Family Fun

Oh what fun we had! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Saturday was a picnic at my brother Michael's house. Like the poor guy doesn't see enough of me at work all week!

Anyway, there was good food, family and new friends and a lot of pictures! So, here we go!

First let's start with the new comers to the gatherings. First we have brother Jim and his new friend, Deb.



Then, brother Phil, putting his best pucker face forward, and his new friend, Linda. (C'mon, Phil, you KNOW pictures I take end up on the blog!)

The picnic attendees were Ron and my FAVORITE nephew, Michael. As you can see, Michael was taking a picture of me, taking a picture of him. That was a common theme during the day!


Then, Michael, his wife Jenny, my great-nephew Grady and brother Jim. Once again, Michael taking a picture of me, taking a picture of him. For real, how many pictures of ME does one phone need???


Favorite nephew, Michael, brother Jim, great-nephew Evan.


Then there is brother Jim and great-nephew Evan, and then Evan and Linda. Evan took over his Dad's role of taking a picture of me while I was taking a picture of him! Poor kid has WAY too many pictures of me!



We had my great-nephew Grady being Grady and playing hard!


Evan was busy learning the finer points of grilling from his Dad. I hope he paid attention to how his Dad cooked that asparagus! That was the bomb! I think I could have eaten that how thing by myself!


And, of course, the chef, hard at work. You did a great job, Michael! You can cook for me any time!


It was a beautiful day for a picnic. Not too hot. Hi, Ron!


And then there is our motley crew. Starting with brother Michael and myself (I'm the cute one on the right!).


The brothers, left to right, Jim, Phil and Michael.

Then, the smart asses that they are (you guys know I love you!) got funny on me. I moved to the other side of the umbrella to see if I could get a better picture without that sun shining off of Phil's head! So I moved over, and told the guys "I want to get a picture from this side now" and here is what I got.


They are cute, aren't they?!!

Then, there are the four of us. Just remember, I'm the cute one standing behind the boys. (When you write the blogs, you can determine who the cute one is. Since I'm writing this blog, the cute one is ME!)


And, so as not to be left out, we had a short video chat with our sister Cathie in California. Here is Cathie via the web cam!


Gotta love modern technology.

Like I said, a day filled with family and all that entails. Thanks to our hosts for putting up with all of us and to the cook for the great chow. Actually, everyone had a hand in making the food so kudos to us all.

St. Elias Festival

It's been a strange weekend to say the least, but it sure started out great with our second annual visit to the St. Elias Festival in Cleveland Ohio! St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church has their festival every year over the Labor Day weekend, and I'm telling you, mark your calendar for next year. This is absolutely too much fun to miss!

This parish is comprised of a mix of Middle Eastern and Greek heritage. I don't know if my Slovak ass was good enough to join in the fun as these people are full of good food, good music and a LOT of dancing! If you didn't eat great food and have a fantastic time, you must be dead.

I'm not usually one for festivals as they are full of people, and honestly, as of late, I'm not so thrilled with people! But we went with our friends, Nick and Sally, and we just had the best time. I couldn't talk by the time I got home but it was all worth it!

To start with, we were celebrating Sally's birthday. What are birthdays without flowers? Here are the beautiful birthday flowers from her daughter, Edna, for Sally's birthday. Happy birthday, Sally!


The first thing we did at the festival was to chow down. Nick, Sally and Ron all ordered the combination plates. The food is so fantastic, I had a hard time clicking pictures before most of the food was gone! Here is what was left of Ron's plate by the time I got my camera ready.


In the front you see two stuffed grape leaves. It was our honest opinion that this year's food beat last year's hands down! You can see a favorite of almost everyone, the kibbe, on the top middle, and a bowl of hummus on the top left. The reason why this plate is so empty? Here is what Ron looked like as I was trying to snap pictures of his dinner!


I caught the poor guy with his mouth full! Which wasn't hard to do! Nick and Sally were also all about it!


We got there Friday night at about 6:00 and there weren't so many people there. We could still find a seat to eat. As the night wore on, the crowd definitely found their way!


One of the highlights to our trip to the festival is what we call the "Wheel of Fortune"! It's similar to the wheel on the TV show with the sections, but on this one, the wheel is standing up and the sections each have three dice faces on them. The wheel is spun:


Here is the playing board and Nick and Sally placing their bets. You put your dollar on a square, numbered on to six, and the wheel is spun. If the slot the wheel lands on contains your number, you win. There are three dice faces on each space, so if you put $1 on a six, and the space is four, six, six, you win two dollars for your one dollar bet, etc.


It's my theory that if you're going to play, you need to play with attitude! I feel you need to slam your money on the board, then the board knows you're serious! As an added bonus, slamming your rock on your money on the board is just that much more good mojo! Ron, Nick, Sally and I are slamming money and rocks with the best of them.



Another couple ended up joining us and playing our reindeer games! We were all slamming money and rocks and yelling out the numbers we wanted to the giant wheel. Eventually, that darn Nick just started slamming better than I was, as his fours were coming up again and again while my sixes stayed hidden! I had to let Nick know how I felt about that!


Good thing he knows I love him!

The next highlight of the festival is the music. I dare you, no I double dog dare you to sit there and not get up and dance or at least chair dance! The music is infectious! All that with only a three piece band.


The guy on the left played some kind of drum like a bongo drum. (Please don't let my musical ignorance keep you away. These guys were awesome!) The guy in the middle was playing something that looked like, but sounded nothing like, a guitar. Here is a picture of this thing that sort of looked like a guitar!


Then, the last guy was on keyboards. These guys were just fabulous! Here we were, all ready for the music to get going after a break.


