Loss of a Coworker

Today our hospice family lost a very spunky member. Her name was Fran and I can't begin to list the adjectives that describe her. It is so very hard in hospice dealing with death day to day. We care for people as they prepare to die, and we care for their family members that are left behind, and we do it well, VERY well. This is the problem: We are now the ones that need the caring. A void is left and the "teachers now become the students." Fran was a nurse turned social worker, and at 62, could still do the splits (I've seen it.) and did martial arts. We are so sad about our loss. God will have a challenge on his hands with Spunky Fran!! God bless you Fran.

Fun Time Ahead!!

Tomorrow after work I am going to a bachelorette party for a friend of mine who grew up in Oviedo, Fl and I met working in North Carolina at "Camp Itchycoochie" (as my brother called it.) I am so excited for her and can't wait to see her again. It has been 7 years since I worked in North Carolina!! It has been such a stressful week, that a little girl party and gambling will be a great distraction!
My "Man of Honor" Marcus and Robert came down from Fairhope to do some Central Florida scouting for Robert. Robert lived in the Cayman Islands when we were there on our honeymoon (although we didn't know it at the time) but has since moved back to the States and is looking for a new home base. Well, he LOVED Tampa, which means I have another former Mississippian moving to the area!! I hope we get to see him often and MAYBE Marcus, Lorraine and family will move down soon!! That would be SO great! Then we could rescue Robert's sister Angie and her family from Greenville and move them here!! And then..... anyway, we went to Leroy Selman's last night and had a wonderful time. We closed the place down. Robert insisted on gloating to Lorraine about the wonderful food she was missing. She is such a great sport! If I had one drop of the patience she has, I would be golden!! My Robert enjoyed telling stories of my sleep walking/talking escapades. Marcus is now very glad our "Marriage Contract" didn't pan out (see several blog entries before the wedding). I think he would have killed me with all of my shenanigans!! Robert finds them thoroughly entertaining and loves to try to "keep me going" by asking questions and feeding into my talking! I'm not right in the head, especially when I sleep. It's bad enough that I could probably get a "crazy check" if I tried. For those of y'all that didn't grow up in the Delta, I don't mean anything offensive when I use the term "crazy check."
Well, I've got to try to rest since tomorrow promises to be a stressful day at work, and a very fun and tiring day at the Hard Rock!!! Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?? I sure as hell do!!!! Bring it on!! Love, Shannon

Dealing with Attitudes.

Even though I am a nurse, I've never been very fond of doctors. (I mean no offense to any of my friends who are doctors at all!!!) I never could understand how the little nurses in the little hospitals had the time or desire to mess around with the little doctors with BIG god complexes!! Anyway, we have a new Dr, and I'll call him Dr Richard Head (for obvious reasons.) Well, Dr Richard (Dick for short) comes in with a major attitude each day and tries to get us to do things that are his job, but he feels are the jobs of the "secretaries." We are NURSES, who are nursing supervisors, who have 12 nurses, 9 home health aides, and 110+ patients to take care each and every day. He even DARED to make negative comments about the ONE doctor I truly love (not including you Dr Jennie!) I'll call him Dr Awesome. Dr Awesome is so nice to us, respects us as professionals, and trusts our judgment completely. I guess Dr Dick feels if you use terms of endearment (like honey) you aren't taking him seriously. Well, from this day forward, Dr Dick is now "Sugar Booger." If "honey" drove him nuts, "Sugar Booger" should run him OFF!!! Maybe if I "Bless his heart" "Sugar Booger" will find a more suitable work environment. Kill em with kindness!! Bless his heart!! (There are SO many days I'm glad I still have my Southern drawl after 12 years of being in Florida. You can say stuff and get away with so much more with a Southern accent!!) Love, Shannon

Feeling Spunky!

