My Charmed Life

TIME'S MAKIN' CHANGES...

2011-08-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is lately, but I am completely obsessed with my age. And wanting to go back in time, to about the summer of 1988, when I was 11 years old. I think about how things are now, compared to how things were then, and every day I long more and more to turn back the hands of time. Just to experience the little things again...
Every summer, two of my best friends spent almost every Monday-Friday at their grandparent's house; which was right down the dead end road from my house. The only thing separating us was a quarter-mile of beat up asphalt, 3 hay fields, and a corn field (which sometimes rotated to an oats field). We would take turns riding our bikes or walking to the other's house in the morning, come home for lunch, (sometimes spending that time together too), and then doing it all over again in the afternoon. I loved visiting them most. Their grandparent's had a farm and I loved feeding the cows and the pigs, playing with the kittens, laying on our backs, legs crossed, on bales of hay chatting about boys and our dreams on hay wagons in the hot summer sun. We also made "deer beds" in the hay field and played hide-and-go-seek in the corn fields. I remember how sweet the air smelled when the alfalfa was in full bloom on the hottest summer nights. It was intoxicating. (That smell still makes me smile today). We also caught tadpoles that hatched out in the big water tanks outside for the cattle.

Sometimes we even got dirty and did some work. Baling hay was actually FUN. And the best part was, they hired a really hot boy my age and his dad. As soon as the hay fell, I knew it was a matter of 2, maybe 3 days, and I would see him. He'd come out and spend all day baling, and then we'd all spend the evenings unloading. After we were finished, the farmers had a FABULOUS lunch that we all enjoyed. All of us kids, (me, my two girl friends, my little brother, and "the hot boy"), would opt to eat outside and chase lightning bugs and talk about "summer stuff". The days it rained, I was truly sad because I knew I wouldn't be seeing that boy and his dad cruising down that dead end road on their way to work on the farm. And that would be a day I didn't get to see him smile. Or hear him laugh. Or see his sparkly brown eyes.

Tonight as my Beloved and I were taking our ritual drive around "the country block" looking for furries and enjoying the sunset, I was telling him how when we were kids, we only watched TV when there was nothing to do outside. Summer seemed to last forever; I never counted down the days and I was able to enjoy it so much more. We used to pick these weeds out of the ditches and when you put them in a bonfire, they made a Snap! Crackle! Pop! sound like Rice Krispies. Pop Rocks were a scientific marvel. We would take a stick, and some string and put a hook on the end and let it hang in my grandparent's creek all day long and never get bored. We'd catch minnows in that same creek, just to watch them swim around in our bucket for awhile and then we'd let them go. We'd climb their maple tree and lay up there in silence for hours, content just to be above the world and watch it turn. We'd run in the hay fields and catch butterflies to study their colors while they sat quietly in a jar. Then we'd let them fly away.
Lightning bugs didn't get off so easily though... *laughing* My brother and his friends would catch them, pinch them til they popped and swipe the juice on their face like war paint. It only lasted a few seconds, but if you were good, you could do two at the same time and make both cheeks glow at once! Although I couldn't do the actual "popping", I did let them paint me. *shakes head* Why I let them smear bug guts on my face is beyond me! *laughing*
I remember walking in my grandparent's house in the evening while Grampa was watching Brewer games. (I can still hear the commentary in my head). But he would always stop watching and give me his full attention. Sometimes I'd even sit and watch with him, while he explained the finer points of the game to me. (And sometimes he shared his *a-hem* "expert opinions" as well). Gram was usually in the kitchen baking, or going through recipes deciding what she was going to bake the following day. There was almost always fresh watermelon cut, and some delectable dessert to sample, and she was always willing to sit and chat at her giant oak kitchen table. Gram's kitchen was ALWAYS open. You could never leave hungry.
I loved watching her do laundry. She had one of those old-school wringer-washers with the 2 rollers that squeezed the water out of your clothes and flattened them like a pancake, until about 1999. And that's how she liked it. They didn't have a telephone until the 90's either. They just didn't see a need for it. But as they got older, their children insisted on it, for their safety. So they gave in.
I loved spending the weekend there. I'd wake up to the sound of "AM 1360 WOZZ" old country and breakfast was always worthy of a blue ribbon. I'd spend the mid-morning coloring or playing the piano or exploring the upstairs and all the old photo albums and antiques. When lunch rolled around, we'd all sit together and Grampa would read the paper. The afternoon was spent outside, playing in the garden or the tree or by the creek. Dinner was excellent. I always walked away stuffed and pretty much ready for bed. I'd snuggle on the couch and watch TV, or back in those days I'd listen to my "Walkman" with musical selections like Bon Jovi, White Lion, GNR, Martika, Debbie Gibson, New Kids On The Block or Milli Vanilli. (Yes, messed up, I know). But the cool night breeze cruising through the living room window carrying the scents of summer along with the chirping of crickets and frogs was the ultimate country lullaby.
As hard and as often as I wish for it, and hope for it, and pray for it, I know I'll never get those days back. Grampa is in heaven, Gram is almost 95 and can no longer live at home. My girl friends are all grown up and have moved away. The neighbors quit farming, one has passed away. My brother doesn't want to chase lightning bugs anymore. "The hot boy" is still hot *laughs* but doesn't work for the neighbor anymore. I DEFINITELY don't listen to Milli Vanilli anymore.
I'm trying to continue Gram's culinary legacy, practicing (screwing up) her recipes on a daily basis. I'll never have the magic touch that she did, but maybe I can create a little magic of my own.
The one thing I can do, is continue to enjoy the moments that still occur, like the sweet smell of alfalfa in the air...the sound of the frogs and crickets...And I might even climb that maple tree before this summer is over....

I HAVE A STORY TO TELL...

2011-02-09T14:25:00.000-06:00

For a very long time, I've been told by MANY people, I should write a book based on "my life". I've gone through some pretty traumatic stuff. And for that reason, everyone thinks I should crank out a book. I can't tell you how many times people have heard what happened and then said, "OH MY GOD! THAT'S MOVIE MATERIAL!" I have a hard time wrapping my head around a concept like that...

Writing about that time of my life would be really difficult for many reasons. It would be painful to relive those moments, even if just in my mind, and I've tried really hard for many years to move past it. So why erase the progress (how large or small it may be), I've already made? That was between 17 and 19 years ago. During a pivotal time in life. I missed so many rites of passage...prom, homecoming, graduating with honors, going out with friends on the weekends, so many things so many other teenagers get to do. I missed them all.

When people are sitting around reliving their first kiss, first date, date to prom, etc., I'm trying to escape because those are all topics I don't want to discuss. It's time I can never get back, and it just makes me SAD. I WANTED to maybe be on the pom squad, I WANTED to go to homecoming and prom, I WANTED to go to the movies with friends on the weekends... Instead, I was locked in an abusive relationship and I was lucky to ever even see daylight, let alone other people. I was even torn from my family. They were made to be my "enemies". How twisted is that? I can't believe I FELL FOR IT. It's crazy what the mind can do...but I digress...

Even if I "wanted" to write about all of this, I'm not sure I could. I have forced so much of it to the furthest corner of my mind that I'm not sure if I want to, or even COULD, bring it forth again to write about it in detail. Some of the events will NEVER be erased or even dulled, but some of the day to day "normal" things are all but forgotten. What sucks is that, along with trying to mentally erase all of those day to day memories that were bad, also goes some of the good that happened during the same time. Birthdays, stories grandparents told me, family events, just "things" that I would have LIKED to remember...I CAN'T. Perhaps under a state of hypnosis I could, but really, would it be worth it? To maybe bring myself back to a state of sheer terror and panic and confusion? All to write a book for the world that may never even appreciate it for the lesson that lies within? And!! Do I REALLY want the world to KNOW *I* went through that? Am I ready to see my name and story in print? Will I want to rip every book off of every shelf out of embarrassment because I allowed such despicable things to take place? Could I really handle putting my entire life on "display"? Huh. I. DON'T. KNOW.

THE MAGIC OF CIVICS...

2010-09-22T22:40:00.001-05:00

If anyone had told me 20 years ago, that I would have spent the last 15 minutes before sunset walking across a hay field watching the skies for geese, inhaling the scent of Gio cologne wafting through the air that my crush from junior high was wearing, I would have told them they were completely insane. And yet, it's true. I did that tonight. I'm sitting here right now shaking my head and smiling, knowing my history with this boy.
It all started in my 7th grade Civics class. I scored a seat in the back corner of the room, right by the door. So when the "hall monitors" came to pick up the attendance for that hour, I had a prime view. Of course the teacher for this class was beyond cool...Mr. 'M' was young and had a knack for relating to the younger generation while still maintaining a necessary level of authority. He also thought it be "fun" to play on the "weakness" of a "little girl's" crush. He caught me gazing at this boy every time he came around. He'd even prolong my "agony" by holding him up with casual conversation. It was SO HARD not to just stare at this boy and soak up every feature, his sparkly eyes, his cute blond hair, his intoxicating smile...*sigh*....yes, this boy had everything a 7th grade girl could ever want or dream of. He was a year older than I, and hung with the popular crowd if I remember correctly; which meant a few things, one of which was that he was waaaa-haay out of my league. So I was left with nothing but my daily dose of the boy when he came to pick up attendance. And somehow, that was good enough for me. BUT...hoooo-hoooo, BUT--Mr. M, sensed that I wanted more. So during his "casual" conversation with the boy, I heard him mention my name along with "she's cute right?" All I could think was "Oh, holy fuuuuuuck." I don't think I looked at the boy for a week after that, for fear he would somehow think I had asked Mr. M to say those things to him about me. But I couldn't hold out any longer than a week. No way. I missed his eyes. I missed his smile. I missed his voice. I missed his laugh. And technically, he'd never know these things. And he never did.
Then, one faithful day, September 1, 2009, as I was laying in the middle of a wheat field, on opening day of goose season, I was checking FaceBook. On my page, "the boy" had been my "friend" even though we'd never actually spoken. But we have mutual friends and went to school together--and well--you know how FaceBook works. So I see a post from the boy stating: Text me the goose report *cell number*. I half laughed and half cringed because, here I was, in the PERFECT position to communicate with the boy, but so I go out on a limb and actually DO IT?! Well, either I was feeling especially brave that morning or the lack of sleep caused a temporary lapse of good judgment in my brain because I just "DID IT". When I hit "send", I screamed inside and squeezed my eyes shut waiting for the backlash. It wasn't 10 minutes later that my BlackBerry chirped and I had one new text. Oh crap. My heart started pounding but I knew I had to finish what I started. The text read something to the effect of: "thanks, who is this?". Then I was like shiiiiiit. So I decided to bust out my wits and go to war with the boy. So I replied that I was the queen of the GOOSE MAFIA and he requested the goose report so who better to get it from than "ME"?? So eventually he nailed it down to who I was and we "joked" about a joint hunt someday.
WELL...turns out "someday" wasn't too far off in the future. We planned to meet out at the "D.O.T." In October, just about a month after our first contact. I was sooooo excited....but sooooo-oooh nervous. I'd say there were butterflies in my tummy but that would be completely inaccurate. It was more like BATS flop'n around in there. So finally, we meet he jumps out of his truck, and turns around, and this wave of heat washed over me. I was instantly that "little girl" back in 7th grade, with the crush on the 8th grade 7th hour hall monitor. His eyes, his smile...all fully intact. Damn him. But I had to get it together. So I tried my best and introduced him to the guys and got the hunt under way.
After that things just got better, our friendship grew and we even revisited the 7th grade crush incident. He claimed he didn't know. But I think he was just being polite as to protect my school girl crush memories. We even joke about it in front of everyone else, but it's more of an inside joke and a way for us to rip on each other. But I love it. I love those eyes. I love that smile. I love that laugh. The only difference is that, now he KNOWS about it...

THE END.

2010-08-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

6:30 PM An hour and a half separating me from my weekend. Friday nights are usually pretty slow after 6:00. I was hoping tonight was no exception. Maybe Harold would close up shop early like he does some times when it's slow...I think he's just as anxious as I am to get the weekend going. Not much time had lapsed when I heard the familiar "RING" of the bells above the glass entry doors. I heard some boyish banter and laughing. When I rounded the corner I was relieved to see it was only my younger brother and some of his friends coming for what was undoubtedly, their usual Friday night fair, frozen pizzas and soda. But what happened next was not what I expected. When my boyfriend walked through the doors and our eyes met, I know mine sparkled with excitement as my breath caught in my lungs and I smiled as brightly as I could. But he didn't return the sentiment...no...indeed he did not. Instead his smile quickly turned to a look of anger and his eyes were transfixed on my now confused face. I suddenly had this pang of fear and doubt run through my body...as he approached, my heart rate picked up; not like it normally does; when my body is all "aflutter" with my tragic love for him. This time, it was strictly out of FEAR. When we were finally face to face, and the other boys were out of ear shot, he said to me in a hushed tone, "you look very pretty tonight...is that a new shirt?" Unclear of his intentions, I meekly whispered, "yes." He took a deep breath, looked around once more and then with all the restraint he had in his body he whispered angrily, "DON'T. EVER. WEAR. IT. AGAIN." I, of course, didn't know how to respond to this. I could feel my whole body go weak, and I swallowed hard. Just then, the other boys and my brother came wheeling around the corner laughing and joking around as usual. I shook off what had just transpired to the best of my ability, and plastered a fake smile on my face, while holding back the inevitable flood of tears that otherwise would have occurred. I took in the natural "ribbing" from the guys, and 'he' acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary. As the boys left, he threw a frightening glance over his shoulder, just as he disappeared through the doors... That, was the beginning of the end.

WHAT LITTTLE GIRLS ARE MADE OF...

2010-08-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, I never wore dresses or painted my nails or did anything normal girls that age wanted to do... "Be a princess!" OH HELL NO! Thinking back, I don't think I ever possessed an ounce of "typical little girl" status. I always hung out with the boys. Mostly because the majority of my family consists of "boys" and therefore, I didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. Getting the boys to conform to the idea of me tagging along with them was the issue. I had plenty of girl friends who I spent time with on a regular basis, but quite frankly, they were fucking boring compared to the time spent with my brothers, my cousins and their friends. I was the redneck girl thrashing through the mud on a quad with her cousins laughing like a maniac! To this day, I'm still the little girl, wanting to tag along with the boys on their dangerous adventures rather than go to the mall or try on absurd amounts of clothing "just for the hell of it." 90% of my closet is dedicated to Fox Racing apparel, and the other 10% is split between Harley Davidson, camo and custom clothing made for the hunt club I co-created, "THE GOOSE MAFIA" (TM). No Gap or American Eagle or Banana Republic for this chick...NOPE. Don't get me wrong, I DO retain a fair amount of feminine status--this girl likes to look good...in and out of the field. My hair has its very own reputation to uphold. It's my favorite feature. See? I really AM a chick *Wink*
I'm the girl all the boys love--and the one all the girls love to hate. I'm a huge fan of any and all forms of weaponry (guns, bows, etc.) and hunting, fishing and explosives. Yes, this girl loves her a little T-N-T! Therefore, I can closely relate to most guys and that is awesome for me and awesome for them and COMPLETE hell for their girlfriends. *Laughs* I think it's funny.
*Smiles bigger* I've also got sort of a brilliant, genius, maniac, lunatic "cousin" as we call him. He's in the military and has served 2 deployments in Iraq...not SHORT ones either--18 months a crack. He's home now. Safe and sound....well....I use that term loosely. He's as safe as a licensed pyro can possibly be. *Laughs* I remember him coming up to my grandparents almost every weekend for YEARS while I was a teenager and he was always causing some kind of chaos--wait--that's a lie--it was complete and pure pandemonium! ...and funnily enough, I always wanted in on the action. I idolized this maniac. We did some heinous things, but all in good fun, no one was ever hurt (that I'm aware of) and they are some of the funniest memories and most missed times of my life that I can recall. I'll give you a "milk and marshmallows" sampling of what we did--we paint balled the neighbors cows in 3 or four different fluorescent colors. *shakes head laughing* We were so fucking juvenile!! And the worst part is, if you put a loaded paint ball gun in my hand right now, I'd do the same damn thing without thinking twice. I do believe there were some M80's and a particular river/culvert incident too...that made me giggle. *shakes head* Ever since then, spending time with that crazy cousin of mine, and being in such close proximity to weaponry and explosives, and his constant fucking encouragement of my usage of such mechanics, I now consider myself to be a fairly warped individual. And I'm pretty sure some of my girf friends question my sanity on a regular basis. I saw a pro pyro show a couple days ago put on by the PGI (Pyrotechnics Guild International) and my cousin was head of security at this particular shindig. I had temporary VIP status and got to go behind the scenes...I saw and felt things NO ONE else ever could or will. It only fueled the flames! *Laughs* No pun intended, really. I love playing with fire. LOVE IT. It's a complete rush. Everyone plays with fire in their own way, mine just happens to be in the literal sense of the word.... There's something about that trademark "THUUUUNK!!" when a 12" shell ignites and the way the concussion resonates through your chest while watching sparks fly choreographed and synced perfectly to the beat of music. It's like being thrown into an alternate universe... if you just let yourself "go" it's like falling through a magical tunnel of stars that sparkle infinitely. It's how I imagine HEAVEN. Instead of traveling through this metaphorical heaven, I want to CREATE it!

