Fragmented Thoughts and Vicodin Go Hand in Hand

Once again, it's time to dump all the fragmented thoughts you might have pinging around your head like a pinball. Cuz once again, Mrs. 4444 demands it. Which I don't have a problem with. Especially this week. Cuz I'm hopped up on Vicodin and am completely incapable of having anything more than a fragmented thought in my heavily medicated brain.

*There are certain parts of your body that you NEVER THINK ABOUT. So when they hurt and you HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THEM, it's just weird. Case in point...your cheek bone. As in, "Oh crap, does my left cheek bone hurt like a mother effer." Which it does...cuz apparently my sinuses are severely infected. Or I have something called trigeminal neuropathy. The jury's still out. Yeah for me. :(

*Apparently it's not normal to happily listen to the same song over and over. Cuz apparently, that is considered UN ENJOYABLE by certain people. But not me. Cuz when I love a song, especially a new song that has just recently begun to float my wiener boat, I can listen to it a lot. Lucky for me, my Blackberry has a feature that lets you select a song and play it on a continuous loop. Yeah for me. :)

*I get to spend a butt load of money TODAY (in cash, up front thank you very much!) on Connor's teeth. And then, in a few weeks, I get to spend a butt load MORE money on his teeth. All this after already spending a butt load of money on his braces. Yeah for me. :(

*I am utterly and uberly tickled to start giving away the raffle prizes! Doesn't matter that I don't get to win anything. (note to self, next time I hold a fundraiser/raffle, rig it so I can win something.) I'm just so happy that lots of other people get to win lots and lots of awesome stuff. Cuz giving makes me a very HAPPY HALLIE!!! Yeah for me. :)

*Everything in the entire world that tastes good, has carbs. Which I currently am trying to avoid. Don't bother giving me any of that, "veggies and grapes and other sundry fruit and veggies are amazing" crap cuz I'm not buying it. Cuz never at anytime in my universe, will an apple or carrot taste better than a double chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Just won't happen. Yeah for me. :(

*I actually entered a bathroom at work yesterday after someone had been in there for a VERY LONG TIME (unfortunately I can see the door from my office so I know when people enter/exit) and DID NOT DIE. Not sure if they just sat in there for awhile leaving nothing of "substance" or if they simply perfected the art of POOPING WITHOUT PUNGENCY. Either way, I'd like to thank them. Cuz I went in prepared for the worst (I HAD to pee and couldn't wait!) but came out pleasantly surprised. Yeah for me! :)

Penny For My Thoughts?

So many things rolling through my head.

Must write about them here or they'll haunt me for weeks to come.

~~

I totally want this outfit....so my inner 12 year old boy can rear his ugly head and say things like "Gee, my LIPS are chapped," or "Pucker up," or even "I look lip smacking good." Yep, my inner 12 year old boy is DYING to get his hands on this.

I think this man should get some sort of award for creativity. I really do. Cuz not in a million years would I EVER have come up with this. Nope, I wouldn't. If I was trying to illegally smuggle birds, I'd just shove them down my pants. Or under a hat. Or maybe in a pocket. But design something to suspend them individually off my socks? Never!!

It's official!! I will be one of three guest speakers at the Organ Donor Recognition Ceremony here in Maine. I spoke to Kelly from the New England Organ Bank yesterday and she confirmed that I'm on the agenda. Wow. Me....on an agenda. I am equal parts totally excited and totally nervous. But it's a good nervous so I guess that's ok.

~~

And speaking of organ donation....(not surprised that I found a way to slip this in are you??) Only 4 days left to make a $$$ donation to my fundraiser. Which, in turn, gets you entered to win one (or more) of 25 most amazing, most fantastic prize packages. Four days is PLENTY of time for you to hop on over to my fundraising site and make a donation of ANY AMOUNT. Seriously....any amount. One dollar really CAN make a difference.
~~
I'm happy to say that in the last few days, I HAVE raised a few hundred dollars over my goal. Which makes me so damn happy. Really, really happy. :)

I SOOOOOOO have my eye on this dress too.
(Sorry...my inner 12 year old is up WAY past his bedtime!)

