Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun????

I am currently on vacation... sort of. Actually I am accompanying my husband on a business trip to Atlantic City. He has a two day conference that we decided to make into a week trip. Two cities to explore... we flew into Philadelphia, spent some time there seeing the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, historic Philadelphia, etc. We then drove to our Marriott Villa resort in Atlantic City. Our villa is huge - 2 big bedrooms, two big bathrooms, a jacuzzi built for two (something I know now we should have avoided), two pools, seems like everything this trip is doubled in size. We were wishing we had brought another couple with us to enjoy this huge villa we had to ourselves. We pretty much decided we would not even use the 2nd bathroom or bedroom so the cleaning staff would not have to clean both rooms.

Well, we had a great day on Saturday. The weather is amazing - record highs for this time of year, and the next four days promise to be the same. Gordie's conference didn't start until Tuesday - so when we went to bed on Saturday night - we had lots of plans for the next few days. Middle of the night Saturday night - Gordie woke me up... he did not feel well... next thing I know... he is in the bathroom throwing up... over and over and over. Not good! Sunday we spent in our room - he felt terrible. I turn on the TV and the headlines of the day... Swine Flu outbreak! Every channel we turn to, that seems to be all anyone wants to talk about. When you have the flu... you don't want to think about other people being sick, food, or especially... swine! Monday Gordie felt alot better... enough that we drove into Atlantic City and got to walk on the boardwalk, see the ocean, look at some of the shops, etc.. really cool place to visit. I could tell Gordie was fading fast, so we only spent a few hours and headed back to the resort. Gordie was feeling bad again. His diarrhea will just not leave him, and the nausea is back. Poor guy. He decided to sleep, so I decided to head out to the pool for awhile to at least get some sun. I came back an hour later, he is still feeling pretty bad. I made a bowl of soup and watched some TV... still feeling pretty good, just sorry that my husband was so sick. We decided to just go to bed when I started feeling a little queasy. I wasn't sure if it was what I ate, being around a sick person, or all of this talk about the swine flu. I was SURE I was going to be fine. I tried to convince myself all the way to the bathroom as I was getting ready to throw up that this stomachache would pass quickly. Well it passed alright... I started vomiting around 10:00pm and continued to vomit until 5:00am. I moved myself into the 2nd bedroom and bathroom. Now I am thinking I am so glad we didn't have another couple with us, and was really wishing we had not enjoyed that 2 person Jacuzzi! I cannot remember ever throwing up so many times in a row... and then of course... the diarrhea, that is a treat as well. I am thinking about asking for a refund on my flu shot I received last fall! So Tuesday was spent basically in bed all day. Feverish... cannot get warm... at least the vomiting had stopped. Today is Wednesday. I am feeling better finally, but afraid to eat or drink anything in fear it may come back up again. I did have a popsickle which tasted good and seems to agree with my stomach.

Gordie and I share and do everything together ... why should sharing the flu be any different? Was it the swine flu? I have no idea. We never went to the doctor to have it checked out. We do know that on the plane from Ohio to Philadelphia the person sitting behind us was sneezing alot. We made a comment to each other then that we hoped they had covered their mouth. Hopefully today will be a better day. The great weather they were having unfortunately has turned to a cold rain, but maybe tomorrow will be better. At least we will have two more days to try to salvage some vacation time before we fly back home. Just the thought of flying is a little scary considering the germs. Gordie leaves on Sunday for LA. He is really not looking forward to that either. Lets hope whatever is out there is not this pandemic flu they are predicting. It certainly is not fun when you are going through it.

Skate the day away!

It was an absolute beautiful day outside today. Our first 80 degree day of the season. Fortunately, Gordie and I had taken the day off to just have a day to relax, clean the house and pack before we leave for our vacation. Of course, such warm weather was too inviting to just stay indoors, so we took off on our scooters to go eat lunch and enjoy the sunshine. We have a new Sonic Drive-In that is going to be opening soon, so we decided to ride the scooters over to see how the Sonic was progressing. As we drove by, we saw several people in bright neon green shirts roller skaing around the drive-in. There was a guy outside taking pictures of them. I assume part of it was a photo op for Sonic, but we also figured the staff were practicing their skating skills so once the Drive-In opens and they have carry a tray of food to a car, they don't dump the food in your lap or wipe out on their skates. Regardless, it was a beautiful sunny day, and what a way to get paid for a day's work... roller skating the day away out in the beautiful warm sunshine. Sure beats sitting in office all day!

Songs and Smells

Have you ever smelled a scent that reminded you of something special, or just brought back a memory... good or bad? A song can be like that too. This week Gordie and I went to hear Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman in concert. We have enjoyed and been blessed by their music for over 25 years. At this concert, they sang alot of their old songs, and just hearing them again... brought back so many memories... old friends, our kids growing up, situations we have faced in our marriage, and I have to tell you... there were many times I fought the tears back. These songs did not conjure up bad memories, but touched at my heartstrings and took me back several years. When Michael sang the song Friends... I remembered Gordie and I sang this song at my graduation from MA school. I remembered our good friends Carl and Cheri Lee who moved to Montana, and dear old friends, Sherry Roscoe and Dick VanEngen who long ago were called to Heaven. I can see Dick and my dad chewing the fat and talking about the trucking and Shell Oil up in Heaven. We are so blessed to have this music in our lives.