LIFE'S MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS...

2010-07-25T01:03:00.001-05:00

This program needs a spell check function. I bet I misspelled "embarrassing" in the title. I'm actually a pretty anal about spelling and grammar and when I go back and read my posts I just ache with remorse over the crappy simple mistakes I made. OOOYYYYY!! Going forth, I'll be more thorough, and I'll even spend more time...I wanna take this more seriously, since I've been getting positive feedback and because I'm thinking of taking this to a "new level", thanks to some encouraging words from a few great friends and even a couple surprise sources. :). Hang on people...together we ride...

I'LL NEVER GET TO FIRST BASE AGAIN...

2010-07-15T18:59:00.002-05:00

Sometimes life pulls you in so many directions at the same time, that you feel like you're just going to tear into shreds. How does one deal with it? 'Tis my struggle...

My Grandparent's house has been in our family for over 100 years. Grandma's father and her brother built the house, first a small square of a home, and little additions as they could after that. Eventually, it turned into a beautiful 2 story white farmhouse, with a brown roof, a covered porch in the front and back, and 4 separate "wings" upstairs and just as many bedrooms. I always loved the "slanted" ceilings when I was a kid...my love for them has only grown over the years. I can't tell you how many Christmas trees I have been entranced with and how many times Grampa has trapped me for tickles and kisses under the mistletoe. Or how many birthdays or Easters or just plain dinners have been spent there. Playing in the front yard all summer, climbing the maple tree, all of us kids eventually carving our names somewhere within the bark. Catching minnows in the creek. Eating watermelon on a hot summer night. Listening to Grampa yell at the tv during Brewer games. Always finding an endless array of the most fabulous baked goods that my Gramma had constructed. Her pies, could never be matched....I could stand side-by-side with her, and do exactly what she did, and STILL....it never turned out like hers. I've tried a zillion times since then, and although I've gotten closer, I still haven't quite figured out what kind of magic that woman puts in her pies...

It's more than just the pies...it's that HOUSE...it holds SO many memories...so many sentimental moments in time...historic moments in time. And now....it might be gone...in a heartbeat.

Speaking of heartbeat....mine beats a little faster these days. It's been awhile since it has fluttered the way it does right now...it's exhilarating....and terrifying all at the same time.

Mom and Dad are "re-landscaping". I use that term loosely...they are pulling the old bushes out and replanting new ones in their places. When we were kids, my little brother and I played kickball almost every summer night (that our parents would allow) with the neighbor kids. She was like my sister, and he was like my brother's brother. One of those bushes was first base. It was big enough that if we were charging toward first hard enough, we could crash into it, it's branches and foliage safely catching us like a soft pillow slipped beneath us. I don't know who was more sad to see that bush go...me or my dad...I swear I saw him shed a tear or two when he started the chainsaw to cut it down. I'll never get to first base again...

I miss my childhood a lot. So many times I wish I could turn the clock back, and pick out the moments I wish I had appreciated a little more at the time. Talk to those I've lost, apologize to those I've hurt, play with those I cherished, pet my kitty one more time....

All I can do now is sift through the photos of times gone by with a fondness that can never be matched. Let the memories wash over me sometimes, and just block out everything else, almost like reliving them....enough to make things feel tangible again.

Make it count. Now.

THE ASPEN HOLDS MY WORLD IN ITS...Errr..RADIATOR???

2010-06-12T22:03:00.002-05:00

I remember it like it was yesterday. Pushing the passenger front seat forward so that I could slide in the back seat of that old Dodge Aspen. It was by far the coolest car to me. I never even minded going to church if I got to ride in that car with my dad. It was painted pumpkin orange.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Aspen
The time for the Aspen was cut short however, it was taken out by a black cow on a foggy morning. I think I cried harder about losing that car, than I did about not getting the Barbie corvette for Christmas that year! Who knew, that at such a young age a girl could become so attached to "a set of wheels".
Maybe that's still true to some extent today. I've always taken great pride in my ride, and since I haven't been able to drive for over 3 years, my ride has suffered considerably. I don't drive it anymore. I don't even feel like it's mine. Pat has inherited it. Just by default and since the Ford has completely tanked, it's just the obvious option.
I feel sad every time I get in that car..."The Grand Slam" the "GT 4 ANGI". No longer exists. I always held out hope that I would get my driving privileges back and that I would get my "baby" back too. But after 3 years and a handful of months, the bottom has sorta dropped out of said hope.
Then when GM axed Pontiac from production, I swear a part of my heart got axed too. Pontiac was my vehicle of choice since my first new vehicle in 1999. What kind of car would I like now? The Chevy (which, per GM you are not to use as phrase anymore, it's "Chevrolet, NOT "Chevy...so unless you wanna put money in a cuss jar, Chevrolet it is...) Has not one vehicle I'm interested in. I fell into a tizzy of despair. How freakish is that?
But it's okay...this story has a happy ending...I saw the light...or rather, the 2011 Ford Mustang commercial. It was love at first sight! Lucky for me, Patrick has always been a Ford man, so there's no twisting his arm to make this happen!
All we have to do, is wait for the good Lord to bestow upon us a financial windfall. The powerball would be great...we're not greedy...we don't need to win those 300 million pots...just a measly 1 million will do! And ya know what the worst part is? We are not the greedy type, so if ever we DID become so blessed to win such a huge pot, there would be so many winners besides ourselves...every member of our immediate family would be cared for for life...our nephews would go on to a college of their choice and they would never want for anything. My Grandmother would live out her remaining days in a fabulous mansion with the best caretaker and personal chef. My parents would own log home on large piece of property as would Patrick's parents. And I would start more than one no-kill animal shelters and rescue organizations with people whom I KNOW care more about the mammals well-being than their own. Like me, who pays pet's vet bills before my own doctor bills. Plus I'd live on a large piece of land with my husband/best friend and we'd have a large pond and his friend George would have a huge guest house to live in and take care of our property and to be our chef and friend. Funny, he and Pat already discussed that!
As for me, it would all be about dreams fulfilled. Traveling the world, getting more education. Owning my own businesses, take care of those I love. I know others say those things, but I would sign a contract right now as the only piece of solid proof I could offer!
So cross your fingers tonight...it's not just me that has something to lose, it's my whole world!

DAYS GONE BY...

2010-05-19T12:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess my "I'll update in 48 hours" plan fell through the floor. Things got crazy, including but not limited to, my internet connection. It seems with this new air card that I need to be either in the living room, or at Pat's house. Pat's house is stellar, because, I have a 3G connection there. It's beyond ridiculous how much faster the connection is there compared to here (home).

SPRING TURKEY SEASON:

Shawnee and I were super stoked to have the same week for turkey season. Shawn had everything all planned out, including how were going to get "a double". (2 turkeys, same time) A very hard feat to pull off. Our season started April 14 and ran until April 18. I was all set to go out opening morning with him, and sit in the blind. The area looked very promising, as there were turkeys there every day! Unfortunately, a trip to the ER for me, destroyed our opening morning plans. I did get out that afternoon for the night hunt. We sat in the blind, and we had hens only 10 feet away from us. They never had a CLUE we were there! It was amazing to be that close! Then the toms stepped out of the woods....oh, the blood started to boil then! Shawn wanted to get one with the bow, so he was already for that. The toms stayed about 60-70 yards out, which is waaaaaay too far away for a bow shot. So we went home that night happy to have been so close to the birds without them knowing or frightening them off.

Day 2 we went out in the afternoon again. We moved the tent to the back of the corn field (Ryan's east end of property) and we put it right inside the wood line off the corn field. Every tom we saw, was back there at one point. I figured we couldn't go wrong. So we sat in the tent again, and Shawn was getting antsy. He kept calling and calling and calling. I told him to settle down and just be quiet for awhile but he was calling again in 2 seconds. As we were in there, a small line of showers moved through, which brought about a 5 minute down pour. We were laughing because we really thought it was funny. Not good for the turkey movement though. Day 2 was in the books.

Day 3, Friday, night hunt. Shawn and I decided to split up. He took the north fenceline in the hopes he could cut the birds off if they came down the trail by the ponds. I stayed in the blind knowing that if we were patient enough, those birds would come out of the NE corner, and either one of us could get a shot. It was really windy and cold that day. Shawn texted me several times that there was no movement where he was. I had the same situation. There may have been some very distant gobbles, but that was it. We were getting really cold now. I physically had to hold the tent down so it wouldn't blow over. Shawn was texting me asking if we could quit. I asked him to hold out til at least 6:00. So it was quiet until then. So he texted me again saying he was cold and I texted him back, can you hold out until 6:30? If you don't want to stay then walk over to the tent by me. No sooner than he got that text and he was flying out of that wood line. LOL He came to the tent, we put all the gear where it needed to be, and we exited. As we were walking across the filed, Pat pulled up to pick us up. We didn't see him motioning for us to "get down" because we were too busy talking strategy and how freaking cold it was. Then we saw him and OH CRAP, the toms were strutting right down that trail where Shawn wanted to cut them off. By the time we saw Pat and figured out what was happening, it was too late, they high tailed it out of there. After that disappointment, Day 3 waas in the books.

Day 4, Saturday, Shawn went out in the morning with Scott. I wasn't there to witness it, but he nailed his tom!! Scott said it was an awesome shot (with the shotgun) and he stopped the bird in his tracks.

So that afternoon, I went to check it out, after we decided to take the night off and go out to eat with Keith and Felicia to the Texas Roadhouse. It was a good time, but it was raining pretty much the whole time, so we just decided to head home after that. Pat and I went home and snuggled in bed and were asleep by 8:00. It felt good.
Day 5, Sunday...the FINAL day I had to score a bird. Pat and I went out early, around 3:00. It was a long sit until 5:30...about the time the action usually starts. It wasn't until about 6:00 when the birds showed up. One hen at a time, from the NE corner of the field, which was directly to our right. I remember seeing the toms work that edge more than once, so I was SURE they would do it again. I was counting each hen, one by one...when finally, I looked, and yelled (in a whisper), "TURKEY ON THE FIELD! OH MY GOD! IT'S A TOM! HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING!!" So, obviously, Pat was going to be the one with the level head in this situation...he said, "get your gun up"...so I did. I was shaking SO BAD! I had to laugh at myself because typically I don't get all worked up and shaky until AFTER the kill...this was a serious rush! And to make matters worse...there were TWO toms coming! Right down the wood line, just like I had predicted! The turkeys were SO CLOSE, you could literally see their eye balls moving...turkeys have impecable eyesight, so I'm really not sure how we pulled this one off without them seeing us first and bugging out. The toms were working their way toward us, I had the gun up, SHAKING MISERABLY, and the choke tube was actually sticking so far out the tent, I should have been able to tickle their beards! LOL The first tom came by...I didn't take the shot because I wanted to see what "Number 2" looked like first...and then Number 2 showed up...he was beautiful...after flashbacks from my first turkey hunt, I told Pat to the back of my shoulder so I didn't flip over when I took the shot... So with Pat whispering "SHOOT!" in my ear, I tried to steady myself and take a deep breath and "WAH-WHOOMP!" The shot was fired...I couldn't even see what happened after that, other than Pat bolting out of the blind... When I regained my scruples, I saw him standing next to my bird...I dropped him where he stood...I was finally able to breathe again! I came out of the tent and that is when the BEST part of the hunt happened....Pat smiled at me and said, "YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT!" And he picked me up and hugged me and picked me up right off the ground! I never felt that he was so proud of me before! After the adrenaline wore off, only a couple minutes later, that's when I started crying, then laughing, then crying...I'm a freaking basket case after I kill something. Go figure. I couldn't even dial my cell phone to give mom the news. Pat had called him mom who I assumed asked if I was happy, and Pat replied, "she's in tears". Ahhhhh...I delivered for the mafia and bagged an awesome bird too. :)

Now the pressure was on for the rest of the boys! Shawn and I had set the bar pretty high...a DOUBLE! We didn't get it like we had planned, but we still did it!

MAY 1, 2010 TINA'S SURPRISE GOLDEN BIRTHDAY PARTY

Mom had planned to throw Tina a surprise golden birthday party at Kelly Lake. Wonderful! She had told me who she wanted to invite, and that Tina knew we planned to just do "dinner" that night. So we set out to inviting her friends from work. Only, she, herself, had invited a few herself! So she pretty much knew everyone coming. LOL Little shit...our plans were foiled! We managed to round up a few more couples, and told her Alice and Clarence weren't coming due to a casino trip they were going on. Her chin hit the floor when she heard that! Hahahaha! Take that little sister! I took it upon myself to get things in place for her cake. I called Sheryl, the woman who had done Tina and Ry's wedding cake, as well as a birthday cake for Alice and Clarence and just last year, one for my dad's 60th birthday party. They were always so yummy, that I had no doubt that's where I would go. I arranged for Tanya and I to pick it up the Friday night before the party. No problem. Tanya and I were going on a secret mission! When we got there, the cake wasn't at all how we had discussed, but it was still cute. Instead of the purple flowers and gold leaves, Sheryl made it look like two presents stacked on top of one another...which was cool. And it had a big gold fondant bow on top. Previously, I had ordered a balloon bouquet from the Flower Shoppe and also arranged for Tanya to pick that up. (I owe this girl big time). Tanya texted me and told me she had gotten the bouquet, but when she stopped by her parents afterward, the balloon that was the centerpiece of the whole bouquet, a giant purple butterfly, had popped...NOOOO!!! So after panicking and assuring Tanya it wasn't her fault...I called the Flower Shoppe in Gillett (as the one in OF was already closed). The man there was SO nice. He drove all the way to OF to see if there was another butterfly balloon. And while there was not, he said there was a purple dragonfly. So I took that. He brought it back to Gillett where Alice and Clarence agreed to pick it up and bring it right to the party. WHEW. Crisis averted---almost.

TO BE CONTINUED....

