Nick.

This is my most awesome of nephews, Nick. He's 16 years old, and was the very first of my parents' grandchildren. The Golden Child. I was in love with him from Day One. My first nephew. I love all my nieces and nephews to pieces, y'all know that -- but for whatever reason, this child and I have such a strong bond. He used to come to work with me and be there, bored, for 9 hours, just to hang out with Aunt Elle. He is the funniest person on the planet to me. We will sit and giggle like little girls over the stupidest stuff -- and I will be having the time of my life. I consider it an honor that he thinks I'm super cool. Because he, this beautiful boy, is truly super cool to me.

I'm unclear of a lot of the details, but over the weekend, Nick's best friend Brian was in a tragic accident. He fell from 30 feet and is currently in ICU in Charlotte. He has severe brain and spinal injuries. Last night he had emergency surgery to remove part of his skull to accommodate the swelling of his brain. He's being kept sedated and on a ventilator so that he will not injure his exposed brain. They can't even begin to think about his spinal injury until he is somewhat stabilized, but it's uncertain how far reaching that will be. He does have some feeling in his lower extremeties but it's simply too soon to know if he will walk again, or what kind of lasting effects the brain injury will have. And that, tragically, is the best case scenario.

Nick is understandably devastated. To be so young and to have someone so close to you undergoing something so incredibly devastating just blows my mind. Selfishly, I can't help but be grateful that it isn't my Nicholas lying in that hospital bed. Had it not been for the fact that he was grounded, he would have been with Brian that day, and who knows if he would have found himself 30 feet off the ground along with his friend.

I'm so proud of how he is handling this. Of course he's a wreck, but he's being strong for his friend and has spent countless hours at the hospital even though they won't let him in to see Brian. He just wants to be there. He's a loyal and amazing friend, and my heart is broken for him. I can only hope that he sees that he isn't bulletproof after all, and accidents can happen even when you think you've got everything figured out. There is no reason to take risks that could turn into tragedy.

So if y'all wouldn't mind...could you take a second to send up a prayer, or a positive thought, or whatever it is that brings peace to your life, for Brian and his family, and for Nick, too.

I'd so appreciate it. :)

Wants V. Needs...A Weekend Dilemma

One of the things I am enjoying about my new job is having weekends off. My entire life, I've worked on Saturdays (and sometimes Sundays). It's never really been a big deal, because it's what I know. Plus, it allows me to have a day off during the week to get "normal people" things done -- Dr. appointments, bail proceedings, etc. You know.

Being off on weekends now reminds me of when I was growing up and in school -- that feeling of pure glee on Friday afternoon, knowing that you had the whole weekend ahead of you to do whatever you pleased. My household always felt particularly jovial on Friday evenings, my parents were always in a great mood, dinner was casual, my dad often played his old man big band music extra loud, and it was kinda cool. I haven't felt that for a very long time, until today. I have the whole weekend ahead of me!!

There are bittersweet things that go along with this. NNG is out of town, doing the whole racing thing. (He got to take a friend's Ferrari to VIR this week...and took me for a spin before he left...we were totally Brad and Ange the whole time...it's a heady responsibility.) He lives to drive fast on the racetrack, and the fact that he's getting to drive the Ferrari is heaven on earth for him, so I'm happy that he got to go and have that experience. And if you know me, you know that I do enjoy my alone time -- so yeah, I really miss him when he's gone, but that's ok too. It's nice to have a weekend to myself now and then, and therein lies my dilemma.

My house is a filthy distaster area.

-- and --

I want to go shopping, and get my hair cut and colored, and have a pedicure, sleep late, lay in bed and catch up on all my DVR stuff, and read.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know the outcome of *this* particular weekend.

And while I'm at it, I want to thank everyone who gave me Happy Birthdays on Facebook and Twitter! That was very cool. (See, Efen, if you'd come back to FB or figure out what the hell Twitter is, you'd have known that, and now you wouldn't be struggling to find the most extravagent bouquet available on 1-800-Flowers. But nooooo......).

Best wishes going out to my girl Loni. Most of you know that she's off to FL to see her daddy, who is going through the fight of his life right now. Hang in there, honey.

I'll be back in a few days to let y'all know how clean my house is.....or, not. (Hey, Efen...cancel the flowers, and order me a maid, would ya? Thanks :)

WTF...

.....happened to all my little widgety things, like all your little pics and my tracker thing? All I did was try to change the stupid template and everything went missing. Gah! (Update: never mind!)

Ok, I am cracking up at my beloved Mimi's blogging debut. Please, go read her shit (at least try...it sometimes seems as though she's having one long fluid thought, or else she's been hitting up her "special pop" a little too much on this trip) and leave her comments. It might be easier if you have a nip of special pop yourself before you visit. Today I was sitting in a meeting and my cell phone buzzed with a number I didn't recognize. By the time I got out into the hall to answer, they had left a message. It was from Cathy, the manager from South Dakota who had trained with me in WV a couple of months ago. Mimi and Poppa were in Rapid City and had looked her up in HER store and went in to introduce themselves and say hello. LOL....I thought that was perfect :) I'm sure Cathy was all "WTF?" herself after they left...but you gotta love my mom & dad for shit like that. I'm sure my dad made some corny-assed jokes about Mt. Rushmore or some such nonsense...embarrassing me from thousands of miles away. :)

I'm in Richmond VA, heading home tomorrow....and I haven't had much time to do much of anything but shop here for a bit on my way into town. Very cool place! If it hadn't been 101 degrees, I might have stayed longer...but I'm thinking a weekend trip is in order for a re-shop. Hello, NNG? There's a Red Robin....just sayin'.

