Happy New Year Comment Graphics

Redemption......

I am feeling a little better today. Mind you today could be worse but so far it is bearable. A few small obstacles today that only a paycheck can fix but tomorrow, pay day, will be here soon enough. I hate being broke but if I get real desperate I can always turn in my winning lottery tickets all of $6 if I remember correctly or maybe I’ll just turn them in for more lottery scratch off’s. I could win something big maybe……..or most likely not.

I am trying not to catch something so I tried to sleep in late. Of course the dogs woke me at 6am, I let them out for about 15 minutes then back to bed. I slept past 9am and felt a little better. I still have the little tickle in my throat but it seems only slight now. I went to my computer and read my mail as is my usual routine when I wake up and found a pleasant surprise. Redemption, there is integrity in the world. With the way things have been going lately I had assumed that another ‘incident’ would be swept under the rug. I was wrong and I am glad. I feel better knowing that the world has not completely lost its mind nor have I.

The day after Christmas....

I survived Christmas 2006, it was tough but I made it. Five more days to go before the New Year, I can't wait. A New Year and fresh plate time to slough off the old and bring on the new. I have had so many great things happen but at the same time I have been more disappointed than I can recall in a long time.

I feel better than I have in years but this has bought on a whole new set of problems. Change no matter how good you think it is only cause’s problems. I think I was a Lemming there for a long time, too exhausted, tired and sick to protest I went along with the crowd. I'd have a burp every once in a while raise my head growl my discontent only to lay my head down and go back to sleep. Sleep is good. I am good at it.

I'm awake now and no longer a Lemming. I am deeply disturbed by things that I once let slide because it was easier that way. I have let my children slide for years only to discover I have raised a bunch of slobs. They are good kids but OMG they are lazy at times. Needless to say I have put my foot down and they are getting better but there is room for much improvement. I am including myself here because there are many days I ignore the laundry completely. I hate laundry I truly do.

I have let my husband take advantage of me. I can not blame him totally because he like my children push the limits to see how far they can go and I have let him go to far I think. I am trying to pull back hard on the reins now and he is fighting me for all he is worth. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just call it quits sometimes it is just too much but I do not know how to stop loving him after 20 years and I don’t really want to. I do hate him sometimes because he can be so selfish but I have to take much of the blame. Don’t get me wrong he is a great father, a good man in general but he is a man. I created the monster so now what do I do. I miss my best friend.

I can’t think about work right now. I like the people I work with most of the time but we all have our moments. I am having one of those moments. I'll get over it or I'll find another job. 2007 is a new year so I guess we will see.

I have ranted enough I think this is way more personal than I usually date to write but I do have a good life and most times I am happy. I was skipped over for promotion last month and it has affected more than I imagined. A good slap in the face will wake you up but now I am pissed off by what I see and I am not sure what I should do. I just know I can’t hide my head in the dirt anymore. I am hoping I will start to feel better with the coming of the New Year. I don’t want to feel used anymore or taken advantage of. I think next year I will change the way I do things and maybe I need to quit taking so much of the blame.

I'm Broke

 

I need a better paying job because it’s Friday night and I am broke. Maybe rob a bank or winning the lottery would be more likely at this point but I can wish. I feel like I shopped all day even though my daughters were nice enough to have me home and back in my bed by 1 pm this afternoon. (I worked all night.) I was back up at 6pm after several interruptions chauffeuring my daughters to the firehouse then spending a few moments with my friends. I was invited to a Christmas Party at the Daly’s but I had to leave before 10 pm because I had to chauffeur my daughters back home. Poor Fred has work all day so I know he will be either wound up or exhausted when he gets home. He wont be happy to know we are broke but he should be satisfied that I purchased all his requested presents before funds ran out. We maybe eating Cornish hens with canned vegetables for Christmas Dinner if I am not careful. There is a little money in savings but I really don’t want to touch it. Money is so hard to save there always seems to be an emergency.

