Showing posts with label LIFE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LIFE. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I Would Die For That

Just popping in real quick.. I'm about to head to bed but I found this video again and wanted to post it. I saw it awhile back and it really hits home for me.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hurricane Ike

Hi all!! Wow.. what a few days I have had...
Ok so I lived in Mississippi, which if you've been following my blog then you already know. If not then short history/reminder: I was born in Louisiana but grew up in Byram, MS. It's about 20 minutes from the capital, Jackson, and about 4 hours from the coast.
So in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit I was lucky enough to be 4 hours from the worst parts of it but still way too close!! We more or less had a hurricane party and sat outside drinking and watching the wind blow like crazy lol. Seriously, we were REALLY lucky. Justin and I lived in Ridgeland, MS at the time in some apartments. My parents (still in Byram) lost power for 2 weeks! My brother, who lives only a mile down the road from them, was without power for even longer. Ours however just flickered on and off a few times, the longest it stayed off was 5 minutes. Our roommate's dad is Mr. Turkey Leg (if you go to the fair you've seen the booth) and he was feeding the power company on our fair grounds so we had TONS of left over yummy food. Everything was closed because of the power outage so really without that food we wouldn't have had anything. So since we had power AND food and were apparently the only people anywhere close to us with power the police department came and ate at our apartment LOL. We knew one of them and he brought his friends along. The worst part was NO ONE had gas for the longest time. There were lines at the gas stations for miles and about 2 hours to actually get to the pump if you did get in line and by the time you did get to the pump they were out of gas. We again got lucky though. My dad has a construction company and needed gas because they had double the jobs from all of the hurricane damage. He drove to Louisiana and found some gas there and bought 300 gallons! So my mom brought Justin and I gas so we could get to work and such once power was back on everywhere. So yeah Katrina wasn't horrible for us but definitely a tradegy for most of the coast/south. So anyway we moved to Texas and never in a million years did I think I'd have to deal with hurricanes where we are.
First there's Gustav... they built it up so much here and made it sound like it was going to be like Katrina. Everyone here freaked out and prepared for the worst. Basically we had some rain and that was it. So when they started talking about Ike we kinda ignored it since they made such a big deal out of Gustav and nothing happened. Then I started watching the news and they said Ike was only a category 3 I think but apparently it was such a complex storm that they were expecting a lot from it. So again I'm more than 4 hours from where this storm is hitting so I'm not too worried. We watched the news all day Saturday and Galveston really got hit hard and Houston looks HORRIBLE. I feel so sorry for all of those people. By late Saturday afternoon we hadn't had anything but a little rain and were making plans to go out and do stuff lol. Then my lights start flickering. We are like wtf?! It's not even bad and the lights are going out?! After about 4 times of flashing off and back on the lights went off and we waited... waited... yeah no lights... My husband is a big baby and is like what am I going to do without tv?! I just grabbed a book and a flashlight and sat down lol. He started calling all of his friends and his dad to see if they had power. No one did. His friend Danny came over and we were just sitting in the dark talking. Then it sounded like the bottom fell out of the sky! It was so sudden and random spurts but the rain and wind just went crazy. Hurricane Ike was actually Tropical Storm Ike by the time it hit us. The center of it hit about 45 minutes from us and then turned and went above us so we got every side of it as is turned around us. It was actually worse than when Katrina went through Jackson as far as the wind and stuff goes. A few trees fell in our apartment complex, some are still leaning over buildings (not ours though) so I hope they cut them down before they fall. We went with Danny and his girlfriend and drove around town and it was pitch black everywhere. Trees were all over the roads and debris everywhere. We saw a few roofs and stuff missing from houses. I don't think we had any deaths here so that's great but there's plenty of damage.
Anyway there was nothing to do so Justin found one of his friends that did have power that was a little further out of town. We went over there and ate and they played video games. We just hung out there til about 1 a.m. or so. We came home, still no power. So we went to bed and Justin got up and went to work this morning. I slept pretty late but when I got up we had power. :)
I ended up going to watch Zachary (little boy I nanny for) because his parents still didn't have power and they wanted to get out of the house. They had a generator hooked up so they had a tv, fans, refrigerator, freezer, and a few lights working. Their stove is gas so that was working too. They ended up going to see a movie since they found a theater open. I was at their house for a few hours and just when I was getting ready to give Zach a bath their power came back on too.
So I guess they are doing a good job at getting all the power and stuff back on here. They said they are doing the center of town and businesses first then working their way into neighborhoods. Good thing we are in the center of town or we could be without power for a few more days. I hope they are working this quickly in Houston and stuff too so those people can get back home. I hope this is for hurricanes around here this year too. They seem to be following me everywhere I go lol!!
Because of my little hurricane experience I'm sooo behind on everything! I had so much stuff to get done too. I'm off work half the day tomorrow so I may be able to get some stuff done but I'm not sure. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have a new collab being released and a freebie to go with it so check back!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Just checking in...

