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Sniff, Sniff

Sniffle, hack, cough, sneeze, moan, groan. That is what we are doing. It started last week with Erin. She wasn’t feeling well but constantly has sinus issues which is what we chaulked it up to. The early this week Tate started. Then I started but held it off. Then Bric got the sickest and then it hit me again. We officially have the Crud!

Sore throats, congestion, body aches, fever.

It has been miserable.

And the worst of it is that Bric is the worst person in the world to be sick. I am not even sure he can stand himself because it is hard for us to stand him. Of course the old saying that men are big babies…it is true. He moans and huffs and puffs at every move. Me, I have to get on up and do laundry and dishes and fix food. The dogs have to be taken out. The kids have to be checked on. I don’t have the luxury of staying n bed for 2 days straight.

So, I sit here and ache and sniff and sneeze and cough and hope like heck a lung isn’t the next thing to come flying out of my body and wishing like everything I was on a Costa Rica vacation with no kids, no dogs and no husband. Just me and a good book where I could lay in the sun and relish the fact that I had no one to take care of but myself.

The Street Preacher

Do ya’ll have street preachers? Or is it just us folks in small towns? I have been to several large cities and have never seen them outside of the South so I am not sure if it is just something that we see or if there are street preachers in other areas.

This is our street preacher. He stands on the corner in front of out local couthouse and he preaches to the top of his lungs. When I go by I can hear him clearly, even if I have my windows up.

I have no idea who he is..or where he got his voice, but it travels.

You have to admire that in a street preacher…when he can drone out the radio through rolled up windows.

I admire his tenacity. It was cold that day. I mean really cold. And he was out there anyway, delivering The Message.

Being a Good Steward

I have been striving to be a better steward of our money. I am learning to shop using coupons. Only buying what is needed and on sale. And CVS has become one of my dearest friends. I even bought some office furniture there! Ok, so it was just bookshelves but hey, it was on sale and something we desparately needed. I am by no means the best of frugal shoppers but I am learning and it makes me proud to know that I am getting the absolute best deal for the dollars that we do spend. What do you do to save your family money? I would love to hear of others frugal tips and how you each save during these tough times. While things in some parts of the country do seem to be getting better our area was hit hard by the recession. Many jobs were lost here due to the decline since most everyone in this area was emloyed by the carpet manufacturers.

The Boots

My elders always used to say that time goes by faster the older you get. And when you are 15 to 20…you roll your eyes everytime you hear the saying and think something to the effect of  “Old People are so weird”. Yes, I remember being that know-it-all 20 year old who had all the time in the world to accomplish everything under-the-sun.

During my 20’s I worked for the local EMS (Emergency Medical Services). At 20 the job represented thrill and excitement. Today, I am positive it would represent something totally different in my life…like giving others the hope of tomorrow. But,I didn’t make it past my 20’s in that job. When I was 28 I knew I was getting close to the end of my time with EMS. I dreaded putting on my beloved steel toe work boots and BDU’s. I dreaded walking through the door of the office, washing the ambulance and getting ready for the first call of the day. My back ached from lifting people all of the time and my heart ached for those we couldn’t save. My albatross seemed to be very young children. Every shift I worked for the last few months I would be the one that would get the call of an infant not breathing or something similar. And I began to hate my job. One morning I went in and the first call of the day was a house fire. It is something I will never forget….ever. There were 4 children in that home. They had been left alone long enough for one parent to leave to go into work and the other to be getting off of work. Something I am sure these parents had done hundreds of times. After all, the kids weren’t there alone for long and they were all safely tucked into their beds sound asleep. Only this day turned out very differently. All 4 of their children were lost in that fire. Those parents became childless in a matter of minutes due to leaving a candle burning, leaving their children at home along…and them all under the age of 5.

I will never forget that father screaming at me to save his children. I will never forget the smell of charred flesh. I will never forget finding that young child burned to the window frame where he was trying to get out of a smoke filled house.

And, I will never forget that I walked out on my job that very day.

I still have those boots that saw joy, happiness, grief and despair. To some they are just work boots. To me they are a reminder that life is short and that time flies. They may just sit in my closet unused but they are as much a part of me as my left arm. A token of memories gone by that I can’t forget nor let go of.

See, sometimes a pair of boots aren’t just a pair of boots.

A Maxine Monday

Today has been one of those days.

I really really think I should just go back to bed and stay there until tomorrow.

You know those days where you click here and go there. Kinda like a Merry Go Round, no matter what you do you are still going in circles.

Of course, it could have to do with the fact that it is a Monday.

It should be illegal to have Mondays!

Anticipation…

…isn’t it great? I think anticipation is one of the best feelings. Getting all excited about an event that MIGHT take place.

Here in the South we are all anticipating snow. Yep snow. I know that means very little to all of you Northerners but it is a rarity here. Yes, we do see snow flurries here in North GA every year but to actually get a snow fall that is more than a dusting and that actually lays is rare…and that is what we are anticipating. We are not prepared for snow and we know it. Everyone goes a little crazy and you will see wrecks everywhere. The Schools are already closing early today and it hasn’t even STARTED snowing yet.

Remember when you were a kid and were going to get Spiderman Tickets or The Addams Family tickets. Your first big movie in a Theater? The anticipation of the big screen, the surround sound, popcorn and big coke. Today going to the movies is no big deal, but I can remember when I was a kid it was a huge event to be looked forward to by us. It wasn’t something that we did often and that made it special. As special as attending a concert or a sporting event  or buying Hilton Theatre tickets.

Anticipating Christmas morning was THE big one. Wondering what Santa would bring and the magic of it all.

Yes, anticipation is one of my favorite emotions. I just like the giddy feeling it places in the pit of my stomach.

Ahhh, this feels really nice.

I have ran the roads. I have eaten till you are going to have to roll me through the doors. I have cleaned my house more times in the past two weeks than I probably have in a regular month. Now, it just feels good to slow down a little…to sit down and breathe. Kinda like taking  orlando vacations but staying home to do so. Speaking of vacations…Isn’t it funny how you always need a vacation to recover from the vacation you just took? I wouldn’t even THINK about going anywhere right now. I am ready to sleep in a day or two, get schedules back on track, get the 15, 000 loads of laundry piled up to the Moon caught up. It has been great though, we have spent a lot of time with family and friends. We have had company every day and loved every minute of it. Now, as much as I hate to say it…I am ready for the normalcy to set back it and to get caught up on all the things I have set to the side.

And now to get all the Christmas decorations down.  Or just sit in the rocking chair and rest a spell.