I am sad, of course about Farrah and MJ, Ed and David Carradine (note to self: don't put on fishnets, and diddle myself while choking. It's just a bad idea, plus your family has to answer a lot of questions!), but Billy Mays!!! I LOVE me some "as seen on TV" crap!! I have mentioned this in the past!! I went into the "As seen on TV" store in Orlando, and when the doors opened, I heard the H alleluia Chorus!! I kept telling people "Oh I have that and it is wonderful! And that too!" I have the Hercules Hooks, Ped egg, Mighty putty, Fabric glue stuff, Hair remover pads, topsyturvy, shark steamer, pet pedicure thing (Pippin won't use it! It freaks her out) and I'm sure I am forgetting something!! What are we going to do?? Who will peddle crap?? His sidekick doesn't have the UMPH! that Billy had! How weird to be bopped on the head in a airplane and die soon after! It was his time. God rest all of their souls!! Shannon PS- We are still riding. I haven't missed a day of riding in 3 weeks!
I took Robert to work, mowed the yard, sprayed RoundUp on all the stuff I want to die in the yard, cleaned out the shelves above my washer and dryer and took my Management and Supervision final all before 11:15 AM!! Shannon PS- I got a lot more done today. We met Robert and Brian for dinner and a movie. We saw "The Hangover" which was absolutely hilarious!! I can't wait to buy it and see what things in the background I missed. When we got home there was a little white dog running around the front yard. MY LITTLE WHITE DOG PIPPIN!!! I almost had a heart attack! She is old, blind, and not the brightest dog! She must have slipped out while I was unloading the car and she stayed out for 4 hours!! She didn't even have her collar on! The screen porch door was open so the cats could run in and out, so I hope she spent most of the time there. From now on we will have a "Pippin Check" every time we leave the house. We were lucky this time!! She is quite tired right now, so she must have been running around a lot!
I'm sitting here watching Farrah's Story, which is such an honest, raw and open look into terminal illness. Having been in hospice for over 7 years, I have seen this story played out time and time again. Fortunately for my sanity (in some ways) I have been somewhat "removed" from the rawness of it since being in the office for the last several months. I took so many of my patients illnesses personally and suffered so deeply when they suffered, but I covered really well until I got home. I'm not sure I am ready to see this, but I'm going to watch it. Sorry to be a downer. On a happy note, I got my hair colored, cut and styled this evening and it took 3 hours! I have never had someone take that much time on me!! She took 40 minutes just to blow dry it!! It was so relaxing! On a funny/silly note, today I got irritated that a coworker wasn't listening to me, so I tried to get his attention by "falling out" on the floor, kicking a little, and moaning and he STILL didn't pay attention!! I feel like Bruce Willis in 'The Sixty Sense." What do you have to do to get a little attention?? My coworker Debbie just laughed! I did a reenactment later and he said, " I can't believe I didn't see you?'' It was pretty funny and a great stress reliever after a stressful week. We had puppies in the office at closing time, so that was fun too! I wasn't able to go biking tonight because of bad weather, but we did 3 miles this morning. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Shannon Ok, I just got a little nostalgic and watched "We Are the World." What a great song and how impressive that so many artists got together in 1985 to do something so different. I also remembered how much my brother-in-law Clint looks like the young Kenny Logins (mucho caliente!)