WHY? WHY? WHY???
~~~

And lastly....

To Blogher or not to Blogher? Should I go next year? Shouldn't I go?

Or should I just work REALLY HARD to get a bunch of New England bloggers together in 2010?? (or anyone else that wants to come to Maine or Boston!)

Opinions? Thoughts? Would anyone come?

Just Call Me Mrs. Sloick

If the planets had been aligned differently, I COULD have been married to Sherwood Sloick. Cuz Sherwood Sloick was my very first fan. Yep, Sherwood Sloick was the first male (other than my Daddy) to tell me that he likes me.

Not only was Sherwood Sloick my first fan, but he wrote me my very first fan letter. Yep, at one time in my life, I received fan mail. For a brief period.

Cuz people liked me.

But none more so than Sherwood Sloick.

Of course Sherwood, the boy who if the planets had aligned differently could have been my husband, thought my name was Hellen Kneene....NOT Hallie Keene as it actually was at one time.

Yep, my very first fan who wrote me my very first piece of fan mail thought my name was Hellen Kneene.

But I'm ok with that.

Cuz Sherwood WAS my first fan.

Which means I cut him a whole bunch of slack.

Plus, as his fan letter states, old Sherwood liked me. And my show.

And my dress. And my best round of appause.

(which I'm sure is WAY BETTER than APPLAUSE with an "L".)

Basically, Sherwood Sloick thought I was the best.

Don't believe me?

Take a look. But don't get jealous. Cuz back in the day, Sherwood was ALL MINE.

Could you blame HIM?

I mean I WAS quite the looker.

Not sure if it was the plaid pants. Or the Snoopy sneakers. Or the "C is for Cookie" cardigan I was sportin' with pride.

Oh who am I kidding?

It was the WHOLE DAMN 5 YEAR OLD GRETL PACKAGE!!!

Yep, if the planets were aligned differently, Mr. John Twomey wouldn't have had a chance. Cuz Hellen Kneene's heart just might have belonged to Sherwood Sloick.

Could you blame HER???? :)

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I'm shedding. A lot. And I'm mildly concerned.

Every time I catch a glance of my shoulder...errant hairs.
Every time I take a shower....TONS of errant hairs.
Every time I brush my hair....you got it....a butt load of errant hair.

Yet I seem to still have a ton on my head. Where it should be.

Which makes me stand in awe of the human body. Cuz if I can shed THIS MUCH HAIR EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE AND NOT BE BABY HEAD BALD, how many damn hairs do I have to begin with?

I mean seriously....I lose a shit load of hair every single day. So much so, that John repeatedly comments on the giant fur ball crawling out of the shower drain. Which, btw, TOTALLY grosses me out and it's MY HAIR!! And it IS my hair. John has no part of the mutant hairball reproducing weekly in our shower. Cuz his hair, at it's longest, is about equal to the length of an eyelash. And the "thing" living in our drain is a HELL OF A LOT BIGGER than a measly eyelash. (And I think it may have teeth. I'm just sayin'.)

It's really too bad that LOCKS FOR LOVE can't somehow take advantage of my shedding phenomenon. Cuz I'm MORE THAN SURE I have shed enough individual hairs in my lifetime to single handedly supply the material for AT LEAST 10 wigs. No joke.

I'd GLADLY carry around a Ziploc bag and carefully gather these "refuse to stay attached to my head" strands if it meant someone, somewhere could benefit. If these single strands of traitorous hair would actually help someone, I would HAPPILY pull them off my shirt, away from my office chair, out of my sunglasses, off my shoes (don't ask), out of my cereal bowl (gag me with a spoon) or off a wiener snout. And I'd do it with a smile on my face instead of the colorful curse words I use now.

Cuz now? Now, those damn strands of hair cause me nothing but distress.

Am I the ONLY one losing hair like I'm a sheepdog entering a nudist colony for the first time?

(Not my hair in the above pic. But might as well be. ICK.)

ONLY ONE WEEK!!!! TIME SURE FLIES WHEN YOU'RE EXCITED, NERVOUS AND NAUSEOUS!

One week from today the world's most amazing raffle starts. A raffle SOOOOO amazing it lasts for 25 days and includes prizes totaling almost $5000.00!! (Ok, it might not be the world's MOST amazing raffle but it's GOT to rank in the top 10...or 20. Definitely in the top 50. For sure.)

Still can't believe it's almost here. Cuz that means I have run a fundraiser for 53 days....53 days in which I successfully met (AND EXCEEDED!) my goal. How cool is that??

You can still make a $$$ donation and get entered to win if you haven't already. It's easy, it's for a great cause AND you just might win something UTTERLY FANTASTIC!!

How can you lose?

The prize packages are coming together and will make 25 some ones VERY HAPPY. I honestly can't wait to see who wins what. I'm using a random number generator to pick the winners so anyone and everyone has a chance. I'm not "fixing" the drawings to favor any one person (although I HAVE had several requests to do so!) cuz that just wouldn't be right! :)