I am not going to do this affair justice. These people love to dance! I don't care your age or your size, most of the people in the music tent were up at one time or another belly dancing. It's really a beautiful dance, I just wish I would have gone up and tried.

There is one song that they play that is about 20 minutes long. This song goes with this line dance type dance. It started with the three in the video and before you knew it, there were probably 30 people in a line dancing hand in hand! This is the one I wanted to do! It seemed like through most of it, the steps appeared simple. Then, we got to the ad lib parts and most of the people took off and did their own thing, while staying hand in hand! Unfortunately, this video ran until my card filled up. I should have started here and said the heck with the rest!



I just can't tell you what a great time we had. My hands were sore from slamming money and rocks and then clapping to the music. I yelled so much between yelling "SIX!!" and just hooting and hollering with the music!

If you're so inclined, head out I-90 to the West 117th Street exit. Head south on 117th Street, you'll go a total of maybe three miles. 117th Street changed its name to Memphis Street somewhere in there. But, about three miles from I-90, you'll find St. Elias' festival on the right hand side. Just look for all of the fun and listen for the music. I know I'll be back next year!

PhotoPhun Challenge: "O"

Well, after reading the email from Lisa on this week's challenge, I thought I had a handle on things. But, after just reading Mark's blog, I see I SO got it wrong! I totally misread that challenge!

So, I will bow out of this one and try on next week's! It's a good thing I'm getting new glasses so I can read better!

But please check out what Lisa and Mark found!

What I Learned This Week

I may be full of false bravado (as well as a few other things!) but it's all a ruse. I talk a good game but deep down, I'm just a quiet, reserved, happy to be at home kind of gal.

While I do love margaritas (hence the name of the blog!) I'm not much of a drinker any more. Truth be told, I was never a good drinker as I was one of those praising-the-porcelain-god every Friday night kind of people, promising God if he let me live through the night, I'd never drink again. At least until the next Friday. Yeah, those were the days.

So, while I do enjoy an occasional margarita (Luchita's have THE best!), an iced cold Bud Light or a cheap glass of wine, my limit is just one or two. Any more than that and bad things happen to me and I don't clean my toilet as good as I used to. I don't want my face that up close and personal with it any longer! I know, I know. TMI.

Last night I was in the refrigerator getting my snack. I saw a partial bottle of wine that's been in the door for months now. For some reason, I REALLY wanted that wine last night. So I grabbed it. Then, I remembered the warning on the bottle of the medicine I take for the diabetes that warns to NOT drink any alcohol without checking with your doctor or pharmacist.

Ok, I could understand not drinking with pain pills or something like that, but something to control your blood sugar? For real, what could the harm be? Just to be safe, I called my pharmacist before pouring the wine.

I told her my medication as well as the dosage and asked for real, is one glass of wine really that big of a deal. I found out it's more of a deal than I thought.

Alcohol, while it does contain carbs, actually lowers your blood sugar. When you drink, your sugar drops and you appear to be drunk while in fact you are suffering from low blood sugar. She gave me the ok to have a glass of wine, but cautioned about having more than one or two. Also, if I'm going to drink, I should let someone I'm with know that I'm a diabetic so if there is a reaction, we can counter act it. Another suggestion was that if I am drinking alcohol, to eat carbs at the same time to keep my sugar up.

Do you have any idea what great news that was? Not only did I have such a happy day yesterday due to the phone call from Isaiah, but I got to end my day with a glass of wine in my hand and my snack of Utz's pretzel stix. For real! That was one hell of a night!

Yeah, I know, I need a life when THIS is what makes a great night! I think I'll just look at it as, it doesn't take much to make me happy!

Happiness Is:

Happiness is when your six year old great nephew from Rochester New York calls you just because he realized that he NEVER calls you and he wanted to mention that he loved me and he missed me!

And, that's how MY day went. It was a total win, thanks to Isaiah! We carried on quite a conversation today. The best part was when we reminisced about how he and I had our coloring time the last time he visited. I told him I don't color much any more since I can't get Uncle Phil (my brother, his Uncle) to color with me. Isaiah said I should MAKE Uncle Phil color with me!

So, Phil and I have a coloring date for Sunday! Look out, pictures could be posted here as proof in the days to come!

So there you go, my day was a total win!

Thanks, Isaiah! I love you too!

Boating Weekend

It's been a fun filled boating weekend. Well, mostly!

It started with Ron's brother, Wes and his wife Bev coming up from Barberton to go for a ride. Wes is enjoying a ride in his baby brother's boat!


While Bev and I relaxed on the back of the boat and caught up on all of the gossip in our lives. I tried to take a JoBeth special picture! She is the queen of self potraits! I did better than most here! And, yes, I still wear my life preserver. Wimp that I am!


This trip, we headed from the marina in Vermilion back to Lorain to see some familiar sights. Let me tell you something about familiar sights. They aren't so familiar from the other side! Even the power plant over at the foot of Oberlin didn't look the same. You'd think something that big should be easy to pick out. Not so from the lake.

I'm not exactly sure what this tower is, but it's across a channel from the lighthouse. I really don't remember seeing it from shore, but I just must not have paid attention. Anyway, this caught my eye out on the water.



This tower was at the end of a pier. The pier was filled with birds, wing to wing! I don't think I've ever seen so many birds in one place at the same time! I was waiting for the mass exodus over the boat for a head full of poop! But I guess I'm just a pessimist at heart. The birds stayed where they were and my hair stayed poop free!


Eh, I'm still learning how to use my camera properly. The birds didn't show up like I'd hoped. You gotta trust me, this was close to a gazillion birds!

