artbyakm2183's Blog

How crazy was that weather last night!?!! I know it scared the pants off me! We just moved to Winston last month into a house with no basement...so I was really not happy last night! We were lucky though....all the rotation stayed north or south of us...even if only by miles. I hope those who were caught in the worst of it made it out ok...I know of one family mourning the loss of a loved one today  and my heart and prayers go out to that family ...who ever  you are. Pray for those with injuries spending time in the hospital this morning and those who have had serious damage to their homes. With the possibility of more storms Sunday I really hope you find a safe place to spend the night and that you are spared anymore damages.

On a different note.............

I have some Video of the lightening around the Hanes mall area from last night. It is on my cell phone so not the best  quality but on a bigger screen you can see the duller flashes and see how constant it is...and I think I even captured  an actual bolt of lightening streaking across the sky . Anyway it is of the storms rolling in and out...I was in to much of a panic during to  take video (never seen weather like that before).  As soon as I figure out how to upload it to this site  from my computer i will have it up....wanted to send it to Fox 8  but can't figure out how...besides they probably have enough fotage of it and right now focused on damages.

 

Again my prayers go out to those who lost someone, were injured or had damage to their homes...Stay safe should it get bad again this weekend!

 

I am a first time voter, I registered when I renewed my License recently. However I am not up to date, or really understand, the Candidates. I am an Undecided, so I could vote for either party..I just don't know which! I have heard good and bad things from a lot of people...mostly supporters bashing the others and praising their own. I am not dense, I just never got into politics. LOL

So I ask the Fox 8 veiwers to help me by, in easy to understand language and WITHOUT bashing, tell me the pros and cons of the candidates from all parties. Also, if you don't mind, who will you vote for and why??. I would like to hear some opinions of people from the state I live in.

One more thing....please do not turn this into a battle, it won't help!

Oh boy, this morning was nuts! On my way to my son's pre-school/volunteer postion (a little after 8am), we watched an accident happen that shook me up good!

I was getting onto 52 north from I-40 west when the person in front of me **not sure about the person in front of that person**had to hit the breaks HARD causing me to  have to do the same, thank goodness I had enough room to stop even though I had to hit the breaks kind of hard (traffic was backed up; from what I found out down the road it was due to a traffic stop by a cop, not sure if it was a minor fender bender or a ticket) Because I had to hit my breaks hard the person behind me had to do the same, nearly hitting me ending up on the shoulder pretty much next to me. This all started a chain reaction like dominos, the people behind the person who was behind me...crashed...I am not sure but I think there was at least 3 cars involved! I was shocked and scared that it would continue further up and hit us anyway because of all the people on the road....it didn't thank GOD for that. I didn't get to see everything from where I was, I know it could not have been good, I could only see some of it from my mirror. I was actually watching the lady behind me (i was stopped) when I heard the crashing then seen part of the accident....I really hope everyone was ok. We were all at the wrong place at the wrong time, but some of those people were far more affected by it. It scared me good, two days a week I travel that way with my 3 yr old son, normally traffic isn't backed up like that on the exit ramp...and I hope next week it isn't! Before school ever started in the fall  I looked for another route, but that is really the only way that should be LESS traffic though. THis morning made me REALLY want to find a better way to go, I was very shook up! I can only imagine how the people IN the accident felt!

Anyway, If anyone knows any more on this please let me know....was everyone involved OK? How bad were things? How many cars were actually involved?? I would like to know!

If That incident  wasn't bad enough later on after school I was nearly HIT by an agressive driver on my way to the gas station! The person he was tailgating wasn't fast enough for him apparently and zoomed around him barely missing my front end!!! GEEZ! What was with people today? After being shook up again I stopped for gas...badly needed...and found that my card didn't work at the gas station!!! GRRRR....thankfully there is a bank right behind the gas station and even though I was discouraged when the ATM was out of order, a call to my husband settled me down and I went inside to get my gas money. Whew...I don't think I would have held it together if I ended up stranded! LOL

In all it was a pretty bad morning, and more so for others! I am glad we made our way home safely but I hope to not have another morning like it.

Be safe out there everyone, don't follow to close to anyone in your car...this morning was a big reminder of how bad that can be....

Last Saturday a Service Man came to our home to fix the microwave. It needed parts so the man had to come back, said he would come back today..Saturday. Then it was said that he would be here friday...No problem, a bit annoyed that they rescheduled without asking but whatever. However, this did not happen! No one showed up even though THE service people changed the schedule. This morning my parents (their microwave) called the costomer service department to ask what was going on. What was supposed to be a call to find out when the guy would be here turned into a shocking conversation!