Lots of my close friends and family members have entered so I suspect I may know a large portion of the winners personally. Then again, I may not. Cuz lots of generous "strangers" I have not had the honor of meeting have also entered. So I guess it's any ones* game.

*I say this cuz I don't want anyone screaming FOUL if someone like, say, my mom wins. Cuz she made a cash donation just like the rest of you so she COULD win. Same goes with my BFF Blender Kimmy or my mother in law Jerri. I'm NOT saying they WILL win. I'm simply saying they COULD. But so could YOU if you donated.

Everybody get it? Basically what I'm trying to say is that this ENTIRE UNDERTAKING is SOOOOOOO DAMN IMPORTANT TO ME that I couldn't do anything but run the raffle in a truly honest way. How the heck would I ever face myself in the mirror if I didn't? And what kind of ass would I be if I got all you wonderfully generous people to give to such a good cause but then rigged the drawing?

I'd be a SUPREME ASSHAT OF THE NTH DEGREE. Which is not on my list of things to do/be. Nope, supreme asshat is NOT on my Bucket List.

Guess we'll just have to wait 7 more days to find out who takes home a crap load of good swag!! (Only 7 days!! I can't wait!!)

And yes, for those that have asked....MORBID MONDAY is coming back. And soon. As a matter of fact, I have several OUT OF THIS WORLD MM posts ready in the wings. Just chose to hold them for a bit while I concentrate on the fundraiser.

As a matter of fact, y'all will be involved in the first new MORBID MONDAY post I slap up here. Yep, y'all will be my MM helpers. Well, you will if you choose to participate. Which I suspect a bunch of you sick and twisted MM lovers will do. (And those of you that won't? I totally know you will think of what you would have done but just pretend that you'd never be caught dead having anything to do with an MM post. Sort of how people CLAIM to hate Barry Manilow when I TOTALLY know those same people are closet FANILOWS!)

All I'll say for now is be thinking Morbid.

Curious huh? :)

Just one quick thing before I go...cuz I've shared everything else with y'all so far! Remember how I got asked to read the letter I wrote to the donor family both here in Maine and in Massachusetts? Well, late last week I got ANOTHER request. Seems like my letter just keeps getting passed around. And people keep responding to it positively.

And I keep needing to pinch myself to see if this is all real. :)

Alright Already!!! I'll Get Fragmented!

Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissin' Time will NOT stop begging me to partake in Friday Fragments. She just won't stop. It's really quite annoying. Persistent little bugger she is.

Or isn't. Cuz maybe I just made that stuff up. Maybe she didn't even SLIGHTLY beg me. Or even gently nudge me. Or even quietly think my name when prepping her weekly fragmented folly.

Guess we'll never know.

Guess I'm doing it anyway!!! :)

*My wiener dogs poop at the same time. Yep, they do. One poops, the other poops. Almost like clockwork. Might have to enter them in the 2020 Summer Olympics . They ought to have SYNCHRONIZED DEFECATION as a medal event by then. Right???

*I hope I never stop missing my husband when we're apart....even if our separation only lasts for a brief period. Cuz I like missing him. Makes me realize how much I love him. Plus, missing him (ie, being away from him) gives him the opportunity to miss me. : )

*Chauncey does NOT like earwigs. He tried to eat one. It wasn't pretty. I don't know if IT bit him or he decided it tasted disgusting when he bit into it. Whatever happened, he was not a happy wiener. Spit the damn thing out of his mouth with a ton of spit and a vicious shake of his head. (In two pieces I might add. Yuck.)

*Got another request yesterday involving the letter I wrote to the donor family. I can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy. The fact that others actually want to use it as a tool to raise awareness simply BLOWS.MY.MIND.

*Just finished reading a great book. Suspenseful times 100. Had a hard time putting it down. Check it out.

*I LOVE being right. Doesn't matter about what, I just love when I'M RIGHT and YOU'RE WRONG. But it's especially satisfying when it has to do with musical groups from my childhood. Case in point....my office mate INSISTED that Kool and the Gang sang Cool It Now. Which I 100% without a doubt knew was TOTALLY WRONG. Cuz New Edition sang that song. And I loved it....back in the day. (Who didn't love Bobbi Brown pre-Whitney?) :)

*My fundraiser is almost over (only 8 days left) yet the raffle prizes keep arriving! And they are absolutely fantastic. (check out the ever growing list HERE) I am seriously amazed. I can't wait to start the raffle. 25 days of fantastic giveaways totaling almost $5000.00. How unbelievable is that? Hop on over and make a donation if you haven't already....every single dollar helps!! And just by donating, you are instantly entered to win one (or more) of the prize packages! Even $1 gets you entered!!

