Now THAT was a "Thanks Given"

We spent Thanksgiving at my brother's new house in Orlando this year. He invited us all down for Thanksgiving, his treat. He just bought a big house on a beautiful lake and even has a twenty four foot Sea Ray. We were all excited!

Sometimes a lake house is a bit of a walk from the house,  not in this case.

We went down in shifts. My sister, my daughter and I left first on Tuesday around noon. We drove thirty minutes and stopped for lunch...you  gotta love driving with women.

We ate and gassed up the car and headed out for real. My  daughter posted on Facebook  we were leaving and immediately got two or three warnings about bad weather and to drive careful.

That turned out to be a HUGE understatement.

My sister started out driving as the rain began to fall, just a drizzle at first. After about an hour or so she asked if I would drive a while and I said sure.

My Cotton luck kicked  right in around Tifton, Georgia and rain began to pour in buckets. The wind was crazy, the people driving were crazy and then the lightning was crazy. Her defroster only semi worked but the windshield was still hard to see out of and I was a nervous wreck. I hated to be a sissy and tell her how much I despise driving in the rain, especially since she was the one who letting us bum a ride down with her. So I'm in the slow lane, forcing myself to go fifty when the first lightening bolt hit that seemed like it was twenty feet away. My nerves were shot and kept hoping to see an exit sign. We finally saw one and told them I had to stop for a minute. We pulled into  the first gas station and I pulled up next  to a pump even though we had a full tank. (The pumps had a roof over them)

We went inside and the young girl inside said  they were under a tornado warning. I asked where the rest room was, looking around the store when she said "Sorry, they're around the side of the building."

My  daughter and I made  a run for it staying as close as we could to the side of the building and opened the door to the nastiest rest room I think we have ever seen. It was so disgusting I was worried about even squatting but I did, since  that last lightning bolt  about made me pee in my pants.

We  went back around the side and entered the store again. I told Massey  to buy me a coke, handed her some money and tried to calm my nerves outside as I watched the rain blow sideways. My sister went to the restroom next and  came back to announce  she had seen  cleaner rest rooms in Cuba while on a mission trip.

Feeling braver I got back into the driver's seat and off we went again. I got on the highway and the guy behind me started honking. I looked down and saw I was going 40 MPH so I took a deep breath and kicked it up to 55.  Not ten minutes later while Cin was talking on her cell to her husband I heard a thump coming from the fast lane and saw a car hydroplaning then spinning in circles headed straight for the front of our car. It was close enough for me to touch it out the window. I slowed down so it wouldn't hit us and the driver over corrected and started spinning back the other way. The car hit the median and came to a stop against the inside wall facing oncoming traffic. Massey called 911 and I just kept going, praying someone didn't slam into the wrecked car facing traffic. By this point my nerves were completely shot, then it got even worse. The lightning was downright frightening every time it cracked and I saw something on the median wall up ahead. As we got closer we saw it was a huge boat sitting on top of the wall with it's trailer still in the lane of traffic and the car that had been pulling it a little further down. Needless to say I once again started praying for an exit sign. For some reason idiot drivers feel it necessary to put their hazard lights on which only confuse the cars behind them. We limped to the next exit and I was still shaking when we got out of the car. The windshield was so smudged up from us trying to wipe it clear you could barely see out of it so we went to a Dollar Store and bought some windex and paper towels. By the time we got the windshield clear the rain had slacked up but I still handed the keys back to my sister. Tag, you're it.

At least the rest of the drive was uneventful although we didn't pull into my brother's driveway until almost eleven. My brother asked us if we wanted a drink and told him I'd wanted one since Tifton, three hours back.

Chris had gone grocery shopping with a detailed shopping list my sister had sent him and the kitchen was stocked with everything we needed to cook the Thanksgiving dinner. He also had a full supply of anything you might think you may want to drink. Water bottles, Snapple, plenty of wine, red and white. All kinds of beer, scotch, vodka, tequila and all the mixers...things were looking up!

The next morning he worked a half a day and we went out for a couple of last minute items we'd forgotten about. We were driving back home when a flock of tiny white birds fluttered in the sky above the car. Just as we noticed them, a huge Bald Eagle swooped  into the flock of tiny birds. It was the most amazing, tremendous bird I've ever seen and was so close we could see it in detail. You certainly don't see a Bald Eagle every day!

Chris got home around noon and took us out on his boat. it's a beautiful boat and large enough for him to take out in the ocean. We backed out of the slip and I shouted out "Take off, Sonny Crockett!" and he did!

There was a cool little canal leading to the next lake over and we tooled through it. It was absolutely beautiful.

The like the great Uncle he is, said "Your turn to drive, Massey" even though she had never driven a boat in her life. She was put- zing along when Chris leaned over her shoulder and gunned the engine.

Cin and I stayed in the back and left Massey and Cap'n Chris up front.

It was a beautiful but windy day and we had to hang onto our hats but had a great time. By this time our next crew was on the way down, Tim and Cindy's son, Casey. Massey and Chris left to go pick up a Honey Baked Ham and brought us all back subs for dinner. Cindy and I got busy doing some chopping and preparations for Thursday. we got most all the casseroles put together and a lot of little things out of the way.

We played cards after dinner around the huge dining room table Chris bought since we were having Thanksgiving at his house. It seats ten easily.  It was nice just being with my brother and sister again. Massey got to see first hand how funny we all (think we) are when together, especially when it's cocktail time.

Tim and Casey rolled in around ten and the party started over again.

Thanksgiving morning Massey went to the airport to pick up Cin's husband who flew down and the party grew even larger. The boys played golf and Cin and I got busy cooking. Let's just say we outdid ourselves.
Menu: Turkey and dressing with Giblet gravy
Honey Baked Ham
Green beans with new potatoes
Collard Greens
Sweet potato casserole
Potato salad
Squash casserole
Hash brown casserole
Green bean casserole
Deviled eggs
Heavenly hash
Sweet potato biscuits

Chris' next door neighbor and his girlfriend joined us for dinner and the feast started. Everything turned out great and we totally stuffed ourselves. A bunch went out on the boat after dinner and we got everything put up into the fridge.

We played cards after dinner and some watched football. Cin taught us a new card game, Nertz. You have to get the hang of it first but turned out to be a pretty fun game. Once again the beer, wine and cocktails flowed freely. Some more friends of my brother's were dropping by later on and my other nephew (Griffin) and his girlfriend were flying down around seven to join us. Griffin's girlfriend is a cutie pie,  Hawaiian and they make a really cute couple.

Around eight or so we had probably six or seven of us around the huge table playing cards and the football games were blaring out in surround sound on the huge flat screen in the living room and were partying up a storm when the kitchen door opened and Griffin's girlfriend appeared to appear in the door way while my sister and I shouted "How'd you get here, Jamie?" (We were supposed to send either Massey or Harvey to pick them up) When Griffin didn't walk in behind her but some dude we had never seen did, finally realized it wasn't Jamie but another one of Chris' friends dropping by with her boyfriend. The girl was very pretty and just happened to be from Laos. When you're partying it up, playing an intense card game and the room is loud, Hawaii and Laos are (so it seems) easily confused. The girl looked at Cindy and me like we were idiots but soon enough we were all laughing again. The leftovers came out of the fridge and we started over.

Jamie and Griffin DID arrive after Harvey went and picked them up and party number three started. More food was eaten and Chris shot off massive fireworks from the dock. It was an awesome Thanksgiving.

The next day we all went out on the boat again. Casey got to drive this time and we stayed out for quite a while. When Chris asked Griffin if he wanted to drive the only thing Griffin asked when he took the wheel was "How do you make it go fast?"  We survived, came home and ate more leftovers. We had enough food to feed a small army.

That night after watching football games we decided to play games. We started with Charades, boys against girls and all laughed ourselves silly. Then my sister and I wanted to play Kangaroo; it's a game my parents used to play at church socials. The only ones who knew how it worked were Chris, Cindy and me.