First, my dad talks to customer service....they tell him that someone came to the house yesterday (friday) and no one was here. That was not true, our home has several people living here not to mention 6 dogs that would bark up a storm if someone came to the door! Besides the fact that at the TIME THEY TOLD US he was here, there were at least 4 people in the house....including myself and my dad who was waiting for him!!!!!! Well after revealing this to the lady on the phone she "checks" her information or something (I was not the one on the phone so not sure exactly) and then says that he called around 3:30 and had no answer and didn't stop by....again not correct, no one called and with caller ID we were able to double check even though we KNOW that dad would have answered the phone for them or called back should a message have been left...nada...it was a lie. But who lied? From what I heard the service man had filled the log ...which would mean he lied, but then why the changes told to us by the lady on the phone? URGh....doesn't matter, they tell us that it was rescheduled for the 28th and that they don't do services on weekends....ok one, how is that when the guy was out here last weekend? on saturday?? When questioned this the lady answered that in the log it says he was here on Friday! So obviously the service man lied on the log...because he wasn't supposed to be here on a saturday?Probably. Two: why would you reschedule a time without consulting the customer? So far we have been lied to  and had someone make an appointment without knowing if the customer  would be here, Let alone asking us !!!!

So after going through that my mom takes over the phone...dad isn't getting through with being nice so mom does her thing. She started off nice enough, it wasn't that she was trying to be mean just wanted information and to get the friggin' microwave fixed when it was said it would be fixed! If nothing else to have them correct and admit the  "mistake" THEY made. Well the lady pretty much repeats the incorrect information to my mother a few times, without so much as listening to my mother, so my mother asks for a supervisor...not an unreasonable request considering what was being said and what wasn't being done. The lady side steps giving her the supervisor with every excuse there is!!! Even saying that he was in a meeting to saying he wasn't even there!!! Another lie. This goes on for about a half hour...mom kept repeating that she wanted a supervisor and the lady kept making excuses not to send her through including saying that he would give my mom the same info she had....mom said she didn't care and wanted to talk to the supervisor and the lady would say the next line! At this point the excuses are runmning through the cycle over and over..."he's not here" "he's in a meeting" "he'll tell you the same thing I am" yadda yadda yadda.....

I asked mom if the lady was a robot ( lol) because she was just repeating the same lies over and over again to avoid putting a supervisor on the phone....a simple request!!! So mom says something to me and the lady then puts her on hold supposedly trying to get the supervisor at last......That is where I left the room. As of right now it sounds like mom and dad are taking the microwave out to take it back under warenty (don't know for sure though, I am just hearing a lot of noise and in this house that could be anything!) and get another...and I hope my parents complain to Sears about their service people. I assume Sears uses another company  for the repairs but if this is the "service" and "customer service" that company  provides I think Sears should know about it and if they have gotten enough complaints maybe they will DO something!

Anyway...I will be back later to update when I find out where this is going. I am just so dumbfounded that this is happening! Why is it so hard to put a supervisor on the phone? No matter what they are going to say they should still be put on. My mom worked in a company that took service calls all the time so she knows how it works...but  also knows that it is a load or crap that no one above this lady was there to take the call! Don't get me wrong, i believe in being nice to the customer service people...but this was worthy of some harsh talking. My dad was nice and got nowhere, my mom started nice then only raised her voice a bit in frustration and repeatd herself.... but the lady wanted to play games. So if you plan to call Sears' service people , be prepared. Who knows what they will throw at you.

I was just wondering if there were any more details about the power lines being down on I-40? I know that both lanes east and west bond were closed, I was there today traffic was backed up to the high point exit on I-40 east bond and I am sure it was much the same west bond....but just wanted to know if it was because the actual poles were knocked down or what!?!?! Also curious as to why EMS was on the way there? I figure the fire department was on the way for safety reasons...same for the EMS??

