Off to see a mouse

We are off to Disney tomorrow! I'm so excited I have butterflies in my tummy. I have been to Disney World at least 14 times in my adult life. I have lost count. But the thrill is still the same now as it was the first time I went. Disney just does it up right. I have said time and time again that it is my favorite vacation spot and I am so thrilled to be able to experience it again next week.

We plan to stop and see my mom and dad the weekend after Disney. My mom's having a party for my dad's 70th birthday. It's hard to believe that he is 70. He still seems like about 40 in my eyes. I remember when he was about 40 and I just thought he was so old!! Now, that I am 41, 70 doesn't seem quite so old. :) I am just so glad he has been healthy enough to see 70.

So, I will be home on May 4. Have a magical week!

Here's the thing about vacations

We are getting ready to leave for Disney in 5 days. I am very excited. One can never get too much of Disney World! It truly is the happiest place on earth. I've taken a lot of razzing about my vacations these past few weeks. Dr. Robertson doesn't want me to leave him...trust me, he'll be fine. My friends think its crazy that I am taking off again. I hear all kinds of comments. It's all in good humor of course, but I have been feeling like I have to kind of explain myself lately.

We both have jobs that are very stressful and mentally taxing, I mean, seriously so. In my job, I listen to peoples' problems and mental health issues all day, everyday. During the day, I hear about grandma's dog dying, daughters' sneaking out at night, son's alcoholism, Junior's raging at school. I hear about suicide, self mutilation, physical and sexual abuse. I hear about autism, and adhd and bipolar and depression and drug addiction. In a given day, I see 10 or more people cry, I see at least 3 temper tantrums. I hear parents in desperation begging us to help them have some semblance of a normal life. I see hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. There are some joys. Many, in fact. Otherwise, I would not keep doing this day after day. But I COULD NOT keep doing it if it weren't for my glorious vacations. Sometimes, I feel like I just can't take it one more day. And then I remember, I have a vacation coming up and it makes me smile.

I love my job and I'm good at it. I just get tired sometimes and need a break. So off we go in 5 more days to Disney World. I am so so excited!! Then I'll be rejuvenated again, at least for a little while.

Have a happy Sunday!!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary. Rick and I lived together for about 5 years before I asked him to marry me. lol. Well, I had to ask him, he wasn't asking me fast enough. I may have mentioned before that I am a very impatient girl. So, I asked him to marry me and I got a ring and life was going on day to day. Rick was very comfortable with the way things were. I think he thought if he just got me a ring, I would shut up about it. I didn't. Finally one day, he said, "okay, I guess we should just go ahead and do it." He is a true romantic. A couple weeks later, we were in Sevierville in front of the precious Jimmy Temple. He performed this sweet ceremony in the front room of his house, with witnesses we didn't even know. I cried happy tears. We then walked down the street back to our car. The trees and flowers were all in bloom and it was all so quaint. Then, we went to Wendy's and had hamburgers....ahhhhh bliss. LOL. It was great.

I know this story sounds funny but it is wonderful.Though there has been conflict a time or two, I have not regretted one single day of our marriage and the great part is, I'm sure Rick would say the same thing. Our marriage is a joy. Rick is so funny. He makes me laugh everyday. He takes wonderful care of me, of my kids and all of my family. I never have to worry about anything with him around. He is my rock, my champion and my hero. I was in bad shape 12 years ago when we met. A wild girl with no sense of direction, who frequently was wishing for death as she cried herself to sleep at night. I was a sad clown. Happy on the outside but dying on the inside. Rick saw through me. He lifted me up and it is going to sound cliche, but he made me feel whole for the first time ever. I am never happier than when I am with him. I will always be grateful that God not only brought him into my life, but that he gave Rick the patience to stay in my life in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer til death do us part.

So, happy anniversary to us!!!

I found my new song!

