Things I've done, and more that I haven't!!!

I saw this over at Deb's Postcards from the Edge.

If it's highlighted in red boldface, I've done it!!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower - We were outside waiting to see it, but didn't - does that count?
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - Does the Paris Hotel in Vegas count?!?
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse - On TV - not sure if I've ever seen a total eclipse in person...
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - Again, does the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel in Vegas count?!?!?
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain - and in the shower (thanks for this answer, Deb!)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - Only by accident.
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - I've been laid off, then hired back
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Pick me! Pick me!

Nikki commented on my blog and invited me over to hers to check out her 1st giveaway - so here it is: Project Domestic Bliss.

She's giving away a year's subscription to Woman's Day magazine. I will admit: I'm a magazine junkie! I don't even know how many subscriptions I have but I DO know I don't have one to Woman's Day! I buy one at the cash register probably every other month or so...

I hope I win!!!

We didn't go to the lake today - woke up, it was pouring rain, so we slept in for another hour and then picked up Mom for breakfast.

Spent 3 blissful hours in the hot tub at T's house last night. We had such a great time, just relaxing in the water. He is trying all sorts of new things; last night he tried some foaming agent in the water so we had bubbles to play with, too! The water was 100 degrees - a little too hot for E, she said, but I LOVED IT!!

From www.Shelf-Awareness.com, Thursday, November 13, 2008:

Besides Random House and quite a few bloggers mentioned here yesterday, two other important organizations are promoting books as an excellent holiday gift.

"Holiday IndieBound" is offering a range of materials for booksellers to create posters, bookmarks, ads for websites and newsletters and more that emphasize "the value of the book."

Among the messages:
"A Book. Longer-lasting than a fruitcake, cheaper than a flat screen, more fun than a partridge in a pear tree."
"Shop Indie: nuture your community this season."
"Books: return dividends for life."
"Why a book?: Because a new tie never changed anyone's life."
"Affordable. Portable. Memorable. Books are a gift beyond measure."
"Give love. Give time. Give joy. Give books."
"A Book: The perfect gift for someone who has everything. The perfect gift for someone who has nothing."

(And I've marked my favorites in bold type and red font!)

I was reading Elizabeth Dillow's blog and despite all the me vs. you, us vs. them, red vs. blue, I really liked this site she sent me to...

http://www.zefrank.com/from52to48withlove/index.html

Honor. Valor. Bravery.

"Happy" Veterans' Day?

How about "Thank You, Veterans, Day"?

Personally I'm not too happy that we lost millions of brave men and women who put themselves in harms way and who sacrificed, along with their families, so that we didn't have to. (Yea, I know, I shouldn't have ended that sentence with a preposition.)

My father was a veteran. My father-in-law was a veteran. I have two cousins who are veterans.

And I'd like to personally thank them and all the rest of the veterans.

Today the President will be in NYC to officially re-open the Intrepid, which recently returned to her berth at Pier 86. They've refurbished her, added some airplanes and helicopters to her collection, and basically spiffed her up to her former glory.

I watched her come home on October 2; I'd also watched her leave for her overhaul a couple of years ago. It was a stirring sight - I was teary-eyed and proud.

We're in for a BUMPY ride!!!!

For the next four years I will be riding the "I told you so" bus and waving the "Don't cry to me, I voted for McCain" flag.

Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States. And what's the 1st and 2nd scary things I've heard since 11pm last night???

First: And I freely admit I don't know if this is true; I can't find a reference to it. His grandmother died the day before election day and when asked if he would be attending her funeral, BO's supposed response was, "It depends on the outcome of the election." Now I don't know about you, but this is 2008. There are such things as airplanes. There is NOTHING, repeat, NOTHING that could keep me away from my grandmother's funeral. But don't forget, he's already announced that he consciously separated himself from her when he was only 13: "I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."-Truth!This is an accurate quote from the introduction to Dreams from My Father. The book chronicles Obama's experience as the son of an African father and an American mother. (From www.truthorfiction.com)

And second: They're already talking about his potential Cabinet. And the name they're tossing around for Secretary of the Treasury? Jon Corzine. Governor of New Jersey.

WWWWHHHHAAAATTTT????

Proof positive he's nuts. Corzine is one of the most liberal, spending governors - oh, wait, THAT'S why. He needs someone to back his spending. Now I get it.

Listen to me and listen to me good.

Your taxes will go up. Government spending will go up. Gas prices will skyrocket again.

This is the WORST decision American voters have made since they elected Jimmy Carter in 1976.

"All men are created equal." YES. This means that all men, women, blacks, whites, Catholics, Jews, gays, straights - we all have the same opportunities.

The bottom line is WHAT.WE.DO.WITH.THEM.

And as someone who's paid her taxes, worked two jobs, paid for her college education for 10 years, saved for her homes and her cars - I resent the idea that everyone is "entitled" to the same things I have. NO. You are entitled to earn them, the same way I did. I don't believe in a free ride. Do not take what I have worked long and hard for just to give it to someone who doesn't have just 'cause they don't have it. This is what BO wants to do. Take from the rich and give to the poor? No, no, a thousand times no. Everyone has the right and the opportunity to work and accomplish whatever they set their minds to achieve - NO ONE IS ENTITLED TO GET IT FOR NOTHING.

The fact that BO is black is irrelevant to me. I don't care if you're black, white, green, or purple IF YOU ARE QUALIFIED. I have STILL not heard one thing he's done as a community organizer that qualifies him to be President. What did he organize? A parade? Just tell me. And his "present" votes in Congress? Talk about a wasted vote. Does he not have any convictions at all? And how can you vote to allow babies born to term to be left to die?

I am sick. Sick to my stomach. As much as I've never been an "I told you so" kind of gal, go back and read my first paragraph again. And know this: our Founding Fathers created the idea of checks and balances FOR A REASON. I am telling you this now: I will be doing something I swore I would never do. I will be voting party line for the next several local and federal elections until the balance of power shifts and the President is working with a Republican Congress.

Obama, Reid, Pelosi???? Oh, my God, help us.

