Hold On, This Roller Coaster Is Out of Control!

I think I am riding on a roller coaster right now and the train of cars is raging out of control downhill with no end in sight. I am not sure what how more I can take between Wachovia being bought out and the gas shortage... There are so many things happening here lately that I just seem to be constantly trailing behind the latest story as they happen. Yet, Congress cannot make a decision to save the rest of us! Someone had a really brilliant idea last week that I totally agree with- we should pass a law to limit Congressmen/women's term to 2 terms just like the President... some of those folks have been in office WAY too long! I think they are way too comfortable and just truly do not appreciate nor understand us regular folks.
I really panicked yesterday when I heard about Wachovia...I finally got in contact with the lady at the Wach-Securities office back home to discuss my Grandmother's accounts... I just made a large transaction between her accounts a little over a week ago and am seriously stroking over the possibility that the money might not get moved as planned... Her scenario would get really ugly if the money does not switch accounts too. I am sure my blood pressure level skyrocketed all day yesterday... yet, Lisa at WS assures me that the money will move... of course, that is what she says today not knowing if she will still be employed there tomorrow!
Hubby wound up funneling all of our lawn mower and tractor gas into his work truck on Sunday evening to get to work yesterday... he scoured the Conyers area and luckily found gas to fill up yesterday afternoon! A few stations have gotten gas deliveries all around work and home but, the lines are unbelievably LONG and there always seems to be cops and TV cameras around too! I did manage to get gas yesterday morning around 4:40am again on my way to boot camp... God bless the BP on JF Rd for opening the pumps at that crazy hour!
Hubby and I did manage to get to Athens on Saturday for the tailgate and the Georgia-Alabama game... we enjoyed seeing old friends, trying some south GA smoked pig and then getting jammed into that stadium with THOUSANDS of other folks only to be disappointed that the home team did not play well or win for that matter.
The one lone fan that just would not give up hope in the 4th quarter.

Oh well, maybe our next football outing at Georgia Tech's Homecoming game in late October will have positive results with the tailgate and the game! Go Jackets!

Butch Cassidy- The Legend Will Never Die

I could not believe the news when I heard it yesterday... Butch Cassidy is dead. One half of the "dynamic duo" of some of the greatest movies of all time is gone. The Sundance Kid is on his own now... Yes, Paul Newman died Friday night after a long battle with cancer. Unbelievable. Granted he did live a wonderful life of 83 years.... may he rest in peace.

The Panic Has Set In

The panic seriously set in last night... we went to find gas for Hubby's work truck after supper. No such luck! We drove to at least TWELVE gas stations within 5 or so miles of our home and no one, I repeat NO ONE had gas! At this point, price is not even the problem... the problem is the fact that there is NO gas. It is so weird to drive up and down the road and every single gas station has no dollar amounts on the gas signs and the pumps are totally empty of traffic. The QT down the road from my office was/is like a ghost town this week. And that particular station usually has so many folks in the parking lot that you can not even turn into it just to go in and buy a coke. Yesterday, I was the only customer in the parking lot and in the store! The staff on duty were dusting the shelves and mopping the floors to stay busy! I could not believe it...After the pointless drive in circles last night gas-hunting with Hubby, I could not get the gas situation off my mind. I got up really, really early and left the house even earlier than the usual 4:30am to go find gas for my car since I was down to 1/4 tank... I said a prayer when I left our subdivision that I would find gas on the way to boot camp... Again, every station was out of gas or closed... and then, halleluyah I spotted some cars getting precious petro at the last station along the main drag out of Cobb county. My hands were shaking as I retrieved the nozzle and started the pump. The wonderful sound of gas guzzling into my car never sounded so good! I had the biggest grin on my face the entire time... all the people getting gas were just staring at each other in relief. I never dreamed I would see the day when a simple task of filling up my car was such a blissful, fulfilling moment... Boy, times have changed...

