Quick Frags

I totally made a typo on that subject line at first.
A very offensive typo.

Its not my fault.  Today I treated myself; I got my hair, eyebrows, and nails done (love making a itty bitty bit of money off of my blog!).  Darn nails are making me type things I have NO intention of typing!

this is pre-eyebrow-wax. ignore the caterpillars.

I deleted my Blog Facebook page today.  I doubt anyone even noticed; I rarely even log on there, much less post or interact in any way.  I may put a blog page on my personal Facebook.  Not quite sure yet.  If you want to find me on my personal FB, I'm not hard to find at all.

I really, truly appreciate the kind and non-judgmental support that I've received from all of you regarding the divorce and Hunter and all that good stuff.  I have made some wonderful relationships via this blog and I appreciate them!

We have a fun, friend/family filled weekend planned.  Tonight my best friend, Danielle, came over and saw my new home for the first time.  I LOVED visiting with her.  Tomorrow Hunter's mom is coming over and we're all going to Hunter's son's baseball game.  Sunday my niece and her family are coming over.  All of this adds up to a pretty perfect weekend for me!

Hope yáll have a good one too!!

 

Like, Totally 80's, Dude.

It's Monday and I work tonight,

 so I could totally justify being cozily snuggled in my bed snoozing, 

but instead I woke up and have been all productive and stuff.  

I think I'm coming down with something. 

My house is clean and smells amazing so now it's time to play.  

Monday Listicles!

I decided to choose the topic 10 Things Totally 80's because I am old as dirt and remember the 80's fondly!

I was born in 1973 so I was seven years old when I was blinded with all things fluorescent.

Here's what made it into my memory of the 80's.....

1. WHAM!  Oh, how I loved WHAM!  In the early 80's I got sick and was hospitalized and totally spoiled. I owned everything WHAM! sold, from posters to albums (maybe cassettes?), T-shirts, etc.

2. Leg Warmers.  I remember getting my first pair from my aunt for Christmas.  They were multi-colored and striped, and I know there were matching gloves, and I think maybe a scarf or hat too.  I was COOL.

3. Oversized shirts, tight jeans, and scrunchy socks.  They were THE wardrobe.

4. Top Gun.  I fell in love with Tom Cruise in 1986.  (sadly, I have since fallen OUT of love with him.)  That was also the first movie I ever owned on VHS tape.  I still quote it on a regular basis.  "Negative, Ghost Rider" and   "That son of a bitch cut me off!" are used in daily conversation.

I miss this Tom.  

5. The Simpsons.  They were naughty and irreverent and I just loved them.  "Cowabunga, dude!"

I had a Simpsons sticker on my first car......

6. My 1984 Mustang.  I got it in 1989.  It was beautiful, and I still miss that car.

this is not my car, I am too lazy to dig through boxes and scan pictures.
but it looked EXACTLY like this except mine did not have the fin on the back.  *tear* I loved that car SO much.

7. My first kiss/first love/ first heartbreak all happened in the late 80's.  

Now we're friends on Facebook.  LOL

Ain't it funny how that works?

8. Come to think of it, I also met Hunter in the 80's.  We went to middle school together.

9. In the 80's, there was a teen dance club in our town.  I frequently told my parents I was going there  went there.  Yes, went there, that's it.  Once.

10.  Bangs and hairspray.  I had BIG hair.  Several perms.  I will share this one pic....I didn't have a perm here but I was rockin' the bangs.  Oh, how I hate this picture! LOL

that's me on the left, probably 1989,
and my BFF Danielle on the right.
She totally won the BIG HAIR prize!

So there you have it.  I shared my Top 10 80's Memories AND completely humiliated myself!  You are WELCOME!!!
Maybe now I should go back to bed......

Oh, Friday......

.............I sure am glad to see you.

I worked four nights this week (instead of my usual three) and three of the four KICKED.MY. ASS.
But the last night was great - and one of my patients is writing me up for our little reward system.  Hee hee - I'm such a dork that I LOVE that stuff!  I get a star on my name badge and a note in my file that I'm pretty much awesome.  It's the little things.....

