Tuesday, December 21, 2004

For Denine:)

We Three Things

Three Names You Go By:
Shelly
Shell
Mom

Three Screennames You Have:
Raingirl
Shellbell
Shellybean

Three Things You Like About Yourself:
I like that I am loyal
My eyes
that I am sensitive to others

Three Things You Hate/Dislike About Yourself:
My teeth
that I cry too easily sometimes
I blush very easily

Three Parts Of Your Heritage:
English
Irish
Scots

Three Things That Scare you:
Mice
GWB
Guns

Three of Your Everyday Essentials:
coffee
something to read
hugs from my son

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
jeans
blue sweater
slippers

Three Of Your Favorite Bands/Artists At The Moment
The Beatles :)
Dave Matthews Band
Green Day

Three Of Your Favorite Songs At Present:

In My Life (the Beatles)
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) ( Green Day)
Silent Night (hey, its Christmas)

Three Things You Want To Try in The Next 12 Months:
Go to Vancouver, Canada
excercise more
declutter my house

Three Things You Want in a Relationship (love is a given):

Compassion
Honesty
sense of Humor

Two Truths and a Lie:

I was an honor roll student
I got married at 19
I am a blonde

Three Physical Things about the opposite (or same) sex that appeals to you:
Smile
Eyes
Arms

Three things you just can't do:
ski
play the guitar
knit (but I'm trying)

Three of Your favorite hobbies:
travelling
reading
shopping;)

Three things you want to do really badly right now:
See my granddaughter
organize my house
get over this cold:/

Three careers you're considering:
teaching
can't think of 3;-)

Three places you want to go on vacation
England
Australia
Italy

Three kids names:
Matthew
Kathleen
Anthony

Three things you want to do before you die:

Travel the whole US
travel the world
See world peace

Three people who have to take this quiz now or die a slow orgasmic death:
Jen
Krista
Kimmer


Monday, December 20, 2004

We went down to Sue's today to exchange gifts, and I found out more about Geoff. She got the same email as I did, and she called him. Apparently, he has been drinking heavily and drugging heavily since Josh (his oldest son) has been in Iraq.....so it has been quite a while:/

He hasn't been making the house payments.....it is all going to alcohol/drugs. (Now....his wife works.....why didn't she see that those things were taken care of?) Anyway, apparently she just couldn't stand it anymore, and that is why she left. When she left, she left him $1,500 to help him get by. WHAT did he do with that money????? Buy drugs. BUY DRUGS.

He definitely needs help.....more than I can give him. I am looking for some agencies that can help, and I will give him some numbers. Right now, that is all I can do. I can't subject my family to him.....it wouldn't be fair to them. I don't want him around Joseph. Sad, but true:(

Sunday, December 19, 2004

And Just What Am I Supposed To Do???

Brother Geoff emailed me today. ***A little background*** Geoff is a fuck up. A royal fuck up. He is 46 years old and has never had a *real* job. He has always done handyman type stuff, because he doesn't want to get drug tested. He is a loser, a drunk and a pot head. He has always blamed everyone else for his problems. Nothing is ever his fault. He's been that way as long as I can remember. I really don't have anything to do with him. We have nothing in common except for the fact that we had the same parents. I haven't seen him in probably 4 years or so....and have heard from him twice in that time.....one time being today.

Anyway........he emails me today. His wife left him and took their youngest son with her (he's about 15) He is devastated. He tells me he is going to lose his house, he'll be homeless and he's all alone with no one to talk to. (He has always been overly dramatic as well.....I don't know how much, if any of that is true ) He said he's never been alone. All his friends are users (drugs/alcohol). He wants to 'be a family again'. What he wants is someone to take care of him....to bail him out of his troubles. I CAN'T. I just can't. He can't come here, if that's what he is looking for.

Aaaarrggghhhh.

I don't know what to do. I haven't replied to him.....I don't even know what to say:(

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style...

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas. We went over to San Francisco yesterday for an afternoon of shopping and window shopping. It is an annual thing for us. We rode BART and went to San Francisco Centre then walked up to Union Square. I got my ornaments from Neiman Marcus. I usually only buy one, but this year I splurged and bought 2. I think it is so cool that they now have a small tag with the year on them:)

The best part of the day though was the fact that we saw Joe Montana (Hall of Fame quarterback from the SF 49ers, for those who don't know) and his wife. She is much too beautiful and thin to have had 4 kids. He still has the killer smile....and those eyes. They look like the perfect couple. FYI.......Joseph is named after him , lol. Both of my good friends named Joe think he is named after them, but no. He was named after Joe baby;-)


Today was the last CCD before Christmas. I had pizza delivered, and we had a party. I got a beautiful new mug for my coffee.....and two different kinds of candy from kids. I also got candles, and Christmas towels:) They didn't want to do any work, but I read from Luke and had them make Nativities to take home. After all, they are supposed to be learning something;)

Sunday, December 12, 2004

The youth choir/musicians went to the convelescent home yesterday to sing Christmas carols for the patients. We parents who went along had to sing too. I knew I should have stayed in the car;-) Actually, it was nice. Gerry was late and Joseph was the only one there with an instrument, so he did one song on guitar as accompaniment for everyone til Gerry showed up to play piano. The kid did good.

