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!