"CRASH" !!!!

I have been off line for over a week.

I never knew how much I depended on my computer.

Four Trojan viruses, a corrupt system file...and I was "OUTTA" touch with the entire world(so I felt).

Back on line, with a loaner tower from my brother in law until we buy a new computer.

I feel as if I have been on a deserted island...frantically searching for my "WILSON". (You would have to watch "Castaway" with Tom Hanks to get that one...although it is an excellent movie and brings a lot of what we take for granted into perspective)

If you read my blog at all, last year I wrote a post called "The Thirty Year Grudge".

Guess what?

She is back with a vengeance, and attacking my sacred(to me) sister as well.

This girl that I went to high school with OVER thirty years ago, has made it her personal mission to verbally and literally assassinate me, my family and my name.

Obviously being the "PEON" that I am, she has way too much spare time.

It really didn't bother me until she included my sister in her cut throat remarks.

She assumes since I have written several comments on my classmates website that are pretty stinking savvy (if I may say so myself)...that my sister is writing them for me.

My sis rarely ever types on the classmates site, I guess that I was such a doofus in high school that she doesn't think I am capable of expressing myself intelligently or articulately.

ANYHOO...

In her last post she summed me up this way "Your hypocrisy has no bounds".

What in the hell is she smoking, or what does she NEED to smoke?

I have decided to totally ignore her comments about me and continue "wowing" the readers with my fluent verbal diarrhea and just leaving it to them to question her acidity on the site.

My friends at work think that she is stalking me and consider her dangerous...I consider her a challenge for me to be above her petty attacks, and will rely on my true friends to do the responding(which they have done quickly and savagely).

THIRTY YEARS...this girl has hated me for thirty years.

What does that say when you can't believe that a person grows from the seventeen year old person you knew in 1978 and is a totally and completely different person now?

I truly think it may be because when I joined, the message board was rarely followed and dull as dirt.

I made a couple of posts about East Point, the town I grew up in, and it brought so many views and responses that it is still the most "viewed" item on the entire site.

My classmates have rallied behind me, I have stopped responding to her threatening and vindictive posts...I will let the other masses speak (and BOY are they).

How can you take a grudge from 1978 and turn it into a life mission?

It really didn't bother me until she dragged my sister into the mix...now she is just being a "BEE-AACH".

If you ever get a free moment, go to classmates for Russell High school in East Point, Ga and read the sitcom we have going on.

Desperate Housewives has NOTHING on us...It is an ABSOLUTE HOOT!!

Her posts about me read like a manifesto from the uni-bomber.

It truly IS entertainment (at the cost of my good name)...although I know that any one that knows me...knows the real Kelly...and to me that is all that matters in the long run.

If you decide to look it up, just look for anything written by me and there will be a response by my biggest fan(..NOT..)

Glad to be back on line, and will post more tomorrow....COTTON

New Day, New President, New Hope

My two younger kids watched the "I Have A Dream" speech given by MLK in August 1963(I think that is the right year) on CNN today with me.

My daughter said that it gave her chills.
My son said that he was well read and intelligent.

Their mom says that it has finally come full circle.
MLK has found his voice, he has seen his dream come true.

Barack Obama is NOT a black man.

He is half black, but he is a man that is young, inspired and ready to face an enormous and daunting task.

Our country has floundered and suffered...are we not wanting and needing a change?

My friends have come at me with attacks at every level with my choice, all have been dis proven.

Can people not see that the entire nation...mostly and most importantly "YOUNG" citizens have been awakened and want to do what EVERY American should do...CARE ENOUGH TO VOTE!

It all starts with a vote, and ends up with a decision.

The decision has been made, the ball has been tossed into his court.

What he does with that ball is out of our hands at this point, but it is where it needs to be in my estimation.

Whether you are a dem, pub or indy, have you ever, ever seen such enthusiasm or support for an incoming PRES?

DOES THAT NOT TELL YOU SOMETHING?

If you are disgusted that a "BLACK" man is in office...you are DISGUSTING to me. You need to look at yourself in the mirror, and realize that only by the grace of God, you are who you are...and there are millions more created by him out here walking amongst us...and MAYBE looking at you the same way.

"To be judged not by the color of your skin, but by the content of your character".

It is a new day in America...it is a new hope and possibility not only for Barack's supporters, but for us ALL.

It will take time...but not the eight years that Cheney took.

ANOTHER COUSIN...Was I asleep?

When I posted about my cousins and their grand kids, I inadvertently said that my cousin had two kids...I don't know what I was smoking... I tend to mix up my two cousins from afar. This cousin has two girls and a boy. (Sorry Kim...OR Beth).

I see them only at reunions or funerals these days.

One cousin has two kids and the other has three.

Also my cuz wrote back that his grand daughter wasn't the best flautist in the nation, but the state of Georgia.

I'll still let "The Nation" stand.

Unless the #1 in the country reads my blog...

We are sticking to my original post...I am quite sure she will be there one day!

Kids excelling.
Kids making a difference.
Kids becoming our future and our hope.

This is the hope and refreshing promise of a greater tomorrow.

I am tremendously excited about Tuesday.
I worked a ten hour shift today and will pick up a shift tomorrow (My only day off).

That way I can take Tuesday off to not only savor the moment, but to watch history being made and watch one of the greatest moments in my time... the turning of an era, the awakening of young people at the polls, and their realization that EVERY vote makes a difference.

It will be a long , hard road...not unlike the one that FDR had to go down.

You have to admit, whether you are a Dem or a Repub...the country has never been more excited or alive about a new administration in my lifetime as a voter.

He is not a messiah ... He is a man with a vision, enthusiasm and millions of supporters that want to believe that he CAN make a change...And in my book...a change is DEFINITELY needed.

As he said at the train station yesterday...he will make mistakes.

Blessedly, keeping Dick Cheney around won't be one of them!

Bragging Rights !!

Got an email today from my cousin in Rabun Gap , Georgia.

He is a retired dentist (YES, I actually have an intelligent lineage from which surprisingly I come).

He has a son and daughter that have always been extremely intelligent and real go getter's.

His grand kids have picked up where their parents left off.

One is the number one flautist in her age group in the country, the other is a rising vocalist that hopefully will send me free tickets to her Broadway debut.

Me, with my funny little self sent him back an email... after he brought me up to speed on his grand kid's latest and greatest accolades.

I informed him that my youngest son held the world record for the longest stint on a video game (nine hours...not to brag too much) and that my daughter was very popular in every class...especially her after school math tutoring (her FAVORITE social club).

My oldest son has postponed his college degree in his sophomore year to move to LA to pursue his dream of being either an actor or a model. (I wish he had a little more self esteem) JK !!

KIDS!!! What can you do but love them for who they are and pray every night that they FINALLY see the light?

I know that they are a product of having a mother that works too much and one that is WAY too easy on them. Hopefully what I instilled in them on the "fly by" will kick in one day. Don't get me wrong, they are GREAT kids...just not living up to their potential.

Sometimes... no...ALL the time, I think it is my fault they are so lackluster in their studies, and I am most probably right.

But I have a deep and sincere belief that ONE day...ONE DAY...they will wake up and not only realize, but use and put forth the potential that they all three have inside of them.

I truly believe in "KARMA".

My kids may be wearing me and my husband out now, but hopefully it is to make it all the sweeter when they realize what they can do with themselves, when they actually apply themselves and strive for a goal.

They are all three SO much smarter than me, I just haven't pushed them enough.

But when "Push comes to shove" I am sure that they will all at least land on their feet and not only make me proud, but themselves as well.

HEY!! At least they have some really smart cousins they can call on!!

JUST kidding.

My kids will be fine( I hope and pray)... they are just stumbling, not quiting.

I will be here every step and mis- step of the way.

When my cousin's grand daughter has an LA premier...We will all stay at TJ's mansion for free and it will all have come full circle...don't ya think?

Til next time...an optimistic COTTON

Guess Who's Coming to Lunch? ...AGAIN!!

Once again the walkers were piled up and the wheelchairs rolled in!!

The ladies from the "home" paid me another delightful visit.

The same two nurses were with them. Two incredibly patient and reassuring individuals who make these folks mere existence (that is all some of them are doing...just existing)the epitome of quality care , respect...and realize that each and every one of them are due these things , having to bear the burden of Alzheimer's.


My manager came up to me before we opened and said "Your girls are coming in today for lunch".


I knew immediately who he was talking about. If YOU don't, please go back to last year's posts and read about my previous visit from these ladies. I posted it on Jan 9, 2008.

We had a male visitor today along with the ladies...a "Dapper Dan" type. He and the woman next to him ordered the same meal and he was so attentive and protective of her, that I asked the nurses if they were married. ?

They told me in fact they were married.

I replied that "At least they were going down this road together".

Everyone kept their granny panties on today, and no one even wandered off!

One woman did ask if she could take her steak home with her.

I told her I would box it up for her, and she pulled me down to her head and whispered..."Could I take it on this china dish ; I'll pay for it...I just want it".

I took her steak (on the china dish) wrapped it tightly in foil, threw in a loaf of bread and some plastic utensils. It just seemed to make her day...I know it made MINE!!

Another one of the women ordered hot tea, I made her a cup with the boiling hot water out of the coffee machine.

I returned to the table and my new friend (with a sweet English accent) said that the tea was cold. I KNEW it wasn't, but if SHE felt like it was...I would comply with her wishes and get her a new cup. I did it three times and every time, she complained that it was cold. I told another server, I hope she isn't scalding her throat with the tea.