More about me

Got this from Deb at Postcards from the Edge:

A is for age: 47 almost 48
B is for burger of choice: Red Robing 'Shroom Burger with Pepperjack Cheese
C is for the car I drive: 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
D is for your dog's name: Belle (but she's been gone for years now)
E is for essential item you use every day: toothbrush
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Criminal Minds or What Not to Wear (I can't decide!)
G is for favorite game: Apples to Apples
H is for home state: NJ
I is for instruments you play: none although I did learn to play Yesterday by the Beatles with one finger while taking piano lessons for a month
J is for favorite juice: Cranberry
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: My stepson
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: Macaroni Grill
M is for your favorite Muppet: Cookie Monster
N is for number of piercings: 1 in each ear
O is for overnight hospital stays: appendectomy in January 1968 or 1969 (I was in 3rd grade), and back surgery in July 1991
P is for people you were with today: Jack, and my work mates
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Read
R is for biggest regret: December 19, 1991 or 1992. That's all I'll say.
S is for status: Married
T is for time you woke up today: 5:45am
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: uhmmm, I don't know
V is for vegetable you love: cooked onions
W is for worst habit: I won't put it into writing!
X is for x-rays you've had: Couldn't even begin to count, but here's locations - teeth, back, knee, shoulder, chest, ankle, elbow, and if you add in CT-cans and Ultrasounds, brain, pelvis, girly parts
Y is for yummy food you ate today: nothing yet, but I'm going for breakfast when I finish this!
Z is for zodiac: Sagittarius

Christmas the way I wish it was...

I read this article today and had to share... http://www.newdream.org/holiday/story.php

A Christmas Story

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it- overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.
The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.
The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God bless---pass this along to your friends and loved ones.

Jessica Sprague's Stories in Hand

I used to threaten to write 'em all down, but I was much younger then and foolish enough to think I might actually do it, and self-centered enough to think others might care...

But then I grew up and realized no one cared but me.

And then I discovered scrapbooking and realized I could leave some stories behind. Granted, they'd be stories about everyone else, but still...

And THEN I found Soulology and I'm part of this on-line project that's about me. It's about me and putting me in my scrapping and in my journaling.

And THEN I read Cathy Zielske's blog and saw her link to Jessica Sprague's forthcoming project, Stories in Hand...

And I'm going to write 'em all down!!! All my stories, about childhood and college and married life and all the stuff I've not yet included here on my very boring blog... YAY!!!

Testing, testing...

For however many years I've been doing this blog, I've been annoyed that I had no titles.

Okay, sorry, Blogger, I did. I just didn't have them activated.

I do now.

So, an internet friend'o'mine is dealing with some big issues these days - her son has been diagnosed as having ADHD. I'm just taking a moment here to ask my readers to say a little prayer for her and for her son and their family. They have hit the ground running with doctors' appointments and research and medications, and I just want them to know we're all pulling for you! Our prayers and good thoughts are winging their way to Georgia!!!

Now on to much sillier, less important things...

I've finally started to try to put my scraproom together. DH and I went out and bought two Lowes units 'cause for some unknown reason, he's got it in his head that the one big Ikea unit would not work; it would be too big. Of course, the small units he bought at Lowes are less sturdy and he's already complaining about that, but in a couple years, when these are not holding their own, I'll go get my Ikea unit (or I'll make him build me one like I wanted!). In the meantime, I get to start putting things away so honestly, I'm okay with what we've got... First, a before photo - Nope, no "before" photo - I don't have one handy... So here's the start of my putting all my scrapping stuff away:

I will not be keeping that rolling cart on the left under that window; there is a lot of sun that comes in that window and I don't want it to fade my papers... The wall opposite this unit is the Murphy bed. I have appropriated all the shelving on either side, except for two or three shelves that will have sheets and towels in baskets, once I buy the baskets (we don't have a linen closet on this floor so I'm making do!). Here's a fuzzy picture of that side of the room (clearly not cleaned up, either!):

The left side of the unfinished bed has scrapping albums on the top few shelves and patterned paper beneath that; it's all going to be moved to the opposite set of shelves so the sun doesn't fade them (the same sun I mentioned a paragraph ago!). That empty space above the bed will have extra pillows or blankets; it's so wide without a brace of any kind we're not going to put much weight on that particular shelf... Those 2 computer CPUs will move to the sitting room, on the computer stand I inherited from my former job. It's actually a good place for it since it's out of the way in the corner...

We're not going to the lake this weekend; DSD's tire blew out so DH is going to be spending Saturday repairing it and/or getting a new one. The rim is cracked so she really can't drive on it; she's SOOO annoyed! Anyway, I'll take advantage of a weekend home to get a pedicure, then finish bringing winter clothes down and summer clothes up and packing up my donations for AmVets and I'll take my mom food-shopping... Yea, I know, B-O-R-I-N-G!

From Just a Girl

The "Husband Meme."

1. He's sitting in front of the tv, what is on the screen? History Channel or Speed
2. You're out to eat what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? He doesn't eat salad, unless it's the odd Thursday every 8 months that we go to Pizza Hut, in which case it's oil and vinegar
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Anything green or white (no guacamole, no cottage cheese, etc.) - the only exception is he's force down broccoli 'cause his Mom told him to and he'll eat ricotta if it's already in his tomato sauce, or mayo if it's in his tuna salad
4. You go out to the bar, what does he order? Coke
5. Where did he go to high school? Bloomfield, NJ
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10-1/2
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Tools
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Italian sub, if he had to choose one
9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Pasta
10. What is his favorite cereal? Malt'O'Meal Golden Puffs
11. What would he never wear? A sweater
12. What is his favorite sports team? He's the only gym teacher/man I know who could care less
13. Who will he vote for? McCain
14. Who is his best friend? Tommy & Lenny
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Keep the house messy
16. How many states has he lived in? One - NJ
17. What is his heritage? Italian + Italian = Italian
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Since I'm baking, my favorite: yellow cake with milk chocolate icing; if I'm buying, strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream
19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes, track and field
20. What could he spend hours doing? Working, working, and working - oh, did I mention working?

I act 27 years old - NOT! (But I do think I am still that same age until I look closely in a mirror, in the sunlight, which I did last week and almost fainted!!!)

And here, because I have nothing else to do here at work... Another of those quizzes to occupy your time and share stuff no one is interested in...

I act 27 years old - uh-huh, sure...

