Wait. Aren't You...

A friend suggested I tell a story. This particular story cracks up my family, but gives us chills at the same time. We just shake our heads and say "Wow".
I have a half-brother I didn't meet until I was about 23 or 24. On the day I met him, I recognized someone who came in with him... his wife! Unknowingly, I had met my own sister-in-law a few years before we even knew we were related.
I was working at a bakery at the time. I was hired to replace a woman who went out on maternity leave. One day after her son was born, she came in to visit with the bosses. They introduced her to me and we chatted a bit. She gave me a tip on writing on cakes (how to hold the writer so it went faster). She gave me other helpful hints as well. I was happy to have met her and all her advice made my job easier.
Fast-forward a few years. My half-bro decides it's time to meet us all. I walk into my cousin's backyard and we're introduced (WOW he looks like our shared Father!). He turns to introduce me to his wife. I reach out my hand and blink several times.
My mouth drops open and my throat dries immediately.
She has almost the same reaction, "Wait. Aren't you...?"
I nod and we start to laugh.
Everyone turns around and is pretty much saying "What the..."
Still in a little shock, I tell everyone: "We met three years ago when I worked at the bakery!"
If you tell my younger sister this story, you can see the goosebumps on her arms. I have them as I type this. It's a small world and getting smaller by the day.
Moral of the story? Be careful what you say to people and be mindful of other people's first impressions of you... You never know who knows who :)

Oh Great. It's Snowing Now...

I really need a sarcasm font.
I'm not a fan of snow. When you're a kid, it's all sledding and hot cocoa. As an adult (or more specifically, a parent), it's all shoveling and making the hot cocoa, only to hear your kid scream "IT'S TOO HOT! I BURNED MY TONGUE!" after you repeatedly tell them to wait to drink it. It's below freezing out right now and it's only going to be in the 20s tomorrow.
Ugh! So after venting a bit, I tried to find some good in this day and I have. Fellow baseball fans, rejoice with me: SPRING TRAINING IS A MERE THREE WEEKS AWAY! Since New York's football season is over (grumble grumble gripe gripe), I'm eagerly awaiting the start of baseball season. I have my jerseys and t-shirts pressed and ready! Well, they're ready. I don't iron. Ever.
My goal for this week is to straighten out my den/office. I started over the weekend, giving it a major overhaul. Even though there is stuff everywhere, it just looks better. I'm not into feng shui (is that how you even spell it?) or anything, but this is already helping me relax and find inspiration. I feel like all I do is move the junk and papers from place to place with no real organization. That has to change and it will this week. I'm determined to do it.

Being that it is Martin Luther King Jr Day, I feel compelled to share one of my fave quotes from him.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that."

Yeah. So That Happened...

I'm not making any resolutions this year. Sorry to bust some bubbles, but I'm not. Last year, I made a resolution to keep from getting sick. I spent most of December sick. Not just sick, but SIIIICK. I was bed-ridden for two weeks. Good ole asthmatic bronchitis struck again. I've gotten it every year since I was about 16, but never like this. When I'm out in the cold too long, my lungs have an allergic reaction. Basically, I'm allergic to cold weather.
I try to avoid doctors for the most part. I couldn't stop coughing in the beginning of December though. It was affecting my sleep (I wasn't getting any) and my food intake (I would get nauseous after a coughing fit and toss my cookies every time I ate). The doctor prescribed medications and sent me on my way. I went home, medicated and passed out. That didn't last long as Mini's school nurse called and said she needed to get picked up. Oh great.
The next few days were a blur, but I wasn't getting any better. I call the doc again. He prescribes me two meds. Tassaslon (a cough suppressant) and Levaquin. For those of you who don't know, Levaquin is what they give to people with anthrax. I'm not joking. It was right there in black and white on the script sheet. I started to cry. "I thought he said it was just asthmatic bronchitis. What the hell does he think I have?"
One of the side effects of Levaquin is tendon tenderness. NOT. FUN. Mini touched my arm and it felt like she stabbed me. I could barely lift a cup to drink out of. It was horrible.
A few days later, I started to feel a little better. I had forgotten to take the Levaquin for 2 days. In my head, I thought "Hm. If I take the med now I should feel better faster.' Umm, no. By the next morning, I was worse. Then, I was just mad. I called my doc yet again and managed to choke out a piece of my mind between coughing fits. I go into the office and see the PA. I leave the office with a better cough suppressant (YAY SLEEP!) and after a nebulizer treatment.
It was the Saturday before Christmas Eve that I started really feeling better. The problem? I was hosting CE dinner! I almost made myself sick again running around trying to get 3 weeks worth of errands and work into about 3 days. I did it though.
Since we had family in town after Christmas, the whole week was a blur of get-togethers and fun.
When the new year hit, I was determined to get back to a routine. Well, I ended up running myself ragged and into the ground. I was resting during the day while Mini was at school because my strength levels were down and I had only a limited time to get things done. Blogging took a back seat to life.
I'm back now and feeling better than I did beforehand.
I don't resolve to keep up with my blogging...
I WILL keep up with my blogging. :)


HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL!!