I nicknamed this sweet lady "The Queen" since she was obviously from across the "Pond" as we say over here in "Hooterville".

They made my day.

I told the nurses that I had told about a hundred people the story of them coming in last year, to which they replied that they had probably done the same!

To wait on, not only these ladies but the two women that take such tremendous time and care with them...is one of the high perks that I have being a server.


Some are quite lucid and some are almost pitiful. But I treat every one of them the same. They are all someone's daughter.

They entered this earth years and years ago, and now are biding time until they leave this earth to return to their Father.

It was an EXCELLENT day for me and I hope at least a GOOD one for them.

On the way out one of the nurses said "Oh, we'll be back".

I love their optimism!!

Till next time...COTTON

Ole Folks...Ya Gotta Love'em !!

I went to my sister's house today for lunch. YUM YUM...gettum some! The lunch was great and she even offered to give me a Lenten rose to take home and plant.

She dug it up out of her side yard and told me to go home and replant and surround it with pine straw.

Went to the grocery store first and once home, brought in my groceries first.

My neighbor across the drive is an elderly retired gentleman who lives with his wife...and seems to watch our every move in and out of the house, while leaning across the back of the bed of his truck smoking a seemingly endless cigarette and staring at our house...waiting for movement. (I will have to admit, we do a LOT of moving and shaking over here in our "CASA").

So anyway...I finally got the Lenten rose plant out of the back of my car and sat it on the ground next to the car.

My "OLE" always watching neighbor...spat out.."I hope you are taking that plant inside tonight".

I said that actually I was fixing (a BIG southern word) to dig a hole and plant it right into my front yard.

He came right back at me like a swift volley...

"You know it's gonna be 17 degrees tonight".
I told him that the plant had just come straight out of my sister's yard and it seemed to be doing okay.

With a doubtful shrug of his shoulders, he shook his head like "Okay, idiot...go ahead and plant it".

When I got home from my sister's house I called to tell her my little story...and as usual, she had one ready to beat it!

After I left, her door bell rang.

She answered it, into the face of a happy and pleasant older woman who seemed flustered.

She told my sister that she was just SO SO lost and could my sister possibly help her.

My sister told her that she had only recently moved into Senoia, and hoped that she could help her.

They went into the house, the woman was looking for Lawshe road.

My sister couldn't find it in the phone book map and told the woman she could google the street.

They struck up a conversation and the older woman told my sister that in fact she too had just moved to the south side of Atlanta and really liked it.

My sister found the directions for this woman on line and went to send her on her way, my sister said, "Well you know where I live now...so come visit anytime"

The woman said to come visit her as well.

My sister responded...WHERE?...where do you live?

The older woman said "Right off of Lawshe Rd".

We thought she needed directions to a new friend's house...She needed directions HOME!!!

At least she stopped and asked, and at least she knocked on a really nice person's door.

This will be me in such a few short years. Thank goodness I have three children.

One of them will get the short straw...but the one that gets the short straw will take care of me, and be in charge the rotation of my care between siblings.

I hope they all remember what a good and "suck up" mom I am now.

If it makes my kids feel ANY better...


I WILL have a "DNR".

Til next time...COTTON

All Roads Lead Out of Atlanta

Just got home from a party with my husband.

One of his customer's companies had a belated Christmas party ...trucking companies are extremely busy during the holiday rush and put off company parties til after New Years.

It was by the CNN center in downtown Atlanta.

It took 30 minutes to get from the exit off the downtown connector to the CNN center (a usual five minute drive).

When we finally got to the parking deck of the restaurant...we discovered the "Monster Truck" show was at the Georgia Dome. (Only in the south would it attract thousands and thousands of people on a rainy January night)!!

When left the party, to our delight we realized the "Monster Truck" show had just ended as well!!

We sat in traffic for another fifteen minutes before my husband (a former truck driver in downtown Atlanta for twenty years) wheedled us onto side streets and got us out of the throng of people...

Straight into the Ghetto...I can say this because I have lived here on the outskirt of Atlanta for forty eight years and have seen people, neighborhoods and conditions like this my entire life...so when I say we were "In the Hood"...I know of what I speak!

At first it was "Shoot, maybe we should turn left here to try to get on 29"?!!

It quickly became "Damn, look at those women kicking her out of the liquor store and beating her down"!!

When we finally started to come to an intersection, I leaned forward and was looking around for a street sign, when My husband said "Don't be all looking around and leaning forward like we are LOST".


The intersection we finally were able to see said "Hamilton Homes". My husband said "We don't need to be here if it was DAYTIME"! Turned right on red and headed another direction.

My husband felt relieved when it finally turned into a four lane and eventually turned into I-285.

We were miles out of the way, but on our way back to suburbia. PLUS you are less likely to get car jacked going 70 MPH.

The party was really nice, good food and a great eclectic crowd. I am really glad we went. It was nice to have a "Date night".

But the ride home... "Can my husband show a gal the sights or WHAT"???

We didn't dare even joke about it until we were half way around the perimeter, when my husband said "I feel like someone is STILL following me".

He is my knight in shining armour and he got me home safe and sound... when he said " I almost need a double deuce" as we pulled into the gas station of our nice and safe neighborhood, I thought he was talking about some type of lottery ticket ...then he told me that was slang for a 22 ounce bottle of beer. (He can be really funny when I let him...I just rarely quit talking).

My husband and I both know how lucky we are to not only have each other but to have our kids and extended family, good jobs and advantages that millions of people may never have ... we know how blessed we are.

I made light and fun of the ride home...it was a blog too good to pass up!!

But it WAS scary at the point that even my husband (who has been driving and delivering in this city for 25 years) knew it wasn't a good situation for us to be in.

It is sad there are so many millions living like that. Violence and poverty with crime thrown in for free.

I pray that America is on the verge of a hopefully tremendous recovery.

I pray that the newly elected President can SOLVE not just try to FIX some of our many problems and concerns.

I pray that my husband stays with me for the rest of my days... I really REALLY got lucky when he chose me to marry.

After 20 years...we can still go out for 4 hours and have fun, partying, tension, drama, danger and suspense...topped off with a happy ending!!!

AND A GREAT ADDITION TO MY BLOG!!

I live a very blessed life... as my wonderful husband (who is obviously the most patient man on earth if he is married to me) pointed out tonight, as we finally pulled into the driveway of our house he said "This house has never looked better".

OR MAYBE YA JUST HAD TO BE THERE.

ANYHOO... back at you soon

COTTON

Gotta Love That Sister!!

My sister is feeling better...Thank you JESUS!!

So I decided to let her continue her charity work at my house today!!

I am just THAT kinda gal!

She came over and painted my bedroom. I vacuumed up about ten pounds of dust and dirt, while she artfully painted my master bedroom...including the "Trey" ceiling. (hope I spelled that one right...but you know what I mean).

We laughed all day, sometimes to the point of tears...I love this woman more than I can describe or put into any kind of sentence.

My bedroom is the only room in my house that has never been painted (I always avoid it on a tour of the house).

Now it is my centerpiece, and I will blindfold people until they get upstairs to see it first!!

I never have more fun than when I am with my sister.

I never get more done than when I am with my sister.

I never feel closer to a person than when I am with my sister.

I have lost both my parents...but they left me in the most wonderful hands that they ever could have...the hands and heart of my sister.

My back is aching, my shoulders are killing me...and my heart is singing!

To spend one entire day with this woman, this splendid human being who I am lucky enough to call my sister...is almost worth me letting her give me a $500 paint job for free!

HEY!!! I am JUST that nice of a little sis.

She'll probably want her vacuum cleaner back now too (NOT GONNA HAPPEN).

What a good life I have, what a great brother and sister I have.

I almost feel like posting a picture of my bedroom on my blog for you to see. If I can figure out how to do it, I will!

At least I gave her a couple of massages that she seemed to enjoy (judging from the sounds she was making).

I hope every person has a best friend like I do.

Going to take a scalding bath now...and return to the ole workplace in the morning.

I can't wait to wake up in the fresh morning sun and see my new bedroom gleaming at me and reminding me once again how lucky I am to have such a wonderful sister with such a tremendous and giving heart.

Keep looking for my pics...I have a friend coming to town tomorrow that is a computer whiz and is going to put a search engine on my blog and show me how to upload pictures...If you think I am amusing now...wait til I actually SHOW you some of my life!!

The Shack...

It is almost two in the morning.

I just finished "The Shack".

It was the most intense, meaningful book that I have read in years.

If you read my ramblings or want to find the purpose for your life on earth, I want you to borrow or pick up a copy of this book.

It was hard to get past the first part, but it makes the second part a reason for "BEING".

Some may find it offensive ...but as you keep on reading, it is only our narrow mindedness that makes this so.

This is a book that brings it all into our own life and our own heart.

We all seek God... But who is to really say who or what God is?

He is the ALMIGHTY... and to read this book, although it is only a book, brought HIM to a new definition and a new and clearer meaning in my mind and soul.

Pass this book on to friends and enemies...IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE..at least it did with me.

"THE SHACK" by William P. Young.

I almost feel like this could be a new road to Heaven for many, many people.

I usually read a book in a day, but this book made me pause at many points, ponder at even more and although it took two weeks to read, it has made a difference in the way I see not only my life, but the grand scheme of things, and how I was made to "Make a Difference".

Til Tomorrow...COTTON

I Don't Need Help Looking Stupid

Sooo...Anyway, I am am work again, waiting on people for a living.

Sometimes the public totally amazes me.

Granted I work in the "City of Snobs".

I go up to my first table of the day...four business people, two of which are currently on their cell phone.

