God sends people...

I have been struggling over the past few weeks of whether I should go back to work. Well I applied at a particular nursing home, and I know they pay very well. Today I was in the doctor's office and a friend of mine who works for an area home health company. Anyway, she told me who the administrator was and right then I knew I was not to go back to work. There is NO WAY I could work for this man. He is very unethical; I will leave it that. So I will continue to stay at home and take care of my family.

I will have a Christmas post in a few days. So many magical and wonderful things happened to us over the holidays that it will take me a while to write it all. However, I will tell you that my hubs has surprised me with a New Year's trip. I am a rediculous fan of Martina McBride. We are going to the Silver Star Casino to see her in concert...in a very small setting. There are only about 30 rows in the concert hall. I am so excited......

I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous New Year.

look at me now

I am too ashamed to show you what it looked like before, but I think it looks pretty good myself. This blanket was made by great grandmother. The quilt rack was made by my dad. This is a view of my dining room. We'll see how long it stays looking like this!

Christmas in Georgiana...

Watch out 2011.....

This may turn into a long post, but I will try to be concise. Most of you know that this has not been the greatest year for me. If you have failed to realize this then you must wear rose tinted glasses. Anyway, I have gone through some severe depression from having to resign from my job due to my health, which continued to decline. Recently thought I was ready to go back to work and was absolutely blown away by some comments that were made to me. I was humiliated to have to apply for disability. The depression just got worse and worse. I have been in a very dark place. Well there are three things that happened to me over this weekend that tell me that 2011 is not going to be that way.

The first thing that happened was I had the pleasure of hearing a group called Crystal River, www.chrystalriveronline.net. A trio of guys who are on fire on for the Lord. Everyone song they sang I needed to hear. One song in particular, My History is Not My Destiny, really slapped me all in the face. I have done things in my past that I am not proud of, but I know that I am a child of the King. All of that mess I created is gone - forgiven and forgotten. I have to let it go.

The second thing that happened was a sermon I listened to on Sunday morning. The preacher at Frazier United Methodist Church in Montgomery is awesome. He preached about all the times in the Bible where God refers to himself as the Light. He talked about the Light will never be put out by the darkness. How we have so much darkness in our lives due to losing a job, having failing health, depression beyond your control, disappointed in your kids and their behaviors - hello are you talking to me? I mean there are over a 1000 people in that church and he is all in my face. The one thing he said that stuck with me is this statement, "What better gift to give Jesus this Christmas season than all your darkness...He can handle it....Let Him bring light into your life." That really stuck with me. Why am I hanging on to all this junk that I can't do anything about? Why am I not leaning on Him rather than myself - I think there is a Bible verse about that. :) I looked up how many times the word "light" is used in the Bible - 232 times where darkness is used 163 times. Even in the Bible, light takes over.

The third thing that happened was I read Beth Moore's blog - per ususal. Well she is a phenomenol Christian, teacher and woman. She is a firm believer in memorizing verses. Her theory is that if you have a plethera of verses in your head, you can pull one out at any time to fit your situation. This could be while ministering to another person, your having a bad day or you want to give glory to God for something He has worked out in your life. So she suggested taking a spiral bound index card and using it for memorizing verses that apply to your life. To do this you would memorize 2 verses a month. In addition she suggested to get an accountability partner who will do the same thing. Each one will hold the other accountable for memorizing their verses. (Well I picked another awesome Christian, Becky. She was my college roommate and kept me straight!) Anyway my verses for the year are going to be all about light. If it is used 232 times in the Bible then surely I can come up with 24 verses about light and how He will guide, guard and keep us in every situation we have. There may still be darkness that comes into my life in this New Year, but I am going to have a weapon ready for it.

I know this is kind of lengthy, but I just felt I had to share. So many people have been an encouragement to me, and I know they too must face darkness in their life at times. I want to be that person who can encourage in the New Year. I want to thank each person who reads this for all the encouragement you have given me this year. I hope I can return the gift....

Blessings,
Ginny

i have decided

i have decided alot of things in the past few days...

1. God will come first...no ifs, ands, or buts about it...
2. I am going back to work...
3. If my house gets cleaned it will be on my time...I can't do it all...I have always just wanted my house to be "pretty", but I guess I will have to wait on that
4. I am going to begin a gratitude journal...this will keep me out of the dumps
5. I will do two loads of laundry a day - my house looks like a Chinese laundry mat
6. I will take my meds first thing in the morning to include a multi vitamin - sometimes I get busy and forget...
7. Call my friends when I am in a good mood not just when I need a shoulder to cry on...
8. Be more patient - Lord help me with that one
9. Be more involved in Jacob's school...
10. Throw away more stuff...you have no idea how much junk I have....

family pics

He wanted to jump in that creek so bad...at one point he had his shirt off before we knew it...

This pic was taken just so we could get my new houndstooth ring in the picture.

This is just a cool pic.

I was trying SO hard not to laugh...I cannot look at him without laughing.

This is a perfect picture of Jacob...always laughing.

The monkeys were in the tree.

All the monkeys....

This is just an awesome pic...my photographer is so talented.

It looks like we are in love doesn't it?

My sweet daughter....

The Thinker

The "true" version of a Bama Belle....

Just the whole gang....

It took alot to keep these two still, close together and not kill each other....

My babies....

more pics

these are just a couple of snapshots we took today...we had professional pics made with all of our Alabama gear on...will post those pics later....

a week in pictures

my nativity scenes

my Christmas tree

me being caught off guard

my aunt marg and her birthday cake

my cousin, Jae, aunts Kathy and Marg, my mom, me and my aunt sharon

It has been a great day...just a glimpse into my family!

i am troubled....

i am troubled...have not been this way in a while...i am wanting to go back to work...no one thinks i am ready for it...i don't know if i am ready for it...but the desire to go back is still there...i was offered an interview for a contract position, but now i am nervous...i like being at home but this "schedule" people keep talking about that I will fall into, well it hasn't happened...i have been home since march and my house is still a disaster....my health is only somewhat better....and i am still depressed...please if you read this give me some feedback - positive or negative...

menu plan monday....

I get on these kicks where I try to be real organized and plan out meals for the week...well we are going to give this another try...

Monday: breakfast - fried ham, eggs and biscuits
Tuesday: Crock Pot lasagna - delicious and much easier
Wednesday: Black Eyed Pea Casserole and cornbread
Thursday: Chili
Friday: Pizza night
Saturday: you are on your own - do you need that recipe....