I had a dream last week that I got my hair cut short, which started the wheels turning. Monday I decided to be ballsy and walk in to a hair salon and tell them to do "whatever." Well, I couldn't find any place open on Monday except one that had a long wait, so I took it as a sign and waited until Tuesday. After work I walked into a salon that I have been to before. I don't get my hair cut very often. As a matter of fact it hasn't been cut since just before the wedding (over 6 months ago!) The lady at the salon was from Jamaica and was so sweet. I told her to cut it about shoulder length in a style that wouldn't make my round face look any rounder. She didn't want to cut it that short. She suggested I only cut about 3 inches off, so went with that. It is very soft and healthy right now, so I am happy.
We are in the process of looking for a small car for Robert since his has crapped out again. We want something with low miles that we can take to Miami or Mississippi and feel comfortable that it will make it. My 2002 Tribute has 171,500 miles on it and is running like a champ!! We are going to keep it forever. I think it is in such good shape because I started using full synthetic oil from day 1. Anyway, we looked at a Toyota Yaris (yes, it is small and Robert is a big guy, and it may conjure visions of clowns packed in a car with the two of us in a small car, BUT it is much roomier than we expected.) It gets great gas mileage (29/36) and is very reasonable. It's an idea we are seriously looking into as soon as we get his running enough to get it up there to trade in.
Today we did yard work and bought some herbs and a bamboo orchid. Robert planted it tonight. It reminds us of his Grandma Doris. She LOVED orchids. Dana had an oriental pot that had the bottom broken out of it, so we put it in the yard and put the orchid in it, and placed large Mexican beach stones on top. It is pretty.
That is about all for now. Shannon

Spring Break Wraps Up!

Tomorrow is the last day of Spring Break, which means back to work Monday!!! It has been a great week with Nicole. We have rested and done lots of wonderful things. I can officially say that I have had an ASS FULL of Busch Gardens!!! We went Wednesday and today. I wasn't able to ride any of the rides because of my back and fear of causing more problems. It was fun seeing Nicole get the "coaster bug!" She rode everything!! I wouldn't let her go on Sheikra last year because I didn't feel she was ready. Well this year she went 2 times with Jeanne and would have gone several times today, but it was so busy and the lines were long. She LOVES coasters!! It was good to get out and walk around the park. We went shopping some, got pedicures, went to some restaurants, saw Monsters vs. Aliens, Busch Gardens twice, and after tomorrow church 3 times. We had both computers die this week, so we were completely computerless for what Robert says was four hours, but it felt like 2 days!! We cooked out over the firepit tonight and ate outside and looked at the stars. It was really nice. Nicole wants to go camping now, which I find EXTREMELY funny because anytime a bug came near her, she freaked out!!! She is VERY much like her Aunt Nina (Dana) in the respect! Camping would be a hoot with her!!! We have a picture of her with a shirt that says "Nature Girl" on it. It should say "Nature Girl as long as it doesn't touch me!!" She is great!! Her "bug dance" is one in a million!!

I hate for this week to end! It went by WAY too fast!! Happy Easter everybody and Happy Birthday Marcus!!!! Today is 6 months since we got married!!! Love, Shannie, Robert and Nicole for a few more hours!!!!

What a Difference 19 Years Makes!!!

Today I spoke at a local high school to 3 classes of students who are interested in the medical field. The teacher wanted me to speak on nursing and hospice. It was really fun! It was so strange being back in a high school!! I haven't stepped in a high school since I did a brief tour of MSMS at my 10 year reunion. I felt test anxiety all over again! I know I'm going to have the "showing up to school naked" dream tonight. High school is very different now!! The classrooms were more flexible in the set up. Half of the classroom was a computer area, half was "desks" (Not the desks we had!) and a hospital bed setup. The desks were individual tables with chairs that WERE NOT ATTACHED and could be pushed together to form a few larger tables. They even had a culinary classroom that had a commercial kitchen. MSMS was state of the art in it's day, but this was amazing! In the "common area" there was a huge tv screen that had announcements and information on it as well as rows of lockers. It was clean and nice. This will be the school that our kid (if we have one) will go for high school. We are very fortuate because the Elementary school is about 1/2 mile down the road, the middle school is next to the high school, and everything is very close to us. It was an excellent experience. (I found it strange that the bathrooms didn't have doors on them, the individual stalls did, but you could see right into the bathroom. God forbid you have to barf, fart, or poop. I would NEVER be able to go there!) I am on Spring Break now, so I am a happy woman (who is feeling very old since I just spent half the day talking to students who weren't even born when I graduated.) I'm going to take my geritol and go to bed!!! Have a great weekend!! Shannon
While looking for a picture of MSMS I ran across this picture. This was my physics teacher and he is still really good looking!!! Sorry Marcus!!