I introduce myself to an uninterested group (I always thought I was MUCH more fascinating).

I gave my little spiel...offering special drinks and asking if they " had eaten with us before"??

I was cut off short.

They ordered their drinks with one of the more wimpy men saying "and I would really like to have a whole dish of lemons with my water".

I returned to the table with their order and began my sales pitch.

"How about starting out with some boneless buffalo wings or some shrimp and lobster dip"??

The wimpy one immediately said "What I would REALLY like is a dish of lemons"!!

I tried to reign my smart mouth in and replied "Will that dish in front of you be okay, or do you need more"??

The woman with them tried to cover for the doofus by saying..."What we really need are four straws".

To which I handily responded "They are right to the left of the dish of lemons".

I sucked it up, took their order, and returned with their lunch in a prompt fashion.

I returned to the table after one minute to see that everything was to their satisfaction and was cooked and tasted great.

My wimpy guy (my favorite by now) was once again on his cell phone and waved his finger over and over again over his baked potato in a fashion that made me think he was trying to cast a spell on it.

The woman with them translated "He needs more toppings for his potato".

I almost said "OHH...I though maybe he wanted me to mix his potato up with my index finger". I held back, smiled and went to get him some more toppings for his spud.

I realize that I am just a waitress.

I realize that I am so far down the pole to them that I make their secretaries look like a big shot.

But I did EVERYTHING that they wanted..the FIRST time they asked for it.

Did they just want to repeat it to remind me that I was an insignificant person to them?

I do my job well...not to brag, but I am GOOD at my job.


It reminds me of the time we had a shrimp promotion and I was waiting on a pompous ole fart out with his wife trying to act like a bigshot. We had two different shrimp specials and I was trying to sell the ole wind bag on one of them.

He looked over at me and said "I can't decide between the two, so why don't you just surprise me"??

To which I quickly replied..."Okay...I am pregnant with your baby".

His wife snorted her margarita out of her nose, and to my relief...he fell out laughing . It turned the whole dinner around, and we ended up having a great hour together with them enjoying my PHD in BS.

You have to know who to kid around with and who to just put quietly in their place.

I take the good with the bad. The good tips are great, the bad tips will happen as well. It is just the average that I am worried about.

In this economy, I am just grateful that people are still going out to eat.

I try to do my best at EVERY table. It is a psychological game to me. I am there to sell, sell , sell.

I want them to buy, buy , buy.

If I do a great job; I make their meal a treat...a flawless dinner that they enjoy so much that they forget they have just wasted more money on one meal... that could have been spent on groceries for four meals.

It is my job in "Sales and Marketing", to make sure that every customer, whether I like them or not...has an exceptional experience at my table.

That is how after over thirty years in this business...I have regulars that come in and not only request me as a server, but will sit in the lobby and wait for forty minutes to sit in my section.

I may only be a waitress (server is the politically correct term these days).

I am proud of the job that I do, it has provided me with an excellent income for the hours that I work...and given me a lot of time to work on my comedy routine!!

YOU PEOPLE JUST CRACK ME UP!!!

Til next time "ROSEANNE COTTON"!!

SISTER TO SISTER

Another grueling day of waiting on the public...got home and called my sister, like I always do.

She sounded WEAK at best.

She had felt like she was getting sick during church. She just felt a tightness in her chest and anxious. (I live that feeling every day).

We often laugh about our ailments (I have one thumb that is completely numb..I know that it is carpel tunnel..but I have another thumb that feels fine, so why worry)?

My sister felt unwell enough to be taken to the fire station to have her blood pressure taken, and it was extremely high.

To me, in my small world..I know what it is...she does SO much for others, always on a charity basis, always forgetting her own well being...not drinking enough water and not taking care of herself.

This happened during church about 11:30, when I spoke to her at 10:00 PM she sounded weak as water.

The trip to the hospital showed all tests OK, but the high blood pressure not only worries her, but terrifies me.

My sister is my fail safe.

My sister is my best friend, my mentor and my guiding beam of light in my entire existence.

I know that she means the exact thing to SO many people that are not even related to her, but have been blessed with the presence of her in their life.
I KNOW that it is just her OVER EXTENDING herself, doing more than she should.

Hopefully and prayerfully , I know all will be OK with "My Girl".

She will kill me when she comes upon this post...


But before she gathers her anger up, I hope she stops... takes a deep breath and a long drink of water.

This woman, this sister, this friend; Means more to me than anything in this life .

I love my husband and kids first, but she runs a pretty close second.

She goes more than ANY person I know, and makes me look like a slug in comparison.

I am sure that it is all just stress, just a message for her to slow down.

She is totally loved by so many people, family and organizations that I know prayers are being sent up as I type.

Just don't give me this scare...don't make me have to EVEN imagine what would happen to me if I didn't have my sister in my life.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

Take a break from all of your exhausting and continuous good deeds, and take a little time for yourself.

I need YOU... more than I can ever let you know.

By the way, I will be over tomorrow to give you the greatest massage of you life.

I LOVE YOU CINDY... I wouldn't be where I am today unless I had you by my side for 48 years.

See you in the morning (with bran muffins and decaffeinated coffee).

HANG ON SISTER...I AM ON THE WAY!!

TEN...NINE...EIGHT...SEVEN...SIX...

Where has the year gone?

It seems like last week the kids were out on spring break!!

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve...another year will be tucked under our belt and we will forge into 2009.

I feel a great year coming... a new President (I think a wise choice) and a year full of new resolutions and opportunities.

I have already made quite a few resolutions and hope that I can make at least a few of them a reality.

I want to be a more understanding person and a better mother and wife.

I want to be more patient with my husband...who is as laid back as I am hyper.

Looking over the past year, I have been blessed more than I deserve. I have three wonderful children, who wear me out on a daily basis although I couldn't imagine my life without them.

I have a wonderful job, with bosses that respect and appreciate me (a HUGE plus) and I have customers that seem to genuinely like me being their server and take tremendous care of me every time they come into our store.

I work with an eclectic bunch of goof balls that I love, admire and make fun of on a daily basis. I am 48...most of them are in their early twenties (which makes them extremely easy to pick on).

If they knew what this ole gal knows now...they could all change the course of their lives and save themselves a ton a heartache, money , fines and probation!

My kids are growing up WAY too rapidly, and it leaves me opened mouthed...wondering where the last 22 years have gone?!

My brother in law survived open heart surgery..my sister survived nursing him back to health( A greater feat if you ask me).

My husband has started his own trucking business and survived thus far in this terrible economy.

Our house is another year closer to being paid off (Thank You 15 year mortgage).

Although I am a year closer to turning fifty...I feel just as good as I did when I was 25... except for the carpel tunnel, the bad knee , back aches and the ever growing gray hair and crows feet!

But HEY!! I am here, I am healthy (sorta) living in a great neighborhood with my next door husband close by for repairs and my retired neighbors on the other side always ready for a thirty minute chat any time they catch you before you shut the garage door (That will be me one day...I am sure)!!

Enjoy your last day of 2008 and let's kiss this disastrous year goodbye and welcome 2009 with the optimism and hope that we need.

Thank you all for being readers of my drivel and for taking time to stop and listen to my stories, opinions and rants!!

I wish only the best and most for you and yours in the coming year...and keep on reading...

Til NEXT year....COTTON

Take the Good With the Bad

Had a great Christmas here... The kids got spoiled rotten, and had a great time at my sister's new farm house.

Went into work today to try and pay off our last remaining Christmas bills.

Got a phone call about 3:00 from my daughter.

My middle son had cut himself with a small knife (a Christmas present) trying to open a Wii game that we had gotten the kids.

It was extremely busy at work when the call came through.

My daughter who is 13 is EXTREMELY dramatic... told me

"It is a REALLY deep cut".

I told them to go next door, where an RN lives...NOT HOME!

I told them to go across the street where another RN lives..NOT HOME!

By this time, I told my son to go to the urgent care center (my next door neighbor who is a seventeen year old) offered to take him.

I received at least three phone calls from the urgent care center saying that if they didn't have his insurance info, they could not proceed.

I had tables all over the restaurant, and people at the door waiting to be seated.

I thought... he cut his finger...he has a friend taking him to be possibly sewed up . Everything will be alright

They called my husband who left his job and arrived to give them their precious identification number for our insurance (I had left my purse at home, and was obviously driving without a license...or any form of ID).

My husband said when he got there, Zach was sitting barefooted in his pajamas and it was not a finger that had been cut (which I was imagining) but had cut his wrist!!

Thank the Lord that I didn't know he had cut his wrist by accident..or I would have been out of my mind with even MORE worry!

It all ended up fine..no tendons or arteries cut... just a scare and an added $250 to our Christmas bill.

KIDS!!!! What are you gonna do?

I guess just love them...and be glad every day that they are healthy and happy...minus the $250 deductible .

By the way, since WHEN does it take $600 to put in three stitches, and give a tetanus shot...and THAT is when you DO have insurance?

How ridiculous IS our health care..and how can the average "Joe" afford it?

Happy to report that it wasn't his "controller" hand...he is still playing the video games as I type!

Til Next Time...Cotton

OMG...Christmas is HERE!!

Started shopping yesterday for Christmas...I have three kids...no pressure.

I have to go into work at 10:30 on Christmas Eve and won't get off till six PM.

I guess I will be at the gas station telling the attendant (that rarely speaks English)

That I will take one of those daggers he has behind the glass case and maybe a couple of crack lighters for my middle son to start fires with...and give me one of those pink "Ga. Bulldog" hats for my daughter...and maybe some condoms for my 22 year old...What the heck...give me some of these light up pens and some bubble gum tape.

