Definitely NOT an orb!

I wasn't planning on posting anything until after Halloween, but this can't wait! We were at the Nursing Home tonight with the kids for the annual Trick or Treating. I went to take the "annual" photo of grandma with the kids and this appeared! My Grandma is sitting in the center of the photo.

We're totally freaked.

Road Rage USA

Today I had quite a bit of stuff to do, before I picked up Fumanchu from school. So I ran to the bank first. On the way home, as I'm driving down Garfield (think Grand River, but in Macomb County), this silver Lexus SUV cuts over in front of me. And I mean cuts over... no easing into the lane, no blinker. Nothing. Then as we proceeded to drive, the same SUV kept doing it to other drivers and started to seriously get on my nerves. What kind of jerk drives like that? I continue singing along to the radio, noticing that Air Supply has been reduced to playing at Macomb Center for the Performing Arts next week.

As I pull up to the road that we live off of, I am now behind said SUV. Out of the drivers window comes a bunch of wadded up paper. Loads of it. THAT WAS IT. Blood Pressure 210 /130, pulse rate 150. Still, I could not see the driver. I had to turn Left, while a$$hole of the century went straight. Isn't there a number or something you can call for something like that? I mean it wasn't worth calling 911, however that driver may have needed an ambulance after I dragged them out of the car and beat the ever living shinola out of them.

Yes. I am BIG on not litering and that means cigarette buts thrown out too. I don't throw USED toilet paper on your living room floor, put your butts where they belong. Or better yet eat them. It won't cause any more harm than smoking already does. Plus it's fiber with a healthy dose of carcinogens.

Now I'm off to go rip into something.

Need to post something...

Yes. I go to EVERY ONE of your blogs at least twice a day, looking to see what is going on in your life. Why???

Because there is too much going on here for me to post it all. Especially with Halloween coming.

Let's see... This week, I had a migraine from Thursday to Sunday with hot flashes included. Saturday I had my Tastefully Simple Blast off Party (send me your orders if you have them),
Sunday, Child B and I took Child A to a birthday party until 3. Meanwhile child B got a bath, then we picked up A and went shoe shopping and to buy bagels from Panera. Then we came home, the sitter came and I went to work, where I proceeded to laugh all evening and eat chips illegally with my boss and the doc. (We can get nailed for eating in our work space, but we all needed a fix, plus it was Sunday and the cameras aren't installed yet).

Today, I went shopping with my friend to buy stuff for a gourmet caramel apple class that we took tonight. The family and I went to Red Robin where I satisfied my other craving for none other than BEEF. HMMMM correlation here? Beef craving + Head Ache x 4days = iron deficiency??? Hmmm.

So that is about it. At this moment, my hair is a wreck, I am partially in day clothes and partially in jammies. I smell like chocolate and caramel, and I have a cat boring holes into the back of my head, because apparently he is EMACIATED like JRo's husband gets.

Yes all is well in the nuthouse. I may not have a chance to post tomorrow, or on Halloween, but I will for sure on Thursday. Jro, have a GREAT time in Disney. Melanie will be sappy all week, wishing she was there. :o)

Huh?

This photo gave me a chuckle. I found it off a link to PW's website. The printing in the middle was on the order form. It was supposed to read Best Wishes Suzanne, then underneath that write We will miss you.

Who's the Dingle Berry?

Hero performed by Michael Israel in New York

Takes a bit, but to see it come together is really something.

Feeling the Love...

Mr. and Mrs. Putter (my parents who putt around the canals in a little boat) have a cat. Or should I say another CHILD who happens to be covered in fur. Andy is his name. I have this feeling that he is their favorite out of ALL of us.

Andy has his own place setting at the table. He sits in a chair, and puts his paws up on his own "special" placemat and from there, they serve him treats. Andy is not fond of children, however he seems to remember me and Den quite well, since we saved him and gave him a life of luxury over at the house of Putter.