This week Shelbie turned seventeen.  That is still surreal to me.
We had her birthday dinner Thursday night at a seafood restaurant.  My family and Hunter's family attended.  There were about 15 people there total.
It was WONDERFUL.  You would think we've all been family for years.
My son bought Shelbie a card and gave her money for her birthday.  The card was PERFECT for the two of them.  I am SO proud of all of my children!!
I also met Hunter's (step) brother for the first time and I just love him!  He's a CCU nurse who lives in Vegas.  He's coming over for dinner Saturday night.

I suppose I should give you an update on Dusty.
#1 He's STILL in the hospital.
#2 He and Shelbie are no longer dating.

His ex girlfriend decided to jump on the drama of him having cancer and try to win him back.
I do not have a good opinion of her - for MANY reasons.  Long story short - they are back together.
Health wise he is struggling.  And cancer doesn't give anyone the right to treat anyone the way he treated my daughter (basically getting back with the ex but stringing my daughter along).
Anyway.  I am still praying for his recovery and will probably visit him tomorrow because I still love him and his mother.  But as a Mama...I'm ticked.

One reason I will probably visit him tomorrow is that my best friend Danielle - who I just posted about on Wednesday - is in the hospital.  She had a seizure on the way to her honeymoon and has since had a second seizure - she's never had seizures before.  We have no idea what's going on. Prayers? Please?

We had a to call a refrigerator repair man out today; our refrigerator wasn't cooling properly (and Hunter and I LOVE our cold sodas!!).  He had to replace the fan.  I said to him, "I don't even know why we're bothering with this since the world's going to end tomorrow!"  I had him cracking up.

I guess I will leave you with my last Facebook status today:
Feeling incredibly blessed tonight. Not because my life is perfect, but because I am SO very grateful for what I do have. ♥

Hug Your Mama

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my best friend Danielle was getting married for the fourth time.

A little background - Danielle has been my best friend since I was about 15 years old.

November 2012

 For her whole life, she was passed around from relative to relative.  Her "mother" could never be bothered to take care of her.

She's the only child that Jeanette had (thank God) and apparently the woman possesses no maternal instinct. Danielle was raised by, at various times, both grandparents, an aunt, her father, and probably a few others.
Jeanette (I can't even call her "mother" except for explanation purposes) has always been in and out of Danielle's life.  I don't think she ever lived with her except as a baby.  At times Danielle has tried to walk away and cut her out of her life, but she can never bring herself to tell Jeanette no when she comes crawling back and begging Danielle to have a relationship with her.

The last falling-out was probably the worst.  Jeanette literally told Danielle that she hated her.  And I am not just being biased when I say that Danielle is truly one of the most wonderful people I know.  There are many others who would say the same thing, and I am proud to call her my best friend and someone who ALWAYS has my back.

But after a few months, maybe even a year, Jeanette came crawling back once again and Danielle gave her YET ANOTHER chance to be in her life.  They have spent time together and have been working on rebuilding their relationship.

For Danielle's wedding last Saturday, Jeanette was to light Danielle's side of the unity candle and bring devilled eggs for the reception.
The wedding was supposed to start at 3pm.  Danielle's hair and makeup took longer than expected so we were running behind.

Right around 3pm, someone came in and very gently informed Danielle that Jeanette was not there yet.  She was supposed to be there early for a quick run-through 'rehearsal'.  Not only did she not make it early, obviously, but she wasn't even there when the wedding was supposed to start.

that's me in the corner

Between hair, makeup, and trying to keep Danielle from having a meltdown...the wedding didn't start until 4pm.
Jeanette still wasn't there.

She never showed up.  Turns out the night before, she'd went on a drinking and drug binge.  Her boyfriend didn't even know where she was.  Clearly that was more important to her than showing up for her one and only child's wedding.

It frustrates me that Danielle keeps letting Jeanette into her life, and giving her the power to hurt her.  BUT at the same time - I can't IMAGINE how much it hurts for your own Mother not to truly care about you.  My mom and I have had a few issues here and there, but I know that she loves me unconditionally and would NEVER be a no-show at any important event in my life.

Throughout the ceremony, as happy as I know Danielle was, I could see the pain in her eyes, and I just hurt for her.  I don't care if its a fourteenth wedding - it's her DAUGHTER.  If she says she's going to be there, she should be there - PERIOD.  If she didn't want to come for whatever reason, she should have told her that in advance - not ruined her wedding by causing her pain just before the ceremony began.

