Friday, December 11, 2009

Proof that there is a God and that he loves us...

My nieces Leah (4) and Susanna (2) ~ 2009
Leah "Bear"

Susie "Belle"























Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Some random pics

My Halloween costume. "Swine Flew" (H1N1/Swine Flu)
My niece Susie and me.
My Brother and his new puppy, Emma.
My niece Leah's first day of school ever!
The grand opening of my water park. I won a contest to name the water park.

My family. (minus my sister.)
My back yard in the winter.

My back yard in the fall.






















Sunday, July 5, 2009

In a nutshell!

I know... I know.... It's been forever and ever since I blogged. A couple of months at least. But as usual, I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Let me get you caught up on the comings and goings that have kept me constantly away from this blog.

I'm still working at the hospital (6 years now, YAY Me!) Rehab Services Dept. It's been a steady day in and day out. Barb, a good friend and co-worker who had retired passed away after a short battle with stomach cancer. Barb would winter in Florida and then come back and work in the summer so we could have some coverage for days off. Barb's death was really hard to go through. She was so vibrant and loved life and everyone so much it was hard to face the fact that I'd never see her again on this earth.

My beloved Red Wings made it to the Stanley Cup finals. They lost and yes I am a conspiracy theorist. I blame the refs, the commissioner, and the media. In the end, even I have to admit that the Wings simply didn't get it done. Oh well, it's only a game and there's always next season. (Cue the Titanic music.... My heart will go on.....!)

I'm still very active with photography. I'm entering contest after contests. Recently winning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in local photo contests. I'll be taking a class in photoshop as well. I love taking pictures. A dream would be to have my own greeting card buisness. But, that will have to wait for another day.

Had to get major repairs done on my car. $800 later and the "service engine soon" light still keeps popping on. UGH. I can handle oil changes, windshield wipers, and fluid replacement. But I'll leave the timing chain and serpentine belts to the pros.

Nothing new to report on my dating life. Much to the chagrin of my mother! I'm doing well physically. Nothing bad to report other than aches and pains from getting old. Though I've fallen off the diet and exercise wagon. I'm struggling to get back into the habit. I had gotten into some bad habits with the dieting and am working on a better plan. My brother and I participated in a walk to raise awareness and funds for Celiac Disease back in May.

My family is doing well for the most part. At times I am amazed at the number of things that we have survived. This was brought to the fore front with my dad's recent emergency surgery this last Wednesday. A week ago today, he asked me to check his pupils because he was having "floaters." Then the next day (Monday) I read on facebook that he's got a detached retina that if not treated within 24 hours he could have been blinded. His surgery went well and he's now resting at home. Then over the holiday weekend, there was freek accident that involved my uncle, grandma, and a friend of the family getting hit by a run away golf cart driven by my 2 year old second cousin. Grandma is ok and thanks to her dementia doesn't even remember the incident. Uncle Bob tore up his shoulder and has a bad case of road rash. The friend of the family got the worst of it with 2 broken legs; One broken in 3 places. I spend alot of time with my nieces Leah and Susie. They are so much fun and smarter than smart.

So there you have it my friends. What I've been up to in a nut shell. I hope that everything is going well for you all. And this time I mean it when I say I'll blog again soon.

Friday, May 8, 2009

I'm still alive

In case you all were wondering, I am still alive. Its been a busy time lately. I promise to blog again soon.

Talk at yall later skaters.

-Joelle

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

So Far So Good!

That knocking sound you're hearing is me knocking on wood after saying "So far so good!"

I know it's only Tuesday; That there's still 3 more days for things to go horrifically wrong in this work week. But at least up to this point, it's been a good week. I didn't walk into a huge mess Monday morning. No one called in sick. And I got the stats and charges done before the 8 AM meeting this morning. (I could have done without going to the meeting, but it was one of those mandatory ones.)

