Song/Video of the Day #64 Straight Up

1988 Paula Abdul at #64 with Straight Up

Song/Video of the Day - #65 I Want To Know What Love Is

#65 I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner from 1984

Song/Video of the Day - #66 Just Can't Get Enough

From 1981 Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough #66

Song/Video of the Day - #67 Keep On Lovin You

#68 Fight the Power by Public Enemy (1988) no video due to concern on the lyrics.  Good thoughts but we can do it without the language.

#67 REO Speedwagon's Keep On Lovin You (1980)

Song/Video of the Day - #69 It's The End of the World As We Know It

1980 R.E.M. It's the End of the World As We Know It #69

Song/Video of the Day - #70 I Love Rock N Roll

I think Joan's leather was too heavy, she was slouched alot in this video.  1981 at #70 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with I Love Rock n Roll.

Song/Video of the Day - #71 Super Freak

Still a little 70s in 1981 - Rick James with Super Freak

Song/Video of the Day - #72 One Thing Leads To Another

1983 #72 One Thing Leads To Another from The Fixx

Song/Video of the Day - #73 99 Luftballoons

#73 by Nena - 99 Luftballoons from 1983

Song/Video of the Day #75 Little Red Corvette/#74 Faith

#75 Was Prince with Little Red Corvette (1983) but it is almost impossible to find a video for it that is valid.

#74 George Michael with Faith (1987)

Song/Video of the Day #76 She Blinded Me With Science

1982 with Thomas Dolby, #76 She Blinded Me With Science

Song/Video of the Day - #77 Candy Girl

From 1983 New Edition brings us #77 Candy Girl

Song/Video of the Day ##78 Call Me

1980 brought Call Me by Blondie at #79

Millie - The Interview (Everything you needed to know about elves and Santa)

Erynn is being visited by a new elf this year.  Okie her elf from previous years has moved on to a younger child.  Erynn is now older and gets her own girl elf named Millie.  Yes, I lost Okie but whatever!  Anyway, Erynn wanted to know more about her elf so for three separate nights she left questions for Millie to answer.  So below is The Interview of Millie the Elf.  Might want to take notes just in case you need to know any of these things.

1. What's your favorite color?  Red
2. What's you favorite food?  Ice Cream
3. Who was your 1st owner?  A boy named John
4. Who are your elf friends?  Lillie, Sally and Okie
5. How many girl elves? Lots
6. What's your last name?  Elves don't have last names
7. How old are you? Elf years 19, little girl years 200
8. What's your Mom and Dad's name?  Sam and Mimi
9. What's your favorite sport?  I Love to Dance!
10. Do you have pets?  Yes
11. If you do, what's it's name and what animal is it?  Cat, named Feefee
12. Do you have toys?  Yes
13. Do you like to make toys?  Yes
14. What's your least favorite color?  Brown
15. Do elves go to school?  Yes, elf school
16. Is Jack Frost real?  Yes (this one kept her happy for a day)
17. How old is Santa?  This one is very old
18. When is Santa's birthday?  June 1
19. When is your birthday?  February 1
20. Do you have brothers and sisters?  Yes
21. If you do what is their names?  Billy and Tilly
22. Does Santa have kids?  No
23. What's Santa's real name?  Do not know
24. Sandman - boy or girl?  Boy
25. Tooth Fairy - boy or girl?  Girl
26. Easter Bunny - boy or girl?  Boy
27. Father Time - boy or girl? Boy
28. Mother Nature - boy or girl? Girl
29. I love you are you having a good time?  Yes
30. How many Santas have there been?  Not sure

You are a cutey pie!  - Thank you, you too!

Song/Video of the Day - #79 Don't You Want Me?

The Human League in 1981 gave us Don't You Want Me?

Song/Video of the Day - It Takes Two #80

Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock bring us #80 It Takes Two (1988)

Song/Video of the Day #81 Word Up

Word up by Cameo from 1986 

Song/Video of the Day - Tempted #82

May have been their only hit but a good one.  Squeeze gives us number 82 of the 80s - Tempted (1981)

Song/Video of the Day #84 - All Night Long (missed it)

From Lionel Richie, All Night Long (1983) - skipped it somehow.

