to reflect on what I am thankul for. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I am in a rewarding career (that only drives me somewhat nuts every once in a while), I have a beautiful family and I have great friends who are extremely supportive of me. I am blessed.

This year I have planned out two very strong scrapbooking pages to show my thankfulness and the thankfulness of others. I will try to scan it on to show at a later time, otherwise find me so I can show them to you. Flexigirl will definitely appreciate this!!

I am also planning on the route we are going to take for Black Friday. I have my eye on a particular item and I am dying to get there at the right time. Here is hoping that it is still there. We will be having the kids pick what they want for their Santa Wish List and make a special visit to see good ole Santa Claus at the mall. Where else would he be?

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!!

OSU Wins Over Michigan!!

2007-11-18T08:09:00.000-05:00

Thank you God, the Buckeyes WON yesterday against Michigan!!!

This has been a very interesting season. Believe it or not a lot of how a business week goes does depend on how well the Buckeyes play in football. If, or shall I say when, they win, people are very willing to talk business. If not, they are not as receptive. Funny how football can do that to a college town.

Final score: OSU 14 Michigan 3

I wanted to share a cute photo that was sent to me by one of my friends and supplier of CE courses for me. Rob Fill sent this to me and I thought it was a hoot. It is proof that God is a Buckeyes fan:

Quiz Time... Who Am I????

2007-11-17T16:34:00.001-05:00

I was taking a little bit of time to unwind and ran across these people quizzes. Here are my results:

I am a fan of Degrassi. Have been since I have been in junior high school. Well, the Next Generation is out and I watch the shows as emphatically as I did in junior high. Here are my results from here:

I also watch The Hills when I get a chance. Mainly that means I DVR it and watch it the next day. Don't want to overlaod my husband on too many girl shows. Here are my resluts from here:

This is the one that confused me. I am a fan of Pageant Place. I really do think that it realistically shows titleholders. You have the ones who try to be super perfect, the ones who are realistic and very down to earth and the ones who are jsut downright sweet. I love it!! Here was my result from that quiz:

If I find any more quizzes based off of my shows I will definitely post.

It Has Been So Very Long...

2007-11-15T08:10:00.000-05:00

Since I have last blogged. I am disappointed in myself.

We have had a very long and busy month. Lots of good things and a few bad things. But overall pretty good.

Here are some of the good as I want to stay in the positive:

B made Student of the Month at school. I found out when I went to pick him up from school the one day. His teacher asked him to tell me his news. As soon as she said that I had figured he made Student of the Month. He told me that he had to go to the principals office on Monday. I put on the stern face and asked what he did wrong ;) He got defensive and said it was to eat pizza with the principal. I asked why was that (as if I did not know) and he said it was because he was Student of the Month!! I was so excited for him. That is a great honor to have. I waited to get to the car to hug him and kiss him as to not embarrass him in front of his class. I took him to school the following Monday to have his pizza with the principal. I was prepared to take pictures but he did not want me to because it would embarrass him. So I am going to ask the school for the photos that they took.

We had Halloween. On the Saturday before Halloween we took him and the Carr girls to the Columbus Zoo for Boo at the Zoo. They had a great time going around the zoo and getting candy from the vendors. The candy was kind of disappointing as majority of it was Tootsie Rolls but they had a good time and that is all that matters. Halloween was okay as it started out with its normal bratty fit that he is infamous for every year. We had to get the traditional time out picture. Then it was around the neighborhood we went. We had a great time and collected a lot of candy. I think we wore poor Teach Holloway out but I think she had a good time too.

E and I judged America's Beautiful Role Model. I competed in this pageant over 10 years ago and it was wonderful to go back and judge for them. They had a great pageant and some wonderful contestants. Check out their website at . It is a beautiful website. They have not updated their National winners yet but it will be soon.

The following weekend E and I went back to Dallas to judge a pageant called Diamonds and Pearls . He judged the modeling portion and I judged the photo portion. The photo portion is not always my favorite to judge but it was not bad at this one. Best part was that they allowed us to pick the photo we liked and judge it accordingly instead of judging all of them. It is so nice to do that. The hard part for E was that the game was on during the pageant and OSU was losing to Illinois. Did not make for a fun evening. No worries. No scores were affected by the outcome of the game. I promise.

Coming up is more judging for me and the big OSU vs. Michigan game this weekend. I am anxious for the game but ready to get it over with. The games can be stressful when you know how it can affect a whole city and sales for the week. Usually when we are winning people are more ready to talk and meet with me. But when they are losing it is harder. Mind you we are getting into the slow season in my business. And that is rough for me. I cannot stand to be slow!!! But hopefully things will pick up.

Till later and hopefully that does not mean a month later......

A Great Weekend

2007-10-21T19:48:00.000-04:00

This weekend was a great one for our little family.

We had my mom and dad come down for the day on Saturday to watch B's soccer game. I have been after them that I want them to see him play. So they made arrangements to come down and to bring my neice with them. She was super good and I was happy about that.

They had a blast watching B play in his soccer game. It was especially thrilling when he made a goal!! The game was tied 1-1 and was a great game to watch. We got snacks and went our separate ways for at least an hour so the boys could play with RC cars and the girls could shop for scrapbook supplies. Better yet, watch me shop for stuff with my gift certificate.

The rest of Saturday was low key. It was great to watch the Buckeyes achieve yet another victory. We are all about the Buckeyes winning games. Makes for a better work week.

Sunday was a very good day. We started cleaning up the house a bit and headed out for a while. We helped Grimmy's son with his wireless, went to the dollar theatre and out to grab a bite of luner (lunch and dinner) at Vaquero's. E was in heaven. Then we went shopping for a Halloween costume for B. It was a bit of a challenge but we found a costume. He will be The Flash. Had to be a superhero again!! But it is what he likes so we let him have it. Then to another trip to JoAnn's for my scrapbook habit and on to bowling on the parent/child league that the boys are on.

Now we are wrapping up homework and getting ready for tomorrow. For me, tomorrow is a very big appointment. I hope that all goes well with it. If so it will be one of the largest accounts landed for our team. Pray that all goes well.

On to finishing homework. Have a great night and a great week!!!