Apparently Andy has developed a "problem". Something on his face appeared askew. Mrs. Putter emailed her BIG BUCKS Vet and of course, "they needed to see him". So without hesitation, Mr. Retired Putter put the well pampered kitty into the limo and chauffered him over to Dr. Warbucks.

One hour later Mr. Putter and his precious flea bag return. Apparently Andy had a $160 pimple on his chin. As Mrs. Putter puts it, "they seduced him into Never, Never Land and popped the damn thing, but first the shaved his chin".

Along with his acne ridden flea bag, Mr. Putter came in with an arm load of medications. Dr. Warbucks apparently found ONE flea, so another $42 later, and Andy has a dermatological "ointment".

As a child, I once sliced my toe open on a rusty coffee can while on vacation. Not only did I NOT go to the hospital for stitches, we continued to play at the beach.

I will say though that as time has gone on, my mother has changed. When my sister and I were both pregnant, we weren't allowed to reach over our heads for anything for fear that we would "wrap the cord" around the babies neck. Instead we had to carry around a 50 pound step stool. One that makes you just about push the baby out - to carry the damn thing.

Enjoy your acne Andy and quit eating fried mice.

BTW... I would have posted a photo of zit face on here, but Mrs. Putter apparently is too busy filing his nails, brushing his teeth and massaging him to snap a photo.

Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

Call me... Fired UP!

This article appeared yesterday in the Free Press. I am fired up about this, and have a story to tell about the TSA and my personal experience. Read the article, then read my posting below.

This failure should sound the alarms
October 21, 2007
BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
This should make you angrier than you have been over almost anything since Sept. 11 -- and that includes the war in Iraq.
A recent report showed that 75% of fake bombs or bomb parts got past Transportation Security Administration security at Los Angeles International Airport and 60% got past TSA screeners at Chicago's O'Hare.

Those are two of the busiest airports in the world. Those are two of the juiciest targets a terrorist could desire.
Seventy-five percent? Three out of four times? We are constantly hearing the tired and misguided phrase "fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em here."
They needn't bother with us over there. With a 75% chance of success, why would they go anywhere BUT here?
The heart of the matter
Now, the reason this news should have you outraged -- and more importantly, why our president and his national security team should be outraged -- is this failure draws a straight line to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania six years ago.
Unlike Iraq, which had nothing to do with the actual explosions of Sept. 11, airport security was at the heart of that tragedy. Tighter security, from passenger identity to spotting box cutters, could have thwarted that day.
Can you imagine how our lives would be different if those 19 hijackers had been stopped? Think about every security issue you now face in daily life, think about the economic drain on this nation, think about the war, the lives lost, the political hate, and all of it goes back to how those men got on those planes.
So you would think, before throwing hundreds of billions at a conflict in Iraq, the first, the biggest, the most obvious use of money and effort would be at the real ground zero of the Sept. 11 terrorism plan -- the airports.
Instead, six years after the fact, we still have disinterested agents. We still have inferior equipment when better equipment is available. We still have more emphasis on stuff rather than on interrogating people. And we still have federal officials making excuses. The latest comes from TSA chief Kip Hawley, who, in response to previous bad results, blamed harder tests.
According to USA Today, Hawley told a House committee this week: "We moved from testing of completely assembled bombs ... to the small component parts."
Yeah? So? You expect terrorists to put a completely assembled bomb in an empty briefcase and slide it on the belt?
A very flawed system
Don't laugh. That, in fact, is actually how examiners used to test agents, by putting fake bombs in empty suitcases. You know what? There were still failures.
Now, examiners pack things like detonators or batteries inside a toiletry kit, or they hide watch-timers in carved-out books. And because of that, our TSA chief is justifying these unacceptable numbers? This is like a kid saying, "Well, of course I failed the math test. You wanted me to add AND subtract!"
The fact is, there is no excuse. None. And President George W. Bush, who vows to keep this nation safe, should be the loudest and harshest critic.
After all, it was the government that insisted on taking over airport security after 9/11, saying we couldn't trust such critical work to lowly paid private screeners. So the TSA was formed, and we doubled or tripled the pay, and what do we get? We get 75% at LAX and 60% at O'Hare. Meanwhile, the same tests showed that the San Francisco airport -- which employs private screeners -- allowed only 20% of the fake bomb equipment through.
And private screeners are what we had before the TSA. We're going backward.
I travel more than most people, so I am not shocked. Sadly, many of the TSA people I see seem more interested in their next break than what or who is going through security. I often see dazed looks, bored postures, shared jokes between agents.
The TSA should be ashamed. And if -- or when -- there is another attack involving planes, and everyone, as always, goes looking to blame someone, we can go back to these pathetic results, we can go back to 75% and 60%.
And we can blame ourselves.
Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or malbom@freepress.com.

