The 12 days of Reffie's Christmas...

On the first day of Christmas,

the my true life sent to me

Crooked NHL referees.

On the second day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the third day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Three broken pipes,

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the fourth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the fifth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the sixth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Six bills I'm still paying ,

Five migraines ,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the seventh day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Seven months of snowing,

Six bills I'm still paying,

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two prefect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the eighth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Eight hives an itching,

Seven months of snowing,

Six bills I'm still paying,

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two prefect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the ninth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Nine lotto ticket winnings,

Eight hives an itching,

Seven months of snowing,

Six bills I'm still paying,

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two prefect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the tenth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Ten extra pounds,

Nine lotto ticket winnings,

Eight hives an itching,

Seven months a snowing,

Six bills I'm still paying,

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two prefect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Eleven photo jobs,

Ten extra pounds,

Nine lotto ticket winnings,

Eight hives an itching,

Seven months of snow,

Six bills I'm still paying,

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my true life sent to me

Twelve months with family,

Eleven photo jobs,

Ten extra pounds,

Nine lotto ticket winnings,

Eight hives an itching,

Seven months of snowing

Six bills I'm still paying,

Five migraines,

Four flat tires,

Three broken pipes,

Two perfect nieces,

And crooked NHL referees!

Like sands through the hourglass of time...

So are the days of Reffie's life.

Well gang, It's back to our regularly scheduled broadcast. Back to the grind of day to day life. What's been happening since I last posted?

Well, I went hunting. I spent 5 days freezing my butt off sitting in my blind. I seriously sat and watched my snot freeze for hours. Opening day was awesome! I spotted 10 deer and shot at 2. The "Big" buck (at least a 6 point) and a larger doe. I missed both. Though I'm gonna claim that I "shaved" the doe. Those of you who hunt know what I'm talking about. The rest of the time in the woods was a let down because after the thrill of opening day, I didn't see another deer. While I'm disappointed that I didn't get one, I'm happy that everyone else in my family got one.

The bad part of the whole experience was that I spent the majority of my "vacation" totally sick with a major allergic reaction. (Coughing, Congestion, Facial swelling...The works.) I conveniently forgot that I had recently developed a severe allergy to pine trees and mold. Which is a problem considering that I spent 5 days sitting in a moldy blind smack dab in the middle of a pine tree field. With all the hacking coughing that I was doing, no wonder I didn't see any other deer after opening morning. But if you look on the bright side, I probably scared them all to the rest of our hunting party.

The funniest thing that happened was that my brother discovered a new "friend" in his tree stand. A porcupine had taken up residence over the summer. It was less than thrilled to share the space with Bill. It passed (pardon the pun) time by playing poop plinko over Bill's head. It climbed up to a higher branch and let loose. The poop would bounce down from branch to branch on top of Bill.

Next we celebrated my niece Susie's 1st birthday. Susie cruises around now that she can walk. She loves anything with lights, sounds, or food involved. My favorite is how she jumps on the bed. We had everyone there (it was Thanksgiving time as well as her birthday) and it was fun to watch her make a mess with her cake. I can't wait to watch her and Leah grow up. Watch out world, here they come!

Thanksgiving was nice. Though most everyone in the family was ill with the current upper respiratory bug that's going around. It was nice to relax with the entire family. Then mom and I went shopping on Black Friday. We hit Kohl's at 4 am and picked up some good deals. (I'm not gonna mention what we got since some were Christmas gifts for people who read this blog.) I'm still eating leftovers.

In between all that I sandwiched a few days of work here and there. We're still dealing with the stupid phone tree switch that has all of central scheduling calls for the hospital coming to our department. There is still debris falling from the ceiling onto my desk. And to add to all the fun, they got us new computers. Normally new computers wouldn't be a bad thing, except we got the village idiot for an IT person. She installed the new computer towers, crashed both printers for hours, deleted all of the data we had saved on the original PCs, and made it impossible to access the information we have saved on disks. Her exact words to me today were "Why do you use disks, they're almost obsolete?" Ummm... could it be that our old computers that we were using were from the dark ages and that's what they used. Our budget cutting powers that be made getting things like flash drives out of the question. UGH the frustration.

I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping. Just have one 5 more people out of the 12 to get something for. I tried very hard to stick to my $20-$25 price range per person. There were so many things that I wanted to get for people but couldn't. Though I think that everyone will like what I got for them. Now comes the fun part of matching every one's schedule so we can all be together for the holidays. It's like a giant game of chess trying to find a day that everyone is available at the same time. Adding to the fun is that mom's gonna be having surgery on her knee before the end of the year.

I really have to get back to my diet and exercising. I haven't been on doing either for the last 2 weeks and have gained 5-6 lbs. It's HARD to get back into it. But, I don't want to undo what I worked so hard to do for the last 2 years. So, it's back to the videos and away from the leftovers.

Today I got an unexpected blessing. I had to run to the store to pick up a few things and take my pop cans back. I grabbed what I needed, returned the cans, and even treated myself to some bacon and broccoli salad. (Big mistake since it had peanuts hidden in it. I'm allergic to peanuts and am currently swollen up with a reaction to them right now.) But anyway, I had a scratch off lotto ticket that I wanted to redeem while I was there. I thought it was good for $1, but it turned out to be a $2 winner. I got 2 more $1 tickets with the winning. And with those tickets I won $45. That $45 couldn't have come at a better time. With the Christmas shopping that I've been doing, I was down to $5 in my checking account.

Well gang, I've written a book. Hopefully I didn't bore you to sleep. I'm off to exercise, take a benadryl or 3, and then go to bed. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow is kinda iffy so I want to go to bed early just in case.

See ya later skaters, Joelle "Reffie"

The sun will come out tomorrow... tomorrow...

And I'll post more soon I promise.

I've been out in the fields hunting and stuck at work the days I'm not in the woods. I've got lots of stories to post, but no time to post them. I'll post more soon.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Friday, I just have to make it to Friday.

The last week and a half have been incredibly horrible. Work has been exceptionally stressful. Gary Bettman is making the NHL the laughing stock of the sports world. I'm tired of being on a diet and exercising. I'm surrounded by idiots. And, my shower won't stop dripping no matter how many times the apartment maintenance guy works on it. (It's like water torture...drip... drip...dri.. you get the picture.)

But, at 2:31 PM this coming Friday (day after tomorrow) I'm on vacation. It's actually long weekends off of work. For the next 2 weeks I'll work a total of 5 days. It's firearm deer season and I'm taking the Mondays and Fridays off for hunting. And as an added bonus, Thanksgiving is the week after next so I get a day off of work with pay without using up my vacation days.

I get to go sit in the peaceful woods for hours and enjoy the peace and quiet. And hopefully get a deer or 2 in the process. For 10 wonderful days I won't have to deal with 700 phone calls, biased referees, no dripping shower, etc... Granted I have to be up at the crack o dawn and sit outside in the frigid Michigan air for hours, but it's a break from the daily grind. Sure the swine deer will piss me off, but that's part of the game along with the gigantic tree that broke off and fell directly blocking my best firing lane.