Last night, we went out to dinner with Don and Leeann. We went to Amerigo, which is a pretty new restaurant here in town. Their menu was very diverse and interesting. They had italian, old and new world, pork tenderloin, fish, all kinds of different things. The food was so-so and the service also was so-so. I can say that this will not be one of my favorite restaurants but it was okay.

Then, after dinner, we went to the Civic Coliseum to see Little Big Town and Sugarland. I loved it. We danced and sang our hearts out and it was so fun. Rick didn't much like the fact that we were so high up but we were to the right of the stage and we could see the bands perfectly. And Rick and Don and Leeann all had binoculars which was fun! I don't like to look through the binoculars much because with my one bad eye, it seems kind of distorted, but I could see fine without them. Sugarland put on a great show. They were very energetic and in good humor. Towards the end of the concert they both got into these big blow up bubbles, the audience down on the floor raised their hands to hold the bubbles up and Jennifer and Kristian rolled themselves over top of the audience. It was great!

Jennifer Nettles has written my new song. It's called "Operation Working Vacation". It will be on her new album. Leeann is always teasing me about always wanting to go on another vacation. I LOVE vacations! This new song is so cute, perfect for me!

Don and Leeann are the most fun people I know. Its always fun to go out with them. They get us. They laugh at all of Rick's humor,corny as it is, and they understand my quirkiness and love me for it, not in spite of it. Its so nice to have friends like that! I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

It has been a nice weekend.

Have a happy Monday tomorrow!

Well, I survived my first week back at work. It was so hard! It was hard to get up every morning and it seemed like the days dragged on forever. It was nice to be back with my friends at work but I would have much rather had that time with them over lunch at Fuji's. I really liked being off for those two weeks. I could get used to it. I'm trying not to complain too much. Rick is so stressed out at work and I know he doesn't want to hear it. We are planning on retiring in 6 1/2 years and Rick is all the time telling me that I need to do my part to get us to that goal. So, I don't complain much. (At least not to Rick) Fortunately he doesn't read my blog much. :)

After Rick's friend and boss Ron died, Rick began to worry a little about job loss. The possibility of that was real because of a lot of reasons but I never really felt threatened. He is their top developer and I just didn't see how losing his job could really happen. Well, now we are feeling pretty safe. He has been asked to join this elite IT group and has been given the role of tech lead. Whew! He took classes about this new technology last week and this week began some of the new stuff. He was informed that if he accepted this offer, he would have to work lots of overtime to get things up and running and boy has he been! So, its kind of bittersweet. We are so happy that he has been chosen, everybody wants to be a Cheetah but he is already worn out. So, you see why I can't complain too much, I am only working about 27 hours per week. He is working a lot more than that.

Chanel is in Barcelona this weekend with Steve. She spent the last two weeks in France. She seems to be having a fabulous time.

Sienna got employee of the month last week again. I am so proud of her for doing such a good job at work!

We are going to see Sugarland tonight with Don and Leeann. I think we will have a great time. We always do with them. Rick is really looking forward to using his binoculars tonight at the concert. lol

Have a happy Saturday!

confessions

Okay, I promised not to go on and on about this, this year but here is some statistical information for you:

Ihop+ McDonalds+Burger King+Benihanas+Famous Dave's+Chilis+Burger King again+McDonalds 2 more times+Peter Piper's Pizza+ doritos+ Chocolate pretzels+ Snickers bars+a chocolate bunny+beer+wine etc,etc= 5 pounds. Ugh. But it also equals a great vacation!
Sorry, I just had to confess so I could move on! LOL!

Have a great Thursday tomorrow!

Tucson

Well, I'm back from a wonderful time in Tucson. It was a fabulous trip. I managed to make it to my flight from Atlanta on Sunday and my mom and aunts were there waiting on me. I was so proud to make it there all by myself. I had never gone to an airport alone except to the Knoxville airport and it is tiny. Atlanta airport is huge! I found the train that was to take me to my concourse and and I just thought that was awesome, like riding a subway. So, I'm looking all around and the train screeched to a halt and I fell right into this guys arms. I was so embarrassed. He said, "the first one gets me every time too." Good thing he was pretty hefty so he could keep me from falling right on my tail. My face was as red as my shirt.!