A few years ago, the family and I were traveling. We were flying out of Metro Airport. One of the TSA screeners pulled Dennis aside to do that "wand thing" to him. Dennis started to empty his pockets as he was told. As Dennis handed me his wallet, the screener spun around, striking me, causing the wallet to fly through the air. He then proceeded to scream at me about how I shouldn't be taking anyting from my husband. I stood there, with tears rolling down my face because not only did he assult me, he also belittled my very existence. He took an everyday, American Housewife and turned her into a piece of shit terrorist. That was the way he made me feel. In an effort to not miss our plane, and more so to not end up in jail, we did not pursue this any further. But I can tell you, that experience was my LAST experience at Metro Airport for a while.
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One Year Ago Today....

My brother Mike, married his amazing wife, Mary Ann in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Dennis, and the kids both stood up in the wedding.

One year later, I still feel so emotional about their wedding day.

Their wedding was very quaint which I think made it even more special. It is amazing how all of this came together to be such a beautiful ceremony and reception, considering the entire thing was put together from GREECE! Although I didn't stand up, I had my hand in it by being the "shipper". Many companies will not ship to FPO addresses, so it all came to me, and I forwarded it on. Bridal gifts, wedding dress, attendant gifts. I took great pride in my part.

In addition to welcoming Mary Ann to the family, I also gained 2 niece's. Rachel (standing next to Mary Ann pictured above) and Jessica, her sister who is on the left. While I have only met Jessica the one time, we have come to really know Rachel and what a wonderful person she is. I am so glad that she is part of the family. Jessica is in Seattle finishing High School, and Rachel lives in South Carolina.

Mike and Mary Ann compliment each other so well. We had an amazing time with them in Tennessee and will never forget how wonderful that weekend was.

Happy First Anniversary Mike & Mary Ann.

Cheers to many more wonderful memories together.

My Wish

To Kraig and Katrina... With Love.

Leave a message for Kraig and Katrina

Julia's information is now available on the funeral home website. If you wish you leave them condolences, here is the link Keehn Funeral Home

I appreciate every one of you that have left your condolences for them. Kraig and Katrina have been through so much and to witness all of this just breaks my heart.

Rest in Peace Sweet Baby

My heart is breaking for my dear friends Kraig and Katrina. Their beautiful baby, Julia, passed away last night. Please share your condolences with them at:

http://secondcitystories.blogspot.com

WAY TOO COOL!!!

A friend just sent this to me. Check it out. I played it and it is very cool.

HALLOWEEN HANGMAN

Our Home has Grown by 8 Feet!

Sunday morning, I was sitting in the living room, watching the local tragedy channel (aka the news), and a different squirrel showed up. I looked over and thought... uh oh. Fuznuts going to be quite miffed. I started wondering if squirrels are territorial. Sure looks like it the way they chase each other around. Then seconds later... another squirrel shows up. Then panicked I start thinking, OMG, what have I done? Dennis is going to kill me. My obsession and genuine interest in outdoor critters now has us overrun by the little rodents. But again, I am thinking of Fuznut. These sure surely not "our" squirrel, because they did not have the telltale bump on the nose. But they were definitely, in fact much smaller than Fuznut.