I hope everyone has a blessed week...remember the season and why we have it...remember the less fortunate...give to the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, etc...you will get the most satisfaction I promise....

my heart continues to overflow....

jacob and i went to church this morning in lincoln rather than at logan martin...anyway, the preacher, mark martin, preached on the fruits of the spirit...when we got back in the car jacob said,

jacob: i feel so good about myself today
me: why
jacob: because i have forgive myself for my sins and so has God
me: that is wonderful
jacob: i want to go back to that church
me: ok we will do
jacob: those are nice people...it was a good service

i just teared up and thanked God for this day!

my heart overfloweth:

so my son and i are laying in the bed watching i carly - this is the conversation:

Jacob: so how has your day been
me: it has been good
Jacob: mine has been good too, but it has the best bc i was with my family
me: do you really love your family?
Jacob: yes, i only God more well i love yall equally
me: no you should always love God more than your family, God first, family second and job third
Jacob: so if they were going to kill you - you would want me to choose God instead of you
me: yes that is what i would want
Jacob: wow...i did not know you loved me that much

Then he gave me a big ole hug like none other...maybe i have done something right....

this is not what i signed up for....

do you ever wonder how you got to the place you are in your life? well i am so in that place right now...i am the person who believes you reap what you sow...therefore, i want to know what i did that was so bad that i am having to hurt like this everyday of my life...i know i have said before that i hurt but i don't think people understand...there is not a place on my body from my shoulders down that does not hurt...we are not talking a little discomfort i mean excruciating pain...i have so many gi issues that it is rediculous...my stomach is in knots and hurting...everything i eat comes right back up, along with bile and all kinds of other junk...it is to the point that i have been referred to a pain clinic....i am scared of a pain clinic....i am afraid of pain clinics...i am afraid i will get addiceted to the meds...my back hurts so bad everyday that the pain is nauseating at times...i am getting weary...i am tired...i don't know how much of this i can take...all i want to do is go back to work...is that too much to ask? anybody got any suggestions...

a sad day

my precious grandmother died monday at the age of 88 after a very courageous battle with congestive heart failure, a heart attack and kidney failure...it has been a rough week...i found out monday 15 minutes before i was to have surgery that she had died...i have spent the last week in the hospital and was not able to be with the family as they gathered around her bed to say their last goodbyes...i was discharged from the hospital just in time to make it for the viewing last night...it was tough...just as always you see family that you have not seen in several years...it is just a shame that it is at sad events such as these is the only time that we see family...it was definately a celebration of her life...so many memories...the holidays are going to be hard but we will get through them...when i am up to it i will share some of the great memories....

insurance nightmares

I have never in my life been more frustrated as I am right now. Let me preface this post with the fact that my husband works for Blue Cross and they are giving me a headache. As many of you know, my health has deteriorated over the past several months. I resigned from my job in March; therefore, I dropped my insurance with them. I had been covered through my insurance and my husband's insurance. When I dropped my insurance, his policy was my primary. BlueCross sent him a form to fill out and fax back in to make his policy primary. So he did. Well I start getting all these bills - one in the amount of $25k. We begin investigating and find out there was a "data entry error". The employee at Blue Cross put that it was primary as of 7-01-10 instead of 4-01-10. So my husband gets with HR and they correct the situation. I get on the phone with all these creditors asking them to refile their claims because there had been an error on Blue Cross' part. They did. Well today, I get numerous phone calls that Blue Cross has rejected their refile. I am now being told that we did not complete the forms in a "timely manner" so we are responsible for any medical bills from April 1 to July 1. Please tell me how I am supposed to pay approximately $35,000 worth of medical bills. Did I mention that I am not working? I don't know what to do. I have cried. I have gotten ugly with people on the phone. My husband is still working on it with HR, but I know what the end result will be - I am responsible for the payments. What do I do? Any suggestions would be nice!

Saturday Ramblings

well today has been an interesting day...i woke up this morning feeling like the race cars out at the track were running in my head...my back was so stiff it was hard to move...stephen had to help me out of bed...we cooked a late breakfast - smoked sausage, scrambled eggs and toast...all protein for me...my doctor would be proud...jut got an unexpected phone call from an old friend...i have not talked to her in almost 5 years...it made my night....i love old friends...she is so encouraging and positive and loving...spent some time with my momma and sister today...set a date to go to another friend's house to see her house decorated for Christmas...she is amazing...momma is going with me...bought some seasonal candles today....sunflower, harvest berry and pumpkin spice....they smell so good...i know this is a bunch of rambling but this is just what happened today...hope you have a great rest of the weekend....:)

Trying Thursday versus Thankful Thursday

Today has been a very stressful day. So I have been in a pretty ill mood. Let me tell you some of the things I have had to deal with today.

1. Met with the attorney's office about my SS disability - humiliating.
2. It is race weekend here, which means 200,000, people have invaded my quiet little town.
3. I have fought University Blvd. in Birmingham. At one point I wanted to get out of my car, pull someone from Chilton County out of their car and punch them in the face. I usually don't get road rage, but they were just being morons.
4. I have one car in the body shop because my daughter ran it under an Expedition. Tonight my husband call me on the way home to tell me the "check engine" light has come on in the other care and it is trying to "cut off."
5. A friend got killed last night trying to help someone in need.

Okay, so you see today has not been that great. But it is Thankful Thursday, and I am going to find some things to be thankful for.

1. Race weekend only comes twice a year.
2. I do not have to drive in downtown Birmingham everyday.
3. I have some money set aside to fix both cars. I will not have to borrow any money.
4. Our friend that was killed willl always be remembered that he gave his life trying to help someone else.
5. I have two awesome kids.
6. My daughter has really picked up the slack in housework that I am not able to do.
7. The beautiful fall colors.
8. My husband - he hasn't strangled me yet.
9. My parents and my sister. They are so helpful to me, and they love me.
10. Homemade cornbread - don't ask - it is just plain good.

