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May 26 Memorial DayThank you. Just doesn't seem to be enough to say to all the troops, sailors, air force people, coastguard men and women and marines who have fought for the freedoms we take for granted everyday. To their families as well.... ever one has someone who loves them and counts the days til they come home. It's a tough place to be, and most I know who have been in the military have said they think it's harder on the families. Maybe they're being humble, or maybe it's just that they're kept busy enough to not have to think so much. We are truly blessed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kivf5Wi1q0c May 19 8 thingsWell, since it's Monday, my brain is not fully functioning yet. Since I checked a buddy blogger's site and she posted 8 things, I am supposed to do so as well. I am to list 8 things that not many people know about me. Here goes... 1) from the age of 6 months to 21 yrs, I have seen 100s of doctors. If you knew me in real life, it would be hard to miss. Now there is a one foot square skin graft on my left thigh. I had some bumps on the skin there. Mom and I went to an endless parade of doctors and hospitals. The bumps were biopsied countless times. They were experimented on. Soon after the experimenting started they became lip colored. We went to at least 4 dermatology conferences (40 or so docs come thru, poke you and ask the same questions over and over, then they go discuss your case). One doc published an article about me and my leg without my mother's consent. One doc told mom I had "elephant man's disease".... No one ever really figured out what they were, they just kept biopsying, measuring and treating me like a guinea pig. Finally when I was 21, we found a doc willing to remove it. No guarantees. We were okay with that as it was just continuing to grow. I'm fine today, just have a big ole scar. 2) In middle school I won quite a few dance contests. Me and Shelley were pretty darn good. 3) I think learning grammar is fun. We used to have to diagram sentences in school.... I loved it. 4) I've won an art contest. It was a charcoal of an old Irish textile mill. Not too shabby if I say so myself. 5) Never tried any illegal drugs. I kid you not. Saw what too many people went through and noticed how badly I reacted to prescribed drugs.... could only imagine what would happen with street stuff and didn't really want to find out. 6) Once upon a time I wanted to be a physical therapist. Sign Language and interpreting trumped it. 7) My pupils are huge. Cannot tell you how many times I was stopped in high school when staff thought I was high. Pretty funny after reading #5. My eye doctor said that's just the way I was born. My kids all have the same kind of pupils. I made sure they had notes on file at their schools from the eye doctor. 8) I have laughing fits. When it happens, they usually start over something inconsequential. There's pretty much nothing I can do once they start. They usually happen when I am overly stressed or tired. One time at a Modell's the clerk asked one of my kids if we needed "assistance". To which said child responded with, "No, she does this all the time." So here's this poor guy thinking this crazy woman was taking home 4 kids. A few years ago, I was told it was a healthy response to stress. I'm hoping the therapist who told me that was correct or I really am crazy. There you have it. Many of my close family and friends know these, but not so much my blogger buddies. Have a great day. May 17 busy, busy! Wow, it has been a long time since I've "been" here! Time sure is flying!!!! Guess that happens when you're working like a maniac! Have had plenty of extra hours. Between track and the semester course, it was a little crazy there for a while. I appreciate the extra money, but it was wearing on me. Now that the season is pretty much over, the agency approved for one of the cprint ladies to sub in when I cannot find anyone else. It's a shame they took so long. I really had some concerns having a kid pole vault without anyone there for communication. Apparently the muckity mucks were not as concerned - it took my supervisor a month and four days to get back to me after I sent her the exceptions for the interpreter certification laws. What the heck. Jamie and Colleen are both home from college. Jamie will be staying about 7 weeks, then going back to her apartment. She has another job lined up there. Honestly, I think she is just more comfortable there. Col will be here at least all summer. She is trying to figure out how to get back to school next Fall, but it looks kind of bleak. The financial aid was in on time, but with the heavy debt load she has from this past year it will be difficult. Today she told me she is looking into joining the Navy. Her plans sort of change regularly, so I am not letting myself freak out. Plus, ultimately it is her decision. Since the girls have been home, man have we gone through some food! Having trouble keeping up for goodness sake. I know it's mainly cuz it's FREE, but my girls can eat!!! It's so good to have them home though. Mother's Day was fun. Colleen made me breakfast in bed - something she has wanted to so for a long time, but