Danielle and her very lucky husband

So if you have a mom who would never do such a hurtful thing to you - be thankful.
Not everyone is so lucky.

#random

Hashtags used anywhere but Twitter generally drive me crazy.  However for some reason this post seems to scream for them. #annoying

Today is my Friday.  For those of you who work a normal Monday - Friday week, this means that it's the last day I work before a few days off.  In my case, four days off.  #TGIW

I truly LOVE my new job but it is kicking my ass.  I am very grateful for these four days off!  #exhausted

I successfully resisted the temptation of Fried Chicken Wednesday today at the cafeteria of my hospital.  #willpower

When a patient is rapidly speaking to me in Spanish, I somehow magically remember bits and pieces from my high school Spanish classes.  #gracias

Today another tech said to a patient: "But your daughter said you LOVE Cream of Wheat." To which the patient replied with a completely straight face, "Well she is nuts."  #bahahaha

This weekend my best friend is having a bridal shower.  In December she will be getting married.  For the fourth time.  #shecraycray

Tomorrow Hunter's parents are getting an 8 week old toy Australian Shepherd puppy.  I can't wait to see him!  #puppybreath

OK time to go and watch the most hilarious show ever.  #duckdynasty

Closing Time

Fragging Time, one last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer. 
Fragging Time, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here....

~* Thanks for your thoughts/prayers/etc. for my Mom, Dysfunctional Nanny.  This week's visit was more about questions than answers.  Basically, she's so healthy that they can't figure out what's wrong with her.  She has some unusual levels in her blood and they just can't figure out why.  They've sent off more blood for further testing and may be doing a bone marrow biopsy on the next visit, which is in two weeks.  I'll keep y'all posted.  (my mother is VERY old-school and distrusting of the internet, so I don't want to go into minute detail here for the sake of her privacy.)

~* The CNA Appreciation Day was absolutely fabulous.  The massage...I have no words.  OK I do, but they're NSFW.  My massage therapist was a large man who goes by the name of T-Rex. Need I say more? I am currently accepting donations to the Dysfunctional Mom Needs a Weekly Massage Fund.
There were also manis, pedis, eyebrow waxes, makeovers, prizes (I won a $25 Gift Card to a scrub shop!), fantastic food, and a beading table where I made some adorable earrings. And more that I can't remember.  It was really a wonderful event and I thoroughly enjoyed the pampering!

~* Have you ever had a blog friend disappear?  You read their blog faithfully, and then one day they suddenly stop posting?  That's happened in recent months with two of my favorite bloggers.  I emailed them both; no response.  I'm worried.  If y'all are out there....I miss you.  Call Me Maybe???

~* Last night my best friend Danielle kidnapped me and took me to a drag club.  We'd been before, it's a really fun place.  I wasn't planning to go out last night (and haven't been out in forever), but I'm so glad we did!  It's always a blast with her.

Have a great weekend, friends!


Closing time, time for you to go out to the places you will be from. 
Closing time, this room won't be open 'til your brothers or you sisters come. 
So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits, I hope you have found a friend. 
Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. 

Curveballs....

Life just keeps throwing them our way!

My niece went to the hospital on Thursday night with severe abdominal & back pain. She's the one who just gave birth to my great-niece, Hayleigh, in February. Turns out she has gall stones. She had surgery today to remove a gall stone that was lodged in her bile duct (and is doing well). She will be having a second surgery within the next few days (doctors keep changing the time frame) to remove her gall bladder. She is having such a hard time with being in the hospital and taking care of an infant! She has a lot of help but still....there's no place like home.

My best friend Danielle, who I've mentioned here before, is going through an extremely difficult time. Her marriage is ending in a most horrific way. I can't even talk about it here. But I'm trying to be there for her as much as possible.

Elayna is right in the middle of softball season, speaking of curveballs...she skipped a few seasons to try other sports and I'm really proud of her for having the courage to get back in the game, even though most of her teammates have not only continued playing but even played for special teams. Everyone is great and so supportive, and she's definitely improving.

Shelbie is sick right now and they're doing standardized testing in our county so she's having to tough it out.

And me, I'm exhausted all the time, no matter how much or how little I sleep.

Don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining personally....life is good and things like this just make me so thankful and realize that although we may struggle in ways, things could be SO much worse.

WWTK - Trick or Treat Edition!

It's time for WWTK, hosted by Mamarazzi, Queso, and Crazymama!