Yesterday was a weird day at work and out of work. We did our 2 miles before work and I took my time going into work. I got there 5 minutes early instead of my usual 30-45 minutes early. It was nice to break the pattern for multiple reasons. Work was challenging as usual. It was very sad during the day when we heard that Farrah had passed away. I still remember the red bathing suit picture with the "happy boobs." I still haven't watched Farrah's story yet. I've got to be in the right frame of mind, and I'm not there right now. I got a text from my friend Jeanne saying that Michael Jackson had died! 2 in 1 day! and Ed McMahon to boot this week! How sad! Whatever your view of MJ, everyone my age was effected by his music and music videos in some way. We danced to his music and tried desperately to "moon walk." When I got my glasses for the first time he was paired with Pepsi and the sparkly silver glove was on the Pepsi billboards. When I put the glasses on I COULD SEE THE SPARKLES!! It was amazing!! I hope their families find peace that transcends all pain. We just got back from a 3 mile ride and I'm SO glad it is Friday. We went to the Casino last night with Robert's friend Dennis to make up for missing last Friday due to a "come apart." We had a blast, but I'm a little tired. Mama taught me not to go out on a "school night." It was hard to roll out of the bed to ride, but we did it. I'm getting my hair cut and colored today. It is long overdue. Have a great Friday! Shannon
I rode yesterday morning, but Robert blew a tire yesterday and it was late by the time we got it fix. We rode this morning and this afternoon. Riding has been a blessing and a great stress reliever. I think there would have been bloodshed if not for biking. You know how you run across something unexpectedly and it sparks something in the back of your mind?? Well, a few days ago while cleaning out the garage, I saw a copy of my resume. It didn't mean much to me at the time, but the last few days have really got me thinking. When the benefits are outweighed by the negatives it may be time to start looking around. I am keeping my eyes open and my heart open to other opportunities. I can only be taken advantage of as much as I let myself be taken advantage of. I am going to be prayerfully open-minded. Shannon
This morning we rode 3 miles and after a long day of cleaning out the garage Robert rode another 7 miles with me. That makes 10 miles for me and about 15 for him, because he rode some while I was at work. I needed the ride because it was a crazy and irritating day. It amazes me what people will call in over and not think twice about. It also amazes me that management doesn't notice that some people are always at work, while others find every reason not to come to work, or not to stay at work. I also got a call from an irate family member wondering where her family member was, since *****disclaimer: I am not making this up***** the crematory said her family member was not dead and was not there. She wanted to know what I did with the patient. I have never seen the patient and therefore didn't know what happened. I tried to call people, but ended up taking her phone number. During my 20 minute butt chewing, the crematory was trying to call her and say that they had made a mistake. A MISTAKE!! Putting pickles on a burger you ordered with no pickles is a MISTAKE!! Telling someone their loved one is not dead and not there when they are in fact dead and in fact there is a travesty!!! That my friends, is just one of the crazy stories of today!! One more for the books!! I need a vacation!!
It is hot!! I was able to ride 3 miles this morning. We are going to Anna Maria Island this afternoon after Robert gets off of work. We won't be able to spend much time there because we both have to work in the morning, but at least we are able to go down there for Father's Day. I just talked to Daddy. I wish they lived closer so we could spend these holidays with them. I miss Mama and Daddy. Happy Father's Day Daddy!! You are the best!
I'm writing this laying on the floor because when I was cleaning this morning I bent over and when I tried to straighten up, my low back locked and starting hurting really bad. It is the left side now and slightly above where it was in February. I'm icing and laying on my back with my legs up. CRAP!! I was going to ride this evening after some major house cleaning. Hopefully something will happen and my back will quit hurting. Shannon PS- I was able to do some cleaning and rode 3 miles. This time my back hurts WAY more after sitting, but if I can tough it out for 20 minutes of pain, it gets better and I am able to walk.