Running Scared

Or should I say, “Running Scared On Empty” instead? What does that phrase mean you ask? Well, that is the continuous nagging feeling of dread that seems to have encompassed most Atlantans this week… or so it seems to me and in my world. It is the feeling that one might not make it from Point A to Point B if the gas tank is not fed enough gas. Now granted I am used to driving a gas-guzzling hog of a truck in lieu of a cost-efficient soccer-mom-type sedan… and the fear of not getting enough gas to do the daily tasks of going to work, driving back home from work, going to the grocery store, etc. is not really as bad as it once was… however, the feeling is still there! I mean seriously… my Taurus has well over half a tank of gas right now, but the lingering want to stop at any gas station that a) actually HAS gas and b) doesn’t have a mile of cars waiting to fill up is BIG TIME on my mind! That nagging feeling just seems to eat at me all throughout the day… and believe me, I check every single gas station I pass now just to see if they have bags on the nozzles or caution tape up… all the while mentally mapping out where the available gas places are… so when I do need gas, I know exactly where to go. Based on my observations all this week, it seems that the best time to get gas is around 4:30am on my way to boot camp… less traffic at the pumps and easy to see the pumps from the road without putting my car and life at risk of having an accident while looking… the only downside is that half of the gas stations in Atlanta are not open at that early hour. Hubby called me yesterday afternoon to inform me that he only had enough gas to get home last night… he rode to work today with a co-worker. And then around lunchtime today I realized that I am supposed to take my Grandmother to the doctor tomorrow down in LaGrange… I panicked! How in the world am I going to get there and back without gas? There’s that panicky feeling of dread again! Fortunately, I managed to get around that whole scary scenario and begged someone else down there to take her… thank the good Lord for quick blessings. In the meantime, what happens if the tankers of gas don’t show up between now and next week? Will folks have to stay home and miss work? Especially those who don’t work anywhere near the office? Or is it our unspoken duty to ride all around Atlanta over the weekend trying to find gas so we can drive to work as usual? Is this par for course for the future? Fuel seems to be the most precious commodity we rely on day-to-day to live our lives… and it seems to be waning at an extremely fast pace…and then what happens next? Is it just me or is this whole week of financial scares and gas shortages really taking a toll on everybody??!

Is My World Just Full of Idiots?

The absurdity of some people's idiocy just never ceases to amaze me... especially when they are family members. On our long trip back from Savannah on Sunday afternoon (around 1pm-ish) I received a voicemail from one of my Grandmother’s sisters (she only has 3 siblings left- 1 brother, 2 sisters). Her message informed me that her other sister had died…. On Friday! Oh, and the funeral is today. Yes, you read it right! My Grandmother’s sister died two days earlier and her funeral was in two hours after the phone call was made to us to let us know???!!!! Are you kidding me? I could feel the anger creeping up the back of my neck and my ears. I tried to contain myself as I called her back…. I calmingly asked why they did not notify us on Friday so we might an opportunity to attend the service. Her response was that she figured I would not drive “all the way down here from Atlanta” for her funeral… Wrong answer! Maybe my Father would have liked to go… or maybe he would have taken my Grandmother… maybe, maybe, maybe… Lady, you might be her sister, but you are an idiot in my book! Maybe you should not make assumptions! And now we have to consider the biggest task of all… WHO is going to tell my Grandmother about her death? And how she missed the service?? Of course, I asked her sister about it and miraculously enough- she agreed to tell her… only she would tell her some time later this week. Well, guess what? The cat is outta the bag as of last night! Someone from back in our hometown must have read the obituary and called my Grandmother to tell her that her sister died! How awful is that? To find out that your sibling died FROM SOMEONE WHO READ IT IN THE NEWSPAPER???? I could have died! She just kept asking me over and over why her other sister did not tell her… and why she didn’t know how badly off she was… it was awful! I called her sister and let her know what had transpired… and do you know what her response was? “Why would someone call her and tell her knowing what her mental condition is?” I just about fell out of my chair! I asked her what that was supposed to mean… she explained that she did not think my Grandmother would even remember who her sister was…Now I am really getting ticked… I tell her that of course she knows WHO she is! She might not call her name out but she ABSOLUTELY knows that she is her sister! Again, the idiocy of people just KILLS me! Why do people just automatically assume that a person with dementia is so mentally incapacitated that they do not “know” any body any more?? Don’t discount her already! She has not gone over “to the other side” yet! I struggle with this every day. If some family members would spend a little more time with her, you will see that she is still herself… you just have to be patient and LISTEN to her words and actions… granted it is a limited vocabulary… but, it is decipherable… am I the only person that understands her? Am I the only person that understands her disease? Please dear Lord, help me.

Gas Woes... Again!