Remember the nipple picture above?

Instantly, I knew WHO they were. Not only are Chip and Dale tiny little squirrels, they are FUZNUT'S babies!

She showed up very shortly after we discovered them. I believe they are living in the tree in our backyard... the one we are shooting steriods into to make it grow faster. We lost all of our street lining trees last year to the emerald ash borer. So now it looks like we live in a new neighborhood... with old houses. Sunday morning was quite an adventure to discover them. They are very quick, and wirey. They are very little too. One of them lunged at the doorwall and gave Pumpkin a sudden case of alopecia. With a thud of the glass, the cats flew off their haunches and were pacing at their "Cat TV" - again, aka the doorwall.

I'm sure you are bored to death with my personal account of National Geographic, but for those of you who aren't I had to share this with you. And as you can see from before... I AM my parent's child... Enjoy the pic's. These squirrels don't seem to be at all camera shy. In fact, I had to open up the doorwall to shoo one of them off my screen! Kitty's were instantly thinking "Yummy, roasted squirrel for breakfast", but I quickly reminded them that they are the resident doily's and they are to REMAIN inside the house. Otherwise, they may find their bowls flying out the door behind them.

I'm so excited... I can't stand it any more!

My big news??? Well first off, I feel that I should wait until Monday to make my big announcement, but after receiving a couple emails from my Navy Bound Nephew (see bottom R link), I have decided to spill my beans...

Deep exhale.... and here it is.........

I have rejoined Tastefully Simple as a consultant. I know, I know... not big news to you. Whoopidie doo huh? Well not to me.

I used to be a consultant back when Greg was much smaller and needed more mommy/daddy time. Now that he is older, I started thinking.....

A. I LOVE and use their products all the time.

B. Whenever I call to place an order for myself, I always get my friends orders too. So why not omit the middle man and place the orders myself.

C. If I go to my Urgent Care job, I make a set hourly wage. If I were to omit the 4 hour shift, and do a party instead, my earning potential is up to me... instead of that set hourly wage. Plus I have always loved doing the parties. It makes it easy when you love the products. I am not afraid to tell someone that what they are looking at is a "lick the bowl clean" item.

D. I need more moolah. I want to replace my washer/dryer. Want to redo my kitchen. We want to buy a camper. So what do we do when we want stuff? We MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I am an able bodied person, and there is NO reason why I can't try to be a bigger contributer to our current. "Want List".

Many of TS products are either Open and Enjoy, or add 2 or less ingredients. They are awesome. My favorite thing to make? Add diced tomato to the Bacon Bacon dip, and voila... BLT dip! It tastes like a BLT minus the bread! Unless you serve it with bread.

I am so excited about giving this a retry. It is such a wonderful company. As for now... if you are local and want to do a party, I would love to come and help you earn free products. Or if you just want a catalog to possibly place an order, post me a comment.

All orders will be shipped directly to your house... unless you have a party. They will go directly to the person placing the order. Plus, all orders are shipped in 10 days or less. How cool is that?

And that my friends is my big news. I'm so excited!

Ooooooo I Have Something So Exciting To Share....

Which I will do tomorrow. Until then... I have a couple things on my brain. Yep. Just two this time! First off... let's talk Fuznut the squirrel. SOMEONE has crossed the line. I have put out this huge block of corn/sunflower seeds mixed with a bunch of other kibble for him, and he has eaten the WHOLE thing. Now... He's going after my bird block. "You've crossed the line buddy" I tell him. I purposely bought that hanging block to try and attract different birds. Song birds that is. And here he is... Mr. Mission not Impossible...

In an effort to try and deter him... I moved it.... it's now dangling from the clothes line. Good luck little buddy... and what's this... are those nipples? Could it be? Could he be a she?