Short version: everyone continues what they are doing, playing cards or watching TV. I say to my sister, "I'm clearing the air and sending you a message." Nobody much pays attention but the thing is who ever talks next is the unknown Kangaroo. After a couple more minutes go by I ask Cindy if she received my message? If she is sure she knows who the first person to speak was after I cleared the air she says she has the message, if she's not certain (maybe two people spoke at once) she says she hasn't received it and I clear the air again. (Let's just say it was Griffin who spoke first when I cleared the air) A couple more minutes go by and I ask her if she got my message? Once she has the message, we send her out of the room. I begin pointing at different people in the room and say "Kangaroo" and from outside the room she repeats back "Kangaroo." Finally I point to Griffin  and say to her outside of the room "Kangaroo, who am I pointing to?" and she says "Griffin."  I wish you could have seen their faces...they thought we were magicians! A couple of them tried it, always failing then Cindy and I would do it again, this time with her clearing the air. By the third time we did it they were all guessing different ways they thought we were doing it.  Finally Griffin's girlfriend caught on and we had another few rounds including her. It's a great party game.

By Saturday we had just about eaten and drank Chris out of house and home but he was a terrific host the entire time. The boys played golf again and us girls had a movie day.

Sunday morning Chris had to work (we thought he was probably just sitting around the corner in his car waiting to see us finally leave) and we cleaned up our mess, put all the sheets and towels on to wash and bagged up the mounds of trash bags we had filled in the garage and headed home.

Tim, Massey and I were in the lead car with Cin, her two boys and Jamie behind us in another car.(Harvey flew back home early)

Chris, always the nice guy had bought us each a Sun Pass for the cars so we didn't have to pay any tolls and sailed through quite a few long lines of people heading home waiting in line to pay the tolls. It easily saved us over thirty minutes.

We were sailing along in Gainesville, Florida. Tim was driving. We were in the passing/fast lane when we heard a loud "BAM" and Tim yelled "Was that us?" We were still rolling along but we saw a tire tread behind us. About then Massey said she smelled the burning rubber so we pulled off into the tiny emergency lane by the center median. Casey stopped behind us in their car. The entire tread had blown off. Cars were whizzing by going eighty and were literally about four feet from the car. It was the passenger side back tire.

Cindy backed her car up about thirty feet or so and put her flashers on. The boys started getting the spare out and cars kept right on whizzing by, making my sister and me nervous wrecks. I made Massey get out of the car and stand far into the grassy median. Cindy and I walked well down past her car behind the car with the flat. She stopped there and I continued down about another twenty feet. As the cars approached I waved my hands frantically down in an effort to tell cars to slow down. Cindy was motioning for cars to move over a lane to give us more room to change the tire. For the most part people were fantastic and although we caused a small traffic backup with our antics at least it slowed most all the cars down.

Of course there is one in every crowd. As Griffin was wrestling with the tire iron with his back no more than three feet away from passing cars, one idiot blew his horn as he passed going at least seventy. You can't fix stupid.

We got the little donut spare on and then had to  manage to pull two cars out of the center median back into the fast lane of traffic, no easy feat with every one and their brother returning home from Thanksgiving holidays.

We finally got back into the lane and maneuvered all the way over to the slow lane. I was just happy no one had gotten hurt or killed. Then we had to find a tire place open on a Sunday afternoon, Thanksgiving weekend.

Three hours later we were finally back on the road after having to put almost two hundred bucks on my sister's credit card. Tim and I are going to help pay her back but you can't drive one of these donut tires on the interstate, especially for two hundred miles so it was the only option we had.

So the trip down was horrible and the trip back was scary but the in between was marvelous! I guess that's what they mean about taking the good with the bad. We didn't get Massey back to her dorm until almost ten and got home around eleven.  We had been shooting for seven.

So all in all it was a "Thanks Given" to remember. I give Thanks I didn't get anyone killed while freaking out in the torrential thunderstorm on the way down and I give Thanks no one got killed changing the tire by a packed out holiday weekend interstate fast lane. I give Thanks I have such a wonderful brother who was an ultimate host to our crazy band of misfits. I give Thanks for days of fun and laughter with the ones I love. I give Thanks to the two who had to stay home for work and couldn't go with us but took care of all our pups, eight in all.

Most of all I give Thanks that all these people love me, it's a wonderful feeling to be loved and as the song says, 



Love, love, love.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

All you need is love (all together, now!)
All you need is love. (everybody!)
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need (love is all you need).

This is all that's left of the Leach clan but we're all still as close as we were on this old station wagon. There are so many families who don't get along or even speak to each other much less love each other.

I give Thanks I'm one of the lucky ones.
Til Next time, a VERY grateful COTTON

The Loading is Done...For This Week

No more loading for me this week...I'm done. I only had to move one table, four chairs and one swivel chair today and was grateful. I work again there on Saturday but  have a stock guy on weekends to move and load all the furniture. It's amazing what you can move with dollies!  I've moved entire sectionals by myself using them. I don't get paid commission until it's out the door so trust me, I can load some furniture.

A dear friend of mine from the Western Sizzler I got fired from came by to visit me today at work. Actually she is the one who told me to start a blog. Big shout out and  thanks to Lisa! While she was there I sold a table with four chairs and a leather swivel chair to a woman who wasn't in the store fifteen minutes...my kind of sale! She's having it delivered tomorrow so I only had to roll it all out to the pick up area. I was telling my friend how I only made commission once products left the store therefore try to make them take it with them if it will fit.

(I've told this story before but I'm  a repeater by nature so bear  with me.) I told my friend about a woman who came in when I first started working alone. Number one, who goes to buy a queen size mattress driving a Camry?  Well  this woman did. Massey happened to come by as I was finishing the sale. I asked the woman if she wanted to take it with her? In broken English she asked how and I  told her we'd just tie it to the roof of her car. Massey helped me load the mattress and roll it out, hoist it onto her tiny vehicle and I went back inside for some twine. We had the woman roll down her windows and that was the last time she helped us. She just stood off  to the side.  No problem. I wanted that commission and where there is a will there is a way. I didn't tell her I had never tied a mattress down before but with Massey on one side and me on the other we got all busy with the twine and had that sucker strapped down in no time.  Then Massey asked how the woman was going to get back in her car? We had wound the twine through the open windows and over the roof with the doors shut. I shushed Massey and we unwound it, opened the doors and rewound it.

"There you  go!" I proudly announced to my  customer. I told her to drive off kinda of fast to make sure the mattress didn't fly up from the front. She looked at me kind of funny but got in her car and took off. The mattress didn't move so I gave her  two thumbs up and yelled "Drive slow!"

Never heard back from her so  assume we did a pretty good job.

I managed to shove a writing desk and chair into the back of a Dodge Durango yesterday and once even loaded a king size bed, mattress and box springs into and on top of a Suburban.

I've goofed up a bit along the way, made some mistakes but have all in all done okay with this new job. (I think)  I like it, it's hard sometimes but I've never been one to shy  away from a challenge. Other times it's slow and have some "Me Time"  something I've missed greatly. I get  all my work caught up and when no one is in the store  pick out a comfy chair and read.

Tomorrow I pick up a serving tray again. It's like I'm living a double life...but at least I'm living!

On another note, Ziggy's "Birth mom" had pups again and my friend finally posted a video of the pups. OMG...if I had enough land I would take all of them! Ziggy is the best  worst dog we've ever had and  love the little guy. He's the happiest dog I've ever met and even when he does something wrong, he's awfully proud of his handiwork and with tail waging has a huge smile on his face that is simply hard to resist.

He was happy and proud when he took down our Christmas tree last year while we were out, pulling all the lights and ornaments off. He was extremely proud of the carpet he chewed up, down to the sub floor in Massey's old bedroom when we left him locked in while gone to Tim's parent's house for a few hours. He is simply the best worst dog!

