The Best Job in the World

My son is notorious for NOT wanting to work. Scary I know, but true. He has had odd jobs from Wendys, to Hollister, to The Athenian restaurant, and he just hated all of them. Despised them. I kept thinking to myself, Jeez, is this kid ever going to hold down a job?

Well since he was majoring in zoology at school last year (this has now changed to education) he decided to look into seeing if he could get an internship at the Columbus Zoo. Unfortunately all the internships were unpaid, and although he probably would have jumped on that, he KNOWS he needs the money for college. So as he is scrolling down the list of jobs available for the summer, he sees Street Team Character. I can just see the wheels turning in his brain at that very moment...."Whoa......street team.....dressing up like a mascot......dancing and acting goofy and get paid to do it.....It's my DREAM JOB." So he emails the guy and they really hired him sight unseen since he was away at school and could not make it in for the various job fairs, etc. Well this is his second full week and he just loves it. This is a picture of him dressed up as Polar Pete. The Columbus Zoo just opened a polar bear exhibit and this is one of the new character costumes. I know what you are thinking.....it has to be hotter than hell in that costume on a 90 degree day, and he does say it gets hot, but that has not changed his perception of this job. He still thinks it is the best job in the world. They wear ice vests under the costume and they are only in costume for 20 minutes per hour. It makes me feel good that the zoo takes such good care of them.

On Sunday they had him standing actually by the polar bear exhibit, but one of the real polar bears could see him and it was upsetting him, LOL. He kept making himself big, putting his arms out, acting scary, and soon Travis' boss came and said, lets just move you over here, out of the bears vision.

So far last night was the best though. He got to work the Columbus Clippers game. They are a semi-pro baseball team here in Columbus. When he came home I was in bed, but he flopped on the bed and said, "Mom, I got to go to a Clippers game, meet Jack Hanna, go on the field to throw out the first pitch with Jack Hanna, dance on the dugouts, and play with kids. I can't believe I get paid to do this job!!!!"

Wonders never cease......There is actually a job my son can like!!!!

Lost My Blog Mojo

Ack, I hate it. Sometimes I LOVE to blog and sometimes, especially lately, I just lose it. I don't know, maybe our lives are just not that interesting? Maybe between work and my commute I just have too much to do when I get home? Who knows, but thought I would drop in and give an update. I have been keeping up with my blog reading, just not the writing. I hope, if I have any readers left out there, that you drop a line to say hello!



Sooooo, big changes at my job. They moved me from a satellite office down to the corporate headquarters. I wasn't looking for the move, it just kinda happened. Downtown Columbus is actually physically closer to me, so rather than commuting 48 miles, I'm commuting 35. Traffic in downtown Columbus sucks. There, I said it. Actually sometimes I feel like a big girl driving on the freeway in downtown traffic. Then the feeling quickly wanes and the reality of an hour in traffic presents itself and I'm over it. I love my new boss and the people I work with mostly, but I have the distinct impression that I could not show up one day and no one would notice. I guess I just felt like I made a larger contribution at my other job. I'm hoping for more from this one definitely. I'm trying to be really positive about it and hope it ends up being a great opportunity. Time will tell. The fact is I work for a great company so I'm going to stick it out and see what happens.



John is loving his job. He just got back from Vegas late Saturday night for a conference. He had a great time. Wish I could have gone with him! It was a quick trip though.



Travis is home with 1 year of college under his belt. He did fantastic and changed his major from pre-med/pre-vet to education. I wasn't thrilled, but I'll explain more about that in another post. He is working at the zoo as a character and absolutely LOVES it! He is right in his element when he does this. It can be excruciatingly hot but they wear ice vests and are only in costume 20 minutes an hour, so they do keep an eye on them, which I think is wonderful.



I spent Memorial Day weekend in Chicago with my mom, sister and niece Kayla. We had a wonderful time. Saw the play Billy Elliott (absolutely excellent, fantabulous, awesome), saw Sex and the City 2 (See it, it's good!!!). We ate great food and shopped a lot. It was just an awesome time! While we were in Chi-town, John had my dad at the campground. That was new for Moose, but he actually had a great time! He got a kick out of some of our camping neighbors.