Song of the Day - #83 Kiss

The actual video appears to be difficult to find but here is the song. Prince and the Revolution with Kiss from 1986 - #83

Song/Video of the Day - #85 Addicted to Love

We saw this one ALOT!  From 1985 Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer.

Song/Video of the Day - #86 I Want Candy

I Want Candy (1982) from Bow Wow Wow - Just Wow!

Song/Video of the Day #87 Rock Me Amadeus

Falco brought us Rock Me Amadeus #87 (1986) - catchy sound but lyrically another story.

Song/Video of the Day - #88 Ain't Nobody

#88 from the 80s is Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody (1989)

21st Anniversary

Twenty one years ago today this was us!  Our hair is not as dark or as thick and we wear our glasses all the time but we are still smiling most of the time!  Love my sweetie!

Song/Video of the Day - #89 Brass in Pocket

Wow!  Did not know this was the name of this song!  #89 of the 80s is Brass in Pocket by the Pretenders (1980).

Song/Video of the Day (yesterday) - #90 Wild Thing

Not my favorite and at the time I think we thought it was a little too much!  It isn't anything compared to what we see now.  #90 Tone-Loc performs Wild Thing (1989)

Song/Video of the Day - #91 Walking On Sunshine

From Katrina and the Waves - #91 Walking On Sunshine (1983)

Song/Video of the Day - #92 You Got It (The Right Stuff)

They are all grown up now.  #92 from New Kids on the Block - You Got It (The Right Stuff) - 1988

Song/Video of the Day - #93 Cars

Very odd!  #93 from Gary Numan - Cars (1980)

Song/Video of the Day - Start Me Up #94

#94 from The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up (1981)

Song/Video of the Day - Only in My Dreams #95

#95  From 1987, Debbie Gibson brought us Only In My Dreams.  This one is so typically 80s pop that you might almost feeled "gagged with a spoon."

Song/Video of the Day - #96 Down Under

#96 Men At Work - Down Under from 1982   Didn't we all hear this one more than we wanted.

Song/Video of the Day - #97 What I Like About You

#97 of the 80s - What I Like About You by The Romantics from 1980

Song/Video of the Day - My Perogative #98

#98 from the 80s Definitely an upbeat dancing tune.  From 1988 Bobby Brown's My Perogative.

Song/Video of the Day - Everbody Have Fun Tonight #99

#99 of the Top Songs of the 80s - Enjoy!  From 1986 Wang Chung's Everybody Have Fun Tonight.

Song/Video of the Day - Working For the Weekend #100

Appropriate for a Friday!  We will now go throught the top 100 from the 80s!  From 1981 Loverboy's Working for the Weekend.

Song of the Day - Jessie's Girl

Really was into the pink and purple he wore back then and also huge fan of General Hospital.

Things Erynn Says

"Mom you are the strong parent.  You are the builder of our family.  Daddy is the one who hands you the screws.  I am the hammer to help you.  The screws are filled with happy words, sad words, mean words, bad words, good advice and bad advice. We are building as a family and every piece of wood has something to do in our family. The screws answer it.  If they are not right your golden hammer when it touches the screws it turns them right." 

Kind of profound!

"So and so at school said that G said the s word.  I got no idea what the s word is, not the h word or the f word either.  These kids think I should know."  

I said well just ask them if they are asking about soup, flowers or hair.  

Song of the Day - Never Gonna Give You Up

The 80s continue!  Really liked his music back then.  How many of us were shocked when we first saw him?  Yes, the voice really did not match.

Song of the Day - Giving You The Benefit

Let the 80s begin!  There will be alot of songs coming from my teenage years to follow!

Song of the Day - Dirt

Song of the Day - Chicken Fried

Just because I am hungry!!

Song of the Day - Mirrors

Just a good song!

Song of the Day - Brave

Let's all be a little brave today!

Song of the Day - Don't Blink

Great song and an excellent reminder to keep in touch with what we have!

Song of the Day - My Home's In Alabama

One of my favorite songs.  I have lived in Alabama longer than anywhere else so it is my home.

