Technical DIfficulties...

OK folks,,, (see how optimistic I am, assuming I have tons of followers!)... I think the days of hi-jacking the unsuspecting neighbors wireless have come to an end... I have had loads of difficulty getting on line,,,, and actually have the nerve to be annoyed about it!

So things may be sporadic to say the least until I get something 'of my own' set up....

I guess this is God's way of breaking the FB addiction!

2 Things...

1) Face Book is fantastically addictive...Let's just say it's doing NOTHING to help my hermit tendancies!!! I could not leave the house (cramped up condo) for weeks and be completely happy...

2) I got an offer on my house today! Can't believe it... Only been on the market for 45 days,,, AND the master bathroom is still in a complete state of disrepair (as pictured below)... They came in low, but only asked for $500 in closing,,, which I absolutely can not believe!!

I told everyone I was determined to take the broken pipes as a good sign,,, When I sold my house in NC, the pipes had also busted... In fact the person that discovered it called my realtor to tell them I had a 'waterfall in my basement'... and that's who ended up buying my house!!! So I just knew this had to be good... Next time I know to just plan for it,,, build it in to the budget !

I am so happy and releived I can't even stand it!!!!!

Who knew...

Who knew FaceBook could be so much fun? Yes, it's the true sign that you have no life when you can spend the whole day,,,, yes whole day flipping through face book finding people you thought had been lost forever!! Over the last 4 weeks, 4 different people have told me I 'just had to get on FB'... So I thought I'd give it a try....

In fact as I type this I am getting email alrets that people are adding me and leaving messages,, some good,,, a couple,, that make me take a deep breath, as I decide whether or not I want to let that person, and the drama they bring, back in... All in all, no one has my number,,, so what do I really care..!

This is kind of how I feel now days,,, generally happy, but a little fluffier around the edges than I used to be !

Let me just say 'Thank you',,, to my old friend I spent 45 minutes catching up with today,,, You know who you are,,,we go back about 35 years if we are going to be specifc,,, and when your 41, to be able to say you've known someone for 35 years is quite an accomplishment.... So thank you old friend,,, true to form you had me smiling and laughing and wondering why I hadn't talked to you in about 15+/- years... Luckily for me, you haven't lost your charm,,, I certainly do hope you have people in your life who appreciate it!! You actually managed to make me blush, which I haven't done in YEARS (you know, us old ladies usually have a pretty jaded point of view)..... You also brought up a time when you were home from 'the circus' so to speak,,,,, I was actually surprised you remembered that,,, I remember it too,,, clearly,,, as one of those times when Carpe Diem rings in your head so loud you can't think of anything else but the craziness you are contemplating... hmmmmm,,,, the good 'ole days... :p

Every now and then it's good to see yourself through someone else's eyes... Helps bring the goals back in focus, helps you see who you used to be,,,, well, who you used to be for someone,,, but can also help you see who you could be again,,, if you try,,, if you set the fear aside a little at a time... Dear friend,,, I hope you see this,,, but if you do, please don't mention it for another 35 years! THANK YOU!!!

I don't know how you remember it,,, but in my mind, it looks something like this!!

Before and After...

Before freezing temperatures...

After freezing temperatures...

I bet a get a lot of offers with this make over, everyone loves the 'rustic look' !!

#044:Obama, Barack Obama

You don't really need a master bathroom to sell a house do you??

Well I actually slept pretty well last night considering,,, The first round of contractors had called me to let me know he didn't think the damage would be that bad. He had set up all they drying equipment and would have the plumber there today... So I was feeling pretty good about it... You know the feeling, the one you have when you really feel like you've gotten away with something and you just can't believe it?

You're probably also familiar with what usually follows that,,, which is the big slap in the face with the voice in your head screaming 'You thought you got away with WHAT??!?!?!?!?

My neighbor called... The one who I hardly ever talked to, who has been diligently looking after everything... The call was to let me know that the plumber had come, but couldn't get to the pipe he needed because THE VANITY WAS IN THE WAY!!!! So the contractor had to come to remore the vanity and counter top/sink, so the plumber could come back to cut a hole in the wall to saw out the pipe and replace it.... Apparently the vanity is somewhere other than the bathroom,, and I'm taking bets that I won't be so lucky to have the hole they cut fall solely behind the vanity once they put it back...

