Vacation time......

Who out there wouldn't want a vacation about now? I don't think anyone in this country would not be game to go somewhere that is a different place than where they now are. Have you thought about it at all? I have and have decided to take a few vacations in the next few months. I will be leaving to go to Vegas soon. Have you ever been there? Its a great place, lots to do, plenty of shows, places to see and things to do. Normally we don't go to just gamble but I have been known to do a little slot machine action. I love the "Wheel of Fortune" games. I have played them many times and they are a lot of fun. Usually we play the $1.00 slot so that we can make more money. I played one time and won $2500.00 in one spin. Yes, the lights went to blinking and the machine has a bell that just rings until someone comes and shuts it off. No, the little machine doesn't dispense $2500.00 in quarters they do it in dollar bills. $100.00 dollar bills to be exact. Now let me tell you that if you win this kind of money you can do one of two things, One, being continue to play and give it all back to the casino over a time span or Two (which is what I did) I cashed in and got my cash immediately. One does not continue to win that kind of money, so I did what most good frugal females do, I Went Shopping!! Oh, I did forget to mention that if you do choose to "cash out" they take your name, address and social security number, then at the end of the year you get what they call a 1099 form to claim those winnings as income. Why does the government have to have their hand in my pocket even when I am on vacation.
On another visit my husband did win several $1000.00 spins on the wheel. On this particular game they have a "Wheel of Fortune" symbol and if you get that you get a bonus spin from the wheel. If you are playing the $1.00 slots and you hit the $1000. guess what you win!!! Yes, very fun!!! He isn't as greedy as me so he sometimes plays more and gives half of it back. You don't get those big fancy places in the middle of the desert from giving people money to take home, do you??
So, who wouldn't want or need a Vacation just about this time of year? I know its cold where you are or colder than it should be where you are so how about thinking about a vacation.
Many of you haven't been to my part of the world but there are a lot of people who come to my part of the world for their vacation. I know a lot of people have gone to the Northern Outer Banks of NC, but you really need to explore going a bit further south to Emerald Isle, NC. We have a great family beach with plenty to do, if you like to golf or sit on the beach there is something here for you. We have a Historic Civil War Fort, a state Aquarium and plenty to do to keep you busy.
People are finally thinking about their vacation...... our phones have been busy and houses are filling up fast. You can go to our website at www.bluewaternc.com to see what we have to offer. We are only 6 hrs from DC and 7.5 hours from Pennsylvania visitors. If you bookmark us you will find that we run specials. Ending today you can get $100.00 off your vacation cost if you book by today. Who knows what next month is, but you can book an oceanfront room for one night or more or a house for a week or more. Good thing is we have something for everyone.
So, who's on board for a vacation? I know I am, and if you plan to come here, let me know, I'll see what I can do to help you find a deal on some of the best vacation real estate in NC. We may not be Vegas, but we have a lot of fun things to do and if you really want to gamble, I will be sure to get you some lottery ticket to take your chances with.
Best of all when you take your vacation with Bluewater you can see some of the most breathtaking sunsets like the one in this blog taken last evening. You will fall in love with our little area, but remember don't keep it a secret, tell everyone you know!!

Pelicans

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I kept noticing the big ripples in the water outside my bathroom window. Now keep in mind I see lots of things out of this window so I thought what could be making the water move so much? I continued to look seeing some small mallard ducks with little ducklings floating around. It was like they were having swimming lessons out there. Occasionally I do see a Blue Heron or a White Heron all tucked up on the shoreline but today it was neither of them. It was a flock of Pelicans.
Now keep in mind we live on a creek that actually kind of winds around behind the house and this is on the side, so I see these Pelicans diving at the water. I started walking to the bedroom window to get a better view and suddenly I saw a bunch of them. I counted 10 at first and then when they were all floating on the water , I counted 17 in all. It was quite a show as they dove at fish and swam and then they would take off and do it all again. It lasted about 10 minutes in all and it was pretty cool. I took a few pictures to give you a bit of an idea but I did get some really good ones that I will post on my facebook page. It was just something you don't see everyday.
It appears to be a secluded area that they come to but it was quite a show for us. My husband got some really good close up pictures on his camera with the big lense. I will get them on line for you to see, Its unique living on the water you never know what it going to happen next . If I can get some pictures of them in a flock I will get them but to see so many of these large birds in one place having a playtime on the water was pretty neat.
Who knows maybe the White Herons or a pod of Dolphin will show up next time.....