[x] You know how to make a pot of coffee (edited to include badly!)
[ ] You keep track of dates using a calendar
[x] You own a credit/debit card
[x] You can handle your own money
[x] You know how to change the oil in a car
[x] You've done your own laundry
[x] You can vote in an election
[x] You can cook for yourself (ditto first comment!)
[x] You think politics are exciting
TOTAL SO FAR: 8
[ ] You show up for school late a lot
[x] You always carry a pen in your bag/purse/pocket
[x] You have never gotten a detention
[ ] You have forgotten your own birthday at least once
[ ] You like to take jogs by yourself
[x] You know what credibility means, without looking it up
[x] You drink caffeine at least once a week
TOTAL SO FAR: 12
[x] You know how to do the dishes
[x] You can count to 10 in another language
[x] When you say you're going to do something you do it
[x] You can mow the lawn
[ ] You study when you HAVE to
[x] you've hand washed a car before
TOTAL SO FAR: 17
[x]You can spell experience, without looking it up
[ ] The people at Gloria Jeans know you by name
[x] Your favorite kind of food is take out
[ ] The first thing you do when you wake up is get caffeine
[x] you can go to the store without getting something you don't need (I "can" but I usually don't!)
[x] You understand political jokes the first time they are said
[x] You can type pretty quick
TOTAL SO FAR: 22
[ ] Your only friends are from your place of employment
[x] You have been to a Tupperware party
[x]You have been to purse/jewelry party's
[x]You have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job
[ ] You have more bills than you can pay
[x] You use the internet every day/ or try to
[x] You make your own bed
TOTAL : 27

NOW REPOST AS: I act __ years old

Sorry that this is not a good picture, but since I took the cocky move of posting that button in the right margin about being inspired and artistic (I'm really not, but trying to convince myself that I am!), here's a layout I created about Jack and me. That really attractive picture of the two of us was taken at midnight, New Year's Eve, 2000, on the cusp of the new millenium. Don't we look so excited?!? (In truth, we'd fallen asleep in front of the TV and woke up at literally 11:59:46!)

We are such old fuddy-duddies!

This layout is hanging in the corner in our dining room at the lake... It probably won't stay there when the room is actually a real dining room, but for now, it's okay...

A Week in the Life of... Me!!!

First of all, they're not in date order, as they will be when I create the mini album. I have a hard time with pictures in this blog - as you'll see when you have to lay your head on the desk to look at the ones that are sideways! (Couldn't figure out how to rotate them once they were here!)

Me at work

Hoboken, en route to the school

J at B&N

The Intrepid, returning to Pier 86/NYC - the view from my office window!

J at our friends' house for cake and coffee

Lake Hopatcong, the view from our deck

Took Mom to the dr's office for a biopsy - all clear!!!

Scrapping at the lake

Our Murphy bed - almost done! Just has to be cleared and the feet/legs have to be installed.

We had a full evacuation drill at work

B&N

the view of the new W hotel in Hoboken, from the pier, during the evacuation

a mid-afternoon snack: a clementine or two

paid some bills...

Me at work

Cruise ships go up and down the Hudson all the time, calling my name...

J's school - we went to the Board Meeting and AGAIN, they didn't approve the teachers' contract!

I found Cherry Coke with ZERO calories! And it tastes okay (not quite as good as with the sugar in it, but okay nonetheless!)

Made some fried eggplant and squash (ate the squash for lunch!)

Some magazines I browsed through at B&N

a typical breakfast for me: wheat wrap with eggs and pepperjack cheese, and some Tabasco sauce to dip (and some hot tea, not pictured!)

Carrie's new kitties: Dolce on the left and Oreo on the right!

My desk, in the middle of a typical day

my view from the office, late afternoon - the light was fantastic that day!

tastes disgusting, but works - thank goodness for codeine! (had a bit of a fight with the pharmacist since the dr gave me a refill in under 24 days - the pharmacist didn't want to fill it. I told her I'd come back when the 24 days were up if she'd just tell me when that was. She got mad - thought I was an addict, I guess! - It obviously wasn't my favorite, Donna!)

There were more pictures, but apparently I can only put so many on the page... Blogger erased them, replaced them, whatever!!!

Boring life, doncha agree?!?!

I'm not a great photographer, but I really like this picture of my mom.

I'm sort of okay with this picture of me.

When I think of Mom, this picture is what I see in my mind's eye, maybe with a different blouse on, but always with that smile!

Beautiful. Smiling. Happy. [Believe you me, there were days when she was not smiling and not happy, but she was always beautiful.]

I really hope that when I get (more) older , I look half as good as my mom does.

It's been a couple of days, so I thought a quick post might be in order and this one looks like it could be a quick one...

Was visiting a few blogs that I found on another one, and one of those tag games was posted and I liked this one, and I liked it even more that the author didn't really "tag" her friends; she just suggested anyone who wants to do it can do it... So, "Tag, you're it! If you want to do this, just add it to your blog, or if you don't have a blog, email me!"

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch:

• Criminal Minds
• America's Funniest Home Videos
• What Not to Wear
• House Hunters
• Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
• CSI Miami
• Numbers
• Grey's Anatomy

8 Restaurants I Like to Eat At:

• Olive Garden
• Red Robin
• Burger King
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Outback
• Court Street
• Bruchetta
• Tick Tock Diner

8 Things That Happened Today:

• My ex-brother-in-law emailed his kids to tell them he's engaged to a wealthy woman, who happens to be beautiful with 2 kids and he will speak with my niece and nephew by email only; they shouldn't bother calling him.
• I had a nice lunch with my girlfriend who works here in my building and we were able to catch up on all that's been going on these past couple of weeks.
• I work up with scratchy, puffy eyes 'cause I cried them out at the movies last night; we saw Nights at Rodanthe.
• I got an $18,000 order from one of my customers!
• We listened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the way to work today.
• We gave a dozen roses to our co-worker for her birthday.
• I had a liverwurst and cheese sandwich for lunch - the first time I've had liverwurst in years! And it was delicious!!
• I had a couple of nice conversations with my baby sister today, and she was in a good mood the whole time!

8 Things I Am Looking Forward to:

• The end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (even though I've read it a couple of times and listened to it a couple of times!)
• Making some time to go for a pedicure - I really need one!
• Working on my mini "Right Now" album when I get my prize from Stacy Julian
• Working on my "Week in the Life of Me" project (see Ali Edwards' site)
• Working on The Soulology Project with one of my scrapping friends from the Morris County Scrapbooking MeetUp Group
• Getting my end-of-the-fiscal-year incentive check: it should be somewhere in the several thousands of dollars and is due 10/15!
• Our November trip to Atlantic City
• Working on my scrapping room - hopefully we can begin next weekend since we'll be finishing the Murphy Bed this weekend!

8 Things on My Wish List:

• an Ikea Expedit wall unit
• a Stamp-a-ma-jig (and P, I'm putting together a scrapping wish list for you!)
• a repaired setting for my engagement ring: I just noticed it's almost oval it's been worn down so much
• my 10th wedding anniversary year (07/25/09): we're going on a couple of trips, I hope, to Disney World and on a cruise (maybe we can make that a Disney cruise and combine two into one!) and I'd LOVE to go to Alaska for my 10th!
• an eternity band
• a laptop
• a new digital camera
• retirement

Those of you who know me know I love pocketbooks. I could buy one every day. Love them!

Guess what! I could win one, for free!

And so could you!

Go here: Handbag Planet is giving away one bag every hour for 24 hours on October 15th, their launch day!

Hurry up! Go! Right now!

Maybe you'll win! (But if you win mine, I'm gonna be annoyed!)

