More adventures in fast food . ..

It would be reasonable to assume that since I am in the final three days of a national sales contest that pays big bucks, I would have more effective ways of spending my time than traveling back & forth to McDonalds & haggling with the staff. I usually bring my lunch (yogurt & fruit) to work & only occasionally get something out as a "treat" to go along with my iced tea. Yesterday, I decided to get an Asian chicken salad at McDonalds &, of course, my tea. It has mixed greens, beans, pepper strips, mandarin oranges, almonds & a great low fat ginger/sesame dressing. The other salads there are iceberg lettuce with very fattening dressings & contain things such as bacon that I don't consider low cal. Anyway, I have learned the hard way to always taste my iced tea in the drive-thru because about 25% of the time I am given tea with sugar instead of unsweetened. Now, in my mind, drinking calories is only appropriate when it's nutritious (juice) or contains alcohol, so the sweetened tea thing is totally unacceptable! I did not consider, however, that I should check my salad in the drive-thru. Upon returning to work I got my salad out, opened the dressing, & began adding it when I realized that both the salad & the dressing were not what I ordered. Since I had spend nearly 15 minutes in the drive-thru to get my lunch, I decided to return, park, & go inside. About ten minutes later someone did wait on me . . . two people actually . . . as I attempted to "exchange" my salad for the correct one. We had a conversation about how I might have just kept the salad if the dressing had been the ginger/sesame. Although it took at least another five minutes, I finally got my salad. Just to be on the safe side, I checked the dressing & found it was NOT the one I ordered. They then gave me the correct dressing. When I returned to work & opened the salad, I discovered that once again it was the wrong one! Tired of messing with it & disgusted, I was really no longer in the mood for a salad. I thought I would just wait until the lunch crowd dissapated at McDonalds & go get my money back. A few minutes later Jeff offered to do this for me, & I took him up on it. While he was gone I ate a protein bar for lunch. He came back a few minutes later with yet another salad--McDonals had refused (after THREE trips there) to return my money, but they did finally provide the correct salad. Since I had already eaten, I placed the salad in the fridge & decided I would take it home to have for dinner--which would have been a great plan had I not forgotten all about it until after I got home. Today I don't really even want to look at the damn thing!

Nesting Vicariously

Suddenly, yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks . . . Adam & Kelly could have their baby ANY DAY NOW! Kelly, one of the most organized people I know, is well prepared. She has somehow understood that she had nine months to get ready & has done so in a logical progression. On the other hand, I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time (unfortunately two of my sons have inherited this trait, one of whom is Kelly's husband). A sense of urgency came over me yesterday when, after 4 plus hours driving back & forth to Marietta with Adam to pick up a chest of drawers, I decided I absolutely must get back in the car & drive to Bridgeport to shop for Owen's birthday & pick up a "big brother" gift for Drew. I returned home about 7:30 & proceeded to stay up until nearly 2 AM to finish knitting the blanket for the new baby. Today after church I plan to tackle the laundry as I realized that I am nearly out of underwear! I had the thought that maybe Ryan & Renea would come in when the baby is born so I plan to clean up the house & change the sheets on the beds today. I can't imagine getting the call that Kelly is in labor & responding that I will be right there as soon as I wash & dry some underwear, run the sweeper, dust, change the sheets, etc. The flurry of activity for me would be entirely unnecessary if only I could have Kelly's organizational skills!

Power-less

Last Sunday afternoon about 4:00 I had come to a stopping point in my yard work just as the sky was getting dark & threatening. I decided to go in, take a shower, & go visit my dad. I quickly threw a load of clothes in the washer & went upstairs to shower. Suddenly the wind outside became almost a gale as rain was pouring down. Before I could get into the shower my power went off. I seldom lose power for any significant amount of time so I waited a few minutes hoping it would return. Unfortunately, the sky was so dark that inside my house it looked like the middle of the night. I decided to try a bath in the dark since I was filthy & would not be able to wash my hair since there was no way to dry it. I managed to bathe in the dark bathroom & felt a little better.

Since there was virtually nothing I could do at home, I thought I would just go to see my dad anyway. I went to call him & remembered that my phone is now bundled with my cable & internet & cannot be used without electricity. No problem, I'll just get my cell . . . dead battery! I decided to just go anyway, but I forgot that I needed to disengage my garage door. After I accomplished getting the door open (it's really heavy), I hopped in the car & started out. Yes, I decided to just leave it up while I was gone & lock the door inside leading to the house . . . probably not the best idea I've ever had, but I was desperate for something to do. Within seconds I was flagged down by an oncoming car & informed that the development road was closed. There was a power line lying in the road, & no traffic was allowed in either direction. I returned home, located a ladder in the dark garage, & climbed up to reach the garage door to lower it.