Guilty Is As Guilty Does

Poor John.

The man gets in trouble even when he's sort of innocent. Ok, he's TOTALLY innocent...in real life. But in my dreams....THAT BOY IS GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!!

Ever have a dream that is so damn realistic that you wake up MAD, MAD, MAD!!! Mad at your poor unsuspecting spouse? Your spouse who did absolutely nothing other than crawl into bed next to you and go to sleep?
Poor John.

He never had a chance. Cuz I woke up mad at him for something he did to me in my dream. Which in the light of day I TOTALLY knew didn't happen. But damn, if I couldn't shake that "I'm gonna kick his sorry butt" mood all morning.

Yep, I'm cool. I got mad at my wonderful hubby for something "Dream John" did. Yep, way cool. That's me. Mad at an awesome man for something that happened didn't happen. Yep, I'm real cool.

Yet he still loves me.

What the hell did I do to deserve such a great guy?

(But be forewarned "Dream John," you pull that shit again tonight, I'm siccing "Homicide Hallie" on your dream state!)

Best commercial ever!! Added it today cuz I just love it!!

(If the video doesn't work, watch it HERE!)

If I Can Do It Witout Crying, It's Going To Be A Damn Miracle

On June 13, 2008, I wrote a letter to my Dad's donor family in honor of the 5th anniversary of his heart transplant.

I wanted to say thank you.

I needed to say thank you.

I had to say thank you.

That letter took on a life of it's own. It somehow made it into the hands of the donor family (I still get chills when I think about that) and also made it to Washington, DC where it was read publicly at the 11th National Donor Recognition Ceremony and Workshop just a few short days ago.

I was blown away when I found out they wanted to include my letter. I can't tell you how honored I felt. How touched I was. How absolutely astonished I still am that they felt my letter was worthy of inclusion. It was and is a truly humbling moment.

As if THAT wasn't enough, the letter saga continues. And I'm once again brought to tears....good tears...tears of happiness that I'm in some small way making a difference.

Yesterday I was contacted by Joy, Public Health Analyst, Division of Transplantation, for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. She is the same person who read my letter aloud in Washington. She called to tell me that my letter received a huge round of applause and that many people requested copies. She also told me that there was not a dry eye in the house...because of my letter.

Wow.

She went on to say that my letter will be posted on their website as a permanent link to the National Donor Recognition Ceremony follow-up.

And if THAT isn't enough, it gets even better.

Apparently the donor family services person from the organ procurement organization in Boston called and asked Joy if the letter she read was written by someone in their service area (all of New England except Connecticut). She said that she heard Joy mention Boston in the letter and that she got excited because they will be having donor ceremonies in the fall throughout New England. She asked Joy if she thought the author of the letter (that's me!) would consider reading the letter in person at one or more of the regional ceremonies.

Cue the tears. Cuz I haven't stop crying since I hung up the phone.

I'm beyond excited. I'm happier than I ever thought possible. And I'm in awe that MY LETTER is going to be used as a tool to raise awareness about organ donation.

To find all this out as we enter the last 11 days of my fundraiser has been a surreal experience. I truly believe that this was all meant to come together at this time. Not sure how or why but it just feels like someone or something bigger than me is driving this ship.

I'm simply honored to be a part of the journey.

I will share all the details of the 2 events I will be speaking at both here in Maine and in Boston as soon as I get them. I do know the Maine event will be held in September and the Boston event in October. She mentioned that my friends and family could attend so if anyone would like to be there, I'll see what I can do.

They asked for my Dad to be there which means as I stand proudly reading the letter I wrote in honor of this great man (sobbing profusely I'm sure), he will be by my side.

I will need an entire box of Kleenex.

Can you imagine a more powerful moment in my life?

There are only 11 days left to make a donation to my fundraiser which I truly, madly, deeply hope you do. It's just that important. It simply is.

The prizes continue to pour in which means your kindness in making a donation might just be rewarded. I sincerely hope it is.

Please consider giving if you haven't already. It's a great way to make a difference.

Don't YOU Want to Throttle Your Wiener?

I'm mad at a certain wiener dog cuz he does NOT play well with others. This specific wiener dog, whose name rhymes with raunchy, tried to eat Molly, the adorably petite wiener dog owned by a good friend of Connor.