Song of the Day - Shining Star

To some of my friends who will be moving forward today!  You are all shining stars!

Get Some Perspective-Ebola in History

Great article from Nat Geo.  You are more likely to die of Flu.

Graphic: As Ebola's Death Toll Rises, Remembering History's Worst Epidemics

Song of the Day - Remix

Was not a New Kids fan back in the day but this newer song by them is a toe tapper and quite fun!

Song of the Day - Mandolin Rain

Brings back great memories of TN State Beta Club Convention 1987.  We won State VP with our friend Mark Maxwell by using M&Ms.  All The World Loves M&M (Mark Maxwell)!  So much fun and this song played alot!

Song of the Day - Yesterday and Today

Yesterday

Today

Oops!  I missed this yesterday so you get Yesterday and Today.  Enjoy!

Song of the Day - Buddhist Chant

Appropriate as we are going to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama today.  May peace be with you.

Happy Birthday!

It has been 8 years since our little girl arrived and 15 since we started the effort to get her here!  She is such a joy and has kept me sane and moving forward.  I love her so!  Those of you still trying be assured that it is worth all the effort!

Song of the Day - Today Is Your Birthday

Happy Birthday to the beautiful girl who started this whole blog!  This Beatles version is hilarious!  Enjoy!

Song of the Day - Gone, Gone, Gone

Another rough day yesterday!  I keep losing people out of my daily life.  I am going to miss you all but you better stay in touch!  Who knows when it will be my turn.

Song of the Day - Automatic

This song really reminds me of when I grew up!  However, I am disturbed that in the video the mix tape was done in 1998.  Were we really still doing mix tapes then?

Song of the Day - Not A Bad Thing

Justin has become a favorite for me.  Erynn and I sing this one loud in the car!  Yes, we know all the words!

Song of the Day - How Country Feels

Decided I needed a song of the day to remind me to let it go and remember my good childhood. This one is by Randy Houser and is great for the country in us!

A Walk

Today during Erynn's acting class, I  decided to take a walk around the block. It turned into more than a block and a nice walk down memory lane.  I bet some of you know where I was.

The beginning-Erynn's acting class location.  

View down the street.

View up the street.

Lovely church at the corner.

Pretty serious about their parking.

Where Scott and I got married!

Yes, this is next door now. Would have been more helpful then.

I worked here when we were married almost 21 years ago.  

Name of the place!  Once had to chaperone and clean up for an Auburn party!  Still tired from it.

The room we were married in - called the Savannah Room is now a salon.

Spots along the path!

You never know what you will see if you look down!

Back to class.

Where I worked on this post.  I really miss a good swing on a front porch!

Take some time.

Pick a block.

Take a walk.

You never know what you might find.

What Do I Want To Do With My Life?

When I was in high school and even in college, this life that I now lead was definitely not what I had planned.  I honestly don't think any of us are the rock stars, writers, actresses or concert pianist we thought we would be.  However, more and more I have been considering what it is I would truly love to be doing with my life besides being a mom.  I think that because I am not doing what I would love to do and have a passion for that it makes the rest of my life seem dimmer somehow.

My job is not difficult in a physical way.  Mostly right now it is difficult mentally and spiritually. Often while working I think about how little I am providing to the world.  This ain't rocket science or brain surgery!  As has been apparent this week, none of us here are irreplaceable.  It could happen at any time and has happened for some good people already.  So based on that, there is very little passion for me in what I do.  Maybe it was there before, I just don't remember.

I see people in our office who do have passion but truly most of the time it is for something outside of our work.  It is a hobby or something else that means more to them.

So what do I really want to do with my life?

I read some things today that made me think differently and helped take limitations away.

If I had a billion dollars what would I do with my life?  Of course, I would move to the beach and get the best condo or house ever, read for days and eat loads of seafood.  But after about a month or so then what?

I once wanted to be a published writer.  But if that is truly my passion, why am I not writing everyday.  Is it because it is not the writing I want to do but the things surrounding it like being able to set my own hours and having people read what I write?