Throw me in some lottery tickets to fill their stockings with...and I guess that I will be done!!

I ALWAYS, ALWAYS wait until the last minute.

I swear every year I won't do it but I do!

But the good thing is that I make SURE all my bills are paid before I spend anything on Christmas.

My husband (God Bless Him) bought the ipods and the nanos.

It only makes me a nervous wreck when I have to work on Christmas Eve..otherwise I could knock it out all in one day.

When I get off of work on Christmas Eve, it will be too late to buy anything except a six pack or some Christmas tree going for a dollar.

It will all work out...I have faith .

Christmas is not about the spending, but about the caring.


I care deeply about my family... about my friends and about the reason for the season.

This is a time to look into your own heart...What are YOU doing to help others?
What are YOU doing to make this a greater place?

If you want your life to be blessed ...you HAVE to "Pay It Forward".

I feel like I am a person that thinks of others, gives to others...and feels the reward almost more than they feel their gift.

It is all about balance.

You give to receive...If you don't GIVE...how can you possibly think you can receive?

This Christmas has been especially heartfelt to me...last year I was at a low point, and my friends and family took care of me.

This year we are doing so much better and I feel compelled to spread my good fortune...and KNOW that it will come back to me TEN FOLD.

Merry Christmas to everyone , God bless

Till next time...COTTON

The True Meaning of Christmas

If you follow my ramblings at all, you know that I am a sever in a restaurant.

Every year we choose a family to collect money for to help them out with their Christmas. Last year...embarrassing as it may be...it was my family.

Not that I wasn't eternally grateful, but it is hard to accept such a gift from the people closest to you, that you see every day working hard for their dollar as well.

Without their help, we would have had a very difficult Christmas...which is hard to explain to your kids!

This year, my bossy friend at work and I (who is probably bossier) decided to keep it once again in our restaurant family.

He was a single father of two who recently remarried. His new wife is expecting, and with the economy in the tank...things just weren't going his way.

I think everyone in America can identify with this.

It wasn't easy collecting money this year...there IS none.

But my faithful fellow employees stepped right up to the plate. Some gave a dollar...some gave ten...some gave twenty...the fives count too!!

This is a man that is the day cook. He is there when we first get to work to set up the store for opening. Sometimes he comes in at 5AM to unload the truck delivering product...rotating all the old product, staying in the cooler for hours on end...and STILL comes out of the cooler at 10:30 when we servers clock in, with a smile on his face.

He makes us grill cheese sandwiches, DELICIOUS patty melts, and pretty much anything we ask for.

I bring in leftovers every Tuesday, because Monday is my only day off and when I cook for my family, I always make extra so we can heat something up to eat on my Tuesday day shift.

He is on the line busy cooking, char grilling and frying...but never refuses when I ask him to heat up our leftovers.

He is a worthy, WORTHY recipient . He puts up with 50 annoying servers wanting HIM to fix THEIR mistakes on a daily basis.

I took the Christmas money to him today in an envelope...took him in the back and gave it to him quietly. He was BEYOND touched.

I think that some of my fellow servers may have been upset that I didn't give the money to him in front of a whole group.

But being the recipient from the previous year, I know how hard it is to accept what seems like charity...but is ACTUALLY a gift. Who do we want to make feel good, him or us?

If I had been given my Christmas gift last year in front of everyone... I think I would have fainted...which I almost did anyway...but at least only a couple of people saw me break down into tears, and sob like a baby.

Giving is the ABSOLUTE and true meaning of Christmas.

We gave...he received... WE ALL WON!!

I know for a fact that I will have a greater Christmas knowing that we at our store have once again helped one of our own. I can personally attest to fact that it is a marvelous feeling to know that your co workers care THAT much about you...especially in these hard and trying times.

"THANKS CO WORKERS"....You not only made his Christmas...you made mine!! (Once again)

Til next time...Have a MERRY one...COTTON

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Tis the Season to be Jolly....Fa la la la la la la la ooomph!!!

It is a rough year for everyone, it is a year to return to the true meaning of Christmas...not the exorbitant spending but the joy of just having your family with you enjoying the decorations, cookies and the fact that you have your health and a home to live in.

My family is in such a greater place this Christmas. Last year at this time my husband had been ousted at his job, we were in dire straits and luckily my "Family" at work took me under their gracious wing and gave us the greatest Christmas we have ever had.

My job as a server has taken a big hit... people just don't tip like they used to. I can understand, but wonder if THEY understand that I make $2.13 an hour? If I don't make tips... I don't get a paycheck .

Sunday, I went into work giving the same type of service that I have for thirty years. My first tip was $5.00 on an $81.00 tab. My second was $5.00 on a $65.00 tab... HEY!! At least I was going in the right direction!

Just to give you an example; I sold over $850.00 and walked out of the restaurant with $90.00. I would have normally made at LEAST $125.00. Not only that, but my oldest son came in and gave me a 50% tip and some of my regulars came in and did the same. Without their generosity, I would have made $50.00.

I realize people do not have to give me any tip at all, and I am grateful for EVERY dime that I receive.

If I make a 10% tip...I feel grateful for that tip.

If I receive a 5% tip, I may feel dismayed but I am still grateful that I am bringing in SOMETHING.

I have been a server for over thirty years, and this has been the lowest of times in my occupation.

People come in, already ticked off that the economy is in the tank and that they may lose their job at any time. If they are in my store...spending hard earned money, I realize that now more than ever, they expect me to almost kiss their feet or at least make their visit so good that it doesn't seem quite so painful to leave me a tip.

I have stepped up my service, I go above and beyond.

Sometimes my customers appreciate it and sometimes they don't.

In my business you take the good with the bad...my job is to make it all average out.

Some days, I make "PHAT" money...some days just suck!

But if you give people...ALL people the ultimate in service, you will make out on the positive side of things, build new customers and keep yourself in the "Red".

I work with so many young people that JUST DO NOT GET IT!

I guess that I was young one day...although I can't seem to remember being young anymore.

It reminds me of the beginning of the Dickens classic..."It was the best of times and it was the worst of times".

It may be the worst of times... but we have to make the "Best" of it.

I am a firm believer that if you tough it out...if you give it your best... you will be rewarded, you will be taken care of and you will be okay.

Say a prayer for us servers; We need it as do so many millions of people at this point in time.

Have a Merry Christmas...remember it isn't about presents, it is about being .

What are YOU being?

Til next time...COTTON

My Christmas Present To Elizabeth

DAMN!!! She is a hard woman to shop for.

Her Christmas present from last year is still in my knitting basket. (Not that I knit, but I HAVE a basket just in case I get the urge). She had already read the book that I had bought her and I was too embarrassed to admit it.

As a member of Barnes and Noble, I picked out the greatest book to buy her for a present..and guess what? She just emailed me that she has already read it!!!

How do I keep up with this woman ,who had better be into her eighties or I am a REALLY LAME duck.

I just can't keep up with her.

What does that say about me being 48?

She is sharp as a tack...OUCH!! Maybe sharper!

She gave my Diddy the happiest of times in his latest years.

She is the reason that he died being genuinely happy and at peace.

My gift to her this Christmas can't be a book, because she has already read everything that I was thinking of giving her...@#&$!!!!!

She is one of the most amazing, collected and together seniors that I have ever had the opportunity or privilege to have not only known , but to have LOVE me.

My gift to her; Is to tell her that she made my Father's last days sweet. She made them full of love, full of care and devotion and that he would had never wanted to go out of this world any other way...

He loved YOU, Elizabeth Burton...and in my book , he was a very smart man.

Once upon a time he loved my Mother, and it was a CAMELOT for over twenty five years.

But after trying and faltering for years, he came to love YOU..ELIZABETH BURTON!

I have no doubt in my heart or soul that when he finally passed , he knew that he was lucky enough to have been loved by two incredible women.

I love my Mother..always will...and I love you Elizabeth for letting my Diddy be happy in his fading times.

It came rapidly and unexpectedly...but we dealt with what God gave us... and to think back on those memories in the hospital...

I know now that God wanted Cindy, Chris and I to just be together for a few crucial days, to gather our thoughts and memories... to bond as we hadn't since Mama's death and be happy that Diddy's life had ended with him being serene.

It was YOU, Elizabeth ....You are the reason that my Father died a happy man.

It was truly a tragedy , but if you remember what he told the neurologist on his last coherent day...

I am in Blue Ridge....and it is a Sunny day.

Hopefully this is one book that you HAVEN'T read!!

WHAT is wrong with This World??

The day is "NO gay for a day".

What are people thinking? Do you really think that people choose to be gay?

Do you really think that people would choose a lifestyle that would condemn them and leave them open for torment for the rest of their lives?


Do you really think that they chose this venue, this direction and this choice of life?

If you do, you are so misunderstood and so misdirected that it would take me a few million years to get my point across.

I have a cousin that is gay, my sister's college room mate is gay and I have several friends that are gay.

It is a genetic, born into thing that happens...just like being a red neck just like being a racist, just like being a right wing closed minded Christian.

So you think that you are a Christian...

I feel compelled to tell all of my readers and my friends that I have a gay cousin who has risen to considerable heights in the art world and he is a cousin that I am proud to not only claim, but take my hat off to for being the person that he was destined to be and the cousin that I will always admire.

It is not a life that you choose, but a destiny that you are headed for.

Who is above us to judge, except THE LORD himself? And you know what he would say?

He would say "I love you as yourself, and if you love me...welcome to my kingdom".

To my right wing friends, loosen up and look at the world in the society of today.