Of course, I couldn't make it through all the songs without tearing up. Silent Night and Away In a Manger get me every time. I think the patients were appreciative for the most part. One sweet little old lady smiled and sang along with everything. They had to take one lady out though. It was so sad. She was looking at one of the boys and talking to him like he was an old boyfriend or something. Telling him he was no good, and he had been in jail and made her kill her baby:( The kid was looking nervous....as were the rest of the kids. I feel so bad for those with dementia......it makes me so sad.

The day ended on a good note though, even after all the sadness of the elderly sick people.

The boys were playing at a little Indian casino at Clear Lake, and I got to go to the show. I didn't think I would be able to, but Chris told me to go:) It was a fun night. C and I got the giggles before the show. Good think the boys couldn't hear what we were talking about. It would have shot my image all to hell;-)

Thursday, December 09, 2004

:**(

An online friend of mine lost her baby. She just found out that she was pregnant.....but it was enough to want and love that tiny being.

I cried.

I could feel how sad she is.



Silly maybe, but I did. Damn hormones. I swear, menopause feels like PMS and pregnancy rolled into one. I cry at the drop of a hat, I am moody and my boobs hurt:/

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas........

Around here. I got the rest of the decorations up in the living room & dining room today. Between my Santa collection and the snowglobe collection, its looking quite nice, if I say so myself......and I do;-) While I was doing that, Joseph set his Lionel train up around the big tree, then we put out the 'village' stuff. Tomorrow I finish the family room.

I am feeling mighty pleased with myself too. Sending out the Christmas cards yesterday was the earliest I have done so in years. I don't know what came over me!


Dinner tonight was perfect for a rainy night......meat loaf, garlic mashed potatoes and corn. Yum. After dinner, Chris and I ran over to Kohls. I found a couple of sweaters I loved so I had to point them out to him, then I left him to his own devices while I went and picked up a couple of more things I needed for Joseph and him. He had a bag in the back of the wagon when I got back there, so maybe he got the not so subtle hint on the sweaters, LOL.

Now there is a fire going in the fireplace, and I am fixing to get my flannel jammies on and pour myself a glass of wine. Time to relax:)

Monday, December 06, 2004

Monday......or more aptly named busy day;)

I finally got my ornament swaps mailed out. I really dislike standing on line at the post office. Especially for 30 minutes:/ *Sigh* At least they're mailed:-D

Tonight I'm doing Christmas cards. I've got family & friends done and will do the SAHP ones next. Luckily it is a small list this year, so my writer's cramp won't be too bad;)

I had grand plans to clean house today, but after the post office I had to go to Costco, Big 5 , Kohls, Wal Mart and Target, then to the grocery store. There was no time to clean house! Oh well, there is always tomorrow. I will have to get it finished early though, because Joseph and I will be working at Christmas Wish for a few hours before we go to CCD. I have a great project for the kids to do tomorrow....making Christmas message thingys to go on the fridge. They are Christmas trees with a clothes pin and magnet on the back.

I got 3 of my ornaments in the mail today (well, it could have been Saturday, because I didn't check the mail that day....) They are all beautiful:-) I love the swaps. Everyone is so talented. I wish I was. Its an easy kit for me......you know, ornaments for dummies ;-)


Hmm. PEZ opened a chat last night. I of course missed it. I will have to see when she opens the next one. I miss chatting:)


Sunday, December 05, 2004

Half a century?!?!?!

Holy cow.....when I think of it in those terms.....I could get seriously depressed. But I won't. I don't feel 50. (How is 50 supposed to feel, anyway?) I don't feel any different than I did on Thursday when I was still 49. People who know me say I don't look 50. People who don't know me all that well are surprised when I tell them how old I am.....even people who know me pretty well;)

Anyway.....about my birthday.

Chris had the day off, and he and and Joseph let me sleep in on Friday.....while they ran out to pick up flowers. They brought me a big cup of coffee, 2 birthday cards, flowers ....and a strand of real pearls. Real. Wow. It may have taken me 50 years to get real pearls, but they are worth the wait. Its gorgeous they are.

We went up to Folsom to the Hacienda for a late lunch.....home of the world's best seafood chimichangas, along with the world's best margaritas;-) After lunch (and 2 margaritas....hey, I deserved them both) we went shopping. I didn't see anything I wanted. Weird, I know.


We had a room at the Vagabond Inn in Sacramento, near where the guys were playing on Friday night. When we got back to the room, I changed and they dropped me off at the theater to meet C. I chatted with the boys for a few minutes before they got ready. C and S got me a box of handmade chocolates.....which I felt I had to share;-)

The show was wonderful. About halfway through, some woman yelled out that it was her friend's birthday, so the guys wished her a happy birthday. Then J said that the band was celebrating a special birthday that night. His speech made me tear up. He said that a special, long time friend of the band was celebrating a birthday. He said, "We love her and we honor her" and he asked everyone to give me a round of applause to wish me a happy birthday....and they put the spotlight on me. Then, right before they started singing Birthday, he blew me a kiss and said I love you. *Sniff*

After the show, and after C and I had sold everything we had at the merchandise table (we had a great night of sales, lol) we went back into the showroom while the guys were breaking down the equipment. J came over to me and wrapped me in a huge bear hug, and sang very softly in my ear. It was beyond sweet. I love all those guys a lot. I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life:-)