I didn’t forget about myself this year, I did go shopping last week but I remember why I hate shopping and only bought a nice black business jacket. I broke down today and bought myself new bras the expensive Victoria Secret ones. Poor Beth is busting out all over so I had her in the store with a clerk for almost an hour trying on bras until we found ones that she liked. They did not have her size in the store which turned out to be a good thing for me. I found them on line at a cheaper price and was able to order her an extra bra and free shipping. She’s 14 and wears a cup size smaller than me. If she doesn’t stop growing here soon I see a breast reduction in her future. Erin appears to be following in her foot steps. They don’t get this from me I was a charter member of the IBTC until my first pregnancy. I think I will blame Fred and the Pate genes for this one they are more like their Aunt Jennifer than me in that aspect.

I still need glasses but I will wait until after first of the year. I can still type without too much difficulty but I can’t read the small print in books anymore. If I strain my eyes too much anymore my vision becomes blurry and I get head aches so no reading small print or quilting until I get new shades. Getting old really bites but what do you do? I know get contacts and find a really great plastic surgeon which brings me back to I’m broke but in 3 more days this will all be over with.

The picture above is called 'Sunrise over St Mark's'

Sunrise Over Lawnwood Stadium

 

As I was drving home yesterday the sunrise was uncommonly gorgeous. I picked a spot on the west side of the stadium and took this shot. Not to shabby........

6 days until Christmas

 

The final days of Christmas are upon us and my children are counting down the hours. I have finished my Christmas cards and they are all in the mail. I have not wrapped one present but I hope to have that chore accomplished by tomorrow. I still don’t feel rushed and that is a good thing I think.

This year I have to work Christmas night and Fred works Christmas morning so we will open gifts some where in between. The girls and I will be cooking this weekend. I am hoping to make Banana Bread, cookies, and I have 6 Cornish game hens in the freezer waiting for Christmas Dinner. I usually leave the fancy cooking to the chefs in my house but since I am a pretty fair cook I thought I might give it a whirl.

I have another meeting this morning; these damn get togethers are driving me nuts. Although they let a few people share their dissatisfaction with the center nothing ever truly gets accomplished. I personally have had enough of making suggestions and trying to “improve” a broken system. No mater how much I complain about dispatching errors and officer safety, they seem to fall on deaf ears not only from my peers but also the supervision. They always agree that SOP should be followed but no one enforces it and if I try to enforce I usually get attitude so much for authority and seniority. Of course just because you have been given a title dose not necessarily mean anything as I have discovered recently.

I guess I have ranted enough this morning. I need to shop some more this afternoon, my girls are going to a Christmas party tonight and we still need to look for a gift for the host.

Erin's First Christmas Concert

Erin is a percussionist and doing a pretty good job. This is her first concert and although the songs were simple the children played very well for first years. Some like Erin have only been playing their instruments since August.

Erin's First Band Concert

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Christmas Concerts

Elizabeth's Concert Tuesday the 12th 7 pm at Central High School....

Erin's First Concert Thursday the 14th at 7pm At Dan Mcarty.....

The Closer

 

 

I am not too awfully fond of T.V. anymore. All the new reality shows don’t interest me at all. I don’t want to watch dancing with the stars or see who is the next Top American Model or Idol or whatever………

Although I have to admit that Mario Lopez is smoking hot!!!!
(the girls at work twisted my arm and made me watch)

I can honestly say there is not too much on the tube that I like. However I have to admit that I set my timer just to watch Kyra Sedgwick in ‘The Closer’. I love this show. I love the Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson. She is a tough cookie and more blunt than I could ever imagine being. She knows what she wants and goes for it but at the same time showing her fears. She cries and stresses over the decisions she makes but never backs down once she’s made up her mind what she is going to do. She follows through no matter what anyone else thinks. I just love her character I really do…..

Brenda being a southerner never hurts either………I wonder if she can get sweet tea in LA?

South Park Winslow

 

 

Happy Turkey Day!!!!!!!

 

 

With my job comes the responsibility of having to work 24-7 and all holidays. At 911 it is the luck of the draw, some year you work Thanksgiving and Christmas or you don’t. I seems like I work the holidays most of the time. I have a wonderful family though and I can depend on them to make my day great no matter if I am working or not.
This year my co-workers and I are lucky enough to have dinner catered. I think I mentioned it earlier. Fred and my daughters are right now slaving away in the kitchen roasting a 20lb bird with all the trimmings. The food is starting to pile up on the table; I hate my nose right now.