Anyway, across this small channel to the lighthouse. From what I hear, this is one of the most photographed sights in Lorain. Let me tell you something, it's much prettier from land. Up close, you can see this poor landmark needs some love. Doing some research, there is a fundraiser under way to restore her to her former beauty.







As you can see, we went around the lighthouse. She's not terrible, but she's aged and weather worn; in need of some TLC. It was still great to get the up close look!

Then, I tried a few videos on my camera. Here's one with my head over the side like a dog's head in a car window! From the back, it's the only way to see what's going on!





And, then since I love how the flag looks flapping in the breeze, I took another video watching where we were!





Those two short videos and a hand full of photos and my memory card was full. So, that's the end of the pictures. That's a good thing though, because for the rest of the story, you really don't want photographic evidence. I am out of eye bleach to hand out to y'all.

Sunday we were finally going to go FISHING! I've been waiting for this, ever since Ron said he was buying a boat! I wasn't thrilled with the early morning start time, but I was in!

We actually met up with Larry and Linda at George's Bait Shop where we proceeded to pick up fishing licenses and a few odds and ends for the day. We also hit the Drug Mart in Vermilion to pick up some more odds and ends like sun block (too late since I got a bad burn Saturday!) and some Dramamine.

I did take a Dramamine before we got on the boat and I used the sun block on my face, neck and hands. Since I did have a burn, I wore a long sleeve t-shirt to cover my arms and some Capri's to cover my burned thighs. I thought I was being a smart boater!

We got on the boat and headed out. It was another picture perfect day with blue skies and calm waters. We headed out with the fish finder out into the lake. The guys picked out a spot that looked good to them and we dropped anchor.

Do you have any idea how much a boat MOVES when anchored? Holy crap! This boat was going up. And down. And up. And down. Ugh. I never expected, on such a calm day, that the boat would bob like it did. As soon the boat started bobbing, I am terrified. I guess I didn't know what to expect. I immediately broke out in a cold sweat that I attributed to being terrified. I couldn't breathe I was so hot, so I actually ripped my life preserver off and tossed it. Next I headed into the cabin as I heard if you are seasick, the best place to be is low in the boat. I sat in the galley with the fan directly on me, trying to cool off.

Well, as you can guess, within five minutes, I was chumming for perch. It hit so fast and so hard, I couldn't believe it. They guys barely got the minnows on the hooks and the hooks in the water and I was done. (Now aren't you glad there are no pictures with this part of the story??!) Ron saw I was ill and he immediately pulled up the anchor, took the lines out of the water and high tailed it into shore. I felt absolutely terrible for ruining every one's day. I wanted him to just drop me off on shore, I'd go home and the three of them could go back to fishing. But I guess they all called it a day.

I had my own car at the marina, so I turned on my a/c full blast and I headed home with a bucket on the seat next to me. Luckily I made it home in one piece.

I cranked the a/c down at home as well, ripped my clothes off and laid on the couch. I think Ron was home what seemed like ten minutes after me. I was asleep on the couch by noon and didn't move until Ron woke me up at 5:00. I slept hard!

I headed back to bed before 10:00 pm but I had the "I drank too much" feeling. As soon as I was down in the bed with my eyes closed, my world started to go up and down and up and down again. It was not a good night.

I was down for most of Monday as well, although I did make it to work. Every time I looked at my monitor, my world would start moving on me again. I have never been seasick or carsick before but I sure got it Sunday. I am finally starting to feel better, but it's taken me a few days! I have a whole new respect for the crews of Deadliest Catch. I know it's like comparing an acorn to a forest but this acorn sure couldn't take it.

Ron and Larry have both told me that next time I need to take the Dramamine sooner, as it didn't have enough time to take hold. The next time? For real???

PhotoPhun Challenge: Red

Well, what have I gotten myself into! It was up to me to pick the theme for this week's PhotoPhun and I picked red, as in the color red. Um, remember me? The color blind one? If any of my pictures aren't really red, I don't want to hear it!

I did have a blast this week though, going out and looking for red. Who knew so much red was out there! The first thing I learned though was that I really need to learn how to work my camera and figure out what all those settings on the camera are for. I really had a couple of what I thought were great ideas for shots, but try as I might, I couldn't get a usable picture. I just couldn't make the camera focus on what I wanted.

In the mean time, to see what real good pictures look like, make sure you go look at Lisa and Mark's pages to see what they found.

First, this is the side of a drink machine. It was all lit up and that red just jumped out at me.

We were over in Avon Lake by the boat ramp and I saw these flowers. I took a ton of pictures, but this one came out the best.


Right by the above flowers was this old fashioned water pump. I just fell in love with this! Don't ask me why!


The top of a lighthouse birdhouse! Unfortunately, no birds were at home at the time I was snapping pictures.


Lastly, I may not be allowed at Apple's in Sheffield Lake any longer, but c'mon now, why do you need to buy flowers when I'm busy taking pictures? Geez, some people!

I am looking forward to our next assignment! This was a lot of fun!!

Five Bells, It Must Be Seven O'Clock!

We have a mystery going on at our house!

But, a little background to the story first.

I don't usually sleep the night through. Some time during the night, I can't take my bed any more so I grab my cell phone (which doubles as my alarm clock) and I head down to finish out the night on the couch.

My alarm starts going off at 6:40 a.m. and the fourth snooze is at 7:00 a.m. Yes, my cell phone alarm even has a snooze alarm! The freakin' thing rings every five minutes, but it's better than nothing. About 30 seconds after my 7:00 a.m. snooze, I hear five bells chime. From the couch, it sounds like they are coming from upstairs.