Secondly, I have to show you all something. Last night I took a class through the Utica Public Schools Adult Enrichment book. Look what I made!!!

A hint for tomorrows exciting news. Look for a hint in the fruit bouquet photo! Post your comment if you know what it is!

Incarcerated Kitty

SOMEONE has been on the counter ONE TOO MANY times!!!

Tongue and Cheek

MOM!

What E?

Charlie is dead!

WHAT?!

Charlie is dead!

What do you mean Charlie is dead?

He's laying there with his tongue hanging out!

How do you know he's dead?

Because he isn't moving!

Panicked, I bolt down the hallway.

Sure enough... There's Charlie with his tongue hanging out...

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Sound Asleep.

Read below post first! Then view pic's.

Who's Who...

So I received an email today from one of my blurkers. Like myself and the rest of you, we have all been stalking Katrina's website for the latest on Julia. So my blurker emailed me and asked how I know Katrina. So in my reply to her, I realized that many of you don't know how I know other people that I write about.

Today we are going to start with Katrina and Kraig since they have been on ALL of our minds lately.

Katrina~

Katrina and I went to elementary school together. When we were 10, she got leukemia. I will NEVER forget the day her mother called to break the news to us. Regardless, we continued to play regularly and spent hours and hours sliding down their deck stairs in the winter, then warming up over a plate of Pizza Rolls. I still can't eat them w/o thinking of her. I always "cheers to us" when I eat one!

In 7th grade, I moved away and we lost contact. After 21 years we saw each other again this past December when the girls and I trekked off to Chitown to see Katrina and meet her awesome and hysterically funny husband Kraig. This guy is a scream.... talking about screams. While we were freezing our butts off, walking down Michigan Avenue, we approached a gaggle of young women. As we walked through them, Kraig screamed at them and scared the crap out of them. (You can only do that in the middle of the night in Chicago and get away with it. We along with the gaggle were laughing) It was hilarious! Read more about our reunion at these spots on her blog:

21 Years and Forces of Nature

See all of our Chicago photos in the slide show! Enjoy!!!

I Miss Fall.

What happened to fall? Talk about global warming! This weather is getting on my nerves. Yes... yet another thing bugging me. I can't stand the heat and I'm not even in the kitchen! I WANT my windows open, but want to be able to breathe while they are open too!

Yesterday we went to the 9th annual fall party down at Den's cousins. They live between Fermie 2 and Lake Erie. You can see both from their yard. As always we had a FABULOUS time, and lots to eat. BTW... I have a stellar cake recipe to share. I'll post it the next time I make it. I just can't make it here because I can't keep it here. I will eat THE WHOLE THING. So back to what I was saying...

We LOVE going to K & J's party. He's a chef and the food is ALWAYS out of this world. I have NEVER eaten a thing I didn't totally love. She is a teacher. Between she and he's sister (does that even make sense), they always come up with GREAT crafts for the kids. Then the kids take a ride in the hay wagon, to go get pumpkins out in the pumpkin patch. They LOVE this whole shebang. We do too! Normally... on a typical fall day, the kids all wear their costumes to do their crafts and to go get pumpkins. But being that it was 88 degrees, that didn't happen... except Greg did wear his vampire cape... with a blue tank top and blue shorts, :o)

My favorite part of this is the huge fire pit area he built in the back yard. I swear it looks like something straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. It is a very large area surrounded by a split rail fence. The only way in is through the arbor, which has seats inside and is covered in a vine. The fence is lit up by white twinkling lights at night. That with the addition of the fire inside make it such a warm and welcoming atmosphere... except when it isn't 88 degrees.

It was a great time... but next year, I wish for it to be a bit cooler. So at least the kids can wear their costumes.

It's not about me.

I'm having a total issue lately. I might as well be 12,000 miles away from Kraig and Katrina right now. I feel completely helpless. I have god on speed dial and have been praying multiple times per day regarding Julia. I haven't talked to them, nor do I expect to, because they need to concentrate on Lil Miss Muffin.

