Stats Suck Sunday

It's time for that time-honored tradition. Stats Suck Sunday. Bullet points. Makes it quicker to read on a Sunday when you feel too lazy to read.

• This a pic Amanda took in Germany in 2006 when she interned for a summer for and iWitness missionary.
• Ted is flying to the center of the state of Washington for a face-to-face interview next Monday. For the director of a rural health clinic. Long way from home....Prayers, please.
  
• Went to a nearby (an hour away) lake yesterday for a little fellowship with other recovering addicts & families. Ted drove & a friend of mine rode down with us.
• Got a little sunburned on the back of my arms & neck. Thought I was in the shade! Didn't get in the water, but watched others in the water, on the boats, on the jet skis. Lots of good food!
• Heard a couple of people from the Lubbock area talk about recovery. One was a young (23) lady who is passionate about recovery & the availability of recovery for people her age.
• Amanda decided she met some women this week that should audition for "Housewives of Dallas"!
  
• Had 2 inches of rain in under an hour last night (before we got home) that flooded parts of I-40. It was closed until the water cleared & stranded vehicles were removed.
• I turn 52 on Wednesday. Sometimes I feel older. A box from Crate & Barrel came, but I'm not allowed to shake it or open it until my birthday. My daughter LOVES Crate & Barrel. Hmmm, wonder who it's from?
• Wish I was going to DisneyWorld with Evan for my birthday this week! Ha!
• I can't ride the roller coasters anymore, so not sure about what to do there!
  
• We have 5 walk-in closets with 20 years worth of stuff to clean if we have to move. Boo. To both cleaning closets & moving. I don't like change. Especially big changes.
• Love listening to my Dallas RAWRS. Could listen to Brother Bart all day long. "I love you Lord, and I lift my voice..."

Will try to post a PPT. No excuse for not doing it last week.
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Stats Suck Sunday

It's Sunday. It's Father's Day. It's my anniversary.

• Father's Day. It's a little sad for me because I am estranged from my parents today. It makes it kind of hard, but the energy I used to put in to worrying about my parents is better used in living my life. For me. For my family.
  
• Amanda gave Ted a Roberto Clemente card that he's had his eye on for a while. She called & talked to Ted's buddy that has a sports memorabilia store & I picked it up. He was excited.
• Today marks 23 years of marriage. It was a beautiful day except it was very windy. Time flies when you're having fun! I can go wild at Barnes & Noble with my present. I got Ted a box of freshly made nonpareils (sno-caps) for his gift. Dark chocolate. Made here in town.
  
• He got excited because he thought it meant we were going to the movies! Not today, dear.
  
• Long day for me. Meeting at 12:30. Area meeting at 2. Graduation party at 6:30. A friend's son graduated with his Masters over the weekend. In Milwaukee. Party here.
  
• Think we are done with rain for a few days! Whew. Could almost hear ark workers this past week.
• Still no job offers for either of us....

Everyone have a blessed day.

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Positive Post Tuesday

Wow! It worked, it really worked. I stole this benice (be nice) symbol from this guy who really like Positive Post Tuesday. He wants to take PPT to another level by using '+' after tweets, FB entries, comments, etc. The '+' signifies a positive post. Using a '-' means not so positive a post. So here is my positive post for today.
As many of you know I am an addict in recovery. 706 days today. In a little over 3 weeks I will have 2 years. I am very much involved in a 12 step program. I have a sponsor, I attend meetings, I do service work (chair meetings, etc), and I work the steps. Sort of. I have been lax in working the steps. I hate to write. Always hated essay questions on tests. Hated writing term papers. God elbowed me in the ribs a couple of weeks ago and it "suddenly" occurred to me that I needed to get back into the steps. I finished my 3rd step with my sponsor last week and this week started Step 4. I know that in order to retain my sanity, I must be compliant with all areas of recovery. How can I help a newcomer if I'm not helping myself? So, I've started the "dreaded" Step 4. I am excited about it. Most people freak out thinking about doing it. I hope to find some answers as to why, after so many successful years on various pain meds, was this time different. I want to know why I did the horrible & stupid things I did. I don't want to make the same mistake EVER again. What a gift & blessing the 12 step programs are!
I also go to a church-based 12 step program that is a combination of addicts & family members who have the need to understand the addict/alcoholic in their life. It's just on Monday nights. It's a little less structured, but a good group of people looking for answers. Last night a young girl & her significant other were there. For the first time. She stopped her drug of choice a month ago, but didn't know how to keep it that way. We talked after the meeting & I offered to come pick her up today for the meeting I go to at noon. She very much wanted to go. She met some other addicts in recovery & got more phone numbers.
It was a good small group today. From her 30 days clean to a woman with 27 years clean. So much recovery in 1 room! I bought her a "basic text". It has the basics of recovery in it. It addresses the steps & traditions one at a time. A lot of great info. And stories from addicts. Kind of like "Chicken Soup" series stories. Encouragement. Experience. Strength. Hope. She doesn't realize I paid for it yet because she didn't even want me to buy her a soda today! I like the feeling of paying it forward. I'm taking her again tomorrow. I don't normally go Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'm trying to get her to do 90 meetings in 90 days. That's what is suggested for newcomers. It establishes a routine. It gives the newcomer phone numbers. It makes them accountable for the 1st time in a long time. Do I want to do 90 meetings in 90 days? No. Been there, done that! But, I can get her started. She doesn't have transportation during the day. It is a great feeling for me to give back. That's what life is about. That's living life on life's terms. +

Stats Suck Sunday

I definitely am not computer savvy. Tried to put a picture of a hammock on the beach at the top of my blog and failed. Five times. I got my toenails up on Tuesday, but apparently photobucket & I do not agree on where I want the picture. Left, center, right. I give up today. But, wait, there's more! I changed computers & went where ALL our pics are. This is of the "Dom" in Cologne, Germany where Amanda interned the summer of 2006. So it's summer, just not the hammock on the beach.....

