Gratitude List

• Nancy made it back from Tucson in one piece
• We were available to pick her up and "loan" her a car (the car is hers we have just kept it for the past 2 years)
• James is here for the funeral
• Barbara and Herb are here
• Sam got to play with his friend the last few days
• I am willing to answer the door today
• I am willing to try God's solution in more and more areas of my life
• My parents are in my life today
• I can deal with other people's craziness without taking it on as my own
• Sam is such a sweet kid
• Mild temptress
• When I got scared earlier today the first thing I did was get down on my knees and pray
• The growth Chuck and I have had individually and as a couple this year

  ¶ 12/29/2005 10:12:00 AM 11 comments

  No hAAlf nAAked ThursdAAy Sorry guys no hAAlf nAAked ThursdAAy, I am getting packed to leave for Vince's wake and funeral. If you pray, please send a prayer up for Nancy and the family.  ¶ 12/29/2005 09:41:00 AM 4 comments

  Women Bloggers Attention women Blogger and open minded male Bloggers. If you are a woman(or guy) Blogger who wants to learn more about your craft check out BlogHer. They have a conference and everything.  ¶ 12/28/2005 02:03:00 PM 3 comments

  Buddhist Recovery Guy Holden contacted me and ask me to let my readers(all 12 of you) know about his site Buddhist Recovery.  ¶ 12/28/2005 07:18:00 AM 8 comments

  Ben 10 Sam is digging this new cartoon Ben 10 but, I swear it has been done before. Actually Sam and Chuck are both laughing at it right now.  ¶ 12/27/2005 07:55:00 PM 2 comments

  Alcoholics Anonymous Comic Strips Click here to check out A.A. comic strips. I know A.A. comic strips sound weird to me too but, here they are.  ¶ 12/27/2005 07:17:00 PM 3 comments

  Ray Cool isn't it?    ¶ 12/26/2005 07:43:00 PM 3 comments

  Mystic Pizza
Well actually it is Mystic Aquarium, cool picture huh. We spent the day there. When we got home we found out that Vince, Chuck’s step father had died. It is sad but, truly a blessing. He had suffered so much especially in the last six months to a year.  ¶ 12/26/2005 07:35:00 PM 5 comments

  Merry Christmas Everyone I intended to post this on Christmas but, I got so busy on the big day I forgot.  ¶ 12/26/2005 07:00:00 PM 3 comments

  Christmas Lights Trolley Ride We finnally made it to Winterfest last night. This is a picture of Sam on the open air car.    ¶ 12/24/2005 07:26:00 AM 9 comments

  Christmas Funk Gratitude List So you know how I was earlier in the week? ....all joyful ...all God's got a plan and the plan is good. That went out the window yesterday. I worked yesterday and it went fine but, for some reason I just hated doing it. Then I got a rejection letter for a real job when I got home.

I woke up really early this morning and laid there thinking. Laying it bed thinking for long periods of time can be deadly. So I need to get out of my head and into action. So here goes:

• Sam being so much fun this Christmas season
• Having a lot of fun with Chuck lately
• A possible Christmas trolley ride tonight
• Christmas Eve is tomorrow
• Not working today
• A meeting to go to today
• A God who loves me more than I can even perceive
• Our possessions
• The chance to have some really amazing adventures in my life
• Yankee Candle Christmas candles
• The package from L.L. Bean that came for Chuck and now is hidden in his closet
• Ann
• Keith
• Art
• Seeing Alex with his one year chip the other day. Alex is one of those guys that you think well never be able to stay sober.
• Having enough
• Being enough
• Chuck not working weekends or nights anymore
• A low pressure Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

  ¶ 12/23/2005 06:43:00 AM 6 comments

  A.A. First Edition Big Books I am not much for eBay but I ran across this. Someone is selling copies of the first edition of Alcoholic Anonymous otherwise know as the Big Book signed by Bill W.  ¶ 12/22/2005 03:04:00 PM 2 comments

  Gratitude List

• The Omaha Steaks we ate last night
• Staying up talking with Chuck
• Sam being calm this close to Christmas
• Yesterday's step meeting (it was one of those meeting where people were laughing and crying out of joy)
• A half day of work today
• A Red Bull in my belly
• All my shopping (food, gifts and stocking stuffers) done
• Getting to "do art" with Sam
• Sam's academic progress
• The "Christmas Spirit"

  ¶ 12/22/2005 09:35:00 AM 1 comments

  Jesus and the Ninja I just cannot get hAAlf nAAked for hAAlf nAAked ThursdAAy this close to Christmas. Instead we have baby Jesus and the Ninja.    ¶ 12/22/2005 12:01:00 AM 7 comments

  Just One Gratitude

• When I got up this morning it was still dark and the tree was on in the living room. How lovely! Chuck left it on for us when he left for work.

