Memorial Day weekend

Hi, Happy Friday! :) It's May 24th today and the beginning of Memorial Day weekend! I hope everybody has a great weekend! It's only going to be a high of 63 today and 68 tomorrow and Sunday. I'm wrapped up in my snuggie right now silently wishing someone would turn the heat on. :) It looks beautiful and sunny out, but it's deceiving because it is a wee bit nippy! :)

The jury for the Jodi Arias trial could not agree on whether she should get life or death so a new jury will be selected in July. (This will be just for the penalty phase). It was based on eight jurors who thought she should get the death penalty and four jurors felt she should get life. The prosecution had the option to throw the death penalty off the table, but Jaun Martinez' boss rejected that as he felt they have a strong case for the death penalty.

I saw that the boy scouts have decided to lift the ban on disallowing gay scouts to join. I had no idea there was ever an issue of gays joining boy scouts! Gee, now maybe blacks can sit at the front of the bus and women can vote! PFT! Here is the link.  Boy scouts

Family is here

Hello! Family arrived today! As usual they arrived at 12:30 and within 30 minutes they were outside working in the flower beds! :) I wish Steve had half their energy. I'm not sure what we will do while they are here, but my guess is have some cook outs, sit by the fire in the evenings and watch movies.

Steve went to the doctor today. The doctor put him on some medication and said he will refer him to another doctor if that doesn't help. So, hopefully in a few days he will be better.

I have spent the afternoon filling out job applications. They are work at home positions that I don't have much information (legitimacy) about, but we will see. :) The website I found them on is work place like home. It's a great place to go to find work at home positions and ideas for making money from home.

We just watched Silver Linings Playbook. It was the second time I watched it and it's hilarious! I highly recommend it, especially if you are a Philadelphia Eagles fan. :)

Family

Tomorrow Steve's Mom & Dad are coming and will be here until Tuesday. They come once a year for Steve's birthday and to also help us with all the outside work. His Mom loves planting flowers and basically doing anything that involves being outside. :) His dad is the same. He also enjoys being outside and always likes to be busy.

Steve has been experiencing excruciating stomach pain for the past few weeks. He ended up going to the emergency room last week in hopes to get a diagnosis, but unfortunately that didn't happen. The doctor drew blood and everything came back normal. Tomorrow he has an appointment with an internist who specializes in the gastrointestinal tract. I think it's a good time for his parents to come out, especially if he is put in the hospital for tests.

Anniversary and another one bites the dust

Today marks the 11th year I have been out of the nursing home!!  I'd like to start this post off by saying how very fortunate I am to have such an awesome group of people working for me!! I appreciate them every day and cannot be where I am without them. Thank you!! On the opposite side of the spectrum, though, there are the select few that I wonder how they can call themselves caregivers. Why are they in the caregiving field? Do they understand caregiving ethics?

I have had two nursing assistants quit without notice, no call, nothing in the past three weeks!! Well, one quit in a facebook message and the other just didn't show up. Seriously, I'm not that bad!! I will just look on the bright side and know I will find good replacements and it's for the best! :) I could throw that karma word in here, but as you know from my previous post I'm not happy with karma! :)

Today my aunt and I spent the afternoon at our local Goodwill store. We are always trying to be thrifty! :) My aunt makes me laugh when we go thrifting and especially when we go somewhere where we can bargain with the sellers. She always tries to jew the sellers down and it mortifies me!! LOL! I always roll away right before we make our purchases. I attempt to get myself out of her shadow because god forbid I'm hanging out with a tight wad. :) Hehe! We had fun!!

A year gone by

Hello, I cannot believe it's been a year since my last post. I knew it was a long time, but had no idea it's been THAT long. I'm hoping to get back in to blogging more frequently now and not allow so much time to lapse between posts. :)

The Jodi Arias trial has kept me glued to the television the last five months and I'm happy it's about over! There is still the aggravation phase where the prosecution will try to convince the jury that Travis Alexander suffered as he was murdered. I think if this is proven she can get the death penalty, but not entirely sure. I cannot imagine the jury concluding that Travis Alexander did not suffer after getting stabbed 29 times, getting his neck sliced from ear to ear and then getting shot in the head.

I am taking steps to become a volunteer at the Greater Dayton Humane Society. In order for me to be a volunteer I needed a nursing assistant to also be a volunteer, so I nominated Steve. He attended the volunteer open house last week and has three courses and tests to pass before he is caught up with me. When he finishes we will go to the humane society together and attend a one on one session with the volunteer coordinator. Hopefully we can volunteer a few times a month. :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

I have been scarce for awhile and there really isn't a reason why. My life has been rather boring and not really worthy of blogging. I smile as I write this, but it's really the truth. :)

I'm working a job that allows me the freedom of working from home, working the hours I want, when I want and as many as I want. All that being said, I get physically ill, my stomach goes in knots and I dry heave at just the mere thought of it. Angry customers calling me a liar, demanding a supervisor, telling me their phone service sucks, etc is not something I will build up a callous too...along with the work systems always going down and lagging...ugh!! FML!