It is always so easy to be negative....I am trying hard to find some positives and graditude.

fabulous friday

well today is friday and it is going to be a great day! i have made some progress in my house....some people may not can tell but oh well....i can....i have a new stove....a new dishwasher will be here monday....i cooked breakfast for my mom and me....i have cleaned up the kitchen.....bagged up three bags of clothes to give to a needy family....yesterday i went to the doctor and got a good report ...cooked an awesome supper last night and looking for another one tonight....i am reading the book "Battlefield of the Mind"...it is life changing...what we think, our attitudes and who we surround ourselves with makes all the difference in the world of how we think, feel and act....i am so happy to be home and not in the hospital and am looking forward to my date with my daughter on tomorrow...life is good...trust me it is!

we interrupt the regularly scheduled programming....

did i get your attention? well i am waiting any day for the producers of mystery diagnosis to knock on my front door. i have said for many years i feel like God's science experiment. i mean for pete's sake what else can possibly happen to me and my family. i don't think this is what stephen signed up for...

i think when i last left you it was on thankful thursday...oh i do have so much to be thankful for...on that day i had gotten out of the hospital after a 4 day stay....that stay was a result of my having chest pains...let me tell you, if you want to gt people moving, tell them you are having chest pains. i no sooner got those words out of my mouth i was in a wheelchair on my way back to the ER, thrown on the bed, stripped naked and hooked up to more wires tan what is behind my television. :) the ER doc decided that i had everything wrong with me that a person could have wrong with them, he would admit me for observation and let my doc take a look at me the next day. ok...we were agreeable to that. so i spend Labor Day at the luxurious St Vincent's / St. Clair hospital. on Tuesday a doctor who was covering for my doc came to see me. did not really learn a whole lot from him but he did not know me from adam. well about 5is, my cardiologist walks in. i had forgotten he came to pell city on tuesdays. he sat down beside me and in his kind gentle voice says, "you need to go to birmingham and have a heart cath in the morning...i think you mya have some blockages." HOLY COW! so he made the arrangments to have me transferred by ambulance to brookwood. so i got to ride 50 some odd miles in the back of a cracker box. we get to brookwood and get into a room. the nurse introduced herself to me and said she would be back shortly. oh did i mention they could not find a vein, surprise surprise, so i had to have an EJ done. i rested pretty well, the morphine helped,....bright and early on wednesday morning they come to get me for this procedure...i was by myself...none of my family was there....we had some other stuff going on that just did not allow for anyone to be there...i did not think it was a big deal until they start wheeling me down the hall....anyway, went into the OR, they gave me some awesome drugs and i woke back up to find out that my heart is ok...mild CAD but that is to be expected with diabetes. so since cardiology said it was not my heart they passed the ball to gastrointerology who said it was not their problem and they passed it back to cardiology...this went on about 10 minutes and i flipped my lid....i know that is hard to believe but i did...because ultimately i am the one who is suffering by not knowing what is going on...btw...the gastro on call was not my gastro doc....so everybody came to the agreement that i would go home on thursday and follow up with everybody....whoo

so i go home thursday...low and behold friday evening if my chest started hurting again, going down my arm and up into my jaw, sweaty, blood pressure 178/126 and heart rate 145....yeah i was pretty...stephen loaded me up in the car...called the doc on the way and took me back to pell city...they run a bunch of tests...urine, cbc, cmp, bmp, etc....nothing....doped me up and sent me home....i was miserable....

sunday i began running a temperature of 101....my blood sugar would not register on my machine so that means its was above 599...but i was determined to go see my daddy in the hospital...(he has been in the hospital for over a week...doing better...long way to go) anyway, momma said, "why don't you go to the ER down here while i visit with daddy and see what they say...you need to know exactly what your blood sugar is so you can take the right amount of insulin." i agreed. (daddy is at citizen's baptist) so i go down there and there is not a soul in the waiting room. they got me right back. i explained all of this to the triage nurse. she took me straight to a room and the doc was in my room in less than 10 minutes...i explained all of this to him and that i had been throwing up alot...he said without doing any blood work and just going off what i was telling him, he thought i was in diabetic ketoacidosis with a bladder infection. all the lab work came back and sure enough he was right. so i was admitted to the hospital. my dad was on one floor and i was on another. i typically don't go to talladega to the hospital for various reasons, but this was a very pleasant experience. they gave me tons of fluids as in the words of the doc, "you are dry as a bone"...don't you love being from the south? they gave me 2 different antibiotics and watched my blood pressure very closely. my blood pressure has decided that it can do whatever it wants to. we all know how this is going to turn out.

so i got to come home today and cannot be more happy...there is something about your own bed...it just sleeps better...so now if i can get my dad feeling better and back home, our family will be complete...i have the greatest family in the world...they get on my nerves sometmes, but i bet i get on their nerves too....my sister takes and picks Jacob up from school....she takes jamie to appointments and me too since i can't drive...she helps momma and daddy around the house...she has just been a blessing....my momma is the strong one...she takes on the world but she will let you know when she has had enough....she loves her husband and she loves us girls...then there is my daddy...he is one of a kind...he is laid back...if the sun comes up great if it doesn't then i will be that muck closer to seeing Jesus....that is basically his attitude about life....if i can be half of what these three people are i will have accomplished something....and i cannot close this out without mentioning my wonderful friends....yall pray for me daily, pray for my family...yall have been with me through some pretty tough times with my daughter, yall have been there through the triumphs, the celebrations, proms, broken hearts just to name a few...i want yall to know i would not be here today if it weren't for my family and friends.....I LOVE ALL OF YOU!

thankful thursdays....

i have griped and complained alot lately so in an effort to get out of this rut, i am attempting thankful thursday!!!
*have made it almost a week without a seizure

*have an awesome neurologist who is taking this very seriously

*that i have accepted not working right now and being able to be home with my kids

*that my family loves me unconditionally

*that i have an awesome sister - don't get the big head

*that my husband has a great job and is understanding of this science experiment called my health

* we are getting answers as related to my dad's health problems

*that my mom is the strongest woman i know

*that my son has some of the same teachers i had in school

*for my friends

*for ALABAMA football - for football in general

the madness has begun....

we are officially in our second week of school...sixth grade to be exact...my son is not supposed to be that old...the first week went well but the second week has been challenging...we - that being jacob- has decided it is not necessary to attempt much less complete his work in school...now how do you think this has gone over with me the child of a retired school teacher...we have had detention this week because of this decision and our xbox, cell phone and lap top has been taken away...my momma would have whooped my butt...but that is another story....on to other news...

stove and dishwasher have gone out this week, i have had three seizures since july 31, been to the neurologist and that is about it...

jamie helped me in the house today...kitchen got cleaned, floors swept and groceries bought....i felt like i had been let out of a cage...i have not been out or driven since july...this whole seizure thing is putting a dent in my life...i never know when one is going to hit or what triggers them...it is real scary...but i have wonderful friends who have been so supportive and prayerful for me...my family has rocked...getting jacob to and from school...going to the pharmacy for me...taking me to buy groceries...much more gracious than i deserve...