 

Last night I was out shopping, on my way home my husband asked me to stop and get some dinner so I stopped at the McDonald's by oak hallow mall. Everything seemed normal until I pulled around to the pay window and there was this guy sitting there completely crooked in the lane...I am not talking a little, if he had gone straight he would have pretty much hit head on to the building. His window was about 4-5 feet from the drive thru window and he was trying to talk to the guy you pay. Well I over heard the guy say "you didn't order anything" then a second later the guy in the car tried talking through his car window after he rolled it up...at this point I am thinking "WOW, somebody is out there". After I got my food I headed to the Stop light for eastchester only to discover this same guy sitting dead center of the two turning lanes there! I was even more worried when he turned the same way I was HITTING THE CURB on his way out even though he was in the middle...now I know sometimes people try to get over into the other turning lane because they got in the wrong one....but no, this was not like that, he was straight and dead center. Anyway after making the turn he was driving down the turning lanes on Eastchester! It was a God send that no one was trying to turn anywhere at that point because he road it all the way from Mickey D's to the light at Cent./circle K. I thought maybe he was going to turn and I would have been relieved if he had because there would have been fewer cars to deal with. But no, he sped up and got into the lane he was supposed to be in...finally. He was speeding from that point on, I thought I had lost sight of him and was thankful, but sure enough he was sitting at the light to go onto 311 N bond! Oh no was all I could think! When I got home (not far from there) I could hear sirens....I hope no one was hurt, i hope that it was just this nut getting pulled over....but who knows. I really wish I had the police number on hand because I would have called in a heartbeat seeing how I had his plate number and could at least tell them the color and what the car might have been. I regret not calling now, I could have called 411 and got the number I just didn't think about it...I was just to shocked at wittnessing this driver who must have been under the influence of something!

I really hate that people don't seem to care whether they drive under the influence. I have watched to many people get in the car after drinking a lot...it sickens me.  What's worse is when I try to be the voice of reason I get looked at like i am a nut! I would think that they are the crazy ones....when my husband and I go out we decide before we leave who is drinking and who is going to wait until we are safe at home if at all...it really sucks sometimes but hey I would rather be sober then dead!

I have heard multiple excuses before, one that I will never buy is when the person says "I have to get home and i have no other ride" ...well excuse me but didn't you know that BEFORE you drank anything??? Or the " I only had one!" Well if it was on an empty stomach...then it doesn't matter, you are still feeling it....even with food it can effect you especially if you are small....bottom line is don't think that you are safe just because you managed to make it home safe a couple times...drug addicts think the same way "Well I just wanted one more" before they over dose "Well I am just going to drive myself because i have done it before" says the drunk guy before he crashed and killed a child, a mother, a father or a whole family.

Wise up people! I am so sick of hearing about drunk drivers or other DUI offenders and death ...it is just STUPID! I hate to sound like one of those ads on TV, but DON"T DRINK AND DRIVE!! Everyone is at risk.....that means children too! I have a three year old son and seeing what I did last night I am glad he wasn't with me, it could have easily gone wrong. Just think about what could happen before you decide to get behind the wheel of a car....you know they have services like taxi's and actually I seen a van with a ad on it for their service as designated drivers.....so no excuses people.

Well we are still under the gun with a tornado warning until 6pm...another hour.

It didn't seem to bad (last storm that passed with a doppler indicated tornado) There was not that much lightening that I seen...but a TON of ,much needed rain! The storm did take  out our Time warner cable....though only on the TV for whatever reason. hopefully that will be back tomorrow at the lastest. The problem with that is that I was trying to find out what was up with the storm, and I couldn't.... then finally remembered that the basic cable should still be up and running...and thankfully it was. It wasn't until then I learned that the storm I was watching was cause for a doppler indicated tornado and the warnings! Talk about shocked!

I hope for the rain to keep up , but  no more bad storms. We will see how the night goes....seems like there is a bunch going on beyond this storm.....how much will hit us I don't know. I will be back tomorrow to update for those not in the area!

Stay safe and informed everyone!

 

Yestrerday was my son's first day at preschool ! So excited for him and he was excited to be going! We made it a big thing for him, daddy even went into work late so he could be there with us to send our son off to his first day. He was in a great mood but very sleepy when we left....I was happy for both! LOL

My day was not limited to seeing him off to school. I had my own agenda that was school related! I am now a Art teacher assistant (Volunteer) one the two days that my son is in preschool! What is really nice about that is that I am in the same scool as he is.

My first day was exciting for me, I met the 8th grade classes that I will be with for the better part of the year. I didn't get to do a whole lot, I did help some but with the subject of there art project being Ben Day dots/Pop art it is not something that is exteremly hard...as it shouldn't be for a first project. Though I did little while there I was far to excited to be bored! LOL

Tomorrow (Thursday) I meet the 6th grade classes, who will need my help more. They are doing One point perspective (for those who are not aware of what that is: The point in which all lines vanish to on the horizon. EX: if you stand in the road and look straight ahead, the two lines that make up the road seem to get closer to each other as they reach the horizion line, thus making the road seem smaller and smaller giveing it depth) I am real excited about this class because I get to share some of my related art work with them and show them what being patient and practiceing can do. I will be bringing in a painting and some sketches to show them. I am also excited because I will be able to share my knowledge more with them, according to the teacher and the art she showed me from them they need help!  That is going to be fun for me big time!