We have an alarm on the house. The base of the alarm is located on the second floor of our house. For months now, I've been telling Ron that the alarm is trying to turn on the downstairs light and since I have it shut off, it can't turn it on. You see, our alarm system will also turn lights on and off automatically in the house. Ron tried to set it so that the lights were on downstairs when I went down to make coffee. Unfortunately, with me sleeping on the couch in the morning, I don't want the darn living room lights turning on and waking me before my fourth snooze on the cell phone! Anyway, the bell sounds to me to be very similar to the bell noise the alarm makes when you turn on or shut off the alarm. The alarm chimes once to say the alarm is set, twice to say the alarm has been disarmed, so I figured five of them meant "HEY! I'm trying to turn the damn light on!"

Well, Ron vehemently disagreed with my assessment of the chiming bell, but I wouldn't believe him. Come to think of it, I don't think he really believed that I was hearing bells every morning either!

Recently, Ron has been having to get up much earlier than usual for work. Now HE'S hearing it too! See, honey? I'm NOT crazy! Well, not much anyway!

Now the only problem is that we can't narrow down just where the dang bell is ringing from. It's not a door bell noise. Besides, we don't have a door bell. It's not the guy across the street backing his dump truck out of his driveway, because his back up alarm sounds much different, and it's not always just five dings.

What is it? From my perspective on the couch, it sounds like it's coming from upstairs. That's why I kept blaming our alarm system. But Ron was sitting up in the computer room and from there he says it sounds like it's coming from downstairs. The other day I made it up to the landing before the dings went off and I still say it sounds like it's coming from upstairs. I know it's not coming from the computer room, the bathroom or our bedroom. We've had Ron at the top of the stairs, me at the bottom of the stairs and we still can't decide where the sound is coming from. I even asked Phil if he had something in his room that would ring every morning. I don't care if he does, I just need to know WHAT it is!

So here is my idea. I'll get donuts, and put coffee on. Everyone show up at my house and we'll stake it out before 7:00 a.m. We'll put some one in every room and at least four people outside, so we can surround the outside of the house. It's driving me nuts that I can't figure this out!

I'm telling you, it's a head scratcher! It's not the alarm and I don't think it's our ghosts. Any other ideas?

Keeping Your "Girls" Happy!

This blog is about boobs. Before you get too excited, there will be NO pictures of boobs in this blog!

There was a study done by Brigham Young University about the positive effect of having sisters as siblings in your life. I can attest to that fact as I was blessed with the two best sisters there ever were. They both were extremely instrumental in helping me to evolve into the woman I am. I am sure our brothers will also vouch for the fact that their lives have been greatly enriched by having us as sisters! (At least two of you better agree with me or face the possible future of no more home cooked meals from me!)

The study from BYU aside, there is a special bond between sisters. From cradle to grave, no one else knows you or where your skeletons are buried like a sister. I talk to my sister about things that no one else in their right minds wants to hear about. Things like cramps, sex, menopause, broken hearts, sex, unfulfilled dreams, recipes, sex, you get the idea.

My sister and I talk just about daily. If not on the phone, or video chat, we are on gmail chat. There isn't much we won't talk about or advise each other on.

I have been telling Cathie about buying my first sports bra awhile back. It's not that I am athletic, in spite of my new found regime of treadmill walking. It's just hard to find a good bra that fits properly and makes my "girls" happy. Either something is pinching, poking, or straps are falling. You women out there know what a pain in the boobs a bra is. So, I tried a sports bra. I fell in love the minute it was on!

It does hold the girls in nice and tight, but not in an uncomfortable way. You are totally supported, no straps to fall, and honestly, after I get the bra on and the girls situated in there, I forget I have the bra on! THAT never happened with a regular bra. A regular bra gets taken off immediately when I got home, not to be looked at again until it's time to go to work again. They are terrible!

Cathie was planning a shopping trip to get new bras. I reminded her again how wonderful the sports bra is and that she should seriously consider giving them a try. Luckily, she listened to me and actually bought a few! She called me that night to let me know just how happy her "girls" were! These fit like no other bra! Like I said, no pinching, no wires stabbing, no uncomfortable straps that keep falling down. Just pure bliss and support!

Once in awhile, even your baby sister comes up with great ideas! That's what a good sister does for you. Helps make your boobs happy, and of course, helps you bury a few bodies through the years! But I digress! ;-)

Here is my public service announcement for any ladies out there that wear bras. Go buy a sports bra. I'm telling you, I will never go back to a regular bra again. When my "girls" are happy, I am happy!

Time For A Murse

One of the things that I really like about Ron is that he is one of the most secure men I've ever met. He is the least homophobic person I know. He knows who he is, and he's good with it. You know what? So am I!

A few examples of what I'm talking about:

I have had to buy some new shorts since the ones I have sometimes want to fall off as I'm walking! (GO ME!) Unfortunately we are getting to the end of the shorts buying season and the selection I found in my size was minimal. I usually go for colors that I can mix and match with most of what I have in my closet, but all I had to choose from was white (I do NOT do white pants!), yellow and salmon. Yellow was good, I have a lot to go with yellow. Salmon? The color was beautiful, in my mind, I was buying it and I'll find something to match!

I have one blouse that matched perfectly! Keep in mind, I am color blind so I didn't know if anything else I owned would go with the new shorts. Picture this: Ron and I standing in front of my closet, going through my clothes. I pulled out blouse after blouse after sweater after shirt and held them up to my salmon shorts.