It's uncanny the number of times I attempted to do something that required power! For example, when I decided to make a turkey sandwich for dinner, I popped it right into the microwave to melt the cheese & at some point I attempted to turn on my ceiling fan! As the long evening stretched in front of me, I was both bored & frustrated & becoming increasingly hot due to the lack of A/C. I had a small window of communication as I could use my cell phone on it's charger in the car in the hot & dark garage. I attempted to knit by flashlight & could complete only a few rows. Then I tried to pack since I was leaving for Marietta the next day but couldn't see well enough to do that either. . . & many of the clothes I needed were still in the washer! Thank goodness for my portable CD player which did allow me to listen to some music when out of utter boredom I decided to just go to sleep. The next morning I was greeted by flashing clocks everywhere as power had been restored.

So much for saying no

The phone rings. A quick glance at my caller ID lets me know that the caller is someone from church . . . someone I know in no other context . . . someone who must be calling to ask me to do something at church. The temptation to just let the phone ring is almost overwhelming, but I realize that to ignore the call would just be postponing the inevitable. I pick up the phone automatically preparing my excuses for being unable to do whatever . . . summer is such a busy time at work, Adam & Kelly's baby is due in August, I have responsibilities with my dad . . . But I answer. I tell myself to just politely say no. The committee involves meetings, research, & writing an extensive report (Sign me up for some of that!) As my excuses begin to form an answer, he tells me he plans to have it all completed by September. Well, I think, I can stand anything for three months. I can hardly believe my ears as my answers escapes as "I guess I could help out with that."

Vaca(s) Report

Okay, so it's not much of a report so to speak, but here goes . . .

In June I took two vacations. Wow, that's pretty early in the summer to vacation . . . no traveling to look forward to in July or August. First, the whole family went to Deep Creek. We rented a four bedroom house with two living areas & two decks & pretty much used every inch of it. The first morning Owen, who was sharing a room with me, whispered loudly, "Nina, can we get up now?" It was 5 am!!! Yes, both boys are early risers, but the rest of the time 6 am was more the norm. So we found some fun things to do & some good places to eat. It's amazing that both Owen & Drew could be excited about spotting a chipmunk while taking a walk, but they were! Owen was old enough for the mountain roller coaster, race car driving, & mini-golf. Drew was quite satisfied with swimming & playing games in the arcade. Both kids are total fish in the pool!!! It's always wonderful to spend time with the kids & grandkids, but most especially when we are all together. I am so at peace when we are all sleeping under the same roof.

Vacation #2 was my annual girl week in St. Augustine. We played lots of tennis, exercised, read, knitted, & relaxed on the beach. We went out to a restaurant/bar to watch the NBA draft & cheer WVU's Joe Alexander. Cocktail hour (Trent has informed me that vacation is indeed an exception to the 5 o'clock rule) sometimes began at 4 pm & extended through dinner until bedtime. I accidentally bought three pairs of shoes--Yes, when I was deliberating between two pairs on the final night of our trip, I ended up getting both pairs. Later when I was packing to go home, I realized that I had also bought a pair of shoes earlier in the week! I can't begin to justify it, so I won't even try!

RIP Hoagie

We always had pets growing up . . . dogs, cats . . . the two most memorable were our English sheepdog, Bo Peep, & our miniature schnauzer, Corky. I remember how difficult it was to lose these beloved dogs as they were truly part of the family. Pets enrich our lives in so many ways & give us unconditional love. Today our dear Hoagie passed away. He was Ryan & Renea's yellow lab (& later Owen's too) for nearly thirteen years. I know their hearts are aching tonight. Although I did not used to be a fan of large dogs, this one won my heart immediately with both his playful antics and his sweetness. My first experience as a grandparent was taking care of Hoagie for a weekend--He came complete with three pages of instructions from his parents. Each time I made the trip to Marietta to visit, he greeted me enthusiastically. He often slept with me during my stay & also when he visited here. I know there are many special, lovable dogs out there, but the loss of this particular dog fills me with profound sadness. There is, I guess, a measure of comfort since his illness was sudden, & he did not have to suffer, but it is a huge loss! Hoagie, thanks for the love & joy you provided your family--You will be missed!!!
RIP--I love you!