Looking Forward

I have always loved fall, which is one reason we decided to get married in October. I thought ahead and wondered "When would I love to go on a trip to celebrate anniversaries?" October was a natural choice for me. Growing up in Mississippi, where the summers are so sweltering hot I thought they would never end, fall was always a welcomed change. Fall meant football games, cool weather, and the smell of fresh picked cotton. It was GREAT. The few times I have gone back during the fall, I just walk around in the wide open fields with my arms spread out soaking in every bit of cool breeze I can. It is a feeling like no other.
During the summer of 2001 I was a camp nurse in North Carolina. I became addicted to waterfalls. They are so relaxing to me and beautiful. The combination of fall and waterfalls makes me want to see the leaves change. I am hoping that we can make a trip this fall to take in the beauty of the leaves, the cool of fall, and the relaxation of waterfalls. I'm looking forward to this, and hopeful that this will happen. I have wanted to do this for the last 4 years, but it hasn't happened just yet. We will see. I'm trying to remain hopeful about everything right now because I am tired of hearing bad news and how we shouldn't be hopeful!! How are we going to get out of this if we lose hope?? Hope is the essence of life. I opened my profit sharing yesterday and it dropped nearly $4000. I could have done A LOT with that money, but it wasn't something I paid for myself, so I'm looking at it as a gift that had some taken back. Looking forward and planning is helping me feel positive right now. Much love, Shannon

Almost There!!

Today is not only April Fool's Day, but also the last day I will be in the office for just over a week!! I'm excited because I need a break!! Tomorrow I am talking to 3 classes of high school students about nursing, hospice, and working with terminal people. What a happy discussion for them to kick off Spring Break! I hope I will be interesting and informative. I'm sure going to try!! I love to talk and I love to talk about nursing and the difference we make, so it should just flow out of my mouth.
After my "Career Day" experience I will be doing some satisfaction surveys with a few newer patients. I just did 30 of these in January, and now we will be doing 10% of our cases every month. I really enjoyed going out to the homes again and talking with people I only get to talk to on the phone. It will feel like a bit of freedom riding from place to place instead of sitting behind the desk.
That is about all that is going on right now!! Shannon

Looking Forward To Spring Break!!!

I'm excited to say I have a Spring Break this year again!!! Last year I started celebrating Spring Break with Nicole, so we decided to do it again since we had so much fun. I really need a break since people are getting crazier (see previous posts.) I'm looking forward to some fun and much needed relaxation. My back is feeling better, so I'm hoping we can do a lot of fun things. Robert is in the beginning of Chiropractic visits. He has quite a bit of spinal disc degeneration too. We are 2 old sad cases. He is in the initial stages where you go from feeling way better, to feeling like someone has beat your ass!!! Robert thinks that he has been a part of the WWE (on the losing end) since Dr Burns is so strong and seemingly "jumps from the third rope" when adjusting him. I keep assuring him it will get better and he believes me.
I'm getting a bit of a farming bug. I really want to start a garden. I guess I'm an old Mississippi lady after all. We have a Topsy Turvey and are growing tomatoes. I love me some "As seen on TV" stuff!!! I'm looking at growing more herbs, cucumbers, onions, garlic, etc. We will see how this all works out.
Have a great week, and stay away from crazy people. Love, Shannon

St Patick's day!!

Happy St. Patty's day everybody!!! I wore my green shirt with bejeweled shamrock and Celtic cross shirt from the Christmas Parade (Christmas around the world was the theme.) I also had an Irish Princess crown. My coworkers had no idea they were in the presence of royalty!!
After 7 years and 3 months of working at the same place, I have come to the conclusion that people are getting CRAZIER!!! Not good, funny crazy, I mean YOU NEED TO BE MEDICATED!!! crazy!! I'm not sure if it is stress from the poor economy, or pesticides and hormones in food, or mad cow, or alien abduction, or WHAT, but at least the population of people I have to deal with are getting definably more insane. I'm not talking about our patients either. Generally they are the sane segment of the family. Whatever the cause is, I hope it comes to an abrupt end soon or I'm going to lose my mind. Pray for my sanity and the sanity of those around me!! Thanks!!! Now go drink your green beer!!!