never got up early enough to do before. It was very good, and way too much food. Unfortunately she had to work much of the rest of the day. Liam worked the whole day as well. Eddie cut the jungle length grass. Jamie treated me to a picnic lunch (sandwiches from Wawa) at a beautiful park nearby. We took about a 50 minute walk afterward. She had wanted to go out in the kayaks or paddleboats you can rent but it was too chilly for me. (yep, I am a wimp!) I really enjoyed the day. Bill is in a federal half way house somewhere in Philadelphia. Here's the kicker - no one will tell me where. I get that if they did, some of these guys could be in danger. I dont appreciate it, though. Colleen wants nothing to do with him and when they placed him she was still in school in north Philly. Eddie has had a tough year and I don't want any more nonsense. Knowing where he is doesn't really fix anything, it would just give the kids' mom (me) more info to work from. Maybe I'm just fooling myself and I'm just a nosey ex wife. Another kicker - he has applied for a modifcation of the child support, so I have to gather all kinds of paper work and appear at a hearing on June 9th. Lovely. He may not be working since he broke his leg. Wish they would continue to make him work a desk job or something. He needs that routine. I don't know... the whole thing is such a pain. More importantly, I feel for my kids. They have been denied a dad for so long. It all stinks. But, hey... I woke up this morning.... I have a house, my wonderful kids, friends, family... it's sunny out and I am fairly healthy. How good is all that?!!!! Pretty darn good. I have many blessings in my life, so anything is possible! May 01 Forgivenss or being a door mat? Every once in a while something will happen that will sort of WHAP! me across the face or upside the head and leave me dumbfounded. This happened with the whole fight with my sister. I guess we have been almost too close through the years with our dad passing when we were young (she was 16, I was 9), living within about 10 minutes of each other and losing Mom. We have always had disagreements - some small, some pretty big. In general, I can see mostly the good stuff. When stuff like last Saturday rears its ugly head, it gives me pause. Exactly when does forgiving behavior the majority of the time turn you into or make another person assume you are a doormat? I hold the idea of forgiveness as a wonderful ideal - something I have struggled with but still aspire to. Bill is a good example. I can be gracious about some things with him but not all. I have come to a place where I have decided that he's just a sad individual. I will continue to do what I can for the kids to have a relationship if/when it's healthy for them, but I do not make up excuses or anything for him. In many ways, he is missing out. I don't know that I "forgive" him for what I see as some of the crappier things he's done either to me or the kids, but I can see where he has reaped what he has sown. With my sister? I don't know. I love her dearly. However, she appears to not hold much of what I do in very high regard and frankly hurt me pretty badly. There were times when I thought about moving away for different reasons in the recent past - retiring to a different location with a certain person or going for the dream jobs of interpreting in D.C. in Congress, the Library of Congress or the CIA and did not want to have to leave my kids and/or my sister. Since Saturday, I have finally seen that even though I do still love my sister, there is no reason to stay in this area for her. My kids? Well, I'd love for all of us to stay in one basic area, but that depends on where life takes them. So.... more the sister thing - why set myself up to be her whipping boy and not take opportunities I've dreamed of? Sounds a bit silly now. I'll admit I am still angry. That will fade in time. I do think this has given me a bit of a wake up call. That alone is a very positive thing. Who knows if I would ever get any of those jobs. At least now I will be more likely to at least apply. After the new school year starts next year and we're about 1/2 way through the year I will be applying if I see the ads/postings again. Yay! Yesterday was my baby's birthday. Eddie is 17 and it just doesn't seem possible. He is though... and that's a good thing. We had a nice day. His buddies took him to an all you can eat, Asian/American buffet. He loves those. Then Colleen came home from school and we had cake and presents with her and Eddie's girlfriend. He liked his gifts. The boy has more clothes than I do, but always wants more - the latest band shirt or another pair or jeans. (he wears them out pretty fast!) Col gave him a Wawa card, which is perfect. He and his friends are always hungry and they often stop there. Liam will be taking him to a Philadelphia Soul game. (arena football) Liam got a car yesterday. He's pretty tickled with it and drove Colleen back to school last night. (I was lovin' that) He's worked really hard to get it, and now does not have to walk or take the bus to work. Yay, Liam! Have a few things to do before settling in to watch Grey's Anatomy and Lost. Night! |
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