I got some good news last night regarding some friends of my family and won a contest on an author's website today. (The prize is a book and some author swag.) My baby niece Susie is gonna have her first birthday next week. I'll have my whole family together for Thanksgiving. Now if I could just find the socks I'm looking for I'd be all set. The burdens of the past weeks are lifting. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's probably the headlight on a train that's gonna run me over later, but for now the fact that the light is there is enough.

Hope you all have a good one. Wish me luck in the woods! ~Joelle "refhater"

Job Humbug!

I love my job.... I love my job..... I love my Job...

Really, I do love my job. I have great hours, mostly good co-workers, and surprisingly even the hospital cafeteria food is somewhat decent. But today, today I hate my job. Hate it with the intensity of a thousand white hot pokers gorging out my eyeballs. Cursing the day I walked through the doors to the department.

Over the weekend, the powers that be decided it would be "Fun" to change the prompts on the phone tree and not tell anyone. So instead of the normal calls for the rehab department, we (Josie the other secretary and I) got all the calls for central scheduling. There were over 100 calls within the first 3 hours of the day. To say we were less than pleased with the situation would be a gross mis statement. And we said something, the response we got was "Oh sorry, we didn't think about that."

We begged them to send a network wide email regarding the change. They said that they couldn't do that because it would be too much work for them to contact all the offices, but they would let the family practice docs know. Josie and I were appalled. Notice the operative word there... To much work for THEM to contact the other offices. What about too much work for the two of us secretaries (central scheduling has 6 staff members) to answer 700 phone calls because they switched the phone lines and didn't tell anyone??? They can send a network wide email announcing each new webkinz the gift shop gets, but sending an actual work related message is a NO NO? (If I roll my eyes back anymore they'll start spinning in circles.)

And here we thought last week was hellish... Oh we were so naive. How quickly we forgot the "magic" of the full moon. The full moon for this month is this Thursday. Shoot me now!

The day was not a total loss though. I finally got the mess with my Norton Antivirus taken care of. I'm due a complete refund due to the fact that Norton billed my credit card twice for my subscription. It only took 2 emails to get that accomplished. That is if they manage to get that part right. I got my Christmas wish list finished and sent out to the crew. And last but not least, I'm a day closer to my vacation.

It's finally firearm deer hunting season. I'm gonna take some long weekends and go sit in the woods. No phones, co-workers, or anything work related... Ahh I can't wait. Then we're gonna celebrate my baby niece Susie's first birthday.

Philippians 4:8

Just because I need a laugh today. My nieces never fail to bring a smile to my face and to my heart.

One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

When I think of Leah and Susie, I think of that scripture. What examples of unconditional love God blessed our family with. With today's world going to hell in a hand basket, those girls are the hope for the future. And what a wild ride that future is gonna be.

So, as disappointed as I am with the results of the 2008 Elections. I'm not gonna let it get me down. I've got 2 beautiful girls to think about. My family to think about. Both of which are inherently true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, full of virtue and praise.

Nothing new..

Hey all,

I know it's been a while since I blogged. But, there isn't really anything really interesting to talk about going on right now. I'm doing well. (Other than a case of hives over my entire body from who knows what.) Work is fine. My family is doing ok. The Wings are same old same old. I'm getting ready for hunting season. It's the week after next. I've just got to get some snacks and some books to read and I'm all ready to go.

So, when something interesting happens, I'll let ya'll know. Until then have a great day!

Blah Blah Blah....

Ok, so I know I promised to write more last week. Forgive me, I got busy and forgot. That and I discovered a fun new web site and spend way to much time playing around on it. Other than being super busy and running myself ragged, life is good. Not a whole lot of anything really interesting happening at the moment. I'm finally feeling better, the Wings are winning, and gas prices are below $3.

The website that has been consuming what little free time I have is actually from a spam email that I sometimes get. I have an email address that I use when entering contests on line, and sometimes I get emails from the various companies that were hosting the contests about other contests they have going on. 9 times out of 10 I'll simply delete the contents of that email box since it's mostly spam. But occasionally there will be something worth checking out.

You can design your own Pringles can on the Pringles website right now. (http://www.pringles.com/) You download your images, pick preselected ones, add text and backgrounds. Then you have people vote for their favorites. I havent read the rules, so I don't know if it's officially a "contest," but it sure is alot of fun.

So if you're interested, go make some Pringles cans of your own. It's fun really! And if you feel the urge, I'd appreciate a vote or two for my cans.

Thanks, Joelle

Yes, I am alive....

Yes, I am alive; But just barely.

Last time you heard from me I was getting ready to go on vacation. Celebrating in the fact that I could fit into a size 8. Well like they say, all good things must come to an end.

It's now Monday, and I'm 5 minutes away from walking out the door to head to work. I had fun on my vacation. Though it was too short for my likeing. The rotary auction was last Tuesday and went well. (Other than the phones going down for part of it... Not good when it's a phone auction.) The garage sale didn't go as well, but at least its over. And to make life all the more fun... I'm sick again. Nothing major, just a cold. I'm so tired, I can hardly see straight.

But, onwards and upwards. I'll post again this week. Talk at yall later!

Back on top of the world!

I could die happy right now. Seriously....

It's a well documented fact that I've been dieting. Well this past weekend, it all paid off. I'm going on vacation this coming Friday and needed a dressy outfit. So, I trekked off to the outlet mall in a torrential downpour in hopes of finding a suitable garment. I ended up with 2 pairs of slacks, (thanks Jon!) A little black dress, 2 tops, and a skirt.

Why am I so happy you ask? It's because I'm finally in single digits in clothing size. Down 6 sizes from when I started my diet 1/1/07. I can't tell you guys how amazing that feels mentally and physically.

What day is it?

"What day is it? Could you please tell me? What day is it? I'm confused you see..." (from Brak on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.) It's been a really crappy week. I'm struggling to keep my head above water, and someone poked a hole in my flotation device. If it weren't for the fact the calendar says the day's change, I'd never know it by looking.

Work was abysmal on Monday. We were totally slammed with new evaluations. (There were over 20 before 7 AM.) Evidently everyone trying to get in their last hurrah before the end of summer hurt themselves. Then word came down the network that one of the Doc's from the hospital had been killed in a motorcycle accident the previous Sunday. Rumor has it that he crossed over the center line and was hit head on. Killing him instantly. The whole hospital was in a daze with shock. He was one of the kindest docs in the system. He treated everyone like human beings with respect and dignity.

Tuesday zipped by in a blur. We had a wedding shower/pot luck for one of the girls in the office. Then today I traveled to 5 of our satellite office to take pictures that "the powers that be" wanted for a retreat they are sending us all too. I'm happy to help by taking the photos. It gives me the opportunity to develop my "Portfolio." But, it just happens to fall in the busiest 2 weeks on my schedule for the whole year. I spent more time driving today than I spent at my desk today. And to make it all the more fun, my battery charger for my camera completely died today. So it's either spending a fortune on the special batteries or getting a new charger for $40.