NWS Melbourne, Florida

Yesterday I went with several co-workers to Melbourne for a quick tour of the Weather Center. It was interesting enough but although I love a good thunder storm and it always gets my adrenaline going the NWS in Melbourne did the opposite. I tried so hard to stay awake but I worked 12 hours prior to our little field trip. Just as soon as I sat down and became comfortable, my eyes would begin to close. I was a little embarrassed but I will survive. Check out the weather web site it is pretty cool.

The rest of the trip was nice. I heard a little office gossip and spent time with co-workers I haven’t seen in a while. Napped on the way back home and arrived back at the center with just enough time to pick up Beth from school.

We are gearing up for Thanksgiving. I have to work but my husband and daughters are so eager to cook Thursday they volunteered to cater Thanksgiving dinner at 911. We are all excited.

Menu:
Brined Baked Turkey
Sweet Spiral Ham
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
Green Beans
Macaroni & Cheese
Gravy
Bread
Sweet Potatoes Pie
Snicker Pie
Banoffe Pie

No Over Time.....

I have no more over time. I signed up for the 30th of November but that’s it. I do not know what I am going to do. Clean I guess……

Today I started on the Florida room; chair rails are nice but do you have any idea how much dust gathers on these little ledges. I washed a few windows but I still have the rest of the house to go.

I cooked a nice pot of chicken soup last night. Tonight I think we will be having Pork Chops or Kielbasa….. I can’t decide.

I still have a ton of laundry to do but that’s everyday so no big deal I guess……..

I sprayed of the patio……and I swept but need to mop…….

God I need a maid I was not meant to be a house wife …..

Maybe I can call work and volunteer to work for free…..

No that’s right I’m still mad at the unfairness of it all but I’ll get over it.……. I was passed over for promotion again. All I can say is that the maybe the person who was chosen needed the position more than I did and I’ll leave it at that……

Did I mention I needed a maid…….

Old Fort Bassinger School House

  

Fred and I took the long way home Sunday; we spent the day taking pictures. I like this new hobby we have.....

Orlando Beer Fest 2006

  
My husband and I had a great time and plan on doing this again......

Snakes, Braces and Beer Fest.

My recent house guest, 9.3 foot Boa Constrictor (official length), found a new home this morning. One of my co-workers took him away this morning, no more snakes in my Florida room. The dogs were happy to get their space back.

Elizabeth had her Orthodontist appointment yesterday; she now wears braces on her top row of teeth and she’s already broken two brackets, back to the Orthodontist tomorrow. I don’t think it’s anything she did the adhesive they used did not stick.

The orthodontist appointment for tomorrow at 10am interferes with my weekend. Fred and I planned to leave first thing Friday morning for Orlando. We booked a hotel room for 2 nights and tickets to Beer Festival, no children allowed. We will return home early Sunday, Fred wants to attend Chaney’s Florist grand opening. The manager is our new neighbor.

I cant wait to get out of town. I have work so much overtime the last two months I am completely burnt out. My nerves are a little fried, it’s rumored the announcement for promotions is to be made today but I don’t think that is going to happen until next week. I am fairly sure I will be passed over again but I still have my fingers crossed. I hate political intrigue and just not knowing what is going on……….

 

 

Look at what my husband brought home today!

 

 
He can not keep it. This Boa Constrictor/Python is over 7 foot long and thick. I'm guessing maybe over a foot in diameter. I called my friend Amy (she likes snakes) but she won’t answer her phone. OMG.............

  

Happy Halloween

 

 
Here is a pic of my daughters and their friends taken just hours ago. Beth is a psycho something while Erin is Malice in Wonderland. I made her outfit, isnt she cute!!!! I'm not sure what V is but there is a fairy, an unkown bag girl and a french maid.

Erin in the Morning

  
I feel like I work all the time, except for the few rare moments we take to enjoy all that God has provided for us. I love Saturday mornings at the beach it is becoming a ritual.....

