Monday, June 21, 2010

I Must Be Getting Old

As you know, I recently turned 40. It wasn't a big deal - no party, no gag gifts - just another day. I didn't feel 40 - my patients keep telling me I'm a baby - but now, just a little over a month has passed and I have come to realize I AM OLD!

Last summer, I was going out every night, every weekend, sleep was something you could do when you died! This year, don't freakin wake me up! All I want to do is sleep. I'm becoming my mom. I'll be sitting on the couch watching TV and all of a sudden a totally different show is on. WHAT?? I have NO desire to go out. I've gotten to the point I hate crowds and noise - I'd rather sit at home (with my cats) and watch TV or read.

I ACHE - not just a little bit but every part of my body. My knees, my back, my feet. I groan like an 80 year old when I get up in the morning. And speaking of mornings - there's no bouncing out of bed and heading for the shower. I have to sit up, wait for things to settle and slowly head to the bathroom. My 20 minute morning routine of old now takes me 35 minutes and I still feel like I'm having to rush.

I could go on and on - but I will say this. My patients have it right - "Getting old ain't for sissies"

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Copy Cat

Both my sisters did the 25 random things. So, I decided to follow suit. Here are my 25 things....

1. I'm a pack rat - I hate getting rid of stuff, especially stuff with any kind of sentimental value.
2. When I grew up I wanted to be an astronaut. I still do - I would LOVE to go into space. The other thing I always wanted to be is an architect.
3. My biggest fear is that I won't be a good mom.
4. I don't listen to FM stations on the radio. I listen to talk radio - all the time. I even have Pete hooked on it.
5. I vote.....in EVERYTHING - primaries, runoffs, bond issues - doesn't matter. If the polling stations are open I'll be there.
6. Still to this day I don't like fried chicken - my sisters know why....
7. I love to travel. Pete and I want to go to every state before he graduates from high school. Next year, I plan on going to Europe. There are three places I want to go: Israel, Russia, Thailand
8. I love to sing and dance and can't do either worth a darn.
9. I don't mind cleaning toilets.....just don't make me fold laundry.
10. I've loved 3 men in my life. Two of them invited me to their weddings - needless to say, I didn't go.
11. I hate tall bridges.
12. I miss my family but I know they like me better when I'm not living close by.
13. I am terribly shy. Most people won't believe that, but I'd rather sit at home alone then go out to a party/bar/gathering when I don't know anyone there.
14. Even though I'm on anti-anxiety medication, at times I still get very depressed.
15. I'd kill for my family. Someone messes with my family and I'd have no trouble taking them out.
16. I want to move back to the country, raise my own food, get off the grid. I hate living in the city.
17. I seem to the be only one in my family who didn't get the crafty gene. I have no artistic ability at all.
18. I am meeting with a doctor this summer to discuss bypass surgery
19. I constantly worry about money. I worry about being able to pay my bills, pay for Pete's braces, my retirement, etc.
20. I'm obsessed with keeping the kitchen floor clean. With two dogs and two cats that's challenging. I sweep it constantly.
21. I've never had a party held for me.....never had a birthday party, baby shower, nothing......
22. I want to get my teeth fixed. Both my sisters have straight teeth and I've never had that. I'd like to be able to look at a picture of myself smiling and not be embarassed at what I see.
23. Some days I just want to run away from it all.
24. I still cry when I think about my dogs that died many years ago.
25. I'm not graceful at all. In fact, I'm pretty clumsy.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Cereal Summer

Saturday, my summer officially started. It started because Pete went to Camp Grandma for his yearly summer of fun. This is the fifth year that Grandma has let Pete come stay with her. I'm not sure who loves it more - me, Pete or grandma. Pete counts down the days till he gets to go to grandma's and see the "kids" (what he calls his cousins), spend time with grandma and Aunt Kelly and Aunt Kristie/Uncle Adam and basically do all the things that I usually don't let him do. However, with Pete at grandma's for the summer, I get to do things I usually don't get to do. Go out with friends, go see grown-up movies, sleep late without having someone wake me up every five minutes to give me a time update. Also, this summer, it means no sitting all Saturday and Sunday afternoon watching a Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments.

But, the one thing I get to do that I really really look forward to is eating cereal. I LOVE cereal....I could eat it 3 times a day, every day. Pete, on the other hand, doesn't like cereal at all. So, when he's here, there's no coming home and having cereal for dinner.....no...the boy expects meat. It's Monday evening and I got home from work at 6:20 and you probably guessed, I had Cheerios for dinner. Tomorrow, gonna have corn flakes for dinner. Not sure about Wednesday - maybe puffed rice. I'm almost giddy with excitement! I have a fresh gallon of milk and trust me, it won't go to waste. So, while Pete is in NC enjoying him time with the family, I'm hunkered down in my living room on my couch watching the Discovery channel chowing down on some of General Mills best!

Now, that's what I call enjoying your summer vacation!

Friday, May 21, 2010

What would you do with twenty million dollars?

I'm in a lottery pool at work - each week - twice a week a group of use pool our money and we buy lottery tickets. Now, I'm not sure how smart they are letting me in the group, because let's face it, I could be the only one in a drawing and still lose! So far we've pretty much not won anything - a few dollars here or there that we just "reinvest" - but some day - we'll win the BIG one. I can feel it.....ok.....I HOPE we do. But that brings up another thought.....what would I really do with the money if I won?

Now, we all have WANTS and would I give in to those? I don't know - maybe a few. And I do know what I would do would totally depend on how much I won. But, I can break down a few things:
1. Pay off my mom and sister's houses. That's a gimmie....no if, ans or buts - goodbye mortgage!
2. Buy my mom, sisters and brother-in-law a new vehicle. Now, I'm not talking a Jag or Mercedes. I mean a nice dependable car/van that you don't have to constantly worry about breaking down.
3. Pay off my student loans - get that monkey off my back
4. Put away enough that my son never has to worry about how to pay for college.
5. Start a trust fund for my niece and nephews - I hope they would use it for college, but if they didn't want to go and wanted to go to some other type of training, I'd want them to have the money to do it.
6. Give my sisters each a chunk of money. Now, I know what I'd hope they would do with it - Kristie and Adam - pay off all their bills and invest the rest and Kelly - pay off her bills and go back to college.
7. Pay for at least one year of my mom's medication!
8. Take a MAJOR family vacation - all of us - all 9 of us - Europe or Australia
9. Have Bypass surgery
10. INVEST as much as possible

Having said all that, I'd also want to do other things. Except, I'd want to do these and not really have anyone know it was me.
1. Find some deserving senior citizen and pay their power/water/gas bill for a year
2. Go to the local senior center and give enough money for them to buy a bus/gas and take the seniors on trips every month
3. Make a large donation to the Fisher House, JDRF, etc.
4. Give a large donation to the animal shelter - they didn't ask to be there
5. Find a single mother who is struggling - trying to work, not riding the government dime and pay her day care for a year.

Dozens of other things keep going through my head - mostly, it would involve helping those who need it, but don't sit with their hand out asking for it. Those little old veteran's who live on the edge of poverty but still hang the American flag every day and take off their hat for the anthem. Little old ladies who remind me of my grandma, young couples struggling to make it in an economy that offers little chance. In fact, I think the majority of the money would go to things like this. I don't want to sit at home not working - I wasn't raised to be that way. I get immense pleasure out of helping others - and even more when I know I've done it for the right reasons and not for the recognition.

So, what would you do if you won the lottery?