I'm 4 miles short on exercising this week. I've only done 4 so far and have to get 12 in by the end of the week. And since I have to travel from Freeland, to Midland, to Houghton Lake, and back again on Friday, that means that I have to do 8 miles tomorrow alone. I've done crappy on my diet as well. (Cue sad music here.) I was depressed with the recent passing of a childhood friend, a foster brother, and now co -worker that I backslid and ate my comfort food twice this week. French fries with lots of salt. Oh well, back on the diet saddle tomorrow. It's gonna be salads, salads, and more salads for the next couple days.

The bright spot that I'm focusing on is that the weekend is quickly approaching. I'll be babysitting my nieces again, but that always is so much fun. Their unconditional love makes the world go round. I'm planning on taking them to the park and out to lunch at McDonald's. (And I didn't forget Leah... I've got 2 green suckers waiting for you.) The weekend while busy will have nothing more serious than the Count stealing Cookie Monsters cookies on Sesame Street. Then next week I go on vacation. Whoooo Hooo Hoooo! 6 more days!

Sorry about the whining blog tonight. As I sit here typing, a fire truck and ambulance pulled up in my apartment parking lot and I got distracted. Never a dull moment around here.... I'll talk at ya'll later.

contest time... part 2

Ok gang that's it. The top 12! (See pics 1-6 on part 1 of this post.) Now pick your top 6 and let me know which you think I should enter into the calendar contest. Suggestions for titles would be nice too.

7.
8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

contest time... part 1

Hey gang, It's once again time for the local calendar contest. After much weeping, groaning, and gnashing of teeth, I've narrowed it down to the following pics. Now I need your help to pick the 6 finalists. I can only fit 6 pics at a time, so check out part 2 tomorrow for more choices .

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Just call me Chicken Little....

The sky is falling, the sky is falling...

We all know the story of Chicken little. One day Chicken Little was walking in the woods when — KERPLUNK — an acorn fell on her head "Oh my goodness!" said Chicken Little. "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

Well, today the sky was falling in my little world. Literally! The day started out like a normal Monday morning. I was running behind schedule, I forgot my phone at home, and walked into the typical post weekend mess at work. I started into my daily routine and settled into my day.

Then suddenly, the sky began to fall. Little pieces of ceiling rained down upon me and my desk. Now, they are doing expansion construction at the hospital where I work at. And as of this morning it included the roof above my desk. At first it was little more than dust with pencil lead sized pieces of ceiling falling. Then it progressed to pea sized pieces. When it became dime sized pieces of rocks, I called maintenance. The conversation went similar to this.

Me: "Um, The sky is falling on my desk."

Maintenance: (after pause) "The sky is falling?"

Me: "Yeah, the work that they are doing on the roof is causing pieces of ceiling to fall onto my desk. The sky is falling."

Maintenance: "Ok, we'll get someone right on that." (followed by a snicker.)

It was really kinda funny as throughout the day you'd hear hammers and pounding, then the pieces of ceiling raining down. Hammer... hammer... clink clink. Even the patients were commenting on it. "Is that the ceiling falling down on you?" "Shouldn't you be wearing a hard hat or something?" My response was "I called maintenance, they've got someone working on that." (As I dodged yet another piece of the sky.)

Because it was still raining larger pieces after my lunch hour, I placed yet another call to maintenance. This time I got their answering machine. My message went like this. "Um, this is Joelle from Rehab Services again. The sky is still falling on my head. The pieces are getting bigger. Any idea when they might be finished working up there?" I still hadn't heard back from them when I left. Hopefully they will have everything finished up tomorrow. That the entire ceiling wont fall on my head suddenly during the day.

I'm off to party with Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey, & Foxy Loxy. See ya'll next time.

Smile!

It's been a yucky week so far. Thank God that the weekend is the day after tomorrow! I decided to change my attitude because I can't change anything else. As I was walking the trails on my lunch hour today, I decided to compose a list of things that make me smile and or happy. And yes, I now have the "You're never fully dressed without a smile" from the musical Annie stuck in my head.

Of course I'll start out my list with my family. You don't have anything if you don't have your family. The magnitude of their love and support astounds me daily. They always are able to bring a quick smile or laugh for me.

Take for example the other day. 2 1/2 year old Leah and I were playing outside. We came across a Caterpillar making it's way across the driveway. (Note: Until recently, Leah hasn't been a big fan of bugs. We've been trying to teach her that she doesn't need to be afraid of them because she is much bigger than them and can squish them if they get too close for comfort.) Leah crouched down next to the insect and began to relate to me Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar story. About how the Caterpillar munches its way through a variety of edibles before becoming a butterfly. "This caterpillar find 1 apple, Jo Jo" she says. I crouch down next to her expecting to hear the entire story told as only a toddler can tell. Then suddenly, Leah stands up and stomps on the unsuspecting caterpillar. "I squishing the bug Jo Jo, I squishing the bug." I fell down laughing at that point. So much for that Hungry Caterpillar. Leah apparently conquered her fear of bugs in a hurry. You go Girl!

Next on my list of things that make me smile/happy is Red Wings hockey. I was excited to see that one of my favorite Red Wings re-signed with the team for another year. Congrats on the contract Downey! With the addition of Hossa and the re-signing of Brad Stuart, things are looking good for a possible repeat of winning the Stanley Cup next season. And along with all those off season signings, comes the idea that my vacations are not far away. (BIG SMILE!!)

I usually take 2 small vacations a year. One of which is attending the Red Wings Training Camp each September. I've been attending the training camps for almost 10 years now. I meet a bunch of my friends up there and we watch the Wings and hang out together. Fun fun fun!!

Another thing I added to my list was Christmas. Did you guys know that there's only 18 weeks left until Christmas? I love Christmas. In fact I usually start counting down to the next Christmas the day after Christmas.

I realize that this is a rather long blog for such a short list, but I only had an hour for lunch and that was all I could come up with at the time. But those 60 minutes of focusing on happy things really brought my spirits up. This may be a crappy week, but at least I'm alive to live it. It could always be worse.

Hope you're all having a good day. I'll talk at ya later. I'm off to take a nap. Not because I'm tired but because naps also make me happy!

Ok, say it with me everyone, On the count of 3.

One.... Two.... Three!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHH!

What I wouldn't give for a Staples® Easy Button™ right now. This week has been a lesson in aggravation. And it's only Tuesday! I swear that I've talked or dealt with every idiot/moron in the entire world. I've been sent on wild goose chases, yelled at by patients at work, and even blocked out of my apartment complex. (They re-surfaced the parking lot yesterday.) I AM SO FRUSTRATED!

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that it's been a hard couple of days. The full moon was just this last Saturday. Mistakenly I thought the shenanigans associated with full moons would be gone after the actual week containing the full moon. And boy, some of those were doozies! The

emotional me is screaming some chocolate and a massage. The logical me wishes simply for something (anything) to go right and hopefully soon.

This last weekend was so much fun. Which is why this week seems so awful by comparison. We took 2 1/2 year old Leah to A day out with Thomas the Tank Engine. She loved it and was jumping up and down with excitement. Other than one small glitch at the beginning, the entire day was close to perfect.