Arizona is so pretty. If you ever get the chance, you should visit there. I didn't think it would be so pretty because I am sort of partial to green grass and trees, but it was beautiful. It was in the 80s most everyday, the sky was so very blue and most days, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We had a great little patio and there was a little bunny who came out every night to eat the flowers and he was very cute. There was this little area right outside our door that was called Sunset Point and the sunsets were spectacular.

Even though it was desert where we were, the resort had all kinds of flowers all around that were so fragrant they almost made you want to lie down in them. This pic is my Aunt Karla and me the first night we went out exploring.The pool was wonderful. Even though it was 85 degrees there, it didn't seem hot, and I didn't sweat a bit. I came home with a very nice sunburn. Everything about the place was wonderful. I really had a great time.
I learned a lot about my mom's family. Stuff I had never heard before and found it interesting that between the three of them, they each had slightly different memories about things that have happened in their family. I never knew much about my grandparents, my grandma died when I was very young and we lived away from my grandpa and step- grandma so I didn't know much about them. It was kinda fun to hear more about them, the good and the bad. Their family has just as many skeletons as everyone else's.
We went to Tombstone, Arizona. I thought it would be cool to see an old west town. Boy, was I disappointed. It was very tourist trap- like and commercialized. Even to see the shoot out at the O.K. Corral, it was $7.95. Crazy. We went on a trolley tour of the town and met a "genuine" miner named Stinky, That was pretty fun. He really didn't smell that bad when he put his arm around me so I don't know how genuine he really was but he played the part well! :)
So, it was a good trip. We had a great time. I really enjoyed spending time with my mom and aunts. It was very special to me to bond with them. One thing I must say after this week is that I learned to appreciate a lot of things I have here at home. For one thing, I still know that Fuji's is the best japanese restaurant around. We ate at Benihana's one night...no comparison. Also, the Walmart there is only for groceries! Who ever heard of a Walmart without clothes? Weird. I never thought I would have an appreciation for Walmart. I also now have a new appreciation for Rick and the relationship that we have. He is a champion and I missed him terribly. My mom was sure to point out to everyone that he is a gem and by far her favorite son-in-law. ( He is, actually, her only son-in-law, but the sentiment is sweet.)

It's nice to be home.

A glorious week

This has been a glorious week! I have only worked about 8 hours all week but I have been totally busy. So busy that Rick has told me that its time for me to go back to work now because I have been shopping my legs off! Actually, tonight at dinner I found myself uttering words that I never thought I would say in my life! " I'm kinda over shopping." *gasp* I think those words were music to Rick's ears because I swear I heard him breathe a sigh of relief. lol! I have had a great run of it, but alas, enough is enough. I slept in everyday, I shopped, I scrapped, I lunched with friends, I had pedicures and manicures, I got my hair cut, I ate chocolate. It has been lovely.

I still have another week to go, that's the cool thing! I can really get used to this not working thing.

So, I leave early early Sunday morning to drive to Atlanta to meet my favorite aunts and my mom. We will fly from there to Phoenix and then drive an hour from Phoenix to Tucson. Tucson looks like it will be really pretty and warm! I thought maybe we could do some hiking there but then I saw a show about African Killing bees in the Tucson desert and I have decided that that is probably not such a good idea. So, I think there are museums and art galleries there that we can visit. Also, Tombstone, Arizona is there. That's where the big shootout was at the OK Corral. So, we'll probably do some touristy stuff like that. It will just be so fun to be there with my aunts and mom. We have good memories together and it will be wonderful to make more. I love these "girl vacations" but its becoming harder and harder to leave Rick behind. I miss him so much when I am away.

