Chapter 2013, page 17 of 365

She peed

Chapter 2013, page 16 of 365

Lovely evening....first I got to spend time with my best friend (and other GOOD friends, my sisters) and completely loved eating dinner with him and holding hands during bible study....speaking of which, nice to meet the folks we are helping to help...that's not usually the case, no 'face' to go with the story...nice nice people!  Then there are all the voices to join with, we may have been 'flipped' but we still made a joyful noise.  Home to the pups...no pee...and kitties...and spending the rest of the evening with the love of my life.

boy, does this sound like I'm getting ready for Valentine's Day?  lol

Chapter 2013, page 15 of 365

Afternoon readers, today I would like to bring to your attention a program that I am rather passionate about...it is something that I haven't written about in quite some time, so I think it's time to 'revisit' that blog post.....it was written in April of 2009, so there are some things that have changed, but the bottom line is....SPREAD THE WORD!!!!


One of the things that has changed is that now I am certified to teach this awesome course and my co-instructor, Christa and I would LOVE to do so for groups who are interested, or individuals, we just have to get enough together to make up a class.  Let us know, leave a comment or email us at Williston RAD

so...here goes the repost (I did try to update contact info and anything that I know has changed....)

My new "Hobby"

I don’t think I have said one word on this blog about one of my favorite activities lately. And THAT surprises the heck outta me! It seems like all I ever talk about, or really look forward to is this new (relatively) pass time of mine. And I haven’t told you anything about it. That is just not like me – not like me at all. So I guess I’ll have to tell you about it now.

It is R.A.D.

Isn’t it exciting? huh? what’s that you’re saying? you don’t know what it is? Really? Well, that’s interesting. I thought everyone would know – lol, not really….so let me give you a little basic information on this program……

It is the R.A.D. Self Defense System and it is loads of fun as well as a very good thing to learn.

The RAD Self Defense System was designed with the needs and strengths of women in mind. Women of all ages and fitness levels have successfully participated in the self-defense class. The RAD program consists of three or four classes totaling 12 hours, where you will learn practical safety tips, practice specialized defensive techniques, and use these techniques in actual fight scenarios. (what we students tend to call Fight Night lol) Most importantly, RAD classes are fun and provide you with the knowledge and techniques to protect yourself. Once you've completed Basic RAD, consider taking a supplemental course, such as Keychain Defense Options or Advanced Self Defense. All of these classes are provided free of charge and are taught in a fun, relaxed environment by certified instructors. the R.A.D. Women’s Self-Defense Classes that I attend are provided by: Community Services division University of Florida Police Department www.police.ufl.edu/csd/csd_rad.asp Register by calling the University of Florida Police Department’s Community Services Division at (352) 392-1409 or email Tina Lamb at cjlamb@ufl.edu check out the facebook page as well... University of Florida RAD

That is probably way more information then you really wanted, right off the cuff, but I wanted to make sure you understood before I said the next line….

I LOVE FIGHT NIGHTS!!!!

I’m not sure how to explain this…but fight nights are just loads of fun…stressful, but fun. A couple of the girls I work with and I go to as many as we can. When we go to fight night we get to participate in an actual fight – not a knock down drag out, but a controlled fight. We wear protective gear and our ‘aggressors’ wear what is known as a ‘Red Man Suit’...

We students are in protective gear as well, head, elbow, knee and hand pads help keep us both from getting hurt. And then they attack us and we get to use the techniques that they have taught us to defend ourselves. And IT IS FUN!! We throw punches and we kick and we knock them down and they block and parry and they try to keep us from escaping. It’s a blast. And I am beginning to think it is addictive as well. We just keep going back!

This is an excellent course for women to take. It really adds to the confidence level. It helps to instill good safety habits and it shows how to get away from some pretty scary situations – and stay out of them in the first place.

This program is all over the country (and in Canada, I think) police departments and universities seem to be the hubs, but you could go here to see if there is one near you.

http://www.rad-systems.com/programs.html

Anyway, I think that you should go check it out and see if you like it as much as I do.

And let me know? I love to hear about how it makes people feel!

Chapter 2013, page 14 of 365

you know, the people in my office have known me too long and too well....didn't even bat an eye this morning when my answer to "how are you?" was "It's Monday and the puppy didn't pee"

And she didn't!!!!  One step forward is well worth the work.  Then we come home and guess what?


