A Day Away

Due to numerous different things, mainly Andrew's job situation and my program at work, we were supposed to take vacation next week and have cancelled it. I still thought we all deserved some time away though and made plans to run to St. Louis for the day. Anyone who knows us well knows St. Louis is our favorite "home away from home" so we loaded up yesterday morning and took off for the science center.

Robert's girlfriend, Kelly, went with us, it was the first time we had spent time with her and we had a great time. How she puts up with some of Robert's antics is beyond me but she doesn't seem to mind. Honestly, I shouldn't say that, he is a good kid. We were "playing" with the bridge models at the Science Center and Robert went and looked at this one you were supposed to put together. There was a guy standing beside it, mid-'50's and he made the statement immediately that he was looking forward to watching Robert put the thing together because he "just looked like he could". Well, Robert is very visual, and of course, he was able to put the bridge together. He did impress the guy, it was funny.

We ended the day with a trip to the Old Spaghetti Factory, one of my all time favorite restaurants. It was funny, I was talking Kelly into the Spumoni ice cream and telling her all about it, the waitress said I should work there, I told her I had been coming to the Old Spaghetti Factory since before she was born. We try to go to some of the other ones when we see one, none compare to St. Louis though. There were only 11 in the United States when it opened and it, to me, is truly a St. Louis treasure. Three was a tour group of seniors there, I can't resist finding out where people are going when I see things like that. They were from Middleton OH, so I told her she passed within 20 miles of our house, when they were on 70, she remembered the Greenup exit. They had been to the Arch and were headed to Branson. I told Andrew when we got older, I thought that would be fun. He said it wouldn't be good unless they let me drive the bus. I think he is insinuating I have control issues.....

While we were out yesterday, we did drive by Sweetie Pie's, the place made famous by the tv show? It was closed, go figure. We weren't going anyway but oh well.

So today, back to work, I give my last student her final tonight, then have two more days to get ready for PIPP training on Friday. PIPP recertification starts next Monday (see why I'm not going on vacation), then Brenda, Sharon and I leave on the 10th for the National Energy Assistance Director's Association conference. It is in New Orleans, I am looking very forward to this conference, we only get to go every other year, I love getting a chance to hear about how others from all across the nation are taking are of heating assistance issues.

I will close with some pics from our outing.

Here I am

I think this is the longest I have went without posting on my blog since the beginning of the year. I'm slipping. It has been a rough week UC-wise. I have had a flare but it is different than normal. GRAPHIC ALERT: Usually, when I flare, it consists of explosive, bloody diarrhea, this time, it consisted of sever, painful constipation, then when I was productive, it was still the bloody, loose stools. I was really afraid I had blockage, which is something to worry about with UC, which leads to having your color removed.  END OF GRAPHIC ALERT Last Saturday morning was the absolute worst and I seriously considered having Andrew take me to the hospital. I stuck it out though and Monday morning called my doctor. He thought I was probably majorly inflammed though. Through the other life events taking place at my house, I recently changed insurances to my work's insurance. We have a high deductible, I am VERY THANKFUL to have insurance but am not used to this. When I went to get the medicine the doctor prescribed, it was $700. They kept it. I am taking high doses of fiber to help the situation and though it wasn't helping much, it was at least making a little difference. Anyway, Wednesday evening, the doctor's office called and they had found a much less expensive substitute. I have taken 2 doses now and it is working, at a price of $54. Much better isn't even the right words.

I guess there has been a lot going on to stress my bowels out. Honestly, I am still doling Andrew's final paycheck out into the budget so we still haven't seen any effects yet of his job loss. He has a couple of good nibbles so hopefully by the time the paycheck runs out, he will have a new one. He is having to fight unemployment, I hate that, but we knew he would. He has a hearing next Tuesday. It is way more the principal of the thing than the money. Walmart has accused him of doing something on purpose that was wholeheartedly an accident. He has never claimed he didn't make a mistake, but everyone who knows him, including the ones accusing him should know he has always been such a stickler for policy that he would never do anything willingly against it.

Before we started dating, we liked each other but I knew, because we both knew the policy, that he would never ask me out as long as he was an assistant and I was an hourly in the same store. The night I officially left the Effingham Walmart to go to work in Decatur, he asked me out.

Our grant's manager and friend, Art Warnke is working his last day before retired life today. I don't talk about my job often because I honestly love it so much I feel like I am bragging when I do, but so many of the things I get to do is because Art believed in me. I will miss him, a lot.