i am going for tilt table testing sometime next week...it seems that my seizures happen when i am getting up from a sitting position...my doc thinks that it could be my blood pressure that is triggering these seizures...so i will go for this test and see what it shows...they will put me on a table...strap me down and put a blood pressure cuff on my arm and measure it at different angles...if this does not give us any answers then i will go spend two days at uab where they will do an extensive EEG that is videoed....so we are working on finding the answer....the bad part is that we may never find out what causes them...i ask that all of you continue to pray for me and my family as we go through this trial....

love & peace

around the world in 14 days....

ok i know the children's story is "in 80 days"....but i feel like i have been around the world in 14 days....as many of you know my life is never boring...so here is the latest...on 7-31-10 my body decided that it would go into grand mal seizures....i have never had them before so this was new to my whole family....my hubby was out of town and my son found me... God bless his soul....i get my story from my momma two days later...i did not know anything for those two days...i was basically in a coma for those two days...i woke up on monday, august 2, in restraints, central line in my neck and bruises all over my body...i was very confused....

the story goes like this...my son noticed there was something wrong with me...i was not making any sense, my face was very red and i was very confused...i was trying to go to my bathroom by way of the kitchen, which is totally not the direction...he ran and got my momma...she tried to check my blood sugar it read error, i made it to the bathroom, she heard a thump, i was in the floor seizing, she called 911, they were here within 10 minutes, was told that i had 6 - 10 seizures between the time it started and i got to st. vincent's east which is about 30 miles away....took 6 - 8 people to hold me down to care for me...i guess you do not realize how strong you are until you are sick and out of control.....

during the seizures, i fell and broke my shoulder...we did not know immediately but found out after i woke up and knew i was in the world...i have an impaction fracture with the socket broken off on both sides...that is the only other injury that we know of right now but we will find out more as complete more evaluations....i will be on seizure meds for the next six months....go see the neurologist at the end of this month and see what the plan is...

i will have surgery on friday to reconstruct my shoulder...i had a CT scan at St. Vincent's East but they were afraid to do surgery because of the seizures...the ortho there did not see any reason to start a new case when i already had an ortho at brookwood, dr. powell....he did my shoulder twice, my mom's hip and knee...anyway, went to see him yesterday, got a CT scan with reconstruction, which is supposed to be the new shiznit....so today dr. powell's assistant called me and said surgery was friday...there are bits of bone just floating around in the "shoulder cavity"..."it is screwed up"...the good thing is that it is the same shoulder that i have had surgery on twice before so at least i have not messed up my "good" shoulder....

so this is what is going on in my world....i ask for your prayers both for myself and my family...i will update as i know more information....love and peace.....

my most wonderful night

i had a wonderful night...something that has not come out of my mouth in several months...today is my aunt's 60th birthday and her birthday gift to herself was to take her entire family out to dinner at a "very nice" resturant....i thought how selfless this was that she wanted to be with her entire family on her special day and then of all things to foot the bill...we are a family that gets together on Thanksgiving and Christmas....we always say we are going to do better...well Kathy did better....i am planning to send her a thank you card for her generosity and kindness...and the topping on the cake my hubby was with me too! (no kids were allowed :)

Blessings come in different ways...

A very dear young lady to me has felt my pain the past few days....she has wisdom beyond belief....in my last posting this was her reply...i love you olivia arnold....


You have a Jesus who loves you more than anyone in this world ever could. And he's also healing you minute by minute in ways that you might not understand now but soon you will. That same Jesus is getting ready to put something amazing in your life to replace these bad times your facing. This Jesus is also keeping his promises..and he's ... See Morepromised us help at the time when its needed most. You WILL get better. We have prayed so hard for your healing and whatever we ask in his name will happen so now we've just gotta let him take his precious time so that when your healing arrives its perfect. I hope i dont sound "preachy" I just shared my heart with you...(: I love you Ginny and you are a blessing to have as a second momma.(:

Where did I go?

Where did I go? This is a question I have been asking myself alot lately. I am not the person I used to be. The one with the attitude, the spunk, the charisma to cheer anybody up. Over the past year my health has not treated me fairly. Some of it could be my fault and some of it is just the nature of the beast called diabetes. I no longer have that joy in my life. I no longer want to be the bright spot in someone's day. I no longer care if I take a shower. I no longer care about alot of things. I know all these are signs and symptoms of depression. I am on medication and I am not about to go jump off a bridge...so don't get real excited. I just want to know where I went. I want to know where the thirst for God's knowledge went. I want to know where the zest of being a mom, a friend, a sister, a daughter, etc...where did all that go? I am not able to work right now. I don't know if I will ever be able to work again. All I have ever known is to work and work hard. Working and making a difference in people's lives beats the heck out of working to clean a house. I love my time with my baby boy who is 10 years old. My oldest has moved on. I feel unappreciated, unvaluable, walked over, stepped over....these are all the feelings I felt when I was in school... I don't want to feel this way anymore, but I don't know how to get out of it. I want my life back...I want my marriage to have that spark again...I want my children to say, "Oh mom supper was great!" Is this too much to ask for? If it is then this is not what I signed up for!

thankful thursdays....

lately i have not been very thankful...but today is a new day....i am thankful for
*i am at home from the hospital
*i have loving friendsd
*great husband and family
*new doors are opening up for me
*my friends have had relaxing vacations
*that my grandmother is getting the help she needs
*my parents who offer different modes of advise but is good advice
*my children
*my new job as a stay at home mom
*my daughter who has taught me patience
* my son who has taught me to laugh
*my husband has taught me not to worry
*in the past few days I have learned that worrying does not good - so stop worrying
*in the past few days I have learned just to chill out..what is going to be is what is going to be i

have so much to be thankful for it is impossible to list them all...

Hi my name is Ginny.......