I have gay relatives and gay friends...it doesn't mean that I am going to hell nor are they.

We are a varied group, we are a melting pot of society... We are AMERICA...and we stand as one and will live as one...at least by MY standards.


Just a sore point with me that I had to get off my little chest.

God will bless every person...He doesn't pick or choose...WHY SHOULD YOU??

The Little Red Engine That Could...MAYBE!!

One of my favorite people at work is a young Irish gentleman.
In his early twenties (as most of my co workers are) he is an absolute delight.
He is from a strong family and is a favorite target of mine at work.

Let me tell you the first story I remember about him and it will tell YOU a little bit about him.

He came into work one morning for a day shift. A couple of our guys were tossing a football in the parking lot. As my friend got out of his car, they tossed the football to him. He caught it, tossed it back and went inside to work his lunch shift.

After the shift, one of the servers found their car battery dead. They asked if they could get a jump from someone and of course my Irish friend said that he would be happy to do it.

As he went out to the parking lot, he noticed that his headlights were still on. He commented that he hoped his battery wasn't dead as well.

As he got closer to his vehicle, he hears a humming sound. When he reached his car, he realized the car was still running! He had gotten out of his car to catch the football and had slammed his door shut with the car running, and after his victory catch...had run into the restaurant for his shift...leaving his car idling for three hours while he worked an entire shift. He had idled his car almost out of gas, and became "Our Victim of the Day".

I bet we made fun of him for two weeks before we got tired of it.

A couple of weeks ago, he had the section of tables next to me. He IS a man, so of course his tables always have plates, dirty dishes left on them and it looks like the party just got up and left. My tables at the end of a meal generally have napkins and a fork on them when they leave. (Granted, I have been doing this for over half my life).

I couldn't resist the temptation.

I went over to his table and grabbed a cocktail napkin off the ledge and penned a note ...I wrote "Server smelled bad". I left it on the table and went to hide to watch his expression when he discovered the note.

His face was PRICELESS!!!

Only when he looked up and saw me laughing so hard that I almost wet my pants...did he find me out.

I enjoy torturing him on an almost daily basis. Of course so do most of my cronies.

This past week, my sister sent me an email about a flight attendant friend of hers that was selling "Throws"...you know that thingy that you cover yourself with to stay warm. after reading the email describing this great Christmas present, I opened the picture of the "Throw" to discover a nude picture of a marvelous specimen of the male variety spread eagle, face down (thank you ).

It was too much ammunition to waste.

I asked my "LIL" Irish friend...who happens to be over six feet tall...what he was getting his girlfriend for Christmas??

He said he just didn't know, so I told him I would email a GREAT idea for a gift that my sister had sent me...A "CHRISTMAS THROW".

He seemed really receptive, and I told him he only had two more days to order one.

I had to call him two times to remind him to open his email, and both times, he said "Thanks sweetie...I'll be sure to look".

By this time, everyone in the restaurant knew what I had done.

We waited with baited breath for him to open his email from me.

I got a text from him last night..."NO, I will NOT be getting this for her"!!


I only pick on the people I love, and I truly do love him.

He is one of the nicest most sincere people that I have ever met.

He is just still "such a boy"...of course I am 48 so he IS a boy to me.

He is so much fun to pick on, and seeing his Irish face go beet red when I get him with a zinger is priceless.

I haven't seen him since the "THROW" debacle, but be assured, his face will be beet red again and will have a few choice words for me!

Another fave of mine is for all of us older servers to tell him to go onto the patio (a banquet room that we have as an offshoot of of main dining room) and tell him that we will call him when we need him. (Just giving ourselves more tables)

He will look out at us, and one of us "OLE" farts will holler..."DID WE CALL YOU OUT HERE YET"??

He tucks back into the room, and probably thinks to himself..."I hope they call me out there soon".

He puts up with me and all the "OLE" farts and takes it pretty well...although by this point he is probably in therapy thanks to us!

He is a joy to work with, we fluster him to death, pick on him non stop...and you know what? I think deep down, he likes it!!

He'll make a GREAT husband one day!!

His actual name is RYAN. We have tagged him with "CRYAN"..."TRYAN" and probably four other names.

My hat is off to him for still loving me after all the enjoyment I have had tormenting and teasing him.

I told him that I was going to buy him a tee shirt with a bulls eye on it, because he is my favorite target.

Yes, I work with a young, eclectic and varied bunch. But you know what? THEY are keeping ME young!!! (At least I hope so).

Til next time..COTTON

Free at Last, Free at Last, My Wallpaper is FREE at Last!!

Two weeks into my project, my wallpaper is finally gone.

I called my "next door husband" to tell him thanks for loaning me his paper scorer...and thanks for not telling me what a NIGHTMARE it is to take down wallpaper!

He told me that when he started his son's bathroom, he finally said that it would be easier to put new sheet rock up over the old and just be done with it.

It took me a week, but I have finally cleaned the walls of any paper or paste.

I put in a call to my sister (who should have her own "how to" show) and told her that I had fifty bucks to give her if she would just come over and clean up the mess that I have made of my kid's bathroom.

Of course she refused the money, but I can always force it into her purse or buy her an even BIGGER Christmas present.

I did the grunt work, but it was the most exasperating project that I have ever started. Now all I need is for Cin to come swooping in, and make it look pretty.

She is such a perfectionist... and she is so detailed and diligent that I know I will have a GREAT looking bathroom by the time my Thanksgiving "Herd" arrives .

Maybe I will allow Cin and her husband to eat in the new bathroom!!

As I finished my horrendous project, I also finished the book "Atonement".

What did you think about it?

I was disappointed with the fifty year gap in the story, and wanted to read of the revenge and "atonement" in a little more detail. I started out not really liking it... How many ways are there to describe the sun coming up or a walk to the lake?
But I ended up really liking it, and I think that after I see the movie, I may feel more satisfied and as an aspiring writer myself...I can see that it was a heartfelt and intimate work.

ANY HOO.. Everyone, even my secret readers, Elizabeth and Frances...thanks for reading me, thanks for thinking that I am interesting enough to check out every day....And a shout out to Kay at my job who reads my blog on a daily basis as well... You know what?

I may start out small, but with the mouth , opinions and stories that I have..."WHO KNOWS"???

And to my friend in upstate New York....Thanks for being my far away reader!!

I feel SO blessed. My life is full of drama (HEY!! I have three kids) But I am so truly lucky and fortunate to be sitting at a computer typing my tiny thoughts on a keyboard and having ANYONE read them!

Life is short.

Life is what you make it to be.

My life is full, but writing this dinky blog gives me a satisfaction that I never thought that I could feel at the age of 48...going full tilt at my job, full tilt at raising my kids, and now going full tilt at pleasing myself. Only a woman and a mother would put herself last!!

Everyone have a tremendous Thanksgiving, and if I don't get back to you in the next day or two...always know that I want to be here....I just want my bathroom finished more!!! (THANK YOU CIN)

Til next time!!!

Stripping Wallpaper... WHAT A JOY!!!

I think that I would rather BE a stripper than to have to take wallpaper down.

I have been working for over a week just to strip the paper from around the top of the shower of my kid's bathroom.

When I first started, my two younger kids said "take it all down"!!

Thank goodness I don't listen to them much!!

I have tried home remedies, "DIF" the wonder product for taking paper down easy, fabric softener, hot water...and a lot of cussing.

The one thing that I have realized is that when something DOES work, it takes the taping of the sheet rock off, a LOT of the actual sheet rock and a bare minimum of the actual wallpaper.

My wall that I have finally completed looks like it has acne scars.

Pockets so deeply dug into the walls, missing layers of sheet rock, patches of wallpaper glue...and the scars of me unrelentingly forcing the damn scraper that advertised "The Only One That Works".

If ONLY my sister, who can "WISH" wallpaper away was not sick, I could go on to patching up my scars, dents and obvious mistakes.

I am beginning to think she may have "faked" her cold.

Because if I had to look at the mess and destruction I have done in (thankfully my kid's bathroom) I would fake an illness too.

It is a total mess...it is a nightmare that I try to avoid.

I made tremendous progress tonight (Thank you Coors Light).

I alternated between fabric softener, "DIF", hot water and cleaning my scraper every five minutes.

I will NEVER EVER put wallpaper up in my house again.

We bought our house as a new home, and they obviously did not treat the walls before putting up the wallpaper.

I wouldn't be nearly as concerned as I am, if not for the fact that I have 25 people coming over for Thanksgiving, and the kid's bathroom is used frequently when we have a lot of people over.

I have thought maybe I can lock my dogs in the bathroom, and say "OH..Don't go in there, the dogs are in there".

Hopefully, Cin will be miraculously healed by tomorrow and will help me Spackle, re tape and sand the walls...and I can have the walls repainted (NO PAPER) by the time that my avalanche of company arrives on Thursday.

If not... We may start the bloody marys early and hope that no one notices what a wreck my bathroom is.

I know that it won't bother anyone like it will bother me, but with the task of Thanksgiving at hand for over twenty people...I don't want to have to worry about the mess that I have made with the help of so many products that have deemed themselves so "Spectacular...Amazing..The ONLY one that works."

If they are THAT SPECTACULAR...come on over and cook my turkey for me too!!

As I write this in frustration and jest...I hope that EVERYONE has a great Thanksgiving, and is surrounded by love and people that mean the most to them.

And if you can't fit into either of those categories...

Feel free and totally welcome to come to MY HOUSE...You are MOST welcome to come (you may not want to come back) but you will be an honored guest at our table....Just don't go into the upstairs bathroom...Unless my sister makes a rapid recovery!!