On my way to Tuscola today to give a computer final to one of my two students. She is having a C-section next Tuesday afternoon, our final class is next Tuesday night and I wanted her to accomplish this before the baby gets here.

Well, already late getting ready, better get on the ball......Happy Friday!

Th IACAA Conference

I meant to post this while I was at the conference but for the first time since I had been carrying my laptop with me, I forgot to bring my power cord. I needed to save the battery in case I needed to do stuff for work, so I decided to wait until I got home. Once I got back home, I got crazy busy with work so this is the first time I have had to post.

Our Family of Distinction banquet was Sunday night and what a treasure.  We have so many families that, because of our help, don't need us anymore. That is such an awesome feeling. Our own family of distinction has faced many trials, including the loss of two of the five children to a disease they all have. The single mom though, completed college, bought a house and is now a nurse. They are doing so great and getting to spend time with them in itself, was wonderful.

We also were treated to entertainment by a local high school show choir. I was texting Robert the whole time they were on. It was Glee brought to life only better. They were awesome. They did Don't Stop Believin', Thriller, Bad Romance, Nothings Gonna Hurt You and others. I had a hard time controlling the tears when they started their first song--God Bless the USA. It had been the first time I had heard it since Andrew lost his job and it has different meaning now.

On Monday night we had the FCD graduation. We had four staff members graduate, three of them being our fieldstaff. I am so proud of them and know they now know the difference between a hand up and a hand out. I graduated from the same program 10 years ago. That night, we were treated to the jazz band "Capital Sound" so I even ended up on the dance floor before the night was over.

On Tuesday, we had Jackie Joyner-Kersee as our speaker for lunch. I thought it ironic since I had just started running. I told her that when I went to have my picture taken with her. She was telling about being a teenager and starting to run, she couldn't make the perimeter of the park. That in itself was really all  needed to hear. I can do this. She told me not to stop, it definitely gets easier.

The first picture is the kids from the show choir, not a great picture, but just had to put them on here.

Blurry picture, but this is my chair and ottoman, I LOVE the Hilton, and this chair is the main reason. I was on the other side of the building this year but it is absolutely perfect when my window faces the capitol. I was on the 26th floor so the view was great, however, it was looking back towards Rochester and Taylorville this year.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

FitClub West

I'm officially addicted. As most of you know, I have been doing the Couch to 5K program on my treadmill in my nice safe basement.  This trip to Springfield posed a problem. I do not think I am ready to run on the street plus the forecast was calling for rain. Our hotel doesn't have a fitness room but had stated you have free access to a nearby fitness center.

So, this morning, I got up at 4:30, put on my Prayers for Patty shirt, because number 1, Patty is the strongest person I know and I needed a little of her encouragement and number 2, the first time I ever went to a fitness center, albeit, NOT the size of this place, was with Patty. Needless to say, when someone looked at me as they walked by, I just told myself they were trying to read my shirt. which has two pair of panties hanging on a clothesline between two trees. The main caption is Put On Your Big Girl Panties and Fight. with Proverbs 3: 5-6 under it.

Anyway....I got there hoping nobody would be around at 5:15 in the morning, well, there were at least 50 cars. I thought I would probably have to wait just to get a treadmill. I have to tell you the people who work here at the Comfort Inn talked it up a lot, so I was excited. Anyway, as I walked in, the guy at the counter greeted me, was really nice, had me fill out paperwork and asked what I wanted to do. When I told him treadmill, he pointed out THREE places where there were treadmills. This place is HUGE!!!!  So, I go to the first place and there are probably 12 treadmills along with bikes and ellipticals. There were about 6 people in there, all guys, and as I had really thought, all concentrating on their own workouts. So I did my week 4, for the second time, Pillsbury Doughgirl ran 16 minutes again today. People came and went, one lady who was 5 foot nothing and probably weight 100 lbs and all muscle chatted with me a bit as I left, just being friendly. As I got ready to leave, I realized there is a break room where you can go have coffee or water after your workout, how cool is that?

I chose to take advantage of my surroundings though and stopped at the Starbucks drivethru for a venti 3 region black.

I always wanted to be that person that got up every morning and worked out, read my Bible, cleaned my house and went to work and had a very productive day. I had mastered getting everything in there but the workout and now, I think I have made it a habit. On the days I don't do the c25k, I do yoga and strength routines on the Wii.

God is good, Life is good.


Happy Tuesday!