Rode 2 miles in the morning. My work computer screamed and died early in the day, and everything went downhill from there. The whole day (and night) was "one of those days." Shannon
Despite crappy weather I was able to get in 2 rides today. This morning Robert and I did 2.5 miles and I was able to do another 2.5 miles tonight between rains. Our friend Robert V is about to come by and look at the house RIGHT NEXT DOOR to rent!! ( HA HA! Marcus and Lo, I am stealing your yard boy!!!! HA HA HA!! evil laugh!) This would be wonderful encouragement to keep the house clean and straightened up. We'll see!! Shannon
Rain + Thunder + Lightning= No Bike Riding this afternoon! I'm so upset! Robert and I rode 2.5 miles this morning, but I'm out of luck this afternoon! My routine is blown again! The positive is that "So You Think You Can Dance!" comes on tonight and I can't wait!! I just let the cats in because of the bad weather. They are FREAKED out!! Pippin is actually much calmer than usual. I usually sleep really well in this type of weather, so I am hopeful that I will get a great night sleep. Have a great night!! Shannon
I have been attending a "Mindfulness and Meditation" class for the last 3 Tuesdays. Last week after 2 hours of yoga I bought a bike and started riding for the first time in over 20 years. Today, 1 week later, after the 2 hour class, we rode 7 miles, for a total of 9.5 miles today. We took the night off last night, since we were both exhausted and the weather was bad (as I wrote earlier.) My OCD causes me to get into a serious schedule and stick with it, so skipping last night threw me off a bit. I REALLY needed the Meditation/Mindfulness class and 7 mile bike ride after today! I had back to back CRAZY calls today to top off the day. One was a complete repeat of a conversation I had already had with a pt 2 hours earlier (same pt, same comments) who is younger than me, so it's not a Alzheimer's issue! Plus the pt had had the SAME conversation with another person in the office between my calls with her! She had NO recollection of the calls!! Then I got a call about a pt hearing voices in their head that they couldn't understand. I made a remark to the nurse that maybe it was speaking in a foreign language (We must have a sense of humor about things, or we will go crazier!) I later found out the pt was pretty sure the voices were saying curse words. One more for our book "We can't Make this Sh*T up!" It's never dull around our office!! Robert is going to ride with me on the early ride in the morning!! Yeah!! Love, Shannon PS- I want a lab after I saw one on one of my friend's facebook page! Isn't it sweet???
I rode 2 miles before work yesterday, but the weather was terrible on the way home and much of the evening AND we were tired, so we took the afternoon off. I felt much more rested this morning, so I've already done my ride this morning, about 2 1/2 miles. Shannon
Robert woke up this morning with a major case of "spunky butt" and was ready to start the "tour." I, on the other hand, woke up with a case of "lazy butt" and wanted to rest. I find it difficult to get going when I'm in this mode, BUT once I get going I feel so much better! We decided to ride a different route today. The tour was 7 miles!! I can't believe I did that in one ride, since it took me 2 rides yesterday to do that much. My butt hurt some when I first started this morning, but it quickly went away, or went numb. It is so nice to have someone to exercise with. Our plan is to ride Flatwoods(11miles) soon and the Pinellas Trail (38 miles) which is Downtown St Pete to Tarmpon Springs in the future. Mr Spunky Butt wants to do that soon, I want to work up to that LATER. I can feel the decubitus starting already. Each day that I ride longer I actually think it is possible. Shannon PS- Tonight we did another 5 miles, so the grand total for today is 12 miles!! That's like riding from Mama and Daddy's house to Belzoni!! Hot Damn I'm good!!! I'm feeling really good right now. Hootie Whooo to endorphins!! I started taking vitamins again today. I hope my weight starts to go down or I'm gonna be pissed!
Today I rode 2 miles this morning, then this evening after Robert and I went to dinner and to see "Land of the Lost" (which I will get back to later) we went for a 5 mile ride to the end of Countyline Road and back. I'm still not comfortable riding in the bike lane of the street, so I ride on the sidewalk. My confidence is building though. It is nice to feel my energy level increasing again. I have got to get into better shape and lose weight if we are EVER going to consider having children. Each day I am going to try to do a little more. Back to "Land of the Lost": it was funny. A lot of the main funny parts were on the commercials. Will Ferrell is just not right. I talked to Mama today, and I guess we won't be making the Mississippi trip in July. I'm a little disappointed, but in many ways I would rather go in the fall, (which I have mentioned is my favorite time of year in Mississippi) and see Mama, Daddy, Josie, Dumplin and home. We are supposed to go to North Carolina in October for our 1 year anniversary, so maybe we can "swing" by there. I want to bring back a lot of my pictures that I left at home. Everyone enjoy the rest of the weekend! Shannon
I am officially a cyclist now! Just joking. We rode this morning at 6am, which was really nice. Tonight we rode to a Greek restaurant up the road, ate, and rode back. That was really great. It decreases the appetite and made me feel better. Robert rode to Walmart and back, and to Walmart and back again today while I was at work for a total of 8 miles, not including what he rode with me. (He doesn't LOVE walmart, he just forgot his wallet the first time and had to go back.) I would have said, "To hell with it" but he was determined. I'm going to ride tomorrow while he is at work. I'm still not steady enough or confident enough to ride on Bruce B Downes, because I'm not ready to die unnecessarily. I'm working on it, though. I swurve when I try to look over my shoulder. I'm a spaz!! Anyway, I will keep y'all updated!! My butt doesn't hurt anymore. Yeah!! Love,Shannon
I went for a ride this morning at 6 am. Yesterday I was just tooooo tired after work. It was really nice this morning, although it was a little humid. It is so quiet and peaceful in the morning. Robert was right, early morning rides are very nice and relaxing. I didn't even notice my butt hurting and did not squirm as much! Maybe I'm building up my butt callouses! I hope to feel energized today!! I hope everyone has a great day. Tomorrow is Friday!! Shannon Part II: We rode another 3.5 miles this evening after dinner, so that makes 5.5 miles today! Not too shabby for a new bike rider!! I felt really good today and my mood was much improved with the ride this morning getting my blood flowing. Robert plans on riding with me in the morning since he is off. We are really having fun riding together. Have a great night and a wonderful Friday!! I've got to get ready for "So You Think You Can Dance?" Shoobydoobydooby DANCE!!
