Nov 27, 2009

The Time Traveler's Wife

Oh, wow! Today I finished reading the Time Traveler's Wife in about one sitting, and it was amazing! I still can't stop thinking about it-the story consumes me! Oh! and then I had an epiphany...I remembered the blog I posted back in July '09 about me, meeting myself as a child in the dream. It would be so relevant now, so I'm re posting it.:)

I had another strange dream last night/this morning-go figure! Here it goes:
I was hosting a concert in my backyard,which consisted of my caseload (I work with individuals with developmental disabilities). Two of my clients went missing after the concert and I was walking around my house calling out their names. One of their names just happens to also be Kelly. I hear little footsteps coming down the street and this little girl stops in front of me. I realize it's not just any little girl-it's me as a child (see photos). I had pigtails and an outfit that I actually wore as a child-it was a Mr. T shirt and a skirt. What's sad is that I told the child or myself to go back. It was so real and so bizarre. I think I know what sparked the dream...I was watching Ellen Degeneres' stand up routine on you tube the other day and she mentioned that there is a inner child in all of us that lives on even after we become dull and boring adults. This led me to think of a teacher's words that I will always remember...she said something to the affect of, there's a difference between being "childish," and "childlike." She reminded us to always try to be "childlike." As you can see from some of my posts and videos, I can be very "childlike," at times, which I feel bad about sometimes. I feel that I should be more dull and boring and not enjoy swinging from vines, playing on the slip "n" slide, etc. I think the little girl (my inner child) came to me in my dream to remind me that it's OK to have fun. Maybe I'm way off here, but there was certainly no interpretation online for this particular dream.:)


Nov 14, 2009

To my Lil' Ballerina Girl, Liv!

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of my page and disable my music player thingy before watching...Enjoy!

Oct 26, 2009

Dandridge Ghost Tour

Dandridge Ghost Tour 10/25/2009

(Please be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to mute or pause my music player-thanks!)

Oct 25, 2009

Race for the Cure 2009

This is dedicated to Kerry, Deborah, Stefani, Sandy and especially Martha Ann

(Scroll down to the bottom of the page and pause or mute my music player before viewing video):)

Oct 10, 2009

Yesterday's Tennessee Happenings...

http://jc-schools.net/nms/TRAINHISTORY.htm

I'm posting the link to an interesting article about the 1904 train wreck in my hometown of New Market, TN.

Oct 8, 2009

Too Good Not to Share!

Most people probably think "oh, how great it would be to work from home!" Not so much when you have a young child or children. I'm fortunate enough to have a job where I can work from home since child care is so expensive. I usually work from home a day or two each week, and believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. The link to the vid I'm posting is mild in comparison to some of my home office days. For some reason, both Liv and the dog decides to be the loudest when I'm on the phone. The dog starts barking, Liv starts singing or yelling or banging stuff...you get the point. Just as you will see the mom take a phone call in the closet, I've done this many, many times! I can't tell you how many towels and wipes I go through as Liv will make messes when I'm engaged in a work project. I could go on and on, but just enjoy the video!:)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQZ8y1ZqDNE



Oct 7, 2009

The News Media Just Makes Blogging too Easy for Me...



Okay, so if you've read some of my previous blog posts, you will know that I have a very strong opinion over the media's overly positive focus on teen pregnancy and pregnancy in general. Every tabloid shows flattering photos of beautiful celebrities and their "baby bumps." What is this obsession with "baby bumps," anyhow? I have a so called "baby bump," if I've had too much pizza! Anyhoo, I'm going off on a tangent, which I'm very good at by the way, but I digress. The link I've posted will lead you to a photo and article about Teen Vogue. A 19 year old preggo model is on the cover, all beautiful and glowing. Television also seems to be promoting teen pregnancy. For instance, there is a popular reality show on MTV simply titled, Sixteen and Pregnant. I just happened to run across the reunion show and the teen moms were just like, "it's wonderful, the baby sleeps all night," yada...yada...yada...like gag me with a spoon. I'm just not feeding you hype folks. My just turned 18 yr. old cousin decided that she wanted to have a baby rather than go to school or work or form any sort of life for herself. How can you make a good life for your child when you don't have a life of your own? This is a growing problem, and if you don't want to take my word for it, just take a trip to your local Wal-Mart and count the young girls sporting their "baby bumps." If you're a teenager thinking about getting pregnant and you're reading this, please see the photo I've posted above of myself in the middle of 26 hours of grueling labor. Enjoy!:)

Strange Dream Marathon...

Last night's dreams were relentless, my friends. First, I recall being in a rural area with fields, farmhouses and such. There must have also been a body of water, such as a river or lake as it began to rain and there were massive waves of water approaching and I was trying to escape. I held on soooo tight to Liv to ensure that the waves didn't sweep her away. We tried to find refuge, but it seemed like the water was surrounding us and rising more and more. Finally we climbed to the top of a hill, and thank goodness that dream ended.