He loves his Frisbee, even when it looks like this. Believe it or not, it will still sail through the air in this condition. I went to Wal Mart after work tonight and picked him up a new one when I got some groceries.

So here's a recap of my week. Got my dryer vent cleared.  Got my new/used dryer installed.  Sold furniture like a boss. Brought home eight loads of free sod and covered all bare spots in my front yard. Actually have the house pretty clean, cooked dinner twice and don't have to be at work til five on Friday.

Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow and can ride ole Johnny Boy up to the front of the subdivision  and cut it before work to make another sixty bucks.

I'm turning in early and waking up early. You never know how much time, how many minutes or even seconds you have left.

Strike while the iron is hot!

As a side note, if any one knows of a job in logistics, freight or trucking please let me know. My husband Tim is a great worker, been in the business for  over twenty years and  looking for  a job.
Just thought I'd throw it out there, they say it's all about networking and I have had over 72,000 hits on my blog. Never hurts to ask!

Til next time...COTTON

Pretty Cool Kids

So my oldest nephew turned thirty yesterday. This is a photo of him with  his younger brother when they were just tots. I love these two boys.

Their dad was a big athlete so  the boys came by it honestly. Casey was knocking home runs by  the time he started tee ball and has been doing so ever since. Casey is still as meek and mild as he was when this picture was taken... just look at that smiling face!

Griffin on the other hand came into this world with the above expression on his face and it didn't go away until he turned four. (Or at least it felt that long)

Casey was the sensitive one...Griff was a screamer. When he was born he was jaundiced and came home from the hospital complete with a set of lights that were obviously there to help us see him screaming more clearly. Casey was always the silent one and Griffin was the one we always tried to KEEP silent.

All the pictures we have from our vacations at  the beach when Griff was young are ones of him glaring into the camera , squinting and waiting to scream. We would go out to eat seafood and all took turns walking outside with Griffin so we wouldn't get kicked out of the restaurant. The boy had some lungs... no problem there!

Once Griff had screamed for several years (we still have the photo of their dad sitting on Santa's lap with both boys because Griff was horrified) he simmered down  and became almost as mellow as his older  brother and just as good an athlete.

They both turned out to be amazing ball players (and still are.)

Their mom ended up raising them as a single mother and did an excellent job. Their dad remained in their lives until he died from Alzheimer's at the young age of early fifties.

I have always felt close to both the boys and still do. Casey is still the silent one. You can (and could EVEN when he was young) ask Casey any number of questions about his day, his life or mood or liking of something and his response is always the same... "Good."

Cindy  told me about one Christmas morning when they were both young and woke up to  find Santa had come. All the presents lay in the living room on the sofa and chairs. Casey came into the room wearing his Thunder Cats briefs yawning and his dad said all excited "Look at what Santa brought you!" Casey walked around the room seemingly unimpressed as his dad kept prodding some kind of excitement out of him... "Look at  this. Look at that!" Casey  finally stopped by the Masters of the Universe sword.

He picked it up. He turned it over in his hand. He stood silent (again) for  a few seconds and then shot his arm up just like He-Man. He said nothing but from Casey that was a lot!

Griffin was total opposite. He had to be held down  for my sister just to draw on a mustache on him with an eye brow pencil when he went dressed as a cowboy one Halloween. Guess which outfit they never repeated with him?"

He fell one time when he was little and had to have stitches. I bet the doctors and nurses are STILL talking about that one! My sister said they had to strap him down on a papoose board and  was sweating and screaming so much that he finally wore himself out...or maybe that was the doctors who were worn out?

They have grown up now. They both are still excellent ball players and I  know for a fact that makes their dad smile from his perch up there with my own momma and diddy. They are all looking down  and cheering us on.

I have a crazy family. I wouldn't have it any other way. Two things I can say  about my family...

#1  There is an abundance of love.
#2 There is an abundance of laughter.

Who  needs #3 when you have the first two?

I say it time and time again, but can't say it enough, I am a lucky woman!
Til next  time...Comfortable COTTON

Kicking The Hornet's Nest

I know all too well about "Kicking the hornet's nest."  A few years back I was trying to cut back the Pampas grass that was over taking my front yard by the front door. I was hacking away with the hedge clippers when I hit a hornet's nest.  By the time I realized what had happened they were all over me. They were stuck in my hair stinging me like crazy and swarming all around my face and even in my eyes. I threw down the clippers and after trying to run from them found out they can fly a LOT faster than I can run. I ran in the front door of the house and flew (pun intended) up the stairs to my shower on the third floor of the house. I bet I washed thirty of them out of my hair and the pain was almost unbearable. They sting repeatedly unlike bees that sting once and die from their mistake.

I have never been allergic to stings but this attack put me to bed with a high fever and even gave me a serious case of the runs. I had to call out at work which I hadn't done since my father died.

 The next week I asked the manager where I worked (who did pressure washing, chimney cleaning and other odd jobs on the side) to come over and get rid of the Pampas grass for us. He came over with a five gallon can of gasoline and dumped the entire can over the bush. (I didn't say he was smart)

Zach was probably about 8 or 9 at the time and completely into fires. He was my little pyromaniac. His eyes lit up when he saw how much gas my manager used to douse the grass. As my manager lit a piece of paper to throw on the bush I grabbed Zach and pulled him back about ten feet as the Napalm bomb went off. It literally shook the ground and scared the poop out of me. The flames were over twenty feet high and my manager grinned and said "That ought just about do it."

After running for the garden hose and soaking the remains before my entire house caught on fire, I realized he was in fact right. We all stood looking at nothing but a black hole in my front yard but at  least the nest was gone, along with my manager's eyebrows.

I hadn't thought about the "Hornet's Nest" again until I started reading the third book in the "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" series. It's titled "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest."

I work for some pretty crazy folks. Don't get me wrong, I love them to death but they can flare up those temper's with little or no notice given the right ignition at the wrong time. Once their temper is flared you have to simply step back ten feet as I did with Zach  all those years ago and wait for the fire to burn out.

When the owner says something to his wife to tick her off I immediately say "Quit kicking the hornet's nest!"  When the son gets his Dad all fired up for no reason I repeat  the order. It's become a running joke with us all at work.

Yesterday I worked yet another double and was still trying to recover from the "Mother of a Day" I had on Sunday. I was working with another server and we had a big party together at lunch.  My crazy boss wasn't cooking but our even crazier Latino cook was. He is one of the best cooks we have but can also be the biggest pain in the butt  you could ever imagine.

Here's the thing you need to know about every cook in every restaurant. They are ALWAYS right and servers are always stupid.  Even when the cooks are wrong they are right. When the server is right and the cooks are wrong...it is still the server's fault.  That is just the way it is in the restaurant world!

My co worker simply asked a question of our Latino buddy. Granted he was busy, but instead of being nice about it he flew into an immediate tirade. I looked at my co worker and simply said "PLEASE don't kick the Piñata!"

Another cook  working on  the line who speaks about ten words a month (even though he is American) and seldom cracks a smile actually almost laughed.  I gave myself ten points for THAT score!

I am tired. I am tired of being tired but at least I can still laugh at work and make others laugh too.  It's crazy working in the restaurant world...guess that's why I landed here!

I have ONE more double shift tomorrow and then have Thursday all to myself and my boyfriend, Johnny Dear.

It's been a hard climb back but when you make the climb and can see the corner up ahead it makes it all worth while.

My restaurant is family to me...and I am the crazy relative they all want to deny being related to but love even if they won't admit it. One of the cooks was giving me grief the other night and I shot back "If I'm the worst one ya'll have working here, I'd say you're doing okay."

I have to get up tomorrow and take Massey to school then go in for two shows...one at 10:30 and another at 5:30.

All bills are ALMOST current and I even have a little slush fund of sixty bucks sitting in my bank account.

