Blessed Sunshine is Coming My Way

Notice anything?

Look around.

All around.

Look high. And low. Left. Right.

See it?

I'll bet my detail whore twin sees it.

Heck, I will bet that she can even explain WHY.

See it? Look again.

Okay, okay. I'll give you a hint.


THERE ARE MORE BLOGS LISTED ON MY BLOG ROLL.

So sue me. That was more than just a hint.

There will be more to come.

And why are they there?

Because....

BECAUSE.....

Can you feel it? It's rising up inside of me. And when it bubbles right out of me like an explosive volcano there will be no stopping me. Not only that, it won't be my fault. I'm warning you now that you can't hold me responsible.

And what ..... what in the world could do this... have this affect on me?

Three weeks, folks. Three weeks of school and then I'm free.... free to do the happy dance. Watch it for yourself.




And do you know what's even better than the happy dance? Having three whole months of more time to be out here with you all talking about our favorite topic!!

Can you feel it?

Oh, yeah.

Okay, okay I'm sorry.

Not all of us get to take 3 months off every year but you have no idea what we put up with during the other nine. There are administrators who can drive a person to insanity. There are kids who DO drive a person to insanity. And let me pop your bubble.

Teachers do NOT get paid for the summer. We just get the money we've already earned that the district hangs onto for us. Shouldn't we get interest on that money?

Ahhhhh....summer. It's worth not getting paid.

It's worth the freedom from books and chalkdust.

Come quickly summer time!!!

Come quickly blogging time!!

And spanking time!!!

I want it all.

And I want it NOW!!!!

Okay, okay. I'm sorry. It's just that I am seeing this VERY bright light at the end of the tunnel!!

And for once, I'm certain that it's not an oncoming train. Hang in here with me folks. We're about to step out of the tunnel - dark and dreary - into the most glorious sunshine ever!!

Ahhhhhh..... yeah! I can feel it on my face already.

Talk to Me

How do you do it?

How do you keep the spanking passion alive when there are kids in the house?

Worse. How do you keep it going when there are adult kids in the house?

Okay so it's only ONE kid but she will be here at the end of the week and is staying till mid August.

Adam and I love our kids dearly but we've also gotten used to being on our own.

We LIKE being on our own.

When we met I was seventeen. Two and a half months later we got engaged. Five months after that we were married. Eleven months later our first child was born.

We didn't have much time on our own before the children were born. We've waited a long time to be alone. We've finally been free to indulge in the fun side of ourselves.... and yes that would be the spanko side of our life.

The thought of an adult child moving into the house drains the spanko right out of me. Why think about what will now be more difficult to achieve day to day? Why put myself through that form of torture? You know what I mean... you're in the mood but in walks the offspring. Or worse, you're all alone, in the mood but don't know when the offspring might walk in.

So really....how do you do it? I want to know. I really do. How do you keep the desire going when you know your plans for tonight or tomorrow or whenever you have plans for can be snuffed out by a simple turn of events? Plans cancelled. Child gets sick. So many things can squelch it so why bother in the first place?

What's the point? Why bother?

I don't know. I just don't know.

I really want to hear what you all have to say.

Talk to me.

Paul's Meme

I'm honored to post Paul's answers to the most recent meme running through our little circle.

Question number 1: What are three of the stupidest things you've done in your life;

At seventy plus I’ve had plenty of opportunities to be stupid,

When I was 15 I ran away from a damn good apprenticeship because I listened to idiot adults.

At 14 I started to smoke, I thought that it made me look older.

At 18 I tried to out drink a Scotsman, I couldn’t!!!

Question number 2: At the current moment, who has the most influence on your life?

Tara my nearly twenty year old blind and deaf bitch.

Question number 3: If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you were allowed to only pick five people to dine with, who would you pick?

Mel, my parents, a maternal grandmother and a paternal grandfather, I would really have liked Mel to meet my birth family.

Question number 4: If you had three wishes that were not supernatural, what would they be?

For mankind to live in accord with their Mother the Earth.

For mankind to live within it’s means.

For there to be peace on earth.

Question number 5: Someone is visiting your hometown/place where you live at the moment. Name two things you regret your city not having, and two things people should avoid.

A theater and a Concert hall.

Our high street and the local night club.

Question number 6: Name one event that has changed your life.

Meeting Mel.

