Hot Chicks from Alaska

Presidential candidate John McCain must be reading my blog  You saw it. I warned him. Make a good choice? Or you’ll lose my vote to Barack “O’Bomb-er” Well… I have to say it. John? Ya done good. Who could he have chosen that would win me back better than a homegirl? LOL Of course, I am kidding, I really dont think that John McCain is reading my blog. But honestly. He won me back. In a BIG BIG way. Well done son.

I was raised in Alaska and LOVE Alaska, While Dillon is where I reside… deep down? Alaska will always be home. Sarah Palin Alaska’s current Governor was announced yesterday as Senator McCain’s running mate in his bid to win the presidency. She is a long shot, she has very little foriegn policy experience, she is young, pretty and a mother of FIVE. BUT as Governer of Alaska, she is THE ONLY person on either ticket with ANY executive experience. Yes, she has a HUGE crash course to take in the next 20 days before she goes toe to toe with Senator Joe Biden, who has been in Politics almost as long as she has been alive. But does she have a chance? yeah, I think she does. I am SO excited to be a republican again. I am PROUD of the choices that John McCain made. Barack Obama, You wanted CHANGE? You got it son.. get ready, we’re coming for you.

In other news, some of you have been asking about my little friend Coley McGarity and his progress. He is doing GREAT. While he and his family have to stay in the Charleston area he was able to come home from the hospital! Being laid up for so long has really affected the strength in his legs and he is having to build up those little muscles. Hopefully he will be running around REALLY soon. His chemo is going pretty well, he still has little or no side effects from them! SO GREAT. Michelle, his mom is getting very close to delivering thier new baby. She was dialated to 4 cm yesterday and is ready to pop. If youd like to keep up with the day to day and his miracle journey, Michelle and Kristin are keeping a journal at www.caringbridge.com.  Just put in coleymcgarity in the VISIT slot. Its pretty neat to see all of the guestbook entries from all over the place. Take a second and go let the Mcgarity’s know you are praying for them!

I am neglecting this blog.. yeah yeah yeah. Im terrible. I guess just not a lot going on. Aside from me counting down the days to our vacation! I just cant wait! UGH. Sometimes it feels like time is just draaaaaaaaaaaaaaging.

Work is going ok. Summer is winding down and people are returning to school and work after taking summer vacations.. leaving it pretty slow at the Ole’ Shoneys… Well in the mornings at least. We are still running a $4.99 lunch buffet special that keeps the mid shift hopping. But mornings are slower. I am having difficulty dealing with a couple of the personalities that I work with though, I hate it. But conflict is what creates change and growth.. so here I am.. changing and growing.

The girls are back in school.. Thing One in 8th grade and Thing Two in 3rd. Thing one is taking HIGH SCHOOL Algebra.. yeah the class that nearly kept me from graduating from high school.. and my kid is taking it in the 8th grade. BLAH.. whatever. I think its going to be a challenge for her.. and thats what she needs to keep her mind busy! She is also enjoying taking a begining spanish class. As well as he band class.  I read though her SC history book the other night and it really has me thinking about going back to school myself. Its something I am seriously praying about for the first of the year.  Thing Two loves her new teacher. Steven and I really liked her too, when we went to meet her at Orientation. She seems really creative and fun. Love that. I am already loving some of the homework ideas I have seen come home! YAY for good 3rd grade teachers!

I have been watching with mild ammusement the Democratic National Convention. What a party! I wonder what ya gotta do to become a super delagate? I especially enjoyed hearing the roll call vote yesterday. The delegates take themselves so so seriously as they describe their “Great State” and cast thier alloted votes for either Hillary Clinton or as the delegate from Mississippi proclaimed ” The Nex’ pres’dent uh the United State… Barak Oh-Bomb-er”

To be honest? I have NO idea of who I am voting for this fall. AND I need to decide soon since Steven and I have to file absentee votes since we will be uhhh somewhere in the CARIBBEAN on election day! I suspect two things will have much to do with my decision. Tonight and the acceptance speach Senator uhh      ”Oh-Bomb-er” will be giving in Denver, and tommorow the decision that Senator McCain will make by announcing his choice of running mate. Generally I am decidedly a republican.. but for the first time in my adult life? I am a little ashamed of that, and just might be swayed. Had Mr Obama selected Ms Clinton as his running mate? Id have already decided. But now? I am back to indecision.. Make it a good one Mr McCain.. You might keep me..

I finished reading an AMAZING book this week.

