Free Store

Today I worked my Saturday at the freestore. How sad it is that is such a busy place and grown in such need in just the time that I have worked there.

We had a case of a homeless elderly couple that came in that had been living week to week in a hotel, but now had downsized to their car. The gentle man came in and when I asked if I could help..if he would like a drink and a doughnut, he said yes, but he thought his wife would really like one too. I encourage her to come in also!, but he explained that she couldn't walk well and that couldn't see good because of cataracts. We went to help her in and saw quickly how very sadly she needed really a wheelchair and realized that they both were sitting in their own soil.

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Just last month many of OUR resources...the names WE give out to these people for help, shut their doors and asked us to no longer give out their numbers. That they had run out of funds and could not help any longer. We are just a church that runs on donations, and the need seems so great.

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Social Services was closed for the weekend. We couldn't not leave them. We called the police who came and I think treated them very nice. The lady left in a stretcher. There was doubt and controversy over this because people were concerned that this was not help, and that they would just be put back out on the street. I know this to probably be true, but I felt good knowing that for today they were cleaned up and helped. What could we do?

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Mixed in with of the sad there is such hope though. Such good people working and doing God's work. Sweet stories of wonderful people. I met a lady today who was in her 60's with twin sons in their 20's. One had been born handicapped. Here she was in her 60's still trying to make due. She had come looking for men's ties. Her healthy son had gotten a job! He needed them to keep looking nice everyday! I showed her the few we had and she beamed and took them all! LOL~Good luck to him!

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I met an elderly gentlemen who's sole purpose was to find himself a suit. He wouldn't take the bag of food (though he probably could of used it just a bad as anyone else). I couldn't believe my eyes when in the mish mash of jackets and pants I found a 3 piece suit in his size! I told him it was like it had been placed there for him! He was thrilled and left with only his suit :)

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Tonight, as I am so very blessed with my health and family and home, I ask God to please watch over these sweet souls out there that are no different than me, and deserve no less than any of us...and to thank Him for this opportunity to be his hands and feet for...and to remember to do it every chance I get!

Vegetarian Cat

Today, while hanging out with the kids in the office, our cat Abby came in. I offered her my left over milk from my cereal bowl, to which she promptly sniffed and walked away from. Later as we sat around we were eating fruit and Abby was NOT shy about letting us know she WANTED SOME! She smelled our peaches and WANTED some!
She licked it like there was no tomorrow, biting into it even. She did the same with grapes!

We of course thought this was SUPER cool, and laughed and watched the dumb cat eat fruit.

Who knew?!?!

(it doesn't take much to amuse us apparently, Lol)

Swirling Thoughts

It has been so so very hot here.

It reached around 95 with humidity yesterday. Around the same today. Mike just came in from getting the mail and said it was about the same....maybe a little hotter.

It is that point in the summer where the grass starts to loose the green and shades of brown touch. Porch flowers die unless you faithfully water everyday, and your air conditioner runs non stop to try to keep up with keeping cool.

My heart has been so very heavy this week with the sadness of a family I do not even know. They live just a street over and their 3 year old little girl drown in their out of ground pool in the back yard. The girlfriend of the uncle (the guardian) ran inside just for a moment to the kitchen, and the little girl climbed the ladder into the pool. I pass their house everyday and my heart breaks. That was just Monday. I have done all the mind games of last week at this time... If only.... She was Summer's age....How easy this could of happened... I see the broken down pool in their back yard now and it is so serile.

I have been muddling through piles of laundry and paperwork for work. Slowly making progress. I have been embracing and enjoying the new maturity of my growing son who is reaching teenage years so soon. It is also maddening, but I can catch glimpses of the fun relationship that Tatum and I have and it is exciting.

Summer is moving surely steadily away from all signs of babyness. She is going to preschool this fall and I can see why! She is becoming big and smart and independent.

Chance is doing well and healing good after his operation. He has his embraced his non gender and is loving as ever. He validates every day that money can't put a price on love.

My signature! My blog design got removed! I was stricken with what to do. I actually thought of folding up shop, but I am trying out a couple of designs and trying to be inspired.