Took Zach to see his probation officer this morning and sat in the parking lot to wait on him. I told my boss when I got to work "If those people are the ones they let out I'd hate to see  the ones they left inside." At least Zach has made it to this point  and I am pretty confident that he will succeed from this point forward.

The last week was the hardest. I was working so much and having to leave hours before my shift to pick him up. One of the cooks at work (who I call Patrick)

offered to take Zach back to the Po key for me since he was closing the store too. I offered gas money and he refused but I forced some on him. He is politically as far to the right as I am to the left, which I suppose means we meet in the middle. He's a cook too which means he is always right..."Touche!"

His generosity and rides meant  that I got to sleep two hours earlier each night. He made my life MUCH easier and gave me two extra hours of looking at the back of my eye lids each morning. I've thought about what I can do to repay him. I gave him gas money but that seems lame. He likes Tatts so maybe I will offer to pay for part of a  a Glenn Beck tattoo on his butt.  In my opinion, that's where Glenn should be displayed.

Totally kidding...to each his own. That's what makes America great.  Every person has a voice and a vote. If you choose not to vote your voice will not be heard.

Tim just informed me walking out the door to work that he ate my last frozen pizza.

Talking about kicking a Hornet's Nest!!  He better be glad I bought a new jar of crunchy Peanut Butter last night.

Waking up tomorrow (today) and doing it all again.

Stay tuned, I also owe my brother in law "Goober Pyle" and will pay him back tomorrow night with a blog.

 "JUDY JUDY JUDY!"  ( Goober's inpersonation of Cary Grant on the Andy Griffith Show)

Til next  time...COTTON

Shawty Steering...

This was the only picture I could find to post...If  reversed it would tell the story.

I had to work this morning and my Lil' Beem of sunshine is still in the ICU at the car hospital. Tim works on Sunday too but found a ride to and from with a co worker and let me borrow his car. I left this morning with no minutes to spare and jumped in his SUV.

"CRAP" I forgot his electric seats quit working a while back. Tim is six foot three and I am five foot three. My feet were dangling above the floorboard from the seat and I couldn't reach the gas pedal. Now I had minus one minute to spare and looked in the back seat for something to bump me up to driving height. I found a beach towel and a pair of golf shorts and crammed them behind my lower back and put the car in  reverse. Once I backed out of the driveway and put the car in drive my foot slipped off  the gas pedal.  I grabbed the steering wheel and pulled myself up enough to punch on the gas and took off. If I let up on my grip on the wheel my butt slid back in the seat and I lost foot control. Thank the Lord I only have a seven minute drive to work.

I walked into a chaos of a lunch shift but was grateful to have it. I was supposed to get off at four and didn't leave til after five thirty. I had to go to Big Lots only a two minute drive from the restaurant so I grabbed a box from  the back of the kitchen and took it with me to the car. I put it behind my back and started the car. It wasn't comfortable but at least I could reach all the necessary controls. I walked into Big Lots...intending to buy Massey a monthly planner that was on sale for three bucks but as soon as I walked in saw a twelve roll of  toilet paper that looked exactly the right size and shape to serve as a back cushion for the car.

When I left Big Lots an employee was sitting out front smoking a cig on break and stared at me as I placed the twelve pack of toilet paper on the back of the driver's seat and slipped in.

My life is a comedy...it suits me just fine. As long as I keep making strides and moving ahead my life is my comic relief.

Hoping tomorrow is as busy as the past three days have been at work...I'll have Lil' Beem of sunshine out of the ICU and maybe have enough to get a day off breather.

What matters most to me is that life has gotten SO much better, we are finally moving forward as opposed to treading water and before you know it I will be able to throw away my nose clip that kept me from drowning and burst from the waters of debt and soar like a bird.

If my life wasn't funny, it would really suck.

I have three great kids and a husband that keeps coming home from work each night...What more could a girl ask for?

Til next time...COTTON

The "Waiter" In Me...Literally

I have waited seventeen years to see my son, Zach smile this big again. I will have to wait until I (hopefully) walk through the pearly gates to see my Diddy smile this big again.

This is my favorite photo of Zachary with his Grandpa. It was taken at a surprise party for his retirement at Johnny's Pizza where I worked.

It was a time when Zach was too little to speak...much less complain about the corrupt and vile system he has to mainstream into to survive..."HIGH SCHOOL."

It was a time when my Diddy had finally somewhat overcome the sudden loss of our mother and could look in his grand son's face and truly laugh with happiness.

Nine years ago this week the twin towers fell. Eight years ago this week... my heart fell.

Eight years ago I pushed tubes, wires and monitors to the side and laid down next to a man that will always be my hero and lucky for me also happened to be my "Diddy." One stinking mosquito bite took him from all of us but sent him quickly on to his much deserved reward.

I haven't been hit with such a hard blow since I saw my mother die just as unexpectly when I was 17 years old.

To lose a parent is awful...to lose a tremendous and wonderful parent is even worse.

I am told things happen for a reason.

I believe now the reason both of my parent's were taken too early was to urge me on. They gave up their life so I would realize the value of my life...the urgency and the reason FOR life.

I have a wonderful husband, three great kids (overall) and a life worth living.

I have learned what waiting is. " Waiting Game"... is described in Webster's as "The stratagem of deferring action and allowing the passage of time to work in one's favor."

I come from sturdy stock. I come from two parent's that were not only incredible, but who incredibly taught me how to survive.

I have often wondered in the past year how we would survive. I have wondered how we could make it. I have wondered IF we could make it.

I know now, looking over the past year how fortunate I am ...how blessed I am and how downright "LUCKY" I am.

I've made many mistakes and will most probably make many more. But I have two wonderful parents sitting upstairs cheering me on and a host of family and friends down here... too many to name, that have helped us through and never asked for recognition or reward. They love me and my family. They have taken over where my parent's left off and have filled my life with a spirit and a feeling of love that will never be forgotten.

I am "WAITING." I am waiting to pay back all of these people...family, friends and people that I don't even know. Without their help and without their love I wouldn't be sitting here typing on my computer. I would be under the bridge at Turner Field trying to shove a mattress under the upper most pillars. I would be standing in line at a soup kitchen. I would be standing by the highway exit holding a sign.

But I was lucky enough to be born Frank and Ann Leach's daughter. I was raised to respect people and to always have compassion for others. I just didn't know that one day I would have to accept compassion from others as an adult.

I think in many ways this last year has been the greatest year of my life. I have not only learned humility but learned how to accept help and more than all of this...how to feel not only grateful but learned the urgency of "Paying it Forward."

I keep telling Tim that we will laugh about this difficult year one day...but I don't think that is true now. I think that this last year will serve as a reminder.

Where you come from often determines where you will go.

Be grateful for what you have. If you come from a great home you are lucky. If you aren't from a great home, know that you are the person in charge of your life and with God's help amazing things can and WILL happen.

I miss my Mother and Father every day. I used to think I got screwed with losing them both so soon. Now I know they both did me a service beyond belief...made me into a strong woman and made me realize the power of not only prayer but perseverance.

The towers fell and it was devastating. What struck me even more was losing my last parent . When Diddy died it was like the second tower crumbling to the ground.

From destruction and chaos comes a calm when you believe. You build your life with your own building blocks. I was lucky to have two great engineers. If you don't have help, never be ashamed to ask for it. "Ask and ye shall receive."

One LUCKY Cotton and one really lucky LEACH...

A Reunion... Remembrance, Reality and Mortality All Come Together

The family reunion that had been planned for months went ahead. Losing a relative two days before didn't exactly fit into the scheme of "A Happy Time" but Shad would have wanted us to go ahead....so we did.

Overcast and drizzling when we got there. Guess God had to shed a few tears of His own on Shad's behalf.

I walked into a house filled with so many relatives I have never met. It is amazing how social net working and family web sites bring so many other people into your life.