I got a call this morning from one of my co-workers who wasn't in the office yet. She had just turned on the radio in time to hear My name announced as the winner of a "Tim Horton's Office Invasion." So, this Friday, that radio station will be delivering Tim Horton's for 10 to my office. I barely remember entering that contest so it's hysterical that I ended up being the winner for this month. The only problem is that there are 20 people scheduled to work that day and they're bringing enough for 10. (That was the limit that had on the contest.)

After much moaning and gnashing of teeth. We decided that the fair way to do the special lunch was to do it pot luck style. That way we can divvy up the stuff from Tim Horton's and add the pot luck stuff and everyone can participate. I felt bad picking names out of a hat for the other 9 people. Everyone usually eats lunch together, so what were the remaining 10 people supposed to do? Sit there and watch the ones who were picked eat? That just bothered me.

Tomorrow there is another mandatory meeting that's going to give me a 10 1/2 hour work day. They are overhauling the way we do charging, and Josie and I have to go to a 4 hour training session. BAH! But, overtime is overtime. A little extra $ never hurts.

Thursday I have a dentist appointment. Which means that I'll be spending extra time brushing and flossing until then. It's not that I don't take care of my teeth, but I don't really want to give the hygienist any reason to scrape anymore than she has to.

Then Friday is the big day. The radio station's morning crew will deliver the Tim Horton's and we'll have a big party. Then it will be time for the weekend!

Saturday my family and I are getting together to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. And I don't have anything planned at all for Sunday. A day of doing any and everything I want to do and not having to do anything I don't want.

Here's hoping that next week will be as good as this week.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Who needs TV when you've got all this drama in your life?

March roared in like a lion again this year!

It began with my co-worker calling in sick for 3 days and then going on vacation for a week. There are only 2 of us secretaries manning the office and little or no back up coverage if one of us wants to take any time off. We usually stagger our vacations so that there is always someone covering the office. So in those 2 weeks I ended up with just over 13 hours of overtime. (This will be important later in this blog.)

Next my grandma K. (Mom's mom) became very ill and had to be taken via ambulance to the hospital. It was discovered that she had diabetes and blood pressure issues. There is also the possibility that she had a stroke, but we can't tell for sure since she is already dealing with dementia. We spent a couple weeks dealing with hospital stays and nursing homes and all that good stuff. The good news is that Grandma's now back home and doing moderatly well.

Then, my parents and I split babysitting duties for my one year old niece Susie while my sister in law took my other niece to visit her family in California. Both mom and I took 2 and a half days off to spend time with the munchkin. I had so much fun these couple days. Susie is so different than Leah, but so similar to her it's scary. She learned how to safely go down stairs and started to learn how to ride a trike. (She sits on the trike and we push her around.) One day Susie Sue and I had an adventure day and went to the butterfly house, out to eat, and shoe shopping. I discovered that she LOVES mac and cheese and pineapple. She loves to cuddle. There's never a dull moment with Susie, she's a mover and a shaker. I love the way she says my name. "Yo Yo Yo" for Jo Jo.

(Here's where that overtime comes in.) I planned to use the extra money that I got from working all those extra hours to get my muffler repaired on my car and then use the rest on some books, groceries, and a gift or 2 that I needed to get. So, I headed over to Muffler Man after work on Monday to get that work done with the OT $ burning a hole in my pocket. As it turns out, I had to get the entire exhaust system replaced. The mechanic came in and said that the muffler itself had a "HUGE" hole and another part had rotted out and the 2 gaskets were blown. There went all the OT $ in one swoop.

But, I'm not complaining. The faulty exhaust system had been filling my car with Carbon Monoxide. Compounding the problem was that it was a long cold Michigan winter and I had been riding around with all the windows rolled up for months. It totally explains the headaches, dizziness, and exhaustion that I had been experiencing. This is my second experience with Carbon Monoxide poisoning and its not fun. They say everything happens for a reason, so all that overtime in a sense saved my life.