With that, I feel completely like a bonehead. I can't get crap done, I can't concentrate. I'm supposed to go scrap at the school today at 4 with my friends. Here it is, 12:58 and I have NO idea what to take with me.

ON TOP OF THAT, when we got our new cpu, it sort of jacked up our iTunes in a way. I finally got it to accept Dennis's ipod, and now I plug mine in and NOTHING happens.

I'm so frustrated. I'm ready to take a hammer to the stupid thing. The Ipod that is. Ugh. Like I said, it's not about me.

I just wanted to let you all know what's inside Val's head at this moment. No funnies today. Sorry.

Consumed.

I am asking that all readers of my blog please keep Katrina & Kraigs baby Julia in your thoughts and prayers. She had her cardiac surgery yesterday and it didn't go as planned. Please visit their blog (link below to the right).

Cruel & Unusual Punishment...

At least that is what Pumpkin thought when we took Charlie to get neutered. Apparently he doesn't understand English, however he sure knows when we open up a can of kitty chow.

Maybe he remembers his ole pal Booster and how Booster left, never to return...

Regardless,

I tried multiple times to be the cat whisperer and to tell him Charlie would return... but this is how Pumpkin spent his day....

Staring at the end of the street, waiting for the little punk to return...

I Don't Bathe.

Nope. I shower. At 100 mph. I didn't realize how much I missed taking a bath until Monday night. I decided to sit in a nice hot bath to soften my feet (so the needle wouldn't bounce off for the infamous "injection").



I ran my bath, climbed in and grabbed my July edition of Better Homes and Gardens that I am STILL trying to finish. In walks the queen with an alarming tone she asks, "You're taking a bath?".



I didn't realize that it would be such an ordeal for them. In comes Beaudreaux. "Mom why are you taking a bath?" So I explain that mommy wants to have soft tootsies. He laughs and leaves.



2 seconds later. Beaudreaux re-enters. "Do you want some music?". I reply, "No, but thank you for asking". He leaves.



.59 hundredths of a second later, he turns on his radio so I can have music. Ok. That is nice. He returns. "I turned on the radio so you can have music". Gives a kiss, then leaves.



1 minute later. The queen starts meowing outside the door. "E, Knock it off". Queen replies, "It's not me. It's the cat".



"Knock it off E. I know it's you and it's getting on my nerves. Cut it out". "Ok" she replies.



30 seconds later, Beaudreaux comes in. I have to go potty. "Go to the other bathroom" I tell him. "But I have to go poop".



"GO TO THE OTHER BATHROOM!". Too late. He's already sitting on the throne.



UGH... Nice bath. Tangerine Mango bubbles mixed with essence of poop.



"OK I'm done! Come wipe my butt".

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You haven't needed me to wipe your butt in 6 months!"



B finishes, and heads off. NOW I can relax. CLICK! Radio goes off. "TIMES UP! GET OUT!" Suddenly Beaudreaux the future Hall Manager decides that MY BATH TIME is over!



Slowly.............................I slide down into the tub. My feet are up on the wall, but my head is submerged. Only the circumference of my face is sticking out so I don't drown.



All I could hear is silence........ and my own breathing. It was the best few minutes I've had in WEEKS. I uncrossed my meridians with the hopes that maybe I could realign my chakras. :o)



I suddenly realized that I am totally missing the boat. I have another date with my bathtub next week. It's going to become my Monday night ritual. For me.... and me only, because I'M LOCKING THE DOOR.

Going 100 mph all the time? Need to slow down? Pick Up a Heel Spur!

In this post, you are going to learn a lot about me that you did not know. First of all, I LOVE gore. I loved working in the ER. Blood and guts... doesn't bother me a bit. I have no issue dealing with clots, then eating chili. Now for a confession. I am the BIGGEST baby on the earth when I am on the receiving end of a needle. I have no problem driving one into another persons hip, thigh or whatever region. But when I am the one getting it... I will get myself so spun up that my blood pressure goes up, my pulse races, and my palms sweat.