I used to wonder how my mother raised three kids without a cell phone. Now I wonder how ANY of us survived without cell phones or this new age of technology.

My oldest son was a no show. My younger son was a "No Go."

Of course my daughter was the first one ready this morning and renews my faith in kids on a daily basis.

We had a TON of food. Pulled pork and about 50 other side dishes to choose from. Frances was there (you know, from previous blogs) with her two nieces.

All the cousins I grew up with now have children and grand children of their own and it took me at least two hours to figure out "Who belonged to who." Massey was joined to my hip from the time we walked in until she hooked up with a cousin who was in the band program at her high school and they had so much in common it wasn't funny.



The clouds relented and all the activity moved down to the dock. The boats fired up and the ski's came out. The tuber's behind one boat and the skiers behind another.

It was a great day. Everyone had stories about Shad or memories to share. It was like he was with us in spirit and I am sure he was.

This is a pic of Ronnie and Lynn...our hosts (and my cousins.)

This is another cousin with my cousin's husband's brother...Now I'm just sounding like a Jerry Springer show!

Here is sweet Frances with another one of my cousins, Neal.

This is Neal with his daughter Kim.

Here is Massey with her new BFF and new found cousin, Emma. They hit it off immediately and it amazes me how blood relation brings two young souls together so quickly.

They got on the "Tube" with my cousin's husband slinging them all over the lake with his boat, having the time of their lives and learning in a few short hours how important and special family can be and how precious and vital it is to know, love and be loved by a family member.




It was a bittersweet reunion. Missing a part of our family that stayed home mourning, but carrying on and letting all the "Newer Cousins" get to know each other and teach them how fabulous it is to be part of a great family.




I took this short video of Massey and Emma on the tube together. Two precious girls, not only cousins but now good friends. To see life move on, see kids connect and feel a family bond is a great feeling...not only for them but for me as well.

The day started gloomy...felt weird having a reunion when a relative had just passed. The gloomy part spread into a mellow remembrance and that spread into a connection of cousins that have never really known each other before but who left the reunion knowing they had just made a new friend and had bonded totally.

There are a lot of 15 year old girls that would have balked at having to come to a "Stupid Family Reunion." I am lucky enough to have a daughter that fell in love with her new found cousin and lucky that my OWN cousin raised a daughter just as delightful and it all naturally fell into place.

That, my friends is "FAMILY."

I am a blessed person. I am blessed with amazing family and a God that hears and provides.

Not looking forward to Monday when we say good bye to yet another family member but feeling better about how fortunate I am to have been plopped down into this particular family. Out of the billions and billions of places I could have landed in, God chose THIS family for me.

Count your blessings...name them one by one. And you WILL see what the Lord has done.




One life has left our family. One new friendship and kinship has been formed. Life moves on, I feel good that new bonds and friendships have been made. The "Circle of Life" has been passed on. The circle has grown bigger and these young girls have learned their first important lesson..."Family Matters."


Enjoy the video...they certainly enjoyed the ride!

The Wheels on the Deere Go Round and Round...

SHEESH!! Talk about major surgery with multiple complications...I think Johnny flat lined a couple of times...no wait a minute, maybe that was me!
My last update had ole Johnny boy flat as a flit and sitting lop sided in his bed room...I mean my garage. I finally broke down and went to buy a new rear tire. The old tire had more plugs than tread and was a rolling exhaust fan. It's pretty bad when you can see the holes in the side wall and they are too big to hold TWO plugs put in together. Fix a Flats are great but they were only band aids that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller until it was like putting on one of those little circle band aids a doc puts on your arm after a shot. Unfortunately John Deere tires ain't cheap but compared to a Fix a Flat every time I cut the grass it was a MUCH better investment. Zach helped me get the tire off (another story all together) and I took it with me to Tractor Supply to prevent me from getting the wrong tire or wrong size...been there, done that. Thirty four dollars later I was home with a new tire and no clue as to how to mount it on the rim. Of course it was a Sunday and the tire stores with their fancy dancy tire mounting thingy were all closed. I did what comes natural...called my 'next door' husband. Believe it or not he hadn't had his number changed or my number blocked (yet) and even actually had the cajones to answer...Ya GOTTA love that man! He told me to come over and Massey and I trotted next door with the old tire still on the rim and the new tire. Being flatter than a pancake the old tire came off the rim pretty easily (compared to the next part.) About a half gallon of sealant goop came out of the old tire and luckily he had done this part in the grass. He cleaned the rim up like it was brand spanking new and then the hard part began. It took him a good fifteen minutes to get one side of the new tire on the rim and then he said "Okay, that was the easy part." The next part took more like twenty minutes and when he finally dragged out his air compressor out of his garage I thought Thank you , Jesus (and 'next door hubby.') The tire wasn't completely sealed around the rim and the air didn't help any at all. Being the genius he is he said "I saw a show one time on TV about truckers and how when they changed a flat on a big rig they sprayed starter fluid on the tire and lit it. The heat makes the tire expand and it pops onto the rim...wanna try it?" Massey and I both vigorously nodded and I sent up a silent prayer that it worked...not so much for me but for my neighbor who had just spent over half an hour helping me to fix his rival for my affection.."Johnny Dear." He told us to stand back and we both backed up about twenty feet (yeah, we're sissies.) After spraying the tire he held a match to it and it was like a small atom bomb went off..."WHOOSH." About two seconds later the tire gave a loud "POP" and the tire was sealed on the rim. It took him a couple of seconds to beat the flame out with a rag but it had worked! I told Massey in amazement "Dang...Mr. Ron's kinda like a wizard !" He just laughed and said "Yeah, that potion worked pretty good!" He inflated the tire with his compressor and asked if we needed any help putting the tire back on...I would've had to been blind , bedridden and hooked to a respirator before I would have even CONSIDERED saying "Yes." I thanked him about fifteen times and told him putting the tire back on would be easy. Massey and I trotted back across the yard and went into my garage to show Johnny his new appendage. I've never seen a lawn mower smile but he definitely looked happier to me. I had been using my huge Christmas tree stand as a jack (yeah, I'm a ghetto mechanic) and John was sitting on it now. Problem was with the new inflated tire he wasn't QUITE far enough off the ground to slip the new tire on. No problem...that's what 17 year old sons who sit around the house are for! Zach came out to the garage and lifted John's 400 pound butt off the tree stand so I could slip the new tire on. "With this tire...I thee wed" was going through my mind as it slipped on his axle. "Throw some bird seed and rice on me as I drive out of the garage" I wanted to say to Zach , as I jumped on my baby and cranked him up! Put him in gear... and AWAY WE (didn't)GO. @#$%! I tried reverse...still "No go." I told Massey, who had come out to wave me off on my maiden voyage to give me a push hoping the gears would catch or maybe I would just "Catch a break" and the gears would engage. Once I rolled down the drive I was leaning forward in a "GO GO GO' type of lurch just praying for a miracle. I Guess God was telling me my "miracle" balance was low so Massey and I pushed the mower back into the garage and I went inside to sulk. I got on the computer and googled the John Deere discussion board. For Pete's sake there were 16 pages of discussion topics and it took me 30 minutes to find anything helpful. One guy wrote that his JD wouldn't move and another guy had written back "Have you recently replaced a rear tire?" I clicked on the follow up comments and there were none. I guess they were keeping the solution a secret but at least I knew I was going in the right direction. I went into work the next night and was picking the cook's brains while they were pounding the crap out of the Veal, Chicken and Beef on the prep table. One of them said there was probably a reset button or toggle switch that incapacitated the transmission when a wheel fell off or was removed for safety purposes. Sounded good to me so when I went home from work tried googling THAT topic. No hits. But I came across a topic about replacing the pin into the axle before putting a rear tire back on. HMMM. Interesting, considering I didn't remember a pin when Zach took the tire off. After talking to my brother in law this morning I went out to the garage and sure 'nough...there was a two inch metal pin on the garage floor! I had seen it yesterday when getting in my car for work and thinking it was a nail, kicked it out of the way thinking "I don't need a flat on my car too!" My brother in law came over with a "Real" jack and took the tire off, put the pin in the axle and put the tire back on. This time I think I heard Johnny actually giggle...or maybe that was just me. Hopped on my yellow seat, cranked him up and put it in reverse..."GO JOHNNY GO...JOHNNY BE GOOD !!!"Success at long last! Only at MY house, can a flat tire be a blog a pain in the butt and an amusing antedote all rolled into one. Til next time..."CUTTIN AGAIN COTTON"

Another Work Week Done...