I started the Ali Edwards project 09/29, a few days later, so that I'm in sync with the rest of the world... I'll have to download the pictures another time, but here are some wordy updates about the past few days...
Monday, 09/29
- my usual breakfast: egg/pepperjack cheese on a wheat wrap, with Tabasco sauce, and hot tea
- waiting, waiting, waiting for page loads on my work computer
- lunch
- catching up on blogs and email
- met with my reading partner for volunteer work at school
- played Bejeweled 2 on the computer while waiting to go home
- took some photos of great clouds and light on NYC skyline
- to Carrie's for dessert, to meet Oreo and Dolce, her two new kittens
- called the dr. about a chest x-ray and more cough medicine
Tuesday, 09/30
- switched it up for breakfast: multigrain toast with peanut butter and raisins, and hot tea
- Norwegian cruise ship cruised on by the office, calling out my name!
- catching up on blogs and email
- some difficult customers today: discount issues, delivery issues, etc.
- Board of Ed meeting with Jack - he's so happy I went with him - the contract didn't pass
- roast beef sub from Subway for dinner
Wednesday, 10/01
- sick day
- took mom to urologist - 80% sure it's not cancer - I want 100% - 2nd biopsy to make sure
- went to Imaging Center and had chest x-ray taken
- Atlanta Bread Factory for breakfast with mom
- short visit to AC Moore
- fried some eggplant and squash
- spinach ravioli
- B&N with Jack
Thursday, 10/02
- the usual breakfast, and hot tea
- the Intrepid returns to Pier 86 on the West Side
- VP debate: Biden vs. Palin (a bit worried about this!)
- tuna fish sandwich and french fries for lunch

See? Boring! But a few typical days in the life of Krys...

I'm going to keep track of a week in my life, along with Ali Edwards. I have the best of intentions, and I've taken 2 pictures so far of today, Friday, September 26. Of course, it's already 3:45pm so you do realize, I hope, that I'll be scrounging around for the next 6 hours or so trying to find something to take a picture of that might illustrate "A Typical Friday in the Life of...Me!"

The first picture I took this morning was of my desk, complete with crap all over it, crap that should have been done earlier this week but was waiting patiently for Friday, after being passed over (and over) since Monday... The second picture was an attempt at (almost) art: my computer screen, set on Ali's page, along with my manila folder labeled "A Week in the Life of Me." How exciting, I know!

Yesterday I went to a meeting at W School, an orientation meeting for the volunteer work I'll be doing again this year, reading to first graders once every two weeks. My new partner showed up, a great start compared to last year's partner who showed up maybe 60% of the year, if I'm lucky (or if the kids were lucky!). I emailed her this morning to set up a meeting to coordinate our calendars, to see who'll start first, who can't read on which Tuesday, etc. I called her at 2:24, per her instructions, to tell her I was heading on down to the Coffee Bar for our meeting. I gave her the required 15 professorial minutes after 2:30 and she never showed.

Now, stuff happens, I know. But she hasn't called yet, or emailed, to say, "OMG! I forgot!" or "OMG! I was stuck in this meeting!" Nothing. Nada. Zip. Not a peep. I take it all back: we're not off to a good start... And it's 3:54pm...

My allergies are morphing into a cold. I'm congested, and everyone sounds like either they're under water, or I am! And I'm still coughing, suffering from a sinus headache brought on by the low barometric pressure, and I'm blowing my nose again, like a fiend! I hope I get better over the weekend, not worse - I really think there's something to that whole kids make you sick thing that teachers complain about... There's only one other explanation: my building is sick.

I started here in August 2004, and that was the first year I had a summer cold, right.when.I.started.this.new.job. And then a winter cold, in January. And one ever summer and winter since. So either it's 'cause I go to the elementary school to meet DH and I'm exposed to all those kiddie germs, or as my cubicle neighbor insists, our building is sick; the windows can't be opened, and "everyone's been sicker since they moved the business here to Ho----n."

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm getting older and my resistance is weaker...

Guess what I get to do this weekend? I get to balance J's checkbook! Go ahead, I hear you laughing! But you have no idea how much I love to do that!!! Watching all those numbers add up right... I should have been an accountant... (NOT! But I DO like balancing my checkbook!)

Okay, it's time to go and pretend to work for the last 1/2 hour, before I sign off and do something productive, like play Bejeweled 2...

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure...

A GREAT picture of my beautiful mom!

Two great photos of my beautiful baby neighbor! Do you think Jack would mind too much if I left him for this little guy?!? He just LOVES being outside. When he's crying, all his mom has to do is bring him outside and he stops, just like that! Of course, when she brings him out and he sees his Krys, he gets that big smile on his face, and I just melt and say, "Give me my baby!"

A view from our deck two weeks ago, before they started dropping the lake. It's down quite a bit, and there's more to go. This is the year of the "big drop" when they let 5' of water out of the lake to allow residents to do repairs on their docks. Of course, some residents can't make necessary repairs 'cause the "1-darn-dock-repair-company-who-has-the-monopoly-on-the-lake-simply-doesn't-return-phone-calls-'cause-they've-got-work-lined-up-for-years." (Perhaps I'll try again...)

Believe it or not, on a potato roll or between 2 slices of Wonder Bread - one of my favorite all-time sandwiches, followed by cream-cheese-and-jelly-and-onions. (I know, I know, YUK! But until you taste it, don't knock it! I thought I'd throw up until my dad made me taste it - some sweet with a little bit of a tart crunch! Mmmm!)

I'm in a very nostalgic mood. I don't know why. So I decided to post a couple of old pictures here... Don't know if I've posted them here before, but anyway, here goes...

This first one is of my dad and his sister, just before he left for the war (or just after he returned - I don't have the family notes here at work). My aunt was a beauty when she was young! I don't remember her looking this young. My dad, though, always looked like this to me, maybe with a few more laugh lines, but I always thought he was a handsome guy!

This next one is my grandfather's house in Bloomingdale (43 Van Dam Avenue). We spent every Sunday there when we were growing up. We'd walk into the kitchen, kiss my aunt hello, go in the living room and kiss Granddaddy hello, and we'd get a piece of candy from his stash under the newspaper. A stash none of the adults knew about!!! Facing the house from the street, like in this picture, we also owned the lot to the left of the house, on the other side of the garage. There was a giant oak tree, a lily pond, a mini corn field, and a swing set. We'd be out there all afternoon while we were there for the day!!!

The last one is my mom and my two sisters and me, in front of our house in Bloomfield (30 Byrd Avenue). I'm the tallest of the daughters, in that sexy orange blouse! I absolutely LOVED that skirt! (Nice haircut, don't you think?!?) Mom made her gown! She was a great seamstress - she made all those skirts. Our house was white, turquoise, then white again. This is obviously in our initial white phase!