It is getting cold tonight; down in the 40's, and I get to work again. Even though I feel like I work or sleep all the time, I still manage to get a few things accompished. I have updated my novel sites. I have learned a few things lately that I feel has improved my writting immensely. See Sunshine and Daddy Bob, they both have new chapters.......

I love Mornings......

 

 

After I take Beth to school this morning, I come home and let the dogs out. They run around the yard watering their favorite spots. This morning they race over to the corner of our property; there is no barking or growling, but I know they are up to no good. As I walk over to see what it is they are doing Butch walks towards me with one of their stuffed toys.........or so I thought in the morning gloom……not!!!! As he gets closer I realize he is carrying an opossum. I am praying it is dead but I know better having lived in Florida most of my life. Butch is such a good dog...well this morning anyway. I yell "drop it" and he does. I get Butch and Zak inside but Cujo refuses.

So here I am barefooted walking in damp grass trying to catch my one year old pain in the butt very large very quick puppy. He is dancing around me and the possum. The possum moves and we both jump. I knew it was playing "possum". I finally grabbed the dog and get him inside the patio enclosure and I block off the doggy door. I rush back into the house an shut off the patio lights hoping the poor thing will get up and run away if it is no longer under the glaring lights in the back yard.

Here we all are standing on the patio watching this poor creature: Me, 3 dogs and the cat. I am hoping it is really dead but from prior experience my dogs are more likely to maim the poor creatures they catch in our back yard than kill. The opossum finally lifts its head and sees us standing there. Zak barks and starts to whine which gives the possum more than enough incentive to scurry away on 3 good legs. “Shit!!!” By the time I get the dogs back into the house the small creature has disappeared. I’m thinking he has crawled under our shed. When Fred wakes up I’ll make him go look for it. Until then, I think I’ll stay in the house…….

Sunrise on a Cloudy Morning

 

 

Fort Pierce - The Mark Foley Drama

  

Fred took this picture on my camera several weeks ago. I love it. The colors are awesome. I love photography. I am lucky I reside in a beautiful state and I live in a pretty seaside town. I love my small town but sometimes I wonder if I should have packed up my family and left years ago. After the events of this past week I just want to hide my face in shame. This picture was taken almost directly across the street from Mark Foley’s now vacant condo. The media is camped just a few feet from the parking space where we stopped and took a few snap shots after a dinner at Chuck's. Large white box trucks clutter the roadside spoiling our view waiting for the FBI raid that so far has not occurred. The media is diligent though, the photographers want their shot so they stay. For three days now they have waited and only their editors know how long they will camp here.

You have to live in a cave not to have heard of Mark Foley’s “indiscretion”. Of course as the story progresses it seems he had many little “indiscretions”. I have several questions I need to ask today. Did he really do anything wrong because he never acted out his fantasy? Or did he? What are his true sins? Is this a sickness? Will therapy fix it? Why do offenders use the excuse of being a prior victim of molestation? I definitely don’t understand that one. Alcohol? Loneliness? More excuses pedophiles and sex addicts use to try to get people to pardon their actions. Is any excuse acceptable? No, not as far as I am concerned.

I want to know why all the perverts/pedophiles gravitate to Fort Pierce and the St Lucie County area. If you only knew how many men come to our area to have sex with minor children you would be appauld. Can you guess how many times in a week a child is harassed, followed, and propositioned by perverts? I just helped put one in jail two weeks ago for trying to lure a child into his vehicle and now I am looking for another that harassed my “V” when she was walking home the other day from school. She was smart and got his tag number. Unfortunately, it was a bad tag and we can’t trace it but I am still looking.

Bottom line, our children are not safe in our society. It is so sad when you are afraid to let your children even walk home from school. It is worse when they can’t even walk home the one block from their school bus and not get molested. It is even scarier to think that even in school our children are not safe. The madness of the last two weeks has me thinking maybe I need to pull my girls out of public school and educate them at home. As a parent what do you do? What can you do when the people you trust to make our laws are no better that the slimes that stalk our children like animals with only one thought on their mind?