OOPSY

2010-04-13T13:28:00.002-05:00

WILL UPDATE WITHIN 48 HOURS...that's my promise to YOU!

GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE....

2010-02-26T12:52:00.000-06:00

Where has the month of February gone??? First the Super Bowl, which was a total letdown, and then the Daytona 500 which proved to be a good race, and now we are in the final stretch of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada.
I am a huge fan of the Snow Cross, Half Pipe, Ski Cross, Aerials, Moguls, Hockey, Speed Skating and all the down hill skiing events,
My favorite Olympians are: Louie Vito, Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso, Apolo Ohno, and Bode Miller. Just to name a few. :)
I'm grateful for these Olympic games as they have made the month fly by...just one more month of "winter" and we'll be marching into spring!
I cannot wait to get in the garden this year! I've got plans to make it even bigger and better than last year, which is hard to believe considering what we've achieved so far. I'm anxious to see which of my perennials return, and hopefully this year, we don't have a killing frost in June, which completely desomated my peonies last year.
I'll be adding a special "Annual Bed" this year, which will contain bulbs that need to be extracted every fall and then replanted in spring. Those varieties include: Gladiolas and Cana. And as always, I will have my special "seeded flowers" area, where zinnias, cornflower, annual poppies and Bells of Ireland can flourish all summer long.
We'll be expanding our potato section this year as well. Two varieties of sweet potato: Bearegard and Georgia Jet and two varieties of regular potatoes: Russet and Baby Reds.
I've also learned about onions and the importance between, Day Neutral, Long Day and Short Day. Which explains why our onions turned soft as quickly as they did after harvesting last year.
This year, will be the second year the strawberries have been in the garden. After planting them last spring, they spread quickly and were throwing runners everywhere! So this year, we should have our first good harvest. I cannot wait for that!
With Pat going back to work this past Monday, the scheduling will be a little different, as he won't be home until 2pm every day. So there will be a lot of hot afternoons in the garden in my future. :o) But I can think of much worse things...like, winter extending into June....err...no, forget I ever even said that.
Gram remains in the nursing home, much to her dislike. I haven't been to see her in awhile so I'm thinking that if dad doesn't bring her home this weekend, I'll have to drop by. It's still really difficult seeing her there. I know she hates it, being packed in a tiny room with a complete stranger that she can't even hold a conversation with. It's saddening to see her that way.
February 18 marked the 5 year anniversary of my choleycystectomy (an uber fancy word for the "ripping out of one's gall bladder), and also the 9 year anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's untimely death at the Daytona 500. Both are dates I'd rather not recall.
My seizures seem to be settling down a bit, "knock on wood", although I haven't felt good for the greater portion of the month. But if there is a "good" month to not feel well, I'd have to say February is the one since it's plagued with the coldest weather of the year and snow storms galore. What better time to be laid up?? Right??
Well, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my besties in the near future and for the arrival of spring. Soon I'll be making my famous bunny cake for Easter...it seems like just yesterday when I flubbed one up, hard core at that. This year my first try will work, no doubt! Never make the same mistakes twice!
PS Good luck to the US Men's Hockey team...GO FOR THE GOLD!! WOOHOO!

JANUARY IN REVIEW...

2010-01-31T12:57:00.001-06:00

It's been a really long month. I'm eternally grateful that it's over. Between monster migraines and seizures and anonymous phone calls, I'm glad to be moving into a brand new month!
Last night was the sportsman banquet at Romy's. I got to see Bruce who greeted me with a big hug and a plea to come visit him on league night. I also ran into Lonn Demuth. Talk about a funny reunion! He too offered a "Lonn-sized" hug and words of astonishment over how much I've changed since he last saw me. (FYI: it has been about 12 years...LOL). Our group in attendance was Pat, Dad, Keith, Felicia, Kraig, Mark, Tom, Mary Jo, Scott and myself. Also in attendance was Chad "the psychotic cop". The little weasel was boring holes into my head all night. I tried not to look at him but the few times our eyes locked, there was nothing but sheer rage emanating from mine...the only issue was, he was returning the favor. However, I wasn't frightened. I was surrounded with a halo of friends and family. He couldn't have infiltrated that circle if he wanted to. Even though that banquet hall put at least 50 feet between us, it still felt as though there were only an inch separating us at times. Much to my amusement, Karleen got fat and she looks like pure hell. If only she had heeded my warnings...sucks to be her.
Even though no one in our group won anything, we still pigged out and laughed all night. The "Pabst Smeer" (Pabst Mirrors) was born and I left feeling overall content.
I'm bummed the Vikings didn't make the Superbowl. I even wore a Favre jersey on two occasions. I would have worn it with pride on Superbowl Sunday too, but that wasn't in the cards. Maybe next year...
Can't wait to see all that February holds for me.

NEW BEGINNING...

2010-01-08T13:35:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's already January...let alone, 2010. I can honestly say this is not where I thought I would "be" at this point in my life. I had a solid plan. I was on track for SO LONG. And I was SO CLOSE to having it "all". And in just a SECOND it was torn away from me. But I realize now that I have to fight to get it all back. And I will. It's my life. Nobody can take that away from me.
Christmas was a huge disappointment...not the gifts though!!! Christmas Eve started out great. Although the weather was, as they say, "FRIGHTFUL", Aunt Alice and Uncle Clarence were still wiling to make the drive and Tina and Ry were coming as well. The REAL bummer of the holidays? Gramma was not home, nor could we safely GET her home because of the treacherous weather conditions. I was furious about it. No one should be alone on Christmas, and she WAS. God, that just tears me up inside. But I digress...
We all came together on the Eve of Christmas to celebrate like we always do. The tree was lit, the gifts were wrapped with giant bows and festive paper...the food was making the house smell awesome and it was "TIME". Tina and I exchanged our gifts first. I really didn't share with ANYONE what I was getting everyone else...so this was a funny deal...I opened mine first. VS jammies with matching slippers. I could only LAUGH! Because little did Tina (or anyone else) know that I had bought her the EXACT SAME THING!!! WTF?!?! Do sisters mind's think alike or WHAT!??! It was at that point that I started to feel "iffy". To make a long story short, I spent the majority of the evening laying on my bedroom floor crying in pain. No way was I going to the ER on Christmas...been there, done that...I was gonna power through this! And I did...but unfortunately, it was too late. Auntie and Uncle had left for the evening feeling that I needed to rest. Augh. In the end, I finally made it to the couch around 9:00 or so and opened gifts with my parental units, Pat and Tina and Ry. It wasn't the same without us all eating dinner together and playing games all night and searching for the "Christmas Pickle" hidden in the tree. I felt robbed. And yet, so blessed. After the gift opening Tina and Ry also departed as the weather conditions were worsening. So it was an early night. Christmas Day was no better....the weather was indeed, horrible yet and we still couldn't make it to see Gram. In the early evening while organizing all the gifts under the tree, I just burst into tears. Pat asked me what was wrong and I couldn't even answer him. Finally he said, "it's just everything, isn't it?" I nodded. He knows Christmas is my time to "shine." This year that didn't happen. I was snuffed out like a friggin' candle. So I just crawled into bed and decided it wasn't worth the fight. So I slept.
The week between Christmas and New Year's was no picnic. So many small things happened. Like my BlackBerry crapped out on me and Cellcom was making it utterly impossible for me to keep my professional demeanor while dealing with them. It all ended with me stomping out of the place with a new plan in place. And low and behold, it worked. For the hours of struggling I did with the (alleged) "customer service" department in DePere, all it took was a short explanation and 20 minutes for one other Cellcom dealer to have me fully hooked up with an UPGRADED BlackBerry and all the accessories. I mean, I just don't undestand how two separate establishments, who essentially, work for the same goal, can be complete polar opposites when it comes to the way they handle their customers. All I can say is "bye bye Depere" and "hello P-town!" Granted that was a really vague explanation of the events that occurred, but trust me when I say, it was a helluva day!
New Year's Eve was originally planned to be spent at a hotel near home in a jacuzzi suite. But due to my desire to buy the new BlackBerry instead, we cancelled those plans and decided to stay home with mom and have dinner with her, since Daddy was working all night. I mean, why should she be alone on New Year's Eve? So instead, I planned to make a scrumptious steak dinner, for mom, Pat and myself. It worked out well...daddy went off to work around 4:00 and then I began. Oven roasted potatoes, tenderloin steaks and sauteed 'shrooms and onions. Around 6:30 we sat down to dinner and it was AWESOME! YAY ME! I love being all "chef-ee" as anyone who knows me at all will tell you. I ate way too much and then decided to work it off by playing my new Wii games. Pat and I did the Sport Resort archery for an hour or so, and then we moved on to Mario Galaxy, which, really takes a lot of strategy...I mean, between the two of us, we had a hard time getting out of some of those worlds. It's nothing like the classic Nintendo version that came out in the early 90's. No no...this is all 3-dimensional and just INSANE!!!! At first Pat thought the game was "childish" but let me tell ya...he's the one who eventually was in control when he killed off our last life. So now we have to start allllllllllllll over again! BUMMER! Anyway, he hit the hay early because he had been bobcat hunting all day with my bro, and mom fell asleep early as well, since she had a Tom Collins earlier...so I was left all alone to watch the mighty ball drop in NYC at midnight. I had put in a movie that would conveniently end about 15 minutes before the ball drop. It all went down and really...nothing felt any different. I was just TIRED. So I went to bed.
Of course I'm omitting a couple things here...after all the pain and suffering on Christmas Eve...I had a seizure...and also about an hour and a half into New Year's Day (per Pat's recollections) I had another one. I don't remember ANYTHING. It's odd. I always "know" when I've had one when I wake up the next day. Everything is really "foggy"...like if I TRY to remember it's just hazy and there are just flashes of memories. And then there's the pain....good grief the pain of feeling like I've been hit by a Mack truck. And an overwhelming feeling of weakness. But I came around pretty quickly New Year's Day. I got up and watched the Rose Bowl parade, and I even started to undecorate the family tree in the living room. Of course those two small events wore me out and that was about all I achieved that day.
Since then, everything has been fairly quiet. Which is good. I enjoy "quiet". I don't enjoy the cold weather or the loads of "white dirt" the keep getting dumped on us, but we only have a few more months of this and then spring is upon us. Since I'm pretty much cooped up for that time, I plan to do A LOT of baking. Experimental bread making and some pretty fantastic cakes as well. I will definitely post pics of the stuff that turns out GOOD. If you don't see any pics or posts of my creations, well...then you know things did NOT go well and it's probably going to be a touchy subject with me at best.
With that, I will say this...I believe in my heart that 2010 (twenty-ten) will be a MUCH better year than 2009. IT HAS TO BE. There is no other option. I have a sense of renewal and my ambition to get to my goals in life have never been higher. I have been working on a list of things I want to accomplish in 2010 and I will post that in a future entry...I even asked for suggestions from my friends via my Facebook page. Although some of them were fairly goofy, it was a fun thing to do. And one of my major goals? To keep up with this blog a lot better...I will MAKE time for this just as you have to make time for everything else that is important in your life. Priorities, priorities, priorities...and my motto (as my friend once told me) "work first, then play." Those words ring out in my mind alllllllllllllllllllll the time. So, thanks my friend...you know who you are!
Happy New Year everyone! Cheers to 2010 and a decade full of promise, hope, happiness and love!

CHRISTMAS HUSTLE!

2009-12-17T18:57:00.000-06:00

Well, Pat and I went out to get a Christmas tree on December 2, 2009. We went to Whispering Pines to the NE of here. I've ALWAYS wanted to go there, but for whatever reason, we always just stuck to the Christmas tree farms around home....but this year I finally talked Pat into making the big trip! We had pretty good luck. I found this "OOMPAH-LOOMPAH" tree first...

After this, we headed for our intended target, the Balsam Fir lots. The trees were not as deep and dark green as I wanted. So I scampered over to the next lot which held the Frasier Firs. The Frasiers had MUCH better color, but the branches were shorter and weaker as a whole...but then...just as I was about to give up, I saw THIS:

Yes, I'm pretty sure I heard a choir of angels singing when I found this tree. It was a great color, had a great shape and we wouldn't have to cut half of it off for it to fit in the house. So we definitely had a winner!

As you can see I take my Christmas tree hunting very seriously! My darling hubby cut that monster down for me, while I was supposed to be holding it and pushing it away from him so it wouldn't fall on him. So you can see my "please don't fall on Pat!" face above, as well as my final hug to our tree for fulfilling it's Christmas destiny and letting me cut it down to bring it home. LOL Not to worry...I have beautified it very much. I have a pic from when I put the lights on....

Love this tree with all my heart! It's now decorated with ornaments from many years and a grapevine/berry star and a bright red bow! There was a tree I got a couple years ago, that actually tipped over a couple times before Christmas...I wanted to throw that tree out and get a new one, but no one would let me!

December 9, our first snow storm. "Allison". She left 17" of snow in her wake. We went from having no snow at all, to a complete white out!

Here's the view from my bedroom window during the storm...

December 11, MN Amy came out to visit me for the day! We had shopping and a trip to the Botanical Gardens light display on our minds, as well as meeting up with Ali at Olive Garden for dinner later on. So we headed out into the cold with her mighty Sport Track, and braved the below zero wind chills. Here are some pics from the Botanical Gardens...

These are the awesome purple daisies and sunflowers you see when you first walk in the gardens...

This was the Caterpillar vortex you walk through...SO COOL! All LED lights!

One of the many butterflies...

This is my favorite place in the garden. A gazebo with stars cut out of the copper dome on the top! It doesn't show up well in the picture, but it's there, believe me!

This is Amy and I in front of the gazebo!

Back into the heart of the caterpillar!

One last pic of Amy and I before leaving the gardens!

Now my days are filled with Christmas tree set up, deocorating, and bow making. Christms card writing and Christmas shopping. Thank God for online shopping (and BING!)! Can't wait til all the gifts are in the house and I can begin wrapping them! Woot! I hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a wonderful New Year!

FA-LA-LA-LA...??? AUGH.