Hello all! I'm just checking in so you know I haven't forgotten about you! :)
Justin and I worked everything out while I was visiting and decided I should move back home with him (Yay!) so Monday I got what I could in my car, which is just enough clothes for a week or so and all my bathroom stuff (yeah that took up most of the car lol), oh and my sweet puppy! We're going back soon to get everything else but it has to be when Justin has some time off work or when his friend is off so we can take his truck. Things are going great though! I haven't gone to look for a job yet but I have to next week :( I've really been enjoying being a stay at home wife lol. I've kept the house sooo clean and cooked every single night... so I hope he doesn't expect all of that when I get a job again. He probably will though... *sigh*.
Really I'm quite lucky because Justin has always been great about helping around the house. He can't take out the trash which sucks... Ok I have this mental image now so I'll let you all get a lil giggle out of it too. My husband is paralyzed, as I've mentioned before, so picture a guy in a wheelchair with a huge FULL trash bag in his lap, tie strings in his mouth, Yes I said IN HIS MOUTH, balancing the bag while trying to roll down a ramp to the huge trash bin outside... it's ok... I know you want to laugh lol I did! So after that experience I'm a nice lil wife and I take the trash out lol. He does do all of the laundry though because I HATE doing that! A/w, he really does help out but I've been spoiling him the past few days and doing everything.
I was thinking of looking for a nanny job.... I could take care of cute lil kids and straighten up around the house and get paid! Sounds good to me lol. Or because I do plan on going back to school as soon as I get accepted I was thinking of another restaurant job? I worked for the Darden company (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc) for almost 3 years so I might try that again. I'd have a nice vacation check coming up soon when I hit my 3 year mark and they have pretty good insurance :) Any ideas from anyone? LOL I'm pretty flexible when looking for a job.. I just don't like being bored! Yeah... I'm babbling now.... lol...
Anyway... that's all that's going on in my "real" life as of now. I am working on a collab with another designer that should be done pretty soon! I'm super excited about it and I'll tell you all more about it later (when I know more LOL)! For now I'm going to fix myself breakfast! Later!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Freebie and Semi MIA

Hi all! I don't have very much time.. still super busy around here. Plans for moving have calmed down some but now I REALLY have to get packed and super fast. But I had time to get a freebie made for you... I actually did most of it last night but didn't have time to post it. So here it is...
There's 4 flowers and 4 buttons, preview is not to scale lol I was in a hurry. I tried my hand at some stitches and this is what I came up with :)

I also wanted to mention for those that are interested in my blinkies that I'll be slightly MIA until I get completely moved and settled. I would still be more than happy to help you out with your blinkie needs but it just may take longer to fill a request. Just shoot me an email at blinkies4you (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll let you know a time frame and such.

I will be without internet for a short time while we move, hopefully a VERY VERY short time otherwise I might go crazy lol. I'll be able to go to a relatives house to get on some but not too much. So sorry if there's a lack of freebies in the upcoming weeks :( I'll try and make up for it later!

Oh and can't forget the wonderful Valentine's Freebie kit I'm doing with the same ladies that did Whimsical Wonderland... It should be out the first week in February! Everything created so far is just amazing!! IF I'm not here for some reason I promise my part will still get released... moving or not!! ;)

Gotta call the hubby and head to bed so I train my replacement tomorrow! *Muah*

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Had a bad day again....

Morning all, or shall I say afternoon! It's the weekend so I slept late... my favorite thing (other than Justin of course). I absolutely HATE waking up early. I know sleep is different for everyone but it seems to be therapeutic for me. There's nothing a little sleep can't heal... well almost lol. So yep the weekends are my time to stay up all night and sleep all day! Yes, I'm backwards. I keep telling myself to find a night job again.. Note to self: Look for night job once you move to Texas! Anyway, I have to vent for a few and then I'm off to design some fun things! ;)

First, my non venting section of the post: Thank you all soooo much for all of the comments you've left me! I read EVERY single one of them on my comments and on the actual downloads. It really makes my day to read them so thank you for the taking the time to leave them for me! I'm glad you're all enjoying my freebies!!