What I keep thinking about as I read each new updated newspaper article and watch politicians scatter like roaches, how many other legislators, senators and aides are cut from the same cloth. Who are these people that run our government and what are they really doing behind closed doors. I never used to care, it wasn’t any if my business but now maybe it's the most important question we should be asking?

My boy and his face jewelry.

 

Such a handsome boy. 

Today my son had his face pierced!

Actually it may not be as drastic as it sounds but.....

I knew I was in trouble when he walks out on to the patio "I love you Mommy."
I'm in the pool trying to get a little exercise and sun. I have been working so much lately I don't have time to do more than catch up on my sleep. My son so grown up walks out and proudly shows off his new facial feature. My baby has a barb through his lower lip.

"What happened to the tatoo you wanted?" Is the only thing I can think to say.

"I was in a weird mood today so I got a piercing." Is what he tells me.

I don't know who this young man is any more but I do realize he is finally starting to spread his wings and will soon leave the nest. Just last week he took his first vacation going to Atlanta for an Anime Con. I also found out he is smoking.

He accused me of making living at home to easy and that I don't want him to leave.

All True.

I can't yell at him I did worse when I was his age......

I just hope he doesn't come home with anything else pierced.

Sunrise Sandpipers

  

September Sunrise

  

Tragic Drowning

My heart goes out to Troy and his family. I can not imagine what they are going through their loss is tragic on so many levels and will be hard to accept. I can only offer my prayers and sympathy. God be with you Troy......

No More Anorexic Models?????

It's about time.

Over Time

This was suppose to be my long weekend but I spent most of it and the prior week working as much over time as I could get. I got a look at our home owners insurance policy last week and it has literally tripled since we moved into the house less than two years ago. My mortgage is already incredibly high and will now go up another 200 to 300 dollars a month on top of that my dish washer broke and Beth needs braces. On a happier note apparently El Nino has returned and we are spared an hurricanes this year, gas prices are going back down and I will be getting two raises this year one in October and another in April. If I am lucky it maybe a total of 4% overall a whole point higher than what I would have normally received. In the mean time overtime overtime overtime until at least after the holidays so don't be surprised if my posts are a little sparse from here on out.

I switch to Midnight shift in October so hopefully that will give me extra time on the computer........We will see I guess

Vaccine for Cervical Cancer!

I have heard about this but you never really beleive it until it actually happens. Read the article attached.

My hair is falling out!!!!!!!

I have noticed in the last month or so that my hair is shedding more so than usual. It is so bad that my husband has taken to torturing me almost daily of my impending baldness. As I have gotten older I'll admittthat my hair has thinned some and I know it will get worse as I age. My hair was baby fine as a child it will be the same as I approach my golden years. My Mimi (grandmother) always kept her hair beautifully coifed. She had snow white hair and it was very thin but she always looked great. Her stylist would brush her hair swept up from the back and expertly curl and pin her hair so it always looked full on top and in the front. I have watch my brown tresses turn gray, I remember finding my first gray at 21 years old and knowing that I would be prematurely gray. Mimi's hair had gone totally gray in her 40's and here I am at 42. I occasionally see glimpses of my natural hair color in between dyes and I mostly see little more than gray but not the pretty white of my grandmother. My gray hair is the wiry uncontrollable dull ugly looking sort that I keep dyed an auburn color. I was seriously thinking about not dying my hair anymore maybe all the dyes and chemicals are the cause of the massive migration on my scalp and there is always henna if I get desperate.

I was looking at some reviews for Rogaine I could always go that route but is it going to be like Propecia you stop using it and all the new growth falls out along with the rest of my hair. You know like a diet you lose 20lbs then go off your diet and gain back the 20lbs plus 10lbs more only in reverse. I was hoping that maybe it was something that I am lacking in my diet. I know I don't get enough dairy but I do try. I also had a theory that maybe the anemia had something to do with my hair loss but this was before I had my surgery. I'm fixed now so that's obviously not a cause. My husband was nice enough to put his two cents in the other night, it seems he has been discussing my hair loss with the nurses at the ER and they had a few suggestions needless to say I was not amused and I did not care for their answers. I wont repeat them they are too scary.