So, I'll update when I get back! Have a happy week!

Just to catch up

I know its been awhile. The fact of the matter is, there hasn't been a lot going on. I started my vacation yesterday. Though I am not going out of town until the 30th, I only work on Wednesday and Friday next week because Dr Robertson will be out of town. There's not much work for us to do when he is gone and actually, he prefers us to take time off when he is not there. So its going to be like I have a two week vacation. Love it.

I started my vacation off right yesterday when I had breakfast with my best friend, Leeann. She's been going through some rough times and it was nice just to chat for a while. I think that for a little while, I took her mind off things. We tried to go shopping but for some reason, the managers of the stores we like like to sleep in. The stores didn't open until 10, which stinks. We love to shop and that would have been a great end to our morning.

So, this week, I plan to do some shopping and to have some lunches with more friends. I am planning on a pedicure with Leeann and a haircut and to just take this down time to catch up on some things. We may even go to Dollywood on Monday.

I hope you all have a happy Easter. Easter's just not the same for us since the kids are grown. Chanel is gone and Sienna goes to her dad's to spend time with her brothers. So we'll just have a nice quiet day. I am so impressed with Rick though. He actually went out and put together an easter basket for me this year. Now, this is not something he would typically do, so it meant a lot to me that he did it all on his own. Sweet man.

I checked the weather in Tucson because this is where I'll be going in a week. It is 85 and sunny today. Ahhhhh, that sounds wonderful!

Happy Easter

A lot of you have been asking...

How is Chanel doing? Well, I am happy to say that she called me on Wednesday and she is doing just fine. She really seems happy there. To begin with, I think she had a hard time adjusting. She was lonesome for home and the language barrier was tough. Now she has learned enough french to be able to communicate and she has found more people that speak english. She is making plenty of friends now, which I knew she would. She is a very social girl. She is traveling and is taking lots of pictures. She still plans to go to Paris for Easter and then to Barcelona when her boyfriend Steve comes to visit in April.

She finally got her care package that I sent 2 1/2 weeks ago. I think they took a canoe across the Atlantic to deliver it to her. Then when she was finally able to pick it up, they charged her 10 euros to pick it up. Something about customs. She really enjoyed getting the magazines most of all. It will be nice for her to have something in English to read. Her next favorite thing that I sent her was the washcloths. Apparently, they don't use washcloths in Europe. Weird. I sent her about 20 so she should be pretty well stocked up.

I guess there in Liege, most people walk or take a bus to where they need to go and she is getting in lots of walking every day. She says she is losing weight. It sounds like all she is eating is bread and cheese. She says there are bakeries everywhere.

School is going well. In all of her classes except her french class, there are only 10 students per class. It makes it easier to learn and she can have more 1:1 attention if she needs it. The classes are tough but she seems to like them. And yes, her professors teach in english.

I still miss her very much. But its fun to sort of live vicariously when I hear of all her adventures.

So, that's all about Chanel! She's doing fine.

Have a great day.

The blue of her eyes

Well, Sienna's weekend started out pretty rough but she is feeling much better now. She ended the week with the flu.  But she ended the weekend with an almost new car.  Bless her heart.  She has had some struggles this past year.  She was driving a 95 Ford Escort with 200,000 miles on it.  The thing was falling apart.  We have been on the lookout for a car for about 4 months now.  She has been chomping at the bit.  We went to look Saturday.  After the first car dealer, she fell and sprained her ankle and I was just like..okay this may not be what we need to be doing right now. I mean first she's sick, then she can't walk.  We did decide to go to West Side Honda and she cried half way there because her ankle was hurting.  I kept saying, Maybe we should just go home. maybe we shouldn't do this today.  But she insisted and there at West Side Honda was the car of her dreams. Well, maybe I exaggerate a little. But she loved the car. We didn't really spend too much time looking at it because it was too expensive.  But then we got Rick to come back later and he wanted us to consider that car and well, if Rick says its okay, then it must be.  So long story short, after much haggling over two days we got the car!  A 2005 Civic EX SE and the color, as Sienna pointed out, matches her eyes.  Oh!  The best part of the story... Sienna's trusty Escort broke down on her this morning on her way to church of all places.   She was stranded on the highway on her way to church.  The car just sort of died.  So that's when we knew that this absolutely was meant to be. And that we had to buy a car this weekend if at all possible or I was going to have to get up early tomorrow and take her to work and well, I sleep in on Mondays. :) So it would have to be today that we bought one.