Love, Shannon

Millionaire, Parade, Mexican, Japanese, and Casino

This was the first weekend that Robert and I have been off together that we haven't gone to a wedding, or a funeral since our wedding in October. It has been really nice. Our "original plan" was to go either to Venice, FL or Orlando for the weekend to get away. Friday night we went to see Slumdog Millionaire, which was really good. Saturday morning we woke up and had to decide what to do: I had a float in the founders day parade in Zephyrhills that we needed to be on or we could scratch that and leave for wherever. We decided to do the parade since I knew there would not be a lot of people in it. We had 8 people on our float including Robert and me. I'm glad we went. After the parade we ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant and talked about where we wanted to go. We decided on renting movies and hanging out at home.
After a much needed nap, I heard LOBSTER VOICES. This puzzled Robert until I explained that "Larry the Lobster" was calling me. Meaning: I NEED TO GO TO HARD ROCK CASINO TO PLAY LARRY THE LOBSTER!! We went to one of our favorite Japanese steakhouses "Yakamoto" and had a wonderful meal and headed toward the Hard Rock. Well, Larry the Lobster wasn't good to us, so we moved on to another game that looked like Wheel of Fortune, but I'm not sure what it was. It was fun and good to us. We doubled our money, so as it turned out our meal only cost us about $18. Not bad for a night out!! We came home and watched the movie "Fireproof" which was very good. The acting wasn't good, but the concept was very good for a married couple. It makes you stop and think about the things you should do for each other and how you should love each other instead of getting so aggravated.
Today I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I know we have another movie to watch "Nights in Rodanthe." Yes, I'm making Robert sit through a chick flick. Cher says the beach house reminds her of our wedding. It looks really beautiful. Anyway, it has been a wonderful weekend together even though we didn't go anywhere. Have a great Sunday!!

Diving With Sharks.

It's so funny Shannon mentioned she never thought about sharks when she was 30 feet down on the Sea Trek. There are truly two kinds of people. Those that are freaked out be things swimming by them and those that just appreciate the wonder that they are experiencing. Shannon is one of those that I think truly appreciates and respects what she sees while diving. I would love more than anything to continue diving with her. I just had to post that I would like nothing more than to experience her learning more about and diving with the incredible array of life many never get to see in the wild.

Ready For Another Cruise.

I watched our honeymoon video tonight since Robert was at work. We had such a wonderful time and saw so many beautiful places. It was a relaxing week for us after so much hard work. I'm ready to go again. I want to go snorkeling again and would love to learn to scuba dive. I never once thought about sharks when I was in the water, which is amazing because I get freaked out by sharks. I'm keeping an eye out for good deals since it seems like people aren't traveling much. I'm not sure we will be able to do it, but it is always fun to look. I have pictures from the wedding and honeymoon at my desk to try to calm my soul. I hope everyone has a great week! Shannon

Wish We Were Still In Miami!!

I can't begin to explain how much fun we had in Miami the weekend of Tracy and Chad's wedding. It is terrible returning to "real life." We were able to see our family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. I know everyday can't be a party, but it sure seems like it can when you are there!! We are going to make Cher come over here so we can have another "girls night out/bachelorette party." Robert's idea was put names in a bowl and draw to see who gets to be the bachelorette. I think that is a great idea.
I had a new experience today. I had to do a deposition. I've been a nurse just shy of 15 years, and this was my first depo. Thank goodness it wasn't against us. I don't think I was helpful at all, but at least it wasn't a bad experience. They were nice to me. Thank goodness for Debbie (our risk manager) and Cher. They helped me so much and were so supportive. I think I will be calmer if it ever happens again, which I hope it NEVER does. I'm looking forward to sleeping well tonight since it is over.
Have a great weekend!!! Love, Shannon

A Wedding, Three Birthdays, and No Funerals.

We took a long weekend trek to Miami for another Pezoldt wedding. Three down, two to go. Chad, the baby of the Pezoldt crew, was married to Tracy in an amazing and beautiful ceremony at the Deering Estate. All I can say is WOW!!! Tracy looked like a real version of Cinderella and Chad looked, well, HOT!! They are such a gorgeous couple. I've never seen Chad so composed, calm, happy, and proud. The day was beautiful, the people were beautiful, the food was good, and the party was purely Pezoldt. Pezoldt should be a new adjective!! There is NO party like a Pezoldt party!!! These people don't sleep, EVER!! When they meet you, they suck you in, and you too become family. This sentiment was repeated at every table at the reception. I am not blood or marriage related to the Pezoldts, but I am related to them by love and the way they take you in. You see, when my sister married a Pezoldt, my whole family became in laws of the Pezoldts. It's hard to understand until you experience it. I guess Pezoldt could be a verb too. You see, when my sister married Clint, all of us Outlaws got, well, Pezoldted. (meaning adopted, sucked in, and made family.) They all love life in way not often seen. They also love each other in a way that is so heartwarming. They also love friends, and lots of them. They love having them around all hours of the day and night!!! They will stay up talking to anyone who shows up at the house until the sun rises the next day! It is wonderful, and wonderfully tiring. I can't hang anymore. I stayed at Mama P's all the time when Dana first moved to Miami, but I am a light weight and can't stay up like they can.