WHEWW!!
Just got home from work and am looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

The job is still great, screwing up less and less every shift and already have people coming in asking to sit at my table.

Tonight was kind of a bust...had a table of seven out for a business dinner. They had two bottles of pretty good wine and ate like horses. Unfortunately they tipped like a horse's ass. That kills me...when it is on someone else's dime you would think they could at LEAST leave 15%. My other tables were good though and I still came out of the place with more than I walked in with.

I felt like crap all day today. About a year ago I worried myself into an ulcer. It is a miserable feeling...just a dull ache in your gut that won't even subside long enough to get to sleep. I tossed and turned all night and the ache was worse this morning..."Welcome back, Mr. Ulcer."

Prilosec works wonders but you have to take it first thing in the morning before eating. I had moped around all day and ate before I left for work. I stopped by the drug store on the way to work and bought some of the wonder drug. The problem is I took it on a full stomach at 4:00 in the afternoon. It didn't kick in til after 9:00 tonight so I was pretty much miserable at the work entire night...NOT a good feeling.

It's a bit better now and will be LOTS better now that I have something to take first thing in the morning.

Tim just left for work. He finally got the job with Southeastern Freight that he had really been hoping for. This job is in logistics like his experience has been in for the last 20 some odd years. He is starting out low but the job has huge growth potential and I think once he gets in there and proves himself he will rise through the ranks swiftly. He goes in at midnight and gets off at nine...bad for him...good for me and the pups!! They love being smack next to me, even when I am sleeping and Tim doesn't allow them to sleep on the bed. I guess I'll have to start washing the sheets twice a week now and brushing the dogs more to keep our little secret from Tim.

The bulldog is too low to the ground to make the hop onto the king size bed but enjoys being directly underneath me in his little cave under the bed. The male boxer sleeps with his back against mine with his head on Tim's pillow...snoring only a bit louder than Tim does. The female boxer sleeps below the male at the foot of the bed and all in all we are our own little "Pack."

Hopefully tomorrow my ulcer will subside once I can start the Prilosec first thing. I am a worrier by nature and I have been lucky it hasn't resurfaced before now. I also think that I overdid the yard work gig a bit this past week on top of working nine shifts. Now that I have it all cut short I can keep it all neat and trim without having to weed eat so much and now have two days off a week and can split it up.

I am off tomorrow and will take the kids to school before starting my weeding. My flower beds need some serious attention and I love to pull weeds. It is the best exercise for the back of your legs and the results are great to see. (In your garden and on the back of your thighs.)

I have more than several thank you notes to write having put them off far too long and will also get them all done tomorrow.

The meteorologists promise a sun shine filled day tomorrow (although sometimes I think I could do their job just as easily) and will struggle through one more night of this feeling that someone has punched me in the gut to get up...medicate and weedicate !!

Tim is starting a great new job...I am finally getting the hang of my great new job...and the dogs are giving each other little 'high fives' when they hear Tim's car pull out of the driveway at 10:30 PM.

Life is finally looking up for the family AND the fido's.

Seems to be a "Dog's Life" here at the Cotton house hold.

Til next time...COTTON

Ready to Bust Out...2010...So Excited

I know my friend Lisa will like this pic and video being the dog lover she is (NOT) but my pups are so cute I had to include them. I even threw in the video of my nephew's pup that came to visit on Christmas day.
The one of the dogs looking through the fence is thanks to the bulldog trying to chew his way through the gate (idiot.) The funny thing is, when he chewed this gap between the gates and got out of the back yard...all he did was come sit on the front porch and look in the window waiting for someone to let him in. Not the sharpest tool in the shed but we love him anyway.

Christmas and New Year's is over. The kids have one more day of winter break and then it's back to the grindstone (or millstone in Zach's case.) It's been nice having them home. I never understand parents that dread school holidays. Of course if you raise your kids to be little snots you get what you deserve. I think I must have done pretty well because I adore being around my kids!!

Massey sent me at LEAST five texts while I was at work today. She was at a 9 to 9 practice at the high school and her last one was a request for me to bring her dinner at five. I got off work and went to make a bank deposit and took her some dinner to the school. She said she thought they might get out early and I told her I was going to the grocery store ..."Just let me know and I will come get you."

I left and headed to the grocery store. I got one mile away from the school and heard that little tone on my cell...a text from Massey.


"Come get me."

For Pete's sake...could they have not ended the practice while I was sitting on the gym floor watching her for ten minutes? The world of being a guard parent has no rhyme or reason I have quickly learned so I turned my car around and went back to the school to pick her up.

We came home and I heated up some left over spaghetti (left over spag is the BEST.)

It is so cold outside that even the dogs hate going out. The GOOD thing is that the ground is frozen so solid that the mud around my back door doesn't come in with the twelve paws anymore. I have used my beach towels more this Winter than I did all Summer wiping their feet every time I let them in. It has rained so much that my dogs have made a mud track around my back patio that is thick enough to have half naked women wrestle in (there's an idea for extra money.)

We are all snug in our house, dinner was easy and I have brownies baking in the oven (cake like...3 eggs.)

Hard to believe that it is 2010 but I am happy a New Year is here.

Love my kids, love the fact that they are all like me...high strung and always wantin' something. I love my pups who never want anything but a pat on the head and a bowl of water and some dog food.

Love my life...my crazy always changing life.

Every one have a great 2010... I plan on it!

Til next time..COTTON


PS excuse the language in the movie playing on the video...Zach and TJ rented it (note to self...never send them to get a video without being specific.) THAT'S MY BOYS

Be sure to click on the photo of my pups they are so cute up close!! (especially YOU Lisa)

Super Franny on the Fifty

Last week we took my Dad's cousin to the football game with us to see Massey performance in the halftime show. She is nearing eighty, recently had open heart surgery and an open wound from a botched catheter. She spent a couple of months in a rehab and came out like the champ she has proven to be. I picked her up at her house and we went by to pick up my sister who was going with us as well. My daughter's high school is a massive size school and luckily I get there early to help with concessions. I wasn't thinking when I parked the car...I always park by the band room for an easy exit when 2,000 people are trying to leave the stadium. we all got out of the car and stood for a minute or two to watch the band rehearsal and wave to Massey.

Then we started our trudge to the stadium. I just wasn't thinking about Frances when I parked so far away and by the time I had led them both in and out of the school a couple of times and weaved them behind the cafeteria to finally come out on the other side of the school where we could see the stadium in the distance, Frances commented "You should have just parked at YOUR house and we could have walked from there."

My sister and I cracked up. She was right, I made it as hard as I could for her, just to make it easier for myself after the game. Her best friend's son is with the Sheriff's dept and is the resource officer at the high school. We called him on his cell phone and he met us at the gate after our 1/2 mile walk and got Frances into the game for free and set her up on the fifty yard yard line. He also told me that after the game we could go get the car and pick her up in the handicap line right by the front gate.

I gave her a free funnel cake from my stand that I help in and even got to watch the half time show with her. I thought that she would want to leave after half time but she stayed the entire game.

She is a pistol and sharp as a whip. I only hope that some of her genes are equally shared with mine. She is hard of hearing but besides that she is an amazing and strong willed woman that seems to have no limits.

It was the most fun I have had at a ball game and she makes me laugh with almost every comment.