Tuesday........

A lot of things have been on my mind this past few days.
One that my wish for the snow certainly came true. Yes, it was beautiful and fell so much that we ended up with 7" on the ground. Of course there were others that didn't get any snow at all but we had our share I got to get more photos and just sat and watched. By Sunday morning it was melting off the roads and by that evening most roads were clear. So why does everyone get their panties in a wad when snow falls? I know I can't figure it out either except that it causes you to take a breather and it keeps you in one place for maybe 12 hours before the sun shines and it melts away.
Football was a big deal this past weekend. We all tuned in to see who was going to be i the Superbowl in a few weeks. This is the only time I really take an interest in the games, so we watched. I decided ( for lack of a better reason) to root for Pittsburgh, simply because it is the only team from Pennsylvania or any other state that I have ever lived. So, I guess I will watch in 2 weeks and pull for the Black and Gold.
Rain, is back yet again and like I said in my prior blog about Snow, it is already all gone so what little inconvenience it caused its gone already! But now its just chilly and raining, and not a pleasant day today.
Crud, another thing we haven't decided what exactly it is, but my hubby has it. Yes, if you remember when your children were about 3-4 and when they got sick how "needy" and "whiny" they were; Picture that but in a man!!! No, seriously he hasn't been too bad, but then again I had a class today that started at 8:30 so I had to get up and out early. Around here they are calling it the "Carteret Crud" which settles eventually in your chest with coughing and running nose. Yes, I have been steering clear, wiping everything down and not using the remote unless it is cleaned first. Earlier he was coughing without covering which is something that he hates when people do that. So, of course my standard comment when the kids do this is "cover your mouth". I got to tell him that and of course he said he was coughing in another direction!!! Pleeaassee!! Hopefully I will come out of this unscathed and he gets over it fast!!! If not I don't know what I will do

One thing I would like everyone to do is say a prayer tonight for three people I know.
1. My daughters Grandpa (my ex's dad) had surgery today to remove a blockage and I pray that he will be ok and will be out of the hospital tomorrow.
2.& 3. A friend of ours has a niece who was in desperate need of a kidney. He was a perfect match and tomorrow he will be donating one of his kidney's to this 6 year old niece. Pray that the operations go well for both Jamie and his niece and that it is successful, as this child has had to be on dialysis 15 hrs or so per day.
Talk about paying it forward....... need we say more.
Until later in the week, remember to do something nice for someone today and don't look for anything in return.

SNOW???

