Today, I was driving back to the office from lunch. I was coming up to a green light and noticed that NO ONE was moving in ANY direction. I waited a few seconds then honked my horn. WHAT!? Like you haven't done it.
Anyway, after I honked, a police car in the front of the line headed toward me turned on his lights. I swear, I didn't see him or his lights before so I don't know if they were on or not before I honked. I really didn't see him. So, he turns on his lights and starts driving (I guessed I woke him up and made him realize the light turned green? I don't know). He was in the front of a line of cars.....in a FUNERAL procession. OOPS!
I mentioned this to one of the girls in my office and she stated that I was impatient. I told her that I guess I was and she stated that honking is a terrible thing to do and that it was extremely rude. She also stated that when someone honks behind her, she slows down and makes sure they can't pass her. Personally, I think THAT is rude, but whatever.
On my drive home today, I realized that I actually hardly honk at anyone. I only honk when I'm waiting at a red light behind someone who hasn't noticed the light has changed (usually because they are looking in the backseat, reading, or any number of other things) or when someone is about to come into my lane without realizing that I am there. I will drive behind someone going TEN miles BELOW the speed limit and will NOT honk (I get extremely frustrated, but I don't honk). I guess I'm not THAT impatient after all. :-)
On another note...when I first started working in this office, I was asked if I was a coffee drinker. I told them that I wasn't but that on occasion, I will have one cup in the morning especially if it's a cold morning or if I need caffeine.
I was thinking this weekend that years ago, I wouldn't drink coffee. At. All. I couldn't stand the taste, but I've always loved the smell. Then I started drinking a cup of coffee as long as it had one packet of sweetner and enough CoffeeMate to turn the coffee the color of caramel (which I pronounce "carmull"). I could even drink it with one sweetner and a packet of hot chocolate. :-) Not only do I drink coffee in the ways mentioned above, but I will also drink it cold. I drink the equivalent of 3 cups (my cup is equal to 1 1/2 cups and I fill it twice) each morning at work no matter if I need caffeine, if it's cold, or not. I realized this weekend, that I AM A COFFEE DRINKER! I can't believe that I have actually become a coffee drinker. I guess my tastes have finally matured. Too bad the rest of me hasn't. :-P
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Patriotism (stories that made me cry)
I recieved this in an email this week and thought I'd pass it along.
Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.
No, he responded.
Heading out I asked?
No. I'm escorting a soldier home.
Going to pick him up?
No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq . I'm taking him home to his family. The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do. Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign." Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.
So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do. signed: Stuart Margel -- Washington , D.C.
Also, here are two very touching photos honored at this years International Picture of the Year. The photos did not come through (I received this in an email) but the stories that go with them conjure the picture in your mind and are worth reading. They made me cry.
First Place
First Place Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: "See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home," he said. "They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should."
Second Place
Second Place Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."
Red Fridays. Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is ..."We need your support and your prayers.." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.
WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!!
Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.
No, he responded.
Heading out I asked?
No. I'm escorting a soldier home.
Going to pick him up?
No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq . I'm taking him home to his family. The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do. Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign." Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.
So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do. signed: Stuart Margel -- Washington , D.C.
Also, here are two very touching photos honored at this years International Picture of the Year. The photos did not come through (I received this in an email) but the stories that go with them conjure the picture in your mind and are worth reading. They made me cry.
First Place
First Place Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: "See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home," he said. "They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should."
Second Place
Second Place Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."
Red Fridays. Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is ..."We need your support and your prayers.." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.
WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!!
NN/N
WooHoo! We found out on March 9 that we will be having a.....new Niece!
Yesterday, we saw the ultrasound of the little cutie. Not only did we see the ultrasound, but the ultrasound was on DVD. It was so awesome! We saw her moving around, we saw her little face, and we saw her little vajayjay. She is DEFINITELY a girl.
I have to admit that I shed tears and cried THREE times while watching it. It's the closest I'm ever going to get to being in the room when an ultrasound is going on. When W, D, K, and B were in the womb, ultrasounds were just for the parents and a picture was given to the parents to show to family. I sooo love the dvd format much better than the picture format. They even had a section where you could see the baby in 3-d. Pretty sweet!
I will no longer refer to this Niece as NN/N (new niece/nephew). I will now refer to her as BG (baby girl) until her parents decide on a name for her.
Yesterday, we saw the ultrasound of the little cutie. Not only did we see the ultrasound, but the ultrasound was on DVD. It was so awesome! We saw her moving around, we saw her little face, and we saw her little vajayjay. She is DEFINITELY a girl.
I have to admit that I shed tears and cried THREE times while watching it. It's the closest I'm ever going to get to being in the room when an ultrasound is going on. When W, D, K, and B were in the womb, ultrasounds were just for the parents and a picture was given to the parents to show to family. I sooo love the dvd format much better than the picture format. They even had a section where you could see the baby in 3-d. Pretty sweet!
