Channel surfing can be dangerous

Ok, so last night I'm watching the Alamo bowl and the Pats/Giants game and enjoying both. When there was a lull in the action, I started channel surfing and found the last 30 minutes of ET. Of course, I started watching since it was the end. I spent the next 30 minutes crying my eyes out. I'm trying to get over this stupid cold, and about the last thing I needed to do is cry over ET. I really started the non-stop crying when they are riding away on the bicycles and the cops are closing in so ET makes all 5 of the bikes fly. That was about 10 - 15 minutes of Martha making a mess out of herself from the bikes flying until the end of the movie!

I remember that summer of 1982 so well - I think it was one of my favorite years. ET came out and so did Star Trek II - TWOK. I cried at both of those movies. Star Trek II was what really hooked me on Star Trek. I was 13, and I had seen the first Star Trek in the theater a few years before that and had occasionally seen the show, but something really struck me in that ST II movie. Even though I was not a "Trekkie" when I went to see that movie, even I knew that Mr. Spock was not supposed to die and how awful that was. That summer, there were two stations that showed Star Trek reruns. One came on at 5 and the other one came on at 5:30. I would watch the entire one that was on at 5 and catch the last 30 minutes of the 5:30 show. I was enthralled. I loved that show like no other tv show. I became a total nerd from then on. I started 9th grade and high school that August as a bona fide trekkie. I like to think I was sort of cool, but in reality I think I was a total nerd!

The football last night was really good. I usually don't stay up until the end of the games when they last until 11:30, but the second half of that Patriots game was amazing. They came back from 28 - 16 and just turned it on in the second half. Wow. The best thing about the Alamo bowl is where it is held. San Antonio is such a cool place. I was there for 12 straight days in early May in 1996. We had such a good time and I came home in total withdrawal for Mexican food. The last week we were there, we got a good rate at the Hyatt on the Riverwalk and that made that whole trip even better. I had wrapped up the audit on a Thursday afternoon, the staff flew home, and I completed the evaluations and then mailed everything back to my office. My flight on Friday wasn't until 2 or 2:30, so I spent the morning having a leisurely breakfast and walked across the street from the Hyatt and visted the Alamo. How cool. San Antonio was the best place in Texas I ever went. I had just spent 3 weeks in Houston before going to San Antonio, and Houston was the pitts. I did not like it at all. I also went with my co-workers to Austin for the day over the weekend, and it was a neat place too. We also stopped at this little place called Greene, TX, and it was very quaint. Those 12 days in San Antonio really made that trip worthwhile.

Last night I went to bed about 11:30 after the Pats game was over. I woke up at almost 3 am, and my husband was still on that stupid World of Warcraft game. I am a World of Warcraft widow. How is it that I love sports and watching sports and I end up being a computer game widow? It is a good thing my husband likes football. If he didn't, we just could not be married. I can't believe he does not like basketball. I even took him to some Carolina games when we still lived in Columbia, because I figured he would like it more in person - no such luck. Our football season this year ended so badly. Jim doesn't want to spend the $ anymore to donate to the Gamecock club and buy season tickets. Good thing the membership and ticket privileges are in my name and I don't like being told what to do!!!!!

The only time Jim does not spend all hours on the World of Warcraft game is when he is studying for a license exam. He passed the Series 24 (Principal license) in June. This enabled him to get a better job (now he makes 65% of what I do vs. 50%) in October and he also passed his Series 53 (Mutual Securities Principal) in November just before Thanksgiving. He already has the book for the Series 4 (Options Principal), so I have a feeling that next week he is going to go back into the dreaded "study mode". I can't deal with the pressure he puts on himself and how quickly he reads and learns this stuff. I wish I had known when we were first married how smart he really is. He was in school full time after we first got married as he had been in school for 1 year between stints in the Army and wanted to finish. If I had realized exactly what he was capable of, I would not have let him change his major from Pre-Med. There were several reasons for the change, but I would have at least made him go over to the College of Business instead of majoring in History at a minimum. Actually, if I had made him stick with the medical route, he would probably be finishing Medical school in 2008. That would have been a real achievement for him and me, and we would have also achieved $100,000 or so in debt, so I guess I can't complain!!!

12/26/07

Well it is hard to believe, but tomorrow it will be one year since Grandma died. She was 98 1/2 and while she lived a very long and full life, it is so hard to believe it has been a year. We had a very difficult Christmas last year since she was in the hospital, and it was obvious to me two days before Christmas that she wasn't going to make it. When we visited her that day, I had to leave the room twice because I knew I was going to lose it and I didn't want to bawl right in front of her. I stood outside the room and cried my eyes out until I could compose myself enough to go back in the room. It was so hard.

We had her funeral three days after Christmas and the only good thing was that Jim and I both had taken vacation the whole week. We had to double back home from Columbia the day after Christmas because we didn't have anything to wear and then go back to Columbia and then drive down to Aiken for the funeral. When we finally got home at 11:30 or so that night after the funeral, I was so exhausted physically and mentally I could barely enjoy any football as I slept most of the next day.