2009-12-06T23:57:00.000-06:00

So Thanksgiving has come and gone. Another successful holiday where I stuff myself until I'm insanely full and pledge to "never eat again"....but then I get a craving and that all goes out the window! My deep dish pies were awesome! Which was a relief since I really thought my pumpkin pies were not "up to snuff". I don't know what happened to them...the crust turned dark and the filling just wasn't "right". But no one died after eating them, so I guess all was good!
Sad part is, no one went to see Gram that day...so Sunday, dad brought Gram home and Scott made a beef roast and a ham with all the trimmings...it was like Thanksgiving again without the turkey. But everything was soooo good! I helped Gram write out almost all of her Christmas cards and it seemed to brighten her spirits a little. Which is good, because she was feeling really sad. I'm sure just "knowing" she had to "GO BACK THERE" was enough to make the experience bittersweet. But once she started talking and telling stories she was in a good mood. She even sat and watched the Viking game with us for awhile! Dad finally took her back around 6.
I'm hoping we will bring her home Christmas Day as well. She belongs at home for those days. This past Saturday, was her Christmas party at SC, but I had a seizure (broke my 7 week, 2 day streak) so I couldn't go. Mom, Tina and Alice went. The meal was to be served at 11:30am. But mom and the gang got there at 11:15 and Gram was in her room and was already finished eating...WTF? Ok.... She was all dressed up in her Christmas sweater and she was saying..."I thought there was a party? Where's the party?" So after a few hours mom and the gang left and all they saw was a long line to the dining room. The next day I talked to a friend who also went to the party and apparently there was more stuff going on later in the afternoon. There was musical entertainment so I really hope Gram got out to see that! I also wish I would have gone....even if I was tired...I could have laid on her bed, pretty much the same way I did here at home...the only difference would have to have been that Pat would have had to wake me up sooner...he woke me up after 11 and asked if I was hungry...hell, I was barely COHERENT, let alone HUNGRY...but I did get up and he carried my pillows and blanket to the couch while I stumbled behind him...and he made a pizza and served it to me couch-side with a glass of soda...he even got me a refill :0)
So today, mom and I put the Christmas decorations up outside. It's been so hard for me to find my Christmas spirit this year...I haven't bought ONE Christmas gift yet, I have to wait until I get my check which isn't until December 23. Nothing like waiting til the last minute, but really, I have no choice at this point. But I made an executive decision that this week, every day, I will do something Christmas-themed. Much like putting up the outside decor today (which was a bummer to find out all my trees were broken, so we are down to the lighted juniper bush, a lighted snowman, and 6 lighted candy canes...clearance sales in January, here I come!), each day will involve something to do with Christmas. Tomorrow I plan to put the tree up in the house...the fine specimen of a Balsam/Frasier Fir that Pat and I hunted down last Monday at Whispering Pines. VERY nice place! Will definitely go there again! But, Pat had to give the tree stand to Kyle tonight to fix, as the stud in the bottom broke off, so Kyle is going to weld on a new one...crap...I should have had him weld the legs on too...it's a pain that they fall out every time you pull the tree out of the corner to water it...*sigh*...maybe I can still get that done. MENTAL NOTE: LEGS FOR XMAS TREE.
Ok.
The only other "set:" event for the week so far is Friday, when MN Amy comes to visit! I cannot wait! She was messaging me pictures from the Holidazzle Parade in MN tonight! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! Although I most likely will have to wait until next year to witness that for myself, we have plans to shop, walk through the GB Botanical Gardens light display (this will be my first time!) and finally meeting up with Tina and Ali at night for dinner at the Olive Garden....a spectacular day we have planned and I cannot wait for it to get here!
I still have to get going on my Weetabix Christmas Card exchange...All I can really do is get the "get to know you" forms printed for inside the cards, as the ones I have ordered haven't come yet...but I called and checked and they will be on their way shortly! I got my Lang Christmas Cards which are gorgeous, no doubt! I can't wait to start sending! But first I have to track down a few more addresses before I can make that happen. That sounds like a good Monday night/Tuesday event.
Tuesday night will be excellent...A Charlie Brown Christmas will be on, only after being pre-empted by the Pres and his speech last week. After ACBC comes the new holiday series, Disney's Prep & Landing...it looks REALLY GOOD! I can't wait to see it! I'm a huge fan of holiday cartoons and I think this will be going onto my favorite list as well.
Well, It's 11:56pm and my laptop battery is dead...I must go for now...pics added later.
Angi...out.

DADDY HAMMERED A SPORK!

2009-11-25T13:25:00.001-06:00

Ahhhh....so opening day of rifle season has come and gone.....
In the last 5 days, I have seen one "body" in the brush and POSSIBLY a tail in the brush...I've not seen a WHOLE DEER yet....WTF!??! And the Wisconny DNR wants a 16 day season next year?? WTF!??!?! (again, yes.) So I'm left very disgruntled about the season so far. I DO realize there is a standing corn field just to the north of my stand...and I DO realize it has been unseasonably warm. All of which could be halting the movement. Tomorrow morning we have a chance of snow...it could be THE DAY! However, it's also Thanksgiving tomorrow and I will have to see if I have the ambition to get out of bed at 3:30 again...that is ONE EARLY DAY!
In other news, The Uncle and Cousin from MS are home for the holiday. They've not seen much either...a couple of does and fawns. Neither of which we shoot. That's OUR definition of "herd management!" I DID have my eye on a nice 8 pointer which I got some great video footage of...but rumor has it, that opening morning, when Marky and I were waiting anxiously in my stand for the "SHH-SHH-SHH" of little deer hoofies in the leaves....instead we heard the unmistakeable sound of a rifle...followed by "commotion" and a "crash" in the brush....apparently that was the neighbor...shooting MY BUCK! And to add insult to injury I actually HEARD IT GO DOWN.....augh.
Dad was so funny, Marky and I came out of the woods one night, I THINK Monday, and there dad stood, with Scott nearby and Uncle D in the middle of the field...Daddy had hammered a buck! So me and Marky took the quad to pull it in. Somehow Dad talked Marky into doing the dirty work and gutting it for him...he played the "I'm an old man" card...touche...
So he got himself a 3 pointer...funny cuz Ry got a spike. So that night at dinner, Marky, mom, dad and I were talking about the deer and Mom said, "Ry got a spike" and dad said, "Ha I got one more point than Ry!" and I laughed and said, "Ya, dad got a spike AND a fork!" and Dad said, "I GOT A SPORK!" OMG! SOOOO FUNNY! So the joke of the season is definitely how "daddy hammered a spork!"
On a MUCH lighter note, Friday night (November 20) was stellar! I spent the afternoon with Marky, Felicia, Keith and Mike at the opening day of NEW MOON! OH. MY. GOD!!!! LOVE IT!! Can't wait to see it again!! Any takers???? :o)
That night, I also made the hike to see Gram, as I knew I wouldn't see her much once season opened. And then made the trip even farther north to meet up with an old classmate and to "trade meat". YES. I SAID TRADE MEAT! Excellent! Can't wait to try it...I'm waiting for Pat to get home tonight for that!
Other extra curriculars for the week were, hitting Chili's for lunch, scoring my copy of Twilight back from Marky, a hysterical day in the stand with Marky doing impressions from "Escanaba in Da Moonlight" and the "BOMB" yesterday. Craziness...thought someone blew the farm up! Thankfully, that was NOT the case!
Today was filled with pie baking and a trip to see Gram soon. Sad we cannot spend the holiday together but I guess I have to understand it anyway.
HAHA Deer Camp episode on That 70's Show. FUNNNNNNNNNY SHIT! :o)
Well I must go now and maybe put together another pie before I leave...perhaps blueberry now and I'm hoping for a blackberry pie to appear tonight as well!
Happy Thanksgiving! GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!

DEER CAMP

2009-11-19T13:51:00.000-06:00

So this Saturday, just two short days from now, is the rifle season opener for 2009. For the first time in nearly a decade, things look a little promising for me! I don't even like to talk about it, for fear I will jinx it. But really....the woods is ripped to shit right now!
About a week ago, Pat took me for a ride to see a buck bedded down near the road on the property I will be hunting on. Here's a pic...

Yes, that big boy right there is the target of my affections. We'll see how season pans out. Pat is still going up to BJ with his family. He'll return in time for Thanksgiving. And this year, I have a new co-hunter. Marky is coming with me. Tina froze last year and doesn't have the proper clothing to wear. Marky isn't going up north and wasn't even going to hunt at all, so this actually works out well. Maybe he will bring me some good luck. I'll have to have him "rub my horns" hanging in my stand. LOL

But before all that happens, tomorrow, Friday, NOVEMBER 20, 2009, is one of the GREATEST DAYS EVER!!! Myself, Mark, Felicia, Mike M. and Keith are going to the 12:45 PMS showing of NEW MOON!!! OMG I CANNOT WAIT!!! It should be a blast! So today is a day of relaxing and "prepping" for all the excitement I will be filled with!

Also, Mark and I might go to eat somewhere since Pat has abandoned me for a week....I wish he'd change his tradition to include hunting here at home with me.....*sigh*

Last week Friday, Gram was placed in Sharpe Care. It's only temporary (we hope). She couldn't get out of bed due to extreme pain in her hip, but they say they can rehabilitate her to be able to come back home. She's very sad (obviously) but I think she appreciates all the help she gets there. She is disturbed by some of the other people there and understandably so. Her roommate seems to buzz all night long just to be a pest and it wakes Gram up. I guess there is also one man across the hall who will just yell the same thing over and over until someone come to sedate him. There are alarms going off every time I am there, I don't know how she stays sane. I wish she could go to a nicer place with private rooms and such. I see commercials for a place in DePere but Gram can't afford that. So it's probably not an option. I wish I had money...I'd bring all the physical therapists to HER and she would never have to leave home. She'd have round the clock care....*sigh*

Well, that's enough for now. Time to hit the showers.

45 DAYS, 1 HOUR, 52 MINUTES AND 25 SECONDS UNTIL CHRISTMAS...

2009-11-09T16:50:00.000-06:00

Yes, Christmas is still very much on my mind. And since I'm laying in bed both writing this blog and thumbing through my new December issue of Martha Stewart Living...it's REALLY on my mind. I started working on a couple of the things I said I needed to do in the previous post. I DID send out the order for my Christmas cards (LOVE the "bill me later" option!) and I did start making a gift list for everyone I WANT to buy for and I did start making my own "wish list"...which consists mostly of clothes (Fox), DVD's and books. There's not much else I can have someone else buy for me...I'm pretty fussy all around. I told my mom today I was going to write a letter to "Santa" and hope and pray he really DID exist. She says "he does"....hm...shouldn't have burst my bubble about that when I was 8 years old then, mom.
I'm very NOT excited about my trip to my new Neurologist tomorrow morning. I've got to leave the house by 8:30, which isn't early for most, but when you consider the fact that only thing I've HAD to get up for recently was goose hunting....ya, it's a little stressful. Plus, it's YET ANOTHER new doctor...so I sit here and ponder what he will be like...will he be young or old? Will he have a warm smile or a terse look plastered on his face? Will he be funny and witty, or dry and dull? Will he listen to me and my concerns or be a pompus jerk and think he has the answer without even getting to know me or my life for the past 2 1/2 years? 99% of the doctors I have met, fall into the second category. I've only had one doctor that I truly liked and well....he's not practicing anymore. (For reasons I DEFINITELY cannot discuss here).
I've had this horrible stomach pain all day long...well, for the last couple days actually. The pain that comes from a surgery I had a couple years ago and I was pretty much promised I'd have to have it again. There's a duct near the pancreas called the "Sphinctor of Oddi". I don't even know if I spelled it right...but ya know what? I don't even feel bad about it, because, NONE of the medical professionals I've had to explain it to even know what it is!!! Nice right? The only one who knows what it is, is the guy who does the surgery. And with the level of pain I've been having recently, and the frequency of it....I'm thinking another surgery is right around the corner. NOT COOL.
So....what else? Well, I'm thinking about my Christmas card list. I have the list I saved from last year, but I know there are several people I want to add to it this year...for one reason or another. So I have to get going on that. I try to start writing my cards out during the "rifle season/Thanksgiving" holiday week...to be sure that I get them all out by December 1. Last year I was way behind and I didn't even get to send them out to all the people I wanted to. This year I might be participating in a "Christmas card exchange" program through a local blogger girl. It sounds exciting! Getting Christmas cards from people you don't even know, from all over the country! Sounds like maybe it could help infuse me with some of that holiday cheer that is missing this year....
I would really like to go out "shopping" (or in my case, LOOKING) on Black Friday. No one in my family dares to go out on that day but I get a rush from it! Great deals, and sometimes alot of great items are gone after that day! But the only Black Friday shopping I will be doing is from my laptop I think.
I also hope we get some snow soon. Right now everything is just brown and dead and....depressing. At least with a new fallen snow, everything looks and smells so fresh and clean! Like a new start! The white snow being an empty canvas for endless possibilities! Plus, it really helps with the deer hunting....
I've been thinking about doing a lot of "homemade" gifts this year...but the problem is that I don't do anything "half-ass" and therefore, would still end up paying through the bum for embellishments, and containers and such. Can't a girl catch a break here?? I've been trying to win the lottery...it hasn't been working out. I pick all these really great numbers, but the lottery people don't seem to like them as much as I do. Go figure.
I think maybe the Tamiflu has helped with my overall recovery from whatever it is that I have...but I definitely am still feeling it's wrath. How many more days must I suffer?? By the time the 20th (New Moon release day) I will be walking on sunshine one way or another! So far, Felicia, myself, Mike and The Godfather plan to go. If everything works out and The Godfather can get off of work for it, he can easily swing by and pick me up and bring me home! SCORE! Then no one would have to go REALLY far out of their way to pick me up...otherwise Felicia might hafta swing out and get me. She said she would...but she lives a long way away and I would feel bad then. It really sucks not being able to drive! GRRR!
Ya know, Martha Stewart is a freaking genius...she makes billions of dollars off not only her own ideas, but the 100's of people that work for her as well....she had the original thought to make something of a normal "daytime diva" first, but really....when I sit and think that she's making all this money off "sock monkeys" and "cookies"....crap! It makes me wonder why I couldn't think of something so genius and yet so simple. Oh well....maybe "next time".
Oh, one other major item before I go...I finally got the coordinates to place the team's first Geocache the other day. Mark and I went and using both our GPS's, agreed to the coordinates. I submitted them and it said right on the site it could take 3 days to get the coordinates reviewed/approved and then submitted on the site. Well, 3 hours later, I got an email saying the site was approved and on the Geocaching.com website....CRAP! That means people could be looking for this thing and it won't even be there! So I dragged my butt out of bed the next day (NOT pleasant) and had the hubby take me to Fleet Farm and Gander Mountain to get the container and contents for the cache. I spent the rest of the afternoon online, feverishly printing out all the necessary documents to go along with the cache, and activating the Geocoin I was going to put inside. It was down right around 6:00 pm, and I conned Marky and the hubby into placing the cache in its new home! I was soooo excited! In the meantime, I logged on and someone had logged a visit to the cache already, and swore up and down they couldn't find it. I logged a note apologizing and saying I was new to the "game" and didn't know how quickly things would move along....but that the cache would be placed in the next couple days. After that I was content...until Marky and the hubby came back...they said the entire cache site area was "demolished". I couldn't believe what I was hearing...the original location, inside a clump of 4 birch trees, no longer existed. Someone had actually knocked down 3 of the 4 trees! I was heart broken! And SO ANGRY! So I sat silently eating dinner with everyone with this just boiling beneath my skin. As soon as I was finished I asked Marky to "saddle up" cause we were going to get the cache back. I disabled it online, with a message stating "why" and we went to retrieve the cache. It was in its place for a mere half hour. I felt like a complete failure and worst of all, I felt like because of ME, a piece of really gorgeous land had been destroyed. When I actually go there, I didn't even recognize the area...whoever was there had knocked down more than the "3" trees and the entire area was trampled. I was furious. I wrote a note to the one user who logged a visit, not thinking, it really didn't mean it was "THEM" who did the damage....they were simply the only ones to log a visit. So after a "heart to heart" with a complete stranger, I have decided that the cache will not go back there....I need to find a whole new spot. One that will be winter/kid/weather friendly. And a place that no one can destroy. It will be difficult, but perhaps it will come to me soon.
I've most definitely babbled here long enough.
I need to take a hot shower and get ready to watch Dancing With The Stars....it's the FINAL 5 and only 3 weeks left!! I have no clue who will win it, but I DO have my favorites picked out. :o) I want either Derek and Joanna to win or Mya and Demitry. Who will it be??? No one really knows...anything could happen yet!
PS If anyone reading this could PLEASE tell me where to find the "spellcheck" feature...it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! :o)

TO DO....BUT "WHAT"?

2009-11-06T17:23:00.002-06:00

My mind is reeling...
I have the flu. I'm laying in bed. All I can do is lay here and think about all the things I need and/or want to do and how either I cannot do them, or how I cannot do them now...