Then, all of the sudden I'm in what seems to be a club inside a strip mall. Not sure what the name of the club is, but in my dream, it's understood that it's a popular club in Knoxville. I meet my friend Lisa and her husband Chris there. For some reason, Chris is angry with me over a prior engagement. Apparently, I borrowed his lighter and forgot to return it. I argue to Chris, "why would I keep your stupid lighter when I don't even smoke?!?" That ends, and for a brief moment I'm somewhere else, who knows where, using my Barry's Bootcamp (an exercise program I'm currently doing) transformer ball, which somehow manages to land on an open paperclip. Yup, you guessed it, my transformer ball deflates and I'm just devastated! I keep thinking to myself, "where am I going to get a another transformer ball?" "I need to get some exercise today, I guess I'll go work a walk." And then in a flash, I'm in the parking lot of the club I mentioned earlier. I go to my car as Lisa talks to the club owner who is a woman. My car is super messy (in my dream) and I'm trying to get situated just to get into the driver's seat. I have stuff such as stuffed animals everywhere-weird. I keep noticing this female shop owner (next to the club) looking out the window at me with concern. Finally, she comes out of the store and begins to walk up to my car. I'm thinking to myself, "are you kidding me, what does this chick want?" At this point, I've opened up a perfume bottle (some new brand of Ralph Lauren perfume) and I hold it up to her and assure her that it's perfume and not some sort of alcoholic beverage. I'm not sure why I felt I needed to prove this to her. She said something to the affect of, "you can't be here!" By this time, Lisa and the club's owner notices, and the club owner apparently knows the shop owner and she yells to her that I'm her customer and it's OK for me to be parked where I was parked. Then, Lisa and the club's owner decides to come over and get into my car with me. I explain to them that my car is very messy, but tried to make room for them to get in. Lisa sits in the passenger side, and the club's owner sits in the back passenger side. We chat for awhile and then they go get into another car parked somewhere behind me. As I get ready to put my car into drive, all of a sudden, a police cruiser flies past me, with a normal car chasing behind it and purposely smashing into it, and then another cruiser flies by. Apparently gunfire is involved, because I hear someone yell, "everybody, get down!" So, I'm kneeling down under my steering wheel just thinking to myself, "I've got to get out of here, what have I gotten myself into?!?" Finally, that dream ends.

Then, I'm in what appears to be a mall, but it's also an airport. I have Liv with me and we're shopping. Liv is being a bit disruptive as toddlers often are, so this lady takes it upon herself to say something to Liv. I get angry and yell at this lady saying something to the affect of "you are not her mother!" Then I have to take off after Liv because she begins to run through the mall/airport. The mall then turns into more of an airport setting and I no longer have Liv with me. I'm looking for a ride home. Finally, this older man with a mustache appears, and he's in some sort of uniform. It's a camel brown uniform-kind of like a boyscout or state trooper uniform. He leads me to the parking lot (it's dark out), and he says something to the affect of, "I'll have to charge extra since I have to use my own car." He leads me to this old car...maybe a 1970 something Buick? Heck, I don't know. I recall it being a yellowish color-oh, and it was a 4-door model. I hop in the back and recall the old car smell and the smell of the gasoline burning. It had those old leather or pleather seats or whatever they were made out of back in the day (I don't know a lot about cars). Out of the blue, my coworker/friend, Melissa runs up to the car and says that she too needs a ride so she hops in, and then another person hops in. I end up in middle back seat, and have to use a lap belt, which I wasn't too happy about, since I had no knowledge of the man's driving record. We then drive off...

I continued to have some crazy dreams, but I cannot remember the details as I did in the one's mentioned above.



Oct 5, 2009

More Randomness

1) Ok, so Campbell's has a new "all natural," line of soups. So, should I be worried about what I was eating before they came out with the said, "all natural," line?

2) Why do I wait as long as possible to use the restroom after I've cleaned the toilet?

3) It's 2009, so why are they bleeping out certain words on the Golden Girls? They didn't bleep out certain words back in the day when it was on network television and I was watching it with my Mamaw.

4) Why do other drivers make it a point to pull right out in front of me when there is not a car in sight behind me? What makes it even worse is when someone pulls out in front of me and goes 20 mph.

5)Why do I do my best work at the end of the month?

Sep 29, 2009

Deep, er, um, shallow thoughts...

So, I've decided to start jotting down the useless, random thoughts/ideas that pass through my brain each day, taking up lots of space. This is my way of defragmenting my brain.;)

1) So, I woke up before Liv this morning thanks to my boring dreams. Aren't dreams supposed to be sort of an escape from the real world? My dreams consisted of organizing books and other items on a shelf and changing my car insurance companies.