Real Men Of Genius.... And This Is Dedicated To The Ultimate Buckeye Fans

2007-10-05T16:34:00.001-04:00

"Bud Light presents Real Men of Genius"

(Reaaaaal Men Of Genius)

Today we salute you, Mr. Delusional Michigan Fan.

(Mr. Delusional Michigan Faaaaaan!)

Season after season, year after year, you try to justify your absurdly
high preseason ranking.

(Clutching at straws!)

Season after season, year after year, you scramble to make futile
attempts at damage control when the Wolverines lose to a grossly
inferior opponent.

(How'd Appalachian wiin thaaat?)

Inevitably, you'll bring up the past, and boast of National
Championships won 40 years before you were born.

(Those were the daaaaaays!)

You will point out that you have more wins than any other program as
though that is relevant to the current season.

(Been playing since the 1870s!)

Go on, ignore that home loss to your archrivals in the regular season
finale and continue to believe that you'll defeat your bowl opponent
with striking ease.

(We'll win by thirteeeeeeey!)

So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Emperor of Excuses, and take
comfort knowing that when you don't finish in the top 25, you'll be back
to number three when the preseason polls come out next year.

(Mr. Delusional Michigan Fan!)

Lynd's Fruit Farm

2007-10-05T11:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was B's first school field trip. I had the opportunity to go as a Parent Chaperone. It was a lot of fun. I love the fact that I have a job that allows me to arrange my schedule so I can do stuff like this.

I was in charge of B and our neighbors daughter, Reece Cup. I was happy with that because I knew exactly what I needed to do to keep them in line. They were super good for me and I really appreciated that.

We got to go on a tractor ride, pick 3 gourds, 2 ears of Indian corn and a pumpkin. We did learn more about the items that we picked and drank hot apple cider. And since the other Kindergarten classes were there I got to see Teach Holloway and her husband and J, B's best friend. I loved hearing the enthusiasm in the kids voices and watching their reactions to the whole experience.

It was a very very hot day and by the time we got on the bus we were sweating pretty badly. But overall it was a great day!!

Here are some pics to enjoy!!!

Me, B and Reece Cup on the tractor ride

Teach Holloway taking a pic of me as I am taking a pic of her

Reality TV Back In Full Force

2007-10-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

Ah yes, reality TV. My own getaway from personal reality.

I am an addict to Reality TV. This is how my week goes...

Monday:

Dancing With The Stars
The Bachelor

Tuesday:

Dancing With The Stars - Results Show
The Biggest Loser

Wednesday:

America's Next Top Model

Thursday:

Nothing yet...

Friday:

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - Making the Team

I cannot wait for the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and the Miss Universe reality show Pageant Place on MTV.

Thank goodness for DVR. This right now is my main stress relief until the weekends where I can resume scrapbooking.

Soccer Dude is BACK!!!

2007-09-23T12:03:00.001-04:00

Soccer season has officially begun.

They have had two practices and yesterday was the first soccer game. I remember last year freaking out when they woudl send my son in. This year, I am ecstatic when he is sent in. There are four really good kids on the team and B is one of them.

The highlight of the first game for me was this. B got his first goal ever!! And it was the first goal of the season!! It was completely awesome. I was so proud of him. The coaches were so busy laughing at myself and Teach Holloway. Both of our sons got a goal and we were both jumping around like fools.

We are so incredibly proud of the boys and their team. Can we say GO TEAM FIRE!!!!

Ohio Queen - Attorney At Law

2007-09-19T20:59:00.000-04:00

Seriously, I think that I have dubbed that title unofficially.

I realize that in my career path I wear many hats. I can be a friend, counselor, psychologist, confidant, etc. I did not realize that attorney could be an idea too.

Attorneys usually fight for the rights of their clients. And I have been fighting a lot for my clients lately. They are great people so the fight is worth giving. It just can be VERY exhausting.

But on a great note, I was at the CME Federal Credit Union Get Behind The Badge golf outing on Monday. It was a beautiful day to be on the golf course. They generously let me be on Hole #3 with the fundraiser of Go For The Green. They bet a dollar amount and if they land on the green they get it back plus the same amount from me. If they did not land on the green I kept the money. It was great to be able to talk to all of the golfers, market myself and my company and raise $405 for Get Behind The Badge. I had a blast!!

Crimson Cup on High Street (next to the new CME Federal Credit Union branch) has allowed me to put up a Register To Win box to allow me to get some more leads. They have great coffee so stop by and Register To Win for a $25.00 gift certificate from there. Thanks to the crew there for the help!!!

On the 22nd, CME will be having their Community Grand Opening. They will have lots of fun activities for the kids and families so come on out if you are available. They are on High Street in Clintonville area.

That is all for now. The makeshift attorney needs to go to bed!!! Night all!!!

Happy Birthday E!!!

2007-09-15T11:20:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it has been 10 birthdays that I have celebrated with my husband. But here we are with another year.

We already gave E his birthday gift. For the longest time he has wanted to attend an Ohio State Football game and has never been able to. Mostly due to financial reasons. I had a policyholder kind enough to hook me up with tickets to the OSU vs. Kent State University game. My alma mater.

He was shocked!!! And it was fabulous. I am thrilled.

I hope that he continues to have a great birthday. He deserves it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY E!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

A Little Self Therapy

2007-09-14T11:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday for me was a very testing day. Unbelieveably annoying and crazy all at the same time. So I decided to do a little self therapy.

There is a test you can do. Take three people that you admire and write three things about them that you admire. I have had some great people in my life and they have affected this list. Here are the four people I chose:

Grimmy: co-worker of mine that I absolutely adore

considerate
helpful
dedicated friend

TeachHolloway: neighbor and dear friend

funny
great conversationalist
driven

E: husband and wonderful companion

hardworking
devoted
giving

B: awesome little kid and son

generous
compassionate
silly

The point of this test is to list what you admire about them. Then you learn what it is about yourself that you possess in each person that is a good quality. And every once in a while it is needed. So you can understand why I needed to do this.

Have a great weeekend. GO BUCKS!! And Happy Birthday to E.

This Was Really Good....

