SARAH'S GETTING MARRIED

Well, daughter number 2 is getting married in three days. In Vegas. And we're all going. How exciting huh?
For whatever reason, I'm not nearly as sad about Sarah getting married as I was Toni. (who got married last month). Sarah is so totally opposite of Toni. I suppose that's why.
Sarah is extremely independent. She's a kind of "take charge" person. I never ever worry about her. As a matter of fact, there are times I go to her when I'm feeling a little "fragile". She's strong. I like that about her. She's responsible. She's also very very kind. She has this soft spot that not many people know about. She's sensitive and gets her feelings hurt easily. She's my baby!! I love her deeply!
So, she's getting married in Vegas and I'm going to babysit their little girl, Natalie. (I can now say "Sarah's husband" instead of "Sarah's baby's daddy") THANK YOU JESUS!!!!
I don't know how I'm going to like Vegas...vacation to me is sitting in the woods with no one around me. I AM going to the Grand Canyon though. That should be awesome.
I know whatever we do, I'll have a good time. I'll be with my family...

SAFE HAVEN

THE POND
Mark, myself and Helen, Mark's recently widowed mother, went to the country this weekend. Actually, it's not "really" the country but....sort of. Again, don't try to figure out some of the statements I make because, well, they make no sense. This is one of those statements.(Part of my disfunction)Hence...the title. Disfunction at it's Best.
Okay...the country. You almost have to have a 4 wheel drive to get there...It's a path thru the woods.It is actually a garage you are staying in.

This is the garage..looks small but actually is about 1,200 square feet
There is no running water. We haul water in so you're pretty limited on how much you can use. Since there is no water, that means??? That's right..no flushing toilet but..I have a picture of the toilet that we do have there. This thing honestly cost Mark $1,200.00. Therefore, I must put a picture up of it.

"THE" TOILET (should be trimmed in gold for that price)

The pond ...well, Mark dug it himself. It took him 3 years.
We go there and spend the weekends..IT'S WONDERFUL!! Surrounded by trees and nothing else. Believe me, it's first and foremost a garage but it is so nice to sleep at night with the garage doors wide open, listening to the frogs. We cook in the microwave, toaster oven, crock pot and open fire.


Speaking of open fire, this is Helen, what one would call my mother-in-law, if I were married to Mark, watching the bonfire, snuggling under a blanket.

(There really is "some" order to this.. believe it or not. Though it did need cleaning at that time!! HA HA HA )
We have a little fridge...and there is even a shower! There's a hot water heater so we do have warm water. So despite how primitive it is, is is equally rich. I love it there. It is my "safe haven"

Corrina Habernathy

MY BUDDY DOLL

Okay.... As you all may have figured out, I work with Corie. One day, out of the blue, I somehow came up with this name for her. CORRINA HABERNATHY
And it stuck. Now, I can barely remember my own name, which by the way, I blame on menopause, but I can remember CORRINA HABERNATHY. I don't know anyone by that name....I have never heard that name before.....I don't know where it came from!!
I tend to give people I'm fond of "pet" names. I think I've done this my whole life and have no clue why. They aren't pet names like "honey" or "sugar" or "dear". They're just a different name than their own. Such as, I work with Earle....I call him Karl. I like Earle so I call him Karl. ???????? Don't try to figure it out...
Well, Corrina Habernathy is the same age as my son. I'm old, she's young. She's a christian, I'm sorta not. I'm cynical, she's not. She eats right, I don't.
I gossip, she doesn't. I cuss (alot), she never does.She has self confidence, I do not..(I think thats why I cuss!) We are like day and night!! Seriously!! But...we were kind of thrown together at work. We started at the health department on the same day.....people there were not very friendly when we first started. No one talked to each other and certainly didn't talk to us, the two new people. Soooo we talked to each other. But we were VERY different. We both wanted to do well at our jobs though. That was what we had in common. And we still have that in common.
I'm getting up tomorrow morning and meeting Corrina Habernathy at 8am at the YMCA. Know why???? Because she is going to show me how to use the treadmills there. I know...Hard to believe I don't know how but it's true. And I would feel stupid trying to learn how to use them by myself. (Remember, she has self confidence, I do not)
This person who is sooo different from me is taking time to help me...Actually, Corie is THE reason I even started going to the Y....... and she encourages me to continue to go. She is very very kind and I want EVERYONE to know that.
As different as we are, she is my friend! I learn so much from her on a daily basis. I admire and respect her and THAT'S why she is Corrina Habernathy!