Thanks, Pikes Pickles, for my prize! It arrived today, on a day when I really needed a pick-me-up of some kind!!! It was a difficult day, filled with lots of work, lots of driving, lots of coughing, and not nearly enough eating! And my prize arrived!!! YAY!

Yes, friends of mine, I'm sick. Not sick sick, but allergy sick.

I called out on Friday, went to the doctor and was promptly put on a cough medicine with codeine to suppress my hacking cough, an inhaler (or "inhalerator" or "breathalizer," as Mr. Obama likes to call them!), and Zyrtec. Dr. C. confirmed that it's allergies settling in my chest; my lungs were clear and she wants to keep them that way, hence all the medication.

I must say, I feel a thousand times better, even while still coughing up a lung once in a while - gross though this might be, it's now a more productive cough, not just a wheezing, dry, make me gag sort of cough. And my sore abs/flabs? Not sore any more!

And I'm sure my cubicle neighbors are happy, happy, happy that I went to the doctor - what made me finally decide to go was the email from a girl who sits literally about 100 feet away, asking me if I wanted a cough drop. How embarrassing! I wonder how far you had to get to NOT hear me coughing...

Okay, I'm such a copycat!

I saw this Followers gadget on Pikes Pickles and I had to have one! I know there are only about 3 of you who are readers on a regular basis (and thanks to each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart!!!), but it'll make me feel better to see you all there each and every time I sign on... Someone cares! Someone really cares!!

[Of course, if you ever see me remove this gadget, it means I got depressed about the fact that I'm not as amusing or interesting as the three of you implied I was by coming back again and again...]

Love and peace to all who suffered on 09/11/01.

I remember this day vividly. My mother called me at work to tell me the World Trade Center was on fire. I turned on my radio and was listening to reports from the scene. When we realized what had happened, we all went to the President's office and watched on his TV. We saw the 2nd Tower get hit. I have never felt what I felt at that moment.

Our boss told us all to go home and be with our families.

I called my husband at school in Hoboken and couldn't get through to him. That's when I realized how terribly close he was to Manhattan - a mere river's width and a few blocks from where the world was literally crashing down around us.

I drove home, eastbound on Route 3, where I could see the smoke in the skies where the Towers had stood. Towers that had been there for years. Towers I saw almost every day. Towers I saw but never really paid attention to for years.

They were no longer there.

Now what I saw on that drive home was loss. Horrible, crippling, devastating loss. And this was before we really knew or understood what had happened.

I could only think about all those people. Those people who got up, kissed their wives or husbands goodbye, patted the dog on the head, took the garbage out, then drove or bussed or flew to work. All those people.

And the families. My God, the families.

I'd lost my father, and my aunt, and my grandparents. I knew was loss was. I knew how hard it was to come to terms with knowing that you'd never see that person again, that they were gone forever. And yes, time had come and gone and I'd reached that point in my grieving where I also understood that they were there, in my heart, always.

But they were still gone. Forever.

The bigger "but" is that they died. They weren't murdered. They weren't taken from me, from my family, by cruel, evil, heartless men who wanted to hurt us. They died when they were supposed to die. All those people in the Towers, on Flight 93, at the Pentagon and on that plane, too - they were not supposed to die.

Sure, my faith helps me to understand we all have to go sometime, and it helps me through that time. BUT even though fate decreed that all those 2977 people had to die that day, the fact that they were TAKEN from us is hard to swallow. They were taken from their loved ones deliberately, with malice and forethought, with the intention of hurting us and maiming us - us the U.S.

They are heroes. Each and every one of them. And I, for one, along with every other American, every other person in the world today who has a heart, miss them today and grieve along with their families and friends.

I was lucky, you might say, that I live 9 miles from the city and knew no one who died in this tragic event. Yes, a few acquaitances came close, a couple cousins even closer (one was in the city late for a meeting at the Towers, another on the drive into Manhattan when he got stuck in the traffic after it happened). But I didn't lose anyone close to me.

I lost all 2977.

Hooray, hooray, I won a prize at Pikes Pickles!!! I've been so lucky to meet so many nice people out there in blog-land... I'm going to have to think of a special way to say thanks ---

Oh, wait! Here it is!

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, Pikes Pickles, for my prize (I won a prize!) and Miss Hope, who introduced me to Pikes Pickle's blog.

I have been popping by and visiting, but after taking the time to read a few back blogs, especially the one named Comments please, I will be sure to comment on a regular basis, not just get counted as an anonymous hit!!!

Go on over to Pikes Pickles and try to win yourself a prize - there's only one day left! (All prizes are being picked on Saturday, though, so even though it's the last day, go over there and comment on all 5 days!)

Celebrate your marriage on her blog. Celebrate a special friend. Celebrate your faith. And I can personally vouch for the PakNaks, having won some over on Miss Hope's site (so I'm not participating in this giveaway!). I gave them to my neighbors' kids - they LOVED them!

Pikes Pickes is giving away some awesome prizes - and it's a wonderful blog, too - Enjoy!

I really tend not to write about things political, simply 'cause I have my own opinions, I'm entitled to them and I am happy with them, and I sleep at night with a clear conscience, secure in what I believe in... even when I'm in the minority and surrounded by many who would prefer to try to change my mind...

That said, I LOVED Sarah Palin last night!!! There was no way she could come out there and simply talk politics: the media robbed her of that with all the personal news that was flooding the air waves these past few days. I think she dealt with it all with grace and style. Loved "meeting" her family, LOVED her baby daughter licking her palm and fixing her baby brother's hair, loved her baby daughter waving at the crowd! Thought Palin's references to family struggles were appropriate: we all knew what she was talking about! Am thrilled to have a mom and politician who understands the struggles special needs families are going through on the way to the White House.

I will be honest, though: I'm not so sure about the pregnant daughter marrying the baby's father. Marriage isn't easy, and at such a young age? To have to be 17, pregnant, in the public eye, AND married? I don't know... I know they have no idea what they're in for, and you know it, too. I think I'd be okay with her remaining a young, single mom, and I'd want the dad involved. Of course I'd teach my children abstinence, and marriage before sex, and I'd hope they would listen, but it is 2008 and unfortunately parents have less control over their children than ever before... I believe SP and her husband will be there for their daughter and that will be a huge help for her, but pregnancy, a baby, and a husband and marriage to deal with? At 17? It's not going to be easy! And toss in doing it in front of millions and billions of people, 1/2 f whom want you to fail? Oooh, am I glad I'm not her!!!