Lots of graduations and parties, and all of this wreaks havoc on my waistline. I AM NOT HAPPY! I'm thinking I might start Weight Watchers tomorrow. We have WW at work so it is definitely convenient. Maybe I need to use my blog to hold myself accountable???? Great idea Kim!

Talk soon!

True Confessions of the Easter Kind

Yes, I'm going to come clean.....lay it out on the line....a tell all if you will! I don't know why but I feel the need to do so.

I wanted to share with you some little know Easter facts about myself.

1. I hate PEEPs. They absolutely disgust me! Hard, soft, pink, yellow, they are all gross to me! Your peeps are safe when I'm around. Your chocolate might not be but the peeps, they are safe.

2. My favorite candy for Easter would be Reese's cups or some Gorant's candy from back home in Youngstown Ohio. OMG soooo yummy delish! They have the best butter caramels covered in chocolate! I die......I want one now.....must move on......

3. When I was growing up, we were "That Family" that only went to church on Easter. I know regular church goers hated people like us because we took up the good parking spots and seats for that one day a year when we felt compelled to go to church. Ohhhh I got a new outfit every year from dress, to hat, to shoes, to white gloves, and even had to sleep on hard rollers so not a hair was out of place, but honestly, I think it was simply to go take pictures over my aunts house and go out to dinner. I must say, as an adult I am very faithful. I BELIEVE! As a child....not so much..... Funny thing, now my parents do not miss a week of church. Go figure.

4. What amazes me about #3 is that my son turned out to be a devout catholic IN SPITE of me and the fact that he has not really been raised in the church. I love that my 19-year old goes to church every single Sunday while he is away at college. In fact, for New Years, he and a friend went to Florida with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) National Convention. He was completely moved by the whole thing, over 4000 college kids at a resort in Orlando (I can't help but think this had something to do with him going to the convention). He said it was amazing!

5. I have not colored Easter eggs in about 8 years. I know, terrible, right???? If it was Christmas everyone would be calling me Ebeneezer....but what do you call someone who ignores an Easter tradition like coloring eggs?

Well there it is.....my Easter true confessions. I'm sorry if I have disappointed you, LOL.

Happy Easter!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Spring bursts today, for Christ is risen and all the earth's at play.

- Christina Rossetti

Hope this Easter day finds everyone well and able to enjoy some rest and relaxation. That is pretty much what we did. Well......after we cleaned and put our things back into our living room and family room from having our carpets cleaned yesterday. I will tell you though, it feels wonderful to have a clean house! I generally keep my house picked up, although John would say that is a LIE and to that I would have to flip him off in my head ;o)

Seriously I do try to keep it picked up most times and at any given time someone could stop over and I could invite them in without being embarrassed. However, like I said, cleaning every room (with the exception of my office which is my official pigsty and room keeper of all things that have no other place yet) feels good. We laugh because I probably dust once a week, if we are lucky, but I think John's mom dusted every single day. They threw her dustrag in her grave with her, that's how serious a duster she was! We say she probably rolls over in her grave when she sees the dust in our house sometimes, especially with the renovations. Anyway, today we thought, she HAS to be smiling down because not only did we dust, WE POLISHED!!!

Moving on.......

We were on our own today. Travis had spring break a few weeks ago, and he didn't want to come home, since it wasn't even a long weekend. So he ended up going to my brothers house, which is about 20 minutes from Miami University. From what I understand it was a fantastic weekend. I was really happy for Travis to get to spend some time with Frank and his family as well!

So what did you all have for Easter Dinner. Below I have added a pictorial of our dinner. It was fan-freakin-tabulous!

First there was this.......Filets on the grill and he did sweet onions as well. Soooo wonderfully delicious!

Then there was this......... Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and I must say they were the best I have done so far!

We also had this.......... Tomato mozzarella salad, which is something I live on for most of the summer. I'm telling you it is awesome with home-grown tomatoes from our garden.

Here is a pic of John slaving away at the grill!

And lastly........Look who doesn't run away when we leave him outside!!! Jackson used to take every opportunity to get outside and run as fast as he could away from us. He was a maniac, kinda like Forrest Gump, run, run run. John had some time to work with him while he was off this winter and Jackson can literally go outside with us and we can trust him not to run away. Now I still hook him up if he is going to be out there any length of time, just because I'm anal like that. PS: Don't look at the ugly deck! John is planning a new one this spring....which I need to go remind him that it is spring NOW!