So, the flu has passed, her ankle is healed up and she has a car that matches her eyes...it was a great weekend.

Internal struggles

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 7 years ago though I have had it my entire life.  I have been treated by the top bipolar MD in town and I must say, he has done a fantastic job of regulating my moods. I have been stable for the most part for the last 5 years. I consider myself kind of an expert on bipolar disorder.  Its what I do everyday, help treat bipolar patients.  I read about it all the time, go to conferences about it, and do continuing education about it. I know bipolar disorder. 

The nurse in me and the patient in me are frequently in conflict.  I do take a lot of medicines.  I hear about it from different people, Rick, my parents, my kids. In fact, its kind of embarrassing at times. So, after awhile, I start doubting.  Do I really need all these meds?  People don't really understand how complicated the illness is.  Most people with BPD need to be on a myriad of meds to achieve stability.  I am one of those people.  But dang! I hate taking them.  The nurse in me says, "don't be an idiot, of course you need your meds"  the patient in me says " You're on so much.  You're doing fine, maybe you don't need so much."  So, I have this conflict inside of me all the time. 

Recently, since I am an expert and all, I decided I was going to taper some of my meds (without Dr. Jobson's permission) again.   I know better. Every time I do it, I get the same result but I had to try.  I mean, I am doing so well. The result of this little experiment... not good. I became mean, sad, frustrated. Laughing one minute, yelling the next.  And I just felt anxious and foggy and just out of sorts.  I guess I do still need it.*lightbulb!*  And I am discouraged about that.  I know it is a lifelong illness but I was just hoping that I would be one of the 10% that get better.  Most people with bipolar do what I did over and over throughout their lives.  Usually for the same reasons.   Its just hard to believe that you're ill when you're doing so well.  

Now, after 2 days back on my regular doses, I feel fantastic.  When am I going to learn? 

I think going through this time and time again, I have become a better nurse and that's a plus.  Now, if only  I could just be a better patient! I will work on that. 

Have a very happy Friday tomorrow!

It's Beautiful Women month

Did you know that it's Beautiful Women Month?

Well it is.  Here's to all the beautiful women in my life.

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her beauty tips.

It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips,

speak words of kindness....

For lovely eyes,

seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure ,

share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair,

let a child run his fingers through it once a day.

For poise,

walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone...

People, even more than things, have to be restored,

renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;

never throw out anyone.

Words to live by. 

Have a happy day!

When I'm an old woman...

I read this book called, When I Am and Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple, when I was in my 20s. Of course at that time in my life, I wasn't really thinking about being an old woman but the story was recommended to me by a close friend of my mom's. I have the poem hanging on my wall in my office right in front of my desk. I read it frequently. It says a lot about who I am now and who I want to be. It goes like this: 

When I'm an Old Woman

         I shall wear purple with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

                And I shall spend my pension on brandy

                and summer gloves and satin

                sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

         I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

                and gobble up samples in shops and press

               alarm bells and run my stick along the public

               railings and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

         I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and

               pick the flowers in other peoples' gardens

               and learn to spit.

         I will wear terrible shirts and grow

                more fat and eat three pounds of sausages

               at a go or only bread and a pickle for

               a week. And hoard pens and pencils

               and beermats and things in boxes.