I feel like I need to reintroduce myself to some of you, but here I am. I am home from the hospital. I am still not feeling great. I don't know that I will ever feel great again. I am missing work like crazy. I am enjoying being home with Jacob, but there is another part of me that needs fulfillment. There are so many things I want to do but don't have the energy to do them. The housework never seems to end. I watch Clean House for therapy to let myself know that my house isn't that bad. I keep telling myself that I don't live in Haiti. I have a roof over my head. I have food in my pantry. I have running water. It is the worry of not being able to have these things. I am not materialistic by any means. I really HATE to spend money. It's just that if I want to take a friend out for lunch or buy something for my hubs I would like to be able to do that. It is bare bones right now. I am still waiting on determinations on my longterm disability through my work and through the social security. I never thought I would be in the place to have to be depending on those resources. I am just thankful that I have worked all these years and have paid into something that I can now use when I need it. I just hope that they think I need it. There really is nothing else to talk about, so I wll write more later....

tasty thursday

ok it does not sound as tantelizing as tasty tuesday but i just created an awesome dish...i call it creamy chicken and egg noodles

1 12 oz bag egg noodles
as much chicken as you want
mushrooms
parmesan cheese
butter
cream of chicken soup

cook egg noodles per directions
saute chicken with buter and parmesan cheese
add mushrooms
add soup

stir together and their you have it....

in other news

took jamie to finish the admission process for college
have a clean bathroom
1/2 cleaned bedroom
and soon to be cleaned kitchen

it has been a busy day....hope everyone has had a great day

oh and book reviews -

time of my life - allison winn scotch
the visiting physician
buster's midnight cafe

i am getting naked....

ok...don't shut your computer down...there are no pictures....

i was talking to my sister today about some stuff...today has been kind of an emotional roller coaster for me as i have to go on wednesday and clean out my office...i was not fired or any of that drama, but my health has just gotten to the point that something had to give and that was the lucky winner...but she said to me..."gin, you just need to get naked...say this is who i am, these are my faults, i am human, take it or leave it..." i thought about that the rest of the day and i think she is right....so her is my nakedness

1. i am a big ole sinner that is saved by the grace of God- hallelujah
2. i am a wife, mom, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, social worker
3. i have extensive health problem from my diabetes
4. i am very focused and driven which can be to fault
5. i am my worst enemy - i set my standards way too high
6. i have a sarcastic mouth
7. i am a control freak - when i don't know what is going on i feel like a hamster on a wheel
8. i have never been a stay at home mom - this is my first go at it - i will probably screw it up somewhere on the way
9. i am not a good housekeeper - yet
10. i have 2 beautiful children that are the light of my life
11. i have a loving husband who put me on a pedestal 13 years ago and i am not coming down
12. i am scared of alot of things
13. i am scared that i make the wrong decisions for my family
14. when i was working i was very confident in the counseling and advice i gave to my clients, but i am not so sure about it with my family
15. i am scared that i am not going to be around for my children...i HATE diabetes - it is a silent killer
16. i want to be more involved in my children's lives
17. i want the spark back in my marriage - it is not a bad marriage so don't get the wrong idea...just that feeling i would get when i would see him standing under the oak tree at hamil hall with trunk of his camaro open waiting for me to go spend a weekend somewhere
18. i want to be a better friend - i want to be the friend that says the right words when they needed to be said, i want to be the friend who is thoughtful enough to send cards to people just out of the blue to brighten their day
19. I WANT TO BE A BETTER CHRISTIAN AND BETTER ATTENDEE OF CHURCH
20. i want peace in my life...it is kind of stir crazy right now - i have always worked and don't really know what else to do so this homemaking business is a bit new to me....

These are very private thoughts that i have had for a while, but my sis was right, I just need to get naked. I hope after reading this you still want to be my friend. I hope that you will still love me. But if you aren't and these things frighten you, I am sorry. I am human and a child of God.

Now back to regular programming.

thankful thursdays....early on friday morning...

i am still up at 230 in the am....i cannot sleep...i have alot of fun stuff and not so fun stuff to do this weekend and next week, but i still have to post my "thankful thursdays"

1. my daughter, jamie, graduated from high school tonight
2. my son, jacob, passed to the 6th grade, his report card was awesome
3. my grandmother, two of my aunts, one uncle, my parents and my sis were all there to celebrate jamie's accomplishment
4. ganny and pawpaw and ande z were there too...but they also had relatives that were graduating, but hey i will take it however i can get
5. i get to have lunch with my bff and another dear friend tomorrow
6. my hubby is working from home on friday - yeah.....
7. i am beginning to get into a routine of being at home...today was not so good but we will get back on track
8. my husband has encouraged me to stay home and get well...he has no resentment in this statement...he is the best....
9. my hubby surprised me with the new Gaither Vocal Band CD....good stuff
10. i am not in the hospital

yes this list is simple but isn't that how it is supposed to be :) blessings to all...hope you all have a great memorial day weekend.....

ramblings from a tired brain....

not alot going on around here...what is going on you would not want to read...but here are a few -
*went to farmer's market with my dad today - had a blast - bought peanuts, squash, purple hull peas, green beans and sweet potatoes
*at one point my kitchen looked fabulous - notice i said "at one point"
* four more days of school - will have one graduated and the other in 6th grade
*my mini garden is growing like a champ
*multiple doctor appointments
*have realized that no one wants to complete paper work even though my health is dependent on it
*cannot sleep at night....my shoulder hurts horribly at night so i take my naps during the day so i can clean at night.....my family does not like that at all
*some people just want to be miserable *learned the difference between wants and needs
*most importantly - BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED - several of my friends but most importantly my momma keeps telling me this
*finally - there is a an old hymn called, "The Lord Will Find a Way for Me"

recipe swap....

i have not done one of these in a long time...but they are fun

Mexican Rice Casserole

1 can Mexi Corn
1 box Zatarins Yellow Rice
a bunch of cheese

Make the rice according to directions on the box. When done, add can of Mexi Corn. Stir all ingredients together. While stirring add cheese. When stirring is complete, top with desired amount of cheese. I use colby and chedder mix. Pour in casserole dish and back in oven on 35o degrees until the cheese is bubbly. MMMMMMM..........

thankful thursdays....

been a while since i posted a thankful thursday so i think it is time for one...of course i don't think anybody reads these anymore but oh well...

1. i am thankful for my God who has taken me back into his loving arms and has forgiven me for my sins...

2. i am thankful that my mother's hip has healed and she is only walking with a cane

3. i am thankful that my dad has finally gotten the right combination of meds and he is my old daddy again...

4. i am thankful for all the personal growth my sis has done...i am super proud of her

5. i am thankful that i am going to have my should repaired AGAIN tomorrow

6. i am thankful for the people at work who have been faithful to continually check on me

7. i am thankful for my friend Marlyn who is like a mentor to me...she is awesome

8. i am thankful and proud of my daughter and her decisions for her life after graduation

9. i am thankful that my son who is 10 still wants a "holdin'"..that is snuggling

10. i am thankful that i will be able to see alot of old friends at my church that i was born in and married at on Sunday...

