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December 2007

What I want my blogging buddies to know before 2008

Today is the last day of 2007. It has been some year. I've enjoyed the last week in that we're on break from the office and it allows me time to be with my Mom and take care of family things. Either fortunately or unfortunately, I do miss my job. That must sound crazy, but I do.

I've never worked harder in my life and that's a huge statement for folks that know me. I'm doing what I can to work smarter but some things are just not under my control. I'll do whatever is needed to get my projects finished because I really like my boss. She's so nice that I think I'm dreaming most of the time. This is our last week on break so I must complete several personal tasks over the never six days and then it's on and popping again. I guess I'm really not the housewife type because I really miss the phone calls and e-mails from my co-workers.

Two great things happened today and I'm claiming the same karma in 2008.

First of all, my mom came home today. Well, sort of. The medical transportation service didn't pick her up so my Dad brought her home for a few minutes. They said they waited more than 30 minutes. I know my dad doesn't like to wait for anything, so the transportation is sure to be the recipient of his wrath. Oh, well. I don't have the vocabulary to express what seeing my mom at home and walking did for our family. My dad took her back to the rehab center; I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. My mom may be released sooner than we thought. I know those of you who prayed had a lot to do with her progress. Thank you; I am eternally grateful.

Secondly, I finally found documentation needed that will allow my alumni association to receive a $1,000 donation. Thank you, Jesus. It had been two weeks of searching through boxes, file cabinets and briefcases to find that one little piece of paper. I'd looked in the box several times where I found it but I won't go there. Today was the deadline or we would have been SOL – sho'nuff out of luck. Needless to say, I scanned the document and saved on my computer and a couple of flash drives. I was going to make hard copies also but I thought that might be overkill; I'm trying to live a paperless life as much as possible.

Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to 2008. Thank you to everyone that has become my buddy, friend, associate and mentor since I started blogging. I am still having a blast with this and just going with the flow.

Here's to claiming an awesome 2008 for You. At the stroke of midnight, this is from me…

Smooches!


My Christmas Poem

Today

We celebrate

the miracle

of the birth of

Jesus Christ.

 

That's it.

 

Amen.


Jamie Lynn Spears is Pregnant, and…?

Just as I don't understand the Hannah Montana phenomenon, I don't understand the flak about the unwed pregnancy of Jamie Lynn Spears.

This is just more of the same bad behavior of teens nowadays. Kids are having sex. Surprise. Surprise. With sex comes pregnancy and STDs, especially the Big Virus.

Will Jamie Lynn's pregnancy be the tipping point for a change in how we allow sex to be placed so casually before teens and others ill-equipped to handle the responsibilities of the by-product of sex? Or, will Jamie Lynn, much like her sister Britney and the many nameless, faceless teens infected with AIDS or dealing with teenage parenthood just become statistics and collateral damage?

In Britney's hometown of Kentwood, LA, some folks are not at all surprised at the pregnancy. Some because, you know, it's the Spears family and others because "You got kids who are 13 or 14 and pregnant in Kentwood, we're about used to it around here," Donald Church said. Well, allrighty then.


The Brubakers First Dance as Husband and Wife

A friend sent that to me and I had to share it with you. I'm old school so the marriage ceremony is sacred. I really tried not to laugh at the video but it was too funny. Hopefully choreographed first dances don't become the rage because you know some folks will get out of hand.

Too late....

I'm sure my parents would not have seen the humor in any of that and my wedding director would have fainted. It's still funny though.

And these people are out of control...

Happy Saturday!


Six Degrees of Separation or How I Met My Ex-Husband’s Baby Mama on MySpace

This is a true story. Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty slime ball that used to be my husband.

I joined MySpace several months ago. I got the MySpace page because I have a few friends on there and it's such a popular site I figured why not? I started using the site regularly within the last couple of months. I haven't found the need to use all of the MySpace features. I've only used the IM feature once and that was with a young lady I'll call Becky.

The whole process of requesting friends on MySpace and other social networking sites is a tad weird to me. I don't recall when Becky sent me a friend request and that's really not important anyway. I do recall pictures of her with two cute young kids --- a boy and a girl.

Becky, a Caucasian female in her early 30's, appeared to be a loving mother. Both kids were adorable. The little girl, a few years younger than the boy, was Black. I didn't think anything of the little girl but she did remind me of someone.

A couple of weeks ago, I changed the background of my MySpace page to show a picture of one of the Barbie dolls in my collection. I added a few slide shows of other subjects of interest to me; I was just adding a little more of my personality to my page.

Becky sent me a message complimenting me on my page. She also indicated she thought I was a strong and smart woman. Blah…blah…blah. Thus began our e-mail exchange.

Continue reading "Six Degrees of Separation or How I Met My Ex-Husband’s Baby Mama on MySpace" »


Check out these holiday tips before it’s too late!

Have you finished your Christmas shopping? I haven't. I've picked up a couple of token items but for the most part, there are no outwardly signs of the holiday season at my home. With six days left, I'm not about to stress about it either.

For starters, the best gift I could get is to have my mom at home for Christmas. She's improved tremendously but her health also puts all of the shopping madness in perspective. We haven't put up a tree or anything.

I just realized that I'll likely be responsible for Christmas dinner. Wow, I'd better get busy making those dinner reservations. No, I'm not cooking nothing, and I mean that ebonically.