• PITTSBURGH PENGUINS WIN THE STANLEY CUP. In game 7, on the opponents home ice. Woo Hoo.
  
• Amanda is still the gainfully employed one in the family!
• Oldest step-daughter a victim of layoffs. She decided to finish her bachelor's. She started back to school June 1st & so far has straight A's. Not bad for 41.
• Oldest granddaughter tried to sneak a kitten into the house. She just turned 15, but thinks she should be able to do what she wants! It worked for a day. Mom heard this mewing from her room. Ooops.
• Finished Step 3 with my sponsor. Now onto Step 4.
  
• Who cares about the Lakers & the Magic? No one in this house.
• Love the new JOC CD "The Long Fall back to Earth". Just missed them on harvest.org today out on Long Island. Food seemed more important. Silly me!
• I'm excited someone I know made caramel corn today. Has the mailman come with my package yet?
• It's been 4 weeks since graduation & Amanda is back in Waco. She is one of the hostess' for a Sunday Sundae Shower. It's a couples wedding shower. What a great idea! Keeps the guys interested at least for a few minutes.
• My daughter thinks I twitter too much! She hasn't said it, but I know I do. Yes, she is using twitter, sparingly! Guilted into it by friends, I think. She tweets at least once a day. Today included a twitpic of the sundae toppings.
  
• I wouldn't twitter so much if I were WORKING!
• My toenails still look marvelous, but my manicure was toast by the 3rd day.
  

Everyone have a great week and keep our friend, Kelly, in your prayers as she goes before a judge to testify to her inability to continue being gainfully employed due to her disability.

Positive Post Tuesday

Haven't done a PPT in a looong time. It certainly isn't because I've been too busy. It's because I've not been as positive as I usually am. The past month has been such a roller coaster. High = Amanda's graduation. Low = Ted losing his job 2 days later. At least it didn't put a damper on graduation.
My positive thing for today is that I used my Mother's Day gift. A mini-paradise day at a local spa. We have a friend who manages & markets it. I got there at 12:15, did a little paper work, selected lunch, and was shown to a massage room.
The massage therapist asked a lot of questions before starting. I liked that since my back is sensitive in a lot of areas. She was great, but in a gentle way. She spent time focusing on my upper & lower back. All those tight muscles! Ahhhh. From there I donned a really sooooft robe and had lunch. There is a little cafe (I'm talking 5 or 6 tables inside, 3 outside) that makes all kinds of artisan breads. They serve wonderful sandwiches for lunch. They also have a hot, blue plate special. And desserts? Oh, my goodness! From choc pie to creme brulee. It's Amanda's fav place to stop at when she's home.
After lunch I was shown to another room for my facial massage & mask. It was heavenly. Never had a facial like that! It was really good, too.
Then on to the pedicure. My first ever! The massage chair just continued the relaxing atmosphere. I went with a hot pink & white polka dots. Amanda hasn't even seen them & she's already embarrassed! Mission accomplished. (hee, hee, hee) Then finally the manicure. My nails are not great, so we just went with a neutral wedding pink color. I really think I've been missing out by waiting so long for a pedicure. My range of motion is so bad that I can't really take care of my feet the way I would like to. I can barely get 1 coat on, let alone polka dots!
It was a wonderful day, but now it's time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to kick a little Detroit Redwings team around the ice. Home ice. White out. Towels waving. Sister-in-law working the game! It's win or stay home (game 7 goes back to Detroit).

Stats Suck Sunday

My friend, Brody, who got me started with blogging some 6 months ago, says bullet points are the rule for Sunday's. Not many peeps read blogs on Sunday, so make it short & sweet.

• Our daughter is still the only one gainfully employed in the family.
• Have enjoyed several afternoons in the backyard this week. Reading, napping, contemplating.
  
• Excited that Jeremy Camp will be live on God.tv this afternoon at 2:30 CDT.
• My 23rd anniversary is 2 weeks from today. A card may be his gift....
• The Penguins really, really stunk last night. The RedWings just totally dominated. Game 6 back in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
• I'm not doing well on my blog posts lately. Being unemployed, I certainly have plenty of time!
• Oldest step-daughter started summer school Monday. Taking 3 classes. She was laid off in April. Unexpected. So, at 41, she's going to finish her B.S. in Business Admin. Great effort. It's eating her lunch this 1st week!
• Oldest granddaughter turned 15 the other day! I look back & amazed at how time flies! Especially when they live in Cleveland. The other 4 are ages 2 to 13. With #6 due in August! (same Mom & Dad). The other step-daughter & her hubby have 2 granddogs!
  
• "cashing" in my Mother's day gift on Tuesday. A mini spa day. Start at 12:15 and ending around 4:30. Facial, eyezone treatment, massage, European manicure & pedicure. Lunch. I'm excited. I've never had a pedicure or a facial. Woo Hoo.

Keep us in your prayers for job opportunities. We have been vigilant in our search. Moving is a possibility. The worst thing about that is 20 years of "stuff" in this house......

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