Me: Does this go?
Ron: No.
Me: How about this?
Ron: Ugh.
Me: Maybe this:
Ron: Maybe, but no.

It was tough! I really only had that one blouse that went with the salmon shorts! Ron helped me pick out one other blouse that "wasn't terrible" with the shorts! So, if you see me and I don't match, blame Ron! I'm the color blind one!

I've blogged before about waking the poor guy up in the morning to ask him what color my slacks were. Who can tell the difference between black and blue some days?

Then, there is Project Runway! As much as Ron hates my addiction to reality TV, I do catch him watching some of it in spite of himself! The only part of Project Runway he will watch is the runway. That's when all of the models are dressed in the designer's clothes, and walking the runway to show the clothes to the judges. You need to hear him give his critique!

Ron: I like the color on that one, but not how it hangs.
Ron: That would be ok, but I think it looks funny how it hangs under her boobs there.
Ron: That makes her hips look terrible!

That's my man! Fashion guru!! Or maybe it's just that he has the hots for Heidi Klum! Either way, I'm jiggy with it.

Now lets look at Ron for a moment. (Who knew when we got together that you'd be so instrumental in SO many blogs?!!) My biggest complaint about him is his need to carry the tools of his trade with him at all times! I've been poked by screwdrivers coming out of his pockets just sitting next to him. He's poked himself and almost stabbed himself with a screwdriver in his coat pocket once. It's a dangerous thing! Your pockets are NOT the place for sharp objects!

He claims that since he is on call 24/7, and he sometimes leaves the house at a moment's notice, he HAS to have all of those screwdrivers, wrenches, ratchets, etc. in his pockets at all times. I dare you to grab any pair of pants of his and NOT find holes in his pockets from the tools he always carries around!

I have a solution! A Murse! I think this would be perfect for him! We could leave it in his van, or by the door and he can grab it on his way out of the house and have everything he might need for any service call and them some! AND no more holes in his pockets! C'mon now, isn't this a great idea? They come in numerous shapes, styles and sizes. I'm sure we can find something to go with his personal style!

For some reason, I can't seem to convince Ron that this is the answer to some of his problems! I think he'd be thrilled with it, if he just gave it a chance. He thinks he should just stick with helping me color coordinate myself.

Don't be surprised this Christmas if the accessories Santa doesn't bring you a great gift! You can be the first in our neighborhood (and probably in all of Lorain!) with your very own Murse! Heidi would be so proud of you!

That Wasn't Worth It

I gotta tell you, I was trying to reward myself for a job well done on the diet. They say rewards are good to keep you motivated, they just shouldn't be food rewards! Dang, that part sucks!

What's the second best thing to food? Massages! Holy crap, I could feel it already!

I found a local hair salon in Lorain that also offered massages. Unfortunately, this was my only knowledge of the place. I've never had my hair done there, but they offered massages! What more do I need to know? I called and made an appointment.

I was so excited about this appointment that I had the blog already half written telling you how much I loved that massage! Well, since you're not reading THAT blog, perhaps you can guess how this came out!

I am not mentioning the name of the salon since the massage therapist was very nice, even if she didn't give a great massage. Oy vey it wasn't a good massage.

I was a little taken aback when I got to the HAIR SALON and was asked to fill out a medical questionnaire. I was also asked to sign a release so that the "massage therapist" could speak with my doctor directly regarding my treatment. Hello??? It's a freakin' hair salon! All I wanted was a relaxation massage! They need my medical information for this? How do I know if they follow HIPAA laws! Is MY information safe at a salon? C'mon now! Is this crazy or is this just me?!?

Needless to say, I did not fill in any doctor's information. I also claimed to be the picture of health, aside from my back issues. I did want to mention the back issues since I didn't want her rubbing too hard back there but I could sure use a good back rub.

That just wasn't to be!

I'm telling you, she pushed so hard on my neck and shoulders with her thumbs that I just wanted to cry. I have never had a massage where as I was laying on the table, all I could think of is "is she almost done yet?". That's just wrong! I honestly felt beat up when I got out of there and of course, I was much worse over the next few days.

I had my massage on Wednesday evening. It took until Sunday before I could even stand my purse on my shoulder. That is ridiculous, especially when you figure I actually PAID for that much discomfort!

She did want me to book my next appointment with her but I declined, claiming I had to check my schedule first. I wish my ovaries were big enough to just stand there and tell her the truth. The truth was that I was hurting like hell and wanted nothing to do with her any more!

I just went home and sulked. My back hurt more and nothing on me felt good. I was just so disappointed! That just goes to show you: if Ron's not willing to do the rub down, it just shouldn't be done. That was a lot of money spent (yes, I even tipped her like an idiot!) for nothing.

I so need to come up with a better reward for myself! One that's less painful!

PhotoPhun Challenge: Beauty

A new blog series! PhotoPhun! This week's topic is Beauty, as in the eye of the beholder.

Thank you to Lisa for the invitation to join this PhotoPhun party. I am in no way a great photographer, but this sounds like a fun weekly project! Please check out Lisa and Mark's contribution to this week's topic.

Since I am joining the party late, I have no new pictures to add to the blog, so I went through my archive. This is what I see as beautiful.

This is a picture I took at the park on Lake Road in Avon Lake over by the pier. I liked this picture so much I made it my desktop on my home computer!


Another beautiful thing to me is courtship. These swans are in Lake Anna in Barberton Ohio. Ain't love grand!


Nothing is more beautiful than a happy little boy! This is my great nephew, Noah, playing at the beach at Lakeview Park in Lorain OH.


Peace is beauty. This picture came from Lakeview Cemetary in Cleveland OH.