Right now I'm busy sorting stuff for a garage sale. (Yes, still.) But now it's down to the wire as Labor day weekend is the official date of the scheduled sale. That gives me a week to get everything sorted, priced, and to the location of the sale. (Grandpa's loaning his garage since I live in an apartment and don't have one of my own.) Slapping a 25 cents price tag on everything is looking really good at this point.

Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll talk at ya'll later!

All's fair in love and fairs...

I went to the local fair yesterday. I'm not much of a ride person, but I enjoy the food, the assorted games, and the general atmosphere. Plus, it was a nice break from an other wise crazy week. And, I was hoping to get some good pictures for the city calendar contest. (The calendar contest to be blogged about at a later date.)

So I loaded up my trusty cameras, inserted freshly charged batteries, and headed out to the fairgrounds. I strolled around the midway randomly snapping pictures. All the while taking in the sights and sounds around me. Scents of polish sausages, fresh squeezed lemonade, and elephant ear pastries permeated the air. Carnies tempting me to try my luck (which hasn't been so good as of late) as I passed each game booth. Ahhh... mindless entertainment doesn't get much better than this!

I managed to control myself and escaped with only having spent around $35. And that included parking fees. I played one game (and predictably lost,) I feasted on a walking taco (taco meat, cheese, and lettuce added to a snack bag of corn chips) and a caramel apple, took a couple hundred pictures, and brought myself home a few "goodies."

I got dressed up in costume and had a "vintage" picture taken. I also got a picture of myself with a monkey on my lap. (Oddly reminiscent of a previous date I've had in the past, but that's another story.)

As I watched the cute little monkey for a while, I came to the decision that I'm in the wrong business working at the hospital. Think about it with me. Get yourself a cute Capuchin monkey, join a traveling fair and have people hand said monkey coins while you charge between $7-$20 for a picture of people with the monkey. I'm telling you that little primate raked in at least $20 in quarters in the half hour I watched him. And that's not including the pictures.

An odd thing that happened was when I got home and counted what remained of my cash. The OCD in me has me organizing my bills by denomination. As I separated the bills, I saw that one of the vendors had mistakenly given me a $2 bill instead of a $1 for change. (I don't know which one it was, so I can't go return the extra $1.) It was kinda cool since I'd never actually seen one in person. And to make it all the more cool, it had my lucky number 9 on it. So, I'm gonna keep that as a good luck charm and a sign that the bad luck I've been having is gonna change.

It's been a busy week and there are plans for a busy weekend taking my niece Leah to go ride Thomas the tank engine, so this excursion to the fair was just what I needed. If you ever get a chance to go to one, I hope you indulge.

Could it be?

Hey gang,

I may or may not have some good news. I'll let you know as soon as I know for sure....

Oh please, oh please, oh please let it be... Please let it be!

-Joelle

This isn't rocket science people....

As many of you know, I am a secretary. And as a secretary, answering the phone is a major part of my work day. In my office there are 3 phones with 2 lines each. It's not unusual for all 6 lines to be ringing at any given time. Thank God for voice mail. Which brings me to my point in this blog. How to leave a message.

This is not rocket science people. All you have to do is listen to the recorded message and then follow the directions. Most voice mail prompts as you to "Leave your name and number and the nature of your call," and the person you're leaving the message for will if at all possible return your call. Simple you'd think right? Wrong! You'd be surprised at how difficult the task of leaving a message is for some people.

The first major issue is that people don't listen to the recorded message. They simply dial a number and then blurt out their message. Many times getting the wrong number. I work in the Rehab Services Department at the local hospital. If you listen to the recorded message, "You have reached the Rehab Services Department" is clearly stated. It never fails that when we check the messages (say for example after lunch hour) that there is at least 2 messages left for other departments in the hospital, another for the gift shop, and often times someone has left a message similar to ..."Bob, this is John Smith. Call me back." What's wrong with the last message you might ask? Well first off, No one named Bob works there in the department. And secondly when we call them back to find out what they wanted from said Bob, the typical response is "Rehab Services...? I was calling Bobby Brown. We play golf together on Fridays." (Insert heavy sigh from secretary here.)

Then we run into the people who get the right number, leave all the pertinent details in their message but then neglect to leave a return phone number. And when you don't call them back, they call you back all huffy mad that you didn't call them. *Note, in most offices the squeaky wheel gets oiled. If you left a message and it's been a week and no one's called you back, you might have forgotten to leave a number... Call back and we'd be happy to help you. (Insert secretary pounding their head on their desk in frustration here.)

My personal favorite messages are the ones where people don't understand that they are talking to a voice mail. (See not listening to recorded message above.) It never fails to amaze me that people will sit through the entire recorded message and then say "Hello.... Hello..I'm calling for __insert name here___..are you there? Hello..Hello!" Well duh....if we were there we'd be responding to you, not just sitting there in silence.

The truly sad thing is that this happens on our personal phones as well as work phones. And people wonder why secretaries don't like answering the phone after work hours. We've just spent the last 8 hours dealing with wrong numbers, belligerent people, and wasting hours trying to figure out what in the heck people want.

5 more minutes ma... 5 more minutes...

Hey gang,

I should be doing about 50 other things right now. But, I'm stalling.

I was sorting books to keep and to get rid of. But then I got bored and started sorting clothes into "these fit me," "If I lose 5 more lbs this will fit me," and these are way the heck to big" piles. Got bored again and started cleaning the bathroom until the fumes from the cleaning supplies were giving me a headache. Then I got hungry so I took a break to eat some dinner. Sat down at my computer and don't want to get up and start working again.

I really need to finish all these projects becuase I'm having people over to the apartment tomorrow. I'll get it done, but...

5 more minutes and I'll get back to work... I promise! 5 more minutes.

The gift of me...

2 gifts set before you. One elegantly wrapped in expensive wrapping with an explosion of ribbons and bows. The other simply wrapped in brown paper held together by a lone piece of twine. Which would you choose? Would you pick the same gift if you knew that one of the boxes contained a priceless item and the other contained nothing more than something found at a dollar store. 9 times out of ten you're going to select the fancy gift, right? You cant know which is which until you open the package.

As you know I've been on a diet. Working diligently to change my physical appearance. Attempting to make the "gift" of myself more attractive to others. The whole time the inner me is screaming "Notice me, (the gift) not my appearance (the outer wrapping.) See how valuable I am as a person. NOTICE ME!" But alas, today's society focuses on outward appearances. So, I keep plugging away at the diet and exercise. I'm 10 lbs away from my goal. And it's true what they say that the last 10 lbs is the hardest too lose.

The sad part is that even though I've lost 45 lbs and kept it off for a year, I still mentally see myself as the short heavy girl I was in the past. I look in the mirror and see the same person this morning that I saw the year before last. So, I've really been working on the mental change as well as the physical change my body is going through. I've come to the conclusion that gaining self confidence is harder than losing the weight. I am a beautiful woman with alot to offer. So watch out world the new me is here. And I'm here to stay! I'll always work on my figure and self confidence but baby, I've come a long way.