Ugh I could just eat that little doggie face up! He is a little old man. Since we adopted him we don't know exactly how old he is, but we figure he was 3 when we got him, which was right before we got married nearly 7 years ago, so my sweet doggie is probably 10. He still has alot of spunk in him though! I know he is looking forward to being a camping dog a couple weeks from now!

OH some other good news.....planning a trip to Florida in the fall to see my Aunt and Uncle and cousins. John and I plan to get away a bit on our own. We invited my parents to go as well. I NEEDED something to look forward to so Phew, glad that is on the agenda!!

I think we are going to watch Blindside tonight. I'm probably the LAST person to see it, I swear!

Well that is about it for us! I will be back soon. Promise it won't be so long between posts!

Kim

Wednesday's Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts.......

• If you want to see something really funny, feed your dog mashed potatoes.....It might just be Jackson, but he was hilarious!

• I miss Travis on days where there are 2 hour delays or school is cancelled.

• I thought the 9 inches of snow we got was absolutely beautiful. Iwished I had my camera with me the other day when I was driving home. I don't mind driving in it, but it is getting old.

• I have alot of exciting weekends coming up!

• Houses in the midst of renovation (mainly my own), with lots of work left to be done piss me off!

• In addition to that, I find that picking out paint colors scares me! I don't want to make a mistake, and yet paint is so cheap. Why do I care??!!

• I miss my friend Jennifer at work~

• I missed my hair appointment this week.....crap! I need to call them.

• I have realized that the only mascara that really works for me is Mary Kay.

• I think Pandora bracelets are cool.

Until next week America........

Tuesdays at the Table

Hey All!

Thought I would share a great low calorie dessert recipe with you all. I kinda combined 2 different recipes for this one. Sorry I don't have any pictures.

Pinapple Angel Food Cake

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
1 can crushed pinapple in it's own juice + 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple drained
1 tub light or fat free cool whip
1 small sugar free vanilla instant pudding.

Mix the can of crushed pineapple with the angel food cake mix and pour into a baking dish. Bake as directed on the box. You will want to spray the baking disk with Pam. Remove from oven when done and cool.

Mix whipped cream, 1/2 c to 1 cup of drained crushed pineapple (depending on how much pineapple you really like. Me....I love pineapple so I used alot), and vanilla instant pudding mix and frost cake on this. It gives it a pretty thick layer of icing.

Enjoy. This recipe is so light and fresh!!

Be sure to hop on over to All the Small Stuff and check out the other recipes! Looks like some good ones this week!!

Superbowl Schmuperbowl.....

Well it is time for the superbowl and I'm not really into either team so I'm sitting here bored and thought I would say hey! I would bet....well if I actually did bet, I would bet on the Colts, but my son is for the saints. I just like the name Peyton Manning better and I also like the color of the uniforms better. Poland colors, LOL.

So what's new everyone???

We started a Live Well at Battelle program at work focussing on a healthy lifestyle and so far I have lost 3 pounds. We are all wearing pedometers at work. Did you know that you are supposed to walk 10,000 steps per day? Dang, I'm nowhere close, but I did almost hit 5000 the other day. I actually love the pedometer though, it makes me want to walk more, and my friend Pam at work and I were dancing and walking through the department trying to beat one another on steps. It was kinda funny....Me: I'm going to get the mail. Pam: I'll go get the mail... Me: No I will. Pam: Fine, I'll get our water then. Me: No I can get my own water.... It was kinda like that all day Friday. Hey what's a little competition???

Speaking of work, it was my friend Jennifer's last day on Friday. I will miss her so much! She is such a great person and so awesome to work with and for. It definitely won't be the same without her for sure!

All is well on the Travis Front. He has joined a fraternity, and don't ask me which one because I can't remember. He is having fun rushing and if they know what's good for them they better not be hazing him. When I called Friday and got his voice mail he was giving the daily weather report....that is one of his things he has to do until rushing is over, LOL. It was funny!

Well this has to go down in history as the most boring post ever, LOL. Sorry!

I have nacho's in the oven so I guess I'll go grab those and sit with John and eat them.

Have a great one!!

Top 10 7 Things of 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope this new year brings all kinds of good things to you and yours!!