{1} How did you celebrate Halloween? Trick or treating? Adult party? Trunk or treat?

On Saturday night, we went to a party at my BFF's parent's house.

We trick or treated on Monday with my BFF & her family. (That is, the girls and I did. Tim had to work, and Andrew was with his Nana.)

BFF's nephew, Kayden. I love him like a fat kid loves Halloween candy!

{2} What candy is your favorite/the first thing you steal from the kids?

The rule is, all chocolate goes to mom. I have to check it out thoroughly to make sure it's safe. Then, I have to eat it.

My kids do not follow this rule. Rebels!! However, this year I trick-or-treated myself and got my own candy! Ha.

Trick or Treat, bitches!!

{3} What kind of candy do you give out, is it your favorite? or something you know you won't be tempted to eat?

I live out in the woods, literally. We don't get trick or treaters. But when I did give out candy it was usually my favorite.

How cute is Bentley a.k.a. Mickey Mouse??

{4} How soon after Halloween do you take down decorations and put away costumes?

Halloween is my favorite holiday & I love the decorations, so I'm usually reluctant to put them away. I'll probably do it this weekend.

Biker Chick & Doctor

(taken at Sonic, practically our second home)

{5} When do you decorate for the next holiday?

I keep up the Fall stuff that I brought out for Halloween, and when I take down the Halloween stuff I put up my Thanksgiving deco.

Kayden LOVES Elayna. He hates me. But I still love him!

I hope you enjoyed your Halloween,

and don't forget to check out all of the other WWTK posts!

Halloweekend in my City

This weekend, the girls and I went to a Halloween party at the home of my best friend's parents.

We partied with her family, which I consider my 2nd family (the one I chose, heh heh).

Shelbie didn't dress up for the party, so I don't have any pics of her. She'll be dressing up tonight for Trick or Treating.

Elayna dressed up as a Pink Lady.

I had my camera on some weird setting by accident, so the picture quality is horrid.

My BFF's niece, Peighton, absolutley LOVED Elayna.

Peighton is almost two and totally adorable.

And Elayna loves little ones.

This is my BFF's youngest nephew, Bentley, and my BFF's Dad.

And this is my BFF, Danielle, and Me.

We had a great Halloweekend & we're looking forward to taking the kids Trick or Treating tonight! Hope you are enjoying your Halloween as well.

I'm linking up with Sundays in my City....on Monday.

If that surprises you, well, you must be new around here. ;-)

Time After Time

It's Wednesday, and time for another installment of WWTK!

This week they want to know what we do with our time.

1. If you had an extra hour to do ANYTHING for yourself each day, what would you do?

Most definitely, an hour phone call with my BFF. We rarely get to talk on the phone, although we text daily, but a solid, uninterrupted hour of conversation with her? Priceless.

2. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I am a total night owl. I always have been. And it's funny that this question is asked today, because for the first time in over five years, I will be going to work at 7am. I worked nights for over 4 years at the hospital, and for the past year have worked nights and/or late mornings. I am slightly freaking out about having to get up at the butt crack of dawn in the morning!

*ETA* I didn't sleep last night. Like, at all. This should be interesting!

3. How much sleep do you get on an average night?

This is hard to answer because, as I stated above, I'm a night owl and I sleep weird hours. But my best guess is 6-8 hours per night/day. I LOVE sleep. I just don't like doing it at night. Which is going to be tricky now. lol

4. When do you find time to blog/surf the ol' interweb?

Rarely, these days! I usually get time online after the kids go to bed. It's nice and quiet and peaceful!

5. What is the ONE thing you're never too busy for?

I'm never too busy for Facebook. One, because I can check in quickly. Also because I can do that on the run; my phone is not a Smart Phone, but it can access Facebook. So I am on there a lot throughout the day.

Visit Mamarazzi and Queso to join in for WWTK!

WWTK - This is deep stuff!