2007-09-12T08:27:00.000-04:00

A MAYONNAISE JAR AND 2 CUPS OF COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to
handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had
some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very
large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill
it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the
jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and
poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the
golf balls. He then asked the students again if the
jar was full they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured
it into the jar . Of course, the sand filled up
everything else. He asked once more if the jar was
full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from
under the table and poured the entire contents into
the jar, effectively filling the empty space between
the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life. The golf balls are the important things-

your God, family, your children, your health, your
friends, and your favorite passions--things that if
everything else was lost and only they remained your
life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your
job, your house, and your car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes f or life. If you spend all your time
and energy on the small stuff, you will never have
room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your
happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get
medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18. There will always be time to clean
the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that
really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just
sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what
the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just
goes to show you that no matter how full your life may
seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of
coffee with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about.

I JUST DID

**If life hands you lemons, find someone with tequila and salt!**

And The Hamster Wheel Keeps Going Round And Round

2007-08-31T20:33:00.000-04:00

Wow it has been a whirlwind of a week.

Sometimes all I feel like I am doing is going round and round and round. Between working, getting all of B's kindergarten stuff together, working, teaching driving class, working and did I mention working, things have been hectic. I managed to get a lot of quoting done this week along with writing a few policies. That is always good.

The best thing is that we had our numbers gathered for the month and it appears that I was in third place on my team and I was second for premium amount. These are all important and add up. I am very proud of myself because I am still considered a newbie and to be that high as a newbie is completely awesome.

B officially starts Kindergarten next week. I cannot believe it is time for him to go to school. I guess it is just one of the first really letting go things that has to be done as a parent. And it is very hard. He is super excited to be going. He had his assessment this week along with Meet The Teacher day. His teacher is pregnant so they have another teacher in there that we met. She is as sweet as his regular teacher. That is a real bonus.

E has his really busy season about to slow down. It will be really weird to have him home on Saturday nights now. It was great to have the extra money but I know that he needs a bit of a break. Now it is up to me to try to find some inexpensive bridal shows for both of us to be at.

I am looking forward to a very calm weekend. I need a break.

Happy Anniversary E!!!

2007-08-21T17:51:00.000-04:00

Wow!! I cannot believe we have been married for 8 years now. Seems like yesterday we were stressing over the wedding but looking forward to working on the marriage.

Can't wait to celebrate in style. I love you!!!!

Totally Exhausted

2007-08-15T17:10:00.000-04:00

Yeah. This about says it all.

I am definitely in a career that is not a 40 hour a week job. Some weeks it can be less (hardly) and lots of weeks it is much much more. And I am very sleepy.

I have been trying to get my second wind today but that is really harder than it sounds. Between my new book of business and getting all of the apps I need for the week it can wear a normal person out.

It may sound as if I am whining but I am truly not. I will admit I do have a great job. Not many places let you work from home, give you a company car and portable office and let you arrange your own schedule. But sometimes a person can get tired.

At least it is starting to reflect a bit better in my checks. Thank goodness for the middle of the month commission checks. I know I work very hard for them but when they come they look very nice.

One Absolutely Amazing Meeting

2007-08-07T09:50:00.000-04:00

Last week was our Ohio South Team Meeting and it was a great one.

I made sure to get there early to help set up and arrange where people were going to sit. I got to sit by the great Grimm and in front of Macaroni who are both great guys. We had our DOS (Director of Sales) and our VP of Sales in town for this meeting. So it was a crowded room.

Meeting starts with business as usual. Statistics were thrown around and we got to see where we ranked in different areas. We were actually on the top of most of the lists so that was reassuring. One slide went up showing how we were ranking in our team in different areas. My shock came when I was in second place for non national Advantage account activity. That is very good.

Then we got into our life production. Which is kind of low. So we threw around some ideas and I got to pitch a new program that I had discovered. It was impressive for most of the team and I got plenty of questions on it. It is so new that the DOS really had not seen the finished product until she saw my book. And she was impressed.

The it was the DOS's turn to speak. She started out by pointing out what each team in the nation was known for. We had no clue where we stood out until she pointed it out to us. We are known as the most competitive team in the nation. And I have to agree with her. We really are. She continued on with words of encouragement and then it was time for lunch.

When I went to lunch I was a bit delayed due to a phone call. When I got there I had found that there was a spot saved for me with the DOS and the other two women on the team. It was a great lunch and I was encouraged to get my passport now for Montreal. How exciting.

We came back to the meeting to the thing I hate the most. Role play exercises. And majority of everyone picked the same scenario. My team was different and picked two other scenarios. That broke up the mood and made it a little easier.

Then it was time for the VP of Sales to speak. More encouragement and challenges for several of our team members. I was shocked when I heard my name. Then was even more shocked with what he had to say. In front of the whole team he informed me that I have the most potential on the team and to keep plugging after the new program that I had found. He told me to make it successful for all of us. After a few seconds of shock, I agreed to do so. After all, it is not everyday that the VP of Sales personally requests something of you.

Day ended earlier than expected and we were out of there. All in all, I had a great time at this meeting and left super charged. And it has already shown in my work performance. I hope to be able to keep this up and make the Montreal trip. I know that E and I could really use this vacation.

Why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? Matthew 7:3

2007-07-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

I was reading my book of devotions for moms today and this was the Bible verse that was first listed under the heading.

I thought that the phrase was kind of odd at first but I did read another quote that was underneath that one and it made me think. This was the quote:

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and the angels know of us. Thomas Paine

We in each of ourselves know what our strengths and weaknesses are. We strive to have a good reputation and have people think the highest of us. We are in a society that to have that is craved. However, each and every person has their downfalls and they know what they are. As my dad used to put it "Watch when you point your finger as three more are pointing right back at you."

Guess the main point of this is to remind us to not pay as much attention to other peoples faults but to pay attention to our own and do what is possible to work on ourselves. Look first into your own problems before focusing on other peoples problem.

Food for thought for the day.....

Surprise!! A Horoscope That Is Correct

2007-07-25T13:38:00.000-04:00

I finally had a horoscope happen that was absolutely correct.

Last week when I was flying into Dallas to judge a pageant I was reading my horoscope in InTouch Magazine. And here is what it said:

Libra:
Justice is served when you least expect it. And after a stabilizing change at home, you're as calm as Libra Gwyneth Paltrow in the middle of a yoga session.

When I read that I instantly knew that would mean that Sassygurly would be moving out. I just had a feeling. And I was correct.