Snow its been in the news a lot lately.....Snow in eastern NC is like really rare, at least until this winter. Usually if we see snow or anything that looks like snow it is in the late part of Winter. That in this area is sometime in late January early February. Last year it was Valentines Day weekend we got 7 inches of snow. Remember that? It was very rare, we had fun playing, taking pictures and then the next day or so it was gone.
Yes, fortunately when the white stuff arrives in the south, it usually stays for less than 48 hours. We run out make snowmen, play in it and then by the next morning its all melted and gone. Yes, its nice but only for a short time.
Well the day after Christmas this past year it started snowing and we got about 5 inches of the white fluffy stuff. It was pretty and it made for a pretty weekend of Christmas. Then again last week it came again, in big flakes.... it did it most of the day and again by the next afternoon it was gone for the most part. In some of the more shaded areas it took until earlier this week when it rained to finally get rid of it all.
I hate to say this but I LOVE the SNOW. Now you my friends in the North are saying under your breath, "what kind of idiot is she???" or "Move back up here and you won't say that!" Yes, I really think it is the fact that when it arrives it does its thing and then its like "POOF" its gone again. Really doesn't make it too inconvienient for us and we go on.
Then I think back to when I lived in the North and was in school. We prayed for "Snow Days" back then. We rode the bus to school and of course they would cancel or make it a delay because so many kids rode the bus back then. Then there are the memories of the snowball fights with my brothers and sisters. When we were in high school we used to go the Winding Hill out by the little church that sits at the top of the hill. One night we went there with a bunch of kids and we had 24 people on one toboggan! Yes, it was a strain on that toboggan. It was a super steep hill so we put all of us on it and off we went, over the hill we went and it actually "caught air" one time. Then it happened, crack, snap and "oh no" the toboggan snapped in half when we hit! Every one of the 24 people on that toboggan went flying in many directions, laughing as hard as we could at the thought that we could actually make it to the bottom with all those people on it!!! I remember it like it was yesterday. When I was home in PA in October I drove up Winding HIll road to see if the toboggan hill was there, yes, it is but now its filled with many homes and no more space for sledding. Just goes to show you that things always change!
Sorry for that little side note. But back to my subject, tomorrow the weather forcast is back to SNOW again. It is supposed to be incredibly cold tomorrow and they are calling for precipitation. They said that the only area that is to get snow is the immediate coast, well that means US!!! Yes, I secretly say to myself, because I can sit and watch it like a child and remember the times I had and the fun we had back in PA and how much I like the snow.
I'll let you know it it comes or not, but if not they are calling for it again next Wednesday..... so I will keep my fingers and toes crossed, maybe we will be lucky to see it again before the spring sets in.
Yes, I love the warm weather, but I always say if its gonna be cold like this, it might as well SNOW!!!

Rainy Days and Mondays

The title reminds me of one of my favorite singers The Carpenters and their song Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down. Today was both! It started out a bit sunny but very quickly it became cool and cloudy with lots of rain. Nothing really hard coming down, just constant! I am sure glad its not like last monday when it was snow coming down. The rain has assured us that the little bit of snow that was left on the shaded areas of the sides of the road are now gone! Too bad, I really enjoy the snow and we have had so much more than what we have had in the last 22 years!! With that said not only did we have rain on a monday but then my son called to say that his little guy was not feeling well and was running a fever. :( I was sad as we were going to hang out a little and he was going to play with his cousins, Ben and Connor. So, instead I went to his place and we played Yatzee. He hasn't played this much but he caught on really quickly and ended up beating me. No, I didn't let him beat me, he actually got a Yatzee and pulled it out by 5 points!!
Just got the call from his mom that he has made it back to the DC area and is headed home to get ready for another week at school. I really miss that little guy, he brings such joy to me and my hubby and we love having him here. Won't be long that the nest will be filled with another little screamer when baby Bailee arrives in late March/early April. I am sure there will be days when I think what was I thinking wanting another baby here!!! :) I just love them and can't wait til everyone brings me more babies to hang out at my house. I am so looking forward to next Christmas!!
So, did you watch the Golden Globes? I caught some of them, and wondered how I have missed so much on the TV and at the movies. We go to the movies almost every friday night but somehow I missed the ones that happened to win. I guess either the romantic comedies aren't good enough to win awards or maybe they just are boring. I noticed that many of the winners I hadn't even heard of those movies or shows. Like Boardwalk enterprise or something like that??? Finally after last years awards season I decided to watch the show Mad Men just to see why they won so much!! Not bad by the way.
I guess if the Housewives of Beverly Hills or New York were more interesting they would be winners and I would have a good reason to watch the awards shows. I can only see the lady from Beverly Hills carrying her little pooch dressed in a matching outfit walking up on the stage to accept her award for being so rich and full of Botox and fillers that she can't break a smile!!
I'm sure that they will never even be in the running.
One show I am going to watch tonight is "Harry's Law" which is about a woman judge who happens to be played by Kathy Bates. I love her and think she will be good. I believe it is written by the same people who did Ally McBeal and LA Law. Check it out or DVR it on NBC.
One thing I think everyone needs to do is to check out the cable system in your area for a channel that is called Primetime On Demand. It totally removes the need to DVR anything and to go back and watch up to 4 of the most recent episodes on most of your popular channels without any commercials!!! Yes, the day has come you can watch it the whole way thru without having to fast forward or watch any of those 10 minutes of commercials. Check it out, you will be glad you did.
Well, lets hope that the rain goes away and the sun shines again. It almost felt like we had a heat wave this morning with the temperatures in the high 40's!! That is so funny because we have never had this much cold for this long in North Carolina, but isn't it all about EL NINA or something like that????
Hope your week started out good, and if your Monday wasn't good then I pray that the remainder of the week will improve as the days move on.
Until the next time...........