* Make a Christmas Gift List
* Make a Christmas Card List
* Make a space for my Christmas tree in my room
* Order Christmas cards
* Fix/Winter-ize the kennel
* Dig out my Christmas tree
* Take Harm to vet
* Get new tires on the car
* Get heater fixed on the car
* Make a Scrapbook for various occasions
* Go to dr. Appt at Mercy in Oshkosh
* Go to psych appt.
* Go goose hunting
* do laundry
* Get shampoo/conditioner/soap/toothbrush/toothpaste
* Get new clothes
* Plant bulbs on Grampa's grave
* Relax...

These are just a few of the thoughts that have been churning through my head all day. Of course Christmas is at the forefront right now. The weather, the calendar, the tv, the mail...it all screams Christmas is near...it's 48 days away. That's not a very long time for someone with literally NO MONEY to her name to prepare for such an event. It makes me want to climb into a hole from now until May, and "skip" it this year. It's always been my favorite time of year! Baking, visiting with friends, riding around looking at lights, playing in the new fallen snow, mistletoe, Christmas stockings, the tree, decorating the tree (s), buying the perfect gift that you KNOW will light up the recipients face and they say "oh my gosh! How did you know? This is something I've always wanted!!". I pay attention. I pay close attention. I wrap all my gifts with an amazing amount of care, so much so that everyone jokes and says I should be a pro gift wrapper...if only there was such a thing! Or that I should professionally decorate trees. Again, if only there was such a thing. But there's not, at least not in the small town in Wisconny that I live in. It's so hard to be 33 and married for over 5 years and not even to be able to live with your spouse. He lives with his parents and I live with mine. Separately. He "spends the night" here but nothing of his is here. No clothes, no personal effects, nothing. It kills me. I just don't know how we got so far off course. Without even a hint at a return of our dreams coming true. My dreams are not extravagant. All I want is a nice house (NOT a mansion) and to be on our land and to be able to watch the sun rise and set from the porch of our house! To be able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner together everyday, to be able to do "our laundry", to be able to mow "our lawn"...such stupid things that everyone takes for granted that I feel I'll never have. Must go. Still not feeling well at all.

FALLING BACK, MOVING FORWARD...PART II

2009-11-02T17:58:00.000-06:00

And we're back...
So I last left you with Tina and I standing on the beaches of Lake Superior...and that is where I will begin again!

If you look closely, you can see the stones catching a ride on the waves. They were definitely stirred up that day!

Ryan vs. the waves...

Yes, he's barefoot, and yes he's crazy. And I warned him he would get sick. And for the record, he got sick. He's been complaining for 2 weeks he's had the Swine Flu. Yuh.

After Lake Superior, we went to Superior Falls. It's a quck walk through the woods, with some slightly challenging terrain (don't wear heels, ladies).

Beautiful shot of the falls...

This is my "artsy" shot...

After the falls, it was a short walk across the street to a scenic overlook at the Montreal River.

One of the views from the lookout. This picture doesn't do it justice though.

Me at the Montreal River Overlook....my face looks so chubby! Pat said, "I KNOW! BUT YOU DON'T REALLY LOOK LIKE THAT!" (Score: brownie points for the hubby.)

The leafy trail that led the way to to the overlook...

Tina. Work'n the fence.

And so ended our day in the U.P. But not before stopping in Mercer at a unique little gift shop called "Whimsies" and eating at the "Around the Corner Pub" with Ryan's fam. His Aunt happened to find my engagement ring in her bathroom, and thankfully returned it to me at the bar. Thank goodness she found it!! Otherwise I'd still be sitting here without it!

So then it was back to the lodge. We decided to go out looking for the "spirit deer" again and this time we got some satisfaction. We caught one as it raced across the road in front of us.

The next day we woke and went to breakfast at the Outdoorsman again. This time I had a kick-ass omelette and once again, the greatest Cherry Coke ever! After breakfast we went to look for the spirit deer yet again. This time we saw a couple of them. So it made me happier just knowing I saw these elusive creatures.

Then it was time to depart for home. Once again, Clifford's heated leather seats kept me warm and cozy all the way home. I snoozed off and on for the 3 hour drive home and was sad to be leaving but knew that my very own marshmallow bed would feel great when I got home!

Once home, I unpacked and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning my room. It's a bigger challenge than it sounds. Being married and trying to "live" out of a 10x10 bedroom is very difficult. Pat and I have stuff scattered between several different places. But I digress.

The following week was spent hunting for the "100 goose". We got up to 98 during the week. Friday night was spent with one of my "besties" Jeanne and we watched "The Proposal", ate ice cream and pizza and had a blast. Cute flick. We also watched "Ghost Adventures" which I am now addicted to! I want season 1 on dvd for Christmas!! :) I'm gonna try to work it and get it a little sooner though. LOL

Saturday morning. Halloween. My 33rd birthday. Awake at 5 a.m. Goose Mafia rides again. We were in the "Puddle Set" and Pat, Keith and I were on a mission. We had to only get 2 geese to hit our goal and there were a TON of geese in there in days prior. Pat put me on the best of all the "puddles" and set me up for the 100 goose to be my birthday present. Alas, daylight and the unmistakeable "HONK" breaks the wind and rain and snow, and the flock was up, off the pond and they were heading straight for our set. I took a deep breath, waited til they were right on me, and burst out of my blind and raised my gun and squeezed the trigger and "CLICK"...the gun didn't fire...I checked the safety, it was on "fire", I looked at the trigger...it was stuck backwards...panic insued...the geese flared away and I cursed and yelled and noticed the geese banking back toward us. I had time to reload and get back down in my blind just in time for the geese to return. This time they were lower yet and right on top of me again...I burst out of my blind, raised my gun, fired and "CLICK"...WTF!?!? I checked the safety AGAIN, it's on "fire", I checked the trigger and it was stuck backwards. Thankfully this time Pat and Keith fired and Pat got our 99th and Keith knocked our 100th out of the air but could not retrieve it. He and Chance found the place of impact, feathers and all, and then Chanced sniffed his way to the pond where the trail went cold. Either the goose paddled VERY quickly across the pond, or he did what they call a "death dive". Keith said they will dive down, clamp on to a weed and their jaw locks and they drown themselves. Which I find very sad, and I never knew ducks and geese did this. But in any case, we rejoiced we now only have ONE LEFT TIL THE 100TH GOOSE!!!!

So after we came home from the hunt, it was time for my birthday "lunch." At noon Tina and Ryan and Alice and Clarence came over to help me celebrate. I received money, and flowers, and a marshmallow roaster rotisserie and a Chili's gift card (YUM) and a necklace. My sister made my cake, in the shape of a cat. Very cute. Then Mom, Alice, Clarence and I got emersed in two games of Scrabble. First time we broke out the board since last winter! I'm so anal I've kept all the score cards since I got that board for Christmas in 2006. That way there will never be a discrepancy about mom and my "win/lose ratio". HAHA. I'm an EVIL GENIUS!

Let's see, then later Pat and I went to visit Gram. She gave me an old "bean crock" that I once said I liked. It looks like a mini cookie jar. Right now it's housing all my Halloween candy I robbed from people's trick-or-treat bowls. LOL

After Gram's, we picked up Tina and Ryan and Mark and went to Green Bay to check out a friend's Halloween display. He's got some of the most wicked cool things...(and I'm not just saying that because I know that at some point he will read this...) Among my fave's are the remote control witch with the crystal ball, the "black-lit" ghost in the garage, and the most awesome-est werewolf birthday cupcake he and his family gave to me, complete with candle. Looking back, I wish I would have gotten pics of me and that ghost in the garage. It RAWKED!! There's always next year!

On our way home from Green Bay, Mark, Pat and I were weaving through the outskirts of Howard when, the biggest buck we have seen in a looooooooong time, trotted casually across the road...I was in hysterics, even having the presence of mind to open my window and beg him to "coooome baaaack!" Funny.

Then finally it was home again to my marshmallow bed which felt really good after such a long day! I really have to give a shout out to all my friends for making my 33rd birthday so great. Especially all the wishes sent via Facebook! AMAZING! :) Definitely a high point of the day!

And the next day was Marky's birthday so I gave him his present on Halloween...since he had to work on his actual birthday. I gave him a ton of Powerball tickets. I also bought some hoping that it being my birthday would bring me luck...but it didn't happen. Even though I got 31 as the Powerball and I felt it was a "sign". Marky ended up winning 8 dollars which was better than nothing I guess. I am going to have to haul all these guys down to "The Miracle Mile" soon to buy another ticket. That's where the winning happens. :)

November 1....ahhh...daylight savings begins. We all "fell back" in our sleep and woke up to shorter days. I hate that. I don't like the darkness. But besides that, it was the NFL game of the year, Packers vs. Vikings at Lambeau. The first half was a pitiful display by the Packers. The 2nd half, specifically the 3rd quarter held hope and some of the best ball the Packers have played all season. But alas, it was not meant to be, and despite the crowd boo'ing Favre upon every snap he took, he still prevailed. The better team DID win.

And now here I am, on November 2, chillaxin for the entire day and watching the first of what will be a very long streak of holiday movies I own on DVD and finally can feel I am officially caught up on my blog!!!

FALLING BACK, MOVING FORWARD...PART I

2009-11-02T16:33:00.000-06:00

It's been quite some time since I've posted a blog here...I've been busy. Between goose hunting, birthdays, weddings and trips to the north woods, October has been nothing more than a blur...thank goodness I at least have my "tweets" and Facebook statuses to refer to....I'll try my best to catch everyone up.
The last post was from October 17 and Kraig and Kendall's wedding. Since then, The Goose Mafia has continued to struggle for the elusive "100 goose". And we are STILL after him! We've made it to 99....it's right around the corner!!
October 23-25 was spent in the glorious north woods of Boulder Junction. Small town, big surprises. Pat and I drove up in Clifford in the pouring rain. The heated leather seat was uuber comfy all the way there! We made it all the way to our lodge without the snow falling. But it wasn't far behind! I think we were at the lodge for about 2 hours when it started to snow! Good thing I scored the jacuzzi suite when we arrived! We went to eat at Headwaters, where I had a good steak. It warmed me and filled my belly. :) After that we went to look for the "spirit deer" without any luck. Disappointing to say the least. Then we came back to the lodge to relax and watch the snow fall.

This is the little spike-horn buck that was bedded down outside the back of the lodge. They are almost like pets, as they stay in town and are safe there. At first we thought this and a doe that was bedded down as well, were going to be the only deer we were going to see on the trip at all.

That is the scene as it was when we woke up on Saturday the 24th. We planned to take a drive to Pine Lake, where my brother-in-law's relation lives, and then to Little Girl's Point on Lake Superior. Nice drive and the beach at Lake Superior is great. First we went to breakfast and The Outdoorsman, which is in downtown Boulder Junction. A rustic place with antiques scattered thoughout, and the absolute GREATEST Stuffed French Toast ever!!! Layers of cinnamon toast and bananas and strawberries, with bacon on the side, extra crispy and the best cherry coke (secret ingredient is Grenadine) in the Midwest! After we were all stuffed we headed out on the exact road shown above! We first hit Pine Lake.

This is a gorgeous lake. I love when I get the opportunity to visit...which isn't very often. Here are a couple more pics of the Pine Lake area...

This is a shot of the ATV trail....

A view through Ryan's Aunt's arbor...

Not something we see here in NE Wisconny too often...Halloween lawn decor buried in snow! LOL

Poor Tina...a catastrophe in the making....

One last view of Pine lake through the treetops...

Then it was off to Spirit Lake. It's a small lake but offers a small park and pavilion. Perfect during the picnic season.

This is me on the dock at Spirit Lake.

It was a short stay. But was great to take in the scenery.

Then finally we went to Little Girl's Point, Lake Superior. I love this beach! It's all stones, and if you're lucky, you can find a semi-precious stone called "Agate". I was the only one to find an agate that day! WOOT! It was FREEZING cold, the wind was INSANE! But we got some good pics!

This is Pat and I on the beach. The waves were so huge and the winds so strong that all the stones were piled up along the shore. Right behind where we are standing, is actually like a "cliff". But it stirred up the stones so we had a good chance of finding our little "gems".

And that is my sister, Tina, and I. We stayed about 30 minutes here, but the wind was fierce and cold and I couldn't feel my fingers or toes by the time we left! Well I think I'm going to have a Part II to this entry...my picture uploads keep failing...maybe I've used up too much space? To be continued....

"AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER..."

2009-10-19T13:27:00.000-05:00

And so, the wedding weekend is over now. I'm sort of sad...I miss wearing the "princess dress" and the "Cinderella shoes" that everyone went ga-ga over. They hurt like hell...but I would've worn them for hours longer just because they made me feel a little more important...beautiful... I should have taken a pic of the shoes, because seriously, they deserved a round of applause all on their own. Who knew, right? So let me start from the beginning...Friday, October 16, 2009: Rehearsal 5:30 pm. We arrive at BVM and much to my surprise their was only a couple other people there before us. We got into the church which was FREEZING COLD!!! First, Father sat us all down for his customary speech about the couple to be betrothed, and for us to pray and send good wishes to them. Then it was on with the actual rehearsal. It went pretty smoothly. Pat and I are the first to walk through the door, which is a little nerve racking, but at the same time exhilierating. We ran through everything just once, so you had better been paying attention. Rehearsal dinner was at the groom's parent's house. Pat and Mark asked "if" I wanted to go...well OF COURSE I DO!! But they were concerned because it was being held outside and they thought I would get cold. As soon as we got there, I had no worries of becoming cold! First of all, I got a really comfy chair in front of the fire...

I apologize for the "small pics"...they are from my BlackBerry. This wasn't the hugest fire I've ever seen, but it may have very well been the HOTTEST! I literally had to keep turning from side to side, like I was toasting myself like a marshmallow! And! When I first got there, Kraig's brother had his golden retriever puppy "Kalli" there and so of course, Mark went and got her for me! I held her as long as I could...cradled her like a baby and let her smoosh her nose into mine! She still had the "Cheerios" baby puppy smell...oh how I miss that smell!! She was sooo soft and so cuddly....good thing Pat forwarned me that he had better not find her in the backseat of the car when we left! We didn't stay long, I needed to get home and get my rest for the big day!

Saturday, October 17, 2009. 6:30 am. I'm up. Jumping in the shower and getting ready to take off for the day. First stop, Elements. And for Brenda to work her "wizardree" on my hair! This woman is a saint. Really. Here are the resuts:

Pretty hot right? I knew Pat was a fan right away. He likes it when I have the headband on. I did it for his sister's wedding that way and he raved about it. Today was no different. Let's see: Hair: Check Make up: kind of Check. I wasn't crazy about how the chick did my make up, so I knew I'd be touching it up when I got to Pat's.

Back at the Ignarski ranch, I gathered up everything I needed to take to the church with me, my make up arsenal, glitter for hair and body, jewelry and the Cinderella shoes among the most important things. My dress was already there, so I didn't have to worry about that.

Mary Jo agreed to come to the church with me and help me get ready. Thank goodness she did. We were the first 2 there, and the others didn't stroll in until I was fully dressed and ready to rumble! Marky showed up and asked if I would do his hair. LOL Which I did. It was nothing more than smearing a bunch of "waxy" pomade into his hair and giving him a bit of the "bed head" look. It turned out good.

So now everyone's here, it's getting chaotic, me and 2 other maids, Laura and Nikki, went up into the church to decorate the pews, and amazingly enough, I didn't fall down the stairs in church! They are uuber steep and scary and even a little twisty and given that I wear heels an average of once every 3 years, my 4" heels scared the crap out of me. But I did it! WOOT!