Anyway, back to the wedding. Tracy had the most angelic and adorable little girls as flower girls, and the cutest little guys as ring bearers. There was one little guy who was especially dapper, if I may say so myself. He stayed the whole time and danced until the music shut off. Maybe he kept dancing after the music stopped. He is a dancing machine!!! He gets it honestly from both sides of the family. I was going to take the kids back to the house since I wasn't expecting to stay long (with the bad back) but there was no leaving until we were kicked out by the cleaning crew. It was so much fun. Montego, one of Chad's buddies, and his wife were there with their little baby (less than 6 months) and mom had the baby in a cool swaddle sling dancing around. That baby was so good. He was either sleeping or smiling the whole time he was being danced around. Fun was had by all!!
As for the 3 birthdays, we had Nicole, Robert and Clint all celebrating birthdays within a week, so it was a special time all around.
This was the first wedding Robert and I have been to since we got married. It was nice to sit back and think, "It took a lot of work to do all of this. Thank goodness we don't have to do it again." Also, it was nice not to have to do the single girls/guys thing.
We wish much love and a lifetime of happiness to Chad and Tracy!!

Love,
Shannon and Robert

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone is having a great day!  As Robert said, this should be the best Valentine's for me since I don't have to worry about everyone asking if I got engaged!!!  I can't believe we have already been married 4 months!!  It's gone by fast and been pretty crazy.  We have been through what could have been the "in sickness" part the last week.  My back pain escalated to horrific Thursday night.  I almost went to the ER, but as a nurse I am very aware that you don't go to the hospital Friday through Sunday because you don't get care and you just lay there and run up ridiculous bills.  So I stayed here and rocked and cried all night.  Robert is so wonderful to me.  I feel so bad for him because he felt so helpless because he couldn't stop my pain.  I went to the chiropractor Thursday and then got a deep tissue massage, which my sister-in-law said would hurt like hell afterwards, but would get better and help the following days.  Well, she was right.  Thursday night was my hell.  I couldn't walk.   Friday was bad until late in the evening.  Today is better.  I have numbness in my right outer leg and foot, but that is SO much better than pain.  I can deal with this.  I was getting worried that I would be like that forever and I wouldn't be able to go to Miami this coming weekend.  If I keep getting better, I should have no problem.    We will be celebrating a wedding, 2 birthdays (Robert and Nicole), late Christmas and Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day all in one weekend.  I can't wait to see my family!!  It's been over 4 months!! I'm excited!!!  Love, Shannon 

Web marshall's at work!

I thought this was pretty humorous today.  We have a web Marshall (I'm not sure if this is a PERSON or a COMPUTER SERVICE or what!!  I picture a person staring at a monitor and going, "oh hell, Shannon just wrote something inappropriate."  to which I say, " You should have heard what I just said."  I don't mince words, but I do watch what I write in emails and on pagers at work.  I've been blocked for pornography many times when I looked up something in WebMD, Mapquest, and the yellow pages.  I'm not sure how they get porno out of that, but to each his own....  Well, today I wrote the word "spank" in a text message to a home health aide.  The context was "Bob (who is very unsteady and a fall risk) got in the shower without anyone to help him.  You need to spank him and tell him not to do that again."  (Bob is a very feisty old man who would love nothing more than to be spanked, but will have to make do with verbal threats to fuel his "fantasy")  A message popped up that said, "Web marshal blocked due to inappropriate language Level 5 use of the word "spank"  I'm not sure if level 5 is low or high, but I'm pretty sure I've said Level 1 or Level 100 dependent on what the scale is.  You've got to love big brother!!!  Love y'all, Shannon

Getting Better!

I must say I had my doubts about how much a chiropractor could help me.  I am amazed that I am so much better than a week ago!  My back is so much better, although me co-workers don't think so because I am moving so slowly.  My walking problem is because my muscles in my right leg are so sore from guarding the hip and back and walking on my toes.  I have an occasional catch when I turn over in bed or stand up.  God forbid I sneeze!!!  That is the worst and I think I'm going to die every time I sneeze!!  I'm hoping to be ready to boogie in time for the Miami trip!  I can't wait to get in the hot tub!!  I hope that anyone who is having back or neck problems will try a chiropractor.  I think even Robert is becoming a believer since I'm doing better.  He has been so wonderful to me!!  He is a wonderful husband!!  He waited on me like I was a queen.  I'm so fortunate!!  Shannon  