What is the deal with the gas pumps AGAIN???!! Yesterday, I was cruising home to a sick husband who stayed home all day... and every darn gas station between my office and home had umpteen cars parked around the pumps and stretching out into the road waiting to get gas! They were causing traffic jams all along the road! And the ones that did not have a traffic jam, were empty with caution tape wrapped around the pump island! Now I know I heard some tidbit on the radio yesterday about a gas shortage in the Southeast... but, come on people! If you really do not have an empty tank, why put yourself and the rest of us through this torture?? And then this morning at 4:35am... I repeat AT 4:35AM THIS MORNING the only one gas station open at that ungodly hour, a BP had people at EVERY pump getting gas!! Are you kidding me?? I had thought for one brief moment that I would fill up on the way to boot camp because the pumps would be EMPTY.... Wrong! Once again, the general population has not ceased to amaze me... I wonder if these folks actually got up that early to assure a tank of gas before the surge of others later???!! Unbelievable! Do you know that this type of hype at the pumps has been going on now off and on since 2005... I distinctly remember the first time it happened in late 2005... during hurricane season no less... When will the madness end?

Can You Believe It Has Been 2 Years Already?

Today was our 2-year anniversary… I know it is hard to believe that it has been two whole years already! We celebrated our anniversary this past weekend with a weekend trip to Savannah and Tybee Island. We had such a wonderful time just relaxing, consuming lots of seafood and touring the sites. Our hotel was very nice considering the smoking deal I got on it off the Internet…. And it came with a nice breakfast both mornings! Friday night we enjoyed shrimp and oysters and some of the best crab stew we have ever eaten. Saturday morning we got up early and made the trek to downtown Savannah to stand in line for dinner reservations for Paula Deen’s restaurant…. What an experience! They started taking reservations at 9:30am and we got there at 9:35am… I was shocked that the line was already 100+ deep! But, we made it to the hostess and got our 7:45pm slot! Next, we browsed around the downtown shops and then made our way to Tybee Island. The wind was very breezy and the air was chilly. We walked the beach and the pier…

Then, we had a delicious lunch at the Crab Shack on Tybee that included two dozen of THE largest oysters I have ever laid eyes on! We enjoyed shrimp and crab legs too.

Supper at Paula’s was an experience to remember for the rest of my life. The bread lady kept bringing these cheddar biscuit and hot cakes out to the diners… they were so good! I finally told her to not bring the tray by again… she was killing me! I did have a sad moment at one point over the “hot cakes” … they were a pan-fried cornbread patty just like my Grandmother used to make… I don’t think I have had them since I was in high school when she used to make them for my Grandfather… such great memories that always bring tears to my eyes… and all because of such great southern food! The smells are the hardest ones to endure…


We had the Shore Is Good Seafood Dip (Hubby’s favorite) and then I ordered the Shrimp ‘N Grits for my entrée. Hubby opted for the Southern buffet… which worked out really well for me since I could sample bites of every thing he brought back to the table. I tried so hard to savor every bite but at some point I just could not eat another bite. I did get a take-out bag for my leftovers. And then the waiter tried to get us to pick out deserts! I insisted that I could not do desert… we just would not pick out one so he leaves one- the banana pudding and says just try it. I took one bite and almost died. I truly think that banana pudding was made in heaven… he divulged that the secret was that it was made with homemade whipped cream. I had three bites and then I shut down. NO more for Kelly. We were stuffed and I was ecstatic that my meal at Paula’s was so enjoyable. Kelly’s score is 5 out of 5 stars for Lady & Sons…

Yes, what a great weekend getaway...Happy Anniversary to Us.

Keeping Lunches Cool

I would like to share another wonderful product with you that I use almost everyday to transport and chill my lunch salads. Fit&Fresh makes all kinds of food storage containers, food transport containers, etc. for eating healthy meals and snacks on the go! I bought the Salad Chiller earlier this year and I love it because not only does it have a little dispenser in the top of the bowl cover for putting your salad dressing, it also has a re-usable folded fork that snaps right into the outside of the same top... and it has a freezable removable ice pack to keep your salad cool all day long! And what is the best part? I bought this wonderful product at Bed Bath & Beyond for $10! My brother and mother both have one too... Go check it out!