I have been going through schedule changes; therefore, I have a couple new nursing assistants. :) Change is always hard for me as I'm a creature of habit, but sometimes it's a good thing. A couple new faces can be refreshing and some upbeat personalities is always a good thing! I have one person who requested her schedule be changed so she could spend more time at the camp ground with her daughter this summer and I understood. This person has been flexible with me and I felt I owed her. So I switched her schedule to her liking, switched another girl's schedule (thank you to her for being okay with it) hired two new nursing assistants to fill the holes in the schedule because of said nurse's schedule change request and I did not get a thank you from her at all. Nice!! I didn't want a party, just a "thank you" or "I appreciate it" is all. That's okay, I will put that in my back pocket for next time. 

April Fool's Day

Hello, it's April Fool's Day and I have nobody around to pull a prank on or fool! That's okay though, I don't have it in me. The thought of making someone purposely feel uncomfortable for even five seconds makes me uncomfortable. I know, I'm a total loser! :)

I am happy to say Steve's taxes are about 95% finished! I have a few things to check on before submitting them, but I think by the end of the week they will be finished. I usually procrastinate until the very end because for me, taxes are a daunting task!!! This year though, I was a little more disciplined and started early!

I also spent time this weekend watching videos for work, catching up with a friend and also chatting with my sister. Sherry (sister) is getting ready to go to Texas and see Tia before she goes to Hawaii, her next phase in AIT.

Pinterest

Hello there! I think I have found a site I like more than facebook. It's called Pinterest and it's my latest addiction!! I have gotten many ideas from that site.. ideas for meals, decorating ideas, organizing tips and the list goes on... thank you pinterest for coming in to my life! :)

Steve's brother Matt was a participant in the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which is a foundation that raises money for childhood cancer research. Here is the link. http://www.stbaldricks.org/ Matt's boss has a daughter who survived cancer at the very young age of two and asked the employees to take part in the event. They raised over $45,000 and all participants got their head shaved. :) This took place yesterday and had a terrific outcome!

Friday night I was working when my computer began to lag and freeze up. I cleared my cookies and cache, rebooted and the problem still existed. I then was told to go to technical support. I did. The technician asked if I would grant him access to my computer so he could see what the problem is. I said sure and minimized my onscreen keyboard so it was out of the way. When he was finished he told me to access the program. I did and he could still see my screen. This was our conversation..

Him- do you have a keybod?
Him- keyboard?
Me - yes, onscreen
Him- you need a reglar one
Him- regular
Me- Why?
Him- It's more effient
Him- efficient
Me- I'm disabled. It does me no good
Me- I already have one, btw
Him- Oh, ok (he immediately logged off)

He didn't even ask me if my systems were up..he just logged off. I was so insulted by his efficiency statement, especially because he was full of typos! How efficient is a bunch of typos?? What a jerk!

St. Patrick's Day

Last night my friend and I went to a sports bar called "The Filling Station" to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. A band called "The Clark Manson" band was playing, which we had heard once before at The Miami Valley Music Fest that Terrapin Moon was also playing. They play a large variety of 80's and 90's music and sound GREAT!

I'm such a people watcher and last night brought me much amazement!! I watched a girl hump the corner of a table as the band sang "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Bad Company.  After two or three vigorous thrusts to the table corner, the table tipped, which caused two beer bottles to fall on the floor. If that wasn't enough, she then jumped up on the table to gyrate and swing her arms up in the air. WooHoo look at me...I dance like nobody's watching but too drunk to realize everybody's watching!! WooHoo...

I finally watched Breaking Dawn part 1. I liked it for the most part, but It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I think it's that way with most movies, though. :) I had visions of Bella giving birth to a demon so was glad the baby was human or at least appears that way. :)

Daylight Savings

This daylight savings time change is only an hour, but I feel like I easily lost 5 hours of sleep! Yawn!! :) The positive side though, we get an hour longer of day light and Spring is around the corner! Woot! This unseasonably warm weather is teasing me and making me think it's time to pack up the sweaters, boots and jeans, but I have to stop and remind myself we still are in the Winter season!! It won't be much longer. :)

Last night Heather and I went to my friend's house to play catch up. It had been a long time since we all got together, so our visit was long over due. It was a good night....talking, laughing, eating, etc. :) Thank you "M" and "A". I had fun and hope you did, too! :)