Security

We recently had a software upgrade on a product I use at work. The upgrade required I change my password, which I did last week. I had to answer three different security questions. It wasn't just three simple questions though... each question had a drop down box where you could choose several different options. I finally got my password reset, was able to use the application and all was well. I went to log in today, put what I thought was my user name and password, except the two didn't match. I was SURE the password I used was correct, but it would not work, so I e-mailed our administrator to see if she could help. She called me later to tell me that she had reset my password, but while talking to her I realized I had the correct password, but the incorrect user name. However, since she had reset my password, I had to go back through the whole process all over again. Not so easy. Now I have to remember out of the three security questions I had answered last week, which of the options I had actually answered, and since the answers are all case sensitive, try to remember if I used any upper or lower case letters. Bottom line is I tried everything I could think of and nothing worked. I really hate to have to admit to our administrator that I STILL cannot get into this RIDICULOUS system. And just think... once I finally do get it right... in 180 days I will have to change my password again. If I can't remember from last week the questions I answered.... I will never remember 180 days from now. This system is more secure than Fort Knox!

Clean House

If I really want my house cleaned...I invite people over. Its not that my house is usually all that dirty, but its amazing how much cleaning you do when you know others are coming over. We hosted our first small group meeting tonight with friends from our church. We washed windows, cleaned the oven, cleaned the fireplace glass, and even vacuumed out the coat closet. Really... these were just spring cleaning items that we needed to do anyway... but expecting up to 13 people coming to our house, just expedited all of these spring cleaning "to-do" chores. We had a great time tonight, and I am now sitting in my very clean house, and feeling like we really accomplished alot this weekend. I'm sure no one looked in my oven, and I doubt anyone looked at the floor in my coat closet... but I know how clean they are... and that is enough satisfaction for me.

Round 2, Day 1

I am sitting here watching the Biggest Loser and totally inspired by how much weight the contestants have lost, and how great they are looking. I decided at the beginning of the year - this was going to be my year to get healthy. I have lost 20 pounds since the beginning of the year, have been working out and really feeling good. I "fell off the wagon" last week. I allowed myself to eat food in quantities that I should not have eaten, and devoured chocolate and candy in the spirit of the Easter Bunny! But... I am back on track. I went to the gym and feel good about the food I consumed today. I sometimes wish I could go on the Biggest Loser. My weight is coming off, but OH so SLOWLY! Its so much more fun putting weight on that taking it off. Its amazing how much weight the contestants on Biggest Loser have lost in such a short time... but would I be willing to put on spandex shorts, a sports bra and stand on a scale in front of all America to see? Not on your life! So... I will keep plugging away. One of these days I will get there.

Bunco Baby!

Once a month I get together with a group of friends and we play Bunco. Its really just a mindless game but I think that is what makes it so much fun. You can sit there all night and talk and play and you don't have to think about what you are doing... other than remembering what number you are rolling. If you are really lucky and roll a Bunco, you get to wear a crazy hat and score 50 points. We each pay $5.00 and depending on how well, or how badly you do... you hopefully at least win your money back. I didn't win anything tonight, but had a great time. It was well worth the $5.00 I paid to spend a fun night with some amazing women.

BS Thursdays

Its not what you think... its the night of my Bible Study group. We have a delightful group of ladies who meet on Thursday nights who share in each others struggles and blessings. We pray for each other, laugh together, and grow together. Many of us are on Facebook, so its fun to keep up with each other's lives. We are currently doing a study on the Book of Esther. Its always interesting hearing everyone's comments on what we are reading. We all agree women have come a long way since Esther's time, and none of us would want to live the way the women did back then. Anyway... I love each of these women and appreciate the friendships we have made. I will miss BS when we break for the summer!

That was easy!

I love my job, but I have one of those jobs that you can't predict your day. I start my day out thinking that I am going to accomplish certain projects, and then my day ends up going into twenty different directions. Today was one of those days. My day was going great until a meeting notice popped up on my calendar that I had totally forgotten about. Forty Five minutes later I was back in my office with several voice mails, e-mails waiting for me, and a desk that looked like a tornado had hit while I was gone. How my day can get so crazy always amazes me. The next thing I know staff are walking by door telling me to have a good night as they are leaving for the day. I left my office for a few minutes and when I came back, someone had left an easy button on my desk... the red one from Staples that says... "That was Easy" when you press it. I looked up and Lauren, my clerical supervisor was standing there with a smile and said "I thought you might like some help!". Lauren is my lifesaver... she is due to have her first baby May 24, and I am so going to miss her during her maternity leave. Every day that it gets closer to her due date I realize just how much she supports me as a manager. At least I now have an Easy button!

Red Lights!

Some days I swear I get every red light in Grand Rapids! The city is working on Patterson which is the road I take every day to and from work. So, I am forced to drive up the Beltline to 28th Street to get to work. I think I counted once and driving this way I go through something like 15 stoplights. I don't think there are 15 stoplights in Hastings where I grew up. Gordie calls stoplights, "The Equalizer"... all of those people who take off like wild fire as soon as the light turns green and drive 100mph... and usually end up altogether at the next stoplight. Tonight after work, I went to the YMCA to work out. On my way home I was starving, and just wanted to get home... and of course... I took off, drove 100mph... only to be "equalized" at the next stoplight. I was starting to get angry at these stupid red lights, and then looked in rear view mirror... only to find the car I just passed coming to a stop behind me, and had to chuckle. Some things in life are just not worth getting all mad about... and red lights though a huge waste of our time... are one of those.

My Inspiration

Writing seems to run in my family. My mom loved to write poems and stories which were hilarious. My aunt has written many stories about her family, and most recently, my niece Heather started writing in her own blog. I have really loved following Heather's blog. I have learned alot about Heather, and know what a very talented woman she is. I have always thought it would be great to write a book someday, and who knows... maybe one day I will. Heather has inspired me to start my own blog. I may be the only one who ever reads it, but I am going to try it and see where it goes.