SP touched on the economy, on foreign policy, on family values, on terrorism - all in a way that acknowledged she knew she'd be dealing with them, but she didn't even try to pretend to "fix" it all in her speech. And I think that was the right way to go! Make us like you, Sarah, and you're over the hump! Now we want to support you, and we'll listen to you with a more open mind...

PLEASE keep up the momentum!

AND I loved what Sarah said. I liked her support of McCain. I liked her warning that she wasn't going to Washington looking for media approval. I liked her response to the other side's criticism of her experience.

I will be voting for McCain. And I'm not completely happy with his policies, but I haven't been completely happy with anyone since I started voting! No one is perfect, and although I hate the idea that there are people voting for the lesser of evils (in their eyes), I hate even more the idea that people would vote for someone just because he is black, or she is a woman... I am a woman. And I'm NOT qualified to be VP or P, for that matter! I've looked at them all, and I don't like BO (hmmm, nice initials...). I lived in DE and never liked Biden; admittedly I was in college and not all that political at the time... I have zero respect for Hillary: none as a woman, a politician, a wife. Thank God she's not BO's running mate! (He'd have had to sleep with one eye open, that's for sure!)

Anyway, on to work... since I'm lucky enough to have a job, I have to keep it!!!

Update on the sister thing...

Whilst the backside of that big elephant in the relationship is still in view, I'm hoping things are on the mend with my baby sister and me.

Got a text message from her yesterday inviting us to a combination b'day party for my nephew and her boyfriend's son; R's b'day is the same day as J's! I called her immediately to tell her I'd be there, but that I just couldn't speak for my husband. We're having his family to the lake house the next day for a party and he thought he might not be ready enough to take some time off on Saturday. (We've since discussed it and I think he's coming to my sister's party; we got a LOT done this weekend in preparation for the party and we have Thursday, Friday and 1/2 of Saturday to do the rest.)

This does mean, however, that I have to get a gift for T's son; wasn't planning to do that since I didn't think I'd see him... Perhaps Mom and DH and I can get him a gift card together...

While my sister's voice wasn't dripping with warmth and love, she wasn't all cold and distant, just a bit reserved. So I tried to just interact with her as though we're okay, and I think we'll be able to put this behind us. (Although I do wonder how much she told her boyfriend...)

My nephew called me AGAIN about coming to the car show next week, and then AGAIN to ask if my DH would take a look at his car today, something about an oil leak. Unfortunately it was bad news; pretty expensive repairs and my husband can't do them (although he would if he could - it would need the engine to be removed from the car; something about a main gasket...). I guess I should warn my sister that we had this talk, but somehow when I try to share with her, she jumps down my throat and leaps to conclusions, so maybe I'll just leave it and see if J mentions anything to her. If not, everyone's happy!

Anyway, I'm at work so I've got to run! See ya!

[Warning: This is a LONG post.]

I've been missing for days now. I really don't know why.

Oh, I could recite all the reasons my time is not my own: we've been away on vacation at the lake (without a computer), I've been SOOO busy at work (thankfully that resulted in me being close to caught-up!), I haven't really had anything much to say...

But the real reason is that I had a HUGE fight with my sister last week.

Several weeks ago I decided I wanted to take my nephew out to dinner, just the two of us, to talk about him going to college. He's a strapping almost-18-year-old, chronologically, but emotionally he's a bit younger.

I told his mom I wanted to do this and it was okay with her. Then she called me to "tell" me not to lecture him, that he has a mom, that he needs a friend (WTF? I'm not his friend, I'm his aunt!), that he doesn't need lectures from me, that I should just keep the conversation light. So I agreed; in the past she's been very disturbed by the fact that I love him like my own, to the point that she's told me (and my mom, too) that she's the mother, we're not.

Anyway, I picked him up and the first thing he says while fastening his seatbelt is, proudly, "I cut off a bus yesterday."

Well, let's preface the explosion of my head with this little factoid: he hasn't had his license for a year yet and he has 6 tickets and 2 points on his license!

So from his house to the diner, which is about 3 miles, I ranted at him about being careful, that he was lucky he wasn't hurt, that he needs to be more cautious when driving, that he has to worry about the other drivers probably more than I have to worry about his driving... His very dismissive response was, "I wasn't hurt, Cioci."

No, you weren't. THIS TIME. What about the next time you do this, and there's a car in front of that bus cutting him off the other direction? You'll be in the hospital!

Finally we got to the diner and he asked me why I always yell at him about his driving... which led into another discussion, but eventually we changed it to college. I told him how I really screwed up my freshman year's grades and that it's impossible to get out from under a D/C average, and about all the parties I went to, and how proud I personally am that I've never been drunk or done drugs, that I can say it to my children honestly, without lying or bending the truth, and we talked about choosing classes, and my crazy roommates and his roommate N from some town in NJ I've never heard of and how he hadn't called him yet and how his mom has been shopping for stuff for him and how he can't wait to get out of the house and away to college (a whopping 15 miles or so from home! which could be another blog posting...)...

Did any of that sound like a lecture? I asked him for his campus address so his aunt (me!) could surprise him with a $50 bill once in a while... His reponse? Paraphrased, he basically said sometimes he doesn't feel like he deserves people to do anything for him.

He's not even 18 yet! How can he feel so down on himself? So I told him how much I loved him and that he deserves all the good in life, and while I don't expect him to feel a sense of entitlement, that actually deserving the good things is rewarding in itself, that he should most definitely earn those good things I hope go his way... He's not even 18 yet! He should not be feeling so beaten down!

And then out of the blue, "Y'know, I don't want to offend anybody, Cioci, but I liked it better when Mom wasn't dating T." Now I like my sister's boyfriend. I really do. I was a bit perplexed as to how to handle this so I went for the tried and true: the honest approach.

I asked J if he liked T and he said he did, that he was "cool." So it's not a personality conflict with the boyfriend. Then my nephew looked up at me and said he just wished his mom would spend more time with him.

So the tried and true thing came around again: I told him that even I missed his mom, that we used to commute together, work together and talk all the time, that if I hear from her by email once a week now, that's a lot, and that I miss her to, but that I was happy she had someone decent in her life... J's dad came up in conversation, too, when J told me he had no male influence in his life. Yea, you do, J, you have your dad, your grandpa, your Uncle J, and T, too. And I'm sure if you opened yourself up to it, there were probably many teachers over the past few years who have had an influence on you...

The only thing I said about his dad, and I must say I bit my lip HARD, is that a) my sister and her ex were happy at first (a slight exaggeration, but...) but it just wasn't enough to last, and b) that if he was in front of my car right now I'd want to run him over for what he's done/not done for my nephew and my niece but that I wouldn't 'cause I knew J wouldn't want his dad... broke.