With the coming of the new year, I have done a lot of reflecting on the past year and thought I would jot down the Top 10 Events from the year as they pertain to me. However, I could not think of 10 things so this will be the Top 7 list for me, and I may need to come back and update! Most deal with Travis since this was such a big year for him, and in that sense, it made it a big year for me.

#7: Travis starred in the high school play "Sugar" which is a spoof of the movie Some Like it Hot with Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis. He did FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!! Our mouths dropped when we heard him sing because he really never showed any interest or real talent in that area. I mean he used to sing in the car, etc. But never did we think he would star in a musical where most of his scenes had him singing his heart out. Awesome show!

#6: Travis graduated. Wow, 19 years ago I had a baby boy and I blinked once or twice and he was graduating. He graduated as salutatorian and we could not have been prouder!! Travis loved high school and it showed. He rarely missed a day and really enjoyed the social time it gave him too. He made lifelong friends here at River Valley and for that we are all grateful.

#5: Travis went away to college at Miami University. Sooooo very sad to see him go, but he settled right into college life. It amazes me! After a rocky start with a low test score in Chemistry, he figured out what college test taking is all about and ended the semester with a 3.4 GPA. Awesome job Travis!!

#4: Got a new job! Out with the old, in with the new. After working for Outsourcing Solutions Inc. for the past 6 years as a QA Coordinator, I quit due to an opportunity that literally landed in my lap. I got a call from my old boss at WorkMED who has now relocated in Columbus and works for a large company here. They were hiring an administrative assistant to help out in the Health Services Department. Although I went from no commute to a 50 minute commute, I absolutely love my job and the challenges and opportunities it presents to me. I love working with people again. I was starting to feel isolated in the transcription business.

#3: Won the Outstanding Performance Award at Battelle. Just one month after I started I won the Outstanding Performance Award, which is an award they present to people that make a difference in their job. You have to be nominated and then a committee votes (I believe) and it was very humbling when I received it. Like I said, I love my job so it is easy to make a difference.

#2: WE GOT A NEW RV!!! Yep, the camping bug bit us once again. Who knew I would love to camp. One day I was sitting at work and I called John and said, hey why don't you go put an offer on that RV we looked at. It was a used one that was in great shape. They didn't accept our offer and were asking way too much so we went to Cincinnati and bought a new one. It is a Rockwood 26 feet. John is way used to his 40 footer so this was a real downsize for him, but so far we just love it!! We spent the summer trying out different campgrounds and found one we really like!

#1: Home Renovations. As exciting as this is, not a room in our house is untouched right now and I'm starting to not like it, LOL. We started with new windows, went to siding, and then the addition of a bathroom. When it is done I'll love it, but it seems to be slow going.

So there are the biggies for me in 2009. It is nice to look back and see what happened. I'm looking forward to a health, happy 2010!!! I wish the same for each of you!

Just Checking In!

Hello! It's been awhile I know! So much going on but just thought I would pop on and say hey!! Hope all is well with all of my readers, which I probably have almost lost by this point. I do seriously miss keeping up with my blog! I do ave a good excuse though, LOL. Well if you could call any excuse a good excuse.

I have been so busy with the job and it doesn't really afford me the time to keep up, BUT WORSE THAN THAT.....I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. Ewww, I'll have to post about what led up to the diagnosis, but for now I will tell you that I now have my bi-pap machine in hand and it is seriously my new BFF! I am sleeping so well all through the night. I still, at times, want to nap during the day. Like I took one both yesterday and today, but the respiratory therapist says it takes the body time to heal and I will feel like that. However, I am not the bone-tired, come home from work, plop on the couch and sleep for 2 hours tired that I was. I wake up feeling refreshed and have no problems with my drive to work. It seriously was getting to the point that I was nearly falling asleep on the way home from work, and having to pull over to take a small nap. That happened 3 times and I knew I was in trouble and either going to get killed or kill someone. So anyhow, things are good. I woke up today and cleaned the house, did the floors in the kitchen and bathroom, scrubbed the kitchen, ironed the new curtains for my living room, ...... LOL. Things I have not had the energy for in months. I'm comin' back people!!

Still not decorated for Christmas and debated about not putting up a tree at all, but to me, that is just the height of laziness in my case, and I will get it up. Travis will be coming home from college this week and I want to have the house decorated by the time he gets home.