I went to college and planned on getting my doctorate in historical preservation or archaeology. However, I am not digging in dirt or visiting every historical site I can find.  I do still feel a passion for the knowledge in these areas and I think too often I let what I have to do (work, clean house, play with daughter) give me an excuse not to move forward.  There are not a lot of local dig sites either! But ultimately that is still an excuse!

I desperately do not want to be constantly yearning for retirement.  I want to enjoy my time now especially with my family.  So what do I really want to do?  Still contemplating.  Taking suggestions if you have them.

Listening to Your Children

First of all, let me say this is being written to remind me to be better at this not to pick on anyone I know.  I actually had a dream last night about writing this post so obviously I need it too!

I keep hearing from my mom friends that they worry about the communication that occurs between their children and dads.  Dads try to be funny but sometimes don't understand that what is funny to them might be scary from the child's view.  Kids see things so much more black and white and trust you so much that they believe what you say and it takes them until they are older to understand the sarcasm.  

I have talked to dads and moms that admit that there are times they do not hear what their children are saying. They start to tune out the words their children speak.  We all do it from time to time!

Parents, take a moment and think how you would feel if you wanted to tell someone something very important to you and that person had their head in some kind of phone, computer or tablet and never looked up. Would you be frustrated?  Then let's not expect less from our beautiful children. 

It is so important in this day and age that we put focus on our children and listen to them.  They need to feel comfortable to tell us anything and if they feel we are not going to listen they will stop talking.  One day before long they will be at a stage where they will not want to talk to us anyway and that is when we will want to hear from them the most.  Build the relationship now while they are young so you don't lose it later.

Take some time with your child today without some kind of device or other distraction. Hug them next to you. Focus on their smiling faces and listen to every word. You might learn something. 

Downpour!

This week was a downpour!  Between dealing with crazy things at work and having a sick child, it was definitely outside of the norm.  The meditation seemed to help me get through it all.  However, it is never easy when your thoughts are with your child.  She had a fever and headache every night for a week.  We visited the doctor on Thursday and she tested negative for strep and we were told to wait a few more days to see if it cleared up.  Today she woke up fine and had not had the headache again but got a call that she did actually have strep.  Apparrently you can be negative for a quick test but positive for one that takes longer!  Who knew?!  Because of her illness I canceled our first Girl Scout troop meeting of the season and plans with my family.  So today I feel strange because all of my plans changed and now I am dealing with a mist instead of a downpour.  Will be helping my brother with some medical things on Monday but it looks like we might be heading back to a more scheduled land! Might close the umbrella but may keep it next to me!

Sharing

Have had many thoughts of what to post over the last couple of months but have not been able to get it down for some reason.  The direction of this blog will be changing a bit mainly because my thought processes are changing.  I am making a concerted effort to be more mindful and focused on what I am doing at the time.  It is hard because my mind goes many different directions.  I am meditating again fairly consistently and it seems to be helping me with this.  I am more relaxed and less bothered by things.  I hope as I continue that I will also make my thoughts into my life by encouraging my body to heal.  Placebo affect works - your mind can change your life!  

Watch this video if you want to know more.  I will be sharing more of these and other things I am learning.  I can not guarantee that I will be here all the time but I will DO better.  My friends have seen my latest motto which is from Yoda.- Do or Do Not There is No Try!

Talk more later!

Remembering

Today tears hit my eyes only because I smelled fresh cut grass.  Tears almost always happen in that situation.  It happened so fast today that it shocked me.  You are wondering why this happens.  When I was young I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, especially with my mother's.  I think all of my cousins had at least one trip on the lawn mower in their front yard.  My grandfather liked things done right and the yard had to be done a very specific way.  Honestly looking back on it, I am amazed he even allowed us on the mower.  He would stand out in the yard and direct us and tell us what we did wrong.  But he let us do it and he helped us.  He taught me so many things and spent time with all of us when we were there.  I was one of the lucky ones who got to spent a good bit of my childhood with him.

So today smelling fresh cut grass sent me back for a moment and reminded me of the gift that I received of quality time.  This week has been difficult in so many ways but remembering my grandfather helped me put things in perspective.  It is not what we do but that we are there in the time we spend together.