I'm joining in with Mamarazzi & Queso again this Wednesday for We Want to Know!
1. What is the best advice someone has ever given you?To accept the things I cannot change. It's allowed me to let go and stop stressing about things that were extremely frustrating to me. Sometimes you just have to step back and accept that you've done all that you can do.
2. What is your greatest accomplishment?Raising my kids. Through all the craziness and fun dysFUNction, they are turning out to be pretty awesome people.
3. Who do you admire?My best friend, Danielle. She has been through so much in her life, but she never plays the victim role. She's a wonderful mother, and has a huge heart and loves very deeply, even those who have hurt her in the past. She's forgiving and doesn't hold a grudge.
4. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?I would have more patience. I am a very impatient person, and it causes me a lot of frustration. Also, no gray hair! ;-)
5. How do you want to be remembered?As someone who helps those in need, without expectation of reward. I don't just mean the hungry or homeless; for example, the other day some people I had just met locked their keys in their car. So I used our AAA service to get a locksmith out there for them. They were so happy! I think helping our 'neighbors' and taking care of one another is what life is all about. And that includes animals as well.
Join in this fun Meme! Just visit one of the hosts (linked above) for the questions & rules.

End-of-Summer Fragments

Friday is here - time for fraggin'!!

~ Today the little kids meet their new teachers. (Shelbie is in high school; she got her schedule in the mail.) Elayna is SO excited! Andrew is at his Grandma's, and not a big fan of school, so I doubt he is quite as thrilled. LOL

~ School starts Monday. I can't quite believe it. I'm not ready for the early mornings and early bedtimes; we have kept a very different, night-owl schedule all summer and I'm much more suited for that.

~ I have a pretty fun weekend ahead. Tonight I'm going out for karaoke with my BFF Danielle, and on Saturday they are having a huge birthday party for her grandmother, and John and I will be attending. And bringing my world-famous potato salad.

~ They are already selling candy corn and those yummy pumpkins at Walgreens. I love them, and I love fall, but wow....already??

~ I have decided to start a new meme/carnival/whateveryouwanttocallitthingy.

I'm going to call it "DysFUNctional MOMents", and I'm going to share the Dysfunctional Mom Moments that I've had during the past week, and invite y'all to join in! What do you think? I'm going to give it a test run on Tuesday, so if you already have a Dysfunctional MOMent to share (and you know you do!), get it ready! You can post it on your blog and link up, and I'll also have guest bloggers here sharing their DysFUNctional MOMents.

Like that time your daughter was crying that her thumb hurt but you thought she was just being a drama queen and then you took her to the ER the next day and it was actually broken.

Oh wait, that was me.

Okay, like that time you took your son's lizard outside so it could get some sun but you forgot about it all day and it sort of.....baked. To death.

Oh wait, that was me, too.

Okay, enough of my your DysFUNctional MOMents, let's save the rest for Tuesday!

I'm sure you have all heard about the tragedy that happened at the Sugarland Concert at the Indiana State Fair last week. I'm a huge Sugarland fan and wanted to share one of their songs today. It's hard to choose just one; I love almost every song they've ever recorded, but this is one of my favorites. My prayers are with all of those affected by the tragedy.

Friday Fragments - Friend Edition

Well, it's {almost} Friday and you know what time it is....Half Past Kissin' Time!

And that means time for Friday Fragments.

I'm home. I had a wonderful week and I am incredibly relaxed. The animals are so happy to see me, one cat in particular has not left my side. Right now she's sitting on the top of the sofa behind my head, purring constantly.

The hubby was pretty happy to see me, too. I think he may have been purring a little himself.

One thing I admire about my friend Danielle, who I've been with this past week, is her ability to forgive and love people despite their shortcomings. Even when people in her family have treated her very badly, she is able to overlook that and still have a very strong, deep love for those people. She was raised by several different relatives, passed around basically, and some of them treated her very poorly. But she is able to put all of that in the past and love them for their good qualities. I just love that about her. She is the rock of her entire family, always taking care of everyone.

One thing Danielle does NOT do, however, is cook. In fact, I used her new oven before she did. She bought the food, I cooked, her teenage daughter did dishes. It was quite a wonderful set-up, I think we should all move in together!

I also love Danielle's family, as they are like a second family to me. They have taken me in and treat me as one of their own. Her sister and I are also becoming very close. They are a huge, warm, loving, CRAZY family, and I feel lucky to be a part of the group.

So. Tell me about your closest friend. Tell me what you love about him or her, what you admire, what you appreciate. I don't know where I'd be without my friends!

Visit Half Past Kissin Time for more Friday Fraggin' Fun,

and have a Fantastic Weekend!

Pssst....The Wise Owl has spoken!