I am hoping that this volunteer position will lead to bigger and better and more permentant things. No I do not want to be a teacher full time(at least not forever), but I do believe that it will help me accomplish other goals, even if this does not go beyond what it is now I think it will be good to have had the chance to do this!

 

Anyway in another update

my pooch is just about to the point of 100% clearance of Parvo...it has been a long wait but I am happy that the end is in sight and that we have come so far with so much luck! tech. we are past the two week mark since last exposure and the 2 1/2 week mark for her shots to have made her immune. So just the rest of this week and we are good! I think that we will make it just fine....thanks to all for your prayers, It helped obviously! Her chances were so slim to not get it and yet she hasn't! Thank you!

Well it has been 2full weeks,today, since the first exposure to Parvo...and one since Peanut has been gone. We have been good thus far, no odd behavior. However we still have a week to go...at least I am giving it another week and going from Sunday when Peanut passed (the last exposure) instead of today...mainly to be more on the safe side. I will probably watch her for a long time, but my hopes that she didn't get it are growing....each day that she wakes up and starts playing and eating like always I breath a bit easier! I am not kidding myself and thinking that things are all clear...by at least a week they are not...

I will just be happy when we make it through the weeks and she is fine...when this is over. One more week and I can breath again two more and I will be comfortable saying she didn't get it and four...well I will stop watching so close! LOL

Thanks to all for your prayers and thoughts! Just keep praying!

This weekend started off really good. We had been watching a couple of dogs, we were staying at a different house …just really enjoying the family time and being away from the everyday. It was a good couple nights.

However, Sunday rolled around with a somber note. One of the dogs we were watching was very sick. She had been a little sick earlier in the week but it seemed just like she had ate something or having anxiety about not being with her owner. But Sunday morning she seemed much worse…she wasn’t moving, very lethargic and with severe diarrhea  that was black…it was just falling out of her while she lay on the floor. Well being that this was FAR from a normal activity for any dog , made the choice to get her into the vet, emergency vet being Sunday. We made the arrangements with the owners who were on their way home from out of town, but would not be back for several hours so that we could get the dog in before they got home.

 

I took her in, My husband had to stay with our son so I was alone. When we got there they took a stool sample and tested it for Parvo… it came back negative but the good news stopped there. They told me it was probably a false negative and that they were still treating her as a probable parvo case.  They then took blood (mind you this is all spanning over hours that we were there), the poor dog didn’t even move as they tried to get her blood….they had issues with that because her blood pressure was so low and her temp was low as well. She made one sound the whole time and it was barely a noise. After that they wrapped her up in towels and stuck some hot water bottles under her to help her temp rise then they went to another emergency. Leaving me alone in the room with her.

 

I had been pacing the room, worried about a lot of things, when I heard her let out a short loud (as loud as a small dog can) bark, when I looked at her, her tongue was hanging out of her mouth and she wasn’t breathing….I had to open the door and call down the hall to someone to come…. She had died, sort of. There was no heart beat one minute and then the next there was, they took her to another room to incubate her and help her live…this after I had to call the owners and see what they wanted to do and how far they wanted to go to keep her alive.  The vets got her breathing on her own for a while, but it wasn’t long before I had to make another call to ask what to do should she crash again… the answer was grim but had to be, 1,500 dollars is a lot to put into a dog that will probably not make it anyway.

 

A short time later I was informed that she had passed on….again I had to call up the owners and tell them and have them speak to the vet about what to do next. I spent my time there mostly in tears…for the poor dog I was in there for and for my own puppy who was now in danger of going through the same thing.

 

What a horrible day it was. I was at the vet from 2:30pm until after 7pm just to walk out without a dog and a head full of worry and questions. I have a puppy that has only had one set of shots, she was exposed to the other dog everyday this past week! Her chances of getting it are high, but thankfully, it seems from information I have gotten, her chances of  surviving it are high as well should she get it. We also have that we will be able to catch it early on our side…I know what to look for , now.