Before we knew it, it was 1:00 and "go time". We all met upstairs outside the church doors and lined up for the processional. Father Pat told us the night before to look straight ahead, smile, and not to walk too quickly.

Ya...have you ever walked next to Pat when he's nervous because there are flash bulbs going off every second??? Yuh...let's just say I'm lucky I was able to keep up. Whew, the longest walk: conquered. The rest of the ceremony went well...and much to my surprise, QUICKLY. The worst part was the temperature of the place! SO COLD! My hands were like ice, I was covered in goose bumps. Which I don't think is very attractive when one is wearing a strapless dress!

The walk out is one of sheer relief. The hard part is over and now it's time to start having fun! Kraig and Kendall did a dove release right after the ceremony which was really cool. Funny because the doves didn't want to come out...Kendall had to reach in and grab each one. She handed one to Kraig, and one to the man who brought them and she held one herself, and then they released them into the sunny blue sky and they made a wide loop and were out of sight. Very cool.

Tina was able to get a couple pics of Pat and I before we left the church as well:

I think we look pretty HAWT!

After the rest of the pics were taken at the church, we headed out to bar hop. Pat and I had my car, because, we didn't want to be "trapped" with the wedding party in the limo in the event that something might happen with me. But Mark offered Clifford as our alternate ride and I was soooo happy because Clifford has heated leather seats and dual climate control and plus...it's just a SWEET ASS RIDE!

Here's a pic of me enjoying myself in my personal limo for the day!

So we stopped and picked up the big red truck and were off to the Rosie's for our first stop. It was there that the real fun began. I got Kendall to lay on the pool table for pics with Kraig and pics with the rest of the maids. Then we were off again, this time to BB bridge where took alot of pics. Kendall had asked me for ideas earlier and I told her what I had in mind. All the maids did the "Charlie's Angels" pose which we RAWKED and then we did one right in front of the river, and one where we were all peeking out from behind a giant oak and one where the girls all held Teddy up and one where all the groomsmen held Kendall. Good pics...then right before we left, I remembered one I saw a long time ago. Kendall stood way off in the distance, while Teddy was close to the photographer, with hands cupped and held out in front of him...he looks at his hands and after the pic is taken, it looks as though he is holding Kendall lovingly in his hands. One thing I FORGOT however, was to have kendall facing him, and looking up at him. But it's ok...it still was very cute. OK, with those pics in the books, we took off to the new Club 32. The place looks stellar. They rebuilt quickly after the fire, and it looks like a totally different place! Everyone had a quick drink there and it was already time to head to Kelly Lake for the reception.

Once at Romy's we all hung back in the bar area and got ready for the Grand Entrance. Matt did the intro's, and did a smashing job I must add! He introduced Pat and I first, and of course, had to mention we are hardcore goose hunters. Funny. Dinner was awesome. Katie's speech/toast was awesome, Matty kept me in great company at the end of the table and provided me with many laughs. He's a funny guy. I hope he and Katie stick together...they make a great couple!

There were many stories told at dinner...in order to get Kraig and Kendall to kiss. And they were not shy about it either. Cute.

After dinner, I managed to steal Kendall for a quick pic:

It seemed to be a really emotional day for Kendall...she was so happy and yet I saw a lot of tears flow from her eyes during the course of the night. Lots of "extended hugs" with friends and family. But she was stunning.

The deejay started a little after 8:00 and after only a few songs, it was time for the Grand March. The guys wore hard hats and the girls wore nail aprons (mine fully equipped with ammo), and carpenter's pencils behind our ears...only...none of the girls could keep them behind their little ears so I came up with the next best idea...we stuck them in the tops of our dresses, just off to one side and Teddy loved it! So much so, that after the Grand March, he told me to leave mine there...because it "looked yummy". LOL And who was "I" to go against the wishes of the groom??? So after all the Grand March-ee-ness and couples dances, which was pretty awesome I must say...we danced to Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing", which ironically, was the same exact Pat and I used at our wedding at exactly the same time. Kraig's older brother was a really good dancer, much better than myself, prompting me to do the "dip-dee-dip" and spinning me around like a top. Which was cool cause he could REALLY dance...not the jr. high "sway side to side" dance but REALLY dance. I thought that was cool. I danced with Kendall's little brother who was WELL on his way to drunkeness, and with Matty of course, and with Marky TWICE which was funny cause he is SO tall and at that point I was "shoeless" and he's more than a foot taller than me. And he was drunk too, so with him bending over to accommodate for my height and with me trying to "hold him up" because he was loaded, it was sorta funny. When I finally got my turn to dance with the groom, history once again rewrote itself, just as it was for my wedding, I ran to him and he picked me up off the ground and spun me around and told me how glad he was that I was there....so sweet. He was all smiles all night and he was a really good sport during the garter toss...he had to dance his way down to Kendall who then had to approve or disapprove of his efforts before he was allowed to go in for the garter. Matty tried giving him some "bootay shaking" lessons and all I can say is that there were "asses in the air" and it was awesome.

After the Grand March, the deejay started cranking up the music. This is the time I had been waiting for alllllllllll night! We rawked to "She's Country" and then to "Ice Ice Baby". It was then that my MOTHER decided to completely ruin my night. She came out to the dance floor and proceeded to YELL AT ME and tell me I was "pushing my luck". Which, I argued I "was not." But to no avail. At that point my night was ruined and I found Pat and told him I wanted to leave. I said goodbye to Kendall and Kraig and we were off. I posted on FB that "Cinderella got kicked out of the ball"....that prompted alot of questions, which, whatever...it is what it is. I WANTED to stay, but I know that if something had happened then, I would never hear the end of it and I just didn't feel it was worth it. I regret it now. I should have stayed. For as long as I feel good, I should live my life the way I choose. There are many days I can barely get out of bed, and a doctor once told me...if I feel good, do whatever it is that I want, WHILE I FEEL THAT WAY! I mean, it's not like I'm jumping out of planes...I was DANCING...DANCING PEOPLE!!! GRRRRR! In any case, I digress.

The ride home was quiet. But once again, Clifford warmed me with the heated leather and for that much I was grateful.

Once home, and in bed, I sat up until midnight...doing what you ask??? Ha. Peeling off my fake nails! It hindered my abilities to text and post to FB all day and night and I couldn't bare to deal with them any longer. LOL I'm such a spaz.

So I would say the weekend was a success. A huge success. Two people who are in love are now united as one, and it is our hope, that they, "LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER"...

PS, I hope to get more pics from Kendall and I will post them then. :o)

GOOSE MAFIA MANIA PART I

2009-10-09T14:31:00.001-05:00

So the month of October is whizzing by...almost every day includes a goose hunt. We've had A LOT of success this year, and much to my surprise, I've become completely addicted to the sport.

That's Brian, Keith and I out in the field (October 7, 2009). It was a fantastic day. We hammered the geese...Chance made an awesome retrieve on one that came back to life...the "Antichrist Goose II" . He chased that thing FOREVER! I did a "drive" on one in the hay field that went down, and with Chance's help, recovered that one too. At the same time, Pat recovered one to the far south of our set as well. Had a lot of laughs that day too. Keith played "Love Game" by Lady Ga Ga on his goose call...and it actually sounded "good."

That's Chance pictured above. This dog is amazing. He lays in Keith's blind with him and if you look over at him when the birds start to fly, you can see the blind shaking and hear Keith trying to settle him down. He just "knows". It's so funny. And he doesn't hesitate on a retrieve. Sometimes we'll all be talking and all of the sudden you'll see Chance staring off in the distance...at a flock of geese that would have otherwise gone missed. There have been so many funny moments this season that I really regret not taking the time to at least make notes after each hunt. Although my thoughts are scattered and random right now, I promise to keep better track from now on. Our ultimate goal is to harvest 100 geese this year. As of right now, we've got 63. Pretty exciting. I suppose I should probably take the time to talk about each of the members in our crew as well.
First there's Pat and I. The masterminds behind this whole thing. We've spent many hours discussing this club and it's potential over the past year. I hope someday it becomes what we dream of.
Keith: He's an awesome goose caller, brings us Chance--an awesome retriever, and he brings a lot of comedy to the group as well. He's always up to something. As you will find out as time goes on...because he's not afraid of the camera and therefore, I'll be posting a lot of his greater moments...
Mark: He's our transportation specialist. LOL I say that because he owns "Clifford" and the trailer we haul our gear in. He's put on a ton of miles for us this year. And he got his first banded bird this year. I will post pics of him with his leg band later. It's part of a special hunt we did this year and it deserves its own entry. :o)

That's Mark, me and Pat. Mark is very camera shy and so is Pat so since they were both in such a good mood on this particular morning, (October 8, 2009) I had to take full advantage. Good pic too, I must say.

Yes, this is how The Mafia rolls...

Let's see...that brings us to Shawn. This kid is the epitome of the word "hunter". He's only 13 but he lives to hunt...he'd do it 24-7 if you let him. He's always upbeat and doing things to make us all laugh. He never lets the guys get the best of him and he always has the last word.

I love this picture of him.

Kyle: he's the "butcher's kid'. Need I say more? He's also a great caller as well.

Gabe: He's the newest kid on the block. Great guy. Loves the sport and fits in with us perfectly. We look forward to him becoming a bigger part of the club as time rolls on. For now we are greatful to have him along on our hunts...he got his first banded bird this year...in his back yard!?! Talk about LUCK! He's also gotten pretty good with the calling as well....

Paul: He's our cousin and he's currently serving our country overseas. He got a couple weeks of leave this past September and we arranged for him to hunt with us. It was a great day and there will be a special entry for that day.

Brian: Keith's brother. He's only been on a couple hunts with us this year. But they were by far the funniest of them all. We might not have slayed the birds like we had hoped those days, but we laughed from beginning to end.

I have to take off for now...I'll come back and finish this post and insert more pics tonight...

October 19, 2009

So I guess I didn't get back at this post the night I had planned to, but I am here now, and I'm going to finish it!

This is the only "group" picture I have of most of us. From left to right: Gabe, Mark, Shawn, Kyle, me, Pat, and Paul. We got our limit that day...we had a sweet set up, sitting inside standing corn where the outside rows were taken off and there was a small cove where the geese had been landing. After gaining permission from the landowner, we decided this was definitely the spot for this special hunt. We set this hunt up because my cousin who is serving our country overseas had a few days leave, and he really wanted to come up and hunt with us. So we worked hard to find the perfect place to make sure he had a good time and a successful hunt. The morning came and we set up before first light. Soon we were sitting about 3 rows in and nobody even heard the geese approach...we all fell silent at the unmistakeable sound of "Wooo-wooo-woo", the wings flapping as the birds were landing. So there you had it, the PERFECT addition to our decoys...the REAL THING...LIVE decoys! The group was small, so we let them stay and feed and help draw the other birds in. Little did we know that this was the only the beginning of a really great hunt! Flock after flock approached and out of each one, we dropped at least one bird. I remember having to "duck and run" because one of the birds shot would have taken my head off if I hadn't. Funny thing: Paul was on the phone talking to his son when the flock came in, so he told him to "hang on", he set the phone down and then he shot a bird and then picked up the phone to hear his son rejoicing and telling his classmates how his dad had just shot a goose while he was on the phone with him. So funny. And it LANDED about 6" in front of Paul (basically right at his feet) and near Pat's head because he had bent over to pick something up and "THUD" there it was! These birds are large and when they come down from the sky, you need to be aware of them or you could be seriously injured! Anyway, the morning hunt was over, and we were happy. We could only hope the night hunt would be as successful and that maybe, just maybe we could fill our limit for the day. And the afternoon came and it was much like the morning hunt. Paul had a great time, often giggling uncontrollably...his laugh is totally contagious! So I'm happy it went well and that HE had a good time! He deserved it and this day was based on him cutting loose and relaxing. We've had several good hunts. And when I say "good" I don't mean that everyone filled their tags...I just mean we had a good time! One particular day was filled with Keith and Pat's crazy antics and we didn't even get a bird that day, but it didn't matter. It was freezing cold, windy, rainy and the geese didn't cooperate and yet we laughed harder and walked away happier than any other time! Those are the hunts that stick in my mind the most of all! Again I can't mention enough how great of a group we've got this year...we all work together...almost like we each have our own "job" when it comes time to set up or take down the decoys and when someone has an issue with ammo, their gun or anything else, we all pull together to resolve it. When the geese take off on us, which unfortunately, sometimes they DO, we all work as a group to get it back and secure the harvest. After doing "goose drives" through hay fields, and watching Chance run across 40 acre plots of land without ever looking back, you can tell we are all there for a common goal. And we won't go home until we achieve it. This is the year of the "100 goose". What's that mean? It means our group wants to harvest at least 100 geese this year. We are very near that goal right now....91 1/2 (why the 1/2?--because Marky killed a different breed of goose that is the size of a mallard duck and so (as a joke) we are counting it as only a 1/2 goose--LOL). This week, maybe even tonight...will be the fall of the 100 goose. I'm excited for it. Extremely excited for it! I can't wait til it actually happens and I'm not quite sure how we're going to react when it actually DOES occur! We talked about mounting the bird and passing it from member to member in the group, and to make a plaque with the member names of the Mafia on it....but probably, he/she will be harvested just like the rest, and it will be made into the jerky we eat almost every time we are in the field. LOL One of these days I'm going to copy all the Facebook posts I did while we were in the field....because some of them are pretty funny. Like I mentioned earlier this was a year of "learning" for all of us, on all different levels. Some of us became better marksmen, some of us polished up our calling skills, some of us learned decoy patterning, some of us learned how moon phases and weather affected the birds flight, some of learned about management of the group (me) and how to keep everyone's interests at heart. I also learned I need to keep a special journal with notes from every single hunt we do. I just started doing that for the past 2 hunts...and I wish, I WISH, I would have thought of it much sooner! I also learned how to capture alot of the great moments in photos...the best ones I have are candid ones...ones where the subject doesn't even know I was there. I hope to put together an album for each year that we hunt. That means a few of the guys are going to have to get over their camera shyness fairly quickly! Well...I've rambled on much longer than I had planned...there's alot left to do before we head out tonight. The hunt will be challenging...but that's just the way the Mafia likes it! :o)

ALL BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE...

2009-10-08T06:41:00.001-05:00

Pat and I aren't like other married couples...last night as we both lay in bed moments before falling asleep, we began discussing "goose decoy patterns" and "goose-wind relationships". I mean...WHO DOES THAT? Even as I create this entry, I'm laying in my blind, in the freezing cold, in the middle of a corn field waiting for the sun to rise and the geese to fly. It would be much more comfy had I remembered either of my heating devices...a: my Gerbing's heated blind cushion or b: my "Grabber MyCoal" handwarmers. God...just the thought of those 2 things makes me wanna cry! Grrr! The boys think they have spotted the first duck of the morning flying...maybe I should finish this entry later. To be continued...

GOOSE MAFIA MANIA (INTRO...)

2009-09-30T12:38:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's definitely that time of year again! THE GOOSE MAFIA rides again! We've had several excellent hunts and some that were definitely tucking away in the back of our minds as "learning experiences." I will detail out the majority of our hunts soon, as I am currently pressured for time. We've had a brutal schedule, having to be out in the field and completely set up and ready before dawn even breaks. Then it's home for only a couple hours to regroup and decide where to go for the afternoon hunts. We took this morning off to catch up on many of the things that have beeen going neglected for a couple weeks...this blog of mine, INCLUDED. I have so many photos to share and so many great stories. We've got a great crew this year and we're well on our way to our season goal of harvested geese. With that, I'm off to jar up the pasta sauce on the stovetop (canning I've been neglecting...) and drop it in the pressure cooker and then it's time to get ready for the afternoon hunt!! Woot! Woot!!! Goose Mafia....OUT.