 The Shack, by William P Young

is a christian fiction that has really put a LOT of my ideas about God, his personality, and the ways that I view him into perspective. Its not preachy, and its a captivating story.  Im not saying that its a replacement for actual scripture, because it surely isnt.. nothing can replace the actual Word.. but I found myself talking back to the character that portrays God, and nodding an agreement as the main Character made revelations.. SO SO good.

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This made me giggle

This week went by SO FAAST. I can hardly believe how fast. I guess the fact that I was so busy made it fly. We have continued to enjoy the olympics. Like the rest of everybody in the modern world we have been cheering Michael Phelps on as he makes Olympic history. Kinda makes you proud to be an American huh?

 YOU GO BOY!

I have been keeping a Medal tally at work and its been fun to keep it updated. Speaking of work, my boss will be on vacation next week. Which means I will be picking up some longer shifts.. which will come in very handy since we PAID OFF OUR CRUISE yesterday!! yayyyyy! I am so excited to finally have finished saving up the money and be getting closer and closer to the date! CANT WAIT. 

We are continueing to keep Coley McGarity in prayer. He had a pretty good day yesterday. Dr’s discovered the source of his cancer ,but Im not sure what the next step in his recovery is. I do know that he is working though his chemo pretty well. And that more prayers were answered when his mama Michelle found a good OB to deliver little CASON due in september. Also short term housing was found for the family in Charleston, which I think will go a long way for mental health. Living out of a hotel for so long is never fun..and SO expensive. Being able to go home from the hospital to a sanctuary that has my sheets, my cooking, and my puppy would help a lot.                                                                    

These were taken a few months ago.. Please continue to pray for Coley! Personally Im expecting a miracle.

Got a romantic meal planned for tonight.. a little treat for my honey. He has been doing SO well on his weight watchers. He didnt weigh this week, so we dont know what his numbers are . BUT I plan to make steamed shrimp, salad, twice baked potatoes and ginger peach cheesecake. Everything done the low fat way of course. I think the only thing we wont totally change is the twice baked potatoes. You gotta use full fat cheese to get a good melt.

Ginger Peach Cheesecake

4 medium-large peaches peeled and cut into thick slices

1/2 c peach nectar (comes in a can from the mexican section of the store)

1 tbsp ginger

2 tsp corn startch

1 JELLO no bake cheesecake prepared according to packeage directions except  with 2% milk.

In a sauce pan combine the peaches, nectar, and the cornstarch bring it to a bubble. Cook until the peaches are soft-ish. At the last minute add the ginger.

cut the cheese cake and place on a plate. Put a gernerous serving of peaches over the cheesecake.

I just wanted to post a little update for those of you that are praying for my little friend Coley. Monday evening Coley was diagnosed with a ”Yolk Sack Tumor of unknown origin” or with “germ Cell tumors”

A yolk sac tumor is a rare, malignant tumor of cells which line the yolk sac of the embryo. These cells normally become ovaries or testes; however, the tumor can also occur in areas such as in the brain or chest. The cause of a yolk sac tumor is unknown. It is most often found in children before the ages of one to two. Yolk sac tumors are also known as germ cell tumors, teratomas, or embryonal carcinoma. This is a very very rare form of cancer.. perhaps 2.3 children out of a million will be diagnosed with this nasty cancer.

What little research I have been able to do online tells me that the tumors are curable by surgery and chemotherapy in over 90% of the cases. But, Tumors that have spread to other areas in the body are only curable in 40-80% of the cases. We havent been told at what stage Coley’s cancer is.

It is my understanding that Coley’s drs are taking an aggressive stand against his tumors. They started Chemo almost immediatly. Our Pastor went to Charleston tuesday and he said that he was pretty weak and listless and fussy. His parents are hanging in there as best they can. I have heard that they will be in Charleston for some time.

We are praying for a miracle for Coley.

He just gets better and better.

Official Presidential Inspection.

Today I spent the afternoon doing my civic duty serving on Dillon County Civil Court Jury Duty. Luckily I didnt have to be there today until 2, so it didnt interupt my workday. I hate missing scheduled hours so much. It just makes life yucky. I like order.. and missed work hours disrupts me.