I will no longer refer to this Niece as NN/N (new niece/nephew). I will now refer to her as BG (baby girl) until her parents decide on a name for her.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
10th Anniversary
Today is the 10th anniversary of the day H and I were married. What an amazing day it was. The year was 1997 and it was a Friday. We had decided earlier that week that we were going to take off work on Friday and elope without telling anyone in our families or anyone we worked with. We called and set the date with a justice of the peace and told him we would meet him at his place of business Friday at 1. We went to the courthouse right before then and got our license. The lady that asked us all the questions and gave us our license asked if we wanted one of the judges upstairs to marry us. We told her we never thought about that as an option and had already called a justice of the peace and he was waiting for us.
I wore a cream colored pant suit and sadly cannot remember what H wore. Anyway, after the courthouse, we went to the justice of the peace to exchange our vows. He asked us where we wanted to exchange our vows. We said right where we were was fine. He said that some people chose to get married in the gazebo across the street. We declined and said where we were was fine. I remember he seemed shocked. Where we were happened to be the back counter of his appliance store. Weird, I know, but that is where we got married. Right next to the cash register. I guess he had a good reason to seem shocked. I still can't believe that we turned down that gorgeous, white gazebo where everyone driving by would have seen us exchanging our vows and would have honked their horns. Obviously, it didn't matter to us where we got married - all that mattered to us was that we got married.
So that H would remember the day, we decided to go to Tunica, MS and gamble to mark the day. He had never been in a casino before, and I wanted him to always remember this day and not have any excuse for forgetting our anniversary. :-)
We stayed in a really nice hotel not far from Tunica that was pretty expensive. We gambled off and on from Friday through Sunday. Once we got home, we called both of our parents and let them know we were married. Needless to say, they were shocked, hurt, and extremely surprised. A year later, we went back to the same hotel just to look at it and walk around. Sadly, they turned it into a nursing home. I was so sad I cried. H told me that I should look at it as a sign that we are meant to grow old together. I took great comfort in that.
By the way, everytime we drive by that appliance store, we always look at each other and say - "We got married there." I'm going to have to take a picture of it so I'll always have it in case the store ceases to exist at some point in time. Whenever I share this story with people, they cannot believe that I was actually okay with getting married in an appliance store. The way I see it, I have a very unique and memorable story to tell about my wedding. :-) It's lasted for 10 years so I guess an appliance store is an okay place to get married in. For all you out there who want a tried and tested location to get married, I highly recommend an appliance store. Ask all your divorced friends where they got married. I bet they say a church. :-)
I also bet not one of them say they were married in an appliance store. Trust me, it's the place to merge lives forever.
I wore a cream colored pant suit and sadly cannot remember what H wore. Anyway, after the courthouse, we went to the justice of the peace to exchange our vows. He asked us where we wanted to exchange our vows. We said right where we were was fine. He said that some people chose to get married in the gazebo across the street. We declined and said where we were was fine. I remember he seemed shocked. Where we were happened to be the back counter of his appliance store. Weird, I know, but that is where we got married. Right next to the cash register. I guess he had a good reason to seem shocked. I still can't believe that we turned down that gorgeous, white gazebo where everyone driving by would have seen us exchanging our vows and would have honked their horns. Obviously, it didn't matter to us where we got married - all that mattered to us was that we got married.
So that H would remember the day, we decided to go to Tunica, MS and gamble to mark the day. He had never been in a casino before, and I wanted him to always remember this day and not have any excuse for forgetting our anniversary. :-)
We stayed in a really nice hotel not far from Tunica that was pretty expensive. We gambled off and on from Friday through Sunday. Once we got home, we called both of our parents and let them know we were married. Needless to say, they were shocked, hurt, and extremely surprised. A year later, we went back to the same hotel just to look at it and walk around. Sadly, they turned it into a nursing home. I was so sad I cried. H told me that I should look at it as a sign that we are meant to grow old together. I took great comfort in that.
By the way, everytime we drive by that appliance store, we always look at each other and say - "We got married there." I'm going to have to take a picture of it so I'll always have it in case the store ceases to exist at some point in time. Whenever I share this story with people, they cannot believe that I was actually okay with getting married in an appliance store. The way I see it, I have a very unique and memorable story to tell about my wedding. :-) It's lasted for 10 years so I guess an appliance store is an okay place to get married in. For all you out there who want a tried and tested location to get married, I highly recommend an appliance store. Ask all your divorced friends where they got married. I bet they say a church. :-)
I also bet not one of them say they were married in an appliance store. Trust me, it's the place to merge lives forever.
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