And, lastly, my brother Phil, working! He was helping shovel our driveway last winter. Now THAT'S a beautiful thing!

What Prayer Can Do

Ok, I am not making fun of any one's religious beliefs. We all know I'm not the good Catholic that I once was, but it seems that some of the lessons pounded into me throughout my life have stuck with me!

Believe it or not, this is a story about my vacuum. I have an attachment for the vacuum that you hook on to the hose, and it turns the hose into a small hand held vacuum complete with the beater brush. This attachment I use to vacuum the carpet on the stairs. It's a pain in the ass as you still have to lug the main vacuum up and down the stairs with you, but the attachment is easier to maneuver back and forth on the individual steps than the main vacuum.

Our house isn't that big that I should lose stuff in it. Most things have their place, and I try to keep stuff in their place. I didn't say it was always a good place, but a place is a place! The vacuum itself for instance. I used to keep it in the closet at the foot of the stairs until that closet got too full and now the vacuum doesn't fit in there. So, when not in use, the vacuum is usually behind our bedroom door. Not the perfect place for it, but it's a place. I know where to find the vacuum and it's mostly out of sight and out of the way.

As for that attachment for the stairs. Its place is usually in the corner next to Ron's desk. Why? I have no idea! I think just because he's sort of at the top of the stairs, and that corner is out of the way, mostly out of sight, and I know where the attachment is when I need it.

Or so I thought.

Ron was the last one to vacuum the stairs. (Thanks, honey!) Then, the next time, I went to vacuum the stairs and I can't find the damn attachment. I tore the corner apart where I put the attachment when not in use, I routed around in the closet at the bottom of the stairs, I even looked in the drawers in the sewing machine as well as in the doors in the end tables in the living room. Why? Because it had to be somewhere and I was looking in spaces that were big enough to house the attachment, that's why!

Finally, I did the next logical thing. I asked Ron where he put the dang thing after he used it last! Surprise on me, he didn't use the attachment to do the stairs, he just lugged the big vacuum back and forth on the stairs! Wow! He told me HE couldn't find the attachment, so that's why he didn't use it.

I asked him to look around, it had to be somewhere! Ron went through the same motions I did. I had just cleaned our bedroom and the office, so I was pretty sure it wasn't in either of these rooms as I totally went through the rooms moving furniture and everything. But, he looked again anyway, even in the corner next to his desk where I usually put it. It's not there.

He also took everything out of the closet at the bottom of the stairs, and looked through the dining room and kitchen too. It was no where to be found.

We looked in with the electric blanket, through the dresser drawers, just about every where. Finally, my Catholic upbringing came back to me.

I explained to Ron that any time my Mom couldn't find anything, she'd say a prayer to St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost items. Well, this was a lost item and I wasn't above saying a prayer for it.

I uttered a quick hello to St. Anthony, and asked, if he wasn't too busy, to please help us out looking for my vacuum attachment.

Sure enough, after my prayer, Ron headed upstairs and guess what he found?!! The vacuum attachment!!! And, guess where! Right in the corner, next to his desk, that I cleaned through, looked through and he looked through! I swear it was NOT in that corner before! One fast prayer and there it was!

I'm not saying it was a miracle, but I'm telling you, as sure as I'm sitting here, that attachment was NOT there during the previous week that Ron and I were both searching for it.

Maybe I need to give this prayer thing another go. With that attachment missing, I haven't vacuumed the stairs because the big vacuum is too heavy for me to futz with doing it without the attachment. So, the last two times, Ron did the stairs! Bonus! So . . .

Hi, St. Anthony, it's me again! I hate to bother you again so soon, but if you're not too busy, could you please hide that attachment again? I really hate vacuuming those stairs!

Sunday Boat Ride

We finally took our inaugural ride on Ron's boat last Sunday!

The morning was beautiful, so we grabbed our friends, Larry and Linda, and headed to the marina. Luckily, Larry and Linda were better prepared than we were. I worried about getting to Dick's Sporting Goods the day before to get me a life preserver (I wanted to make sure we had one that FIT me!) while Larry and Linda thought to bring a cooler of ice and soda. That was a darn good idea as it turned out!

Note to self: Make sure WE think to carry beverages on to the boat on a hot summer day!

Anyway, I tried to take some pictures to capture our first journey. And, since I'm blogging about it, we made it back in one piece!

Here is Captain Ron and First Mate Larry, taking the boat out of the slip. I was so proud of Ron! It looked like a tough job to maneuver that big boat through the tight marina but he handled it like a champ going out and coming back in! Way to go, honey!


When we were out of the slip, I turned backwards to show where we came from. Ron's slip is on the near right, between that boat and the blue dock. I'm telling you, it's tight in there! It was even more amazing watching Ron bring the boat back in and back it into the slip! But, I'm getting ahead of myself here.


It seemed to be a long ride going from the slip, through the marina, through the river, before we got out onto Lake Erie. The part I really liked about this long drive to the Lake is I was really terrified, and, this gave me about 10 minutes or so in a no wake zone to try to get my sea legs under me. A no wake zone means you have to go really slow so that you don't produce a wake behind your boat. I was A-OK with the grandpa speed to start out with! And, it was a beautiful drive along the way.

We had to go under a couple of bridges, which felt kind of weird. One of the bridges we went under had a bunch of swallows and their nests under the bridges. Even at no wake speed, we went through too fast for me to get any good pictures. I just wasn't prepared because when I first saw all of the nests under the bridge, I thought they were hornet's nests! Shows you what I know! But, they set me straight and seeing all of the birds down there as well, it sure made sense that I was seeing their nests. Oh well, next time I'll try to get better pictures.