Surfing the web this morning I found this web site (Click on title for article), it may be the answer to my problem. Telogen Effluvium is the medical term for hair loss caused by stress like a surgical procedure. It can occur 1-6 months after the incident and last up to six months. I feel so much better now. I know my hair is thinning naturally and I can deal with that but it is scary when gobs of hair clog you shower drain every time you wash. It is very unsettling.
I will give this another month or so and if it does not slow down maybe I need to look at other causes but right now I feel confident that this is the problem and my body will eventually straighten itself out. I hope it is soon because I don't know how many more wig jokes I can handle, my husband thinks he is so funny.

Good Morning!!!!!

 

I see Braces in our Future

 

I never thought my children would need braces. If I had to guess which one would have
needed them I would have said Erin.  I am wrong per her dentist she has 2 crooked teeth that can be fixed with caps or dental bonding when she gets older. Beth on the other hand is missing two permanent teeth. They never came in because they were never there. She will have the baby teeth removed 2 weeks and then we begin our journey into the land of the Orthadontist. 

We are taking donations....................................

Not enough time in the day........

 

I have discovered there is not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do or I should say need to do. I need to do chores; sweep, mop, laundry, paint, shave my legs, clean the kitchen including the cabinets and the refrigerator, clean the garage, clean the patio and do yard work. There are other things I need to do but I’m not going to blog those. I do many things that I enjoy. I have so many things to blog about here lately. I guess I have been so busy with so many things that it is easy to find material. I really wanted to blog about the funeral yesterday but believe it or not I just could not find the right words to describe what I felt so I let my photographs speak for me. They do not nearly express what I felt but they will have to do.

I also have a space account. I have had it for a while but never really messed with it. Elizabeth made it her own but last week I made her open her own account and I have been playing with mine learning how to “pimp it”. I am still lost but learning more everyday. I must have changed my layout 5 or 6 times already and plan on changing it again once I learn how to make my own layout. MySpace is another pastime that has taken up much of my time.

Then there is youtube.com, OMG I could spend hours looking at videos. I have two favs right now LucyinLA and Other Side of the Tracks. Then there is just the silliness of what people actually put on this site. I love it. I call it job security.

Speaking of jobs, the stories I could tell you but for today I will finish with a nice man I left on hold several times. Yesterday was hectic to begin with and people seemed to be more irate than usual so nearing the end of the day I was tired of being abused my patience long gone. I am not rude at this point but I am not willing to put up with any more bullshit. So when this nice man calls and complains about the cross walk mechanism is not working properly I let him vent and when I have had enough of his venting I try to interrupt him so that I can assure him I would notify the proper repairman and have them look into it. He wont stop talking and the more I encourage him to take a breathe so that I can get a word in edgewise the more abusive he became. I place him on hold…….. He calls back I place him on hold again while he is still talking now I know this does not sound very nice but it is better than hanging up besides I wanted to call the Signal Company so they could at least go check the intersection for any problems. I talk to the repairman he assures me he will check it out I go back to tell the man if I can what I have done for him but he has already hung up. I don’t worry about it I am just glad he is gone. No sooner do I sigh with relief the phone rings I pick it up and it is the same Ass Hole but this time he tells me how F#$%ing useless I am among other things. This time I just hang up.

I actually felt sorry for the girl I took my frustration out on. Don’t worry she was a deaf relay operator which in our center is redundant because TTY is integrated into our phone system and the relay is so slow thank goodness it wasn’t an emergency in fact it’s so slow its very frustrating. I was even more pissed when I found out the person using the transfer had called 911 on several other occasions using our TTY feature why she was using the relay system God only knows. To top it all off my relief had just showed up and had to wait for me to get off the phone so I could go home. 10 minutes later, I made the girl hang up on the complaintant, (she was going to call back in 45 minutes anyway or so I was advised.) grabbed my purse, went home and had a wine cooler. Have I mentioned that I love Dark Cherry Zima’s……………..

LEO Funeral Procession

 

EPJ's Funeral Procession

 

My Own 911 Collage