Second, venting portion lol: Ok, ever feel like EVERYTHING is falling apart? Yesterday was one of those days for me!! Work was rather quiet for the first few hours so I should have known something was coming. Then of course a job that we did, that I did specifications for, was ALL wrong. The state sent back a 2 page letter of everything that has to be fixed... know what needed to be fixed? The Specifications!! A lot of it was nitpicking but we had one major problem that I don't know how we're going to fix, not really my fault at all, but a problem. I feel bad for Cyndi (who is taking my place at work) b/c if we don't get it figured out before I move then she's stuck with fixing it. :( Well that was bad news but not enough to ruin my day, right?! So of course Justin calls with a million things that have gone wrong with us moving to Texas. I don't even know if I can get into it all or I'll get all stressed out. He doesn't understand why I get so stressed b/c he said it doesn't solve anything, just stresses him out too b/c I'm stressed lol. He's very laid back for the most part and well I'm just NOT about that sort of stuff. I can be laid back about A LOT, but when it comes to packing up my whole life and moving it to another state, leaving half of it behind (my family, friends, JOB!), then I want a very thought out plan that will WORK!
Bad news: Justin tried getting a loan to get something off our credit from 2004 (old apt. complex) and he was denied. His best friend was going to go get one but can't get off work. Well that means we can't pay the bill off, we can't get an apt. in Texas. He thinks this is no reason to stress? Second, the job he had well... they ran a background check and misdemeanor came up for driving with a suspended license, so they can't hire him for 90 days?! WTF?! For one I didn't know that was a misdemeanor! I also had NO clue he had that on his record. He got a bunch of tickets a few years ago and they suspended it. We paid all the fees and got it taken care of. He's gotten 2 jobs since then w/ background checks, nothing came up. So why now?! So.. that job is out. The lady felt AWFUL b/c they really wanted him to work there and it was just a suspended license. So she told him to come back in 90 days and she could get him through no matter what. After those 2 things I was ready to just come home and sleep the rest of the day away. Well then he adds that b/c of the stuff on our credit, even if we pay it off, the apt. complex wants another 300 bucks for a deposit and I already paid them 150!! At that point I just wanted to cry and then sleep the day away lol.
So ready for the small good news? Here goes: We can't get a loan by ourself b/c we screwed up our credit in our early, non married days. A year or so ago my dad helped me get a small loan for school and it will be paid off in 2 months. So I called my dad and asked him if he'd help me get another one for school (in Texas). He said yes but not right now. So I told him I needed it by March 15 and I'm going to push for getting it next week. He's sick and told me to talk to him later when he feels better but he'd help me get it. Awesome, so now if I can talk him into doing it next week I have money to pay off the bill and the extra deposit, but what about school? Well Justin got his disability set back up in Texas and within 2 months we're getting back payments and such and we'll get about 10 grand! So then I'll have money to pay off the loan my dad helps me get, pay for school, and still pay off our other bills and we'll be debt free, other than my car. So that made me feel better.. now I just really have to talk my dad into going next week to get the loan lol.
Did I mention I miss Justin sooooooo bad? I'm so not used to this and I feel so bad for the women that have to be away from their husbands like this often for military or whatever reason. It's just miserable!! Like when I stress out, normally he hugs me/holds me and I just feel better, cheesy I know, but he just has that effect on me. Of course I talked to him on the phone when I was worried yesterday and he made me feel better but it's just not the same. 2 more weeks before I can be with him all the time again :(
Oh and I can't forget... I have SUPER good news!! I'm not sure of all of the details yet but Texas has a mandate to offer infertility treatments under insurance. Which from what I've read so far it's usually bigger companies (50 employees or more) and they have to offer it and it covers IVF (usually one cycle). Justin said he thought the mandate to "offer" also only applied to those that NEED it in order to have children. I also read they have a petition for mandate to COVER which would mean all health insurances would have to cover it. Anyway, the place Justin wants to work (go back in 90 days job) and the one he'll probably work for until then both have over 50 employees. So anyone live in Texas and know ALL the details on this? If I can get insurance that will cover it OMG that would make EVERYTHING worth it to move there!
So did you make it this far? lol if so good for you b/c I don't know that I would have!! Ok I took way too much time spilling my guts. I feel better though ;) I'll be back later with some more fun stuff!