Hello

I watched the Anderson Cooper episode about Chloe, the woman who wanted to be paralyzed, last week and it was interesting to say the least. :) In the beginning I told myself I needed to be open minded and try not to judge her too badly from the get go. :)

I think the fact she came on the show and talked about her disorder says a lot! Her disorder is called body integrity identity disorder (BIID for short). I also feel she was being honest and sincere and truly does have this "burden" that makes her feel like she is in the wrong body and she should be a paraplegic. She admitted she wanted to find a doctor who would sever her spine and cause paralysis, but hasn't found one that would. (No surprise there!) She also said she water skis and purposely does activities that could potentially cause a spinal cord injury. Here is a link to describe the biid. http://www.biid.org/

Wanting to be paralyzed??

Hello! I know I have neglected my blog recently and I hope to change that soon. I hope to get back on track and get back to posting again on a regular basis! :) Anyway...

I heard that Anderson Cooper is having a guest on Monday, who's dream in life is to become paralyzed. "Her" name is Chloe and she is able bodied, but uses a wheelchair. From what I understand she wants to be a paraplegic (not a quadriplegic...well, well) and that is the only thing in life that she would love! I have a lot I could say regarding this very sensitive topic, but I will refrain because in my opinion there are mental deficiencies happening here! I think with a good psychologist and the power of prayer, Chloe might be able to walk away from that wheelchair, barring she works really hard! :) Yes, that was sarcasm! Video below.

Angry facebook dad, nurse woe's etc..

Hello! :) The weekend is here and its going to be filled with a lot of nothing!! :) I'm okay with that though! I will use my weekend to get caught up on some much needed phone calls, bills, paperwork, taxes, etc. :)

As mentioned in my previous post I need to hire a couple more nursing assistants. I will be calling a few today to set up some interviews hopefully this week. I am now thinking I need to add another nurse to my schedule. It's not that easy of a decision though. I get 4 nursing hours 3 days a week. I have a nurse who does those nursing shifts and then goes to another client after she leaves here.  That other client has a busy schedule and many times has to change her nursing hours, which in turn interferes with the times my nurse comes here. Well, I'm not so okay with this. My nurse has to ask my back up nurse to fill in for her and this is where it gets difficult. My bf is my back up nurse! There are three shifts in March she needs him to do plus I learned today she is taking a week off in March. I hate my bf being my back up because we fight the entire time! I want to utilize him in emergency situations only, not on a regular basis at all! I feel so torn with this and it puts me in a bad situation! He doesn't see the problem him filling in for my nurse, but I'm the opposite! It's a big problem for me!

On facebook I saw the video about the angry father who shot 8 bullets in his daughter's lap top computer because of something she had written on facebook. I thought it was hilarious! :)  It might not have been the best way to handle the situation, but it made me laugh! Facebook and angry dad Enjoy! :) I'm sure Dr. Phil will have this guy on telling him he needs anger management! :)

This is a shout out to my bestie...had a great time @ b-dubs!! Thank you, you're the best!!! :)

Groundhog day, etc...

Hi there! The week is finally winding down and for me personally, I am ready for it to be in the past. It's been a little busy and stressful to say the least, but with some rest and relaxation I will be good to go. :)

So the groundhog seeing his shadow is a big disappointment! Any way you slice it though, whether Puxsatawney Phil sees his shadow or not, we will still have 6 more weeks of winter no matter what!! :) It has been a mild winter so far and I hope it continues, but something tells me it won't. :)

Last night I ran in to my neighbor at Krogers and she began telling me a little bit of gossip. Unfortunately, its not the juicy type of gossip that keeps us at the end of our seat. :) It's much more serious! She said the elderly couple who live across the street and who also rely on nursing assistants three times a day to get up and around were scammed out of money by the individuals who they were paying to take care of them! They racked up a credit card bill of $15,000! There were two nursing assistants in on it and they have been indicted and go to court soon! There is an elder law in Ohio that will hopefully cause these girls to get a stiffer sentence.

War Horse and schedule changes

Hi there! My Aunt and I went and saw War Horse today. It was a great movie and I highly recommend it. Bring tissues..you will need them.:) Anywway...

I have had a fear of horses for as long as I can remember! They are so huge and intimidating to me. I have a friend who has four horses and I have gotten somewhat close to them (literally not emotionally) and have made some progress as far as my fear. I guess they are just like extra extra extra large dogs... :) I like horses don't get me wrong, I just need to work on trusting them and not be intimidated by their size! :)

I learned the other day that one of my nursing assistants wants one of her days off. She wants to go back to school to get her LPN license. This means its time for me to add another nursing assistant to my case. I don't like training new people and it always brings me great anxiety having someone new, having to talk them through every step of my routine, relying on them to be here and on time, blah blah blah! :) It wears me out! But, I do know I need to add someone else, I have for a long time. So, this has given me the push I need to get that in the works. Wish me luck! :)

HP part 2, etc.