Here's me in December 2006:

And here I am now. 45 lbs off and still counting:

Rogers and Hammerstein take me away...

Sing with me now...

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Ok, It's been a really crappy week for me. There was the whole lost/stolen wallet. I've not been feeling all that great. (A good sign really, all the symptoms are from the fact that my all protein diet is working. There's an adjustment period that you could feel crappy during.) The service engine soon light is on in my car. And work hasn't been the greatest. But, I'm determined to have a better day. It may not be today, or it may not be tomorrow, but I'm gonna have a better day if it kills me.

So, I'm gonna do as they suggest in the "Favortie things" song from The sound of music and remember my favorite things and maybe then I wont feel so bad.

Easy come, easy go....

Yesterday was a really really bad day for me. I lost my wallet. Not the one with all my id, credit card, or other pertinent info. But my little black change purse. The one with all my money in it. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it rocked my little world. You see, I'm very anal about my purse and it's contents. I always always double... triple check to make sure that I have everything. Wallet... check, checkbook... check, tom tom... check, phone... check, and so on an so forth. So, of course there's the feeling of catastrophe when something goes missing.

I had gone to a store because one of my favorite authors had a new book coming out. The newest one of a series. While they didn't have the book I wanted, They were having some pretty nice sales. So, I picked out a few items and went to check out. I grabbed my change purse and noticed that I didn't have quite enough cash to get everything, so I (Thought) I put it back into my purse and used my debit card instead. Then I left the store thinking, "I got all these good deals and I still have all my cash left." I went to another store that I knew would have the book that had started this whole expedition.

I got the book and went to check out at store #2. That's when I noticed. My change purse was missing. Gasp! I once again used my debit card because I now had no cash. And I high tailed it out to my car. I called store #1 on my cell phone in a panic. "I think I left my wallet at the check out, has anyone turned it in?" Their reply was No, no one had turned it in, but they'd take my name and number in case someone did. I raced back to the original store and retraced all of my steps. But alas, the change purse and all of the money inside was gone.

Now granted it didn't have much cash in it. Just over $30. But that was all the cash I had on hand. And, I had lost my wallet. I couldn't believe I had done something so stupid. And the only person I could blame was myself. That's what made it all the more frustrating for me. It was my own fault. I'm the one who didn't make sure that it landed back into my purse. And to add more insult to injury, I had just gotten that $30. I had purchased some scratch off lotto tickets and had won that $30. So, I ended up having that money for all of 15 minutes.

I keep telling myself that it's ok. It was only $30 and it could have been alot worse. I could have lost the wallet with my id, my purse with my id and the keys to my house, my phone, or my tom tom directionally gps. But it's still a huge feeling of loss. I woke up this morning to a HUGE rain/thunder storm and my first thought was "OH NO! There goes any hope of finding my wallet in the parking lot down the drain." Literally! It's going to be a long time before I'm able to forgive myself. I'm trying. But each time I look in my purse, go to pay for something, or see the items I got at that store I remember what happened. Ripping the scab off the open wound again and again.

So here's to a better day. And hoping that a miracle happens and someone finds and returns my wallet with the money still inside. Onwards and upwards as I always say. Here's a quote I found earlier this week. It's by Willaim James and strangely fits in this situation. “Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.” I'm gonna forgive myself my moment of stupidity. Pick myself (and my self confidence) up and dust myself off. Today is another day! Who knows I may have lost $30, but I'll win an even bigger amount with the next lotto tickets I buy. I'm only human and humans make mistakes.

Gee Wally, it's the The Beav!

Ok gang, you'll never guess who I got to meet the other day. Well, I guess I kinda gave it away with the title of today's blog. (Forgive me, I am a blonde you know.) Yep, that's right. I met Jerry "The Beaver" Mathers. I was at the local minor league baseball game and they were having a "50's Night." We were in one of the park's suites, and he popped his head in to say hi. He's alot shorter than I expected. Just barely taller than I am. Please pardon the "deer in headlights" expression I have in the picture. It's not very often that you get to meet "The Beav." Gee Wally, that was swell!

I spent some time this weekend re-reading all my old blogs. I came to the conclusion that I'm a sick, angry childcare provider. LOL, all the posts were about taking care of my nieces, how I was angry at someone (mostly referees,) or how I was sick with some sort of ailment. Really, I am a fairly fun, happy person. And I do more than babysit the girls. I like to watch sports (except basket ball.) I like to read books of all sorts. I have friends and we do hang out. I LOVE to shop. I also hunt, garden, and buy scratch off lotto tickets. I volunteer with the local rotary club, the Access to recreation people, and some of the locals running for the local political offices.

Take this last weekend for example. I sent out another batch of letters for the rotary club's radio auction. I'm looking for any type of donations, so if ya'll got something to donate let me know. It's for a good cause. I also went door to door campaigning for a friend of the family who is running for the office of drain commissioner. *Note to self.... Don't wear a white shirt and dark slacks when going door to door. Especially when you've got a fist full of "literature" to pass out. People tend to think you're a Jehovah's witness and pretend they're not home. Even when you can see them behind the glass door.

I tried to make meat loaf for dinner tonight. Let's just say it turned out interesting. Oh well, it's protein. If I use enough catsup it's almost edible. I got the recipe from a co worker. Definitely not something I'll make again. And, for dessert I whipped up some sugar free cheesecake pudding. I'm still on the high protein low carb diet. I've lost 5 lbs in the 2 weeks I've been on it. I've got just under 10 weeks until I go on vacation. So, if I can keep it up until then, I'll be within lbs of my goal weight. I can't wait for vacation. There is no diet on vacation! But, in the mean time... It's protein galore. Thank God for Crystal light packets. They work great for the fruit cravings and help me to drink the recommended amount water.

Well gang, I have to go clean up the mess I made in the kitchen. I'll talk at ya'll later. Hope ya'll have a good day!

Pictorial Ramblings

Well gang, I'm fresh out of witty comments. So, here is a pictorial rambling about myself. I'll see y'all later. ~Reffie

This is what I usually look like on a daily basis:

This is what I look like when I'm all cleaned up:

These are my nieces, Aren't they beautiful?

Susie looks just like her dad (my brother)

with her Grandpa's ears and smile.

These are my parents. Who do you think I look the most like?

And my siblings. I'm the 3rd of 4.

My brother and sister in law.

(The only picture I have that she won't kill me for posting.)

My current boy friend:

(Note, I'm taking applications if anyone is interested.)

Current hobbies: Photography, reading, hunting, blogging,

and following the Detroit Red Wings.

Houston we have cable...

Happy Monday everyone! Only 4 more days to go until the weekend. Though really for a Monday, this one wasn't half bad. Lots of phone calls at work, but nothing too out of the ordinary. There was this lady who called to set up an appointment. She was in a lot of pain and needed to get an appointment right away. The odd part was that she kept screaming at her dog every 5 seconds. (I only heard the dog once, but whatever.) Anyway, we're looking for the first available appointment and she's crying and shrieking, literally shrieking at this dog. The funny part was that when we were all done scheduling was that after all her hysterics she offers to give me a free hair cut (she's a beautician) for putting up with her. I told her thanks, but the free hair cut was unnecessary. After all, I like my ears where they're at, attached to my head....