She didn't pee!!!!!

but she did try to eat a wooden cross that had fallen on the floor somehow....she partially succeeded....you can see the places that were nourishment for her little doggie soul!  (can't blame her though, if it's on the floor it MUST be a toy for the baby!)

Annie and Tug are getting more and more friendly each day, she is aggravating the heck out of him, him being the 'adult' dog and all, but they do play and he is teaching her that there is a pecking order, and altho she is bigger, he is higher!

All in all, I think this might work out, someday, maybe, sure it will!!!!

Maybe that little cross will help change our little imp into and angel!

Chapter 2013, page 13 of 365

Do you have a cat? If you do, then you will understand this...

Relaxing here in bed, playing a game on the iPad. In waltzes Ms. Sage. Up onto the bed, straight to me, crawls up my chest, gets all comfy, purrs and starts to knit. Isn't that sweet? Yeah, except for the claws that are digging into my neck and the fact that I cannot even SEE my iPad, let alone play my game.

Now don't get me wrong, I truly do love the little brat. But cats tend to cause all things in their environment to revolve around them. THEY are the center of the universe. If this is news to you, then you are not a cat person. Lol. People do not have pet cats, cats have pet people. And I am fairly well trained by this time.

The returns are well worth the aggravation though. Last night I had both my girls curled up on me while I was trying to settle down for sleeping. Worked like a charm, less than ten minutes and it was 'lights out' for this pet! A purring cat in your lap is worth more than all the therapy in the world.

Chapter 2013, page 12 of 365

"The sins of the fathers are the shackles worn by their children"

Heard on CSI NY

Very thought provoking, don't you think?

Chapter 2013, page 11 of 365

Today is a repost, sorry, but I cannot say it better, so here it is.....

Change the age and the time of the post, but the story is the same....as are the feelings.  I love my son and I miss him and I know that he is with God and I know that is good, but I still cry.  Happy Birthday Shane!!!!

 

Friday, January 11, 2008

Today is special

Today gets a second post...it is now 9:55pm EST and the date is January 11, 2008. What makes today so special? It is my son's 28th birthday. I have been thinking about him most of the day, so I figured this would be a good time to talk about that. There was this joke in the family when I was pregnant with him, about when he would be born...his daddy was a huge football fan (the Dolphins were HIS team) and our wedding anniversary was on January 10th, so it was a toss up which he would choose - the super bowl or our 4th anniversary. Well, we were sorta half right, turns out he wanted his own day, he held on for 1 hour and 38 minutes into the 11th. So, he and his daddy watched the Rams beat the Steelers in the super bowl together...that was pretty kewl. That was only the first time they sat together staring at the TV...his daddy liked cartoons almost as much as he did, so they watched them together a lot.

Blond hair, blue eyes and a smile that could make you grin just to see it...that kid was just too cute for words...not that I am at all biased - lol.

I find it hard to talk about him now...no one really wants to listen, ya know. My family pretty much all left the state and closed the door behind them, so it's kinda hard. But here goes anyway...

When he was four he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic cardiomyopothy with arterial compromise. Awfully big words for someone so small. Basically what that means is that he was very ill, his heart didn't beat correctly and when it did it would squeeze the coronary artery closed. He also had a hole in his heart, grade four heart murmur. Pretty serious stuff. His pediatrician contacted a friend of his, a pediatric heart surgeon who had recently retired and asked him to come take a look. He said no, but he sent his replacement, a really good young doctor, who was willing to do surgery to help stop that squeezing. Open heart surgery in 1985 was not really all that common, and even less common on children...it was a bit stressful not knowing what was going to happen, but when the Drs. (there were two, the young one and one on staff at Shands) came in to speak with us the night before and the young Dr. asked if he could pray with us, my stress level plummeted. The surgery went without a hitch, what a relief...we were really hoping that meant no more heart attacks...praying would be a better word. Things did look good, we went home soon after and aside from lots of meds every day, it was all good. He couldn't run and play like other kids his age, but that was okay most of the time, he sorta understood what was up. Things went well for a while, we got him enrolled in school, took a trip down south to visit his grandparents (he got to FLY!!) and he got a pony lol, what more could a kid want?