11. i am most thankful this week for my husband who works so hard and is allowing me to stay home and heal and take care of our family...

what are you thankful for....

before and after - pictures to follow

one of my friends and i are taking before and after pictures of rooms of our house and how crazy, unorganized and many other things...we are keeping it very REAL so as my friend said, "you may be shamed to be a friend after the pictures."...my friend, Becky, is so smart...she is really my sense of control and just tells me the way it is and my friend, Miranda, is my sense of reason....okay so i digress, anyway, i took one room today and cleaned it...like Becky said, start at one side and work your way to the other...it could still use some fine tuning but it looks ALOT better...the reason there are no pictures yet is because I can't figure out how to get the pictures from my phone to my computer...i really want a new real camera...also, i took a picture of the meal i cooked tonight...it was baked chicken with basil and lemon, steamed squash and zucchinni, mac and cheese and mexi corn casserole...my family is about to pass out because they have had two good nutritious suppers in two days... i think my kids are getting tired of me being around so much...i am finding some drama that goes on and i knew nothing about because i was working...well like i said before, i shot the sheriff and i am the new one in town - watch out! there is no reason for all this back talk, smart mouth, cutting of the eyes and asking my WHY......because i said so dang it.....

my new life...

well i consider this to be the first week of the rest of my life...this is my new life...i have decided to think of my new life is an "early retirement". haha...it did not start off very well but it got better...i still have until june 2 to make a final decision of whether i will return to work...my feelings sway many times a day...anyway...the day started with a flare up of the gastroparesis...went out to my mom's house and got some loving...snapped two pounds of fresh green beans...then my sis cut the crap out of her hand and had to have four stitches...i then came home and cooked a good supper...everything is on my new diet that i have been told i need to look at just like a recovering addict looks at their drug of choice...think about it...if i eat the wrong foods (drug) then i get sick....i cooked fresh green beans, fresh turnip greens, mashed sweet potatoes, fresh, and KFC grilled chicken...it was so good...did not get too much domestic stuff done today...i am telling you this housewife stuff i know nothing about...please someone leave me some tips....right now i am sitting in my chair in the den, with a full belly and feel ok....God has dropped many signs down to me that say "here is your sign Virginia" you know when you hear you first name you are in trouble....hope everyone has a great week...

there's no dollar sign on a peace of mind...

this is a line to one of my favorite songs, "there is no peace of mind on a peace of mind this i've come to know"..zac brown band...

so many thoughts are going through my hand and none of them make much sense...there have been so many things i could not control...my dad and his drinking, my mother and her work addiction and her never ending love for my father...many other family members who i dare not go into any detail...

i have spent my life taking care of other people...i often tell people that i had no choice but to be a social worker because "my mother was a teacher, my dad was a drunk and the rest of the family is just crazy." for whatever reason i can take care of others but have a hard time taking care of myself. there are so many crazy parts of my life right now that i am afraid to write them much less publish them for fear yall may send me to tuscaloosa.....

first of all is my health or the lack thereof...i am so discouraged about my health and everything that goes along with it...diabetes is an evil disease....i never know how devestating it could be to a body...even if you take the the best care of yourself as you can...now i am not about to sit here and make anyone belived that i am or have been the perfect diabetic, but what i will tell you is that i have tried real hard...maybe not hard enought but i have tried....found out yesterday that i will have to pretty much drink my food for the rest of my life...i am sure turnip greens will taste mighty fine....

work - most people try to figure a way to get out of work....that is all i know how to do...this stay at home mom stuff i just don't know about it...i don't know if i am cut out for that...what do you do...i don't have small children running around to clean up after or soccer games or MDO or those other SAHM things

all of my friends are in my computer...that is sad...what i would give for a girls day out...i have some friends that live close by but they have just as many problems as i have...they have small ones that they can't leave alone....

i spent all those years working on my degree and not it seems to be thrown right out of the window...what can i do with it now....even if i go on disability for a year or so and then decide i can go back to work...what do i tell the interviewer...oh i was sick and had to take some time off...yeah i am sure that will ear my some brownie points.....

i feel abandoned by my family...not my mom, dad and sister but others...i have one set of cousins that are faithful to check on me....

am i being a whiny butt...i don't like whiny butts so i certainly don't want to be one....

i am just so overwhelmed...there are things that have happened over the past week that i am not at liberty to discuss right now...please somebody give me some advice...such as

*if i were you i would

*have you thought about....

don't give me -
*you are having a pity party

*it could be so much worse

get my drift....i am so lost...we won't even go into the church thing right now...love to all .....peace

lawn mower thingy

i hope, dream or imagine that i might have some stalkers out there who are just quiet...it would thrill my soul if i had some comments....i know i post this on here and facebook but i don't get any comments there either...am i that boring...please tell me so maybe i can take a personality for dummies class....anywho...this is what has been going on in my world....

most of you know that i have paid several doctor's mortgages over the past month because i have been so sick...so on the way to one of my appointments the other day, my husband and i see an obviously handicapped lady riding in an electric wheelchair down mainstreet in talladega...there is a man behind that "appears" to have hooked like a lawn mower thingy that they stand on and the mower pulls them along...anyway we get by them and no sir it was not the lawn mower thingy - HE WAS ON ROLLER SKATES HOLDING ON TO HER AS HER ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR PULLED HIS LAZY BUTT ALONG! i was shocked, annoyed, ill....i wanted to get out of my car and give him a piece of my mind...there was nothing wrong with him...he should have been walking his lazy tail beside her....

tonight at dinner my husband and i are talking about going to see ron white in concert...for those of you who don't know i LURVE ron white....i want him as my side kick my brother...anywho...my cultured son says, "you know bb king is coming right?" my 18 year old daughter who thinks i am about to let her out into the world by herself says, "who is bb king?" my husband and i are trying to pick our chins up off the floor and close our mouths...jacob is looking at her like she is a complete idiot...my hubs says, "he is the man that invented the bb gun." my 18 year old says, "ok" and keeps eating.....

we were at an ice cream shoppe the other day and as we were sitting there jamie my 18 year old noticed some very decorative boxes..she asked what i thought was in them...i told her probably decadent chocolate...my 10 year old says, "what would you decorate with chocolate?"

my son, aka opie, has become quite the fisherman...he and my dad have re connected on so many levels....some of you don't know the story so just be happy that a grandfather and his grandson can stand to be in the same room together now...they have been fishing everyday after school...over the past three weeks he has caught about 11 fish...mom told him when he got to 15 we would have a fish fry....he has been so excited.....

my health if anyone is interested is ok at this moment...we do know that there is no cure for sphincter of odi dysfunction with gastroparesis but i am taking a medicine from canada that is supposed to be the bomb...this was at my doctor's suggestion...i don't know about work right now...it seems that stress is the #1 thing that makes this flare up ...so for those of you who know what kind of work i do - long term care social work - then you know that equals stress...

ok that is all for now...i hope somebody reads this and leaves me a comment...sometimes i feel i am typing to cyberworld....