We came home on Tuesday to a note on our dry erase board that she had moved out. No more and no less. Just that she had moved out. We both tried to call her and she refused to answer our calls. We just had some loose ends to tie up. Finally I texted her and she had texted back to say that she felt it was in everyones best interest. After a few interesting texts later we were done.

And I will have to say, it has been a HUGE relief for all of us.

The drama that she kept bringing into the house is GONE.
Her constant vomiting for the longest time around the house is GONE.
Her constant need for attention is GONE.
Her lack of cleaning up is GONE.
Her laying around and doing nothing to help out around the house is GONE.
Her body issues which were a huge trigger for me are GONE!!

And I can finally breath again.

The sucky part for us was that she stiffed us on the payment for the truck. She was paying for the truck and the insurance to purchase it from us and she up and left before she paid it. It would not have affected me so bad if we were not relying on that to be paid by her. So instead of being able to use the bonus that I had earned to have all of us go to Kings Island for the weekend and treat my son to a nice mini-vacation was taken away. I am just grateful that I did not hype up that we were going to Kings Island to him. He would have been absolutely crushed. And you just do not mess with my kid. That is not cool!!

So we are now on to better things. With the decrease in cost of having her live with us we may now be able to relax a bit. We figure it this way. We will cut our losses and move on with life. It is not worth it to dwell on the shoulda, coulda and woulda of what has been done. We just wish to move on with our lives and be left alone. That is the best that we can ask for.

To Sassygurly, I hope that you get all that you want in life. Just please leave us out of it. We want no part of it. God Bless!!

When Do Five Year Olds Start To Listen?????

2007-07-07T18:46:00.000-04:00

I think this is the ultimate question of all time.

My five year old is having a serious issue today of not listening. I know that it is selective hearing as he wishes to listen to what he wants to listen to. We even went as far as to ask the doctor if there is a true hearing problem. We were informed that he was just fine as his verbal skills would be completely off if there was.

Maybe he is suffering from what FlexiGirls daughter, KaylaT, suffers from occassionally. A bad case of bratitis. Really bad case. What is the cure? Time. And that just sucks.

On a better note, best of luck to any couple getting married on 7/7/07. E is DJing a wedding tonight of a lucky couple that chose this date. So I am on my own with a son who does not listen. Fun is being had by all.

Wish me luck!!!

Four Things You May Not Know About Me

2007-07-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

I received this e-mail from Miss Maria in Texas and thought that I would share it with you. Enjoy and feel free to respond or post on your own blog.

Four jobs I've had in my life:
Sentry Insurance
USANA Health Sciences
State Farm Insurance
Creative Memories Consultant

Four movies I would watch over and over again:
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Legally Blonde
American Pie (all series)

Four places I have lived:
Columbus
Round Rock,TX
Dublin
Bedford

Four of my favorite foods:
Pecan Chicken Tender Salad from O'Charleys
Plums
Lobster
Filet Mignon

Four places I would rather be right now:
St. Maarten
Siesta Keys Beach in Florida
Weekend Scrapbooking Retreat
Disneyland

Four people I think will respond:
Cori would probably be the only one as it would give her something to blog (hint, hint)

Thanks To My Blogging Comrades

2007-06-30T13:04:00.000-04:00

I would like to take a moment to thank my blogging comrades for keeping their blogs up to date. As you see, I often fall behind on mine and am very appreciative of those of you who keep my updated on a regular basis.

Today is a rough day for me as I am feeling a bit under the weather. I did not realize that everytime I get sick it will affect my eyesight. Since I underwent Lasik Surgery for my eyes I have been able to see 20/20. First time in 20 years. But with this summer cold my eyes are all screwed up. That sucks!

I am taking today as an easy rest day. I have not done any work today which is highly unusual. I am usually checking out my e-mail on Saturday and returning calls but today I am so disoriented I would probably make a ton of mistakes. Definitely not something good in this type of work.

I am taking B to the theatre to see Ratatouie. I think that is how you spell it. We are leaving soon and that will be a nice date for us. Then off to an anniversary party later and hopefully I will feel well enough to scrapbook a little bit. For Christmas this year we are having everyone make their own gifts instead of buying a ton of gifts. So every little bit of time I get to scrapbook or card make or candle make is a blessing. We are trying to get away from the commercialism of the holiday and this is the best way we can go about it. Hope that B and LoLi learn something by doing this.

Off to the movies. Make it a great weekend!!

Best Of Luck Miss Ohio Contestants!!!

2007-06-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

Miss Ohio 2007 will be selected tonight!!!

I had been involved with the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program for several years and really enjoyed my time while I did it. The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program helped shape me into the person that I have become today. I learned a lot about interviewing, presentation, competition and people through the program and I am grateful for what I had gained from that part of my life.

I never won a local title to qualify me to make it to the Miss Ohio stage but I sure had fun competing on the local level. I lost count of how many locals I had competed in but I did manage to earn some scholarship money, win a Preliminary Swimsuit Award and place in the Top 5 several times over the years that I competed. I made good friends through the system and learned more about myself in the long run. A lot of the people that I met I am still friends with today and know that I will always have a bond with them.

I really do give a lot of credit to pageantry for the person I have become today. I feel that it helped me tremendously in my career path. I always say that I usually not afraid of meetings due to the amount of panel interviews I have done that were Miss America style. And I have learned plenty about people and their body language. Something that is very important in my career field.

To the young women that are competing tonight. Have the time of your life, soak up the moment and remember to be proud of who you are. You got there and that was half the battle. There is one winner but in the long run you have already won.

Best of luck!!!

Steve & Barry's Rock My World

2007-06-15T18:34:00.000-04:00

If you ever have a chance to visit Steve & Barry's I highly recommend that you do so.

It is a great store that has a lot of cool T-shirts and casual clothing items at great prices. For those who know me well know that I love expression T-shirts. I managed to pick up three shirts today that totally fit my personality.

Here are the slogans for them:

Everyone Loves A Catholic Girl
Who Needs Intellect When You Have These
I Have A Head For Business And A Body For Sin

They are so cute. And so true.

The Land Of Facebook

2007-06-03T20:33:00.000-04:00

OK. So I have decided that I really like Facebook.

Facebook allows me to see what is going on in the lives of my friends and comrades. I have had a number of friends join the network and it is neat to see their updates and their photos.