Face Plant

Yes, this is how I looked a couple of weeks ago.  Walking into work with a drink and my purse, my shoe heel rolled over and I landed on the concrete.  Since then my hands have been sore.  Like I need that!  So it appears that based on comments with my other friends with neuropathy that falling is pretty common!  Yeah!  Luckily I am feeling better and my essential oils have helped!   

Healing Meditation

Good article on dealing with pain!

Healing Meditation

The Gerson Miracle

I have heard about this before but watched the video last night.  If you have a friend, family member or just know someone with cancer you might want to recommend they learn about this.  


Did you know that in the USA no doctor is allow to treat cancer with anything other than chemotherapy, surgery or drugs?  We are on the only country that set such a requirement. Because of this if you want to be involved in other treatments you have to go to foreign countries where insurance can not help you.  


This video will open your eyes to other treatments and how people are surviving without US medicine. I am an American and proud of it but we really need to stop the drug companies from allowing us to die.

Weak Days

Days like today I call my weak days!  These are days were I hurt all over and can not find a way to be comfortable.  

I am weak...

• in the knees
• in my feet while they tingle
• in my hands that are swollen
• in my head that is burning
• in my legs that have a hard time moving
• in my brain that is pushed to focus
• in my heart that just wants to be still and not move

It is very hard to get through and past the weak days.  I keep trying new things and pushing myself to just accept and move on.  However, there is a part of me that thinks maybe I am trying too hard and hurting myself more.  I feel like I need to be there always for my daughter, my husband and my work and so often the quality of being there is not very good!  How do I find a way to give myself the rest I need and still be there for everyone who needs me? 

I do not know maybe one day I will find it!

The Last Water Bottle

You all know that I can be over the top from most people about this kind of thing but maybe I am a just the voice of the minority for now.  I have put off watching Tapped for quite a while.  I think it was because I knew it would tell me that bottled water is crazy and unneccessary.  And like others I get them sometimes because it is easy!  However, above is a picture of my last bottled water.  After watching this film I have learned that municipal (tap) water is more regulated and tested than any bottled water and that most bottled water comes out of the tap anyway.  One person at the FDA back in 2007 was regulating bottled water and she had other things to do too just like the rest of us.  So, I will be replacing the filter in my lovely bottle you saw recently and maybe just drinking from the tap based on what you will see in the attached documentary. Be aware that you may also want to watch your bottles and remember that we now have places in the ocean that are called plastic garbage areas. Overall, ugh!  Bye Bye bottled water!

Tapped - The Documentary on Bottled Water

The Chair

This is my new desk chair.  I have been using it for about a month now.  I tried just an excercise ball before but balancing on it caused me to knock my head on the wall once so I gave that up.  I had seen these before but they were a little too pricy.  Found this one on sale so I brought it to work.  As you can see it has wheels and some back support.  I can tell you that after a month I have better posture, stronger thighs and improved knees.  Most people have not even noticed it because it moves around with me.  Occassionally I do some yoga moves on it.  Also, it is fun to bounce on sometimes!  

You can always use a little fun at work!  Try one out sometime.

The End of Detox

Right around day 7 is where I started letting the detox go a little.  I started adding in a few carbs, less of the detox bath but continued to watch what I ate.  I think the detox did a good thing.  It kick started me into feeling better and realizing that if I really changed a few things that I could make that continue.  So now 13 days after the start, I am still drinking only water or lemonade as everything else is just too sweet.  I am eating less bread and still have not really had cheese (which is major folks).  I am eating grilled items and vegetables and more salads.  What the detox did was make me think more about sugar in my life and watching what I eat of it.  I have consistently been updating my intake at myfitnesspal.com during this and am happy that I am mostly still eating under my calorie goals everyday and am doing some exercise.  

The best part however, is that my knees feel much better and I don't feel so creaky!  Also, I have some energy back!  During this I lost 10 pounds but have gained about 2 back.  

I hope to keep moving foward but now with a better knowledge of what affects me and what I should be eating.  I may do the detox again over time with less days but my hope is that I can keep limiting the sugar which should help the detox not be so rough in the future.  

Thanks to all of my friends and family who helped me get through the rough first days!  You can do it too and it will help you feel better!

