Mmmmm… CANDY!

I’m so excited! My kids are going to go trick-or-treating tonight! This means that our seriously depleted candy cauldron is about to be refilled with lots of yummy treats.

[happy sigh]

I’m so glad I had kids.

[heh]

Now, run along my dears, and don’t come back until your bags are full of chocolate.

So yesterday afternoon I posted about choosing to be happy, deciding that I was going to smile through adversity.

Last night life thought it funny to test my newly adopted optimism.

I was traveling on Hwy 70 at what one generally deems to be an acceptable anti-law abiding speed. I had my cruise control set at 8 mph over the speed limit, rather than 10. Because everybody knows that tickets are written for 10+ mph over the speed limit, right? Anyhoo, as I’m cruising along, I noticed ‘ol Deputy Fife at 2 o’clock and decided it wise to tap my brakes, rather than personally test that “acceptable” theory. (I may be a rebel, but I’m no dummy.) I slid on past the County Mountie at a mere 4 to5 mph faster than I should have and then checked my rear-view mirror. Two cars behind me he pulled out into traffic and turned on his blinkie-blinkies. He’s not coming after me is he?

So I slowed it up just a tad bit more, matching my “Oh Shit” speed to that of surrounding traffic. …And then I checked my mirror again to see whether I needed to pull over, or not. Imagine my relief when I saw that some other driver was comandeered to the shoulder, and not me. Whew! I really didn’t know where I was going to come up with the $75 for going 78.

I made it a respectable distance away, and again, matched my speed to that of surrounding traffic. Yes, I was speeding again. Did you forget that part about my being a rebel? About 10 miles further down the hwy, I started to hear a strange noise. You know those ‘sleep bumps’ that they put on the hwy shoulders these days? When you accidentally run your tires over the bumps, it makes a loud, annoying noise; like driving across an antique washboard. Yeah, so that’s what this sounded like, only I was driving in the center lane. No ‘sleep bumps’.

Internally, (because everyone else in the van was sleeping), I said,(in a wry little manner) “Oh shit. I’m gonna blow a tire.”

I checked my mirrors and looked out the windows, attempting to find an opening in traffic so that I could pull off the hwy. Wouldn’t you know that I couldn’t find safe passage, so I had to continue along in the center lane, readying myself for the inevitable. The noise increased to a nerve-rattling rumble-ish whir… (don’t you just love the way women describe vehicle noises?) …And then it happened! Ker-sploosh! Ka-wapa-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump…

Bob and the kids suddenly woke; confused and startled by what was going on. As I attempted to maneuver through a much needed opening in traffic, I had to explain to everyone that we just had a blowout. My son was totally freaked because of the noise. He thought the van was about to explode, so I had to explain to him that, no, it was just a tire, and no, he did not have to jump from the vehicle as soon as I finally hit the shoulder.

I pulled over and Bob said to me, rather hopefully, “Do we still have that roadside assistance thingy?” To which I relplied, “Yes, Dear, but it normally takes them 1 ½ to 2 hours just to send someone out to help, and we have to be at the Family Exchange Center in less than an hour.” The poor man had no choice but to brave the bone-chilling winds to change our tire. My hero.

So, we passed on the $75 dollar speeding ticket, opting instead, for the $130 set of tires (‘Cuz ya can’t just replace one, it throws things off balance or something like that.) Yeah. Life sucks sometimes, but I’m still smiling.

…Which brings me the ‘Woo Hoo!’ portion of my post; The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series last night! Yea team! We ARE the Champs!

–From Seuss-isms: Wise and Witty Prescriptions for Living from the Good Doctor

So that’s me, you see. I’m deciding where I’ll go, doncha know. I’ve had enough of the “Bah!” and I’m ready for the “Ah-Ha!” I’m through being down. I’d rather act like a (…dare I say it?).

[Heh]

Anyhoo, here’s the gist of it. Life has been dumping a load of crapapples in our bin. I don’t know about you, but I prefer Golden Delicious. …And Winesap’s, but that just kind of defeats my point here.

I have decided that I miss my generally optimistic self, therefore, I’m dragging her happy-ass back out into the open. I now start each day with positive affirmations and prayer, which is generally followed by a brisk walk, and then a warm cup of Green tea. ‘Course, sometimes I cheat by drinking coffee instead. My point is that I’m setting my mind to healthy, happy, and able; able to combat the challenges of life. I am the gal who’ll decide where to go. …And I’ve decided that I’m going to smile.

With that said, let’s move along to the updates.

As my FIL pointed out with his most recent comment, I haven’t posted in four days. I’ve been regenerating, setting my goals, and taking care of my family. Bob is healing from his surgery rather well, thank goodness. But, due to his bout of ill-health and the lack of “IT” jobs in this area, times are tight around the Anderson household. So, I’ve been looking for ways to fix that problem.

I recently listed a bunch of books and children’s videos for sale on Half.com and I’m gathering up items to sell on eBay. I’ve profited about $30 on the books, thus far. Not much yet, but every little bit counts. Bob is on week three of a 3-week temp job. He has been working 7 days a week for the past three weeks, ‘cept for the four-day stint in the hospital. What a way to shirk duty, eh. [wink] In an effort to further the bill-paying cause, Bob has given me about four of his swords to list on eBay. I haven’t got to them yet, as I’m waiting for him to give me a description of each. And lastly, I am working on educating myself in Web Design. I know just enough to dabble right now, which leaves plenty of room for actual knowledge.