This coming Wednesday is my 5th year anniversary at work. I can hardly believe that it's been 5 years. Alot has changed since I started. I have a new boss, over half the staff has changed, and I shifted my hours a half hour earlier. There won't be any great celebration there at work. Though they will give me a $50 certificate next year (as it falls in the next budget cycle.) Oh well happy anniversary to me!

I had a bright shining moment last night. Those of you who know me, know that I am not in the least "mechanical." I can do alot of different things, but anything dealing with electronics or anything of that nature and I'm completely lost. But, with dogged determination, I managed to string cable through my apartment and now have cable in my bedroom. Then, I managed to program the universal remote to work as well. So now I have cable in my bedroom and I did it all by myself. Now I can watch those 10 PM hockey games from the comfort of my bed.

I'm still doing the all protein diet. It did manage to work last week. I lost 2 lbs last week. I'm still dying for a piece of fruit. But at least I managed to find something to help ease those fruit cravings. It's those sugar free and carb free powdered drinks. They have 5 calories per "straw". Not great, but it works in a pinch.

I'm also still trying to help my mother with her rotary auction. The last mailing I sent out had 97 letters going to potential donors. I'm going through the local phone book and finding anything and anywhere that might be something someone wants. Though you can tell that I need a bit more sleep. My sleep deprived mind actually considered sending letters to funeral parlors and crematoriums. Hey, you never know! Everyone dies at one point, so who know's maybe someone would bid on something like that. Like I said, I need more sleep.

This last weekend was a blast. 3 days off spent with my nieces. Leah is beautiful and super intelligent. We drew with chalk on the driveway, rode pretend horses, and played with stickers. Leah and I took a special trip garage saleing. She was so so cute holding her little purse and handing over her quarters for her "prizes." Susie is growing leeps and bounds. She's starting to talk saying things like "Here you go..." And she want's to walk in the worst way. I think it's a safe bet that she's be off and running by her first birthday. She melted my heart each time she said "Jo Jo." I can tell you right now that it's gonna be next to impossible for me not to spoil them rotten.

Well, It's time for me to go exercise and then I'm off to enjoy my new cable in my bed room. I'll see yall next time.

Day off ramblings

Ok, so I cheated. I took the day off of work. And I'm not even sick. I'm playing hookie! Hello 3 days of freedom!

Work hasn't been horrible or anything like that at all. We've had our share of loonies, but no more than we expected. Especially during a full moon week. It's just that I need a break. My mind has turned into a pile of gelatinous goo and needs some extra time too cool and set back up. It was getting to the point where I was hallucinating about hearing the phones ring at work, the printers print, and faxes fax.

I'm trying a new thing with my diet this week. Nothing but protein. You see I keep gaining and losing the same 5 lbs for the past 5 months. Not very encouraging when you're trying to get to a certain "goal" weight in a limited amount of time. I'm still watching what I eat and exercising, but stuck on this weight "Plateau." Thus the protein only diet for a week or so. The idea is that you eat only protein (meat, cheese, eggs, peanut/soy butter, etc.) It's supposed to shock your metabolism into working faster. So far so good, I'm not starving all the time. And I can eat all the protein I can squeeze into a day. But I'm craving fruit in the biggest way. A peach, an orange, a cherry, heck even a lone raisin would make me happy at this point.

I had some blood work this week to see if my thyroid was out of wack and that was what was causing the weight gain, the tiredness, and the hair loss. I got the results back and was disappointed to find that my thyroid is in perfect working order. The Doctor even said that the labs looked "perfect." I had hoped that the results would say The reason you've been gaining weight is that your thyroid is messed up. Here's a pill and the lbs will melt away!" But NO, my body decides to be normal for once in its life. Bah! That means even less calories and more exercise. Double BAH! I tried to stir things up exercise wise by doing sit ups, crunches, and stuff like that instead of the aerobics. It was great at first. I was able to whip through 100 reps of everything. Then, OMG... I'm in agony. Muscles I didn't even know I had hurt.

I'm helping my mom with her rotary radio auction. (Say that one 5 times fast... Rotary Radio Auction...) I'm really excited this year because I've found a whole slew of places to contact about it. If even a third of the businesses I contacted donate then that's 30 + items. Though I'd be happy if just 5 of them would.

I don't have any real plans for this weekend. My nieces are coming to visit, so I'm sure it will be fun. The last couple weekends we spent up at rose lake. I've been going to that lake my whole life. My great grandma used to live up there and left her house to the family when she passed away. Every year we go up there at least once. Go garage sailing, go to the neighboring campground's "Store" to get ice cream, and then roast marshmallow's over the campfire.

Well gang, I'm off to wherever strikes my fancy. I'll talk at ya'll later. Have a good weekend!
~Reffie

The best plans gone awry...

Ok, I had all these great ideas for blogs this week. I was gonna write about this and then write about that. But alas, each time I sat down to type it all out my mind went blank. All of those great ideas leaked out of my brain faster than a fat person eats a donut.


I even had this great picture to add to it. It's of my Great Grandma Horsfall. She's my mom's mom's mom. (In which I see I inherited her upper arms.)

So, this is it for today. Next time I'll write all those ideas down so I remember what I wanted to talk about.

Hope you're having a good week.
-Reffie

From the desk of Betsy Ross?

We recently celebrated Independence day this last weekend. We went up to Rose Lake and had a good time. There was lots of good food, fun in the water, and a spectacular fire works display. And of course, it was a 3 day weekend. You can't get much better than that! (Even with the major allergic reaction I had that evening.) I am thankful for all those who gave me the opportunity to have the freedom to celebrate the day. And each 4th of July, I give a quick moment of thanks to my older brother. Not only is he a veteran, but it's because of him that I am who I am. The Joelle that you all know and love....

You see, I was born in 1976, the bicentennial year. 1776 to 1976. (Yes, that makes me 32 years old.) And I was due to arrive on July 4th. Bill, who was just over a year old and was wearing the sturdy hard soled shoes that toddler's wore at the time accidentally kicked mom's stomach and sent her into early labor. So, instead of being born on the 4th of July, I was born on June 13th by emergency c-section. If I had been born on my due date, I would have been named Betsy Ross.

I get teased enough as it is for being Joelle. People think it's funny to sing "The first Joelle" whenever they see me. It gets especially bad around Christmas time. I can just imagine what it would be like if I were to be "Betsy Ross." Betsy Beebe, it sounds like a bimbo cheerleader's name. (Hi, I'm Betsy! Go Team!) My initials would be either BB (play on my last name) or BRB (Computer speak for Be Right Back.) I can just see it now. Everyone would constantly ask me about sewing flags. GAG me with a spoon! No offence to people named Betsy, but it's just so not me.