"Life is a journey, not a destination" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Watch Out Nancy....

Gotta have the music on to understand....Her boots were made for walking...LOL...and that's just what she'll Do!

What's Around That Corner

Not saying that ANYTHING is happening really.

But who knows.

Maybe it could be.

Mike is going with me to tour a campus this weekend.

Just to check out some possibilities.

This could be the start to a very exciting beginning....

Favorite Moments~Family Cruise 2010

Getting Ready to Leave-19 hour drive!!!! Bring it on!

Getting Drunk on the Beaches of Mexico for Sister in Law Day with Missy

Robert and Summer in Key West in Front on Sponge Man

Mike in a game show...said he was a "dental hygienist, lol!" and then froze on all the answers he knew! and lost poorly :(

Jake in Mexico

Mom and Jack on Formal Night

My favorite Picture of Matty

My brother Tim sticking out of an electric car in Key West

Growing Pains

We have wondered what has happened to our boy. Mood Swings. Arguing banter. CONSTANT. Emotional, hungry, sleeps till 2 in the afternoon. No ambition.

Why yesterday an empty jar of peaches fell out of his bed as I went to wake him up at 1:30 pm.

We thought it was just the summer time pre teen slacking....

But look!
6/20 to 7/15!!!!! Holy COW! That is 3 Weeks! HE GREW that much in 3 WEEKS!

I think Jake is having a major growth spurt this summer! I will just hold on for the ride. (and pass him a plate of food, Lol!)

Welll...Is HE or isn't SHE????

So I know that I have told you about Tatum's cat Chance before. Big. (17 lbs big) long haired. White. Sissified to the einth degree. Scaredy cat. Big baby. Love bug. Sweet chance :)

Any ways...Chance {{ahem}} has always been made fun of in our house for his...how shall I put this...NON male qualities. Not a tough guy is he. Tatum got him when she was 8 and showered him with dresses and baby strollers and he obliged. Loud noises and mice and I believe that Chance gets the heck out of Dodge. When a door is left open to the outside and the other cats are sniffing the fresh air and planning their great escape into the wonder of the outside world, Chance high tails it for the safety of the basement or under a bed.

So as we packed for our vacation last week, it was worrisome to me that our guy was MEOWING around room to room. The boys playing on the computer yelled "Hey Mom! Chance won't shut up!!" Jake then told me that earlier he had heard Chance under his bed meowing up a storm too. I called, "Here Chance" and tried to let him to the basement in case he had to use the litter box but he just kept meowing.

Darnnit. I went downstairs to investigate and saw signs of cat puke everywhere. Double darnnit.

I called the vet and squeezed an appt into my day. Six of us were driving 19 hours the next morning, and the last thing I wanted was a sick cat.

The vet took one feel and told me that his bladder was soooo full and he was about 6 hours from death. Apparently he had a blockage and couldn't pee. Long story short, I left him in good hands and knew my neighbors would pick him up in a couple days after the doctor cleared up the problem. Whew....problem dodged....so I thought.

Once in Miami I called the vet to check in. He had some surprising news.

Chance, apparently had a very small penis. An abnormally small small penis. So small that even the smallest of stones (ones that were not even showing up on xray) could not pass. The doctor had ideas of things we could do, but his bladder was so full of them that ultimately it would lead eventually to.......

a sex change operation.

I kid you not.

As I crossed Miami traffic with 4 kids in tow, and talked to the good doctor on my cell phone, THIS is what he told me! He would need to cut off Chance's penis and make it into an opening similar to a vagina. So things could pass more easily. You. have. got. to be. kidding. me. We were boarding a cruise ship the next morning with 12 family members and I would have no cell phone reception. I needed to talk. to. Mike.

Oh. Dear. Lord.

(can you hear it now???? Please Mike can we spend the money on our cat to give it a vagina!)

Being my man, and my wonderful husband he of course let me proceed and as we speak Chancalina (as Mike calls him/her) is healing just fine.

Only us, I swear, LOL!