Day 6 - Ready to Get to the End

OK, this diet had helped me feel some better and learn to watch sugar in things.  However, I still miss flavors and some sweetness.  I am controlling cravings mostly and know that I will do better with food than I have in the past.  I am just ready to add some things back like even beans other than green.  

Day 5 - Feeling Better

Well, it is true there is a tipping point.  I think it might be today.  I will be honest I have not been a strict follower but only in that I have added a carb at lunch for yesterday and today.  Otherwise I have been at 1000 calorie days, have lost 7 pounds and my knees are not as sore.  Maybe this thing does work!  We will see how it goes for the next 5 days but it appears to be getting easier. 

Thanks to all of my supporters for encouraging me and laughing with me!  Keep thinking about me and eat your vegetables.  Oh and watch the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead because he was tough and you will learn alot about how we should all eat better!

Day 3/4 - Pain and Suffering

Day 3 Nightmare of emotions and frustration.  Food not the problems just how it makes me feel.

Day 4 Continuing nightmare of emotions and frustration.  Gave in and had some carbs.  Felt better for awhile but still feel like I have the flu.

This better improve soon!

Day 2 - Willpower

Day 2 was ok but cooking for others made it hard!  I survived not only bacon but also a trip to Moe's for dinner.  Scott and Erynn were great about letting me rest and not do too much but I still felt like I was focusing on food alot.  Ten days seem like a long way away!

10 Day Detox Diet - Day 1 Harder Than I Thought

Started my 10 day detox diet yesterday.  I felt good about it because I had been doing parts of it already.  However, the toughest part was between meals and after dinner.  I am not a sweet eating person every day but this diet also limits what I can have as far as gluten, etc.  So crackers, popcorn, etc are out for the 10 days but can be added back later.  It was tough for me not to have some of those items.

I started the day with the shake they suggested for breakfast.  Nasty!  People online agreed with me too so I did my own version without sugar but with more flavor.   I had almonds as a snack and then a large salad for lunch.  Dinner was sauted salmon with vegetables and salad.  All very good things for me. Oh yeah I had over 100 ounces of water too!  The bathroom saw me a good bit.  Beyond that the diet asks you the measure yourself everyday, do 30 minutes of some exercise (yoga for me), journal these things including sleep patterns and take a detox bath everynight.  Let me just say the detox bath really hit me hard.  I was great after it but I fell asleep almost immediately and it made me sleep for a lot longer than usual.  I guess this is a good thing but never expected that to happen!

So today my measurements have changed but will not post until the end because there was a major surprising change today that just really can not stand up!  Maybe my eyes are misreading!

The Winter of Our Discontent

Wow!  It has been tough since January 1.  We have had lice, illness, snow storms with sleepover at school and work, illness, wind storms with siding damage and now two coughers and one with strep throat - ME!  This winter has been crazy!  I usually get by on one maybe two days off before spring break instead there will be no spring break for Scott and I due to all of this mess.  Luckily my wonderful mother in law will be coming to spend time with Erynn while we work that is unless another illness takes over.

I have had enough!

I spent today after my strep diagnosis cleaning with gloves on the crevices of the bedroom to protect my babies from getting it.  I am diffusing all over with Purification right now and my antibiotics should be in good by tomorrow this time so that we can all live together again.

I have now had to do this cleaning thing at least 4 times a this year!  Maybe someone is telling me something!

At least today gave us a hint of spring, so my windows are open to let out the bad air and let in the good.

If Shakespeare is right maybe this is the end of our unhappiness.

Granddad - Miss Him

This time of year is when I miss my Granddad Harper the most.  His birthday was on February 19 and because mine is on the 15th we almost always celebrated together.  For the past 7 years it has been hard not to be able to do that.  He passed away within a couple of weeks of Erynn's birth and he never got to see her personally but he saw pictures and he knew how important he and my Grandmother were to me.  Erynn's full name is Erynn Rowan Harper Perry - she carries on for them with her name which he knew also.  I tell her often about where her name came from and how great they were to me when I was growing up.  She has their spirit so I will always have them with me.