Anyhoo, if your holiday shopping status is the same as mine, do check out my friend Lisa's holiday tips to save you cash and stress. Oh yeah, remember that HE is the reason for the season.

 

Lisa's 2007 Holiday Tips

  • Consider not buying any gifts for family and friends this year. Let everyone know in advance that you are striving toward a goal and you need every dime to achieve that goal.
  • If you still feel the need to buy gifts, create a holiday budget immediately and keep track of every dime that you spend.
  • Buy or make only what you can afford to pay for with cash this year. Do not use any credit cards. 
  • Make a list of everyone who you are purchasing for. Tell family and close friends with whom you are exchanging gifts that you are working with a smaller budget. Consider pulling names if you have a large family and purchase one gift instead of multiples.
  • Start early on your shopping list to avoid the last minute overspending.
  • Shred the convenience checks that have come in the mail ASAP.
  • If you have children in your family, limit the number of gifts for each child.
  • Pick up a seasonal job to pay for your holiday purchases, that way you can use your regular income to pay for your normal living expenses and your seasonal job can cover all of your holiday expenses.
  • Select gifts that people need (i.e. gas cards, gift certificates to the grocery store, or a coupon for a free night of babysitting.)
  • Take some time out for yourself. Instead of fighting the crowds at the mall, turn on some holiday music, enjoy a nice evening at home and remember the reason for the season.

Lisa Rogers-Cherry is a motivational speaker and the author of Lifting the Burdens of Debt: A Helpful Guide to Getting Your Debts Paid and Your Life Back on Track, ISBN # 0-9774296-0-1 (2005; $14.95). If you have a question or would like more information about the book go to www.redpenpress.com, e-mail her at [email protected], or write to Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Red Pen Press, P. O. Box 1196, Dania Beach, FL 33004.


Why I Love Brad Pitt: Making It Right in New Orleans

Brad Pitt, Steve Bing Plan New 150-Home Community in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward

Brad Pitt expanded his commitment to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward by announcing plans for a new community of homes in the area hardest-hit by the worst natural disaster in American history. He is partnering with Steve Bing in creating the 150 affordable and sustainable homes, which are the first effort of Pitt's "Make it Right" project.

Pitt announced his plan at the meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, where he challenged attendees to join him and Bing in rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward. Pitt pledged to match $5 million in contributions to the project. Bing has pledged to match $5 million in contributions as well, for a total of $10,000,000 in matching funds.

The spirit of the community's culture is central to Make It Right. "The heart and soul of New Orleans, specifically the people of the Lower 9th Ward, are paramount to this project," said Pitt. "The words of one elderly man who is determined to return to New Orleans led to the name of our organization: he asked us, directly simply and profoundly, to help make it right. So that's what we're doing. We're going to help to make it right with 150 sustainable, affordable houses—houses that stand out for their design both aesthetically and structurally, so that these people can live in beautiful safe structures that respect their spirit and provide a good quality of life."

Continue reading "Why I Love Brad Pitt: Making It Right in New Orleans" »


Politics and the “O” Factor

Why is it that many political pundits and folks in the media insist on proclaiming that Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama will not influence the United States 2008 presidential race? Are you kidding? Millions of people around the world tune in to watch her show. Oprah's endorsement of a product can send sales through the roof. The woman is responsible for providing homes for Hurricane Katrina survivors. Oprah Winfrey is baaaad!

Feeble attempts to downplay her influence are just that --- feeble. As a matter fact, the more talk you hear about her inability to influence voters, the more you know that she does have power and influence.

And another thing, why no criticism of other celebrities who endorse candidates? You know why; because an Oprah endorsement is powerful.


How I’m Feeling…

The poem below was forwarded to me by a friend. I really needed it; perhaps it can help you also. Enjoy.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the
 people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who
 don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you  
 get a second chance, grab it with both hands.  If it  
  changes your life, let it.  Nobody said life would be easy,  
  they just promised it would be worth it.


Request for Prayer for Healing, Uplift and Strength

I apologize that I've not posted to this blog as frequently as I'd like. I've not shared with you the recent challenges on my time and energy that have been wrought due to the illness of my mother. My experience with the health care industry and insurance companies during the last week and a half has afforded me several days of blog posts and most of them will not be pretty. I won't go off Michael Moore style right now, but I will later.

I am a firm believer in the power of prayer so I ask that you pray for the healing of my mother, Mary Woodard. I also ask that you pray for the emotional and physical strength of my dad, Art Woodard. My folks have been married for 57 years and my dad tries to be with her every moment he can. My dad is old school so he internalizes his emotions, except for anger. Speaking of anger, I also ask that you pray for God's control over my anger that will allow me to register my dissatisfaction with the service provided by a hospital staff member without raising my voice and losing my cool.

I will keep you posted about my experience and perhaps you will share your experiences also. I have to end this post now because I have to get ready for work and write an e-mail to the hospital administrator and public relations office about the unacceptable behavior of the social worker assigned to my mother.

I've already complained about the lax hospital security and insufficient air conditioning – heat promotes germs. I'm sure some of the staff will be glad to see me leave and others are glad I've voiced my concerns. In arguably, the hospital workers are overworked and underpaid. There is still a need to provide customer care that is better treatment than cattle on a farm. I said I wouldn't go there in this post.

Thank you for all positive thoughts for my family during this time. I'll post as time and energy allow. In the meantime, check out this article: Who's making money off the health care crisis?