If you do not have a Facebook account yet I highly recommend going to get one. Then request me as your friend.

See you in Facebook Land!!!!

I Can't Stand This Trip. I Am Turning In My Passport!!!

2007-05-16T08:19:00.000-04:00

The trip to Dramaville, that is.

I love how everyone has massive drama in their lives. Or how they go out of their way to create drama for others.

The past few weeks have been very dramatic for a number of people that I hold near and dear to me. I feel bad for everything that they are going through but I wish more than anything that they can either be left alone or find a way to have the dramatic people leave them alone. It is hard on them physically, emotionally and mentally.

And more than anything, I CAN'T STAND THE CORPORATE COMPANIES THAT ARE CAUSING DRAMA ALSO!!! The big ones right now are the gas comapnies. It is truly NOT necessary to raise the cost of gas and then turn around and talk about the billions that they made. Here is a hint. Use part of those billions to pull down the cost of gas. DUH!!

And of course the mortgage companies with their not caring of others. Especially those who got caught in the ARM scam as I shall so nicely call it. I cannot wait for a number of these mortgage companies to go down in a nice large class action suti and get the pants sued off of them. That would make my day.

Enough ranting. Have a nice day!!

Taking a Breath....

2007-05-02T08:19:00.000-04:00

I feel like all I ever do anymore is run around in circles. Between working, parenting, spousing (my word, you like?), and general running around I feel like I cannot slow down enough to take a breath. And I really need to breathe.

I have a very busy month coming up. E is DJing a school dance, a wedding and a pageant this month and we are going to Mrs. Ohio International in a couple of weeks. I need to get a hotel for that and get all of us on the ball for it. It will be a wonderful show this year as we are celebrating 20 years of the International system. It is also my Executive Directors last year of directing the pageant. I have no idea who is taking it over but I know that whoever is they will do a great job with it.

Throw in managing a large account for work and B's soccer games, I have one busy life. Maybe a weekend away will help to calm everything down....

Tragedy in Threes

2007-04-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

These past two days have been ones of complete shock. And it came in threes. And that scares me.

First, my heart and sympathies go out to Kyle and Kristi Baugh of Gallippo's Photography. Their photography studio in Wauseon burned to the ground. Actually the entire city block that had eight businesses together all burned down. This place is very special to me as that was where my photo shoot was right after I won Mrs. Ohio. And they are such incredible people and do not deserve to have this happen to them. Luckily, Kyle was able to save most of his hard drives and some other computer software so that was good. Thank goodness for insurance, right?!?!?!

Second, the Virginia Tech Massacre. That is so sad and so tragic for all of the students and families that are dealing with this. I am still watching coverage on this and will hopefully understand what exactly happened.

Third, a team member of mine committed suicide. I just got the e-mail that Rodney Reed killed himself. I am in a complete state of shock. I had only met him once at a meeting but when you hear of this it is very hard. He leaves behind his wife, son and two stepdaughters.

I needed some form of sanity. So I grabbed my One Minute Devotions for Moms and turned to todays passage. And wouldn't you know that it was Psalm 23. The very one that is used for funerals. Unreal.

My heart is completely torn apart for each incident. And I hope that some sense can come of this soon.

How Bitchy Am I?

2007-04-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

Check it out!!

You Are 42% Bitchy

Generally, you're an average woman, with average moods. But sometimes... well, watch out!
Sometimes, you let your mean side get the better of you. And you enjoy every minute of it.

How Bitchy Are You?

A Whirlwind Week

2007-04-12T20:54:00.000-04:00

This week I feel like I am in a spiral. Constantly twirling.

Last week I was given an incredible opportunity. Actually I was told by Manager E that I had earned it. We have an agent who has been out on medical leave. She has several large Advantage Accounts. These are accounts that receive additional discounts for being a member or an employee. I have been pursuing these types of accounts and have been wanting to land one since I started with Sentry.

Manager E and our Director of Sales (DOS) has decided to have ME manage her largest account while the agent is out on medical leave. The agent is aware of it and understands that someone has to manage the account while she is out. I am completely ecstatic!!

I am trying not to get too excited as the agent is supposed to return on May 15th. But in the meanwhile I am managing one of the largest credit unions in Columbus. And that is:

CME Federal Credit Union!!!
(www.cmefcu.org)
Check out the Sentry Insurance link.

This is a tremendous responsibility. There are four branches and they have asked for new posters, flyers and more visibility. All from ME!!!

Manager E and I went with another agent (Agent D) to CME to meet with the CEO and the VP of Sales and Marketing. The meeting went well and they have given me great tips of what they want and expect from me. They definitely want more visibility and I am very happy to give this to them. I have the flexibility in my schedule to allow for this and I am bound and determined to give it my all. Even if only for a month.

So wish me luck!! Here is to rocking the account!!!!! CHEERS!!

I Thank God

2007-03-28T11:53:00.000-04:00

The other night E, B and I went to the park. We had to take advantage of the gorgeous weather that had been sent our way. I remember sitting on the swing and thinking to myself the following:

I Thank God for:

The beautiful sound of childrens laughter

The sound of creaking chain link on the swings

The feeling of a light breeze along my skin

The parents who were around us with their children enjoying the time that they had been granted

The fact that I have a great husband

The fact that my child can run and play and enjoy what is around him

And for all of these I am so very thankful. It makes life worth living.

Busy-ness As Usual

2007-03-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

This week has been extraordinarily busy. I am physically and mentally exhausted from it but I would not change it for the world.

I left for Cleveland on Sunday evening to meet my appointments for the week. I knew one was a definite sale and the others were regular reviews. But what I did not know was what was going to happen next.

I ended up closing the one account that I had and closed another two accounts when I was in town. And both of those had life insurance involved. Which was awesome. I still have more follow up to do but I am very happy to do it. It can possibly land more business for the end of the month.

My only dilemma was that I ran out of clothes for the time I was there. I only expected to be there for one day and it turned into three days. So I did have to borrow clothes from my mom. Good to know that we wear the same style and size of clothes. And we ended up having to buy B an outfit.

But I am happy to welcome the business. I am proud of how I have been able to build my business and clientele. Now if I can get over a few small road bumps that I have encountered I will be just fine.....

Left or Right..... Which is which?