To my family, to my friends and to my limited readers...

Happy Thanksgiving... make the best of your life and your situation... and always know that if you need help... Thanks to a huge turnout from the voices ...It is ON THE WAY.

Of course this is only my opinion.

Til Next time...Cotton

I Think That I May Be at My Breaking Point!

After the fiasco with the unruly and rude man at my table the other day... I thought that maybe the public would give me a break for a while.

NOT SO!!!

Today at work, a woman was seated at my table, and promptly brought out her $4 discount for DINNER . It was LUNCH!!!

She asked me if she could use the coupon. I told her that I could not honor it because it was a dinner coupon, and the computer that I ring in orders on did not even show an option to use the coupon until four PM.

She sighed and said to me "What time does dinner start"? I replied 4PM.

She said "What time is it now"? I told her that it was 2:30 in the afternoon.

I followed up with the fact that we also sent a coupon out with the same ad for a $3 discount for lunch. She sighed and said that she had left THAT one at the house.

She asked if I could just ask a manager to honor her coupon anyway. I told her that it is not an option because as I had previously told her, it was all computerized and I could not access a discount for her until 4PM.

She gave an exasperated blow of her breath and we continued on with their order of two burgers.

About two minutes later, the hostess came up to me with the $4 coupon in her hand and said "Table 14 wants to know if the manager will honor this coupon".

By this point , I became somewhat ticked off.

If I go to the bank to make a deposit and say "I am so sorry, but I had $40 to deposit, but I only brought $37". They would look at me like I was an idiot.

The woman at the table had ordered a diet coke to drink...which is priced at $2.79. With tax, if she had just ordered water, we would all be square. I realize that is seems ridiculous to charge that for a soda, but it IS free refills, and I ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask my customer if they would like for me to make them a drink to take with them (a 20 oz. cup).

You know, we are all suffering in this current economy. My company's stock is down from $45 a share to $15.

Yet people come in the door, want to use a coupon that is clearly and specifically labeled.

But I am so tired of letting people abuse the system, abuse me and abuse my management.

Of course if they call the corporate office, they will most likely be vindicated. But what are these people REALLY doing?

In my book, they are grifters..they are people looking for a deal that they don't actually deserve.

I work my butt off... I try to work within the rules of the system.

Why are these people..just because they are customers...entitled to special provisions or exceptions?

I would never in a million years even try to use a coupon or discount that wasn't valid or acceptable.

But these people tend to verge on the edge of having no scruples...having no conscience, of having no idea that the discount that they are squeezing out of us is bleeding our company... not only is it unfair, it is WRONG!

I know that I have been a server for over thirty years, and I may be getting a little jaded..But for PETE'S SAKE people...quit expecting something for nothing... and quit thinking that we have to be nice to you, while you try to rip us off.

Point said, point made... I just had to get it off of my chest and on to your ears.

Am I wrong?? You tell me!!

Mom's Will Cheat For Their Kids...I DID!!

My daughter has a science project that is due on December 5th.

If you have read my previous posts, it is with a girl in her class that I have sort of taken under my already full wing.

I pick her up every week and bring her to my house to chart the progress in their project.

They were to plant a seed in two pots on the same day, in two different types of soil and chart the difference in the growth and advancement of each pot.

Their first mistake was for them to let me go buy the "seed" .

I went to Walmart and chose something that was to be planted in the Fall (DUH...It IS Fall).

After four weeks of no activity from either plant, I mentioned to a co worker what I had bought for the girls to grow.

I had bought a bulb..to be planted in the Fall...and it would bloom in the Spring.

CRAP!!!

I immediately went to the landscaping and garden store that is right down the road from my house. I told them my dilemma and asked how at this four week time period of being into the project could I produce SOMETHING by December 5th?

The man suggested red leaf lettuce. It comes up through the soil after seven days, and he had pods of it that had already broken the soil, and I could take it home and put it in the pots and the girls could chart the changes and advancement until the due date of the project.

I don't like to lie, but I will write a term paper or do a project in a pinch to help my kids (no wonder they love me).

I took the lettuce sprouts home and went to the school to pick up my daughter from chorus practice.

When she and (of course) a friend jumped into my car, I said "Has your teacher been checking your composition notebook about the plant project"?

Of course to my dismay, she had been reading it every day and already knew that Massey was growing (or trying) to grow a Hyacinth.

I went home to dig up my useless bulbs and replace them with the lettuce plugs.

But as I reached through the dirt, the bulb seemed to "stick" in the dirt. I turned the pot over and believe it or not...roots were sprouting out of the drainage hole.

I immediately called in the troops.

A dear friend of mine from upstate New York...said that bulbs could be "forced".

I had never heard this term, but it sounded encouraging to me.

She suggested a grow light.

Off to Walmart I went.

I bought a grow light that would probably grow a kilo of pot, and installed it over my kitchen sink. I bought a grow light for the inset bulb that is over my kitchen table and another grow light for the lamp that is on top of my microwave.

I dared anyone in the house to turn off or unplug any of the "purple" lights that are now glowing in my kitchen...my girl's plants need all the help that they can get.

My neighbor is going to bring me a "bloom enhancer" tomorrow..whatever THAT is.

Pray for me that by December 5th...I have some kind of results to show.

I feel horrible that I have screwed the project up for them...but I have spent $58 on trying to not only rectify my mistakes but speed up their route to a successful outcome and grade.

The BAD thing is that she is only thirteen... Do you REALLY think it is going to get BETTER from this point on ????

At least I really made some GOOD treats for the "Teacher's Feast" tomorrow at the middle school... maybe it will all be okay.

At least I have given it my best shot.

Some parents don't even seem to care...

At least I worry what people think about me as a parent...and I worry even more what my kids think about me as a MOM.

Their future thoughts will probably be "How can I take her with me when I go" and "Why doesn't Dad realize how lucky he REALLY is"?? (He does...he just likes to yank my chain too..and knows how to rile me up...maybe he likes the "Firecracker" in me!!

At least when all that DOES happen...they will all be bearing grandkids that I can't wait to spoil rotten and can't wait to tell all of these stories to.

The Secret Life of Bees

Monday is my only day off, and for the past two weeks I have worked on Monday as well (I did take one day off to move my sister into her new house, but that wasn't really resting).

Today was my first full day off in over three weeks and I took the day to read "The Secret Life of Bees".

I cannot express what a wonderful day I had reading this book. It touched my heart and touched my conscience.

I first heard about this book on my family website from a cousin, and today when picking up a book for my daughter at Barnes and Noble, I picked up a copy of "Secret Life..." and came home to an empty house, the kids were at school and the husband was at work, so I sat down to just read a couple of chapters.

I paused to feed the dogs and cook dinner, but I spent the balance of my day reading this book.

I finished it in six hours (with interruptions for taking care of my family) and consider it a day well spent.

It was possibly the most moving book that I have read in years.

To think how far this country has come, to think of where we emerged from (segregation) and why it has taken us so long to get here...baffles my mind.

To think that a person is a lesser person because their skin color is different totally offends me.

I went to the only fully integrated high school in our small town and had as many black friends as I had white.

I feel blessed to have gone to this school, because it raised me to know that people are people...it is what is inside your soul that matters and what is in your heart that counts.

With the new President elect...I pray that America will stand up to the task at hand...Support our president and end bigotry and partisan thinking.

We need to be a nation of Americans, not Dems or Repubs..we need to be a nation standing together and working for the same goal...To keep America the great nation that is has been and the great nation that it can continue to be with the right leadership (That's where you come in Obama) Make me and all of America proud...and be SO successful that your name won't even bring up a spell check on my computer in four years!!

Til next time...COTTON

The Big Move

My sister moved yesterday.

Ya know, you just feel guilty if you don't offer to help...and you always cross your fingers thinking that they will say "You don't have to help".

NOT SO!! But my sister helped us move out of our old house and into this one...so we were screwed from the get go. She did so much for us when we moved that this pay back was destined to happen.

My husband is a partner in a trucking company, so he brought a HUGE truck and luckily we made the move in one giant trip. My husband was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of spending his entire day off loading and unloading boxes and furniture...and he got his wish!!

It was a family effort and with the help of two Latinos we picked up at a gas station that serves as our local "Temp" agency...we began the day.

My thirteen year old daughter was thrilled to ride to my sister's house in the "BIG" truck with her dad, and by the time I got there, she had a "HOG" hat that my sister had given her, and a bird's eye view of the packing process from her perch on the top floor of the house we were moving them out of.

I told Massey that if my sister tried to give her ONE MORE THING...refuse it. I know the game. Offer a thirteen year old all the junk that you don't want, and suddenly the moving truck has more open space and I need another vehicle to cart home all the "Crap" that she has unloaded on my daughter.

It is the "Mema" syndrome.

When we were younger, we would go to my grandmother's house and come home with a box of junk that we thought was precious cargo.

We would try to refuse her offers of the amazing treasures...and she would sweetly reply "I am just going to throw it away, so TAKE it"!!

So home we marched, with our potholders made off of those little weaving frames with the stretch loops, baskets of dried flower arrangements that were twenty years old and King Edward cigar boxes full of S&H green stamps and Doral coupons.

The old woman was smart. It was even better than a yard sale. She did nothing but hand us her junk and we thanked her profusely for being so gracious to give us her treasures.

My daughter would have taken every piece of junk my sister tried to pawn off on her, had I not shown up after she received the Razor Back helmet.

Once the big move was made, we transitioned to the unload phase.