         But now we must have clothes that

               keep us dry and pay our rent and

               not swear in the street and set a

              good example for the children.

       We will have friends to dinner and

              read the papers. But maybe I ought

              to practice a little now? So people

              who know me are not too shocked

              and surprised when suddenly I am old

       and start to wear purple.

My Funny Valentine

I hope you had a romantic valentine's day. I was reminded yesterday of some of the reasons why I love Rick to be my Valentine every day. He makes me laugh daily. He brings so much joy to my life. Here are just a few of the things I heard from him this week.

We have started watching Lipstick Jungle which has Brooke Shields in it. Rick was commenting on how much Brooke has changed since she's gotten older and I said that of course she's changed, she is about our age. And he said, "You look a lot better than she does." Awwww. What a sweet and funny thing to say. It's ridiculous but sweet just the same.

He has called me his "little, hot buttered biscuit" this week. lol. Whatever that means. I'm glad he can compare me to food since I think food is his second love. lol.

Yesterday, while I was at work, he texted me and said,"Time for you to come home now, my skinny little valentine." I just had to laugh out loud at that one. I'm trying to lose weight and it means alot for him to call me his skinny valentine.

He is always saying things like that, his sense of humor is unique and so good. I love him so much and I don't think its possible to love him any more than I do. I'm a very lucky girl.

Have a happy Friday!

Movin' Out

I tried to put a link in here, but it doesn't look like it works. So I put it over on the side so you can just click over there.

We went last night to see this show. Nobody else really liked it and I was kind of so-so about it during the first act but I LOVED the second act. It was like a ballet to a Billy Joel concert. The dancers were down on stage doing their thing and the band was up above the stage playing Billy Joel songs. The guy who sang the classic Billy Joel songs was incredible! He sounded almost just like him.

The ballet was a great story of a high school kid who gets jilted by the girl he loves for another guy and then he and his best friends join the marines because he has a broken heart. His best friend is killed by gunfire and this kid, Eddie, turns to drugs in his mourning. So it goes all through the whole hitting the bottom thing. Finally, he comes out of it after a nightmare about the war and about death. He gets his act together and ends up with his best friend's widow. And everyone lives happily ever after. At least, that was my interpretation of the show. There wasn't actually any talking in the play. The only vocalization was from the guy singing.

I really loved the show. I guess I could really appreciate the talent of the dancers because of my girls being in dance when they were younger. I know how hard you have to work to be good and wow, these guys were good.

The others, Don, Leeann, and Rick, were kind of bored throughout the show. I thought after intermission that they would want to leave but we didn't and I am so glad we stayed.
There were a couple of vulgar scenes that would have been fine if there weren't 8 yr. old kids sitting right behind us. But the scenes were only about 5 minutes. So I would advise not taking your kids to see this show.

All in all, we had a wonderful time last night. As we always do when we are with our dearest friends.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We got our new huge desks at work. Dr. Robertson agreed to hire one more staff person after he had about decided not to. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to take my two vacations in April but I think we have come to an understanding. So I'm relieved about that.

Sienna was nominated for employee of the month. I'm so proud of her! She is at a good point in her life and I am happy for her.

We went to a scrapbook crop last night and it was so fun. We made some new friends and Leeann and I had a chance to catch up and just chat for 5 hours. It was great. I was thinking about the crop this morning and I realized that when we were asked questions by others last night, that Leeann and I answered collectively. We don't like...., we plan to...., we like...., we are going to..., Its really kind of funny. We just like to do things together. Rick calls us "LisaAnn". We met a lady who has a lot of our same interests. Her name is Shar. She's a 4th grade teacher and a Disney fanatic. We had a good time getting to know her.