2) The Biggest Loser book was being presented on the Today Show this morning, and they were giving examples of healthy food alternatives, one suggestion was to swap out mayo with fresh avocado slices. I thought to myself, "mayo is a non-negotiable," nothing can replace mayo in my book.

3) I think I'm going to start jotting my random thoughts down and blogging about them.

4) I think I'm going to dress Liv up as Lady GaGa for Halloween, tacky!

5)I'm writing on floral scented paper, but should I have opted for the cupcake scented paper instead?

6) You know, I always say I love Fall, but the word Fall really signifies the fall of the year. I'm going to say Autumn from now on, plus it reminds me of my friend, Autumn.

7) I had a dream just the other night that I was using a Ped Egg. Deep down, I really want one of those things...

8) I never noticed that Band-Aid on Rose's knee before, and how many times have I watched this same Golden Girls' episode?!?

9) 9 random thoughts so far today.

10) Why do I always whisper, "yes," and pump my arm (I don't know how else to describe it ) as if I've won a prize when I check my work voicemail and get that "you have no new messages," recording?

11) Wow! this Arm "n" Hammer Whitening Booster makes my mouth so foamy, it looks like I have rabies!

12) Honestly, why do people try so hard to snag that front parking space @ the gym? You're going to workout people! If it's that difficult for you to walk to the door, then the gym may not yet be the place for you.

That's all for today folks.:)


Sep 27, 2009

Lantern & Carriage Tour





































I love when things just happen without any planning ahead...it really makes for a great time! I joined some old friends and some new friends for the Lantern & Carriage Tour at the Old Gray Cemetery in Knoxville. I learned some interesting facts and got some great pics, but most of all, I had a wonderful time! Enjoy my pics!:)

Sep 18, 2009

Minding the Gap


The above link is an article on how young people (ages 20-30) are poorer than we've been in comparison with other age groups than we've been in a long time. Cougars are faring better than most right now. As you can also see above, I have posted a diagram of the champagne-glass distribution. I remember being taught about this in college...you know, back in the day when I thought my college education would actually pay off and actually land me a decent paying job. Sadly enough, I meet the statistics listed in this article. Enjoy!

Sep 14, 2009

Aug 29, 2009

Rock Stars (or at least we thought so last night)











My friend and I thought it would be a good idea to dress up and play American Idol on the Wii. We thought we sounded great!:) Liv even wore her leg warmers! Enjoy!








Aug 26, 2009

More Tennessee Happenings that NEVER Should Have Happened...




I've been following this trial from day one...So, yesterday, Cobbins was charged with the murder of Channon Christian among several other charges. Today was the sentencing, which did not go as anticipated. Cobbins was facing the death penalty, but was instead sentenced to life without parole. This was obviously a slap in the face to the families of both victims. I'm aware that topics such as the death penalty stir up a lot of controversy, but this case is unique. The types of torture these victims endured was unthinkable. Channon Christian spent her last moments of life in a garbage can. We're talking about someones daughter, sister and best friend. Chris Newsom's body was left burning by railroad tracks. He was a son and a brother. It really hit close to home today when I listened to Mrs. Christian's statement. She stated that Channon was a Sociology major at the University of Tennessee. I minored in sociology at UT. This also led me to think that it could have been me. I didn't live in the best part of town and didn't always lock my doors, etc. This leads me to my next point. I've heard several people say that this trial has had "excessive media coverage." I think it's important for the public to know that crimes like this happen, and they can happen to anyone. As a mother, it just breaks my heart to think of what Channon and Chris' parents are going through. Justice may have not been done today, but it will prevail in due time. As they say, Karma is a bitch. R.I.P. Channon & Chris.







Aug 25, 2009

GUILTY!!!

Those of you who have been following this trial over the past week may not recognize this picture of Letalvis Cobbins as he now has braids. I chose to post his mugshot rather than a picture of him dressed up in a suit. For those of you who have not been following this trial, tomorrow is sentencing day for Mr. Cobbins and he could face the death penalty. I pray for the victims' families during this difficult time.






Aug 21, 2009

Tennessee Happenings That Should Have NEVER Happened...


I've been following this trial all week and my heart is absolutely broken for the victims and their families. I pray for justice, and most importantly, peace, for these folks. As a parent, this is especially heart wrenching. No one, and I mean no one, should ever endure the torture, terror and pain that these victims endured.






Aug 14, 2009

Friday Foolishness...




























Enjoy!;)

Oh, Sweet Nostalgia...

Hess Hall 1999-2000




http://uthousing.utk.edu/reshall_hess.shtml





I just read a local news article online...students @ the University of Tennessee will be moving into their dorms this weekend, which made me realize, I was doing just the same 10 years ago! Wow! Dorm life had its ups and downs, but I think everyone should experience it at least once. Fun times, fun times...