2007-03-15T19:36:00.000-04:00

Took this quiz to really see what side of the brian I truly am. I am left handed and I always joke that it means that I am always in my right mind. But I have some right hand tendancies. Not many but some. I think this quiz defined it for me..

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

WHEE!!! Cancer Free!!! For Now...

2007-03-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

Just got the news yesterday on my Dad. And he does not have cancer. And I am relieved.

When Dad fell down the steps, they ran a series of tests on him. One found a mass in his lung. And that had us all worried.

So he went in for a Pet Scan and the results are back in. There is a mass but it is not cancerous. They mentioned emphazyma and congestion but no cancer.

This is a small blessing in disguise. And I thank God for it....

Is There A Target Over Us?!?!?!

2007-03-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

Seriously, if there is I want it removed NOW!!!!

We had a very bad morning. E went out to the car this morning and someone thought it would be fun to break into our car and steal our stereo/DVD system that my husband installed a few weeks ago. When I was at our Civic Association meeting earlier this week they had mentioned that break-ins were happening and I was hoping we could avoid it but alas it was not happening.

I was going to switch all of our insurance over this week and now thanks to this jackball that will have to wait. Deposit is so necessary to pay the $250 deductible. I am not happy at all!!!

Plus, Sassygurly saw the Witch Guardian earlier this week. She had a good conversation with her and was feeling good about it. But I know this pattern. They have a great talk, Witch Guardian starts saying stuff or implying stuff to upset Sassygurly then she goes into a terrible endo attack that is kind of disabling to her. And she gets so upset.

It hurts me to watch her be hurt over and over again. It is completely unnecessary. She is a good girl and deserves to have a wonderful life. Plus, the Witch Guardian loves to talk terribly about me to Sassygurly's family and friends. Once again, completely unnecessary. I am NOT a terrible person!! We as a family are NOT terrible people. We are very good people who try to help others.

So why do we have a target on us?

Toilet Paper Irony

2007-03-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

This has been an interesting weekend in regards to toilet paper. Why you ask?!?! Here is a rundown of my weekend.

Saturday morning I am in the bathroom and once again E has not replaced an empty roll of toilet paper. So I go to replace a roll and there is none in my bathroom. So I have no choice but to call to B to take a roll from his bathroom and bring it to me. Great.

Saturday night we are out to dinner and B has to go to the bathroom. So I take him. There is barely one piece left on the roll. Luckily he didn't need anymore than that. So he finishes up and I tell the staff that they need to replace the roll. Mind you there is only one bathroom and one stall. Not a hard thing ot do. Replace the roll!! We finish dinner and I have to go to the bathroom. I go into the bathroom and wouldn't you know it. THEY HAD NOT REPLACED THE EMPTY ROLL!!!! Nice. So I waited until I got home.

This morning we go to church. After mass I have to go to the bathroom so I had the boys go to the car and I went to the bathroom. And of course the stall I was in had NO TOILET PAPER except for one piece!!! Incredible. That is just my luck...

Then we go to Polaris to have B play at the play area. I have to go to the bathroom there and wouldn't you know, HALF OF THE STALLS HAVE NO TOILET PAPER!!!

Tell me, is it that hard to replace a roll of toilet paper? Or do I need to start giving lessons?

Long Time No Blog

2007-03-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

It has been forever since I last blogged. It has been a very up and down month and I will give a quick summary of what is going on.

B's birthday

B had three very great birthday parties. He enjoyed the night at Chuck-E-Cheese with just our little family. He loved the party with his friends on the following Saturday and really enjoyed his party with my family. He loved it so much that he told my brothers ex-wifes mother when she picked up my neice from my brothers house. That was fun for us because her family for the longest time has said there is absolutely nothing wrong with my neice. Hence the autism. Now they realize that there may be a problem. Big shock.

Dad's Injury

At the beginning of the month, my dad fell down the front steps and broke his back. They had to take him away in an ambulance and they feared that there were more things wrong with him. He was released a few days later from the hospital. Ordered to stay on bed rest and work with home health care (who suck, by the way). No travel to Columbus for him anytime soon. From this, they found a mass in his lung. Yesterday he underwent a pet scan to see if he has lung cancer. This has been very hard on me emotionally.

Adelaide's Funeral

My 87 year old cousin passed away on B's birthday. Not a good thing to happen. They had her funeral a week later so we all could be a part of it. It was a mixed emotions type of funeral. The cousins that arranged it had left it pretty generic so it was a basic funeral. Did get to catch up to my other cousins so that was nice.

The Job

My job has been very up and down. Some days are great and others are not so great. But I have managed to have something every week and my manager has been pretty happy with me. I feel like I can be very successful and I love that feeling. We have a few very promising appointments for next week and I am looking forward to it. Also something very exciting may be happening but I cannot spill just yet. But keep those fingers crossed for me.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

2007-02-12T19:48:00.001-05:00

Meatball Pizza

Unusual and uncompromising.
You're usually the first to discover a new trend.
You appreciate a good meal and good company.
You're an interesting blend of traditional and modern.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Happy Birthday B!!

2007-02-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that my baby is 5 years old today. Time sure does fly by fast. It feels like yesterday I was in the hospital with him.

To celebrate his birthday we took him to Bob Evans for breakfast this morning. Then we are taking him to Chuck-E-Cheese for dinner. Then on Saturday we are haivng a birthday party for him with his friends. Next Saturday we are going to Bedford for a family birthday party since my brother, niece, mom and dad cannot make it down this weekend.

This will be a very busy birthday time. But it is all worth it in the end.

Wet Pants

2007-02-05T10:58:00.000-05:00

My mom sent this to me and I thought it was good. So I chose to share it here.

There's a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is
going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it.. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.

But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. "You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Each and everyone one of us are going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.

My instructions were to pick four (4) people that I wanted God to bless, and I picked you. Please pass this to at least four (4) people you want to be blessed and a copy back to me.

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another.

The prayer:

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Where there is need, I ask you to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.
Amen.

(If the Lord lays upon your heart to send this to more than four "4" people, you are truly blessed).

What Goes Around Comes Around

2007-02-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

Boy does that describe my week.....

Last week, my husband and Sassygurly had strep throat. I did my best to stay away and try to avoid the illness but alas it caught up with me.