Speaking of education… I have withdrawn my two children from public school to school them at home. This is mainly due to my son’s health issues and partly because I had a difference of opinion with the assistant principal at my children’s public school. Nuff said. I am content and really quite proud of my decision to school them at home. The benefits far outweigh the extra duty on my hands. Besides that, they make great housework helpers, too. [grin]

As if all of this isn’t enough to keep me thoroughly occupied, I have joined NaNoWriMo this month (so has Bob). What this means is that we have (each) been challenged to churn out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days (starting Nov. 1st). Ha! I am being realistic, not pessimistic, when I state that, (given my current workload); I seriously doubt I’ll be able to meet this deadline. However, I will be thrilled if I even manage to accomplish a fifth of this goal.

My father, being fatherly, suggested that I should focus all of my energies on solving our monetary problems right now; forsaking NaNoWriMo; and I must say that I understand and agree. However, I am not the type of gal to be all work and no play. I need a creative outlet to keep me centered and true. It’s like that glass of Bourbon you enjoy, Dad. Creative outlets get me through the day. ‘Course, sometimes I revert to Heineken. [heh] So, thank you much for the fatherly advice, but not to fret, Dad; I’m a female and we’re supposed to be rather well-equipped in multi-tasking.

That said, I have some business calls to make, more books to list on Half.com, and the blasted clothes dryer just stopped. Duty calls.

Have a grand weekend, folks. Oh… And GO REDBIRDS!

As previously reported, my hubby was the resident “quagmire” of our local hospital E.R.. Yesterday, however, the doctors discovered that my husband’s gall bladder had ceased functioning. They set him up for surgery the same day, removed his gall bladder, kept him overnight to monitor his breathing (Sleep Apnea & synthetic morphine, apparently, are not a good combination), and this morning he will be released to my care.

Woo Hoo! My hubby’s coming back home!

Hey. Wait-a-minute. Does this mean I have to play the go-for nurse now?

Yeesh.

He’s one lucky guy.

Now where did I put my thermometer…

As you may know, (from a previous post), my son has liver disease, and the doctors have yet to find the why, or tell us what to do to about it. We are waiting on yet more blood test results, which should come within a couple of weeks.

This morning, my husband came home early from work because he was suffering from severe abdominal pain. He had been complaining of abdominal pain for the past three weeks, but today it doubled him over. So I said, “It’s time to take you to the E.R.”

We spent 6 1/2 hours in the E.R. today. The doctor did an exam, ordered blood tests, two separate ultrasounds, x-rays, and a urinalysis. Bob was given two shots of Demerol, which made him totally loopy. …And in conclusion, there was no conclusion. They have admitted him to the hospital for further testing. Next up: a CAT scan and a visit from a GI doctor. The doctor said that they will be keeping my husband in the hospital for a couple of days.

Tonight, they set him up with a Demerol drip, which means he gets to push the “happy-button” whenever the pain hits. The poor man is so loopy that he called me to mumble something about a nurse tag-team flushing his I.V. with an allergy inducing saline that was making him feel dopey. He was quite insistent upon my “knowing about this“. Next, he’ll probably call me to complain about the alien squid in the bed next to his trying to continuously switch the TV channel to Animal Planet. [sigh] Yeah, if I didn’t have five kids to take care of, I’d seriously consider staying overnight in the hospital with him. I can’t have the jello-pushing, two-headed, ward nurse making time with my stoned hubby.

Anyhow, so that’s my Saturday.

Life has been throwing quite a few curveballs our way lately. I find that I’m actually looking forward to Christmas because it is soon followed by the end of a year; this one… And I’m so ready for 2007. That’s hope talking.

That’s all I have to blog about tonight. I came home, made dinner for the kids, set them all to their chores, and now I’ve got to head back out to visit my hubby before visiting hours are done for the day. Hope you and yours are healthy and happy. Have a grand weekend, folks.

P.S. I know the Tigers are tough, but “Go Cards!”
(That’s World Series baseball talk for those in the dark… ages.)

Way to go, Redbirds!

Chavez’s amazing catch may have robbed Rolen of a two-run homer in the 6th, but we got it back, baby! Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer off Aaron Heilman in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Cardinals a game-winning lead. But it wasn’t over yet. Oh no, the drama continued.

“Wainwright had to finish the game by facing the one man that no Cardinal would ever want to see in a big situation.”
–Matthew Leach, MLB.com

OMGosh! Bottom of the 9th… Mets had the bases loaded when they sent their best hitter (against the Cardinals), Carlos Beltran, up to bat.

Could it have been anymore stressful?!!! Aaauuuggghhh! My stomach was in knots. My hands were balled into fists so tight they were about to turn blue. I think I even held my breath!

…And then the final pitch was thrown. Adam Wainwright threw a nasty curveball and struck out Carlos Beltran, securing a 3-1 win for St. Louis over the Mets.

Woo Hoo! The St. Louis Cardinals are going to the World Series! Let’s Go Redbirds!

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