Some thoughts.....

A lot of things come to mind this evening that made me think I ought to blog about.......
I learned a long time ago that most people don't have a clue what is going on in your world, nor do they want to know unless its really juicy stuff they can tell others.
I follow a blog of a woman who has 6 children has been blogging for awhile sharing her stories about motherhood and childbearing. It is pretty funny, but lately hasn't been so. Her hubby left her and the 6 kids last year and has basically had no contact with the kids. This has effected the kids especially the older ones, to the point they have been hospitalized for depression issues. Yesterday, her ex let her know ( thru text message no less) that he was fired from his job. Bingo when you think nothing could get worse here is was for her. I am asking you to read her blog and do what you can to help. She just wrote a wonderfully funny book on childbirth and other funny things and you can help by purchasing her book (http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/). Even if you aren't going thru that part of your life anymore it still is very amusing and you will laugh and remember when you went thru those things, as well as helping out a mother who really needs it right now.
Another thing is that most of us are going thru very tough times with our economy the way it is. I am hoping that you will pray for all of those who have come upon tough times. You really never know what is happening in other peoples lives and be careful not to judge others because you really have no clue. I pray each and every day things will get better for this economy and that one way or another things improve for all of us.
Most of all try to stay positive and make a commitment to do something for someone else tomorrow other than yourself. Try not to judge others for doing or not doing what you think they should be doing. Start your day by thanking the good Lord you have a warm bed to sleep in, food in your stomach and for most of us a job to call our own. You are not alone when you feel that things aren't going as you would like, but for some reason we all have to go thru this together. You make a choice each day to either do what it takes to be happy that day or let yourself be depressed and sad.
I always look at things from the glass half full perspective. Be glad for the things you do have, instead of the things you wish you had or think you want.
I am glad that I am healthy, my husband has his health and all of my kids and grandkids are healthy. Yes, I like many have those aches and pains, but at least I can move, I can do and I can make a difference.
What are you going to do to be positive today??????

This and that.....

It seems that I kind of have a lot of things to share today so I am going to call this post just "This and that"
I recently had some blood work done for the screening of the digestive system. As I sat in the office of the Nurse Practitioner giving her the history and background of my uneventful health history, she starts quizzing me on why I take iron supplements.
Basically I had to have a transfusion about 5 years ago for an operation I had (elective) and so after that my doctor suggested (not prescribed) i take Iron supplements to boost my iron. Like a good person I take calcium, vitamins and so Iron wasn't a big deal to me.
From that she moved into the fact that I may have a problem with my system processing Iron and that she wanted to test for Ciliac's disease. Holy crap..... I have gone from having an Iron deficiency 5 years ago to this? I tried to explain to her that I didn't have issues anymore and pretty much quit taking it. Yesterday after the test the doctor said all was well, no problems with the blood work they did and but there was a request to have a follow up with this nurse practitioner. WTH is what I said when I got home and coherent. (Of course they tell you this info when you still have the drugs in you and you can't remember a thing they said). So, being the non opinionated person I am I told my hubby I wasn't keeping that appt. it was useless for me to drive an hour both ways to listen to some results they could call with. Today they did a followup call on the procedure and I told the girl to have that lady call me. She called and asked my concerns.... my biggest is the fact that because I had an iron issue 5 years ago and suddenly now I have her checking for this that and the other. From this conversation she says she doesn' t have the results yet but if they come back with questions she may schedule and Endoscopy. Hell NO we weren't going there!!! I told her that I tried to explain to her that I don't take the iron on a regular basis and I wasn't getting into all this and that I felt like she was reaching and creating some issue that wasn't there. Honestly. I am more fit than most 25 year old people and am proud that I don't have issues I am certainly not joining her bandwagon to find something wrong with me!!
Needless to say she was a bit taken back and now we will wait for her results and then if there is something to discuss she will let me know and send the info to my regular doctor for follow up if needed. Holy crap no wonder our heathcare system is so screwed up with people creating issues all the time... Just for the record I am not a good patient at all.
So, from that note, no just because I have good insurance, I am not on the bandwagon to make you be able to justify your exsistance at this office..... Whew what a hassle just to do this stupid procedure!

