woot!

i've been put on someone's 'blogs i like to read' list!!!!!

thank you, sassy!!! if i knew how to make a list, i'd put you on it! (and you, too, jen, fred and robin!)

i'm a happy girl!

road rage barbie

is what i have become. traffic is not my friend. if you come over into my lane, i'm going to yell at you. if you don't use your blinker, i'm going to yell at you. if you cut me off, i'm going to yell at you. if you ride my bumper, i'm gonna yell even louder AND give you the bird. i think i need to take some anger management classes. or there's a whole lot of idiots on the road and they need to go back to driver's ed.

scenes from an aircraft

*to the single dad on my right - yes, i will accompany your daughter to the restroom when we land. no, you may not have my phone number.

*to the gentleman on my left wearing a thumb ring, a pink plastic breast cancer awareness bracelet and carrying a (very nice) leather "man bag" - you can talk about your "girlfriend" all you want, but NO ONE believes you. (especially with THAT lisp)

*to the lady wandering around trying to match a seat number with your boarding pass - we're flying on SOUTHWEST. duh.

*to the lady wearing a long-sleeved pull over sweater and capri pants - WTF??? you'll cover your arms all the way but not your legs? do i have to give the 'make a decision' speech again? you obviously don't read my blog.

i hate flying.

adios!

i'm leavin' on a jet plane - don't know when i'll be back again...

just kidding - i do know. i'm travelling the next few days for work - y'all be good.

sit back and soak THIS up!

i'll wait a second for you to go find a chair...

life is good. almost great.

i'm going to a wedding reception this weekend...stay tuned for 'scenes from a wedding'. (fred, i'm sure it will be at least as entertaining as my trip to the mall, if not better!)

kisses to you all...

i will never forget

september 11, 2001

i was in my car on my way to work. i was listening to kidd kraddick - jennifer paige was singing her new single. i stayed in the car long enough to hear her finish, and then headed to my office.

five minutes later, the world stopped.

unimaginable terror swept through me. would we be safe? i worked in an office building - would they come after us, too? no one knew at that time how many planes in the air had been hijacked. would my daughter, in school across town, be safe? our world wouldn't ever be the same.

fast forward a few days...

they're showing video that people took from the center of all of the chaos. most people are focusing on the ashes and destroyed buildings. the only thing i can focus on is the high pitched alarms going on in the background. i started in medicine as an emt. i worked for two fire departments. the sirens are pass (personal alert safety system) alarms. when a firefighter doesn't move for thirty seconds, the pass alarm is activated, and it emits that sound so that others can find him. it knew that many of my fellow brothers and sisters were lying in that rubble. those sounds will haunt me for life.

i pray that you all never forget the striking sounds and images from that day. i pray that you all recognize that civil servants are just as deserving of our honor and respect as the soldiers that serve our country. and i pray that you all are humbled by the thoughts of all of the families that were left behind.

god bless america - my home sweet home.

i surrender

"so you lit her cigarette? you're feelin' pretty good?
you think you've got a shot? most girls, you probably would...
yeah this is that kind of place, but she ain't that kind of girl
you're readin' it all wrong...let me tell you about her...
she only smokes when she drinks; she only drinks now and then...
now and then when she's tired of being let down by men
you can give her a light, but it's not what you think
everybody knows she only drinks alone, and she only smokes when she drinks

did you ask her to dance? let me guess, she told you no
got to take her some place quiet and see how far that goes
oh, don't take it all that hard when she smiles and turns you down
for a complicated girl, she ain't that hard to figure out
she only smokes when she drinks; she only drinks now and then...
now and then when she's tired of being let down by men
you can give her a light, but it's not what you think
everybody knows she only drinks alone, and she only smokes when she drinks"

i've got beer...anybody got a cigarette?

lend a hand

i spent a lot of this holiday weekend volunteering. i thought i would just be giving of my time. but it turned out to be so very much more than that. i gave more of myself than i thought possible, really. my time, my heart, my soul, my every emotion, my tears...my shoulder. these people...these men, women, and children...were unbelievable. Resilient. Stoic. heartbroken. oh...i was so moved.

i started saturday at a medical clinic. we saw a two week old baby with a very high fever, diarrhea, you name it...poor baby. she's in the hospital now. i'm going to see her today. we saw person after person after person that didn't have their meds...along with cuts, bruises, more than a few black eyes...and such sadness. so very much sadness.

then saturday evening i was at a church that opened their family life center to serve as a shelter. we accepted busses full of refugees from the superdome. first, let me say that i have never smelled anything like that in my medical career...i thought i had seen it and smelled it all. boy, was i wrong. the majority of them are shell-shocked, some staring off into space, some weeping...some hugging us...and i tell you i received more 'bless yous' than when i sneeze in church! so many have been separated from their loved ones, craving any piece of information that you can give them. it just broke my heart. and the children? i can't go there...

now i'm going to get on my soapbox for a second. i have read and watched and heard so many people pointing fingers, shifting blame, bitching, complaining...and i've had enough. we can't go back and fix it now. but we can move ahead and let the axes fall where they may. instead, expend your energy getting out and doing something - ANYTHING - for these people who need our help and support so desperately. show your disdain for all those involved at the polls. show your support for the people in the shelters, in the churches, anywhere you can find them. and take some donations to your local animal shelter, as well. people weren't the only ones displaced.