~~~

In an attempt to stop myself from shipping his cranky wiener ass back to North Carolina where he came from, I'm posting a few pics that made me smile. Hopefully, these pics will remind me that I DO love him.....cuz right now, I can't even look at his belligerent wiener ass without wanting to throttle him.

~~~

Connor sent this to me at work. The attached caption said "FELL ASLEEP WATCHING TV." Obviously Dog Whisperer was a rerun.

~~~

He also sent this one to me. It was simply titled "ROAD KILL." Not sure why Connor would have road kill on his bed but I do think the title fits the pose.
~~~

Whenever it's even SLIGHTLY chilly, he sits near the radiator. Why he sits face first and not butt first is up for interpretation. Seems like if he backed the wiener bus up, he'd warm up more surface area. But what the hell do I know? Maybe the way to warm a wiener heart is through the snout.
~~~

This is the expression I got as I yelled at him for attempting to eat Molly. Damn green eyed monster...even guilty he melts my heart.

Guess I'll keep him...for now.

My Advice To You...

*Do NOT eat a hard boiled egg and then a handful of Lucky Charms. Seemed like an ok thing to do at the time. Trust me....it's not.


*DO make a donation to my fundraiser if you haven't already. Yes, I reached my goal but more IS better. The prizes are amazing. And plentiful. And worth a TON of money. (and keep arriving!) Every single dollar helps. Even $1 will get you entered!


*Do NOT wear a sort of short sundress to the beach on a windy day with only a thong underneath...a string thong at that. But if you do, make sure you have a handsome husband willing to stand behind you and act as a wind block.

*DO rub a wiener on its belly as often as you can. That single act really does make everything seem a little bit brighter. Just like sniffing baby head. Yep, baby head sniffing and wiener belly rubbing make the world go round.

*Do NOT act surprised when the brand new bag of York Peppermint Patties you hid in the freezer disappears in only two days. You MAY have hid it from everyone else but you didn't hide it from YOU!

*DO feel free to blame the aforementioned disappearance on your family. If they aren't guilty of that indiscretion they sure as hell are guilty of something else!

Silly Saturday

Sometimes you just need to laugh.

Time To Be Fragmented.....Yo!

Time for Friday Fragments.

Why?