I didn't really get to know her until she had the open heart surgery and went to rehab. Massey and I visited her quite often and got to know how much of a delight she is. She is a fire ball and on top of her game. She knows what she wants and knows how to express herself in the most wonderful way. I don't think that I have ever met a person as strong as her or a person with a more positive attitude or out look.

Geez...I hope that I am like that one day.

The "REAL" Moon Walk

Had my one day off and started it at the high school with my daughter who started Guard camp today. Nine to nine, Monday through Friday out on the hot asphalt of the high school parking lot that has been painted like a football field.

I volunteered today since I had the day off (although I had a million other things to do.)



I met three other guard moms (who are stay at home moms.) After two hours of listening to them talk about their relatives, husbands and in laws..I knew I wasn't really needed all that much . I left to go get Massey some lunch, came back and ate with her. I stayed a while and then said I had to go to the grocery store and post office and would be back to bring her dinner. Had she said "Why aren't you staying?" I would have stayed the entire time, but since she was okay with it and the "Real Housewives of Coweta County" seemed to have it covered..I slipped off.



I work in my yard for sometimes five hours and get no sunburn. Sitting doing nothing for two hours I was roasted. Even my lips are sunburned. At least now I have figured out that all I have to do is drive to the school about three times a day and spend an hour or so each time...just in case.



The reason we are there (supposedly) is in the case of an emergency or if something out of the ordinary happens. I hope neither does, but I am okay going up several times a day, always asking the "Housewives" if they need me to bring anything back or if there is something else I can do.



So far it is a win win situation. I am doing my part and I am making it as painless as possible.



My husband just walked through the door from picking her up at nine and it seems there were no rumors about the "run away mom."



I have found my niche with this group. Just show up every day and ask if there is anything I can do, if there is I will do it gladly. If everything is okay I will go back to my own life for a few hours, work a shift and come back to claim my kid.



Talk about "One step for man, one giant leap for mankind".



All that these organizations need is some kind of effort on the part of every parent and I am down with that!



I will be there every day this week, just at different times and when I can fit it into my work schedule.



But ya know, that is all that is needed to make it a well run system. It's the parents that just can't seem to squeeze in an hour a week to help out that put a kink into things.



I mean if we are paying over $700.00 for our girls to be a part of this group. I for one, want to see it in progress...be there every step of the way and get the most enjoyment I can for forking over almost a thousand dollars (after wind suits, undergarments ...shoes and other equipment.)



I am just happy to know that they are a friendly group...all they want is SOME help. I can do that!



SEGUE... I used to call this "Anyhoo".



Can you believe that a man walked on the Moon forty years ago? How did time fly by so quickly and where did it go? I remember us all huddled around our black and white TV with the aluminum foil wrapped on the rabbit ears for better reception.

When I was a kid we had one TV and one phone in our house. The TV was as big as a love seat. The phone was a black rotary dial hanging on the wall in the kitchen. As far as video games go... we had Atari. Man , was that fun batting that little ball back and forth with our straight line paddle! As you got better you could speed it up to another level . I don't think we ever had a push button phone, but I always loved using the one at my friend's houses and was always amazed at how fast they could punch in the numbers. Me, I fumbled around looking for the next number and just couldn't get that rapid dialing technique down like they did.

In our house now , we have five televisions...all with cable. We have four telephones, a computer in the downstairs and my daughter has a lap top. We all have cell phones. If you had told me forty years ago that I would have all of this in my house when I was grown, I would assume that I was going to grow up to be a millionaire... especially if you told me I would have a riding lawn mower parked in my garage as well. Heck , even having a garage would have impressed me almost as much.

I am not rich. I am far from it, but I am blessed.

Went to see my co worker tonight (this blog is a two day long post) at The Sheperd Center. The girl is looking great! She finally got the cast off of her leg and is coming home on Saturday. I asked her if she was X'ing off the days on her white board in her room and she said she was. Her younger brother is here from Michigan and he noticed that she was a day behind in marking off the days. She said she was glad to be going home and felt bad about the way she had treated some of the nurses when she first arrived. She said she had apologized to every one of them ... I told her they were most probably used to reactions like that from patients when they first arrive. I told her the nurses probably had a mark off calendar counting down her release as well in their nurses station !!

If a man can walk on the Moon forty years ago...my friend can walk out of that hospital on Saturday and be on cloud nine. She has a great family support system and people sending up prayers every day on her behalf. I told her tonight that she has given me a new perspective on life and has inspired many, many people.

I am going to see Frances tomorrow in her new digs at the Rehabilitation center. Today at work, "The Girls From the Home" (see previous post) came in to eat with me. They are from an Alzheimer's Home and are quite a hoot. At least this visit they all kept their granny panties on. One of them did slip an appetizer plate in her purse as she passed a table on the way out of the door. Hey, if it makes her day a little brighter, I would give her a stack of them! But she was happy with her one little stolen plate and they all thanked me like I had just given them all a massage and pedicure. While they were eating I chatted with the nurse that had brought them and told her that my father's cousin had been sent to a certain rehabilitation center and asked if she knew anything about that particular place. She said it was a great place and was where they sent their own residents for re hab. That made me feel better about Frances being in her new temporary home.

Men walked on the Moon forty years ago... and my co worker and cousin are making just as great an achievement every day.

God has blessed them both and made my life richer just being able to witness them healing and getting stronger every day. They both could not have impressed me more if they had walked on the Moon themselves.

The inspiration these two women have exuded has shown me that landing on the Moon and making a miraculous recovery from a devastating downfall can be just as amazing and much more satisfying.

A Couple of Updates

My father's cousin , Frances was moved to a rehab center this past week. After open heart surgery and two other major surgeries in less than a week... she is amazing! So full of life and so upbeat. The rehab is close enough to my house that I can go visit her in less than thirty minutes. My sister went the other day and took this picture. I am so glad that she has come through all that has been thrown her way. Sometimes when people are getting older they seem to give up in the face of adversity. She seems to rise to each challenge and has a positive attitude each step of the way. I certainly hope that I have a lot of her genes in me! I have been too busy with my own things to go and see her, but am going this week to see her and visit "a spell" as she would most probably say.

My young co worker that is in the Sheperd Center is going to be released on the 25th. She then begins a six month out patient therapy five days a week at the Sheperd Center. Her aunt sent out an email that broke my heart and made me say an immediate prayer to God for my three healthy kids. Although my friend is 21...Frances will most probably make a full recovery before my co worker does.

Not to downplay the wonderful progress that she has made...just that people at work don't realize the extent of what a brain injury can do and how it can be a daily struggle just to get through the rigorous physical therapy when your brain is not working to it's full capacity.

Oh, people at work ask how she is and want updates. But what my FRIEND wants is to be visited. Every one has an excuse for not going. If it was any other employee that had been in a car wreck...my friend who is sitting now in a wheelchair would have been the first person to go and visit them..and not just once but most probably every day.

I think that they feel like since she has made it this far she must be "OKAY" and will just wait to give her a hug when she comes back to work. I am no doctor, but I can tell you that if you wait to give her a hug when she walks through our door at work, you will be waiting one to two years.

If you visit her once you may not notice the change so dramatically. If you visit her like I have you notice the inconsistencies and sometimes the more you visit the more your heart breaks. I have three kids that I love more than life and if any one of them were in this situation, I would be a basket case.

I know I am older and that I work with mainly youngsters...but this is a wake up call. My friend is a youngster as well and this could happen to any person at any given time. Just a random freak of events that have altered this girl's life in a huge and catastrophic way.

It's always some excuse or reason.

My own life is in a mess right now, but to go see this girl is not a chore. It is an act that makes me feel blessed, makes me see the total picture of how lucky I have been in life.