Gasparilla

I set my DVR to record the Gasparilla parade today.  We had Laura's baby shower today at the Olive Garden and it was a blast. I would not have been able walk around the parade anyway since my back and leg are still giving me some problems.  It looks like it was VERY crowded.  I didn't see any of Chad's bachelor party crew on TV and I haven't received any calls to bail anyone out, so I'm assuming all is well with the wild boys.  Another reason I set the DVR was to see if the woman (Gail) who was calling out the floats was sober this year since she was completely drunk last year.  Well, she was sober.  I guess she learned her lesson last year.   I'm using this weekend to rest and heal in order to be ready for party weekend coming up.  Everyone have a great weekend.  Shannon

My first experience with a chiropractor.

Well, I guess it is time to admit that I have been having back pain constantly for just under 2 months.  I know!  I'm a nurse, so I should have done something weeks ago, but honestly, I HATE DOCTORS!  (No, not the one I work with, or any I am friends with, but any doctor that is looking at me as a patient.  My blood pressure goes up and break into hives! Seriously!)  Anyway, my pain escalated to the point where I couldn't move and I started crying at work and all the way home yesterday.  I didn't want to go to my family doctor because I knew that they would put me on a bunch of muscle relaxers and pain killers that I wouldn't take, so I had Robert call and make an appointment with a chiropractor close to home.  Dana had a lot of success with her back in the past, so my pain led me there.  At this point I would have downed a quart of motor oil if someone told me it would help my pain!!  I could barely walk yesterday and this morning.  I had an appointment yesterday where they did a lot of x rays and muscle/nerve tests and range of motion tests.  I had to go back this morning for the results.  As expected the results were not good.  My neck doesn't have the curve it should and where my lumbar and sacrum meet (basically the top of the butt crack) has degenerating discs, which is causing nerve pain from my right butt cheek down my leg to my knee.  I also have muscle spasms and very tight muscles along my spine.  I'm putting ice on the hip and the chiropractor adjusted my spine this morning.  I can walk now, slowly, but I'm walking.  My pain has gone from a 9-10 to a 4, which is nothing short of a miracle to me!!  (My blood pressure was really high yesterday from the pain.)   I have been in so much pain and so cranky that poor Robert has been catching my wrath.  I know he's glad I'm feeling better.  I think he was scared of me!  Anyway, I will be going back 3 times a week for a few weeks and will have a followup assessment to see how the spine looks.  I'm so glad I did this!  I should have gone 20 years ago when this started.

Super Bowl!

It lived up to its name!!  I am so glad it was a nail biter.  I was afraid that the highlight was going to be when Bruce Springsteen nutted the camera!!  I wanted Kurt Warner to win because he is such a good guy, but it was fun to watch anyway!!!  My brother has always been a Steelers fan as long as I can remember, so congrats Joey!!!  Well, I've got to try to sleep after all this excitement!!  Goodnight!!!  Shannon

Casino!

Well, we went to the casino and got there early enough to play a little, see a lot (and I mean A LOT) of hooker clothes, and lose a little money (very little!!!)  Every skank in Tampa was out and showing IT ALL!!  Lord have mercy!!  They weren't even wearing pretty slutty clothes.  When we left the entrances were blocked (I assume for fire code limits.)  It was fun and good to be able to go out together.  Well, everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!  Love, Shannon

I forgot to add one other thing:  I don't understand why some women feel the need to wear heels so high that they can't walk in them, or that make them walk like they have 2 peg legs!!!  Some of us (and I am including myself in this) WERE NOT MADE WITH BARBIE FEET THAT MAKE US WALK ON OUR TIPTOES OUR ENTIRE LIFE!!   Agony and sexy don't mix!!  My suggestion is slightly lower heel and more swagger!!    

I may have lost my mind.

Last night I had the sudden desire to go to the Hard Rock Casino.  Since Robert had to be at work at 4am, we sidelined it until today.  It hit me this morning that this is going to be a crazy night to go since the SuperBowl is in town, and it is probably going to be packed!!!  We are going to play "big" tonight if we can get in (ie. nickle slots, Larry the Lobster.)  We haven't been in a long time and I love to walk around with all the lights and sounds.  I'll let y'all know how it goes.  Shannon  

Christmas is over.

