Thanksgiving Blessings

I am so blessed that I feel like I am bragging to even say how happy I am! This Thanksgiving was wonderful. By any one elses measurements it would rate a 5 on a scale of 1-10 but it was a 10 for me. I worked the night before, got home at 3:30 a.m. in bed by 4:30 a.m., up at 10:00 to put in the broccoli casserole I made for the dinner and had to leave by 1:30 p.m. in order to get back to work that night. So what made it a 10 you ask? Happiness! That's it!

I was checking email and Kim walked in said "We have so much to be thankful for, girl." and I'll paraphrase what I said to her. I told her "I was thinking about how much I have to be thankful for and why I am so happy. I think a lot of it has to do with you and Kelly. You took me in when I had no where to go. You and Kelly have been so good to me. We laugh ALL the time and I have so much fun with you two. I honestly don't think I would be this happy right now if not for you and Kelly. I am so blessed to have you for a friend, Kim." Of course I was teary eyed. She hugged me. It was a Hallmark moment. She replied that it all started 7 years ago when we both took new positions in Verizon in the same department. They didn't have desks for us so we had to share a table in the training room for 6 weeks and really became good friends. She said "Maybe us being stuck in that training room for 6 weeks was to lead us to this time in our lives?" She went on to say that she is blessed to have me living here. How cool is that. I'm a permanent house guest and she's blessed to have me??? No way, I am blessed to be here.

So even though I had to go to work, was tired from lack of sleep, didn't get to eat dinner because it wasn't ready when I left, it was an incredible day! My life is so happy. I love life. I am deeply happy and satisfied with my life for the first time ever! It feels wonderful!!!!!!!!!!

I have a new friend too. His name is Roger and we've been seeing each other for a month now. He is a widower with 2 daughters, 14 & 11. I have yet to meet them as he is careful with letting women parade in and out of their lives, and I applaud him for it. So, life is good. He is a very good man, he is a Christian, tithes, prays, is very funny, and seems to really care about me. I am cautious as it's too soon for anything serious but it's nice to have a man who cares about me and what I think. He said "I know you are gun shy but give me a chance to prove myself to you." You gotta love a man who will say something like that. I have a few other irons in the fire so we'll see how they turn out. It's nice to play the field and have options. It's all strange to me. I think it's the confidence thing. I guess it's pretty attractive on me, I can't explain it any other way. I didn't get asked out on a weekly basis when I was married, or flirted with every time I left the house. It's happening now though! Kim and Kelly tease me and say I have pheromones shooting out my ass, but they only hit the Brothers! Imagine that! They laugh every time a black man talks to me or looks at me when we're out together. It is flattering and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

So, I am blessed. I am happy. I am thankful for my wonderful life!

Fun Sunday

Had a great time yesterday even thought the Colts lost to the Cowboys! I'll have to eat some crow at work Tuesday. Kelly and Kim came home and announced it was time to work in the yard. I really enjoy yard work and haven't done it for years! There was no reason to fight it at my old house. When there are 800 beer cans and old rusty barrels and junk motors sitting around why bother?

I mowed the front yard and Kim transplanted some flowers. She wanted a Rose of Sharon tree moved so we dug and dug and finally Mother Earth let us have the tree. It was a lot of work!! We took a break and went to Home Depot to buy a chain saw and grab some lunch. Kim has a tree in the side yard that needed to come down. It was about 10-12" in diameter and around 20' tall. Kelly is a bad mama jama with a chain saw. I saw a great "Funniest Home Videos" moment and grabbed the camcorder. Kelly cuts the tree down and then started to cut it into smaller pieces when the chain got stuck. She asks Kim to pick the tree up to release the chain. Kim looks up side her head and says with a great sense of indignation "I can't pick that fucking tree up. It weighs 400 pounds." Kim tries to pick it up and of course it doesn't budge. Kelly then looks at Kim again and says "Lift it right here." and points to a spot. Kim then breaks out laughing again and says "I can't pick this tree up." I caught it all on video and it is hysterical. We shall show it to family and friends on Thanksgiving! Kelly had a ball with the chainsaw! She cut down trees and stumps and stray branchs all afternoon! She mowed the back and then Kim and I replanted the tree. We were sore and tired but the yard looks great!

We had fun, I always have fun with those two. I am very blessed to have two such wonderful friends, I really am!

Bob the Dyslexic Penguin

My job can be trying at times, difficult at times, sometimes impossible; but NEVER boring! Friday night we had to stay 1 hour late in order to push more cartons out. We were all tired as we had to stay late the previous night too. I got a call about 11:30 p.m. that we had a transfer trailer so I called the Trainer to handle it. A little while later he calls me on the radio to say there was a Penguin in the trailer and it was scaring him. The guy is a riot anyway! So, I go down there and sure enough there is a 2 ft tall animated/lighted Christmas Penguin in the trailer. Apparently, the store sent it back because the lights on the top half didn't work. I gave him instructions on what to do with the other freight and then took off to handle other issues.

There is a teammember who is only 5 ft tall and has been given the nickname "Scooter" because he is so small and moves very quickly. A few minutes after I had left the trailer I hear the Trainer call over the radio "This Penguin is evil. It's scaring me." Someone answered him and asked "What penguine are you talking about?" and the Trainer says "It's just a penguin. It looks like Scooter in a suit!" I fell over laughing.

The story gets better! The Trainer clears the other freight from the trailer and put the penguin on top of the pallet of freight, secured it with some rubber bands and rode it around the Shipping Wing with a fork lift. Never boring!

Tyson hears all the banter about the Penguin and decided it should be the B2 Outbound Mascot! Done! One of the other GL's wants to see the Penguin so she comes down to the Shipping office and plugs it in. The poor things wings don't flap correctly! So Tyson calls our maintenance department to come down to the Shipping wing to discuss a PM (Preventative Maintenance). He says "What's wrong?" To which Tyson says " Lora needs to see you about a PM. It's not professional." and we hear "I'm scared." A few minutes later he walks into the shipping office and says "OK, what PM do you need done?" and I pointed at the penguin and said "Right here. Penguin maintenance." I crack me up! I decided we needed to give him a name and the other GL says we should name him "Bob". Tyson and I vote that down and then get back to work.

Tyson says something backwards on the radio about 2:30 a.m. and then apologized and said "Sorry, I'm dyslexic but I'm KO with it." We then proceeded to say everything backwards. "4-10" "Dyslexic's of the world untie." Etc, etc! Then, Tyson has a moment of brilliance. He calls me on the radio and says "You know what? We should name the penguine Bob because backwards or forwards, he's still Bob." So, Bob the Dyslexic Penguin was born!

I love my job!