I have a heel spur. Many of you that have seen me lately have noticed that I have some sort of limp when I walk. It is because my freaking foot is KILLING ME. I am chalking this one up to some shoes that I bought for work. I am on my feet for my entire shift. I usually wear Nike Crosstrainers. This time, I thought I would get a pair of those cute, trendy, moc's that everyone is wearing. How ironic that since I bought those, my foot started bugging me... since May actually.

My doc has been wanting to give me a steroid injection in the foot since this all started. But, being the big baby that I am, I was desperately trying to find another method. I have been eating Motrin like candy. Stretching my arch on one of those Maglite Flashlights on the floor. I have had massages done, wrapped it, iced it, tried to stay off it. Nada.

So today, I swallow my pride and go to the doctor. As I am sitting in the waiting room, I am talking myself into leaving. It isn't so bad. It actually doesn't hurt today, I tell myself. BUT being that my doctor signs my paychecks, and I see him ALL THE TIME, it's in my best interest to follow through.

He walks in. Here is the conversation that ensues...

V, "You don't have a syringe, do you?"
Doc, "No, but let's take an Xray first to see what is going on. What is it with the shot. Are you afraid of the shot?"
V, "No. I'm afraid of PAIN!".
Doc starts laughing hysterically and sends me off for my Xray.

As H is taking the Xray (a girl I work with frequently), she asks what is going on. I tell her that doc wants to drive a needle into my heel. She winces and tells me she had LOTS of feet problems as a child and doesn't envy me. GREAT I am thinking. The wincing look on her face spoke VOLUMES to me.

After the Xray, Doc peeks back in and says, "It's a heel spur. Come look". So next, Doc, H and I are all standing there looking at the film. Nice. A nice little hook on the bottom of my foot, pointing towards the toes.

I have to admit... and many of you will agree... I was GLAD to see something on the film! Because I have been dealing with this since May (because of my above confession). So as we are walking back to the room, Doc puts his arm on my shoulder and starts trying to talk me into the shot. Then he abruptly tells H, "Know what? Draw up the shot. If I try to talk her into it, she won't do it. Let's not give her a choice". GREAT.... exactly what I was TRYING to avoid.

Let's just say that it WASN'T as bad as I expected it to be. Which is EXACTLY what he told me about 2 months ago when I was asking if there was a magic sprinkle stuff I could put on my food to make this problem go away, :o) I will say that I am very glad that I did not wear a lot of make up though. I would have looked like that televangelist woman. I'm going to keep telling myself that it wasn't that bad, because AFTER I got the injection, he tells me that if the pain comes back, I need to get 2 more injections. See how smart he is? See how well he knows me? He knew FULL WELL that if he told me from the start it would be a total of 3 shots, that would have SEALED THE DEAL.

I must say though... that now my foot is sore from the shot. I expect that by tomorrow I will be much better. But with all of this being said, this day and the beating I put on my self mentally, has slowed me down considerably. I am WORN OUT. I did some running around with Beaudreaux after school, picked up the Queen, and have parked myself on the couch to watch my newly DVR'd shows. It actually feels quite decent to sit and do NOTHING.

So there. It is out. Y'all know I'm a BIG BABY when it comes to a needle! I'm going to hobble back to the couch now. I think something good is coming on TV.

gen·e·sis: an origin, creation, or beginning.

I would like to start this post by thanking my mom affectionately known as Putter Paula (for putting around their canal in a the little yellow daisy putter). She gave me her phone/camera to use for all the photos you see below. I was scared to death they were going to confiscate it at the door, however I have learned one among many other important things in my age... if you don't carry a purse... they have nothing to search. So I stuck my license in my pocket along with her cell phone.