Wedded Bliss-ful Times!

2009-09-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

Saturday. 8:30 a.m. Tiddy and I depart on our cake tasting expedition for the day! We had a 9:15 appointment at Cake Anatomy in Kaukana and we were set to pick up cupcake samples from Hilltop Bakery, also in Kaukauna. When we walked through the doors at Cake Anatomy, I thought Tiddy's eyes were going to fall out of her head! She stifled a "SQUEE!" and just let out a sigh. The cakes in the showroom were GORGEOUS. We both locked in on the same one....almost exactly what she's looking for. Soon Dawn came out to greet us and the meeting began. Tiddy asked alot of good questions and the cake samples were scrumptious! The cakes there are SO DENSE and MOIST that you can't possibly stop eating it once you start! The buttercream is fantastic...and it's made with real BUTTER. Awesome. Tiddy was totally enthralled with the confetti cake, while I was mesmorized by the chocolate chocolate chip (really, need I say more?) And so we gathered our information and when we walked out Tiddy was so elated that we ended up in a sisterly embrace and squeeling like a couple little school girls! LOL Then it was off to Hilltop Bakery. We didn't have a formal appointment there, and when we arrived, the person who actually makes the cakes wasn't even there. We just picked up our boxes of cupcakes, rifled through a book of cake photos and I jotted down the base price list in my BlackBerry. We weren't overly impressed, which is a bummer because I had high hopes for that little bakery on the corner.......the cupcakes however, were pretty good. A little on the dry side, but the flavors were yummy!
After stopping back at Tiddy's to say hi to her hubby-to-be and the kids, she was whisking me away, back home, so I could get ready for the afternoon goose hunt with P.A.T. and The Godfather Goose. We were particulary excited about this set because we had seen the geese in this exact spot just that morning. Pat rushed off to the landowner's more than once that day...they were never home! Finally he caught someone who said it would be ok if we hunted there. So we were stoked! Pat and I packed up and TGG was set to meet us at the location. When we headed down the trail to "the spot" I saw a dust of cloud right about where we were supposed to hunt...ugggghhhh....the landowner was there, disking the very field we saw the geese in. My heart SANK. But there was a picked cornfield right next to that field so I told Pat we were sticking it out....I had a good feeling despite what had just transpired. So we started to set up, IN THE DUST CLOUD that the tractor stirred up on every pass, but hey, we are die-hard hunters and what's a little dust in the name of a good hunt?? Bah! Nothing! Soon TGG was with us, setting up decoys, camoflauging his blind with corn leaves and stalks the picker missed. By the time we were done, the farmer was gone and all was quiet and the blinds looked PHENOMENAL!

That's a pic of the Godfather Goose's blind...I was particularly proud of how his turned out! Then the wait was on...the sun was dipping below the woods quickly and we were sucked in by the shadows. PERFECT. It wasn't long and we got buzzed by 2 geese. We were so caught up in story telling that we never heard them coming! After that we were on "high alert". Pat spotted a flock about a mile away (LITERALLY) and I urged him to flag them in...he scoffed at me, but soon the flock turned and they were making a B-line for us! I was soooo giddy it was hard to keep quiet. Pat called them in, and they fell for it all...they never once flared like they were frightened or spooked by our decoys. I couldn't see them because of how well I covered my blind, so I had to rely on Pat to tell me when to pop out and shoot...At one point I looked up through the leaves and the birds were only about 30 feet above us (if that) and I could hear the "Wooooo-woooo-woooot" of their wings as they flew over. It was so awesome! Then Pat whispered "next pass" and I knew it was ON! He yelled, "shoot em guys!" and we all popped up and by the time I spotted them and got my gun up they were too far to the right for me to get a comfortable shot off...not to worry though, TGG is a southpaw so it was perfect for him and Pat got a couple good shots as well! Feathers rained down and then I heard the unmistakeable "THUD" of a bird hitting the ground! We had 2 birds down, Pat:1 TGG: 1....me...NADA. But I really didn't care! I was happy that we successfully called the birds in and we must have decoyed up perfectly as well. It was awesome! We saw one other flock a while later, but they were on a mission and heading for the bay, and far away. So when it was time to pick up, that's just what we did but everyone was smiling at the end of the night. Kyle came to help pick up and take some of the gear home and he even volunteered to clean the birds. What a good sport! :o) TGG headed home, and we headed back to the in-law's and we sat around telling them how awesome the night was and we ate a bowl of chicken soup and then it was time to hit the hay.

Pat and I headed home and it was late when we got here. My raccoons were here and gone already, so I left out their treats just in case they swung back through in the wee hours of the night. I was so wound up I couldn't fall asleep and I hadn't taken my medication on time so I decided to read the 2nd book in "The Vampire Diaries" until I got sleepy. That wasn't until after 11:00 and I was slated to wake up at 3:15. Well needless to say, that didn't happen. The combination of taking my meds late and not getting to sleep late made it virtually impossible for me to wake up. I remember the room spinning whenever I got my eyes open, but for the most part they just kept rolling back in my head. Not a good situation when you think about the fact that I would be handling a deadly weapon. So Pat softly told me it would be ok if I didn't go, that he and Kyle could wing it by themselves. I know I agreed and then I was back out for the count. A total TKO. I didn't fully wake up until 11:00 and Pat hadn't come back. So I called him and he told me that the fog was so thick that although they could hear the geese approaching, they couldn't see them. So they came home empty handed and sleepy.

Pat came over right around noon for the Packer game. I had high hopes for them. But they blew it. Right from the start. Every pass on the opening drive was dropped...and less than 2 minutes into the game, they had to punt it away. The rest of the game was a blur of me swearing about Harris drawing penalities and A-Rod not getting rid of the ball and getting sacked FIVE TIMES BY THE SAME EFFING GUY! They looked like a bunch of high school kids out there that had NO CLUE what was going on! If it wasn't for Charles Woodson and his interceptions that were converted for TD's....they wouldn't have scored at all. The Pack incurred a ton of injuries today as well, to an already injury-plagued starting line. I yelled so much at the tv I had to laugh because normally I am yelling at my mom to settle down. Today, it was ME. And when "Ochocinco/TacoBurrito/NachoPedro" whatever his name was, pulled the Lambeau Leap into 3 Bengals fans, and the Packer fan flipped off the cameras swarming around him and yelled "FUCK YOU" (you could EASILY read his lips) I had to laugh harder because all I could think was, "dude, you just took the words right out of my mouth!" The end of the game was even more tragic....The Pack managed to recover their on-side kick and could have tied the game...the passes were being completed and the time was being sucked off the clock so quickly...they had to continuously scurry to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball and stop the clock. Finally, they were in TD range and the clock wound down seconds before one of the offensive linemen got set. The game was over...just like that. It was the worst game in the history of me watching the sport. UGH.

After that, I was in a crappy mood. I took a shower and then Pat and I ran to Shopko for some miscellaneous things I needed. (Soap, shampoo, etc.) But before that....as I was getting ready, I put my contacts in and then I walked away from the mirror and somewhere from the mirror to the other side of the hall, I lost my contact, that previously I believed to have been put in my eye...I have NO IDEA where that thing went...and OF COURSE, it's my last pair and OF COURSE the vision center is closed at this time on a Sunday and so now I have to wait until tomorrow to see if they even have them in stock. The bigger picture: I CANNOT hunt until I have them. I don't wear glasses...I never have. I went straight to contacts and never looked back. So I pray that tomorrow morning when I call them, they have some GOOD NEWS and tell me they have a box of my special "Oasis" preservative free super silicone-ee contacts in stock. Or it will be ANOTHER bad day!

On the up-side, my furry raccoon buddies showed up right on time tonight and they were just as comical as ever! I just can't get over how they fight over marshmallows! I mean...who knew?!

It's most definitely time for me to wind down. I think I will continue reading my latest B&N e-reader book, The Shack. I read the "Forward" today already and I'm intrigued....Thank goodness I don't need contacts to read!!!!!

Reflections...

2009-09-18T18:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday (Thursday) didn't go exactly as previously planned. When I woke up, I had a massive headache, which pretty much 86'd all my wonderful ideas about canning the veggie soup. Not only that, but, I forgot I needed carrots. So the hubby and I re-planned the day.
Up first, a ride to the woods to check out the new paint job on my deer stand. The hubby and Mechanical Dan painted it for me a couple weeks ago. It's pretty nice. I mean, for a wooden tower in the middle of the woods! I went up inside...and realized I need to get in there and CLEAN so bad!! Windows that can't be closed (yet) attract birds and other critters and so they had made themselves at home. It's ok. Nothing a broom and dustpan can't fix! I have pics...but they are on my camera and the camera is in my car, and the hubby has my car so....I'll have to insert them later. Then I walked over to the memorial for my 2 kitties, Baby and Meegers. I knelt down to say "hi" and to pet their cross and to clear some of the vegetation out of the way. I'd like to maybe plant some flowers there... Then we cruised the entire woods on my dad's quad. So much fun! We rode past everyone's deer stands, inlcuding my Gramp's...he harvested alot of nice deer from that stand!! I remember all the stories!! I really miss him. Sometimes when I walk in the house, I half-expect to see him in his recliner, watching the Brewers like he always did. But then I snap back to reality. He's gone. But to a much better place. And I'll get to see him again someday, where I'm sure I'll find him in the "big recliner in the sky" watching the Brewers still.
Now, I had to get carrots. So we headed to the garden and I took some pics of the flowers (again, on my camera...grrr.) and walked around and checked everything out and the hubby dug up the carrots and I was in charge of "de-topping and bagging." Breezed by the in-law's to say "hi" and then it was back home so I could get in the shower.
Mom, Pat and I went to Romy's (Kelly Lake) to finalize the plans for my dad's 60th surprise birthday party next month! And we dined on some of the finest tenderloin tips while we were there too! Oh, they were so juicy and so yummy! Mom and Pat were silly and ate a salad...ha, I'm way smarter than that! I waited for the good stuff!! They were full by the time the meal hit the table! NOT ME!!! HAHAHAHA!
I told them prior to this little adventure that I needed to be home by 7:00 because my new favorite show was on, "The Vampire Diaries"...it did not disaapoint! I don't care what anyone says, this is a goooooood show! It's sort of "Buffy meets Twilight-ish". Both of which are up my alley. Stefan you can suck my neck ANY DAY! The rest of the night was spent watching more tv. Supernatural followed by the season primier of The Mentalist...which was soooooo good as well! Love me some Simon Baker! :o)
So this morning Pat woke me up and it was straight to work I went. Chopping, peeling, blanching (not in that specific order) vegetables and getting them ready to be canned. It took a very long time, but by 1:00 I had something vaguely resembling the best veggie soup ever and Pat and Dad confirmed it! Pat was eating right out of the pot...which I DID NOT LIKE! I don't like being crowded when I'm workin' my cooking "mojo". One batch is done, the other pressure cooking at 10 pounds as we speak. I'm tired. I can't wait to take a shower and get in my jammies!
Tomorrow morning is cake tasting with Tiddy!! WOOT!!! Love wedding planning! Especially the tasty parts!

To The Farmers Market I Go, Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho!!!

2009-09-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

Although today didn't have a good start, it got better. My sis said she would pick me up after work and we would hit the GB Farmers Market so that made me happy. I had been online the majority of the day but put my laptop to bed before I got ready to go. When I came out Tina kept asking me why my laptop wouldn't open. I didn't understand what she meant until she showed me, IT WOULDN'T OPEN! Now this comes after not having it for like month, because I had shattered the LCD. I finally got it back ($450.00 later) and now the damn thing won't open!?! Yikes. NOT COOL. So before the FM we decided to swing by the PC shop and ask them what was up. I tried opening it on the way there, but didn't wanna force it because it felt like if I did, "something" was going to snap. We got there and the first tech that greeted us couldn't get it to open either. She wasn't comfortable reef'n on it so she said she would take it back to the tech that originally worked on it. She left and soon after she came back laughing. The tech in back had opened it without ANY issues...so we tested it a few more times, and then decided it was fixed. Cool. Crisis averted. So off to Tina's to meet mom when she was finished working so she could go to the FM with us. I love the FM! There's so much there! Things you don't expect. Like, for instance, I scored the absolute coolest dog treats for my pups!

The first is for Luke. A peanut butter paw print sucker! It's as big as my hand! And it's got a rawhide stick. The second ones are for Harm and Harley. "Ice cream cones" filled with a doggy-friendly banana muffin and frosting with sprinkles! LOVE THESE! They are from the Perfect Pet Gift Shop and Bakery. I can't wait to get more. :o)

I also picked up a key lime rum cake that Weetabix raved about in her blog....

I have yet to dive into it...I was stupid and actually ate dinner tonight...shouldda just feasted on this cake! They offered free samples of the vanilla flavored cake and it was SINFULLY delish! I'll let you know just how wonderful it is! YUM!

I also scored some necessities, corn on the cob, yellow wax beans, and some honey wheat bread. I'm canning vegetable soup tomorrow and those were the only things I didn't have. So tomorrow will be a busy day of me being all "Chef-ee" and taking over mom's kitchen once again! I love cooking! :o)

The other thing at the FM that really caught my eye was the gorgeous array of flowers! OMG! I love flowers and the ones that were there today were fabulous! The zinnias, sunflowers, gladiolas, and some magenta colored pompus grassy stuff was awesome! I wished I could just lay down in the middle of them all and stay there forever!

I need to back up a day and talk about my good friend Jeanne...well, all my friends really. But yesterday was my day to hang with J. She took me to GB to Cold Stone Creamery and treated me to ice cream. I chose butter pecan with pecans and caramel....TO DIE FOR!!! YUM-O! And then we were off to Barnes & Noble, a favorite place of mine, where I picked Julie & Julia and Julia Child's famous cookbook. We stopped at a gas station where J bought me a lottery ticket and we vowed that if either of us won, we'd split it and the first thing we would do is jet off to Hawaii. You have no idea how bad I want to win!!! Good luck J!

It's been a rough week, but my girlfriends from far and near, have come through for me in ways you can't imagine. They have spoiled me rotten and their kindness and love was just overflowing. I'm so greatful and so lucky to have them.

That pretty much brings me to the here and now, and here and now I am tired from a long day and need to rest so I'm ready to put my Chef-ee hat on tomorrow!

I Hate Money

2009-09-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

I hate money. Everything you do every single day is measured based on how much you have...or in my case, how much I DON'T have. Being on disability is really hard for me. I get paid once a month, and a huge chunk of it pays for a loan I took out to pay for medical expenses and past mistakes I made. And this last month a lot of things happened...all at once. A big thing was my laptop screen shattered and that ended up costing $450.00 to fix. At the time, I had the money. But my mistake came later. That same day, I wrote a huge check for the cost of our hunt club hoodies ($600) and forgot about the pc bill. How did I FORGET the pc bill?? I mean you would think every time I've logged on to my pc since then, it would be a constant reminder right? Ya, not so much. I don't know if all the drugs I am taking is messing with my mind or if the condition itself is messing with me but seriously, I whole heartedly FORGOT about that $450. So now, I log on to my account, when yesterday I couldn't for whatever reason the stupid online banking system always gives me the finger, and I'm really really really REALLY in the hole and I don't get paid for another 7 days. It's not just that I only get paid once a month, it's that the hubby is still unemployed and his checks have gotten smaller (how the fuck that can happen I still don't know...) and his money pays our health and vehicle insurance and he's pretty much broke. I looked into a state funded health insurance and I was really taken by surprise when I saw that our money we bring in, together, is considered to be in the "poverty level." I never thought of that "word" to describe us before...but....
It just sucks. I WANT to work, and I CAN'T work. I can't even drive. I feel so helpless...and I want to LIVE. I don't want to sit home doing nothing. If I'm sitting home, I want to be able to cook, or read books, or watch movies or whatever....but all of those things you must buy as well.
I'm just so saddened and disgusted that I can't even think straight........AUGH. I hate money.