On another note I my daughter and son in law bought a house recently and they have had some issues that required them using their "Home warranty". Last week it was electrical and it was fixed in one call. This week it was plumbing, no water was leaving the toilets.... not good with a 7month pregnant woman in the house!!!
Several calls to the home warranty people who just happened not to have any "contractors" in Wilson and they got someone to come help. Of course yesterday during the snowstorm and ice coming it had to be handled quickly, They were to call for an authorization before they had the work done and after an hour of being on hold they told the guy to do what he needed to do.
So of course using a jet versus a sewer cable was the wrong option and at 8pm last night I have one very hysterical 7 mo. pregnant daughter with a $500.00 bill in hand and a warranty company stating they wouldn't pay the bill. OMG when will this end I thought!!!
I can say I called and emailed my local lady and she responded immediately and today they have said they would pay half of it because of the delays and lack of response on the warranty peoples part. Home warranty's are good but be sure the things that can happen will be covered because they also have a cracked sewer pipe between the house and the street that isn't covered.
So today all is good the commodes are flushing, the pregnant daughter is all smiles and the warranty company came thru!!
All is good, but I won't hold my breath because something is always happening..... who knows how much the cracked pipe repair will be.
I'll let you know the outcome soon...........

Start of a new year...

January, its the beginning of a new calendar year, a time where we always decide to do new things maybe its an exercise program, stop smoking, eat better or love each other more. This year I decided not to make any resolutions but to just do things a bit differently this year.
I love working out so I am back on doing it a lot more often and more seriously. I went back on weight watchers again to lose another 10 lbs that I have needed to get off. I have kept the weight down but I also know if I don't monitor myself then I can go hog wild and eat a lot more than I need to, I baked a lot over the holiday so I had to also eat some of those things as well. I could skip the turkey and all the stuff they serve, I really would rather have the goodies and desserts. Hence the increased workout program.
Today we got a pretty good snowfall for eastern North Carolina. I don't know why but for some reason we have had way more than we have had in the other 28 years I have lived here in NC. Of course I haven't complained about it and I love to watch it fall. I need to go take some more pictures of it, because we never know when we it may never show up again. Until last yesr we hadn't seen any significant snowfall since 1989. My daughter Krista was 18 months old and now she is 23! Quite a long time between storms wouldn't you think?
Another thing I had this year was the 10 year colonoscopy viewing. For some reason (which I know is a necessity) it became "my time" for the big viewing!!! I tried not to complain about the absurd amount of liquid to drink and then followed by the numerous visits to the bathroom, but for some reason it also made me sicker than a dog. "Oh its so much better now, the doctor told me" oh like compared to what? I ended up throwing up probably 2 glasses of it. I was able to mix it with my favorite beverage, I chose diet lemonade from Chic Fil A. May not be able to drink that stuff anytime in the near future. Just doesn't taste that good coming back out thru the nose! Anyway..... I am good for another 10 years just so you know!
Just a thing to remember when you turn 50 you not only get hit on by the AARP to join their club, you also get the major screenings procedures in addition to that.
One of my new resolutions is to be more diligent on my blog posts!! Let me know how you like this one so far.