I LIED..ANOTHER YMCA POST

Okay...I stepped it up a notch.....I tried out the deep water aquacise class at the Y last night. It was BRUTAL! BRUTAL I tell you! This class is really just a game of (like) soccer, men against women...trying to get a ball in the opponents net. You play in water over your head. I wore a belt to help keep me up as did about a third of the class but I gotta tell you. There were some folks in their (probably) 70's who didn't use a belt and how they do that is amazing to me!! There are no rules to this game...you can do whatever you need to do to get the ball..jump on, dunk, push, pull hair...whatever.I LOVED IT!! THAT'S my kind of game. I was poked in the eye...that hurt!! I was pushed HARD which did in fact put me under the water so I guess you could say I was "dunked"....and my left arm has about a 3 inch long scrape...from what I don't know.
Now my dilema is.....I wanna change from my old aquacise class into this new one BUT.......my ex mother-in-law, Sonja and my ex husbands wife Vicki (if you don't know THAT weird story, read this)signed up to be in the "old" aquacise class... Oh what to do, what to do.........

DO YOU HAVE TOASTER CRUMBS ON YOUR COUNTER TOO?

I walked into the house after work and almost had a breakdown. Mind you, I cleaned the house yesterday. Sweeped, mopped, dishes laundry, etc. But that wasn't every room in the house either. There are 10 rooms here, including 2 bathrooms.
I WANT TO KNOW.....do all of you have a spotless house? Do you do this stuff everyday? I guess I just want to quit feeling inferior. I CAN'T DO IT!! I can get some rooms done but not all. I find I have laundry everyday, no matter what. Dishes everyday, no matter what. Crumbs ALWAYS needding to be cleaned off the counters. Floors always needing to be swept. On and on and on and on. Today it's really bugging me...I just wanna know.....Do real people get it done EVERYDAY? And if not, what is it you leave undone usually?
Corie dear....you seem so organized but I was never so happy to hear you had dust bunnies and i mean that in such a good way cause you seem to do things so perfectly!
And to all that respond to my posts....I have yet to REALLY learn how to respond so please don't think I'm ignoring you. Hell, I'm probably busy cleaning up crumbs under the toaster that I never use (instead of responding to everyone) . How do you suppose they get under there when it's not in use?????????????????????????????

CITY LIVING......not for me!!

Okay, I grew up in the city. St. Louis city as a matter of fact. Maybe that's why I'm not a big fan of city living.
I remember when you had GREAT neighborhoods, you knew all of your neighbors and we watched out for one another, kids played outside from the time they got up in the morning until it was time to come home for dinner. It was awesome!
I came home from work yesterday and found one of my favorite potted plants, a very odd cactus, had been stolen from my front porch. The people that know me, know I absolutely love plants. I have one plant thats 29 years old. Anyway, someone felt that it okay to walk up on my porch and steal the plant!! It wasn't small either and kind of heavy. I had just replanted it in a large clay pot. Which by the way, was part of a set of matching clay pots! HMMMM!!!
I immediately ran to the back yard to check on my other plants. I have a huge rubber tree that was from my fathers funeral in 1990. It was still there. I suppose they would have to have a trailor to load that on.......way too big to carry.It just makes me really sad that you can't decorate your house or let a plant out to get some sun without the threat of theft.
Then, at about 8:30 last night, our neighbor called and said Marks door to his jeep was wide open.(He parks in the back of the house) Well, I had been out there earlier and know the door was not open then. Mark went out there and someone had rummaged thru the jeep. AGAIN. Little did they know this happens so frequently, we don't even lock the door anymore. I just wish they would shut the door when they are done to keep all of the feral cats out of the car.
CITY LIVING? Not for me!!

My last YMCA story. GETTING NAKED!!

Unless someone drowns, I will not be posting another YMCA blog. I promise.
So I go to the aquacise class last night with my ex mother-in-law, Sonja and my ex-husbands current wife, Vicki. Weird...I know. Now, understand, I don't hang out with Vicki...ever. As a matter of fact, I have never had a real conversation with her. Well, guess what? She got naked in front of me!! AGAIN....this is MY ex husbands current wife! I would have never ever in a million years gotten naked in front of this or any other woman who had been with my husband!!SHe is like...competition and we compare each other (in our heads) to see who is/was the best wife.(even though I don't want him, we still compare. We all do it! Admit it!) That includes our bodies. And believe me. I'm 49 and shes 52 or something. Neither one of us has alot to show off!! I just thought it strange that she felt comfortable getting naked in front of me.... Hell, I think this whole situation is strange!!