Speaking of Travis in college, he is just rockin! He has a 3.4 GPA and with the caliber of his classes, we couldn't be more pleased! He will be working at Marion General Hospital while he is home and also spending New Years in Florida. Should be a good break for him.

John is doing good. Deep in the throes of home renovations. I'll have to post some pics. We are adding on a bathroom. John also had the house sided and replaced the windows. It looks great. Thanks honey!

Well that is it for me now. Give me a comment if you stop by! I would love to hear from you!!

Hello Blog World!

Well it has been awhile hasn't it? Jeez I don't even know where to begin! I'll start with the good stuff! Travis is in college at Miami University and is doing fantastic! He loves college. John and I went down this weekend and seeing him so focussed and goal oriented was just amazing. I mean seriously, I can't believe it is my son. He was so NOT that in high school. Grades came easily to him. Now he has to work at it but does so willingly! John and I were both just amazed. I know I said that but I can't think of another word.....amazed......thats it......

I started a new job in August working for the Battelle Corporation in Columbus and I love it. I'm working for my old boss from WorkMED, Deb, and that has just been a pleasure. The whole office is fun. I work for the Health Services Department and am the medical records custodian and senior office assistant. I have to say it is nice to have a job that is basically over at 5. I leave without a ton of stuff on my mind of things I have to accomplish, knowing there is no way humanly possible I could do it. This is more laid back, easy going, and the people are great! They are sending me to Utah......in January. OK I know, it will be chilly and I'm wondering why it can't be Key West, but whatever, LOL! I do have a commute of nearly an hour each way but so far it has not bothered me at all.

One thing though......I'm sick! I have the cold from hell! It sucks!! I can't breathe and keep coughing. I'm tired, and whatever, blah blah blah. I know you are all probably going through it as well. I hope it doesn't hang on for long. I'm so ready for it to leave me!

John is doing well. Same old same old. We have been doing some camping and that is always fun. John loves to camp! I love the campfires he builds, so it works, LOL!

Well thats about it for us. Hoping all is well for everyone!!

Have a GREAT DAY!!

CHANGES.......

So yet again I have been gone for some time! I don't know why really, because I do have a lot to write about. I think I really just haven't felt like writing about it all. Sooooo where to begin.....

I quit my job at OSI. I know, right??? Can you believe it?? Phew, after 6 years I decided to call it quits. I have a new job that I start on Monday with the Battelle Corporation in West Jefferson Ohio. When I say the job literally just landed in my lap, IT DID!! To be honest, I have been contemplating working outside the house for awhile now. With Travis going away to school (next week, OMG!!), and not in high school anymore, my social life will be in the toilet, LOL. His school functions WERE my social functions. Take that component out....and all I have is this boring life. I'm a transplant here in Waldo, and working from home does not lend itself to making new friends much. Sooooo, like I said I had been contemplating getting a job outside the house. One day my phone rang and it was Deb Cardlin, my boss at WorkMED in Youngstown, Ohio. We parted ways in 1999. She left WorkMED and moved to California. I left WorkMED and worked from home after a brief stint at Microsys Computing, (and dear Lord, I HATED THAT JOB AT MICROSYS)!!

Fast forward 10 years. I had heard Deb lived down in this area but was unable to get ahold of her. Anyway, one sunny day in June my phone rings and it is her. Her exact words to me were, I have a job that has your name all over it. I will be working for their Health Services Dept. It is a very complex job and to be honest, I know some, but not all so what I'll be doing will have to remain a mystery to everyone for awhile. I do know that I'll, be administrating physicals, drug screens, background checks, vaccinations, etc. It took awhile to make the decision to leave OSI, but seeing as they are offshoring alot of the work and alot is going to speech, and they are reorganizing quite a bit, I felt like the writing might be on the wall. Seems like middle management is the most expendable. That coupled with the fact that I truly loved working with Deb at WorkMED made the decision for me. The ONLY drawback, and one that has me extremely worried.....there is a commute, a commute of 40 minutes! Holy SH*T, what am I thinking??? I go from a commute across the hall to a commute on major freeways of 40 minutes. But when I weighed the pros versus the cons, everything pointed to go!!