Cuz Mrs. 4444 over at Half Past Kissin' Time said so.

That's why!

*I am in love with a song from an AT&T commercial. Yep, I am. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Well, not anymore since I figured out what the hell it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQO7IUrqXqY (Before figuring it out, I was too ashamed to tell you.)

*Apparently the ants in our house are in cahoots with the Pest Control dude. Cuz as soon as we paid a RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY to the aforementioned man, the ants went away. And by went away, I mean hightailed it off to warmer climates with their half of the RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY we bled out. Yep, those tiny black asshats are probably in Mexico, drinking tiny little margaritas, laughing their tiny asses off.

*I still maintain that it is totally unfair that I can't win any of the prizes in my fundraiser/raffle. Cuz I want MOST if not ALL of them. Hell, I don't even camp but I found myself drooling over the $700 of camping equipment I added yesterday. Figure I can just sit in my family room and use all the fancy "should be used outdoors but I'm allergic to bugs" stuff that I'm giving away. Yes I would look totally silly. But last I looked, my wieners had NOT yet learned to laugh. So I should be ok.

*I was horribly assaulted/attacked by some sort of flying insect that managed to bite me not once, but twice. On my boob. Well, more like IN my cleavage. And I never felt it. What the hell does that say about me? Me and my apparently non - feeling boob crevice?

*I may murder John (and not feel the least bit guilty for it) if he leaves me stranded one more time with NO EFFING SOAP IN THE SHOWER! Cuz it's not nice. Not at all. If he keeps it up, I'm going to strategically make ALL the toilet paper in the house disappear...when he needs it most.

*I'm 39 years old yet the sound of the ice cream truck still makes me giggle like a school girl. Can anyone tell me why paying 4x the amount for a chocolate eclair from a truck playing the same damn 15 seconds of music over and over makes me salivate like Pavlov's dog? And why that "Trump must be making money off this cuz it's almost as much as a car payment" eclair tastes SO MUCH BETTER than the ones I could buy at the grocery store?

And The Rest Is Gravy...

It really is. Cuz I never totally believed 100% that I'd reach my goal of $5000.00. Oh, I hoped and prayed that I would but I definitely doubted it at times. (As if y'all didn't know that. I think I mentioned it once or twice!)

So to not only reach my goal but to exceed it already is like Christmas in July!!

I still can't believe that in only 35 days, I managed to raise over $5000. Nope, still can't believe it. Somebody pinch me. On second thought, don't. I'm currently in ENOUGH pain. :)

I'm getting excited to start the raffle but you still have plenty of time to make a donation if you haven't already. You can donate up and until August 2nd in order to be included in the raffle. And I hope you do!

Keep that gravy coming!!

On a totally separate note, I am STILL in pain and am really ready to tackle this nightmare head on. In other words, I am SOOOO tired of living in pain and plan to find someone somewhere to correctly diagnose me. I have no idea who that doctor will be but I CAN'T keep on like this for another 2 years.

If I don't get diagnosed/fixed, I plan to advertise on Craigslist for someone willing to perform an "at home ECTOMY." Yep, I will happily allow/encourage any budding doctor wannabes to remove anything they can find on my left side. Not the right...only the left. My right side is RIGHT AS RAIN! (what the hell does that mean?)

Figure someone out there loved playing the game of OPERATION growing up and would JUMP at the chance to "operate" in real life. Of course, my nose won't light up if they screw up but I might let out a colorful string of curse words!! (Hell, if it makes my pain go away, I will FIND a way to make my nose glow! Rudolph...got any hints?)

But because I REFUSE to let this god awful, pain like no other ruin my otherwise fantastic day (I MADE MY GOAL!!! DID YOU HEAR? I MADE IT!!) and I refuse to talk about this pain anymore today, I want YOU to tell me what things you'd like to see me talk about in the next few weeks...as we wait for the raffle to start. I've been a little preoccupied with this fundraiser so it'd be nice to talk about others things for a bit. Of course, I WILL still mention the fundraiser now and again cuz I do want to raise as much money as I can, but I think it's time I talk about OTHER STUFF.