Question number 7: Is not a question. It's a command. Tag five other people.

I think everyone has done it.

Happy Birthday Grace!

Grace,

You are an absolutely amazing blogger and friend! I wish you many, many happy years!!

Oh, and I got you this for your birthday:

Adam Wants a Laptop... Sort Of.....

I swear. It all started off innocently enough.

In just one week the nest will not be empty. Our youngest is coming home for the summer instead of working the job she has the past two years 3 hours from home. I don't mind but it will be an adjustment. Adam and I have gotten used to being on our own.

I recently said to my child "If I install a wireless router will you stay off MY computer and just use your own?"

It's not that I'm selfish.

Well, okay. It is that I'm selfish. In the summer I like to check my mail. Clean the kitchen. Read some blogs. Clean the bathroom. Check my mail again. Throw a load of wash in. Play a game of cards online, etc.

In other words, when I want my computer, I want my computer. And that's that.

But when there are kids living here you can imagine how it goes. The minute I get up to clean the kitchen my computer gets hijacked by someone under 30 and it drives me nuts.

Wireless internet, the solution of all solutions, yes?

Suffice it to say that the youngest is THRILLED to oblige.

But now here's another issue.

Remember the road trip? We had a blast last year BUT ... it's not a big deal but I am an early riser. Adam likes to sleep later than me. I like letting him sleep however I am very bored waiting in a hotel room for him to wake up.

Boy a laptop of my own would sure be nice. I love my desktop computer. It's fast but not at all portable.

I thought maybe I'd convince the child to swap me machines for the 2 weeks we're gone but then I got to thinking.....

And thinking...

Visions of sitting out on the deck with my morning coffee and laptop were becoming quite desirable. And this from me, someone who swore she'd never ever buy a laptop. I don't like typing on them. I hate those .... what do you call them.... thinkpads? You know. The mouse.

So anyhow, I emailed PK this morning. I told her "I think I want a laptop. I just have to convince Adam that he wants one, too."

I fixed him an awesome breakfast of a fresh asparagus/fresh basil/swiss cheese omelet, hash browns, and fresh fruit this morning. Over breakfast I said "honey, I think you need a laptop."

"Me? I think YOU want a laptop."

"I can't deny it. It would be great for the trip and then when we get back it would be all yours for work."

"The trip? You are NOT spending the whole trip on a computer. The computer is what we go to get away from."

"I know that silly. I would just check mail in the morning and at night and maybe read blogs while you sleep in."

He then decided he was going to take the pup out. I went back and emailed PK again. This time I told her "He's wearing down. I'll have my laptop by the end of the day."

He came back in and said I needed spanked. "For what?"

"That whole laptop thing. It's not for me. It's you who wants one."

"Okay fine. You get a laptop and I get spanked. Deal."

"No deal. I'm going to get a shower."

Hmmmmmmm........ I did the only thing I could at that point. I stripped down and climbed in the shower with him.

There was actually more to the conversation. He was considering the fact that it would be a tax deduction. We joked about who it would belong to and of course agreed that it would be both of ours.

As I climbed in the shower, he laughed. He knew EXACTLY why I was there.

I ran my finger around on his chest a couple times and then looked at him, trying to make my eyes as big and as pleading as possible.

"Don't you look at me like that."

"Why not?"

"Because the last time you looked at me like that we ended up with children."

Man. He doesn't forget a thing.


Then he said to me, "I'm not saying I want a laptop but if we were to get one and take it on the road trip we could upload pictures to it as we go huh? We could take a lot more pictures."

Far be it from me to tell him it would be cheaper to just buy an extra card for the camera. They are small and could be lost easily. You know?

So anyhow....

Yup. We got the laptop. I bought a cheap mouse to go with it so I don't have to use that thinkpad thingie.

And honestly if Adam was that against it he would have said so.

Honest.

Now about that spanking...............

A Tribute to Life and Living

Yesterday I had one of those moments. You've probably had them a time or two before, also. There was a situation that I dropped my jaw on at first.

Later, as I relayed the story for the second time, it started to hit me. This was more than just a jaw dropped.

Let me explain. I might have to go in a few directions to get to the point.

First direction: Adam's sick.