After riding for the first time in MANY MANY years, I am having some sore butt issues today. We rode over 3 miles yesterday, but today I could only tolerate 2 miles since I had done about an hour or so of yoga. Thanks to KC, I have some help with my sore butt, IF it gets out of hand. I've been sore since jumping around at Mike's party Saturday night and haven't recovered!! Tomorrow may either be MUCH better, or considerably worse in the soreness department. Only time will tell!! Much love and a whole lot of laughs (you may see me on Funniest videos with the bike riding!) Shannon
Shannon got her bike today and it was so much fun riding with her. We rode about 3 miles today and I really look forward to spending a lot more time with her riding. I have tried to explain some of the wacky stuff I see riding to work at 3 a.m., armadillos, raccoons, assorted wildlife and the other morning of in the distance you could see the sky lighting up with streaks of lightning. I am just so happy to be able to share my passion for riding with her. Here she is riding her new bike. Ain't she cute!! I love her!!
(This is actually Shannon putting this up. A little self deprecating humor never hurt anyone!! )
Jeanne pulled off the most wonderfully perfect surprise 40th birthday party for Mike last night!! He was expecting to go to dinner, but first they needed to go to "a hospice fundraiser/meet-n-greet." (That was how Jeanne got him to the party location.) He was Shocked!! We had decorated the place, had a dj, and LOTS of wonderful food and friends. (The funny thing was that last year I was the one surprised!! We got engaged on Mike's birthday last year at Leroy Selman's.) The music was wonderful. My legs hurt from jumping around barefoot on the concrete. You would think that I would learn after all these years!! It was so much fun, but has taken all day for me to recouparate. Anyway, Happy Birthday Mike and great job Jeanne!!
Tonight we went to see UP with friends. I wanted to see it from the moment I saw the first preview, and even more after the review from Marcus. Here is how he describes it:
* Sometimes dreams get unexpectedly postponed.
And sometimes they don't come true at all.
* Life involves loss, and it sucks. (This movie does not avoid the subject of loss or disappointment, or sugar coat life's sadness, loss, lack of involvement of people who should be significant to us, etc.)
* Sometimes the people that we think are heroes are really just assholes.
* We don't have to accept things that are being forced upon us.
* The end of one chapter does not mean that the book is finished.
Turn the page and see what happens next.
* Friends can often take the place of, and do a better job than, absent family. This reminds me of an anonymous quote that I recently saw and LOVE:
"Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for our families."
* Sometimes it is necessary to dump our baggage and make a new start.