Then last night (Tuesday) around 11 (ish) PM, I got a call from my mom. Apparently the plane that was bringing my niece Leah and Sister in law home from their California trip was forced to make an emergency landing in Chicago. Somehow the windshield shattered and the plane lost pressure and had to turn around to for the emergency landing. Oddly, even before they left on their trip I had a bad feeling about them being on planes. My gut churned each time I thought about them flying. Thankfully, they were able to land safely and are now home. And, no one was hurt in the incident. I know God answered our prayers for safety! I'm glad Hilary and Leah had a good time. But hope they don't decide to fly again for a long long time!

The way I figure it, we've gotten all the bad stuff out of the way for this month. Now it's time for good stuff to start happening. So, as the Cajun's say "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" "Let the good times roll!"

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Long time no see....

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've blogged. Sadly, there hasn't been much to write about. Work is the same, I'm still over the moon about my nieces, I'm still on a diet, still single, and it's still cold in Michigan.

It's been a long week this week at work. Not only are we treating a hospital full of patients, but we're doing it with half our staff out ill. The flu and pneumonia bug has hit and hit hard there. Special thanks to my co-workers who called in sick yet came in anyway to "do paperwork" thus infecting everyone else. But, trying to find a positive in the situation is that I have 4.5 hours of overtime coming on my next check. Which will come in handy when I have to replace the muffler on my car. And thankfully, I managed not to get sick. (Knocking on wood as we speak!)

I've been trying to get myself organized and clean my apartment. Not an easy task, let me tell you. I start with good intentions. "I will get one room cleaned and select 3 articles of clothing that I haven't worn in 5 years to get rid of by the end of the evening." I can get rid of those stirrup pants from the early 90s, it will be ok! Then 3 hours later, I find myself with an even bigger mess because when I was cleaning, I discovered a cache of books that I had set aside along with 15 "to do" lists and an odd assortment of miscellaneous things. (So that's where that missing glove went!) At the rate I'm going, it will take me 3 years just to get the one room clean and all the clothes I'm sorting will be back in style again as "vintage."

This coming Saturday has the promise of being exciting. I am going to Disney on Ice! I'm hitching along with my mom, my 3 year old niece Leah, my aunt Sandy and cousin Adrianne. I keep telling everyone that I'm taking my niece Leah, but in reality, I'm excited to go myself. I'm bringing my camera (if it's allowed) and hope to get some good pictures. It's going to be a fun time. I'm so excited!

Then the following week, I'm going to be babysitting my 1 year old niece Susie. I'm taking a couple days off of work and going to spend quality time with her. Situations have made it so that I haven't gotten to spend as much time with Susie and I had with Leah, so I'm excited to spend the time getting to know her and spoiling her rotten while my sister in law takes Leah with her to California.

Well gang, I really need to get back to work. I'm supposed to be cleaning and getting ready for the weekend, but got distracted by downloading picture from my camera (so I can use it at Disney on Ice) and while I'm downloading the pictures, I had to sneak in here an blog for a minute. And, OMG! It's midnight! I have to go to bed! I have to get up in 4 hours! I'll clean again on Monday....

Monday, February 2, 2009

25 random facts

25 random facts about me. That's the popular thing on Facebook right now. People post random facts about themselves and then other people comment on them. I'll kill 2 birds with one stone by posting a fresh blog here and status on facebook all at the same time. So, without further ado...25 random facts about me. Here they are in no particular order.

1. I am ambidextrous, but write right handed.
2. I am very claustrophobic.
3. I HATE referees! Especially NHL ones.
4. I've been on TV, on the radio, in the newspaper, and on a magazine cover.
5. I've been to Ireland, Luxembourg, Russia, and Canada.
6. I'm afraid of seagulls.
7. On average, I read a book and a half a day. (around 300-400 pages each.)
8. I once won a trip for 4 to Club Med in Florida from the Coca Cola Company.
9. I have 4 alarm clocks set to wake me up each morning.
10. Over half of my wardrobe was purchased at garage sales.
11. I am a Notary Public.
12. I enlisted in a ninja training course at the local community college last year. I have since trimmed and toned my body into a deadly weapon, and am considered a "person of interest" by the Canadian and German governments.
13. I wear a medic alert bracelet at all times due to a severe latex allergy.
14. My goal weight is 130 lbs.
15. I have Celiac Disease. And participate in a walk every year to raise awareness about the disease.
16. I volunteer with the local Rotary club.
17. One of my hobbies is photography. I've made a side job out of it.
18. I have two nieces who I think are the best things since sliced bread!
19. I was almost named Betsy Ross because I was due on the 4th of July.
20. In July, I'll have been at my job for 6 years.
21. My family are my best friends.
22. I keep a magic 8 ball on my desk at work.
23. I've always wanted to be a character in a book.
24. I'm a Christian and proud of it.
25. I'm an avid whitetail deer hunter.