What part of any of that could be construed as a lecture?

To top it all off, when we got him home, we sat in the car in front of his house for about a 1/2 hour, laughing and talking.

J went inside and I went home.

An hour later my phone rang and my sister said she just wanted to thank me for ignoring her wishes and lecturing J.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I tried to respond and she started screaming at me that my nephew came home, went into his room, and is sitting in the dark in his underwear.

So? It's 10:30 at night, where should he be???? (Oh, wait, I forgot he came in at 1:15am the night before!!!)

She flat out refused to let me speak, said she "knew" I'd been lecturing J 'cause we sat in the car in front of the house for a 1/2 hour.

Again, WTF???

I started trying to talk and she just got louder and louder and angrier and angrier, and so did I, until finally I screamed at her that maybe J was just upset about her dating T and that he brought it up out of the blue...

WELL. That did it. It was like she morphed into a fishwife (no offense to the fishwives reading this blog!). She went apesh-t! Screaming at the top of her lungs at me, cursing. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the police on her.

So I screamed back. I hung up. Called her back. She hung up. I called her back. She screamed more. I hung up again.

Finally I waited a few moments. Then I called her back and calmly said I let her yell at me for 45 seconds and she owed me 45 seconds to tell her about our dinner. And I did. Verbatim. And you all know I can recite things back, word for word. (I may not have ever learned my organic chemistry but I can recite conversations back to you from 25 years ago!!!)

And just in case some of you are wondering if I'm re-writing history here... Since my dinner with my nephew, HE HAS CALLED ME FIVE TIMES. That's 5 times more than he's called me in the last five years. So how angry or hurt or disturbed could he have been by our dinner conversation???

And to make things worse, my sister is still pissed at me for not yet having bought my niece her b'day present. It was her Sweet 16 last February and I wanted to get her something special. My sister doesn't bother doing a b'day for her kids anymore (and I hate her for that!) so I didn't see my niece until 2 weeks later. We went to a few jewelry stores; she wanted a cross and chain but all we found that she liked was in the $300-$400 range and that was well outside my budget! So I told her to call me when she was free and we'd go and shop some more for her gift.

She didn't call. And I called every month to ask when she could go: "Just let me know, A, when you can go out for dinner and to shop for your necklace." "Ok."

My sister said she made sure to drop my b'day present on my front porch and that's the least I could have done for my niece. Yea, sure, the next time you spend $200 on me, leave it on my front porch!

I took my niece out yesterday, and she got a $260 electric guitar. She's changed her mind about the necklace. Which is part of her Christmas present 'cause that's way more than my budget, too. So on the way home I suggested she ask her mom to stay home and help her carry the big box upstairs... So I saw my sister and we were civil to each other. Hopefully we can ignore the big angry elephant in our relationship and move on...

I don't have the highest opinion of myself. Oh, I know I'm not stupid; in fact, when I was younger, I was pretty darn bright. Good grades (we're talkin' As here!), without crackin' a book!

As I've gotten older, though, I've come to consciously realize exactly how much I don't know!

Over the past few days, though, I've been sitting in on some sales meetings, and I've been amazed at how much knowledge I've accumulated over the past four short years in this position! I retain loads of useless information: telephone numbers I can easily look up, verbatim conversations that I had literally 20 years ago! But remembering organic chemistry or physics, when I was actually enrolled in the course?!? Not so much.

But I do remember my accounts. Even the little ones. They just pop into my head when we're learning about a book that's appropriate for literally one of my several hundred customers, a customer who buys (maybe) $868 worth of books - a year! I have accounts that buy into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - but this little guy holds equal space in this freaky brain of mine! He just jumps to the forefront when they mention a book that might work for him...

The human brain is amazing! My dad (Happy Birthday, Daddy, one day late! I miss you LOTS!) used to say, "Use it or lose it!" And thankfully all my grandparents used their brains every day and that "Use it or lose it" philosophy really works: not one of them was senile when they died, even into their 90s!

I hope I can say the same for me when/if I hit my 90s!!! (Although I distinctly remember making a pact with a college friend of mine - Hi, C! - that we would live to at least 103 'cause there was just so darn much to see and do!) (From this blog to God's ears!!!)

Apparently I've been away too long... My cyberpal, Miss Hope, felt the need to check up on me and see if all was well in Krys' World...

Yes, I'm fine. Just horrid busy at work! And since my ride home is now a train (at least until school starts in September!), I am not staying late so my hours in the office have been fewer, but filled to the brim with things I want to get done before I go on vacation the week of the 18th...

That week will be a silent one in Krys' World. I will not be blogging until the following week. I'm sure there is no one out there who will be devastated by this, BUT...

I.WILL.NOT.BE.ABLE.TO.READ.MY.FAVORITE.BLOGS.UNTIL.MY.WEEK'S.VACATION.IS.OVER.

And THAT, my friends, is going to be a REAL problem! You are all so important to me; I don't know what I'm going to do, not being able to keep up with you all...

When I get back to work (or back home), I'm going to have to spend a DAY catching up! Of course, those of you who have my phone number can call me when something phenomenal happens - no need to wait until I get back to my computer...

Today was my mom's b'day. I had my sister, niece and nephew, and sister's BF over for dinner. And when I get to work tomorrow, I will try to post a couple photos from the dinner so you can all wish you were there!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!!!