It's funny just how much we let go of memories if there is no one to share them with, I can't seem to recall, off the top of my head, all the little details from that time. I should be able to, it was really important, but I can't. I have it written down somewhere, I'll have to go look it up soon, but not right now.

Anyway, on the morning of Nov. 6th 1985, I got him up to go to school and he wasn't feeling so great, looked a little pale, not too bad. His daddy came home from work and after a few minutes said that I should probably take him in to get him checked, not good to take a chance. So I got him dressed, called my mom and asked her to go with me. On the way into town (we live 7 miles out, it was pretty much all woods at that time) he started getting worse, by the time we made it to town he was doing really bad, we went to the ER and they called the ambulance to transport him the 20 miles or so to Shands. I placed him into the arms of the EMT (who was a friend) told him I loved him, got in the car and we followed the ambulance into Gainesville. That was the last time I ever got to say those words to him - while he was still alive. It seems that heart attacks were not the only possible outcome of his condition, strokes were also. He died that day. He was only 5 years old.

It was a really long time ago, and I have come a really long way since then...and I still can't tell this story without tears. But I will continue to tell it as long as I am alive - because that is the only way I know how to make sure that he is not forgotten...he wasn't long for this world, but he touched a lot of people in a lot of ways. Not the least of who, was me.

In Loving Memory of
Shane Michael Moss
1/11/80 -- 11/6/85

Chapter 2013, page 10 of 365

Now I ask you, isn't this the perfect picture for day one of this series?  so, let me ask you this....where WAS it on day one?????  lol






canines....

I am going to have to keep my phone handy again...the dogs are 'fighting' for top dog and it's a funny funny thing, they sound so vicious and there isn't a tooth touching anywhere!  I love that alpha thing with a puppy and an adult dog, the pup thinks it's play while the adult is teaching it doggie manners!!!


This is the adult:

Tug

and this is the puppy:

Annie

and this is the two of them with the Real Alpha Dog:

Annie, Tug, Trav

I gotta say, I do have a household of fun and unexpected actions!  Later friends, love you and bless you!

Chapter 2013, page 9 of 365

WOW!!!  That's the extent of my feelings at the end of the music tonight....my soul was touched my heart was happy and my ears thought they were in heaven.  Thank you to Mo Leverett, Greg Doles and Ricky Kendall....I was truly blown away by the powerful message you three shared in your songs and testimony tonight.

If you were unable to make it to church tonight, then you really missed a treat...these three gentlemen rocked the house (Gods House)!!!!  If I can figure out how to do it  I will add a couple of short video clips of the music, so that you may feel even more jealous!!!  (very short, battery was going on the phone) But do not despair, as there is sure to be another concert sometime soon in the Gainesville area that you may attend and be blessed with their song!!!!

I was so happy to see my friends again after so long, and to meet a new one.  I love listening to you guys and do miss the times you have shared your talents.

Thank you to Williston First United Methodist Church for allowing our friends to minister to us tonight.  Thank you to all of our church family that came tonight, I hope you were as touched and blessed as I was.  Thank you God for putting such wonderful people into my life...I don't know how I ever lived without them in the past, and pray I won't have to in the future!

Chapter 2013, page 8 of 365

Today was a pretty good day. Got some stuff done at work (not enough, but...) had everything I needed for a 'normal' day - for me.

My office is always so cold. Feels like a meat locker. I have to dress for winter all year round, which sucks in a way, cuz no one can see my cute little Florida blouses. I never wear them. Lol

Trav and I had a very very good discussion on the way home, was good for me and I hope at least as good for him. Thank you Sweetie for trusting me with your thoughts and fears and love, I am honored by that trust.

I am so very lucky(read blessed) - I have Jesus in my heart (read Lord and Savior) I have a roof over my head (read home) food in my tummy (read glutton) my love at my side (read Trav) my fur babies in my life (read children) a job that keeps me hopping (read going crazy) and and and and (read abundance). There are no other things that I could wish for on this earth.
(Well, maybe that my family was closer and more prone to visit, but that's a whole other post).

And with that being said, there is just this left....Thank you Lord for all the blessings that you pour over me and please help me to be more appreciative of those very things and to share more of Your love and to be more like You every day.

Night everybody!!