Top Chef Las Vegas tonight, and Project Runway tomorrow...throw in some Pinot Grigio and something chocolate and I'm in heaven, bitches. Who's with me here???

A Brief Respite

After 6 weeks of nearly non-stop travel for work, this past weekend I took to the road....again. But this time, it was fun! NNG and I spent a few days in the northern part of WV, and then onto Washington DC over the weekend. In so many ways we're alike -- that whole not liking people thing first comes to mind -- and in other ways we're so NOT. I, for example, am a planner. I'm not normally spontaneous because I have control issues and I don't like surprises. NNG, on the other hand, likes to just go. So we compromised...I think he appreciated the fact that I knew how to book nice hotels from my iPhone, and I appreciated the feeling of not particularly having a plan when we got in the car in the mornings. And we both came home relaxed and ready to start the week. Not a bad deal in my book. Plus, he's cute. And that makes me happy.

Speaking of cute, can we talk about "My Antonio"? I mean, I know it's not classy and cerebral like, oh I don't know..."Real Chance Of Love", but come the eff on, ladies. Have you SEEN this guy? Jeebus.


I'm just sayin'. I mean come ON, after Bret Michaels and Flav, don't we deserve Our Antonio?

I say yes.

Her Emotions Are Contagious....

Good grief.





I'm sitting here all misty and emotional and shit...you know, because I'm a GIRL, and that's what we do...because I just spent the evening with Jenny Fabulous, who as we all know, is ripe with child. (hehe...ok that sounds kinda weird...whatev.) She's totally emotional -- as she should be -- because she's due to welcome her little girl in about a month. As we sat there talking (and a big shout out and thanks to Craig at The O.G. for monopolizing his biggest table for hours on end), she would pause now and then and have me feel her tummy when Baby Fab had the hiccups, or to point out where her little feet were running across and making these adorable little bumps and waves. It was simply amazing. I am in awe that there is a little person living in there. And y'all....J-Fab has not gained an ounce that you can tell...she is beautiful....bitch!



Don't get me wrong...my own biological clock ran off years ago and hasn't been heard from since. I'm just happy for my cousin/BFF...and I can't wait to meet her daughter. *sob* *sniff*
And can I just tell all of you how adorable her husband is? He positively cringes when she calls him her Baby Daddy...simply HATES it. So of course we're calling him that night and day now...although I have shortened it to B-Daddy. He's a sweetheart, even if he can't hang with the nicknames. :)

Ok, enough of that sappy shit.

So the job is going well...I am loving having the freedom to go where I need to go, and to do what I need to do on MY schedule. It's been a surprising revelation actually wanting to work....and my days are flying by. I know, I checked...and I don't have a fever. I'm just loving life right now...sue me :) (God, I'm pathetic. Efen, I need a reality check...could you post something really bitchy and full of "fuck-you" stories? I'd appreciate it.)

Let's Try This Again....

I think things have finally started to settle down. Spent the month of July living out of a suitcase, updating on Facebook and Twitter, and ignoring my blog as I had already been doing for a couple of months anyway. But I miss the connection...and I miss the outlet. And I miss venting and bitching and laughing with you bitches....so let's call this a new beginning, shall we?



I even missed my one year blogoversary, which was sometime in July, and I didn't even have time to register for gifts! Feel free to email me for my shipping address...



So, as most of you know, I got a promotion at work. This is why I've been on the road so much lately, visiting other districts in my company and traveling with those DM's. My district is relatively small compared to most others, but it encompasses WV, and parts of MD and VA. I will only have to travel overnight 3-4 days a month (I think), and the rest of my time will be spent driving to and from my other, closer stores each day. It has been such a tremendous change for me! It's been challenging wrapping my brain around the fact that I'm doing something so different than what I've been doing for the last 12 years....but I will tell ya, I flippin' LOVE IT. And y'all know I wasn't loving my old job too much lately...so this has been a most welcome change. Thank you all for being so sweet and all your supportive comments! I feel like this is really what I need to be doing right now...and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time.



And thanks to all of you who have stopped by and shown my beloved Mimi some bloggy love...I hope she really enjoys writing and making the same great connections that I've made this past year :)



Oh...and in September, look for my Friday Guest Mock on Mockable! I found this page through the WV Surf Report, and both pages are always good for a pee-inducing giggle or 10. Please visit both sites, and I'll be sure and let you know when to look for my Guest Mock.



I'm terribly behing on my lurking, but I'm working hard at getting caught up...and I look forward to being back on a little more of a regular basis. Hope y'all have a great week! :)

Mimi's Blog Adventures...

For a long time, you've all read about the misadventures of my beloved Mimi...and hopefully now you'll have the opportunity to hear about them in her own words! She and Poppa are leaving next weekend for their big anniversary trip across the land, and she's asked me to set her up with a page so that she may document their comings and goings for all the world to peruse....which I have, and you may find them at Mimi's Musings. Now, a few notes of caution:

A.) Mimi, regardless of the fact that she made her living for many years as an educator, rarely uses punctuation, capitalization, or even real words. You may find that she posts much like she texts.

"r u going to cs hs 2nite" ....and shit like that. Be sleuth-like at this point, please.

B.) She may attempt to post pictures from her trip, as this was one of the main points of the blog. We had a tutorial last night...but don't hold your breath. (God love her heart.)

and C.) She may not ever be able to find her blog again, so this is all a ginormous waste of time.

However, I would certainly love for any of you who still read this old clunker to give her page a peek and feel free to comment! She's been reading my page for so long that she knows who most of you are...and she even reads many of your blogs! Yes, Efen, even yours....my beloved Mimi is nothing if not a modern woman who can appreciate a well placed F-Bomb....or 30.

Happy Trails, Mimizzle!