Here is one of the bridges, a railroad trestle over the water. I got one picture as we were coming up to the bridge and I tried to get one as we were under the bridge, but you know, I suck at photography!



The next bridge is Liberty Avenue in Vermilion. I think this is also Route 6 but I'm not sure. I still get confused between the roads here and the roads in Erie! Route 6 runs along the Lake in Erie so I assume it does here too! No wonder I'm always lost!


After this bridge, we were on our way through the channel to get out of the Vermilion River and out onto Lake Erie.


Now I was starting to get REALLY nervous! I tightened my life preserver and hung on tight!


Before I knew it, Ron hit the gas and away we went! It was a picture perfect day with blue skies, moderate temperatures and pretty calm waters!


Anyone that knows me, knows I am afraid of everything. Once we were out on the water, I about freaked! Where are the lanes? Where are we supposed to be? Does he see the other boats out there? Does he realize that we are on a collision course with about ten different boats? Aargh! Who in the hell has the right of way out there?

All in all, I think I did well. I only screamed once and didn't badger Ron at all (at least not that he could hear!) about slowing down or watching for that boat or whatever. It was a scary experience, but yes, in spite of it all, I had fun.

We headed over to Huron to a place that they heard was good for swimming. There was only one guy there enjoying the water, and I think the water was a little shallower than we bargained for so we didn't stay. Besides, none of us had suits with us but luckily, we did have a cooler of iced cold soda! We did sit there and drift around for a bit, just enjoying the scenery while we cracked open a couple of Frescas. MMMM.

Here is a shot of Linda, cool as a cucumber, with a life preserver on, just enjoying the ride.

And then there's me! Pay no attention to that death grip I have on the boat! I really was enjoying myself, most of the time!


The morning was beautiful, but the afternoon was getting pretty damn hot. We were out for about three hours and by the end of that, I was absolutely done. We packed up our stuff, zipped and snapped the covers back on the boat and we all headed home. I for one, enjoyed a nice long nap on our couch in the air conditioning back home! Now that's a way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Thanks for the ride, honey! You really did a great job with the boat!!

I'm Sweeping Up!

I've blogged in the last few months about a new hobby I have taken up. Sweepstaking! It's been a long cold spell with nothing in the plus column but this weekend has sure made up for it!

Before you get too excited, I haven't won a car or a cruise yet, but I am on my way!

I came home from work on Friday to find a nice, plain white envelope on the table. I was a big winner in the REESE'S/Walgreens Summer Sweepstakes! I won a $25 gift card to Walgreens! Big win for me!! I am at Walgreens often enough, for sure I'm going to make use of an extra $25 in buying power there. As an added bonus, this was an online sweepstake, so it didn't cost me anything to play. Gotta love free!

Saturday as I've already told you, I won the 50/50 at the Barberton Geezer Gathering. That cost me a whopping $5 for tickets, but I got that back in my $29 dollar win.

Monday I hit the jackpot again! I won a prize from the "I Love Reese's Day Sweepstakes"! Woo hoo! This prize was one free Reese's Cup candy bar, value not to exceed $1.25! Like I said, it's not a car or a cruise, but I'm over the moon with this! Again, an online sweepstake, so it didn't cost me anything. And, when the sweepstaking gods speak, I listen. If they are sending me one of my favorite candy bars for free, I fully intend on eating it! By myself! mmmm I can taste it already!

It's been a good weekend for sure. Next is the ticket I bought on tonight's Mega Million drawing. Who knows? The next blog you read from me might very well be written from an island paradise somewhere. I am on a roll after all.

Just in case that doesn't work out for me, I need to get back to my 30 or so daily online sweepstakes I need to enter. There could be another candy bar in my future.

Update # 3 - Good News!

Ok, I wasn't going to blog a diet update this week, but I just HAD to!

I had my three month check up today and I passed with flying colors!

The doctor is thrilled with my weight loss through diet and exercise. He was happy with my blood sugar readings over the last month and most importantly, my A1C test was 5.9!!!!!

This is huge. My last appointment with him, my A1C test was over 10. A diabetic reading should be equal to or less than 7. With a reading of 5.9, I am well below the limit and I'm told, I'm bordering on NON-diabetic! For real!

He has also cut my medication in half. Next stop will be off of the medication altogether, which is of course, my goal. How am I going to do this? I'm glad you asked. I'm going to do this by continuing what I'm doing. Eating much better and getting some exercise. Who knew that was really the secret.

The only down side to this whole thing is how I'll know that I probably no longer need to take medication. You see, the only way to know is when your sugar starts going too low. I was told if I keep this up, I can expect that! So, what to look for:

First sign is you start having weird dreams, even nightmares. Yeah. Welcome to my life. As long as I can remember, my dreams have been weird. If they are not weird, then they are nightmares. Yeah, this test might not work so well with me.

The next clue is that I could just break out in a cold sweat and be very confused. If this happens, I am to take some candy or some juice to bring my sugar back up and then call the doctor. Hmm, if I'm that confused, am I going to know to eat some candy or drink some juice? Probably not. So, I went over this with the guys at home so they can watch over me if I get a little crazy. I talked to Mike about this at work, and of course, he's worried about being able to tell my normal confusion from a low sugar confusion! Funny guy, that Mike! So, that's what I have to look forward to. I'm ready for it!

Now, since I am in such a good mood tonight, I am even going to give you one free tip. As I just said, part of the secret is eating better.

Have you seen those commercials on TV for Yoplait Light Yogurt? I have to tell you, those commercials are 100% truth in advertising! No lie!