Friday, January 16, 2009

On top of the world!

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is spending time with my nieces. Watching them learn new things, discover the world around them, and seeing the joy that only little children can experience. I can't wait to watch the girls grow up.

This week I took a couple days off to help my mom after her surgery and also to babysit Leah. The 3 of us piled into Grammy's (my mom) behemoth Town Car and went to Grammy's physical therapy appointment. My Dad happens to work in the same building, so we visited with him for a little while. After that we headed to the library. And finally to MacDonald's.


Leah loves to go to MacDonald's because they have the play space with the big climbing toy. She loves to play with all the kids. But, she has always been afraid to climb up with out someone helping her. But, that all changed yesterday.


Let me just tell you, those things weren't designed for comfort on adults knees. I've got huge bruises from climbing through the play space. But, back to the story. I being an old fogie needed a rest and Leah was tired of waiting for me. After a quick lesson on how to push up with her arms and swing her leg (knee) up to the next step, Leah was off. She was so proud of herself and her new skill that she kept climbing for hours and hours. Up the steps, down the slide, and repeat! I was so proud for her!


Here are a few pictures so you can see our little caterpillar become a butterfly:



Monday, January 12, 2009

A quick update....

Hey gang,

Long time no see. It's been a super busy last couple of weeks. First there was preparing for Christmas (my favorite holiday ever!) Followed by Christmas itself. (You should see the pumpkin my sister made me. Its AWESOME!!!) Then my mom had knee replacement surgery on the Tuesday before New Years. New years snuck past in a blur. And finally I've been helping my mom at her house because she cant drive or stuff like that.

Everything is going well with me personally. I once again started my diet and exercise thing. Can you believe that eating what you want....when you want... how much you want plus not exercising for 2 months causes you to gain weight?? I've been supper strict with myself, but that all paid off when I stepped on the scale and had lost 8 lbs. I've managed (knock on wood) not to get the flu bug that's going around! Yay me!

Work is ok. They're still doing the construction which has cause some interesting moments. I'm still dodging falling debris from the ceiling. And the weekend between Christmas and New Years, a pipe in the ceiling burst and caused a flood in the department. My co-worker walked in and discovered water pouring down the walls, collapsing the ceiling panels, and puddling on the floor. She called maintenance to report the great flood of the Apocalypse and was told to "Put a bucket under it." She responded with a "I don't think you understand, the ceiling is on the floor, a bucket isn't gonna cut it!" We now get a remodel and new carpet throughout the therapy department.

My family is also doing well. As mentioned above, my mom had knee surgery. She's in pain, but doing ok as a whole. She's up and walking around, and even trying to get out of using her walker. Pretty soon, she'll be running laps around us all.

My nieces are growing like weeds. I swear Leah's going to be taller than I am by the time she's 5. She hasn't been able to come visit like she usually does because of mom's surgery, and she desperately wanted to come up to "Grammy's" She even went as far as to draw my brother a map how to get there. Susie is talking up a storm. Bill's gonna have big phone bills from her when she gets older.


Well gang, I have to run. I'm still at mom and dad's house and I need to get on the road back to my apartment before the big snow storm that's for casted hits. Another 2-5 inches is expected. Someone please tell me again why I like living here in Michigan.

Saturday, January 3, 2009