 

Today is Monday, I will be taking my dog into the vet this afternoon. Originally it was for shots, but the vet is concerned for her…as am I. He wants to check her stool, that as I discovered this morning is loose, not good. I can’t tell if she is being her usual lazy self or isn’t feeling well, I would say that my gut tells me she is not feeling well, but I know that she may be sick…so it may be and it may be just worry. She is, otherwise, seeming to be ok, she ate this morning and all that…but I am concerned about the two times she went pooh this morning…that is not normal for her, at least not as far as having the same large piles of it. If it had been less stool, then yeah I would think it was ok, but the fact is that it was a normal size pile both times….just a little less…solid. Thing is, today marks one day shy of a week for her exposure to Parvo, they say a week to 14 days for signs of it….I just hope that if she does have it, that I am seeing the signs now, we have better chances this way.

 

 I am really worried about her…I know our chances of saving her look good, but after watching a dog go through this and dying already I can’t say that I am optimistic about it. I am hoping and praying that she is fine…that we will walk away from this still having a dog, this dog, to grow up with my son, to be my daily companion, my walking buddy.

 

I know that some people think of dogs as “just dogs”, or simply creatures to bow at their feet…but I think of them as family. I know the difference, don’t get me wrong, between dogs and people and who is more significant…if my son was in danger and it was the dog or my son ….without thought I would go for my son first and hope that we can save the dog! But no matter, my dog does mean a great deal to me and right now she is the only one in danger.

 

Right now all I can do is hope and pray that Leia doesn’t have it and that if she does we catch it in time to save her life. I can’t go through what I did yesterday again….and not with my own dog, it was hard enough with someone else’s. So worried that even my body feels it! I  am still sore from yesterday…well in part anyway. My whole body aches today (even waking in the night with cramps in my legs), I have had a sore back since Saturday but after yesterday I am really hurting bad, I need to go back to sleep and I need to find out what is, if anything, going on with my baby dog and then follow the next steps after that. So much, I know that somewhere someone is thinking “Don’t think about it, don’t worry” but it is hard to NOT think about it especially when you are waiting for answers, especially when you have seen what it can do and know that it may happen again. So please don’t tell me to not worry, and to not think about it. Besides, people always say that and no one, ever NOT thinks about the issues at hand! If you can do that I solute you!

 

Anyway Let this be a word of warning to any who slack on getting their animals vaccinated fully…you never think it will happen to your dog, think that it is ok to wait or put off the shots (even the second set), but it isn’t. You never know who else thought that then came around you and your baby with a sick animal, or what they are sniffing up their noses when they are exploring on your daily walks, or even in your own back yard! I don’t mean to sound like an activist or anything but please make sure to get your animals the proper care…I made a mistake and someone else made one that has killed one dog and put two more at risk. I just think about how if The little dog who died had not gotten sick this week, that we had not known what signs and what of, that we could very well have lost our dog without ever knowing why really…we may still if our efforts don’t do much, as that can happen. Parvo can be survived, but it is never a guarantee that it will.

 

What I learned this week to look for….Vomiting, diarrhea, lack of eating and drinking, animal being lethargic. It started with vomiting, lack of eating (I thought due to the vomiting) got better, then got bad and then worse and finally ended on a very sad note. If your dog(any animal really) has even ONE of the symptoms it is a good idea to find out why and fast…let the vets know if there has been a lack of vaccinations it could save your animals life. Another thing to think about…the clean up, We have had to go through the house and clean all the carpets where the little dog had been, we can’t let the two animals in the yard or on our deck…anywhere that the dog touched we have had to clean with BLEACH to try and kill this nasty virus…and it may have been fruitless to do so if my puppy is infected. Parvo can stay in your yard for up to a YEAR! Think about THAT! If you just moved into a house, got a dog and keep putting off shots…they could get infected just from going outside in your back yard….that goes for anyone really…how many strays are out there? A lot and God only knows which ones have something. Better safe then sorry….sorry really bites, and I am extremely sorry that I didn’t do what I should have, or asked more questions before watching someone’s pet for them!  

Knowledge is power...look it up!

Parovirus

I just had to say thanks for all the wonderful comments in my last blog about not smoking!

I have been doing great! Working into week 2 (9-10 days? lost count! LOL) I have had a set back on a really rough day....I smoked a half of one =( but none since and that was the day after my last post! YAY!