The tree is down.  Once again it's hot outside.  I can't fool myself any longer.  Now the house seems so empty and much less "Martha Stewart-ish!"  I will survive though.  Robert sent me a link for a toy that he found that we need for meetings and such.  It is called the screaming monkey slingshot.  It is a monkey slingshot and would come in handy at our meetings when people are talking, not paying attention, or get long-winded.  Love, Shannon

PS- I guess Pippin found her hidden cornbread because it wasn't there when I moved the tree. Thank Goodness!!!  

I think today is the day!!

Today, January 25th MAY very well be the day that we take down the Christmas tree.  It's not a definite yet, but it is a possibility!  I've made the first step in getting the ornament boxes out.  I'm not exactly excited about it, but Robert made a remark about it being time.  He is right.  

We had a birthday party for my crazy friend KC last night at her house.  It was a lot of fun.  One of our co-worker's daughters brought her massage table and chair and did massages.  It was wonderful.  Traci hid bottles like Easter eggs all over the house.  It was good to get together again.   This weekend was way too short.  Tomorrow is time to get back to work.  Everybody have a great week!!  Love, Shannon 

Tomorrow.

I generally avoid talking about politics.  I am middle of the road politically, so it is best for me to stay away from this subject BUT I can't help but reflect on people I have met in my life and how they would feel about the historic significance of tomorrow's inauguration.  I met a man in Indianola at a nursing home who was somewhere in the age range of 120ish, but he couldn't be the oldest American because he didn't have a birth certificate.  You see, he was born of slaves, so he wasn't "counted".   He was amazingly sharp, could tell us in great detail about growing up and loved sharing his story.  He was blind and a diabetic, but he had a memory that amazed me.  I sat by him, as a young nursing student, listening to him for as long as our schedule would allow.  I can imagine that he is smiling and so proud of the significance of tomorrow.  I think of a former patient of mine who recently passed away.  He was one of the youngest Tuskegee airmen.  He lied at 14 saying he was 18 years old to fight for a country that didn't think of him as an equal, but he put his life on the line for our country.  I can imagine that he is very proud of this country.  I think of Philip (the one armed janitor from our school) who was so sweet to us, and how it would break my heart when he would say "Yes,sir or mam" to all the kids at our school.   He always smiled, so I'm sure he is really smiling right now.  We live in the most wonderful country in the world and I am hopeful that it will continue to get better.  God bless everyone.  Love, 
Shannon

It's cold!!

It's REALLY cold!!!  It is going to be below freezing tonight!!  That is just one more reason to leave our Christmas tree up!!  Yeah!!  It is way colder now than it was Christmas.  We were  sweating and in shorts Christmas day.  I can't imagine being in Minnesota where it is below zero!!  

Well, it looks like the Bucs are in for a new coach.  It is time!  Maybe Coach Dungy will come back! He just retired from the Colts to move back to Tampa!  He was a great guy.

I'm watching the news, so I'm not having flight of ideas!  

The lingerie bowl is going to be held at a "nudist resort" not far from me,( Calliente) during the Super Bowl.  It's gonna be bad if it is cold as crap!  

 I can't imagine running around in panties when it is this cold!!  

Everyone stay warm this weekend!!  Love, Shannon

Today is January 13th.

Tomorrow is Mama's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Mama!! We can't wait to see you in February!!!  Now, to the OTHER reason for my post.  It is January 13th, and I can't seem to bring myself to take down our Christmas tree.  There are several reasons that it is still up, among these: it is too pretty to take down, it is too depressing to take it down, I like it, I'm too lazy to take it down, I don't know where I'm going to put it with all my stuff and Robert's stuff in the garage, It's going to look empty without it, and lastly: I think Pippin "buried" a cornbread muffin behind it and I'm not sure if she ever went to retrieve it.  This is by far the latest I've ever left any tree up.  Usually I wait until Jan 6th-ish.  I think I'm going to make it a "multi-holiday/multi-season" tree.  I'm not 100% on that decision.  I'm hoping I'll get a burst of energy and enthusiasm and decide to take it down, OR maybe I'll come home one day and it will be in it's box!!  (I'm just joking!!  I have very old and fragile ornaments and I'm a control freak about them!!  I'm having flashbacks of Dana and Clint's Christmas/housewarming party where Clint tried to straighten the tree and ended up breaking all but 4 of Dana's old ornaments!  Dana was pregnant and I thought all three of us were going to have heart attacks!!  That doesn't need to be repeated!  I hope someone else still has their tree up!!  Love, Shannon

Tampa: Center of the world!

