Not the best week to be..........

Occasionally I get the opportunity to listen to Neal Boortz.  He's wonderful, shoots from the hip, like I do.  Call it as you see it, ya know?  Then I learn that his sidekick and producer died, Royal Marshall.  WOW, I think my heart skipped a beat.  You may never meet someone in person, but you can get to know and respect them.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/royal-marshall-boortz-radio-805217.html

And if that wasn't bad enough, one of our Dance Mom's lost a battle to Cancer this week.  She had Melanoma, and was 5 months pregnant.  Seems she had the cancer beat, but the pregnancy hormones stimulated its growth and ....well, she leaves 2 small children (under 10) and a loving husband.  They didn't have insurance and we've set up a donation bucket for them.  Other places are having benefits too -- BBQ's,  motorcycle "Poker Runs" etc.  Her memorial is tonight, casual attire, her request.

Another Dance Mom lost a brother yesterday to cancer.

That's 3....3's enough. 

Vote for Me

 Here's the deal.....Prilosec OTC is having a contest for Sponsorship.

You tell them your story why they should sponsor you.

You get as many people to VOTE EVERYDAY with every email address they have.

Voting counts!  Need as many votes as I can get.  I know a guy personally that received notification that he had been chosen for a sponsorship and he got $1,500!  They chose 4x a year.  Next round of choices is soon, so get your voting fingers ready and VOTE for ME as the official Prilosec OTC Dance Mom!!

http://www.officialsponsor.com/applications/view/9390

Where is the fine line?

We had our first "Blizzard" of the year.

Interesting how we got 6-8" of the pretty white stuff on Monday.  Tuesday it was beginning to ice over on the top which made it look like a rainbow of glass!  It was pretty.

My neighboring county (just 6 miles away) only got 1-3" and some parts of it got -0- which is crazy.  Or at least I think it's crazy.  Imagine it if you will....I left home and ventured into work and there was only an ice crusting in the planters when I got there!!

When I got home, I still had 4" of snow under the ice cap.  Hubby said "why do you look surprised?" and I explained how ILM didn't have ANY snow left and I come home to 4" still.

I never considered this until a friend mentioned it......it doesn't always rain here when it's raining there.  You can see it coming or see it raining down the street at your neighbors house, but it might not reach your house.

But I never thought that if it was cold enough to snow, that it would not be snowing everywhere in our immediate area.  Not thinking in the terms that it doesn't always "rain" all over the place.  

Where was this "fine line" where the snow started and stopped?   

2011 First Snow

Well that's a crazy title.....especially here in the South.

It's not like we get snow often, but this is the 2nd since Christmas.

Funny, so far I've got about 6" and it's now snowing more.....they canceled school today and tomorrow.  Funnier thing.....about 20 miles south, some friends are reporting NO sNOw.

A week in the New Year

Well, what's been going on in 2011 so far?

Nothing!

It's cold and gray, and we usually save that for February around here.  The only thing good about January/February is that March is next!  I hate wearing a coat - hate hate hate, and I know Momma said "don't hate" but darn, dislike is such a mild word for how I feel.

Tuesday Miss T had an orthodontist appointment - that's coming along great.  She got them on last Summer and the Doc said she'd only have to wear them NINE months!!  Wow!  I had a whole 2 years worth of torture with mine!

Speaking of her, at school they're doing this Career Planning for High School.  I don't know about you, but at 14 I don't think I was too interested in thinking about a career.  (Although I did toy with the idea of becoming an airline attendant or lawyer ---- I settled for Paralegal - lawyers have too much pressure!)  She's a bit freaked out over the HS schedule because it seems she wanted to take certain classes (fun stuff) but this CP is designed to give you specific courses.  That's all well and good - IF you know what you want to be when you grow up.  I still don't!

The "selection test", if you will, said she would be good in the Arts field...well DUH, she is a dancer.  She likes to draw and has a great imagination.  I thought she'd become a writer -- she may still.  So she puts down Interior Designer and Photographer.......not Engineer or Pharmacist!   Momma's thinking "cha-ching" here!

As I've just said that, I am remembering my current feelings about employment.  I want to do something FUN, something that is enjoyable.  Guess I should remember that as I see her selections.

Now, we get to meet with the counselor to discuss these selections.

I did manage to go back to the j-o-b on Wed & Thurs.  As usual, I found that the payments I left behind (Boss's mortgage etc) had not been sent -- yes, he signed them, and yes, they had stamped envelopes - I did all but hold his hand, but....sigh, He just can't get in gear.  I made him run down to the Tax office (Jan 5th HELLO) to drop off the tax bills before he got hit with the 5% late penalty (on $60K that's a LOT!!).  By Thurs I was still reminding him to drop of the mortgage payments!

Me=banging head on wall!

I have too much else to do - no time to babysit a grown man.

I went to the gym twice this week with a friend....need to continue doing this!!  It's an easy thing to do, really, just do it already!!  What else am I doing while I'm waiting on Miss T at dance????? Nothing....a whole lot of nothing.  We will start putting together the dance costumes this weekend at the studio owner's house.  It sounds easy, but.....we found out last night that some pieces haven't been ordered yet! YIKES!!  Wouldn't it be ideal to have everything in and sorted and put together......before now, 3 weeks till dress rehearsal and 4 weeks until the first competition.

Let the stress begin!

New Year's 2011 in My Own Bed

Home for New Year's Eve!

Barely, but glad we made it home before the amateur drinkers got out on the roads.  Very glad to lay down in my very own bed and wake up HOME to begin the new year.

Quite a different scene coming home -- NO SNOW!  Well, there were a few remnants of large "boulders" by the road side, the ones that will take a while to melt.  Even though it was registering 66 degrees, I still found it odd that the snow boulders were still there.   

It was a good, quiet visit to Florida.  The FIL was very accommodating, and I got to eat a wonderful Lasagna prepared especially for me by my brother-in-law.

Told y'all I was spoiled!

Spent 4 lazy days....hit a few Bealls stores, visited with friends and ate a lot.  

Finally made it over to the water after leaving FIL's to head home.  Miss T and I scouted for shells, which is hard at this area of the "beach".  It's not a typical sand to shore area this Hudson Beach.  I would have much rather been a bit more South at Siesta Key (Sarasota) or Casey Key (Nokomis).

Soon....the calendar will allow me to schedule a trip further South.  I really need to be meditating to the drums on a Saturday night on Casey Key watching the sun set in the Gulf!!  Ahhh....