Nothing

I am in a really bad mood for various reasons. One of the reasons is that it seems like no one reads my blog after I sit for hours to compose. So if you are a stalker please let me know. I will not be offended. So as of now, I have nothing to say.

What have I been doing & What I need to be doing?

NOTHING! I did make a home made strawberry short cake, but it all got eaten before a pic could be taken. I have just completed my 5th yes I said 5th hospitalization since March 2. I love my nurse friends, i.e. Becky, but yall inflict alot of pain on my body. I have no veins. Why will they not just give me a port. I'm just saying. I carry my PICC line measurements in my purse. It is rediculous what they put me through. At UAB I quit counting at 25...yep I said 25 sticks. Now with all that said, if one did not know better you would think I was an IV drug user - but oh yeah I am too fat and have NO veins. So I have been recuperating at home. I am not a good patient - ask Becky. I am really not a good recovery patient. It seems like every time I get out of the hospital, I get this burst to clean house. Then after I have killed myself, then I am in the bed for 3 days. Why is it that a messy house drives us women insane. I am by far not a housekeeper -again ask Becky. But I do have my standards. My den looks like a Chinese laundrey mat has opened up. There are literally 10 loads of clothes that need to be washed. The only good thing is the den is clean minus the laundrey.

On to other news, Jamie's senior prom was last night. Please don't think she got any pictures made. Sometimes I wonder what goes through teenagers minds. Maybe I don't want to know. My mom is doing fabulous following her hip surgery . She has returned to work and is driving. GO MOMMA. My dad is doing great too. We seem to have the right combination of meds for him,

Hold your breath on this one - I am considering not going back to work. My health is such that it is not stable enough for me to give 100 % of me to the job or to the Residents. It is not written in stone so please don't go advertising that Ginny has quit work. It is just something we are considering. No decicion will be made until the doctors release me. I have two more appointments that I know of that I have to keep which will probably entail more tests and such. So I tell you all this to ask that you pray for me that God will clearly let me know what I need to do. I sometimes have to be hit over the head by God...it runs in the family.

I hope you all hada a great weekend and will have a fabulous Sunday.

Here's your sign...love God

Ok so most of you know that I am as hard headed as they come. Most of the time people will tell me I can't do something just because they know it will make me do it. For example, my dad told me in high school that I would never finish college. Ok so it took my 8 years but I finished. The latest is that I have no will power - yes still from ever encouraging father. What he is referring to is my health and the fact that I have lost almost 40 pounds. I have no intention of gaining this weight back, but I think his malfunction is that we went on 1.5 mile walk and I have been barely able to move since. He thinks I have given up. Just wait til tomorrow Pops! Anyway, back to my sign.

I am that person who has to be hit over the head in order for something to get through to me. Cause you know I have it all planned out in my retarded brain. Well as many of you know I have had some pretty significant health problems. Now this is all left to your judgement. Here is the roll call of problems - ketoacidosis made me unconscious for a while...stayed in SICU for several days...major GI bleed...about 3 units I lost...stomach just not working right...that is just the nicest way to save all the gory details. I am to go back to work on the 19th. This is yet to be placed in stone you see because Ginny is finally learning to listen to the docs but more importantly listen to that small voice of God.

I have been "reading" a book by the wonderful Beth Moore called "Breaking Free". I went to see her last February and will go see her in December when she and other great women grace Birmingham with their presence. Ok so I digress. So last night I pick up the book and I am a good 100 pages into it and that voice says to me, "You are reading this book...you are not studying it." Now for those of you who are familiar with Beth Moore you know she can smack you some book chapter and verse in a minute. So I said, "ok...we will break out the notebook and start studying like we were in college."

So I start over. Guess what the first chapter was about. Pride. Do you hear me? PRIDE. And I am not talking about a group of lions. I am very independent and really don't want or need anyone's help cause you know I am a social worker and I can save the world. Do you hear the sarcasm? My pride issue here lately is that I feel defeated and don't feel like this is my time to be healed in time to go back to work. Ok there I said it.

I do have short and long term disability through my work which we are trying to get started. But what about the big one - the disability from the government? Ok this is where I am more than humiliated. That is for people who can't make their own decisions, or people who are worse off than me. Please do not send me hate mail about this. These are just the thoughts that go through this brain that occupies my head.

I have never been so sick in my life. I certainly have never lost almost 40 pounds in a month. Help me understand where I am and what I should do! I am trying to listen to God but this dern PRIDE and my stubborness is getting in the way. I know that Pride is my sin. I have known this for years. Please some of you stronger Christians out there help a sister out! I love you all. I am being very brave to post this out for God and everyone to see, but I am really struggling. Hugs to all and to all a good night.

Jamie's Senior Pics...

This just a sample of the pics we took last Saturday! She is more beautiful than ever....

Is this the final answer...I hope so...

When I last left you, I had just gotten home from the hospital from having an ERCP where they had to open my pancreatic duct...yes this is not fun...it causes acute pacreatitis. Anyway, I have since been transferred to UAB and discharged. I basically spent the entire month of March and the first part of April in the hospital. So after much ado about alot of things the final diagnosis is sphincter of Odi disorder and severe gastroparesis. This is a fancy way to say my stomach ain't working. It seems that my diabetes has attacked the nerves in my stomach. It could be worse like my kidneys and legs and eyes. Anyway, the sphincter of Odi is a valve that comes off the pancreas and dumps into the stomach. So this valve is supposed to open and close. Well mine wants to stay closed. Gastroparesis is where the stomach does not empty in a timely manner and the food sits in my stomach and basically rots. Yes this is gross but that is what it is. I have belches that could clear Bryant Denny Stadium. So with the two of these combined it means that I have to be very careful with what I eat. What I need to eat for my diabetes interacts with the GI diet and vice versa. So in the mean while I have lost 34 pounds in a month. I am basically drinking my nutrition right now. I am to have an appointment with a GI doc who specializes in this problem, an endocrinologist who is familiar with my diabetes - I have antibodies for type 1 and 2 diabetes and a dietician. Doesn't this all sound like fun? Anybody want to join me? I am to go back to work on the 19th but that is still up in the air. God has finally hit me over the head and said, "Here is your sign!" I have to get well. So it may be slim pickings around here for awhile but my family needs me alive and well more than my job. Yes I said it! Thank you to all for your prayers, calls and cards. I could not have come through this without yall!