Leaving OSI was bittersweet. I have made a lot of good friends there. I love, love, love my team. They are some of the greatest people. I think they were all in complete shock when i told them. It was a well kept secret, and I had to keep it for a long time while I went through a background check of my own. They are all nervous because of the changes that have been happening, but I truly think they will be fine. Lots are keeping in touch so far which has been great!! Gotta love facebook for that!!

Anyway, I start this new journey in my life on Monday. Next week will be a week full of firsts for me, with Travis leaving for college on Thursday, along with this new job, and me commuting to work. Please keep us in your thoughts! My biggest fear, by far, is dropping my son off at college the day before his 19th birthday, and pulling away. Ewwwww, I get poopy tummy just thinking about it. What happened to that sweet little baby I had 19 years ago? He's a man and it's time for him to make his own way, starting at Miami University. I'm so proud of my baby!

Well that's about it for us! I'll be back to more posting soon. I have been keeping up with all the blogs I follow and it is great to see all that is going on with all of you!!

Friday Night Observation......

Men with dirty, disgusting, skanky feet and disgustingly long toenails should never, EVER, EVER wear sandals to a restaurant, when nice people (like me) are trying to enjoy a meal. OK, that's all I'm really going to say about that........ Gotta go and try to clear the vision that has been etched into my brain forever!

Hello!!

Hey there everyone! Hope you are all well. I am back from a long and much-needed hiatus from blogging. I missed it though!! Tried to keep up with the blogs I follow though so I haven't completely lost touch!!

I am really bummed though! I had hoped to share some pictures with you and for some reason I cannot get them off of my camera and on to the computer. Whateva! I will figure it out and post some soon.

Sooooo, what's been going on with me you ask? Ok maybe you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell anyhow. We just got back from a weeklong vacation. We started out on Friday the 17th driving north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We were there to celebrate my father's 80th birthday. My sister has a home on Lake Michigan, so 21 of us made the treck at one point or another, and it was wonderful celebrating in true "Moose" fashion. Moose is my dad's nickname, and he LOVES to party!! While there, we went to Mackinaw City, Travis and his friend Austin went to Mackinaw Island, we met up with a girl I work with who lives about 1/2 hour from my sister. I know, right???? Who lives up in the U.P.??? We also visited the town of Petoskey, which is just a quaint little seaside town. Besides that, we spent alot of evenings down by the beach where we built fires and, yes I must admit, downed refreshments.....

We left Michigan on Wednesday and drove 8 hours home. Did a few loads of laundry till 1 a.m. and then woke up early to leave for another 10 hour trip South to South Carolina. OMG YES, we are NUTS! John's son recently had a baby and we have been dying to see him, and so, well no time like the present right? We got there in time to meet them for dinner and see the precious little guy, along with John's granddaughter Madison and his son and daughter-in-law. Basically we just hung out while there, and ate way too much. It was a wonderful visit! John and Taylor are awesome hosts and ahhhh, what I wouldn't give to snuggle on that little baby again!!

So I definitely gained weight while on vacation, which actually sucks because I DID NOT NEED TO GAIN WEIGHT!! So I'm on a diet. Struggling but I'm workin it the best I can. Please keep me in your thoughts, because I really need to watch right now!! I swear to God I have no willpower.

There are some other things going on personally that I will talk about later this week, but for now I want to keep those to myself. Actually just till tomorrow, when I tell the people I have to tell and then I can tell the world! Good things......

Poor Jackson Gepperheimer was in the kennel for 10 days, bless his sweet little heart!! He was so darn happy to see us, and I could not wait to see his little self! He has been gettin lots of love and scritchin today!

We are T minus 4-weeks and counting till Travis leaves for school. I can't believe it is here already, and I really need to get busy and start getting stuff together!

Well that's about all I can think of for now! Hope you all have a wonderful day. I have missed the blogosphere. It's good to be back!!

Hey Everyone!! Updates ~

Well Jeesh, it has been awhile and for that I apologize! It's just, well, I didn't have much to say. Dear God, I didn't have much to say? I must be coming down with something.....let me check my temp....