Thursday morning I woke up to strep throat. Not happy. My throat was killing me, I was overheated and just plain miserable. I had appointments scheduled for later in the week and as a result had to reschedule them. At least they were understanding about it since they all have small children and did not want the illness to go around their house.

Overall, I felt terrible about it. All it did was slow me up this week and I needed to go into the week strong.

Sassygurly ended up taking care of me for the past two days with getting me medicine, ordering me or making me food, buying popsicles for me and just taking care of me in general. It felt weird to have her take care of me because I am usually the one taking care of her. But it was good.

I was a little miffed yesterday at an e-mail that I got from my manager scolding me for the lack of activity for the week. Actually I was heartbroken. I am a person that can throw myself into my work and can get a lot done with a positive attitude. I did inform him immediately that I was down for the next two days due to the need of the antibiotic to go through my body for at least 24 hours and that I would have to reschedule my Thursday and Friday because of it. And I refuse to lie about anything that I do. If I do something, I will show it. If I do not do something, I will not lie and said that I did more than I did. I am way too honest like that but I really rather be on the up and up. Call me ethical...

Hopefully next week will be much better. My life needs to go in a very positive direction and I am doing what I can to get it there.

Which Brady Are You?

2007-02-03T09:31:00.000-05:00

I found this one interesting as I loved to watch this show as a child. Guess I had to get some morals from somewhere besides my parents.

You Are Marcia Brady

Confident yet kind. Popular yet down to earth. You're a total dream girl.
You've got the total package - no wonder everyone's a little jealous of you.

What Brady Are You?

Congratulations Lauren Nelson, Miss America 2007

2007-01-30T17:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I was 5 for 10 in my predictions for Top Ten for Miss America last night. Not bad!! Could be better. But they were good guesses.

It did come down to Texas and Oklahoma and for the second year in a row, Miss Oklahoma took the title.

Here are some awesome pictures of Lauren. She is an absolute beauty AND there is not one bad crowning picture of her. That is unreal. Normally there is one.

First reaction to learning that Lauren has won the title of Miss America 2007

First walk as Miss America 2007

Press Conference following crowning

Interesting fact: Oklahoma is now tied with Ohio and California for the most Miss America's to be crwoned from one state.

My Miss America Top Ten

2007-01-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

Here are my guesses after watching bits and pieces of competition, Pageant School that is airing repeatedly on CMT and MTV and photos from Voy boards. And for the male readers on my blog I made sure to find the swimsuit pictures of each.

In random order....

Miss Georgia is absolutely stunning. As this is not the best picture of her, she has a personality that just absolutely shines.

Miss Connecticut has an interesting story to tell. Spent most of her life without electricity. She may be the one that is the story of the competition.

This is not the best picture of Miss Kentucky but she is an all around beauty. Kentucky is usually good at sending quality contestants.

I could not get one of Miss Michigan by herself but she is the third from the left. I normally do not cheer for Michigan but something about her stands out to me.

Miss Mississippi to me is an absolute stand out. She is gorgeous and seems to have a personality that shines through.

Miss Oklahoma is a preliminary swimsuit winner and is beautiful. She is another stand out to me and has been from the beginning. And since the last Miss America is from Okalhoma......

Miss Pennsylvania is also another preliminary swimsuit winner. She is one that is not high on my pageant radar but there are always surprises and she may be it.

Miss Tennessee is one that has been hyped on the Voy boards since Day One but something about her is standing out to me. She is very blonde, very beautiful, very marketable.....

This is not a great picture of Miss Texas but she is another one that has been talked about consistently. She is the first African American Miss Texas, sings like Whitney Houston and walks like Naomi Campbell. She should do well, especially after Pageant School.

I have loved Miss Virginia from the get go. She is a darling girl with a very awesome personality that shines through. She could do very well.

The one girl I am really hoping to see in the Top Ten and Top Five would be Miss Wyoming. Just because I am dying to see her talent. She dances suspended from ribbons from the ceiling and that would be cool to watch. Makes for quality TV.

What are your thoughts?

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

2007-01-28T16:11:00.000-05:00

I may start blogging once a week for quiz results. Comment if you think I should or should not....

Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino

Smooth and sweet, you fit in to almost any crowd. No one would suspect you of being a coffee tweaker!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

Last Night of Talent

2007-01-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Miss California on her talent win last night at Miss America. Also congratulations to Miss Pennsylvania on her swimsuit win last night. Or I better go all PC and say Lifestyle and Fitness.

Here is the link for the last night of talent. This will make for an interesting twist. I will be posting my Top Ten picks soon. I need to re-evaluate my decisions.

Saturday Night Preliminary Talent

Miss America Weekend

2007-01-27T18:50:00.000-05:00

This is pageant weekend for the Miss America pageant. A very exciting time for me. I have loved the Miss America system for a very long time for what they have given to me during the years that I competed.

Although I never won a Miss Ohio local and never made it to the Miss Ohio stage I will never forget the people that I have met that have shaped my life, the interview skills that I had gained and the friendships that I was blessed to have as a part of my time competing.

Here are some links for the talent competition.

Miss America Talent Night - Friday Night

Miss America Talent Night - Thursday Night

I will post photos soon....

Do I Really Need to Lose Weight???

2007-01-24T17:03:00.000-05:00

According to this I am ideal.....

Your Weight is Ideal

Your BMI is 23.3 - a healthy BMI falls between 18.5 and 25

Congratulations, you are the perfect weight for your height.
Even though you may not be entirely happy with your weight, you are healthy.
So gain or lose a few pounds if you want, but don't go too crazy!

Don't agree? Blame the government standards we based this test on!

Do You Need to Lose Weight?

So then I ask myself why I am busting my butt this week to lose a few pounds. I really have no clue at this point. Yes, I would love to shed the holiday weight. Even more I would love to be the size I was when I won Mrs. Ohio. But today is it even worth it?

I think I need to re-evaluate....

Facebook Is My Friend...

2007-01-22T15:39:00.000-05:00

I have a new obsession. It was introduced by Sassygurly. And it has been a blast to get to know.

It is Facebook.

I have been able to connect with friends that I have not seen in a very long time and those that I see everyday. The coolest was my chance to reconnect with a friend from high school. He was pretty nice towards me although we didn't run in the same circle of friends. And when he saw who I was he was surprised. I guess his impression was that everyone that we had graduated with had gotten fat and bald. And I definitely did not fit into that mold.