And...Drum Roll please... Chanel called me this morning!! It was SO good to hear her voice. She has gotten a cell phone. She needs it to keep up with all the friends she is making. She has friends from Finland, Brazil, Italy and Canada and of course, Belgium. I knew it wouldn't take her long. It was actually kind of difficult keeping up with the conversation because she kept lapsing into French. She really picks up on languages quickly. Rick thinks she was just showing off but I don't think so. I think she is just so used to hearing French all day, it just seems more natural to her now. She does comment on how expensive it is over there. The dollar is way down over there so everything seems twice as expensive. I hope she doesn't run out of money. She plans to go to Germany this weekend for Carnival which is their Mardi Gras. She has all sorts of plans to travel all over Europe. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in Europe and I am so excited for her.

So that has been my weekend so far. Can't wait to see what else might happen.

Have a happy Saturday!

a couple of layouts

Did I ever mention that scrapbooking is great therapy? It is! Here are pics of 2 of the layouts I've done lately. The one with Rick is actually scraplifted from one of Courtney's layouts.




Hope you had a great day! Have a very happy Thursday!

The Bucket List

I've been thinking a lot about death and dying lately. With Ron's death, I have been reminded of how precious life is, how important it is to let those you love know you love them before it's too late. Ron always let all who were around him how much he cared. He loved well and was well loved. I hope that this weekend his kids realized how special he was in all of our eyes. I hope that they can remember that about this weekend... that their dad was an extraordinary man and he was very loved by many people and will be truly missed.

So, at the risk of seeming morbid...we went to see The Bucket List today. Probably not the best movie to see right after a friend dies, but I thought it would be more of a comedy. There were some funny parts in it, but a comedy, it wasn't. Its about a couple of guys(Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman--both wonderful actors) who meet in the hospital because they both have cancer. They develop a friendship and they both find out on the same day that they will each have 6 months and 12 months to live. So they create this list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. And they do everything on the list. It is a great concept! So I got to wondering what it is I would like to do before I kick the bucket. So here is my list.


1. Sky diving with Chanel We've talked about it for years but just haven't.
2. Learn to belly dance
3. See Alaska
4. Go on Safari in Africa
5. Scuba dive
6. Spend a month in Europe
7. Donate a substantial amount of money to the Knoxville Alliance for the Mentally Ill
8. Bungee Jump
9. Be a Grandma
10. Wear a size 10 jeans
11. Visit NYC
12. Take my mom to Disney
13. Learn to sew
14. See Sienna graduate from college

There are probably so many more things, but you get the picture. Just something to think about.

Word from Liege

Well, I have had a sick feeling in my stomach since Monday, the day before Chanel left. I have been a nervous wreck but today I heard from her and miraculously my nausea has gone away! I'm posting her message to me. It sounds like she is managing herself just fine. She's already been flirting with a Belgian guy!


"Hey!

I am in Liege now! Everything has been going okay, it is hectic.

Everybody here knows french! Do you know why? Because the only
classes not taught in French are the MBA classes!!

So everybody around me speaks french, everybody in the city center
speaks french and i do not speak french.

Do you know how hard it is to get to a city where you have to take
three trains and one bus? tres dificil! Take how hard that is and double
it from not being able to speak the language.

so on the airplane, this belgian guy kept talking to me and i was so
excited because there was lots of room on the plane and so i knew i would
get my two seats to myself. but then this guy sat down and started
talking to me!! and i only got the seats to myself for a little bit when
i said i was tired.

but then i got here, and guess what else! my backpack broke! and now i
am trying to find a backpack that does not cost 100 dollars. i do
not like this weak dollar stuff, i have to double the price of
everything!

so then i finally found my way to the train station and got my ticket.
only i couldn't figure out where my ticket went or what train i got
on. so i am standing there and finally these people have pity on me and
say they are going to the same one and they help me get on the train
with my huge bag. it is tres dificil to get on a train with a huge bag
and then to find a spot on the train where you can sit with it.

and then once you are on the train, you must figure out how to get off
of the train at the right place.

and then once you are there, you must figure out where to go. but my
laptop is about to die so i will write more whenever i can!"
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