There isn't a whole lot of anything interesting going on in my life at the moment. Work is work as usual. I had to get my yearly TB test done today. I swear the lady is trying to inject the stuff into me. She jabbed it straight into my arm instead of just under the skin. Good thing we only have to do it once a year. I'm reading a couple different books right now. The new Stephanie Plum book and one from Jan Karon. I'm still working on cleaning my appartment.

I did have a bit of a funny thing happen though. I won $2 on a scratch off lotto ticket. Turned that in and won $4, then $10, then $18, then $11, and then $11 again. I'm gonna keep playing that until the luck runs out and I'm back down to the original $2.

I'm still on the diet. I've decided to add the sit ups and crunches back into the exercise plan. I've gotta lose around 20 lbs by September. And what I'm currently doing isn't cutting it. I keep losing and gaining the same 3-4 lbs. All I can say is BLAH! I'm so sick of being on a diet. I'm struggling with cravings for a big mac with fries and a vanilla milk shake. I want a deep fried candy bar and twinkie mixed into an ice cream sunday. But, I want to be skinny more, so it's back to the carrot sticks, salads, and fruits for me.

I had a bit of trouble with my computer recently. Which is why I haven't blogged much lately. Brother Bill came to my rescue once again and has me back up and running. No virus, just an overwhelmed hard drive and a ton of spywear.

Well, I have to go respond to some emails, exercise, and get back to work on cleaning my apartment. Though a bubble bath is sounding really good at the moment. I'll talk at yall later. Have a good week!

Bathrooms, emails, mystery meat, and Gracie strikes again.

Well gang, here we go again. Another day... Another blog...

It's Monday, the last day in June. Nothing really interesting happened today. Just your ordinary average day. Which is a good thing really. It's been a long long couple of weeks, so a slow Monday is a good sign. Add the fact that it's a short work week due to the upcoming Independence day holiday, and you have a happy camper.

I'm still working on cleaning my apartment. I got bored sorting books into keep and get rid of, (I have 6 boxes of books to put in a garage sale already and I'm only half way done sorting my library) so I switched over to deep cleaning the bathroom. I'll eventually finish cleaning the whole apartment, hopefully by this weekend. I even started cleaning out my fridge after finishing the bathroom.

Which brings me to an interesting question. To eat, or not to eat? Must you identify foods before eating them? I decided to re-heat some leftovers which I found in my freezer for dinner. Tonight's dinner was mystery meat. It could have been taco meat or bbq, I have no idea. I tossed it onto 2 corn tortillas and added a pudding cup and there you go. Dinner!

My brother is kindly letting me borrow his laptop while he fixes my PC. I may have gotten a virus or gummed it up with a bigillion pictures. Either way it was going slower than molasses in a Michigan winter. I thought it might help if I went through my email boxes and deleted some of the older emails that I previously saved for whatever reason. I have 5 active email boxes at this point so that took awhile. I had over 600 emails in one mail box alone. Apparently you can be an Internet pack rat as well as in real life.

Its crunch time for my diet. Literally! I officially hace 8 weeks to lose 17 lbs in order to reach my goal. I want to weigh as close to 130 as possible by the first week of September. Alas, Gracie struck again this weekend and I once again managed to hurt myself. Which is gonna make exercising interesting for the immediate future. I accidently kicked a chair leg and jammed my pinkie toe really bad. I swear I broke the toe, but the doc said differently. It sure hurt like a son of a.... So now, it's gonna be really hard to do aerobics, walking, or anything that requires putting weight on that foot. That means going back to crunches, leg lifts, and sit ups again. Bah! Those are so so so boring.

Well gang, I'm gonna sign off and go back to cleaning, exercising, and all that jazz. I'll talk at ya later skaters!

Just call me Tiger...

Ok, I know it's been a while since I wrote last. But life has been very hectic as of late and finding time to sit and blog has been difficult. So here's the latest greatest Random Ramblings. (Just a warning, It could be a long one..)

I'll start with the bad news and get it over with. Kinda like eating all the peas before getting dessert.

As I had previously written, one of my foster brothers had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Unfortunately for us left behind, Tom passed away mere days after his diagnosis. He went home to Heaven the day after my birthday (Saturday, June 14th), and we had his funeral this last Friday (June 20th.) It was very difficult to say the least.

With the funeral being held in Grand Rapids, I was able to spend the night at my brother and sister-in-laws house. And let me just tell you that even in the sadness of death, I was blessed to be reminded of how precious life is by spending time with my nieces Leah and Susie. Leah and I had a discussion about freckles after she spotted a larger one I have on my tummy. Freckles, she proceeded to tell me were "Kinda like spots on a deer." Very insightful for a 2 1/2 year old. Susie greated me with a huge smile and a "Hi" when I got her out of her crib. I got lots of cuddles and wet slobbery kisses from both girls.

Work has been rather stressful. The wonderful world of health care has us jumping through hoops backwards, sideways, and upside down to get insurance coverage to pay for patients therapies. I swear every bed on every floor in the hospital got therapy orders. Then there are the outpatient's who couldn't get their appointment times right to save their lives. (And then blame me when they show up at the wrong time.)

Physically I've been doing ok. I've gained a few lbs back, but am wondering if I'm building muscle vs gaining fat. I'm still wearing a size 10-12, so I guess that's a good thing. I've even been able to get over the first major sun burn of the year with out massive doses of burn cream.

The stupid snapping turtle has decided that my banana pepper patch is the perfect place to lay her eggs. So, it looks like I won't be getting any home grown peppers this season.

And for the last bit of bad news, I'm having problems with my computer. It's been slower than slow for the past 2 days. My virus protection shows no problems, but something isn't quite right. So, if this blog suddenly cuts off without warning, you know somethings gone horribly wrong.

And now it's time for the dessert... The good news.

I got a surprise bonus from my boss the other day. And had a good yearly review this morning.

I'm making headway on cleaning my apartment. I figure that I'll get it totally clean by my 33rd birthday, LOL! If you ever visited my dad's parent's house, you'd see that my being a pack rat is genetic. Grandma B. saved everything, and I mean everything. Just ask anyone in the family about the "Room of no return."

The annual local city wide garage sale was this last Saturday. No real "finds" but I did get some nice clothes, a ton of books, and some little odds and ends. Then we went to the festival and feasted on "carnival" foods. (Carmel apples, elephant ears, etc...)

I've decided to learn how to play golf this summer. I figure it will be good exercise to walk around the course and a good thing if I do manage to snag a hockey player for a boyfriend/husband. Tiger Woods I ain't, but eventually I'll get good enough to not embarrass the other golfers I go out with. I've been going out to the driving range with my dad to practice as we have time. I suppose it must be rather comical to watch me as I struggle to learn. I approach golfing like I do video games. Just hit all the buttons on the controller at once and hope for the best. So far my longest drive was 75 (ish) yards. Let me just say that I gonna need A LOT of practice.

Well gang, It's time for me to add the whipped cream and Marciano cherry to the top of this dessert. I've gotta go exercise and go back to cleaning my apartment. I'll see you all next time. Whenever that may be.