If you get the chance check out www.facebook.com and sign up for your own profile. It can be so much fun to reconnect with those that you have lost touch with.

What Happens In Wisconsin Stays In Wisconsin

2007-01-16T13:29:00.000-05:00

Or is that Vegas?!?!? Same difference....

Last week I endured a grueling training. They have taken the past class time from two weeks and crunched it down to 4.5 days. We were the test class with this new system and I think it went well. We could have had more included and removed some stuff but since this was a test class I am not too worried.

Here are some of the highlights of the class. Since there is just WAY too much to blog for the five days I was gone.

- Arrived with an easy flight and time to kill. Unpacked and took a nap. Heaven!!

- Met with the other members of the class. There were 12 CPS's and 2 CPM's.

- Class began way too early. Or I am not used to waking up at the crack of dawn.

- Took our professional photos. They all turned out bad. We all had our moment with it.

- Got my per diem money. YEAH!!!

- Learned the quoting system. Not too hard. Pretty easy actually.

- Watched the Buckeyes get spanked by the Gators in the National Championship Game. Put a damper on the rest of the week but had lunch, snacks and drinks bouoght for me since people felt bad.

- Met the Underwriters for personal lines and life insurance. They are wonderfully nice.

- Dealt with computer marital issues with my laptop named Sven. We have issues.

- Got some fabulous referral tips from Krochman in Illinois. Bought him an ice cream for his kindness.

- Went for some wonderful Japanese Steakhouse food with three CPM's. Also enjoyed sushi with them. They were very good to me and helped give me tips on CPS duties.

- Dazed a bit during the marketing session and made a fool out of myself when presented with an additional $200 for co-op money. I stupidly thought that they were taking away my $500 and only giving me $200. So my comment was "That is all I am getting?!?!?!" Then it was explained to me that this was $200 additional for a total of $700. What an idiot I am!!!

- Wrapped up the last day of class with a meeting from our VP of Sales. Nice guy. But we were a bit anxious to go.

- Thanked God that I was on the flight to Minneapolis vs. the flight to Chicago as their flight got cancelled for freezing rain. Instead of calling back to SHO, they rented two cars and went on. Not a brilliant move.

- Ran across the Minneapolis airport to get on the plane and wait ONE HOUR for the take off. There was a distruaght woman on the plane that kept freaking out and did not speak one word of English. Then there was a mechanical problem. Thank Sassygurly for my iPod b/c that helped my sanity during that time.

- Met my boys at the airport. My little one greeted me with a dozen roses behind his back. I was shocked!! But very pleasantly surprised.

All in all it was a very good trip. Now on to the hard part. Actually doing the job.

It Is All About The iPod

2007-01-06T00:02:00.000-05:00

Sassygurly got us the biggest surprise of this year so far.

See, for Christmas we got her a pink iPod Nano. She was over ecstatic when she received it. Big screams worth of excitement. She had warned us before Christmas that she usually waits until after Christmas to get the presents she wants for who she lives with. We told her it was unnecessary. She was fine with what she had done. But she is stubborn and will do what she wants anyway.

So she leaves to go babysitting. And comes back with a surprise for E and I. And I mean a BIG surprise.

For me, it was an Electric Blue iPod Nano!!!

For E, it was a 30gb iPod!!!

They are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And unbelieveable.

So far the greatest gift of 2007.

Dots... How I love thee.....

2007-01-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

OK, I have a new favorite place to shop.

I have avoided Dots for a while due to the fact that I did not like the clothes for the longest time. Then SassyGurly introduced me to the pajamas there. So I decided to go back and see what they had. And I was astounded.

There were lots of good sales and great items. All that look good now.

The best part. I purchased THREE business suits on sale there. AMAZING!! Where was all of this before?

My New Years Resolution....

2007-01-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

I have actually made a New Years Resolution. I have not done this for several years but decided this year to do one.

I have resolved not to eat anything after 8:00 PM. As a way to control my weight.

I have been eating after 8:00 PM for quite some time and have never felt good about it. I hate going to bed with food in my stomach. So this should help me.

So far I have been not eating anything after 7:00 PM. And it has not been bad.

Preparation Week

2007-01-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

This week has been crazy. Plain and simple.

I have been preparing to go to training class in Wisconsin pretty much this whole week. It has been a combination of packing, printing out itineraries, checking on e-mails, studying and figuring out my computer system.

We have had so many problems with my computer. I think what happened was that they sent out my stuff too fast and did not get a lot of the stuff done on it that they needed to. And that is really kind of funny. But not when you are trying to do expense reports and weekly reports. Not like I have anything to report for this week but I need to know how to do it. Especially since I have items to expense.

I am also worried about leaving for one reason. Sassygurly has been having a rough time with her endometriosis. A part of the disease is that she can get to bouts of vomiting that dehydrate her. And that happened last week. We ended up spending Saturday night in the ER to get her rehydrated. They sent us home after they pumped her full of fluid. It did not help and she spent the rest of the next day vomiting again. She ended up going back to the ER on Monday night and was admitted. It helped somewhat but she is still not 100%. And that worries me.

I am also worried about the dress of the training. It is somewhat clear but not really. I know that I need to be business casual but what is their idea of business casual. I have my idea but not really theirs. I can only hope that I do it right.

The biggest bummer is that I will not be in CowTown for THE biggest game of the year!! The National Championships!!! With the Buckeyes. I talked to Manager E ( yes, my managers name is E also!! )about it and he has assured me that there is a sports bar across the street that I can watch the game on. But I know that there will be lots of parties going on in CowTown and I cannot go. My cell phone is going to get a workout that night.

Back to preparation.......

Cloning Machine Needed.....

2006-12-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel that you are torn in too many directions all at one time?!?!?! That is my life this week.

I have even made the comment to my family "I am trying to get everything done for everyone else but I cannot get anything done for me!". In which case my husband has sent me away to the store to regain my sanity.

With trying to get my office set up, take care of the family and rearrange my home office area entirely I have grown very anxious. I am confused with everything around me as it is not where I am used to it being at. I hate the feeling but I know that once everything settles down I will be all set.

So if anyone finds a good cloning machine please let me know the price. I may be willing to pay big bucks for it. Or put it on a credit card. Who knows......