Actually it has been quiet around here. Travis spent the week up at his dad's in Youngstown. I bit the bullet and let him drive up there. It was a nail-biting 3 hours but the fact is, he has been a little down since graduating and I think he needed the change of scenery. He did well and sounds like he has had a great week visiting family and friends from his old school. He will be back tomorrow and then we have a couple weeks till vacation, and then after that, a few weeks till he leaves for school. Crazy. This summer is going to go so fast!

The big news.....John's son had a baby boy on 6/16, Davis John. He is so precious! I can't wait to get my hands on him! I'll have to post some pictures. He is a big boy, so alert. He doesn't look like a newborn. Now John is chomping at the bit to make a road trip to South Carolina so we can see the little guy, and his son and DIL and Davis' big sister Madison.

Work has been crazy. My boss was let go at the beginning of the month so there have been lots of changes and uncertainty in our department. The higher-ups are doing their best to ease our minds with regards to our own jobs, and we are doing our best to ease the minds of our teams, but it does seem as though the mood has changed so to speak. Everyone seems a little down, or a little cautious maybe?

Tonight we are going to the G&R, Waldo's famous restaurant for Fried Bologna Sandwiches. LOL it is our claim to fame! Anyway, we are meeting some friends down there. I'm really looking forward to it. I have been in a funk so maybe this will get me out of it!

OHHHH and we got a new car!!!! Long story. I had leased a Mercury Milan 3 years ago and the lease was up. So we either had to buy that car (which I wanted to do) or get a new one. Of course the sales men make buying a new one sound so great. We ended up doing that, and I got a new Mercury Milan Premier. It has all the bells an whistles. However, they did not close out our lease before selling us the new car and so now we are fighting about a $1547 bill we were slapped with on the lease for mileage. Had we known this we would have just bought the other one. So we are disputing that but who knows. We feel they should have settled up on the old lease first so we knew exactly what we were looking at. Not sell us a new car and then say, Ohhhh by the way, you owe us $1547.....

At any rate, I love my new car. Leather seats, moon roof, it is white but kinda opaque. It has Sync, hands free phone that works from my cell phone. It has climate control too which I really like. I loved my old Milan and this one is great too! I just think they are a great car!

Well that's about it for us. Hope you all are doing well!! Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

Tuesday's at the Table

Carmelized Onion and Garlic Chicken

Today's TATT recipe is kind of a mixture of a couple recipes I found on the internet and combined. In an effort to eat more healthy, I have been trying alot of recipes with chicken lately and for some reason, boneless skinless thighs have caught my attention. I don't really like chicken all that much, but for some reason, boneless skinless thighs on the grill taste wonderful. Well I'm bored of that already, LOL. So I tried this and it was delish!!

I used 1 and 1/2 package of boneless skinless thighs.

2 T olive oil

2 large onions sliced

4 cloves garlic minced, or throw some already chopped garlic in there.

1/3 C of brown sugar

2 T. white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Put 2 T of olive oil in a frying pan and put the onions and garlic in. Cook, stirring for 10 minutes or until soft. Stir in sugar and vinegar and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes.

While that is cooking, spray a baking dish with Pam. Put your chicken in the baking dish and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the onion mixture over the top of the chicken and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the onions are getting too dark towards the end of the cooking time. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Stop over to visit Cole at All The Small Stuff for more Tuesday's at the Table recipes.

Curious.....

I was just kinda curious.....Do any of your husbands or significant others get jealous of the time you spend on the computer?

I try not to play into it, but dang, every time he comes up and sees me on the computer I start getting the comments...."Oh there ya are" (said very snarky I might add), or "That's what you need to be doing." He just came up here and I was looking at my work newsletter online and said "There's what you should be doing" and I said, do you have any idea at all what I'm doing? He asked what and I said, not that I owe ya an explanation, but it is my work newsletter.

He fondly refers to Facebook as Assbook. OK that one did make me laugh, but still.

I honestly don't know why he gets like that. I try not to play into it at all, because, quite frankly, if I want to sit my a$$ at the computer all night long, I'm damn well gonna do it!

I do think he might think that because I work from home I spend the better part of my life in this office, and he cannot understand why I would want to be in here during my time off. What he doesn't understand is that just because he feels that way doesn't mean I have to feel that way.

I just love being on the computer. I so know that 99% of you reading this can relate to that comment or you would not be here :o) I love reading blogs, searching the internet, checking email, etc.

I was just curious.....