Well, Tampa is about to be in the spotlight with the Superbowl coming soon.  We also have Gasparilla going on the weekend before and after.  I can remember the day when I would have been right up in the middle of all the festivities.  Parties, beads, pirates, and fun, fun, FUN!!!  And CROWDS!!!  Stinky, drunk, puking, obnoxious mobs of gropey people!  I'm not up for it right now.  I'm not sure if it is a phase, or if I have, I dare say, grown out of this type of stuff!!!  I love to have fun, but I like to have fun with people I know in wide open areas, on my terms.  Yes, we grope each other, but I know these people!  If you doubt it, see bachelorette pics from earlier post.  

It's no longer fun to be packed elbow to elbow with strangers and wondering "who just grabbed my ass/chest/monkey???"   It's not a "old married woman" thing either.  I haven't been to Gasparilla in 4 years since my friend Johnny came down.  I had fun.  We put beads all over cars and had a blast.  The older I get the more I hate driving around drunk people.  Anyway, I will be enjoying the festivities from my home, with my cloud pj's on and not crowded!!!  Maybe someday I will get back in the party mode, but not this Gasparilla!!  Love, Shannon

Gators win.

Let me start by saying I am NOT a Gator fan, as a matter of fact I am a Mississippi State Bulldog and secondly a Seminole fan, but I am a Tim Tebow fan.  How can you not pull for a young guy with such character, who spends the off season doing mission work?  He is a good man and an excellent role model for young athletes and young people in general.  We need more people like him.  I'm so glad for him that the Gators won.  This young man shows such promise in so many areas.  I can't believe I'm happy for the Gators, but that is the effect this guy has on people.  When he graduates, I probably won't be so happy for them again.  Have a great weekend!!  Love, Shannon

Great Movies!!

We watched "The Bucket List" last night and it was wonderful!  I love Morgan Freeman not only because he is a Mississippi guy, but also because I remember him from Electric Company and he makes me want to hug him.  He reminds me of my Mama's stories about her Uncle Allen and Aunt Rosie, an elderly black couple who lived in front of my grandparents house and let my Mama get away with murder.  They loved her so much and let her bring sick baby chicks into their house (much like I did at my Papaw's house) and let her brush their hair, even though she pulled their hair in attempts to comb it.  Anyway, "The Bucket List" was an excellent movie for anyone who wonders what they would do if given a terminal diagnosis.  I know because of my work I am drawn to these types of movies, but Robert agreed.  We also loved "The Notebook" which is an excellent look into dementia.  Since Mamaw Outlaw had dementia for many years (around 20 years) it really stuck a nerve with me.  I've heard people say that it is unrealistic because of the ending, but that type of ending does happen on occasion.  It's happened once with my patients, and 3 times that I know of during my 7 years in hospice.  I don't want to give it away.  

I'm usually very anti-Hollywood's version of the elderly, the dying process, and death itself because of the way it leads to unrealistic expectations that people grasp as "the truth."   Any movie that makes us want to live every day as the gift it is has my vote as a good movie.  On the flip side, I'm not so sure I will be able to see "Marley and Me" because I hear it is a real bawlin' and squallin' movie.  I miss my labs Sandy, Babe, and Booboo.  Love, Shannon and Robert

PS- I forgot the last movie we saw in the theater Australia!  It was amazing!!  The child in it was such an amazing actor and was adorable!!!  It is a "must see."

I Love Mail!!

Today was an especially rough day at work.  I got yelled at by 2 different patients about issues I had no controll over.  I was expecting it to be rough.  Greg (my office manager) lets us wear blue jeans only around the holidays (just before or just after a holiday) so I asked Wednesday if today (Friday) was going to be a  blue jeans day.  He said I could come to work naked if I wanted to as long as I came to work since it was going to be "really bad" today.  I showed up in my cloud pj's instead.  Everybody thought I had lost it, and that was BEFORE the Sh** hit the fan!!  Anyway, when I got home I had 2 wonderful things in the mail.  The first was our photo book from Walgreens that has some of our favorite wedding/honeymoon pics in it.  If you have never done this,  I suggest you go to Walgreens.com and make a book of favorite pictures.  It is VERY reasonable and so much fun!!!  The second thing I got in the mail was an RSVP for the wedding from Robert's cousin Brian and his wife Lori.  Now I'm not sure if it has been lost for the last 4ish months, or if Brian and Lori are playing a prank on us (they are very fun people) but I can only imagine where that card has been in the last several months if it's been "floating around."   Those 2 things made me smile and made my day so much better!!!  I hope 2009 is treating everyone well!!!  Love, Shannon and Robert