East Cobb Possum Trot

What is the deal with possums at 4:35am every morning?? Every morning this week, I have crossed paths with one possum on my way to boot camp! And it is always in the same residential area of east Cobb... this morning the little sucker ran toward into my path and stopped in his tracks to stare at my headlights! Of course, I nearly slammed on the brakes! Why do you ask would I actually stop for a possum of all things? Well, 1) now that I am rolling in the Taurus, I am MUCH lower to the ground and I do not want to FEEL my hitting it and 2) I sure as heck do not want to HEAR the crunch!! My rolling in a sedan these days has really changed my outlook on driving... being so close to the ground is a real pain in the butt to be perfectly honest... not only do I have to enter and leave our own driveway at home on a 45 degree angle just to keep from scraping the top but, I can feel EVERY bump, dip, hole, plate, and ragged spot on the road now! But, hey- that's how I roll!

Grande Cup of Sadness

I had the morning off from boot camp yesterday. On my way into the office, I decided to stop by my favorite ol’ Starbucks for a grande cup of frothy goodness… I parked the car and headed up the sidewalk to the door and it was locked! A small sign on the glass stated that this store was closed and to go to nearest location a mile or so down the street. WHAT? Are you kidding me? I was floored! Some couple had just pulled up and saw the sign too… they told me that the store must have closed overnight and without warning because they were just there over this past weekend! How can they close THE busiest Starbucks in Atlanta? This location is perfect too: corner location of a very busy intersection in east Cobb county… the tables on the inside and outside are full of patrons morning, afternoon and night! So how can they close it?! You see, the thing about the one down the street is that it is brand-new and it is a Drive Thru store. I had inquired several times in the past few months if my fave store was going to close with the opening of the new one down the street… their answer every time was NO. I just loved the fact that Helen, the wonderful lady at the cash register knew me by name and always asked about my work, my hubby, my travels, etc. She took an interest in ME. The barista Richard always, ALWAYS made me the BEST, most perfect non-fat lattes ever consumed by man…. So I called Hubby and griped about it…. and then after talking to him I finally decided to go to the new one and just see how it compared. And secretly hoping to find some of my favorite coffee-serving employees from the old one… Let’s just say the new store is about 4 times smaller, very few tables and chairs for enjoying your cup o’ joe in house. I only recognized one lady behind the counter and it was not Helen… this lady did recognize me though and even commented on my weight loss… she told me that the new landlord at their old location jacked the rent up double the usual payment and that they closed and packed up over the weekend. Richard was located at this new location but Helen was on down the way at one I do not frequent. Great! My coffee crew is now disbanded and we have to drive even further for perfect lattes! What a crock!

What In The World Is Going On Today?

What in the world is going on today? We were gone on a weekend camping and white water rafting trip over the weekend up on the Ocoee River in Tennessee and we come home to complete chaos! We did notice on the way up on Friday afternoon that the gas prices seem to be jumping up the further we drove north. And wouldn’t you know that by the time we got home last night, most gas stations were out of gas! I intentionally left the house late this morning for two reasons: 1) I had the day off from boot camp and 2) I had only 1/8 tank of gas in the company car. I was scared to chance traffic with such a low level of fuel…. And what is worse is that all the stations on the way to work were out of gas! When I got near the office, the big QT station just down the road only had Premium fuel at $4.39/gallon… I was really beginning to panic at this point. So I spent my lunch hour looking for a gas station with Regular fuel… I lucked up with a Shell station off Satellite in Duluth thank goodness! And now the stock market is plunging too… what gives?
In the meantime, enjoy some action shots on the river from Saturday:

360 Degree Turn in the Road of My Life

Oh how life has a way of doing a 360 degree for some folks... especially my life! I am happy to announce that after four months of boot camp as a camper, I am now a boot camp instructor! Yes, today was the end of my first week as an instructor and I have to say that I absolutely LOVE it! L-o-v-e it! This has been such a great week for me in many aspects... not only was this week my first week instructing, but I also hopped on the scales again this morning and I have lost a total of 28 lbs!! Now here is the kicker: 28 lbs is a LOT... 28 lbs is so much that I have to make an appointment with the jeweler to have my wedding rings sized DOWN! How awesome is that? I am hoping to get to the jeweler next week... and it is almost an emergency down-sizing because they are really, really loose and I cannot hardly type with the engagement ring on any more because it keeps rolling around and around. And I think Hubby is starting to get nervous...
I am also still discovering an entire "new" wardrobe of clothes in my closet and clothes drawers that I have not wore in YEARS. I am having such a good time trying on clothes that I actually "forgot" about! I am now having to put away T-shirts that are too big no too...which is so ironic considering that for my entire life I have always put away good clothes thinking that "I will save this just in case one day I will fit into it again".
My new company car arrived on Wednesday of this week... a Ford Taurus and it is really nice. It has some serious "get-up and go" as my grandmother used to say. Sitting that close to the road is really going to take some getting used to needless to say. But, this is a fuel-saving step in the future of our company and I am a supporter.
Hubby and I are headed up to Tennesee this afternoon to camp and whitewater raft the Ocoee River with some friends... pics to follow!