It doesn't get any better than this, does it?

Charles Dickens had it right when he penned the verse "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times " in his Tale of Two Cities. For each good moment of our lives, there is an equally bad moment. A cosmic checks and balance act to keep each of us on an even keel. These last few weeks in my life have been a great example of that. I've gone from the highest highs to the lowest lows. (And no, it's not just hormones!)

A high was when the Red Wings finally won the Stanley Cup. They defeated both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the referees to bring the Cup back home to Hockeytown. A low was when I found out that one of my foster brothers is fighting for his life with a brain tumor. A high is that tomorrow is my 32nd birthday. A low is that I'm still single and turning 32. A high is every moment that I spend with my nieces Leah and Susie. (And the rest of my family too..) A low is that I'm still fighting Celiac Disease and will have to for the rest of my life. A high is that since 1/1/2006, I've lost 43-45 lbs. (Give or take a lb or two depending on if I've had salt or not.) A low is that I still see myself as short and fat. I can't seem get my brain to wrap around the fact that I no longer need size x-large or bigger. When I look in the mirror, I see the same person now that I was when I weighed close to 200 lbs. But I guess I see the inner me, not the outward manifestation of myself.

Enough of that morose narrative. Those of you who really know me know that I always try to find at least one good thing about every day, even if I have to make it up. I try to focus on those good things and let the everything else fall by the wayside. So, I'm going to take the highs and run with them. I'll take the highs and the lows and celebrate the fact that I get to wake up each and every morning to experience them. I'll celebrate that I have the opportunity each minute of every day to make some sort of mark on this world that I live in. So, "Carpe diem!" as they say, "Seize the day!"

As I mentioned above, tomorrow is my birthday. Yes, it's falling on Friday, the 13th. Good thing I'm not a superstitious person right? (LOL, only when it comes to hockey..) I went out and bought myself a cake to take to work in the morning. I asked around what my co-workers would like and the only request that I got was from the pregnant one who asked for "anything with frosting." Gotta love those prenatal cravings. :) My family and I are planning on combining my birthday and Father's day celebrations by going to Frankenmuth on Sunday.

Well gang, I've written yet another book. Time for me to go exercise, pack for this coming weekend, take the trash out, and the other 500 things I need to do before I can go to bed.

I'll leave you with a few more quotes from Mr. Dickens.

"Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest."

I'll write more later, I promise...

Hey gang! It's been a busy couple weeks. It's currently 11:26 pm on Tuesday, and I'm exhausted. I promise to write more later. Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. Talk at ya later skaters!

Little Bitty Pretty One...

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head. And while you're humming along in your head, you can't remember the name of the dang song to save your life. Well, it took years, but I finally found the song that's been stuck in my head. It's originally done by Bobby Day (then made famous by Thurston Harris in 1957) and it's called Little Bitty Pretty One. It's not been the whole song that's been haunting me. Just the beginning and the chorus. Tonight I found it. I was able to listen to the entire song and maybe that will exercise the song from my subconscious. You can listen to it by clicking on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb7nrilGYns

The Wings are up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals. They have shut out the Penguins in both games. Basically schooling the pens on how to play Hockey. I do find it hysterical that the pens response is to say that the Wings are divers and that there is a lot of obstruction going on. Would you like a little cheese to go with that Whine? I'm all for blaming the refs, but come on. Even Helen Keller could see that the Pens aren't showing up for this series. 2 entire games with no goals, you gotta do better than that. The whining, the cheep shots to the head of a guy coming off of a concussion, and then gooning it up at the end of the game just makes you look pathetic and desperate. And that's not my opinion. That's the opinion of the majority of the media and the sports world in general.

Work has been a ton of fun lately. (Insert sarcasm here.) I'm not sure which rock the people I've been dealing with crawled out from under, but I wish they'd crawl back under it. We've had people showing up 5 hours early for an appointment and then be mad that we can't work them in. Secretaries from other offices cancelling all of some of our patients appointments. And, even some of the therapists have gotten in on the action by taking off large quantities of time in the middle of the day. Not normally a problem, but it's the "Oh, I'm taking 9-2:30 off tomorrow." (Their scheduled from 7:30-4) and the "I'll be in at 10:30 tomorrow." (Their start time is at 7 AM) that's been killing us. And guess who gets to call all their patients and reschedule? That's right, Me! The patient's have been less than thrilled.

I had a good long weekend though. I'm learning how to golf. And, I found out that I don't suck, I'm just left handed. I got myself a really nice set of lefty clubs at a garage sale for $40. Now I just have to practice, practice, practice. And who know's maybe next year I'll be good enough to actually golf on the course with real people.

Well gang, I'm off to go exercise and then try to get to bed before 1:30 am. Have a good day tomorrow.

Monday updater....

Ok, it's a well documented fact that I am really bad with directions. But this weekend I even amazed myself with how bad my directional abilities really are. I got a tom tom GPS last Christmas and used it for my first extended trip this last weekend. I managed to get to where I was going fine, but messed up on the way home. In my defense I was going back to a different location then usual so the route was different. "Please turn around as soon as possible.." was heard multiple times. The GPS was flashing all the directional arrows (Right, left, etc...) at the same time. I think that I'm the only person alive who can confuse a GPS. Oh well, I eventually made it home.

My brother Jon and I participated in the 7th annual Walk for Celiac Disease. Together we raised around $500 for research to find a cure. The weather held out and didn't rain as forecasted. The trail at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford estate was beautiful. Killer on the allergies, but beautiful to look at. Thanks to everyone who supported us! I really appreciated your help. My favorite part was the food tent afterwards. It's very rare that I get to go someplace and can eat everything that's there. (We'll, the stuff without nuts and chocolate anyway...) I got to have my donuts, cookies, breads, and crackers. I was especially happy to see that there is a new gluten free cracker that actually tastes like and has the consistency of a real cracker.

Today was game 6 of the NHL Western Conference Finals. My favorite Wings were able to win against both the Dallas Stars and the refs. So, off to the Stanley cup finals we go. The Wings will be facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins this coming Saturday. As you can tell by my nickname (Refhater,) I can't stand referee's. And watching this last series, all my theories were proven correct. The refs play favorites and are endorsed by the NHL while they do it. The officiating and the NHL leadership are making hockey the laughing stock of the sports world. It's too bad that the outcomes of the game are controlled by the officials instead of the players actually playing the games. And for the ref who called back the goal because Holmstroms ass was "in the crease." The only ass that was the problem in that game was you! Read the F'ing rule book. His skates weren't in the crease!

Tomorrow I'm going up to Traverse City to get my tickets for the Wings Training Camp in September. I took the day off of work and plan to enjoy every minute of tomorrow. I don't have to do anything other than whatever I want. Which will be a nice change with how busy things in my life have been for the last few weeks. Every day has been booked doing something for someone or preparing for the Celiac Walk.

Well gang, I'm off to go exercise and then take a leisurely bubble bath before bed. I hope you have a good day tomorrow. I know I will! TGFAP!

-Joelle "reffie"