Would you give me some ideas?

Anything you wish I talked about more? Less?

Anything that you are dying to know my opinion on?

Serious or silly....I'm game.

You can ask a question but you can also just tell me to talk about a specific subject.

You can even tell me to shut the hell up but that's not likely to happen.

I'm just too verbose. Right, Dad??? :)

I'm ALMOST There...

********WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST FOR SOME OUT OF THIS WORLD BREAKING NEWS!!!! WE DID IT!!! YOU DID IT!! AND I DID IT!! WE HIT THE $5000.00 MARK!!! AND I AM SO HAPPY I COULD CRY!! Already called my Dad and told him. Can't even begin to describe how amazing that phone call felt!

BUT DON'T STOP!! Please continue to donate cuz EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR MAKES A DIFFERENCE!! PLUS...Your donation gets you entered to win a BUTT LOAD of awesome prizes starting August 3rd! So GIVE, GIVE, GIVE!! Still adding prizes everyday...some of the biggest ones have yet to be listed!!! :)

As I write this entry, I am ONLY, ONLY, ONLY $180.00 away from reaching my fundraising goal!!! Did you hear that? Only one hundred and eighty dollars. Wow. I can't believe it. I ALMOST, ALMOST, ALMOST believe I JUST, JUST, JUST might pull it off. (Somehow to assume I WILL make it just seems like bad karma)

I am so happy. And so thankful. And so proud.

Proud of each and everyone of you that reached into your pockets and gave from your heart. I truly get a little teary thinking about your generosity.

Whether or not I reach my goal of $5000.00***, I will be forever grateful to all that made my dream come true. A dream I've had for 6 years. A dream that allows me to say thanks for giving my Dad new life.

(***Ok, if I'm being totally truthful, I not only want to MEET my goal, I want to exceed it...even if it's just by a little bit!! Really, I do!!) :)

As the final few weeks of my fundraising quest tick by and I start to prepare in earnest for the TOTALLY AWESOME, TOTALLY AMAZING 25 DAYS OF PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAYS, I want to make sure that I have all my ducks in a row.

I have all the entries ready to go for those that have donated money. I have an entry in place for each person that donated an actual prize to the raffle. (as prizes arrive, I toss your name into the raffle pot!)

What I'm NOT entirely sure I have is an entry in place for those of you that have mentioned my fundraiser in a blog or added my fundraising widget to your page. If you have done either of these things, please leave me a comment letting me know. If you actually wrote about my fundraiser, please leave me a link to that entry in your comment as I'd love to see it. I may have already read it but I want to make sure!!

And if you still want to talk it up on your blog or add the widget if you haven't already, go for it and let me know! I will happily toss an entry in the mix for you....I will GLADLY add an entry for you.

And don't forget to hop over and check out the STILL GROWING list of raffle prizes. The list is full of awesome stuff, all of which will make a few lucky people VERY HAPPY!

(If you graciously offered to donate a raffle prize, please try to get it to me ASAP. I need to add your prize to the master list as well as start to separate items into the 25 different prize packages. I SOOOO thank you for offering to send a gift and can't wait to see what arrives!)

One last thing before I go pop more ADVIL and/or TYLENOL to quiet the nasty phantom pain that continues to rear it's ugly head...

I was asked to read and review ADOPTING ALESIA, a newly published book by blogger Dee Thompson. Dee donated a signed copy for my raffle, which means someone will win their very own copy. For the rest of you, copies can be easily purchased HERE! :)


From cover to cover, I found myself smiling. Because this story is real. And it’s uplifting. And it’s one of the greatest examples of determination I have ever seen.

For a million reasons, Dee could have given up. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Because she knew that Alesia was meant to be her daughter. And that knowledge, that intense feeling that they were meant to be together is what kept her moving forward on her adoption mission. It’s truly what allowed her to stay focused. And it’s what made this story so heart warming.

It’s also what kept me cheering inside as I read how Dee faced one hurdle after another. Even knowing how the story turns out, I STILL found myself silently chanting, “you go girl” when she described yet another difficulty she faced trying to bring her daughter home.