Well I'm off to read the rest of my favorite blogs, check out facebook, twitter, play on YoVille......That should put me off the computer around 10ish......Take that, bastage! JK!! JK!!

Weekend Round-Up x3

Hi!! I know I have been slacking in my blogging. I can't really put my finger on why. Is it because I don't really want to talk about what has been going on? Maybe if I avoid it, things didn't really or will not happen? It has been an emotional 3 weeks or so. All good things happening, but emotional just the same.

On May 24th Travis graduated. I was dreading it. So very proud and excited for him, and yet, I could not help but feeling like my baby is now grown up and moving on. He doesn't need the mama too much anymore. It was a beautiful day. My parents came down, his other grandparents, and his dad and step mom. I really did not cry till the end, when I looked across the stadium and saw his best friend's mom crying. How could I see this right? I could. She kept dabbing her eyes. Her husband passed away last year and it was so hard for her to see her son Kit graduating without his father there, understandably. So that is the only time I cried. Yep, I'm pretty proud, LOL. Below is a picture of Travis with Kit. As you can see, Kit was bawling his eyes out too :o)

We had a bit of a surprise in that he ended up being Salutatorian. His GPA was 3.96. So close to Valedictorian. We laugh because he did not loose his 4.0 on AP Calculus or anything like that. No, he lost it in Spanish.

Below is a picture from prom. He was prom King and this was with the Queen. I just thought they both looked so sweet in it.

So then came his party on June 6th. It seemed like everything that could go wrong did go wrong. However, in the end it all came together and we had a great time!!

This past Friday and yesterday we were at Miami University for orientation. What a great time! I think that Miami will be a great fit for Travis. He is excited and nervous. He was so upset about scheduling and what should he take and what should he not take. I just told him to chill out and relax. His life does not need to be decided today. That seemed to relax him. He has some tough courses and his schedule is spread out all over the day. That did not exite him in any way, shape, or form, LOL. Move in day is August 20th. The day before his birthday. That is my next day of dread, LOL. I'm thrilled for him to be moving on, honestly I am!

Today was a majorly lazy day for John and I. I have had to work, so in between checking emails I took a nap, and watched the Nascar race with him. It was nice. We have been so busy lately that it was a welcome break to lay around and veg. I'm looking forward to our vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Should be a GREAT TIME!

OMG I lost 2 followers. I'm so sad! Ohhh well, hopefully they will come back someday.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Tuesday's At the Table

You know, every so often my hubby John G. gets a hankerin for some comfort food. This is one of his favorites. It is amazingly easy!!

CUBE STEAKS IN GRAVY

Spray a baking dish with Pam. Take 6 cube steaks and place them in the baking dish. Cover with 2 jars of Heinz Beef Gravy. You can make your own homemade gravy but I never do because I pretty much suck at that, LOL. Anyway, open a can of mushrooms and spread evenly over the gravy. You can also cut up onion and spread that on as well. Cover with foil and bake for at least 1 hour, but check it and see. It comes out very tender. I serve this with mashed potato's and corn or salad and we are all set.

Be sure to check out My Chihuahua Bites for more great recipes!!

Back From My Sabbatical

Hello! Long time no blog. I have seriously missed it! It has been a crazy 2 weeks and I'm glad I'm on the back side of the graduation and then the party. The party was this past weekend and it went off without a hitch! OK well there were a few hitches, but it was what it was and no one noticed any of the little things that went wrong.

So now on to bigger and better things. We have college orientation coming up! Dangggg, no time wasted!

Well I need to run for now, just wanted to send a quick hello! Talk to you all soon!

Aloha Friday

Happy Aloha Friday!! You know the drill. I ask a question and you answer.....and then you hop on over to An Island Life and check out all the other Aloha Friday questions.

It is great fun to hop around, blog to blog to blog answering questions. Go figure!

Today's Question......Since I have graduation on the mind......

How many graduation parties are you invited to this year.....

And.....Does anyone have any neat ideas for gifts that are not obnoxiously expensive?

Of course I was invited to a zillion parties this year since Travis graduated and I have been giving each one $20 and guess what.....I'm slowly going broke!

I'll post more on the graduation festivities tomorrow. It has been alot of fun, and I'm soooo very proud of myself.....I've been keeping my emtions intact!!

Talk soon!