For breakfast this morning, I had red velvet cake! If you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely your answer. The flavors in this yogurt really are unbelievable. I think my favorite is the very cherry. That is until I have an apple turnover, with chunks of apples in there. Then again, how can you beat the lemon pie? Strawberry banana? Orange creme? This for me is the perfect breakfast food.

Even if you don't like yogurt, try it. For either 19 or 20 grams of carbs, depending on the flavor, this is a winner all the way. So, a free diet tip for you and some great news from the doctor for me.

All of my hard work is definitely paying off. It's been a darn good Monday! I can't WAIT to be confused!

Barberton Picnic

Every year, the alumni from Barberton High School (in Barberton Ohio of course!) have a picnic at Tuscarawas Park that is open to any graduate of the school.

All that was requested was a response to the invitation and they asked that you bring a dish. Ron (class of 1978) wanted to go, so he made a batch of his ranch beans and away we went!

It was a beautiful day in a beautiful park. There was a pavilion with electricity for the crock pots and a lot of picnic tables. People came in and out all day, we got to meet new people while Ron got to catch up with some old class mates. I even got to meet his high school girlfriend! (Hi, Chris!!)

The food was good, the games were fun! While I didn't win anything with my partner Christine on the Newlyfriend game, I did pick up a prize on a trivia contest. Free stuff is free stuff! We all know how I feel about this! Here is my prize!

Way too cool. They also had a corn hole game set up by the pavilion. Ron had stepped out to have a cigarette when this little cutie patootie, someone's granddaughter, came up and asked him to play. Who could resist her? So, they headed to the game.

The little girl has obviously watched the game played before as she grabbed some bean bags, stood next to the target and tried to throw across the field to the other target. Her little arm only got her a shot at about three feet away! Ron kept telling her to get closer to the target since she was little and to try again. She sure took the hint, and here is how she ended up kicking Ron's butt!



All in all it was a great day. The weather was warm but at least the rain held out until the last of us were leaving.

While I might not be a graduate of Barberton High School, I appreciate that they let me play their reindeer games for the day. Especially since I'm the lucky winner of their 50/50 drawing as well! Yeah, count me in for next year! I see another t-shirt prize in my future!

More Freebies!

I've posted recently about getting some freebies just for ordering some office supplies. Well, I found another source of free stuff, so I thought I'd pass it along.

I found this through my sweep-staking hobby. Before you ask, I haven't won anything else yet on my sweeps! I need a win! Postage is going up in January and I need to fund my habit!! But, I digress.

Here is a link to a website. Every day, they will give you a link to some company offering free samples! All you need to do is fill out a short form with your name and address, and while supplies last, a free sample will be heading your way!

I've gone back on the calendar to find more free stuff, but supplies really are limited. If you try to go back too far, you will be out of luck. Therefore, I try to check daily to get in on the free stuff. I don't request everything, just what interests me. So far, I've gotten a free sample of coffee and a free sample of shampoo and conditioner. I've sent away for hand cream, tampons, face cleanser, vitamins and sticky notes, to name a few. All the while steering clear of things that don't interest me, like Attends Adult Diapers, free kid's meals, and dog food. Hey, there is something for everyone here.

Like I've said, free is my favorite price! Check out the site. It's free!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs

And they still don't seem to help!

I'm telling you, I am getting old. I can't always remember things like I used to! I have adopted a course of action to help me remember things I need to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't always help!

This picture is on my monitor at work. I see it every day and I look right there before I leave at night, when I shut my monitor off. But do I remember? Not always.


It started with the thermostat. I started working here in January. While my brother might like to freeze his balls off, I need a little heat. He lets me turn up the heat to 64 degrees! BUT, before I leave at night, I have to turn it back to 60 where he would prefer it. Ok, some days I remembered, some days I didn't. You get yelled at enough, you want to do what you can to remember!

Then the weather started to warm up. I have a window in my office and it does open. I am on the ground floor, with an open window, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you need to shut and lock your window before you go. That's a mistake I only made once! While Mike added the reminder to my note shown above on my monitor, I also posted this gem on the door frame of my office. I HAVE to walk by this to leave! I can't miss it!

Now we're in the summer. As much as Mike likes to freeze, he likes to sweat. I don't think he'd ever turn on the a/c if it weren't for me here. I can't do that heat! I need to turn on the air. We've compromised and instead of turning on the air to 73 like I do at home, I have it at 76 here. Better than 90, so I'm not complaining! But, as the energy miser says, I mean as Mike says, no running the a/c if I'm not here! I need to turn it off before I leave! This note is posted next to the front door, right next to the outgoing mail holder. I have to grab all of the mail, the note is right there, hopefully, I remember to turn back around and shut off the a/c! I've forgotten this way more than I would like to admit. Bad. Very bad.

My personal effects are not exempt from my bad memory. Twice now, I've left work and left my purse here! It's not that I have much money in there but that's all I need, to be pulled over for something and not have my purse! Besides, now with the diabetes, I had my pills in my purse. Ok, that part I've fixed and now keep my pills in the bathroom at home. But, how to remember to grab the damn thing before I leave work?

This little gem now sits on my steering wheel in my car. I get in the car, check the note, and check to see if my purse is with me. So far, so good.


Until last Friday.

I got up from my desk:

Window closed - check
A/C off - check
Grabbed the mail - check
Do I have my purse - check

Start the car. Start to back up. Luckily I realized I didn't have my book and I didn't have the bank deposit that was sitting on my desk.

Crap.

"F" the signs. I need an "I'm leaving work check off sheet".

Damn I'm old.