He'll be fine. In fact I see a lot of improvement today over yesterday. He's on antibiotics so hopefully the worst is behind us. In the meantime he hasn't worked since Monday which has left me worrying throughout my own work day, going home to tend to him, the pup, my grad class, etc.

Yesterday I was in the eye of the storm; an oasis of sorts. On my drive home from work I was talking with PK as we do about once a week. I was relaxed and enjoying the drive as well as the conversation. My entire drive is a two lane state route and I often get caught in slow moving traffic.

School buses are the main cause of slow downs. Tractors would be the second cause. Sure enough, traffic was slowing.

As I looked ahead I saw a little one crossing the road so I knew there was a school bus up ahead. I couldn't tell exactly how far ahead because I had a semi-truck in front of me.

I wasn't paying attention to much around me. I was just driving along yacking with PK. I don't even remember stopping for the next school bus stop. I was on auto pilot.

Everything was going smoothly or as smoothly as it could be considering the bus and trucks ahead of me.

Then it happened.

I think I said, "What the heck?" Or something like that.

PK asked what was going on.

"I am on a two lane state route and a semi truck just came barreling past me. I'm sitting here at a dead stop waiting on a school bus."

I honestly don't know how fast it was going but it came to a stop by the time its back end reached the front end of the truck in front of me. As traffic began to move it sat there blocking the oncoming lane while we all filed past on its right side.

I checked my mirror. He fell in behind us all. I told PK "I think he wasn't paying attention and couldn't get stopped."

Well duh. Obviously.

We went on with our talk and I didn't give it much thought until we hung up and a real life friend called. I was telling her what had happened and then it hit me.

Oh, my dear God.

What if...... What if the trucker hadn't seen the situation in time to go around in the other lane? What if there had been anything oncoming? What if....

I told my friend "I was stopped right on the tail of one semi while this other one went into the wrong lane. If he had hit me, you wouldn't have been able to view the body at my funeral."

I'm fairly certain that I would have been unrecognizable and PK wouldn't have known what hit me.

At least it would have been over with quickly.

Anyhow.... all is well but the could haves really bothered me. Oh, and by the way, I didn't tell Adam what had happened. I was kind of shook and just wanted to forget it. It affected my whole mood last night but he was too out of it to comprehend it anyhow. He found out though from my real life friend.

She works in his doctor's office and mentioned it when he was in there today. He realized right away that he was entirely too out of it last night and that was probably why I had not told him.

A little bit ago I was helping him take the trash out. Usually he doesn't ask for my help but since he's not feeling too swift he did this time. While we were out there he said to me "why don't we check your brake lights while we're out here?"

I went and got my keys. I got in. Started the engine. Pushed the brake. He said "They're fine. Jerk. Hope he pays attention next time."

Yep. Me, too.

Did you know that today is a National Day of Prayer? As I have prayed off and on all day I have started and closed every prayer thanking Him for intervening and not allowing it to be a catastrophe.

As much as I tell myself to quit thinking about it because nothing happened, I can't help but wonder just how many more seconds of this guy not noticing before it would have been too late.

Ouch.

So as a result I've had a thought provoking day. I've noticed things I don't normally notice. For instance, I noticed that all the summer time flowers are out for sale. They had a sidewalk full of them outside the store I was entering to get Adam's prescriptions for him. I always (lovingly of course) joke with Adam about flowers. He loves them and always comments on them so don't tell him this but I actually smiled today when I saw all those flowers today and and thought about what they stand for.

They stand for Adam just because they make me think of him.

They stand for life just because it's spring and life is new right now.

They stand for living because there's nothing else to do once life is given.

And they even stand for death... but not yet. They still have a lot of life ahead.

And so do I.

I believe in God. I believe in heaven. I believe in Jesus dying to set the captive free.

I want to die. I want to go to heaven. I want to see Jesus face to face.

Just not yet. I still have some living to do so on this national day of prayer for those of you who believe and are praying thank Him for not letting me die just yet.

After all, I don't think Adam is done with me yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a couple shots I took of this route for those of you who have expressed concern over my talking on the phone while driving. I've been driving this route for over 10 years. It's not a busy one. Talking is not a distraction in the traffic you see here. And please don't come down on me for shooting a couple quick shots as I was driving. It was not a distraction. :)

Happy Birthday!!!

Hey!!! I heard it here.....

A certain redhead is having a birthday!!!!

Happy, happy Birthday!!!!