Wow, what a night!!! I am so tired, I don't think I can make this as funny as it was, but I'll give it a whirl. As you know, for our 10th anniversary, I gave to Dennis, tickets to see Genesis... from the 9th row. Den LOVES Phil Collins. He says he is "my brotha from anotha Motha", lol. So the night started out on a stellar note.

We arrived shortly after 6, and strategically parked so that when we left, all we had to do was pull out, and turn, and voila! We would be out of the parking lot. After getting into the Palace, we went into the bar (that is right on top of the stair ways), to have a couple drinks. Den's drink of choice... Captain & Coke, mine... Grey Goose & Cranberry. We were the first ones into the bar, and chose a seat facing outward so we could watch all the freaks on the concourse. I LOOOOVVVVEEEE to people watch. Our goal... who would see someone they knew first (Den always wins).

After about an hour and a half, Den and I decide to start heading to our seats. As we are waiting for our check, in walks the General Manager of the Tigers and sits at the table behind us. It is at this precise moment that Den looks at me and says, "Have another drink, WE AREN'T MOVING".

Shortly after having yet another drink and knowing full well that if I drink one more, I'm on my way to being hammered, we wrapped things up, paid our bill and off we went. I would like to interject by saying that it SUCKS drinking at a concert or at any other venue, as many bathroom trips ensue immediately thereafter.

We made our way into the concert arena, and down the many flights of stairs to the main floor. When we finally got to our seats, we were floored, lol, I mean literally. You know those "unplugged" concerts you see on tv where everything seems so quaint? THAT is how it felt. Like were were there for one of their private jams.

The concert started around 8:30. It was so unbelievable to be that close. I mean... it is WORTH the big bucks to fork out. For as many shows as we see... it is worth every dime. They played a lot of songs that we all know, Land of Confusion, I Can't Dance, No Son of Mine.

I Can't Dance was my favorite of all. Phil Collins is hilarious. When he hits the part and sings, "Checking everything is in place", he starts adjusting little phil and the twins, and attempting to pull his underware wedgie out of his hiney. It was all in good taste and very funny. He played with the audience a lot too.

Did you know...

The man pictured below to the center/right is Mike Rutherford of Mike and the Mechanics? I did NOT know this. My husband, the KING of useless trivia told me this.

I loved this concerts. I have been to MANY, MANY concerts and actually used to work at them doing EMS (I saw No Doubt when they were an opening band for the Stone Temple Pilots). This concert was amazing. It felt like we were there with a couple hundred friends for a personal jam. It wasn't until Phil started playing with the audience and we turned around to see the other 26,000 people sitting behind us. It was like they weren't even there. It was an incredibly awesome night.

OH and when we left... we pulled out, turned Left, and were out of the parking lot. 1/2 hour after the show ended, we were already home.

Goodnight Genesis. Thanks for another great MEMORY.

Genesis is an English rock band formed in 1967. With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide, Genesis is among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time.[1] In 1988 the band won a Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video. Genesis' members have included Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins, all of whom have achieved success as solo artists.
Genesis began as a 1960s pop band playing moody, simple keyboard-driven melodies. During the 1970s they evolved into a progressive rock band and began to incorporate complex song structures and elaborate instrumentation, while their concerts took on a more theatrical tone. This second phase was characterised by lengthy performances such as the twenty-three minute "Supper's Ready" and, in 1974, the concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The 1980s saw the band produce more accessible pop music based on melodic hooks; this change of direction gave them their first number one album in the United Kingdom, Duke, and their only number one single in the United States, "Invisible Touch".
Genesis have changed personnel several times. Collins, previously the band's drummer, replaced Gabriel as lead singer in 1975, and was replaced by former Stiltskin singer Ray Wilson for the 1997 album Calling All Stations. Due to the commercial failure of that album, the band announced an indefinite hiatus. In October 2006, Collins, Rutherford and Banks reunited for a world tour