Every one of these points is represented in the most heartwarming and gripping way. It is visually one of the most beautiful films I have seen. It is Pixar, but at times you think it is true scenery. It makes you cry, think, laugh, sigh, everything a movie should do!! I will be buying it when it comes out on DVD!! The short film before it was the cutest, sweetest, and set the mood for the movie!! I loved it so much!! This movie is wonderful for adults and children and full of excellent life lessons!! Shannon and Robert
Good grief!! Robert suggested I get on Facebook last night, and now I am addicted!!! It is so much fun to see how many people you can find from your past!!! I think Robert is a little in shock how many friends I have in less than 24 hours! At this point I have 75 friends! I tried to explain to him that when you grow up in a small town you know everyone, in fact, you know everyone from the surrounding towns too!! It is making me miss home again!! This is fun!!! Love, Shannon PS- I have some great pics on there too!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial day! I worked. I was able to watch the PBS Memorial Day Concert last night, which was amazing and so touching. I have watched it for the last several years, and it makes me cry. It is a great way to get a small glimpse of what the military and their families go through. My Mama sent a great email about a lot of the facts about Mississippi. Mississippi has a large number of famous writers, actors, singers (blues, rock and roll, and country all started there) and sports figures. There is a small town in Mississippi called D'Lo that I go through every time I go home. D'Lo sent every eligible man in the town to WWII and every one of them died. I can't imagine what that must have been like. I am so thankful for all of the people in the military and am so grateful for the sacrifices they make every minute of the day! God bless y'all and God bless America and our military all over the world! Shannon
(Disclaimer: This is NOT my yard, but it was getting there!) After 10 straight days of rain and probably 2 1/2 weeks of not mowing, there was long enough break between downpours to mow. The bad part: it came at 7am this morning. The yard looks great, but I am not so sure how happy our neighbors are with mowing, edging and blowing at 7am. We did not get shot, so I am assuming they slept through it?? There is another front that is going to hit in about an hour, so we had to do it!! It looks really nice! It is so good to know it is done and I can spend the rest of the weekend not worrying about it. I may go to the new IKEA in Tampa today. We are having a little girls and guys get together tonight. The guys are going to see terminator or Wolverine or some guy show that we don't want to see. We are going to relax and rent a movie. We are looking forward to that. I had the BEST message on the answering machine yesterday! It was Dana and Ryan screaming and laughing. When Ryan stayed with us last October we went to the Zoo and he fell in LOVE with the poison dart frogs. Well, when we were in Orlando we ate at the Rainforest Cafe, so we picked up several different colored poison dart frog toys. Some of them were sticky and when thrown against glass, they race down the glass doing flips and back bends. He loved them. It is so wonderful to hear a child squealing over an inexpensive low tech toy. He said "They are the BEST!!" I think Dana was happy and relieved that we sent something that isn't alive. Everybody have a great weekend and wonderful Memorial day!!
This is the first year in a long time that I have really gotten into American Idol. I must say this has been the BEST finale EVER!!! Holy crap!!! I have never seen so many famous performers on one show!! And they were willing to sing with the kids who are basically unknowns!!! It was amazing!!! It is still going on as I type!! Now I am SO ready for "So You Think You Can Dance!!" It is such an inspirational show to me!!! I miss dancing SO bad, and when I watch it, I want to start dancing again!! It fuels my passion again! Oh my!!! They are about to announce the winner!! I have always loved and pulled for Adam. We saw him over a year ago in a DVD we saw of "The ten commandments, the musical" and he was phenomenal!!! And he just lost!!!! What the hell!!!!! Chris is a good kid, but I don't think he was the best. I'm in shock!!! I think Jeanne (who I have been texting all night) had a heart attack because I haven't heard from her!!! I hope Adam is more successful than Chris like Daughtry was when he lost. Anyway, I'm going to bed now!! Shannon
This weekend Robert was able to take off, so we got away! Our stress levels have been unbearable and my sleep walking/talking has escalated to a nightly event. This is a good barometer of when to take a break. I must sing the praises of Priceline.com, which Marcus turned me on to. I picked areas of Orlando that we wanted to stay, then you pick a star level of hotel, then you name the price you are willing to pay. I picked several areas: Disney, Universal area, Downtown area. I put in my price, which I'm not embarrassed to say was $50, and waited about 45 seconds for an answer. Crowne Plaza Universal accepted our bid. It is nonrefundable once you enter a bid, so you just can't enter bids willy nilly. The room we stayed in was very nice, as was the hotel. The max price on the back of the door was $460/night. It was not THAT nice, though. I can't imagine paying that price for any place!! We got to meet up with Cher Friday night for dinner at Bahama Breeze and some good visiting time. It was wonderful!! It has been too long since we have seen each other!! She looks wonderful!!