The daughter she KNEW without a doubt was supposed to be hers.

Her steadfast belief never wavered. Not for a moment. Because Dee knew that Alesia’s REAL home, the one God intended for her, was with Dee.

And after reading Adopting Alesia, I believe it too. :)

Distractions Are A Blessing

I STILL hurt.

~~

Today's self diagnosis (made by me hence the SELF part) is Ebola. I know, I know, I was surprised to discover that that's what I have too. But abdominal pain IS a symptom. And althought I DON'T remember handling any infected chimpanzees, gorillas or forest antelopes in the recent past, one truly never knows what one does after 6 or 8 jello shots. Maybe, just maybe, I decided to swap spit with a suave and debonair primate at a party I attended. (Our neighborhood parties always have an interesting mix of attendees) I mean, I DO have a thing for sock monkeys. So making out with a gorilla might not see so odd to little old inebriated me.

~~

Yep. Ebola it is.

~~

And I'm STILL a nervous nelly about my fundraiser.

~~

Will I meet my goal or will I crash and burn as the giant loser I'm afraid I'll be? Yep, I equate NOT meeting my goal as a one way ticket to LOSERVILLE. Actually, not meeting my goal would put me in the running for MAYOR of LOSERVILLE. (Wonder if they care that I have Ebola?)

~~

19 days to raise $280. Seems totally doable. But might not be.

~~

Better get pre-fitted for the sash the MOL (Mayor of Loserville...weren't you paying attention?) is required to wear!

~~

But even nervous and in pain, I still managed to find a bunch of things that distracted me...if only for a brief pain/nerve free moment.

~~

(Maybe if I find enough of these things, I will somehow actually survive the next 19 days in one piece!!)

~~

Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa look so amazing? I mean her eyes just pop!

"Dad is great...he brings me a giant ass Diet Coke cake!!" (sung in my best Bill Cosby voice)

Shit bricks....get it? Legos are brick shape!! Brilliant I tell you....brilliant!! (And now I want sushi)

I simply love this. Almost didn't give it a second look. SOOOO glad I did!

Was going to say something crude about this woman's rather fat....kitty. ;) But instead got hung up on the cat's expression. It's CLEARLY begging someone to PLEASE KILL ME....NOW.

Not sure what this is but it made me stop....and chuckle. How do people come up with this stuff?

This one just kept me busy. It's a PRONUNCIATION POEM.

I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough?Others may stumble, but not you,on hiccough, thorough, laugh and through.Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,to learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word,that looks like beard and sounds like bird.And dead -- it's said like bed not bead --and for goodness' sake don't call it deed!Watch out for meat and great and threat(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt)

A moth is not the moth in mother,nor both in bother, broth in brother.And here is not a match for there,nor dear and fear for bear and pear.And then there's dose and rose and lose --just look them up -- and goose and choose,and cork and work and card and ward,and font and front and word and sword,and do and go and thwart and cart --come, come I've hardly made a start.A dreadful language? Man alive.I'd mastered it when I was five.
~~

Caption that came with this pic said:

~~

Sleeping around....it's ALWAYS the kids that suffer!

As if that's not funny enough, Jason, the sender of this pic to me, added his OWN caption. It simply said...."ZONKEY BALLS!" I love it!! I may just have to start using "zonkey balls" instead of "donkey balls" from here on out!

If It Wasn't for My Wieners, I'd Have Nothing

Pain.

~~

I'm in it.

~~

And I can't think of much else.

~~

Wasn't going to blog at all but had these pics. Thought I'd use them to fill what would have been a big old pain induced blog void.

~~

Hope tomorrow I'll feel less like a pitbull's gnawing at my innards.

~~

Until then, I give you my wieners.

~~

No wiener anywhere enjoys the hose more than my Chauncey.

Who knew my wiener could fly so high when there's water to be had.


Even if they ARE occasionally allowed on the furniture, he is NEVER supposed to sit on the cushion like that.

~~

Which I sternly informed him.

~~

And almost immediately got this:

~~

I think my wiener just dissed me in a BIG WAY.