In my previous post I mentioned relying on my happy place too much and how it wasn't healthy for me. I have come to realize I need to work hard and change the things that cause me grief and unhappiness! When I feel unhappy with myself and the way my life is headed, I find myself getting intolerant and short off with the people around me. I don't want to be that person people have to tip toe around or dread coming in contact with because I might blow my top. LOL..I don't think I'm that bad, but some days I feel like I could be! :)
If I sound like I'm unhappy and miserable, I'm actually not. There are just a handful of things in my life that have room for improvement. :)

Tomorrow my aunt and I are meeting up to watch a movie. We have agrred on War Horse! I'm sure this is a movie that will require a box of tissues! I will report back to let you know what I think! :)

Happy place

We all have bad days and we all deal with our bad days differently. Myself, when I'm having a bad day I  tackle it by mentally removing whatever it is causing me grief and replacing it with my "happy place." A happy place can be the ocean, it could be the mall, it could be your furry companion, it could be your significant other, it could be someone special, it can be whatever or whoever you want... it's YOUR happy place. :)

I have resorted to my "happy place" many many many times and it always makes me smile. It's not always when I'm having a bad day of course, but when I am, my "happy place" has been my god send. It's like a yummy gooey chocolate  chip cookie w/out the calories!! :)

On the downside I would probably be distraught if something happened to my HP!! Am I relying on HP too much?? Probably!

More to come...

T.G.I.F the 13th! :)

Hello and Happy Friday, the 13th! :) Here in Ohio it's really cold, windy and we have a tiny layer of the fluffy white stuff covering the ground. Even though its not much, it's enough to keep me inside and away from the elements. :) I say that as if there are people lined up at my door ready to take me out clubbin' but because of the blistering cold, they won't be blessed with my presence, unfortunately. Ha!

On that note, I might go out tomorrow night! It's really up in the air, though. Steve has a gig with Skeleton Crew in Dayton and I don't know if it's even wheelchair accessible. As much as I enjoy listening to live music and being with people, it's always a late night waiting around while the band tears down the equipment and loads it up. I like to be tucked away and in siesta mode by midnight. :) My nursing assistant is working late tomorrow so maybe her and I will go listen to the band, maybe we will go do our own thing or maybe I will stay home? Hmmmm...decisions decisions

Happy Friday

Hello! Happy Friday! I will be glad when today/tonight is over and the weekend will officially be here. :)

This afternoon I had a doctor's appointment and well, those doctor's appointments can take up a large chunk of the day! Today was interesting, to say the least. The waiting room was pretty crowded, but I managed to find a little hole to park myself in where I wouldn't be in anybody's way or blocking a path to and from the door.

Soon after I found that comfy spot, the room began filling up and my little hole began to shrink. Pft! I couldn't wait to get out of there! I was hungry and McDonald's was calling my name. As I sat there uncomfortably, a young girl approached me. I guess her to be around 10 or 11. She waved and said hi. I smiled and said hi back. She then pointed at the square box on my chair, the one that "houses" the power buttons, it shows which gear I'm in, shows how much battery charge is left, etc. Well, I gave her a short simple version and she told me how cool it is. :) She then pointed to my chin control and asked what it was. Again I gave her the simple version and hoped her interview was wrapping up. :) No, unfortunately it wasn't. She then wanted to know if Steve was my son. I smiled (not amused though) and said No, he isn't. Steve loved this and I am pretty sure that comment will have him fueled up for a very long time.

The girl was sweet and really didn't bother me, but the questions in a crowded room was a little awkward, even though they were rather innocent.

Happy New Year and RIP Mama!

Hello and Happy New Year! :) I hope you had a nice New Years Eve! My evening was spent at home enjoying the company of Steve, my aunt, Dave (bass player for Terrapin Moon) and of course my furkids Buddy and Lady. :) My aunt and I spent most of the evening cooking, eating, watching youtube videos, drinking beer and talking. :) I'm not really in to making resolutions, but if I were I would probably say my resolutions would be to...

1. Get a job.
2. Get organized
3. Eat more healthy
4. Stop dropping F bombs

Today I'm feeling discouraged and sad! :( When I feel this way I don't have the desire to be motivated, or pick myself up, or to eat carrot sticks or say phooey! Maybe tomorrow will be a better day? I hope so!! We will see...

My Mama has been gone 12 years today! I miss you and love you! I know we had our moments, but I hope you somehow someway know how much I miss you and think of you!