Thank God Puppies Can Swim...

2009-09-15T13:25:00.002-05:00

So I was flipping through the channels and I came upon the very beginning of Little House On The Prairie...I used to watch this show religiously when I was little...now I only see it once in a while. Strange how I can remember each episode after just seconds of the beginning of the show....
There were puppies, fluffy white puppies, with their mother (who by the way looked NOTHING like the pups). And then in to the barn comes a man, a tall dark figure (queue ominous music), and he kneels down to the dogs and he has a sack. A brown canvas sack. He proceeds to put the pups in the sack. The pups whimpering the entire time. The hair on the back of my neck is now standing on end and my whole body begins to burn with sickness. I have to keep telling myself "it's fake, Ang...it's FAKE!" And still I'm riveted and couldn't stop watching. He puts them in the back of his wagon and leaves for what I can only imagine, is a water source. Cut to Laura and Mary racing to a pond. The same pond, in fact, that the evil, nasty, puppy-drowning man is arriving at. Laura hears the pups and inquires about what he's doing and he threatens them saying he'll "stick them" if they don't go away. (Ya know beat them with a stick.) The girls leave but don't go far...he throws the sack of puppies into the pond. I got shivers...I'm right there, waiting for him to leave because, dammit! I'm going to save those puppies myself! Cut to Laura and Mary jetting out of the woods and diving in the pond...they retrieve the sack and they pull out three, albeit water-logged, puppies and they are all alive. They have a slight scare when the believe the rock the man put inside the sack to make it sink, is a pup, that has not survived. I was so relieved.
I write this because I've noticed over the years that I've gotten really sensitive to issues of animal abuse...specifically cats and dogs and the disgusting cruel things people inflict on them. I wonder, "what the fuck goes through their mind? How the hell do they justify hurting a poor defenseless animal? Do they have no conscience at all???" It just makes me physically ill when the news is on and there are cases of animal abuse or mutilation or whatever.... I do EVERYTHING in my power to resurrect animals (strays) from the dead and there are others out there undoing all the good I've tried to do. WTF?
My pets bring me such joy. Such unconditional love. It doesn't matter to them what clothes I wear, if I have a job or not, if I'm sick or well, if I'm wearing makeup or not....they don't care if 2 seconds earlier I was infuriated by them misbehaving and I've yelled at them...they still cuddle up to me and purr and roll on their backs to let me scratch their tummies...HOW can anyone hurt such a being???
Look at me...I've gone all PETA on you! I just love my furry children I guess. :o)

"Cache this"

2009-09-14T22:22:00.001-05:00

I forgot to mention Saturday afternoon the hubby and I were back on speaking terms. We headed out to the garden (where we can always find peace) and my flowers are so gorgeous! I don't want summer to end...or the blanket of color the flowers provide...but some have already gone to seed, so I set myself to collecting them. I found seeds on some that I didn't even know made them, so it will be interesting to see if I can get them to grow! I love a challenge! Also, whoever said there is a shortage of bees is full of shit! I have ONE FLOWER (stonecrop) that had about 20 bees on it at one time! Honeys, bumbles,....you name it! Even one I've never seen before...it looked like an all black bumble! Cool...
Sunday morning began with a bang. Had to head to Pulaski for the FIL's birthday party. I ate waaaay too much, but still made room for the bestest cake in the world! It was 3 layers of fudgy chocolate cake, and the greatest frosting you can ever even imagine! The MIL really knows cake! I should just start calling her "Mrs. Cake"....hmmm...I might give that a whirl....
Sunday night: the regular season opener for the Green Bay Packers. Good grief. It was white knuckles from the 1st to 4th quarter... Now I'm not one to get over excited about a football game...let alone YELL at the tv about "bogus calls" from the refs or pathetic effort by the QB. But last night....I was a scream'n machine! As if they could hear me through the tv anyway! LOL I remind myself of my grandpa D. He used to yell at the refs all the time! In the end, the Pack prevailed, and made some stellar plays along the way. A-Rod, you don't "suck" but you need work baby. You're not the well-oiled machine that Favre was...but if you could focus a little bit, you'd be unstoppable! And for God's sake...stop with all the penalties!! The refs WILL see it!!! Here's to the beginning of what looks to be a great season!
Ahhhh...Monday...headed out with Ziggo to meet MN Amy in Shawano. On Friday I left my sunglasses and phone charger in her truck. How stupid am I? Thank goodness she didn't go back to MN right away! Anyway, she was a sweetheart and met us in Shawano to give it back. Gotta love that girl. A LOT. It was great to see her again and give her a big hug, and she and Ali got me a gift....a cookbook for a G-free diet. I read Elizabeth Hasslebeck's book about going G-free and all the things that can happen from a gluten allergy and I was like the poster child for all the symptoms. It won't be an easy thing...giving up my bread and pasta...oh no...those things are staples in my diet. But at least this book gives me a starting point to decrease my G intake and hopefully eliminate it completely, along with a lot of my medical issures. So MN Amy and Ali, thanks for the "new beginning"! I will be sure to start using it ASAP and let you both know which recipes are awesome-est. LOL
After meeting MNA, we had to head back toward home where Ziggo had some bank business to attend to. Then we got on with the fun stuff! We went geocaching! Zig's never gone before so it was uuber fun to introduce him to the game. We found all small cache's but went through some treacherous terrain too. I whacked my head on a beam underneath a bridge and it made a huge "GONG" sound...Zig thought it was a car passing over us, but no, it was indeed, the sound of my cranium meeting metal. Ouch. I still have a headache from that! But in the end we found the cache and all was good. I could see and walk straight so it was on to the next cache. We visited my grandparent's on my mom's side in their cemetary (which got a fence upgrade since the last time I was there!! It's GORGEOUS!) and also visited my great grandparents (my dad's mom's parents) in their cemetary as well. I patted each stone and said "hello" and "goodbye" each time I passed. It was here where we looked in a pine tree for a cache and a dove flew out at us! I screamed out loud (not good thing to do in cemetary...one could have literally "woke the dead") and then we foudn out why...her nest was there with one baby dove and one egg. So adorable! We didn't find the cache but I didn't care because seeing that little bird in that nest made me very giddy. To see a new life beginning in a place where so many "end." I used to get creeped out by cemetaries, and now, after my secret missions to my gramma's grave on the anniversary of her death and birthday each year, I find them peaceful, tranquil, beautiful even. So today was no different. I smiled at those I loved and even at some total strangers with very unique stones. Cemetary monuments are beautiful. And I'm so glad the world of geocaching brought them into my life. I will post a couple pics tomorrow. My head is still banging and this little girl needs some sleep after hiking a few miles today in the blistering heat.
PS The geese still have no patterning...the Mafia is beside themselves trying to "figure them out." I'm actually looking forward to cooler weather and the "tail winds" to kick in to help push them south for the winter. Good night all. Sweet dreams.
PSS They never found the hispanic....

Roger that...we've got a 10-80...

2009-09-13T04:10:00.003-05:00

So this is not what I thought I would be doing at 2:00am...at approximately 12:20am, while reading a book in bed, I heard sirens approaching. I got up and actually saw 3 cops go screaming past my house lights blazing, sirens whaling...they didn't go very far because I heard when they shut them off...hmmmm?? Shortly there after, an ambulance goes by with lights on but no sirens...hmmmmm??? Not 5 minutes later a vehicle pulls in our driveway. The headlights shut off and I can see a person lit only by the dome light inside. Then the headlights came back on...then the peraon comes walking up the sidewalk...oh thank god it's my older brother-but wait-WTF is he doing here at 12:30am? Doesn't really matter. He stopped to talk to the swarm of cops up the road and it turns out they are looking for a hispanic male wearing a white tshirt who obviously led them on a high speed chase resulting in him (the hispanic) crashing his vehicle just up the road from my house. And he fled the scene. We watched cops drive by slowly with their spot lights shining in the yards and fields and stopping at our neighbor's house to check things out. So of course I'm all bright eyed and bushy tailed (not) after my night last night and here I am now, wide awake, scared to go to bed because some stupid dipshit thinks he's too cool for school or something. Augh. I need sleep. I'm fucking exhausted. The last thing I heard while standing by an open window was a cop talking over his loud speaker, mumbling and then saying "this is the police"...but our neighbors are (were) having a party and they were talking loudly so I couldn't make the whole thing out. Now it's gone eerily quiet and I don't like it. We need a scanner. Then we'd know if they found the little creatan or not and I would know if it was safe to go to bed or not...hmmm. Note to self: buy a fucking scanner tomorrow! (Well today-but later today). Updates as they occur...Angi-out.

She's In Ruins...

2009-09-12T16:43:00.000-05:00

So I woke up Friday (yesterday) thinking it was going to be a GREAT day! I had plans with MN Amy to go see Julie & Julia and then I was to go goose hunting (if I was feeling well enough to) with the Mafia. Little did I know that God, himself, was planning to black-ball my ass for the day... I woke up and jumped on my laptop right away. We've been separated for almost a month now, so we are still "re-bonding". I logged onto the Mafia FB page and just for kicks and giggles I searched FB for "Goose Mafia" to see what the competition was up to. There's a couple "Snow Goose" Mafias and so I was just curious. And then I saw it...the first thing that ruined my day...some low-life high school punks are trying not only to steal the Mafia name, but to claim they were the "first". Only I know it's complete BS because if what they claim is true, they would have been 8 years old when the club was created. Yuh...don't think so boys...so that pushed my "get our logo and name trademarked" goal into fierce high gear. That was the FIRST bad thing that happened. So then I was off to see Julie & Julia with MN Amy. I was sooo happy to see her and we had a great time! The movie was light hearted and funny and I'm not a Meryl Streep fan but holy shit...her Julia Child character was spot-on! I saw in the credits that the movie was based on a book and so now of course I want it, along with Julia's famous Art of French Cuisine cookbook. Books....my weakness. Being with Amy, Julie and Julia was by far the highlight of my day. Amy went off to Appleton to meet Ali, and Pat came to pick me up. At first it was ok. But then I was telling him how Nick Barnett lost his dog. He was using Twitter as a vehicle to get the word out. Last I heard he had not found him and was fearing someone had "dog-napped" him. I told Pat it was probably someone who found out the dog belonged to Nick and thought...hey...I bet he'll offer a big reward! And somehow Pat and I got in a heated debate about having money and not having money and somehow, somewhere along the way, I ended up crying and we were no longer on speaking terms. I stared out the passenger window all the way home crying and yet, he never said a word. Not one. NOT ONE! So we got to his house and he turned to me and asked (or something) if I as still going hunting. I said "no". How could he think I could possibly just put on a happy face in front of the others and pretend nothing happened? But that is how he works...he thinks that if he just "ignores" it, "it" will go away and everything will be ok. It's partly my fault for letting him get away with such acts for so many years. But I just get tired of fighting and would rather spend my energy being happy and being together...so the next day when we wake up, or when he "comes back" I just let it go. Note to self: BAD IDEA. Anyway I told him I could call my mom to pick me up from his parents and he could go hunting without me. But then he got bullheaded and insisted on taking me home. He didn't say a word while I cried all the way home. But before we left his parent's I asked why he has such a negative attitude toward me, our future, and life in general...."don"t you care about ANYTHING?" I asked. All he did was shrug his shoulders. So when we pulled in the driveway at home, I got out and said "thanks for not even caring enough to say a word to me while I cried all the way home"... He said, "hat was I supposed to say? You won't listen to me anyway!" Um...I know I'm no genius, but being locked in the car together pretty much insures a captive audience. It just killed me that he couldn't say "sorry" or "don't cry" or ANYTHING!!! So he left and I was left to lay crying in my room for the next four hours. After pouring my heart out to my mother (I'm pretty sure she was more than willing to hunt Pat don at that point) I just told her to leave me alone. She said she's had a hard time biting her tongue for THIS long and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep doing it. She's heard all the disrespectful things he's said to me, and how whenever I'm happy about ANYTHING he manages to say something or do something to completely wreck it for me. So there I was, laying in ruins. He didn't call, he didn't text. Even after I texted him several times, with the last one saying I was "afraid to tell him not to come home unless he was going to start acting like my husband, and to be there for me and quit acting like a child, because then I'm afraid he really WOULDN'T come back"...you'd think something of that magnitude would warrant SOME kind of response...but nope...silence. And maybe that hurt me just as much. Because I knew he as out hunting with his buddies and wasn't even thinking or caring about what had transpired between us. I was sure he wasn't coming home. Then around 8:30 I get the most pitiful text from him "do you want me to come over?" WTF?! I proceeded to tell him I wanted him to come home if he would be my husband. Not a "boy" who thought it is acceptable to put his wife 2nd in every situation and to have a better attitude all around. By that point my eyes were almost swelled shut and I could barely even see my phone and I was utterly exhausted. And I fell asleep. I woke up later that night and rolled over with my head throbbing and blurred memories of what was happening...and then the bed moved. It took me a second or two to process that information and hen I did I freaked out and jumped up and looked and he was there. And all he said was "what?" OMFG. The dude STILL couldn't show an ounce of fucking compassion as I'm laying there gripping the last part of a roll of toilet paper (ran out of tissues) and I still had tears on my face and he never even tried to touch my hand or say sorry or that he loved me. Oh no. I get a blank, emotionless "what"? Fuck you. I didn't have the energy. I rolled over and fell asleep. Even my dreams were plagued of events of him not caring about me. So the events were still very much in the front of my mind. When I woke up he was there, but still wouldn't say anything (surprise surprise). I couldn't even look at him. I rolled away from him and stared at the wall with tears streaming down my cheeks again wondering how the hell we got to this point. What had I done? What did I do or say wrong??? Wait!!! How could I think this was all MY fault? Maybe because of the few words he DID say the day before, among them was that I was "mean" to him. So I asked how? How am I mean to you? WHEN was I mean to you???? And funny part is, he couldn't cite one instance. Pfffft. Finally he said he was leaving if I wouldn't talk to him. Omg. That opened the gates and I let loose. In the end, I pretty much gave in. Maybe because I was exhausted or maybe cause I am stupid. Finally with a sigh I said "will you please bring me a fork?" He said, "why do you want a fork?". Omg is he really so stupid to actually ask me that???!! "Just get me a damn fork!" So he went and I walked over to where the last piece of blackberry pie was "hid" and grabbed the plate. When he came back in he saw the pie and it finally clicked why I wanted the fork. The situation warranted a small giggle from us both, and although I STILL haven't gotten an apology, he did manage to say "I love you". My response?? "I love you too, but, you need to quit being an asshole."

And So It Begins....

2009-09-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

I've been dying...well not "dying"...but really WANTING to start a blog for a long time now. I'm not even sure what it is that I'm writing it for...maybe because of my financial/social/career situation. It's all very complicated which you will all find out soon enough. Maybe it's just a way for me to fill the "void" in my life. Or maybe it's a way for me to feel as though I've "accomplished" something. No matter how you look at it, I think it's going to be a good thing. A fun thing. And I'm looking forward to future posts. I'm hopoing to be able to link this to my Facebook page as well. Ahhh, I have so much to do........ Well, this is the beginning of "My Charmed Life". :0)