  ¶ 12/21/2005 07:05:00 AM 3 comments

  A Good Word with Santa We use Vonage for our home phone. If you are a Vonage customer you can call *101 and talk to Santa or rather his voice mail. Sam has probably called Santa eight or nine times in the last week. Last night when he was getting ready to call he asked me if there was anything that he should ask Santa for on my behalf. I told him not to worry about it. "No Mom, really I will put in a good word for you with Santa, now what do you want," he answered.  ¶ 12/21/2005 06:40:00 AM 3 comments

  More Gratitude I had a really crappy day substitute teaching. I swear to God the teachers were worse than the kids and the kids were horrible. When I got home I found a cooler of Omaha Steaks on my front porch. The steaks were from my mother in law. It really touched me. She is caring for her dying husband at home but, she took the time to send us a gift. To add to the miracle, when I got upstairs there was a message from a prospective employer wanting to interview me in early January. So my day was not so crappy after all.  ¶ 12/20/2005 06:20:00 PM 11 comments

  Gratitude List

• Being at peace with myself
• Being at peace with my financial situation
• A wonderful boy to celebrate Christmas with
• Having "enough" for Christmas
• Beautiful snow(cold and annoying but beautiful)
• Having hope on the job front
• Chuck has a job he likes for the first time in the 13 years that I have known him
• God being in charge
• A lot of fun in our marriage lately
• Trip to Yankee Candle
• A son who believe in Santa
• A husband who believes in Santa
• A good meeting yesterday
• Being done with my Christmas shopping.

  ¶ 12/20/2005 06:47:00 AM 11 comments

  The Big Picture     ¶ 12/19/2005 08:52:00 AM 11 comments

  More Program     ¶ 12/19/2005 08:51:00 AM 2 comments

  Christmas Program All of Sam's Christmas program pictures show him squinting. I found out later that the flood light were in his eyes.    ¶ 12/19/2005 08:48:00 AM 6 comments

  Gratitude List

• A two hour school delay (not a cancellation that has to be made up)
• A party to go to tonight
• Sam's Christmas program Saturday
• A phone call from Nancy yesterday
• A phone call from a prospective employer yesterday
• Sam going to bed without a fight lately

  ¶ 12/16/2005 08:05:00 AM 8 comments

  hAAlf nAAked Gmail Does anyone need a Gmail invite? hAAlf nAAked Gmail or is that half naked Gmail?    ¶ 12/15/2005 11:48:00 AM 8 comments

  Happy Birthday Mary Christine Stop by and say Happy Birthday to Mary Christine.  ¶ 12/15/2005 07:40:00 AM 2 comments

  Gratitude List

• All the comments on yesterday's post making me realize yesterday was not just a "huge waste of time."
• Hypersonic Henry and Mad Science
• Tinsel on the tree
• A great nights sleep after several days of marginal sleep
• A great neighborhood
• Willingness to deal with my financial situation
• Money from Mom
• The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous

  ¶ 12/15/2005 07:01:00 AM 3 comments

  Job Interview Today I drove almost two hours one way in stop and go traffic (glare ice accidents) to go to a job interview. When I got there I found out the job that was advertised being 20-30 minutes from my house was really located about an hour and half from my house. I know I live in the Northeast but, I am a big wimp about commuting. I also know that, "nothing happens in God's world by accident," but it seems like a huge waste of time right now.  ¶ 12/14/2005 01:48:00 PM 6 comments

  Heroine Girl Hey will everyone do me a favor and stop by Heroine Girl. You will understand when you get there.  ¶ 12/13/2005 04:39:00 PM 3 comments

  Gratitude List

Lately, I have been having some financial problems and I have been having a hard time feeling grateful. As my sponsors have always told me, I cannot think my way into right acting I can only act my way into right thinking." So here goes...

• My family and I get to be volunteer Salvation Army bell ringers this Saturday at 8:00 a.m.
• Our mortgage went down $200
• I have a job interview tomorrow
• My boy is in the Christmas program at church this weekend
• Chuck likes his job and so far they seem to be good to their word
• Blogging
• I have a day off to tie up some lose ends
• Cathy
• Ann
• Keith
• "The Club"
• God is working in my life even if I don't see it.

  ¶ 12/13/2005 06:57:00 AM 3 comments

  I Walk the Line I think that virtually everything that happens in my life is interesting, don't you. On that note, I just got back from seeing Walk The Line. It is a very enjoyable movie. Johnny Cash was one of us it seems.  ¶ 12/11/2005 04:09:00 PM 9 comments

  Homer Simpson Operation My son got Homer Simpson Operation for his birthday. Fun but, Homer screaming in pain every 15 seconds or so can get a bit irritating.  ¶ 12/11/2005 08:38:00 AM 4 comments

  Recovery I just stumbled across Recovery which is published by Sober Chick. Our numbers are growing.  ¶ 12/11/2005 07:41:00 AM 3 comments

  The Truth O.K., o.k. this was my hAAlf nAAked picture. I love Sno balls!    ¶ 12/09/2005 05:26:00 PM 4 comments

  nAAlf nAAked ThursdAAy     ¶ 12/08/2005 12:04:00 PM 5 comments

  Happy Birthday Vince My step father in law turns 85 today. He was diagnosed with stage four cancer about three years ago. Almost two years ago he was given “eighteen months at the outside,” to live. He was enjoying a fairly good quality of life until about six months ago when things really started to go down hill. Three weeks ago his doctor finally referred him to hospice care. On Sunday my husband learned that Vince had stopped eating and sleeps most of the time.