44 - New Year, New Me

I tend to over expect.  I expect people to treat me the way I treat them but that does not always happen. I really wanted my 44th birthday yesterday to be a day of less.  Less clean up, less cooking etc.  Well it actually turned out to be more of those things but some of that was my decision so I will let that go. Going forward into the next half of this life, I will work harder to expect less and just continue to give as I would anyway without expecting anything back.  That of course is opposite to what you normally do.  I want the next half to be more about grounding, centering, focusing and helping.  More and less about me.  More about taking time for myself and less about focusing on my own pain.  The 44th year will be a time of change, being brave and helping others.  Looking foward to it!

2014 The Year of Forced Knowledge

So far 2014 has been difficult.  I am calling it the year of Forced Knowledge because I have been required in the first month of the year to learn how to handle things that either I have never dealt with or have not in a quite awhile.  It began with three day lice event that Erynn and I both had to handle.  That was awful and we ended up having to get professional assistance from The Lice Place to finally rid ourselves of it.  We barely got past that and settle before the Snowpocalyse came and we had to learn how to handle sleeping overnight in strange places, stomping through snow and sliding on ice.  Now we are dealing with family colds all at once.  Usually we spread those out.  Anyway, I have enough forced knowledge, I will be glad to stop that and just choose what I want to learn about again!

Snowmaggedon, Snowpacolypse or Whatever...

(parked cars that could not get up the hill at an interstate exit near us)

Last week was a bit crazy!  No one expected to leave their homes in my area on Tuesday morning and not make it back home that night.  However, many of us went through that very thing.  I thought I would share my experience even though it was much better than some.

Our area weather man is excellent and is very rarely wrong but this one he missed by a 100 miles or so.  He completely prepared the area south of us but we were told it would be fine.  Wrong!  Admittedly we have been very cold down here in the South for most of the winter which is strange for us.  This lead to very cold roads already.  Then around 9am the snow began and instead of stopping in the hour it was expected it went on until 2pm.  By 11am if you had not already left it was too late.  Schools had closed but could not get the buses out so they were asking parents to get their even sooner but the roads were already blocked.  Then the worry set in for many parents including myself because if we could not get there what would happen to our children. Inately we knew the school officials would not put them outside but you still wanted to see your baby!  By 2:30pm I was a mess because Scott had tried to get out of his area (only one exit up from me) and had not been able to.

You see you always think that if you are in control then you can get it done and so I just decided that I would try myself.  I managed to get through the hills and and valleys around my office and got close to Scott's office when I called him and he walked over to me.  However, the area around his office was a mess and we had to get help from another gentleman who pushed us up a hill.  I thought my brakes, transmission and traction control were gone but we made it.  Then we made three attempts at different ways just to get to interstates and by 5:30pm we had not gotten more than 5 miles away so we headed back to Scott's office.

I finally got through the Erynn's school and they assured me that she would be taken care of.  She was having hot dogs, watching movies and playing games.  This helped me calm down some and we hooked up with some others at the office and found a place that was serving chicken and burgers that normally only served sushi!  Not that I had a problem with sushi.

The rest of the evening as it went down to 5 degrees, was spent on the phone and computers checking out what was happening, sleeping on the floor, desk or sitting in a chair and/or eating snacks. It was a long long night and not alot of sleeping actually happened!  On Wednesday morning, we had reached our limit and braved the roadway.  It took us a couple of hours to make a trip that normally takes 45 minutes.  However, not bad considering there were friends who spent 12 hours on the road just to get a few miles.  It appears we were headed in the right direction, away from the accidents and problems.  

We got to Erynn around lunch and she was happy to head home too.  We made it into our subdivision but only far enough to park the car after sliding a bit.  We then walked the half mile to a mile to our house and collapsed once we got in.  Showers, food and naps were great!  

Just so you know we do not usually over react like this for 2 inches of snow but it was ice under that snow!  This is the South we do not spend money on things we do not use but every few years so ice closes us up.  

The best part as always is how people helped each other.  There were so many stories of people stopping to help, taking people in even if they did not know them, and just general shows of support.   For these reasons, I am very glad to live where I do!  

I think all of my friends and family have finally made it home since it was 70 degrees yesterday!  How crazy!

Feel free to share your stories, too!