We got up Saturday morning and decided to go to Sea World. Neither of us has been there since our early twenties. It was a great time. We got to ride the Manta, which is scheduled to open in a month or so. It is CRAZY. We were on a roller coaster FACE DOWN and going really fast and high. It was really neat!!
They had an adorable show with lots of animals that were from the humane society. The Shamu show "Believe" was wonderful. I love the way the Busch theme parks are so patriotic and recognize our military people. It was really touching. We saw another show that had dancers and people I like to refer to as "flippy floppy kids." They flipped and flopped and flew through the air on long white strips of fabric. It was fabulous!! It has always amazed me what people will wear to theme parks. Some wear high heels, some wear bathing suits, some wear little shorts. It's just amazing!!!
Today we went to Downtown Disney. We walked all around and had a great time. It wasn't too busy or too crowded. We left there and went to Celebration and walked around a little street market and shops. It was relaxing and peaceful. Now we are home and continuing to relax for the rest of the afternoon!!! AHHHHH!!! That was a great break!!
Love, Shannon and Robert
PS- We did not see this guy!! I found him on the internet! The guy we did see had SLIGHTLY longer shorty shorts on, and they were really tight!!!
I know it's been a bit since I have posted, but work has been rampant. I cannot believe all this has happened so quickly. I am going to be an uncle again, Mother's Day, P-Joe's B-day, our 4 years since we met anniversary, our seven months since we had Dorothy's wings and got married. All I can say is that we love you all. We both have been so grateful to you all through all this. Marcus, you are still as amazing as ever. BTW, thank you for hooking me up with the Wickers Sauce. Shannon now has her steak fries. She has been making them since it came. I had to take some of the sauce to Beef O'Brady's for Shannon when she got her chicken strips. We are planning our first anniversary trip but there is still a deep down longing in my soul to get us all together again for another party of epic proprtions somehow. I can never thank you all enough for the shear joy you brought us. We are so blessed.
I have been "under the weather" the last several days, so I have been very slow getting getting things done. I wasn't able to go to Jennie's wedding in Oviedo tonight because of feeling so crappy. I am very disappointed, but I didn't want to risk making them sick or being unable to make the 2 hour drive home. Anyway, tomorrow is a VERY special day!!! It is Mother's Day!! Happy Mother's day Mama!! You are the greatest!! It is also Daddy's birthday!! Happy birthday Daddy!! You are the greatest!! Daddy was born on Mother's Day, so that makes it even more special. Tomorrow is also 4 years since Robert and I first "met." By "met" I mean the first time we got matched on Eharmony and started asking/answering questions. The four years has flown by! I hope everybody has a great Mother's Day. I wish I lived closer to my parents so I could spend these holidays with them. If you see your Mom tomorrow, hug her tight. I will have to hug my Mama over the phone, which will have to do for now. I do realize how blessed I am to have a Mama and Daddy that I can talk to on the phone! Much Love, Shannon
We celebrated Mother's Day today with Robert's parents since Robert was off. We found out that Scott and Kelly (Robert's brother and sister-in-law) are expecting a baby ON OUR 1ST ANNIVERSARY!! How neat is that!! We are so excited!! We asked Kelly if they have twins, if she would just give us one?? She assured us that they were only having one. It is so nice to have some wonderful news!!
I'm trying to regroup and get back into writing mode, but it doesn't seem to be happening right now. I have my beloved laptop back and as soon as I get back in the mood, I will begin to write funny stuff again. Love, Shannon
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.
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
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
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
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!!!!
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!!
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
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
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
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!!!
Life, 40 and Facebook...
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A friend of mine recently commented on the end of social media. Here's my
response:
As you well know, I was not a social creature before the social networ...
I Am Back!
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For most of the last year I have been so tied up at work. I have to
apologize for the lack of posts on my part. I have been looking for
inspiration for new...
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