Vince has been a statistical anomaly most of his life. Raised by two deaf parents in the depression era Bronx the family managed to survive on his father’s meager earnings. Although he had normal hearing, doctors doubted that he would ever be able to talk normally because he was not exposed to human speech until he was five. Vince’s father was by all accounts a brutal alcoholic who was jealous of his son ability to hear and speak. In order to keep him from his father’s wrath his mother sent him to Jesuit High School. Rather than being a safe haven however, he was routinely beaten by the Jesuits.

Vince became alcoholic at a young age. Over the years he had many, many trips to “dry out.” His wife was also an alcoholic and they would often go to these drying out places together. On their last trip to dry out she died and he got sober. That was over 35 years ago.

Soon after he sobered up he was forced to retire from the post office or risk losing his pension He took the early retirement and threw himself into Alcoholics Anonymous. About a year later he met my mother in law at a meeting. “Love on the A.A. campus,” followed and he soon found himself married to a woman 17 years his junior with three young boys. As they say, the rest is history.  ¶ 12/07/2005 04:46:00 AM 7 comments

  Thank You for Asking My job interview went fine, thank you for asking. My gut feeling is that it is not a job I want. I am however, going to pursue it like it is a job I want. That way it will either turn into a job I want or I will have practice for a job I really want.

Right now, my world is full of possibilities.

  ¶ 12/06/2005 03:17:00 PM 6 comments

 

I am a little freaked out. I am freaked out because I have a job interview today.

• Its a job that is actually in my field.
• The job would actually use my education and experience.
• It pays actual decent money.
• It a strong organization (not just a bunch of grumpy old hippies like usual)
• The commute time is reasonable.
  

Stop me before I hyperventilate.

  ¶ 12/05/2005 09:25:00 AM 9 comments

  More Birthday Mayhem and chaos    ¶ 12/04/2005 11:10:00 AM 5 comments

  Sam's Birthday Party A little blurry but, you get the idea.    ¶ 12/04/2005 11:08:00 AM 3 comments

  Did I forget to tell you? Did I forget to tell everyone about New Beginnings: Hope and Insanity after Rehab. The rantings of another sober Cub Scout mom.  ¶ 12/04/2005 10:19:00 AM 0 comments

  Another Interview I have another first round interview for Friday, December 9. This makes it two interviews for next week. Christmas as either come early or I have died and no one has told me.  ¶ 12/02/2005 02:35:00 PM 5 comments

  Feeling Blessed I am feeling very blessed today for three reasons.  First, I really enjoyed Sam’s birthday.  While Sam was working hard in school, I got to go to the Thursday morning “As Bill Sees It” meeting.  Before the meeting I even got to amuse some of my A.A. buddies with harrowing stories of Sam’s birth.  At Sam’s request, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner.  Then we all went to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony on our town green. There were Christmas carols and coco and Santa.    Before you ask, yes I do live a Norman Rockwell painting.  

Second, on the job front, things seem to be really looking up.  After 3-4 years of a lack luster job market in my field, the market seems to be exploding.  Yesterday, I got E-mailed about a potential second interview (a job I interviewed for the week before Thanksgiving) and I have a first round interview for another position on Monday.  That’s right I got skills and (for the time being) they are in demand (fingers crossed).  God is definitely moving and I try to stay humble and keep praying for his will.

The third reason that I feel really blessed is that we had an over $200 decrease in our monthly mortgage payment this month.  It is long and uninteresting story about a tax levy that came due after we bought our house but, before the end of the year last year.  The tax it turns out was temporary but, the reduction is permanent.  Well permanent that is until the powers that be come up with another tax but, I will take it and be grateful.    


      ¶ 12/02/2005 09:10:00 AM 5 comments

  Happy Birthday Sam Happy Birthday to Sam he is seven years old today. No this is not a birthday crown, this is when he was King of Blueberry Land on vacation in August    ¶ 12/01/2005 08:31:00 AM 11 comments

  Lost in Space I have not been around because I have been having trouble with my internet. Our Norton Anti-Virus expired and when Chuck downloaded the update everything went nuts. So for almost 16 hours I did not have internet or phone(Vonage). Yeegads I was thrust back into the dark ages. Click here to see my hAAlf nAAked thursdAAy picture.  ¶ 12/01/2005 08:23:00 AM 3 comments