My seventeen year old son wants to go with me and Massey tomorrow to see her. That should give her brain a good workout...it does for me. My friend , in some of her wandering talk has mentioned (several times) how she just had to have a Sham Wow. I guess she was watching TV late at night in the hospital and the infomercial has just stuck with her. She has talked about the Sham Wow every time I have been to see her. Massey got her one the last time we went to Walmart and has it all wrapped up in pink and purple tissue paper with a ribbon. We are taking it to her tomorrow along with a hot dog from the Varsity .

I am printing off an email that her aunt sent and posting it on the wall at work. If that doesn't get them up there to see her...they must just be heartless, not young and unaware of the definition of friendship as I have been assuming.

Yes this girl is better.

Yes she is improving.

Yes it will be at least two years before she has made it to the point of recovery...and only then will we know how much of our old friend we will have back.

At least we still have her.

Massey and the "BUBBLE" of Life

When I got off from my lunch shift I went home and picked up Massey and we headed into downtown Atlanta.

My father's cousin, Frances had a triple bypass and two other operations within the past week. She looks GREAT! Still as sharp as ever and in great spirits. Her niece (I believe) was there with her and was a pleasure to finally meet. She acted as if she had known us all of her life and made us feel right at home. The hospital seems to be giving Frances excellent care and I was amazed at how good she looked and seemed to feel. Not one complaint came out of her mouth the entire visit. I think a good mind set is some of the greatest medicine there is, therefore Frances is well on the road to a full recovery. Massey and I both promised to come see her when she is moved to a rehabilitation home here on the south side and told her to let us know anytime she needed anything.

After that we drove on up Peachtree to the Sheperd Center. A young girl who works with me was in a car wreck driving to Tampa to visit friends. She was temporarily paralyzed on the left side of her body. The wreck was over three weeks ago and she has just been moved to the Sheperd Center. She was in the recreation room when we got there. She was sitting by herself at a table in her wheelchair, waiting for her dinner.

When you walk into a recreation room at the Sheperd Center, you immediately realize how very lucky you are. It is at BEST heart breaking. Young kids, teenagers and adults all facing tremendous challenges and obstacles. The staff is incredible and I know that she is in the right place, it just breaks my heart that she has to be there at all. Security is really tight, you have to sign in with security before even going up to the floors. I know that it is a great facility and she is in excellent and caring hands.

She seemed not to really recognize me at first...so I jokingly said "Hey, It's me... KELLY from work!" She weakly said "hey." When I quickly recovered from the shock of seeing such a spirited and vivacious 21 year old sitting in a wheelchair, I plowed right on talking (because that's what I do) and she seemed to come around. It just takes a few seconds for her to absorb and process information and I really do talk too fast. I told her all the work gossip and caught her up on things. She started to perk up and I could see the old her coming out. They placed her dinner in front of her and we watched her pick at her macaroni and cheese and totally avoid the lame piece of broiled fish. I told her Massey and I were going to the Varsity to eat, and we could bring her back something.

Massey and I were even MORE shocked to hear that this poor girl had never eaten at the Varsity!! It is almost criminal to live in Atlanta and NOT eat at the Varsity. I told her what all they had and she said she liked hot dogs. I told her about their great onion rings and famous "PC" (plain chocolate) ....the best chocolate milk I have ever had. She seemed up for it so I headed back to the nurse's station to see if it would be okay to bring her back some food. The nurse said she had her feeding tube out now and was on a regular diet. I told her I was going to the Varsity...I wouldn't call it's food a regular diet, but the nurse said it would be okay. Another nurse perked up and said how she loved their hot dogs. Another asked if they still had F.O.s (frosted orange) I told her they did and we would bring them chili dogs and an F.O as well.

We headed back down to security , asking the guard if we had to sign out if we were just going to get a patient some food. He said we did and I told him we were just going back down Peachtree St. to the Varsity. He said he liked naked dogs. That is the terminology used at the Varsity for a plain hot dog. I told him we were getting the nurses some and we would get him one too (they are only $1.84). In 'Varsity speak' I said "One naked dog walking." At the Varsity that means one plain hot dog to go. He said quickly, "You know, don't even bother to sign out, just go on and go...and don't you DARE get me a peach pie." The Varsity is famous for their fried pies as well.

Massey and I scooted back down Peachtree St. to the Varsity and ate in the car..."The World's Largest Drive In" (another fun fact about the Varsity.)

We had the NICEST car hop . A friendly smiling guy that just catered to us like we were sitting at a table for two in The Four Seasons. After he took our order, Massey said "He is my favorite here...we should always ask for him."

When he came back with our huge to go bag for the Sheperd Center, I paid and gave him an $8.00 tip.

You would have thought I had just handed this man a hundred dollar bill. I mean with me and Massey eating and food for the patient, the nurses and the security guard (don't you know we bought him that peach pie) the tab was around $37.00. I had bought my son and husband a couple of dogs and onion rings as well to take home. Dang though, I fed eight or nine people for $37.00. Not bad, and it made me feel good. I always tip at least 20%...it is in my blood, especially when they make an effort to be nice. The crappy servers even get 15% from me...just to make them think "Hey, how much would she have left me if I had really tried?"

So we trudged back up Peachtree again with our Meals on Wheels.

The security guard had a replacement. He said the other had just stepped away for a minute, so I left his naked dog and peach pie with his partner.

The nurses couldn't believe it when we walked in with their chili dogs and F.O.

One of the nurses said we were her new best friends. I don't know if you have ever heard of the Sheperd Spinal Center in Atlanta, but it is a highly respected facility. Christopher Reeve went there after his accident. These doctors, nurses and therapists do some amazing things for their patients. If a hot dog from the Varsity makes them smile, I say my buying them a chili dog is tiny compared to what they do for these patients every day .

Finally we came back to my friend's room.

My friend liked the hot dog...scarfed it down in a New York minute, I held her chocolate milk to her lips with a straw and could see how good it tasted to her. We fed her onion rings and fries and gave her a napkin to wipe off her Varsity lip gloss. (Everything is greasy at the Varsity...in a good way if you ask me)

People have done so much for me over the past few months that it made me feel good to do something for someone else for a change.

Massey made the comment when we were first driving to Atlanta early this afternoon...she had a theory that her best friend's cousin proposed while in Myrtle Beach .

God and love are like a bubble. Some people have the bubble so tight around their body that you don't even notice it is there. Some people have a big enough bubble that you can actually see it. Some people's bubble is so huge that it covers them and everyone around.

On the way home in a beautiful twilight driving through downtown Atlanta (a really fabulous city) my daughter remarked that she felt like our bubble was pretty big right now. She said we visited Frances, met her niece and hopefully made them feel better, went to see my friend and made her feel better, met the nicest car hop (in her words "He was AMAZING") made his day giving him a well deserved great tip...made the security guard happy (when we left the Sheperd Center, we bumped into him coming around a corner with the hot dog stuffed in his mouth, carrying his peach pie on a plate) we made the nurses almost giddy...they were also cramming food in their mouths at the nurses station when we left and all smiled and thanked us.

Massey and I are going back to visit both our friends later this week. This time all the grease will go to Crawford Long Hospital for Frances' relatives who are staying with her. Sorry Frances, but after a triple bypass...I don't think the Varsity would help you ...it would probably give you those three extra years of age I gave you in a past blog and possibly a clog. Maybe I will bring you an "F.O" how bad can a frozen orange drink be, even from the Varsity?

My bubble does seem to feel bigger and feels easier to breathe in.

My daughter can really know how to make me look at the big picture and see the beauty.

PAY IT FORWARD...a motto to live by.

Frances is doing amazingly well, despite being in her sixties (you're welcome Frances) on the road to a full recovery I am sure and has a great support group of family and friends. "A tough ole bird" as we say in the south...no dissing intended...in the south that is a true compliment to a strong willed... minded... and independent woman.

My co worker is in one of the greatest facilities in the nation and I happen to be lucky enough to live outside of that city and can go see her often.

All in all...a good day for me and one that made me realize once again how truly lucky I really am .