I really debated what to wear..I couldnt decide of Jeans would be appropriate, but I should have known better. This IS Dillon after all. I think that the presiding Judge James Lockemy was pretty happy to just get people in the seats, let alone worry about what they were wearing. He was darn happy everyone WORE pants. Some wore dressier outfits and others were like me and dressed decently. ( I wore nice jeans and a peasant top.. and sandals instead of flip flops… anymore? for me?  I WAS dressed up)

So anyway. we all went into the court room and different people presented the Clerk of Court with thier stupid excuses as to why they cant sit on a jury. It really kind of annoyed me. What aside from serious health issues could keep you from being able to SIT in a chair? People went on and on. It got plain silly. After the slackers were all excused a roll call was taken.  We each had to stand when our jurror number was called (mine was 103) and state for the record our full name, how many miles we live from the court house (I guessed 10 ) and what we did for a living. Also if we were married, and what our spouse did for a living. Im not sure what that had to do with anything.. but whatever. It was kind of nervewracking! I dont mind speaking in public, but for SURE everyone was looking at whomever was speaking, and the lawyers kept writing little notes down.. I forgot to look at them when I was speaking.. hmm I wonder what they wrote about me?

After the roll we were given a “smoke break” again I say, ONLY IN DILLON! Good grief. I went outside and stretched my legs and ate some trail mix I had picked up earlier. After our break we sat in the silent court room for almost an hour. No one really knew what was up and no one really spoke. It was weird. Finally the judge came in and we all stood and he explained what he wanted. ( I cant really go into it here)

In the end it turns out we have to be back in the court room first thing in the morning. Ugh.  Missed scheduled work hours. grrrr. I will go in from 6-8 so I have time to come home and get changed and cleaned up, I hate that one of the GMs has to come in early,  But I do have a legit excuse though. I wont know if I am chosen to sit on the actual jury for a real live case until tomorow morning. But even then its only supposed to be for one case. Most weeks there are way more, but it worked out that there is only one case this month that didnt get worked out. SO, if I do get called for the jury, it will likely only take one whole day and possibly a little on wednesday. On one hand I hope I do get called, because Im interested in that kind of stuff, due process and the like. But on the other hand I also like to set a good example to the girls on my shift, by not calling out.

I dont usually do this… I try to keep specifics about the people in my life out of my blog. But I have some friends that desparately need your prayers.

Coley McGarity is a little one from our church. He is 18 months old and in the hospital at Charleston SC. About 2 weeks ago a part in his abdomen began to fill with fluids. Doctors are still searching for the reasons why. Friday, a surgical biopsy was done to investigate some “spots” that were seen on a scan.  Today he was moved to ICU so dr’s could monitor his breathing and to remove some of the fluids that are building up in his tiny body.

Coley’s Daddy is Thing One’s Youth Pastor, Within the last month he lost his Mama to cancer and then the following week our Youth building burned down.. he basically lost all the equipment and work he has put in to build up our youth program. Michelle, his wife is 8 mos pregnant and the last I heard was dialated to 3 cm! (although not in active labor yet)  I cant imagine having to deal with everything they are going through.

Please pray for the Mcgarity Family!

 YAY its the weekend. I am always happy to see friday come. I love my job… and the things that we have chosen for our lives, but I do love the weekend. Especially ones where Thing One is home with us. We didnt have a lot planned for this weekend.. then we had plans.. but they didnt work out for whatever reason.  SO now we are back to the orininal “un-plan”. Likely pool time for me, and maybe some housework and watching some Olympic Games.

Did you watch the Opening Ceremonies?

All I can say is WOW. That was amazing. The Things and I watched together.They were mezmerized. I kept being reminded of when we went to Disney when they were little. They loved the fireworks shows there. Maybe the next time the Olympics are in America we will try to go. Wouldnt THAT be a trip of a lifetime? Although.. next summer games Thing One will be almost 18! Hard to believe huh?

This morning Thing Two and I have been watching Soccer. Brazil v/s S Korea. Brazil’s soccer super-star MARTA is AMAZING. That girl got game in places I didnt even know existed. WOW. It was a GREAT game. S Korea went wide open against them, but didnt stand a chance..

Last night I made some yummy low-cal meatball subs. They turned out SO SO good. I used some frozen TURKEY meatballs and lots of tomato sauce. I bought some skim mozerella cheese and some lite sub rolls that I found at Wally’s. I just simmered the frozen balls in sauce until they were soft and then spooned them into split rolls and then sprinkled them with the cheese and broiled them until they were bubby.. YUMMO. Definatly a keeper! Super easy and winner with everyone. (even Thing Two who has been a non-eater this week ate a little)

Anyway, hope your weekend plans pan out.. or that you enjoy watching the olypics! GO USA!!