She was going to go over and take some pictures for me... maybe tomorrow we'll be lucky enough to actually see how bad this damage is... Not sure I want to see it!!

Good news though,,, When her husband came in he told her how nice the house looked, and that they both thought they would be surprised if it was on the market for very long... They said that a lot of people have been stopping by to take flyers etc.... So I should be in good shape,,,except for that demolished bathroom....

So this is what I'm imagining...

Apparently, the good 'ole Florida Sunshine doesn't stretch all the way to SC.... I guess the FL sunshine also makes you oblivious to the whether conditions past your immediate 20 mile radius...

Thankfully, the above picture is not my house... But that is the mental picture I had this afternoon about 2:30... I looked down at the phone and saw that it was my realtor.. YEAH... flip open the phone, all cheery, thinking she'd going to give me the great news that I have an offer on my house... Ummmm,,, No... What I got instead was a somewhat irritated realtor(although I still can't figure out what she had to be irritated about)... Kind enough to let me know that apparently, at some point in time last night, the pipes in my master bathroom busted.

The neighbors I used to say were so nosey,, saved my hide.. They looked out there bedroom window this morning and saw puddles in my yard... Bubba (yes, my neighbors name is Bubba) came over to find water GUSHING out the side of my house, from underneath the siding... Lovely... He grabbed the keys I left with them, turned off the water, and the phone tree started...

So here I am, 700 miles away... panicked, with a realtor who's only response was call me and let me know when I need to let someone in... I call NATIONWIDE (who I now love),,, the poor customer service rep had the distinct misfortune of having to tell me the adjuster probably wouldn't call me until Tuesday or Wednesday, due to the holiday,,,, ' so go ahead and do what's needed, but save your receipts, it MAY be reimbursable'.... Wasn't his fault, so I let him go..

To my shock and amazement, the adjuster called me within 5 minutes,,, yes 5... and within 30 minutes from that call, the contractor had called me, to let me know they'd be there tonight to start taking care of the water, and would call me tomorrow to update me... He then let me know that the adjuster had told him the house was on the market,,, so he would do everything he could to get it taken care of a quickly as possible...

Now, those of you that know me,,, know full well, I am definitely a 'half empty' kind of girl... But in trying to stick with the whole new years resolution stuff... I am going to choose to believe that they mean it,,, that it will look great when they are done, and that the one person who wanted to buy my house won't want to see it when the bathroom is ripped apart...

All in all, could have been much worse... My neighbor, said she would do what ever I needed in regards to letting workers in and making sure the house was locked up etc.... Boy I guess I missed out on that one, how nice f her was that !? She's definitely getting a HUGE gift/flower/chocolate basket on Monday!!!

Lots to be thankful for,,, let's hope I feel that way in a few days (see half empty)..

NieNie.... Nied I say more...

Today was the day that so many of us have waited for. Whether we were long time followers or, like me, someone who happened upon her sight, by way of those button's I kept seeing on everyone else's sight,,,, we have all been waiting, praying, waiting and praying some more... All of us wanting more informaiton than we are really due. All feeling like we have a vested interest in this families recovery....

I don't know about you,,, But after Cjane told us that she and Stephanie had decided that it was time for the 'big return' I started counting down. Now,,,, I'm in the midst of starting a new job,,, so the days have a tendancy to run together,,, but I remembered the 16th,,, most days,,, I have been waking up early lately (6:30-7:00) and working for an hour or so from home before getting ready for work... Today I just didn't want to... Hit the snooze button twice... Then it hit me... TODAY WAS THE 16th !!!!!!

I (1)got out of bed,,, (2)went and got my morning jug of diet coke and ice, ice, ice.... (3)settled down on the couch,,, (4)typed in the password, and (5)waited.... Times like this make me realize why I shouldn't be pilfering my wireless off my unsuspecting neighbors, but actually invest the 30$ a month for fast service.... This morning alone would have been worth paying for years of pilfering.... (6)But, i'm finally in... go to favorites,,, click,,,, wait, wait, wait....