I am alive...

For the faithful few, I am alive and feeling much better. I do still have quite a recovery but being home is just WONDERFUL! I had been throwing up off and on for about 3 weeks. I finally slowed down and called my GI doctor. I was having the same symptoms I had last summer when there were gall stones in my pancreas and duodenum. As my luck would have it, Dr. Halama was on hospital rotation so he was not seeing patients in the office. But when his nurse told him I had called and what was going on he wanted me to come in on Wednesday, March 3 at 1:00. He was going to meet me in the office. Well Tuesday was a day from Hades....I could not keep anything down not even Sprite or Ginger Ale. I called back to his office and his response is to the ER and he will meet me there. So I drove 45 minutes to the hospital sick as a dog...thank God I had a good ER doc. She looked at me and said "oooh you are green". They admitted me, did an endoscopjy and then an ERCP. They found that my pancreatic duct had another stricture - so they stretched it and sent me back to my room. All was going well until the 3rd shift nurse was making her last round and found me unresponsvie . After running blood gasses and other tests they found that I was in ketoacidosis. This was not because of my sugar but but because of all the bile and acidic junk that had been in my body. As the doctor explained to me later, I was throwing up everything but I was not able to hold down anything to neutralize the acids in my stomach. So my pH was critical, as well as my magnesium, potassium and sodium were critically low. So true to form for me, what should have been a short hospital stay turned into a 10 day hospital stay. There is a period of about a week that I do not remember. I am trying to remember some things but it is coming back slowly. My vision is impaired and my balance is a little off as a result of all of this but the doctor says all this should work itself out in the next week. I want to thank everybody who has prayed for me, prayed for my momma who is recuperating from hip surgery and those who came to visit. I am very blessed to have the friends I have. I will tell you this was by far the scariest time of my life. I have always depended on my mom to be with me when I am sick. I could not be with her and she could not be with me. This was not a good feeling. But with the friends that we have everybody was taken care of. I am TRYING not to be hard headed and stay home for a while, but we will see how that works out. So again I say THANK YOU for everything...

thankfulness

i was talking to one of my bff's the other day and she said, "you know i don't mean any disrespect but i think God gets a little over confident in what he thinks we can handle." well i am beginning to agree with her. i am certainly not going to go into a gripe / complaining session because i know that i am so very blessed / lucky and all that. i look at those pics on , breaks my heart. but here lately, i am being overloaded with work stuff, family stuff, personal stuff, spiritual stuff...i mean i need a u haul to haul all this stuff around.

however, among all these issues i am having, i am very thankful for some special stuff....

1. am thankful that i now have a lady that comes once a week and cleans my house - thank you ms. ella

2. that my son, jacob, is still such a loving child at 10 years old - i quit counting at 20 - the number of times he told me he loved me

3. that my son still sees his momma as the most beautiful woman in the world - he told me i was prettier than carrie underwood

4. that although my daughter, jamie, is still sick, she is getting better

5. for my wonderful friends

6. my hubs - he is the best

7. that i have wonderful church members - they are far kinder to me than i deserve - two showed up at the er thursday night....

8. that i am saved by my Lord and that he loves me unconditionally

9. that failure is never final unless it is the last time i try

10. although some of my friends are facing very hard times - lost jobs, children, family members - that with the love of God and his comfort they are getting better

11. i am alive and have a warm place to lay my head tonight

12. although there is not all of my favorite foods in the kitchen - i am not hungry - and if you have looked at me lately you will know that i could stand to miss a few meals....

13...what are you thankful for....

thoughts and plans for 2010

1. first of all it is hard for me to believe that is 2010...it was 10 years ago that my husband and i sat up on NYE and babysat a bunch of computers because of Y2K and NOTHING happened...

2. my daughter is a senior...yes a senior...

3. therefore, I will lose my mind and cry alot

4. spend alot of money because of #2

5. eternally thankful for #2 because 14 years ago we were told to make funeral plans

6. going to the beach in february for a social workers conference

7. going to disney in march with 2 great friends - who without them this trip would not be possible - thanks mike and tami

8. hopefully have lapband surgery in april

9. watch my daughter graduate from high school in may

10. turn 35 in june

11. celebrate my son's 11th birthday in july

12. celebrate 13 years of marriage to my best friend and soul mate in august - his birthday too

13. enroll my daughter in college - cry cry tear tear work work - in september

14. find ghosts and goblins in october - should not be too hard to find

15. be especially thankful in november

16. celebrate the most awesome birthday in december - yes jamie it is your birthday too - but Jesus

17. WORK ON ME!!!!! to be a better person, co worker, social worker, friend, mother, wife, sister, Christian and all that jazz.....

Happy 2010

13 has always been my lucky number....

I was born on Friday 13, 1975, at 13 minutes till 8 in the morning, weighed 8 pounds and 13 oz and my mom was in room 213. Need I say more? So why should I think tonight would be any different? Sweet 13!

I am an avid sometimes obnoxious Alabama fan. I grew up with my granddaddy watching four and five games - at the same time. I had no choice but to love football. I just want to express though that it is just a game. It is not life or death, and there is no reason for people to be so bitter, mean and ugly. I feel like that if we all supported each other throughout life in various situations we would not have so many hate crimes, needless murders and such. I can honestly say that if Auburn had been playing for the national championship, I would have been pulling for them. Let's support each other and make 2010 the best! Now don't get it twisted, I don't know if I will ever be able to sing Rocky Top! :)

Congratulations to UA for an awesome season!

sick, sick, sicker than a dog...

i have not disappeared...i am just sooooooooooo sick...i have been sick since Thanksgiving....i have kidney stones twice and now i have an upper respiratory infection from hockey sticks along with bronchitis and double ear infections...i promise i will have more interesting and more pleasant postings in the near future....