The 9 layers of ME!
I saw this one over at Postcards from the Edge and wanted to do it!
LAYER ONE:
Name: Krys S.
Birth date: December 18, 1960
Birthplace: Montclair, NJ
Current Location: Clifton, NJ
Eye Color: Blue-green, depending on what I'm wearing
Hair Color: Brown with blonde highlights
Height: 5'8"
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: 1/2 Polish, 1/2 American (Dutch, English, Lenni Lenape)
The shoes you wore today: tan sandals
Your weakness: Those disgusting circus peanut candies! (I stay away from them or I'll eat the whole bag!)
Your fears: Fire, losing my family
Your perfect pizza: Mystic Pizza with extra cheese and meatballs
Goal you’d like to achieve: Lose 11 more pounds
LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase on AIM: 'kay
Your first waking thoughts: I wonder if I could get away with calling out sick today?
Your best physical feature: My height
What you miss the most: My family around me
LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King
Single or group dates: I LOVE a date with my husband but we both really like going out with our friends!
Adidas or Nike: Niether - Avia
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Couldn't tell you, not too picky
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee
LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: Never, not once
Cuss: Yes, damn it! (Oops!)
Sing: I sing - badly. Knew DH and I were meant for each other when we started singing along to the radio in the car, out loud, not caring that the other heard how bad we are (although he's worse than me!).
Take a shower everyday: Absolutely, but maybe once in a while I'll miss a day on the weekend, at the lake
Do you think you’ve been in love: Absolutely
Want to go to college: Graduated University of Delaware
Liked high school: Loved it
Want to get married: I did - best decision I ever made!
Believe in yourself: More so each day
Get motion sickness: No
Think you’re attractive: Well, no one runs screaming into the wind, but there's a LOT of room for improvement!
Think you’re a health freak: No
Get along with your parent(s): Yes, even when we're not! (Miss you, Dad!)
Like thunderstorms: Not really
Play an instrument: Wish I could - took a couple weeks of piano lessons once
LAYER SIX:
In the past month…
Drank Alcohol: No
Smoked: Never did, never will
Done a drug: Never did, never will
Made out: Yes
Gone on a date: Yes
Gone to the mall: Yes
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, not an Oreo fan
Eaten sushi: Ewww! No!
Been on stage: No
Been dumped: No, thank goodness!
Gone skating: No
Made homemade cookies: No
Gone skinny dipping: No, unless you count in the shower!
Dyed your hair: No
Stolen anything: No
LAYER SEVEN:
Ever…
Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes.
If so, was it mixed company: Yes, with my husband!
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: No
Been caught “doing something”: No
Been called a tease: Yes, but he was teasing!
Gotten beaten up: Nope
Shoplifted: I tried, but my dad caught me, spanked me, and it's never crossed my mind again!
Changed who you were to fit in: No
LAYER EIGHT:
Age you hope to be married: I thought I'd be married by 28. So I was off by a decade!
Numbers and Names of Children: 1 daughter, Maria, and 1 son, John
Describe your Dream Wedding: My dad would have walked me down the aisle and we would have danced the Father/Daughter dance. I still can't watch another bride dance with her dad without breaking down. Other than that, my wedding WAS my dream wedding!
How do you want to die: Before my husband, and in my sleep
Where you want to go to college: Already graduated from the University of Delaware
What do you want to be when you grow up: Financially stable
What country would you most like to visit: France
LAYER NINE:
Number of people I could trust with my life: 4
Number of CDs that I own: Maybe 30
Number of piercing: One, unless you count both ears!
Number of tattoos: Zero
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: 3 that I know of (when my dad died, when we got married, and when we wanted to add on to our house at the lake)
Number of scars on my body: 4
Number of things in my past that I regret: 1

YOUR TURN! If you decide to play…let me know cause I wanna read your 9 layers!

Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium.

I'm SUCH a tourist! I just LOVE going places I've never been and taking over 500 pictures (of course only about 250 were actually in focus and bright enough to see!) and doing all the touristy things you can do...

We drove up to Mystic on Friday morning. Friday, our 9th anniversary. And we spent it driving. Together. In one vehicle. And I wasn't driving. 'Nough said.

We got there with no traffic events and that includes no traffic over the George Washington Bridge. I think that's the first time I've driven over it and not hit disgusting delays. We took our time on the way to Mystic, stopping once at the Connecticut Tourist Center on I-95. We picked up, oh, I don't know, 20 or 30 pamphlets which, for the rest of the trip, were strewn on the car floor under my feet. (I should have thought to take a picture of that - THAT would have been a great scrapping picture! Perhaps I can recreate it...)

We went to the hotel and couldn't check in; we were too early. We drove to Mystic and walked around the shops. It was like someone was smiling down on us: no traffic on the way there, parking right on the street... We saw the Mystic Drawbridge stop traffic for several minutes while some GORGEOUS boats passed through below us.

We went back to the hotel after 3pm to check in and there it was: my 1st mistake. I booked the room online but didn't notice the miniature cigarette on the room icon. It was a smoking room but I didn't know it. I DID notice they didn't ask me if I wanted smoking or non-smoking so I put a note on my reservation for a non-smoking room. When we were there to check in they told us they were sold out and didn't know if they could move us. While we were there she answered the phone a few times and each time the person was told, "Sorry, we're sold out. We have no rooms. I don't think there are many rooms available in town..." They offered to put some kind of machine in our room to take out as much smoke as possible, some sort of air purifier or something, so we thanked them, opened the window and put the A/C on 60 degrees, then left them to clean the air.

We went back to town and ate at Mystic Pizza. (Tourist here, remember?!?) And the pizza was, indeed, terrific! The movie was playing (no sound) on several TV screens around the room so DH and I spent the time reciting dialogue... Can you tell we've seen the movie?!?

We walked around a bit more and returned to the now freezing room. There's no way, for the record, to get smoke out of a smoking room. So we left the window open and the A/C on, put our pillows on the window ledge to air out, called the front desk for another non-smelly blanket, turned on the television and watched some mindless stuff for an hour or so. They were very cooperative and brought up a blanket within 10 minutes or so. At least that helped when it was time to go nappies...

On Saturday we went to Mystic Seaport. We went in every building, walked in/on/around every ship, visited every shop in case they had some have-to-have-it junk, and had an absolute BLAST checking out all the wooden boats that were docked there for the Antique Boat Show we didn't know would be there!

On Sunday we went to church in the morning, then went to Mystic Aquarium. It rained ALL.DAY. Not part of the day. ALL.DAY. So the 30% of the Aquarium that was outside we were lucky enough to tour in the early morning so we didn't get too wet; it was drizzling then. The skies opened around lunchtime, with such thunder and lightning, and we spent the afternoon indoors. A bit damp and a bit chilly, but not soaking wet, at least! We left around 3pm for the trip home and didn't get home 'til around 7:30 - a much longer return trip than the trip there.

We didn't eat any lunch; we stopped on the road, ate some tortilla chips and salsa, then continued on our way. By the time we got home we were ravenous! DH made himself an omelet and I ate my leftover Citrus Chicken (mmm!). Then we just sat down and relaxed.

On Monday we got up and went to Home Depot (surprise, surprise!). Then our friends M & G called and said they'd love to go with us to the lake and see the house (I had to go pick up a book). We took them on a mini tour on 1 side of the lake, stopped at a house that was for sale, a house we were all interested in... It's under construction, framed, sided, windowed, and roofed, with 2 tubs installed (or possibly just set into place), and a deck, but nothing else. No electric, no plumbing, no anything else. We called our realtor to get a price for M & G, but if they're not interested, to be quite honest, DH and I are! I just wish the real estate market was a bit better. It would have been PERFECT to get it at the price our realtor recommended three years ago, fix it and resell it, when homes were still moving at if not top dollar, at least for what they were worth. Now it would be a tough thing to do; we'd be carrying it for a while. Not sure it's something we really want to get into, but we're mulling it over...

Well, I'm at work and at some point I have to get back to doing what they pay me to do, so I'm gonna sign off now! Toodles!