The disappointment was tremendous,,, no post yet ( it is only 4 or 5 in the morning, I guess someone recovering from burns is due a litte sleeping in)... but really,,, she couldn't have known we'd all be checking??? !! So, I be grudgingly started working... until about 6:30 this evening, when I got home and virtually repeated steps 2-6...

The anticipation, hope, excitement,,, and then all of the sudden a touch of fear... as I realized that a picture was filling in on the screen (that's how it happenss when you pilfer wireless).... I looked away,,, grabbed a piece of thick paper and actually put it across the left side of my screen... I had been waiting and waiting,,, I all of the sudden had to question whether or not I wanted to see what I had been waiting for,,, I guess I hadn't really thought there would be a picture,, but how many of us hope to see that dear sweet smiling face??? Many, I would guess...

I swallowed deeply,,, and it struck me,,, when has there ever been anything in the posts on her page that haven't in some way made my day better... and if Stephanie could have the courage to post it,, shouldn't I have the courage to read/view it??? And true to form,,, there it was,,, this lovely, simple picture of her hands... They're pink, they're alive,,, but boy did it look like it must have been painful for her to peck out that lovely message to us...a glimpse, ever so slight, into her world... the door isn't open as wide as it previously was,,, but she is graciously still letting us see in... I can only imagine, she is being as gentle with us as she has had to be on herself.... adjusting to her new reality... adjusting to the 'new Nie'....

Nie,,,, we'll adjust right along with you... we will continue to pray for you and your family... we will continue to delight in every accomplishment along the way... But for me,,, I will continue to thank you... You have and continue to be an example of faith, truth and light... and your witness(and that of your family) has helped me tremendously...

Today,, my bad hair day was put in to perspective,, not so bad after all...

Being Challenged vs. Overwhelmed... A Fine, Fine Line...

One sounds so good, the other sounds so bad,,, I've decide it just comes down to frame of mind...

Challenged,,, It's hard, you know the right direction to go in, you can see the answer is just out of reach, and you know if you just keep at it you'll get it...

Overwhelmed,,,, It's hard, you know the right direction, you think, your pretty sure you know what the answer is, but do you? You are pretty sure if you keep at it you'll get,, but what if you keep at it and you don't get it? Wht if you keep at it and end up looking like that poor hampster your roommate in college had,,, that just spun that wheel,,, all...... night......long.....and got nowhere...

I think I'm going to try to stick to Challenged... Much less stress, much less doubt, and no flashbacks to the sleepless nights in that tiny little dorm room in Igo Hall @ SUNY Fredonia

Have I shown you the view outside my condo?

I can usually see a few Egrets each day, some blue or grey heron,,, who have this funny way of sunning themselves in the morning with their wings spread so the look like this... ^l^ ... imagine the top of the 'l' is their head cocked at a weird angle,,, and they stay perfectly still... oh, and turtles... Can't beat it... I even get to see the frustrateed golfers get stuck in the sand trap...

Oh, by the way...

I Love my JOB !!!

Hmmmmm,,,,,, What to do about New Years Resolutions???

The only resolution I am willing to make this year is to be gentle with myself... So many other people in our lives aren't gentle with us,,, I'm determined to at least not run myself through the ringer,,,,

OK,,, so I'm also going to try to stop being such a hermit... I say it's because I like being by myself,,, and to some extent that's true,,, but really I think it's become more of a self preservation thing than anything else. The fewer people you let in, the less opportunities to be hurt.

I thought I had for the most part worked through all the 'divorce stuff'... but continue to realize how much that event, and the relationship I was in, has damaged my soul, to the core... So I am also going to try and find my way out,,, out of the fog, out of my hermit's cave, out of my damaged frame of mind.

I am going to try to loose the weight (notice no specific poundage is listed !) I now hide behind,,, If I'm honest with myself,, I know that's what it is,,, one more layer of armour...

So much for no resolutions! Hope you all had a safe and happy celebration! Can't wait to see how this year turns out !

Don't know who this little girl is,,, but doesn't it exactly capture the 'hmmm' frame of mind?