It is really amazing that we had her for that long. She lived with my parents for the last seven years of her life and I know it was hard on them. The youngest that one of my female relatives died was at the age of 80 - Aunt Pattie died first, then Mimi at 86, Aunt Peach died at 92, and then Grandma last year at 98 1/2. My retirement planning is in full swing!

What I find so amazing is how much like my Grandma I am in many ways. She got married at 29 (in 1937) - I got married at 30 - almost 31. She married someone 4 years younger than her, and Jim is 3 1/2 years younger than me. Her name was Martha and I was named after her. She was a very strong, independent woman (especially for the time when she came along), was not easily deterred when she believed she was right, and she was a unique person. When she was 80, she told me about the boy she loved but they did not get married because he didn't want to. She drove to New York by herself to see him and he told her that he loved her like a sister and didn't want to marry her. His name was Max Henry and I was always amazed at how she talked about him as it was very obvious he had broken her heart and she never got over it. I understand a lot more about my Grandma now. I was very close to her, and now I understand so much more about her. I inherited her very detailed memory (I remember so many details about so many things that most people don't) and most people I know can't believe the things I can recall about things that have happend. I haven't decided if it is a blessing or curse. I certainly got her independence and stubborness. I know there were many times when she was in the hospital over the years, and we would think that she wasn't going to make it. But underneath it all, there was this stubborn streak that was still there. That's how I knew that she was going to die last year - all of the fight was gone out of her.

I have been worried about my mom this week as it was so hard on her when Grandma died. So far she has been doing ok, but the week is not over yet. At least this Chrsitmas could not help but be better than last year.

Christmas

Well it is almost time to go to my parent's house and I know we will have fun visiting even though we had 7 days of relatives crammed into a 3 bedroom condo just a few weeks ago. I've kind of already had my Christmas, but I came across something that really put me in the spirit and wanted to share it even though most of you have seen it before. I received this with an acknowledgement of a donation I made in memory of a friend who died a few years ago, and it always makes me feel good to read it.

St. Francis "A Prayer For Peace"

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!
Where there is hatred...let me sow love.
Where there is injury...pardon.
Where there is doubt...faith.
Where there is dispair...hope.
Where there is darkness...light.
Where there is sadness...joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled...as to console.
To be understood...as to understand.
To be loved...as to love.
for it is in giving...that we receive.
It is in pardoning...that we are pardoned.
It is in dying...that we are born to eternal life.


When I'm feeling sad over something, I read this and it brings me comfort.

Merry Christmas to all.

More Disney

I am posting a few more pictures of my niece at Disney. I had so much fun with her, especially watching her ride all of the rides and see the characters. My sister paid for a special Princess tea with Princess Aurora and I got to go to so we had some fun girl time. It was really expensive, but Quincy had a lot of fun. Meg bought her a Princess Aurora dress and she wore it to the Tea. The funniest part was when Princess Aurora came to our table to meet Quincy. She asked her what her name was, and Quincy told her "Princess Aurora". Meg and I cracked up because she really thought that's who she was. Of course I can relate - I spent a period of time when I was in the 3rd grade wanting to be O Mighty Isis. I wanted a white dress and to be able to fly like she did. I think I was about 7 then - probably a little old for that considering Quincy is 4!

They had this guy playing music the whole time, and the organ was right next to our table so Meg and I had a chance to request our favorite Disney and Christmas songs while we were waiting on the cake or for Princess Aurora's visit.

After the tea was over and we were waiting to go back to the Magic Kingdom, Meg asked Quincy what her favorite part was. Quincy thought for a minute and said - Splash Mountain! So much for the expensive little girl tea!

What was even better is the Character breakfast we went to because it was at Cinderella's royal table. We got to meet Cinderella, and then go upstairs for breakfast. Cinderella's friends were there including Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White, Jasmine, and Belle. Quincy was in awe and it was so much fun to watch her.

I am still thinking of Disney and looking forward to the Disney gifts I got for Quincy for Christmas. I got her gloves and a purse that match her princess Aurora dress and also a necklace and earings that go with it.

Disney trip

We had a fabulous week at Disney the first week of December. I could lose myself in the Magic Kingdom for a couple of weeks. My niece rode Splash Mountain 10 times! She was just tall enough for the ride. She loves the water rides. I only rode it once even though it is a lot of fun. I got a face and head full of water the first time, so that was enough for me.

My favorites were the Winnie the Pooh ride, the Peter Pan ride, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and watching my niece ride everything! We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Epcot in Germany - Octoberfest and the Biergarten - Ein Prosit!!!!!! The dinner at Japan was very good too, but Germany was the best.

We had an amazing lunch the last day at the Brown Derby at MGM. It was very expensive, but a great way to end the week. We saw 3 parades, and the best one was the night parade at the Magic Kingdom as everything was all lit up and beautiful.

The Animal Kingdom park had an amazing safari and I enjoyed it so much. Quincy (my niece) loves animals and she loved seeing all of the elephants and giraffes and zebras up close. It was so much fun.

I am ready to go back to the happiest place on earth!!!!!