Half Caf For Me, Mr. Barista!

In my ongoing quest to find the smaller inner me, I am always looking for different foods, products, etc. that I can fit into my "fit"ness plan... I have read several articles over the past few months that all say that caffeine triggers hunger or at the least the thought that you might want to eat. And I do not need any thought-provoking when it comes to eating when I shouldn't be! So recently I have cut back on my caffeine intake. Unfortunately, I love coffee. Especially Starbucks coffee. And it is too bad that a latte a day is not on my food plan... so I have found the answer: Starbucks Coffee Half Caffeinated Breakfast Blend

I was already used to buying the regular Breakfast Blend at the grocery store... but, now they have it with HALF the Caffeine!! And it tastes wonderful. For only $7-$9 per bag, you cannot go wrong at all. One bag will brew at least 15+ pots of coffee.... 2 lattes at any Starbucks location costs more than ONE bag of this coffee. Go try it!

Convenient or Not?

I came across this picture while using Google to find something else and it just cracked me up! So I thought I would share it. I mean, come on, how convenient would this gadget be? Totally convenient IF you use your glock as much as you use your Blackberry! I would think that carrying that heavy contraption around all the time would play hell on one's back and/or hip... depending on how you "carry" it. I seriously doubt it would be very ergonomic to use either... especially when answering the phone!

Home Grown Fun

We cruised down to the country this weekend for the opening weekend of dove season. We met up with some of my old highschool buddies and went to the first home game for my alma mater. Unfortunately, the team lost but we had a great time catching up with old friends in the bleachers. Saturday morning we enjoyed some of my grandparent's fruit trees, etc. Yummy!

Next, we went over to our land and checked out the beautiful green grass that is growing in beautifully! We are so proud!

And then we went over to the dove field with my brother and his friends and enjoyed an adventurous afternoon of dove hunting. Me and Hubby must have shot over 100 shells because my arm is really sore today. This year's opening day brought many more birds than the past few years so it was a banner day all around. Even though it rained some, we had a ball. Good times.

Then, we came home to find this... Yummy!

Funny "Sexy People"

Someone enlightened me with a really funny link that has a great daily laugh... It is actually a blog called "Sexy People" that posts a new picture each and every day of some poor soul's school portrait or family portrait from the 70's, 80's or 90's (at least most of the truly hideous ones seem to come from those years). Camaro hair, mullets, perms, rat-tails, hair band hair, you name it can be found in these funny pics... Check them out for yourself...
http://renz-o.blogspot.com/

Donation to History

I was surprised this weekend when Hubby told me he wanted to donate to the McC campaign. He was on their website and was signing up for their support team. So we signed up separately and donated equal amounts to their campaign fund! This is the first time that I have ever actually donated my own money to a presidential campaign… and the fact that Hubby was in favor of it too makes it all the more exciting! We have been watching the RNC some this week. And I am amazed that the liberal media is STILL beating the dead horse regarding SP’s daughter and the choices the daughter made. Gimme a break! Besides, they live in Alaska… and there is not much more to do up there. Give the lady a break and let her make history.

I Just Love A Bargain!

I gotta share with you my bargain buy story from today…I stopped by Bed, Bath and Beyond today to return a shoe rack that I bought for my closet. I had actually bought two racks, but they both would not fit in the closet so I had to return one. I decided to look around the store a little and happened upon a wonderful bargain! I found some of our everyday dishes on the Clearance rack in the middle of the kitchen area on sale for .68 cents each! I bought 3 large plates, 3 medium plates and 2 salad bowls for .68 cents each! My total bill was $5.47 plus tax! I was ecstatic! And to find this bargain just after I just got through telling Hubby over the weekend that several pieces of our dishes were cracking or chipping (2 bowls and 1 plate to be exact)… we can just save these new ones for when we have dinner guests… Man, what a great trip to the kitchen store… and you know how much I just love a bargain!