My sister and her husband bought a century old farm house, including six acres of orchards, vineyards, gardens and a coy pond. It has a barn with a loft and an old smokehouse, surrounded by magnificent old trees and every flower and plant that you could imagine.

My daughter was immediately over helping us in any type of way or fashion, but roamed the acreage , discovered every nook and cranny and spent most of her time swinging on the tire swing...hollering for a "PUSH PLEASE".

Once we unloaded the truck, there was furniture that couldn't fit into the house and my husband and our new friends Omar and Jose loaded it back onto the truck so that Tim could pull the truck back to the barn to store it there (until my sister could pawn it off to other unsuspecting relatives).

The driveway curving around the house was a tight turn, but my husband who has been in trucking for over twenty years seemed to manage the tight squeeze pretty well until he asked our daughter to stand in front of the truck and let him know if he was about to hit anything.

He stopped the huge truck and began to back up as my daughter emphatically motioned "come on"!!

My sister and her sons were saying "Why is he backing up? What is he DOING"?

When he put the truck into park, he was about three inches away from three live power lines that ran from the barn to the house.

My daughter replied that she was just looking down and no one told her to check above the truck.

Once the electrocution of my husband was avoided, we unloaded the rest of the truck and by the time we got the last piece out of the truck, I swear I heard tires squealing as my husband turned the corner of the house to take the truck back to his company . He said to himself "I AM OUTTA HERE"!!

We didn't get her settled in, but we got her moved in.

It was a day of adventure, it was a day of family and it was probably the longest day that my husband has seen in a while.

I am glad that it is over, and I am glad that we could help.

Moving is NEVER fun...and it truly lets you know who your friends are.

What are You Giving "Thanks" For This Year?

I posted this same question on my classmates website and have had only one response.

What I am grateful for is probably such a long list that I would bore you before entertain you... But here I go anyway.

I am grateful for the fact that I was raised by the most two amazing parents that a child could ever hope or dream of having.

That is the one statement that most defines me... and tells you readers what kind of environment I was raised in and grew up in ; Having my parents values and having the love that so many millions of kids miss.

I was blessed from the start, although it took me some thirty odd years to realize it.

I now realize that the reason that my parents were taken so early from my life, the reason is that they want me to make them proud, it is the reason that they brought me up to be a person that cares... a person that wants to make a change and a person that is so passionate and so insistent on not only helping others, but helping any person that comes my way that may need a hand up, or perhaps need a hand out.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, actually it never reaches my sleeve... it hits my soul first and is already in action before I know what hits me.

Yes, I am a Democrat, but I have voted for Repubs, I vote for the person, not the party.

But this nation, this world, this economy, this total feeling of despair and this feeling of failure needs to have hope. It needs to have someone that can TRY to make a difference, and someone that is not born from wealth, but has made their own way in this world, has overcome hurdles that we could never fathom... and reached the point that he can in fact "MAKE A DIFFERENCE"... I say let's let him try...

Better Than A Butt Whoopin' !!

The high school that my middle son attends called my house last night during dinner with a recorded message that let me know my son was absent from first block at school.

Earlier that day I had gone to the high school to get a personal code that would give me internet access to his attendance, assignments, grades and missing assignments in each class. He didn't know that I had done this and was vehemently denying being absent from his first class.

After the recorded phone call, his memory suddenly came back to him.

He rides to school with the next door neighbor who is a senior. Zach said that Kevin had taken an extra long shower that made them late (YEAH! RIGHT!!)

So he wouldn't have to go to in school suspension, he had hidden in the bathroom at school for the entire first block and then checked himself into school.

Now I don't know what kind of sense this is all supposed to make, but it made very little to me.

Although we are at war in two different countries...I have been in battle with Zachary in a totally different kind of war since he got out of fifth grade...a battle of the "Wits".

He is a worthy adversary...he can debate and rationalize better than a crooked politician.

On failing his com/lit class with a 69...he remarked that he used to fail with a 25 and he has almost tripled his grade. Anyway, he only failed by one point...and that teacher just has it in for him . (Bless his pea pickin heart)

This is a kid that can debate any and every issue, and is well informed about pretty much everything...except how to pass a stinking class and move on from a teacher that he doesn't like, rather than having to suck it up and be with the "Demon" of a teacher for another nine weeks or another year.

This is the kid that INSISTED on having his hair done in a liberty spike mowhawk...because that was his right to express himself in any way he wanted. (He'll love me bringing out those old pictures when he brings the girl of his dreams home for the first time. I will probably have them blown up into 8x10's to just show his woman how stupid he can be when he gets his freedoms and rights to self expression all in a tizzy).

What about MY rights...to not have a major stroke before the age of fifty? What about MY STRESS level? It is currently off the charts because of my "Boy Genius" who refuses to conform or be mainstream in ANY type of fashion?

My husband, who I lovingly call a "trophy" husband...is just that. He works his butt off for our family and provides us with a nice house and it seems to stop there. He comes home exhausted and plops down in front of Sports center or Dancing With the Stars and I run the entire ship. I cook, clean do the laundry the yard work... make sure the kids have lunch money and rides to and from their activities and sleepovers, take care of the dogs and make household repairs (I AM pretty darn handy) and on top of it all, I still manage to squeeze in a six day work week...sometimes seven.

As I talked with Zach in earnest about his slipping grades and complete rebellion against the educational system that he is forced to endure... I relayed to him that he is slowly KILLING me with stress for no reason. He literally is driving me to a breakdown before my time...and God knows I am crazy anyway, so why push my buttons any faster than need be?

I told him that if he didn't straighten up, they would be left with a widowed "Trophy" dad, who when called into the situation at hand, rules with an iron fist and an even firmer consequence. I said to my son, "How much fun do you think THAT will be"?

His response was evident when I came home from work the next day. The laundry was done, the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded, the trash was out, the dogs fed and the entire house was vacuumed.

I guess that overnight, he came to the realization that he had it pretty darn lucky with me in charge...and left to the iron fist of his father...he would be in a deep pile of DO-DO.

I am telling you that that talk I had with him , and him sleeping on the results of his current actions, was better than ANY butt whoopin' I could have ever given him.

He is smart enough to know what side of the bread is buttered...and it AIN'T dad's.

He has been riding the bus to school in the mornings, helping out around the house in the afternoons and going to bed early on school nights.

I guess that he is thinking "I have got to keep the ole lady alive, or I am really going to be screwed".

I don't care if that is what he is thinking....at least he is thinking and at least he is attending class and completing assignments.

I hope when he is married and has kids, he mails me a gold medal and the biggest apology letter ever written.

The last two decades of my life have been totally devoted to my kids and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I just keep telling myself..."Hey, they ARE Half Tim ".

Revenge is MINE...Saith the Server

I had a great lunch shift at work today.

It started with a party of 18 women, mostly in their eighties...out for an annual lunch.

One lady immediately sat down and dug her ziploc baggie out of her handbag. She probably had fifty coupons for our restaurant, free deserts, free appetizers, $3 off two entrees, you name it and she had it. I was the bearer of bad news that she could not deal the coupons out like a deck of cards to her other seventeen friends and have them all taken off the bill. It specifically is printed "One coupon per table" and "Not valid with any other offer or discount".

I summoned my manager to the table and we worked out a deal. We would buy them three appetizers and let them use two free dessert coupons.

The lady in charge of this Grand group of Dames, somewhat begrudgingly agreed.

Not to mention that when she had called the day before to make the reservation, my general manager had told her precisely the same thing on the phone. (Good try, Granny)!!

Of course I made sure the lunch went as smooth as silk. Every glass was refilled, every dirty plate removed, salads all came out perfectly on time, and they all received their lunches at the same time (thank you fellow servers)!!

They were a truly pleasant bunch to wait on, and I enjoyed waiting on them.

I had all eighteen separate checks ready for them...all in the order that they sat around the table, and they were very gracious about giving me a few extra minutes to make change for eighteen separate tabs. Most all of them left me more than 15% as a tip, and several commented on my wonderful skills as a server...to which I gave my standard reply "I didn't go to college for Nothing"!!

I should have known that next table was bound to happen (the law of averages).

The host seated my table with a gentleman (I'll be nice and call him that). He asked if I could do something about the A/C vent that was "BLASTING down on him.

I suggested "Another table perhaps"? (With the hot flashes that I am having in my late forties...ain't NOBODY turning the A/C off...at least not from MY request)!!

After changing tables three times, "Captain Sunshine" was ready to order his drink.

When I brought it back to the table, he was already frantic that he needed three more menus (he was expecting joiners and had left at least one menu on every table he had tried).

I told him I would have those right out, and if he needed me before his party arrived, my name was KELLY. He quickly told me in a booming and demanding voice that "I DO need you...I need you to WAIT on me and do it now"! I calmly replied that I thought he was waiting for three others, to which he BOOMED back "CAN I ORDER SOME APPETIZERS"???

I turned around, before I bitch slapped him and spoke to the man I was waiting on at the table next to Capt. Sunshine. My other customer gave not only a pitying look of condolence, but a quite loud comment of "You have been a great server, thanks for the good service and I hope you have a wonderful day". (Thank you unknown customer).

When I saw that the three joiners had arrived, I dreaded going back to the table, but plowed on with my job...avoiding eye contact with the old man and focusing with a smile at the three people who had sat down (all three around my age).

Once I had taken all three drink orders, the ole man said in a huff "My friends aren't as rude as me". To which I replied somewhat loudly, with my arms lifted toward the sky "THANK YOU JESUS"!!!

Actually that got a chuckle out of everyone at the table, and ole grumpy pants said "I've just had a really shitty day".

I started to point out that he was beginning to make mine the same way...but I restrained myself (I CAN do that if I really try).

I made sure their meal was as flawless as my sweet old ladies lunch had been...and almost had the old man wrapped around my finger without him ever knowing it.

After the lunch, he came into the service hallway, barking out that it was the younger man's birthday, and didn't we do something for birthdays? I replied that I could bring him a hot fudge sundae...to which he said "Just make it quick...I gotta be back at the office in ten minutes".

I returned to the table with the birthday sundae and told the younger guy "Happy Birthday"!! My crusty old "friend"(by this point)said "I thought that ya'll used to sing or something".

I said, with a smile on my face and a sweet glint in my eye "We used to...but people just started getting so mean we stopped doing that".

(Actually it was a corporate decision, but one that I was grateful for. It wasn't TOO bad when we used to chant our little birthday limerick ...unless I walked up to a table and it was someone that I went to college with. Then it was just embarrassing).

By this point in the lunch, I had taken great care of this group, given them outstanding service, and I knew that I had made my statement with my server skills.

Ole grumpus gave ME a 20% tip and I had given HIM a subliminal tip.

You don't have to be an ass until something goes devastatingly wrong or someone screws up the service that you expect and deserve when spending hard earned money in today's economy.

Another lesson learned, and another one taught.

Sometimes I really love my job, and today was the perfect example.

Til next time...COTTON

Kids Can knock Ya Down A Notch....

I went into work today at 10:00 AM.

Worked until 4:30 came home, went to Walmart to buy new rugs for my kids bathroom, a new weight scale (my oldest son took ours when he left).

I guess he wanted to see how much weight he lost when he left our house so as to have a barometer to measure when he actually "needed" to move back home or die of starvation.

I came back home, and my sixteen year old wanted me to take him to Blockbuster for a new video game.

Of course I complied, and on the way home, my thirteen year old daughter having arrived back at home after going to a lake house with her friend...who she brought back home with her for a sleep over called me.
They wanted me to stop at Wendy's for two burgers... two minutes later I got a text that they needed fries as well.

Of course I sucked up to all their wishes as they demanded.

My son , in the car with me said "She always wants something from you".

I reminded him that we were on the way home from Blockbuster.... a trip ONLY for him.

Once home the saga got even deeper. I changed the air filter in the attic for the furnace, folded the laundry, fed and watered the dogs and cleaned the bathrooms.

Once on my own time, I decided to light my tea light candles that I have burners for..I can select my own favorite scent, put them in the Yankee Candle burners and make my house smell cleaner than it actually is.

Not that my house is a pig sty... but with me working six days a week and having three big dogs... it is nice to have a clean scent wafting throughout the house.

My sixteen year old son seems to consider himself a "Scent" connoisseur. He hates some of the scents that I burn, so I asked him to smell the one that I had selected to help me feel relaxed. I thought that I had made a wise choice "Clean Cotton".

He sniffed the cube of wax that I was posing to put in a burner, and he told me that it smelled "pretty good"... in fact, it reminded him of the bathroom at the McDonalds... or maybe it was Wendy's?

What a blow !!!

Either they have stepped up their quality control immensely, or I am a pretty bad house keeper.

I know he meant it as a compliment, but it took me down several notches.

At least now I know what standards are expected of me at home by my kids...

If these are THEIR measures... I am so far ahead of the game that I may not vacuum or dust for two weeks...Hell, I might quit scrubbing toilets and doing the laundry too!

The next time they ask me for lunch money, I'll just ask "Do you want fries with that"?

Veterans Day at My Daughter's School

I attended the Veterans Day service at my daughter's middle school today.

I began to tear up when the color guard marched in the flags.

It was an extremely moving and emotional program... and over 1000 middle school children were silent and attentive (kudos to the principal that rules them with an iron thumb).

Vets from world war two, vets from Vietnam , Korea and the numerous Gulf wars were there. It was the most amazing two hours that I would never think that could come out of a middle school program.

These men and women were called out by name, recognized for their medals, honors and years of service.

Each branch..Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard were lined up , recognized and each group received a standing ovation.

I felt emotional throughout the entire ceremony, and when one of the Naval officers from world war two wept while their anthem was played by the middle school band...I was brought to tears myself.

I live in Georgia... a Republican state.

What amazes me about being a Democrat here is that most people look at me as if I can't possibly be patriotic if I am a Democrat. I am possibly the most patriotic and passionate person that you could ever meet.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I and never worry about professing my party affiliations or voicing my convictions.

I am also the first person to go out of my way to help another human being...or even a dog (I am am a big canine supporter as well).

Sometimes I feel like I spend more of my time helping others than I do helping my own family.

But I know that MY family is loved and cared for.

To me what counts are the people that are sick or in need . It feels so good to have someone come see you when you are feeling bad or down...just to have someone knock on your door with a paltry offering of a grilled cheese sandwich is sometimes a welcome meal...and you can always stay to chat if you can.

To cut neighbors grass when they are elderly; You wouldn't believe how much the Mee Maw and Paw Paw next door to me appreciate my lawn work on their yard (granted I LOVE yard work).

The friend of my daughter's, whose mother has had her car repossessed. We pick her up every Monday and bring her to our house to do homework and sometimes have dinner.

Or a customer at my restaurant that has had heart surgery and is elderly. How hard is it to take the time to go pick up lunch and have a visit with her and give her an hour of your time to let her talk and feel loved?

My new neighbors that move into our subdivision and we take them a basket of homemade brownies and invite them to dinner at our house.

Yes, I feel the compulsion to take care of everybody.

But if I didn't, do you know what a heel I would feel like?

My husband told me the night of the election "Kelly, you wear your bleeding heart liberal name very well".

I would never have it any other way.

I love my country, I love my neighbors, I love my friends AND my children's friends.

At the end of each day, I know that I have done my best to help others and it helps me feel better about the person that I am and the person that I hope to be someday. (I haven't EVEN begun to make my mark as I want to).

I have faith in our President elect.

The "Messiah" allusion was labeled upon him from republican ads with Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton .

But I truly do feel like he is a messenger of hope.

I feel optimism for this country and for all the men and women that are currently in harms way.

I don't want MY kids there; and pray that we can bring all the troops left overseas home safely.

Just give this new President a chance before you throw anymore stones.

God bless America, God bless each and every one of you.

And if any of you need help... don't hesitate to call on me. It's what I do!!

A New Day with New Hope

I am thrilled with the outcome of the election.

I also want to qualm the fears of my republican friends.

Obama's speech was magnificent, inspiring and uplifting.

While watching TV tonight, I was amazed that Pat Robertson gave Obama a glowing tribute, saying that he had ran the race well, never wavered and that if he in fact DID the things he said he would do, he could truly be the greatest president we have ever had.

He is a brilliant man with the smarts to surround himself with the smartest people and expect them to step up to the plate along side of him.

The country spoke...not only in electoral votes, but the popular votes as well.

This country that I love is in dire need of serious help.

I WILL say that McCain's speech was the most eloquent one I have ever heard from him. If he had spoken like that over the past months, it may have been a closer race.

The people of America have spoken.

The people of America want and need a change.

I truly believe in my heart that Obama will stick to his platform, and take all this pile of poop that has been dumped in his lap and will begin to return this nation to the country that was and SHOULD be.

As he said, it may not happen in the first year, or even the first term...but if he does the job that I think he is capable of and prepared for...we have a brighter future arising and a future that will bring us back to the title of being the greatest nation on earth.

The one thing I admired most about his speech was when he said that even the people that didn't vote for him...he hears their voices too and will be their president as well.

Even my repub husband has said that he thinks maybe this man can do the job.

I say let's give him a shot, and have his back the entire way.

It will be a tremendous job, and not one that I would want...but I feel that he is up for the task and ready to not only fight for this nation but for our future as well.

God bless him and his family

And God bless America!!

To Kill a Mockingbird...

As I sit on the eve of this most historic election..."To Kill a Mockingbird" came onto my TV screen.

What an appropriate movie for an appropriate occasion. People hating people exclusively for the color of their skin.

That was 1962...this is 2008.

Have we come such a long way to drag our hate bias and bigotry into the picture ?

My sixteen year old son, who would LOVE to be in charge of this country, because in his mind we are SO misguided (He is probably right) commented to me that it bothered him that black people that had never voted were voting for Obama JUST because he was black. He also said that if he had to be pinned down, Obama would get his vote (don't tell daddy).

I can see his point, but not as clearly as I see that there are people that WON'T vote for Obama JUST because he IS black.

Where does the racism stop?

I hope that the rumors, lies about his citizenship, quotes by his minister (who are we electing, Jeremiah or Barrack)?? just be what they are... points that they are picking apart from their own desperate last ditch effort.

In your heart... take a good look at your self and you may see a hint or maybe a smattering of racism.

You will deny it, but if Barrack was a white man with the same platforms... it would be a WHOLE different ballgame.... with hopefully the same end result.

AMERICANS.... CHECK YOURSELVES..check your 401K.... check your stocks, and check your instincts.

He is black...but I sincerely feel grateful that he is going to help this nation out of the worst shape it has been in since the great depression. And that as a middle class person (who all my friends are as well) will benefit greatly and begin to see a nation that cares about the people... not the resolutions (ie...Cowboy Day,from a sentator in Arkansas. Watermelon day (from Saxby Chambliss) but to take care of this great nation and to give us some pride in our standing as the greatest free nation in the world.

Will it kill us to have a black man lead the charge for four years?

We lasted eight years with Bush...

Look where that has gotten us .