We are planning a road trip to Ohio next week (2nd for the summer =P) and it will be the first time that we have made the 8+ hour drive without the aid of smokes! Going to be rough when we stop at rest area's not to get that urge! Though I think I am more concerned with Gas station stops then anything...you can buy them there! Either way it is going to be a challenge that I am more then up for at t his point....my mind is slowly drifting from those thoughts which is making it easier to not smoke! Even on rough days...That is another thing I am learning to do....cope with stress without nicotine (i do mad cleaning instead LOL)

Anyway  Thank you all again for the kind words, Helping out a lot!!! I really like hearing stories about how you quit and how long it has been!  Congrats to you! I know it is HARD! To those who have had health problems...my deepest sympathy, I can only imagine a fraction of what you must have gone through...I was lucky and I can only see that more now!!!

Today marks day one of being smoke free. Has been tough but now at almost 6pm without an once of nicotine in my system I am feeling confident that I can finally kick the habit for good.

I have tried many times, as most do, to stop smoking....I have smoked since I was 12 years old I am now 24 years old...so an even 12 years of smoking and probably for about the last 7 or 8 I have been a pack a day smoker.....minus the months I was pregnant and brestfeeding (only breastfed 2 months). For the time that I was pregnant it was a no brainer for me to suffer whatever I had to in order to stop smoking....however the problem with making that last was that it wasn't for ME, it was for the life inside me so when I no longer had that keeping me from smoking I started right back up....not around the baby or in the house at all for that matter, but none the less I was smoking again.

skip ahead through 3 years and we come to now....

A few months ago I went to the gynocologist for my yearly visit only to find out that I need to go back AGAIN to make sure that I do not have dysplasia (stage before cervical cancer) for a second time...the colposcopy showed that I did not have anything to be concerned about but being that this scared the crap out of me I knew what I had to do...I asked the doctor for a Rx to the medicine "Chantix" a pill that helps block the sensors in the brain from even caring about nicotine, or sometrhing along that line. Well finding out that insurance doesn't cover it because it was too new and the price for  it was pretty hefty for our budget (and before anyone says anything about the smokes themselves....If i could quit on my own long enough to save up for the meds I wouldn't need the meds now would I?) So It was a few months before anything could be done about it. Thanks to my Mother-In-Law we were able to just recently get that Rx filled...however it was for my husband not me...bummer.....well it only took him 2 weeks to quit and stay that way for over a month now! Yay for him!!

Well he actually started the pills in the wrong place....they give you packets and you ttake this one this week and that one that week....anyway he managed to leave the first week untouched...so I thought that while I couldn't get my Rx filled I would start with the left overs of his...they were the EXact same thing...well it turns out to be a really good thing that I did not rush out and get mine filled......It made me sicker then a dog!!! I can't take them...period. On the up side I was so sick te entire day that i couldn't smoke...I did have one later that night as I started to feel better ...and the next day I was only interested in 3 smokes....and today none.....It is hard to not think about smoking....it is hard not to smoke, but hey when i don't even have any to smoke then I can't bend or break...the more days like this the better!

It also helps that I want to prove those who told me i can't do it ...wrong. I have no choice to go this without help, but I am determined and confident I can!

So anyone who reads this...leave me some encouraging comments!!! And please nothing rude....I am cranky already! LOL

Once again a member of my family is suffering from food poisoning! My son has had it twice and now my husband as of last night! The only common thing...one certain fast food joint with a red haired clown promoting the food! All three cases have been confirmed the only possible place they were gotten was MD's!  Chicken sandwiches and nugets being the food of choice.....this is going to be the last time we eat there!

I just find it rediculous that this has happened 3 TIMES from the same food chain! Not EVEN the same locations! What does that say about them? High Point, and 2 different spots in Winston Salem. I just have to wonder who else has been subjected to this? How many others have suffered...if it can happen 3 times to one family over the course of a year ..it is bond to have spread a lot farther then us. I can also tell you that many many years ago my sister got hepitis from working there....in another state.

What can we do about it? Probably nothing...I am just afraid that someone is going to get it a lot worse and who knows what then! Maybe I am freakin over nothing....but 3 times???? Like I said....we are done with McChicken. No one in my family is going to get anything else from that place!

 

Had an absolute wonderful time last night at fireworks! We went to Tangelwood to watch them, it is about a 45 minute drive but it is worth it. I am a huge fireworks fan and tend to be a bit picky when it comes to were I want to watch them, when I moved from Ohio I lost a really awesome place to see them....one that was pretty much a grand finale all the way thru it and the finale itself was so spectacular!! The whole way thru they would play patriotic music ...it was just great. The first few years I lived here I could not find anywhere that could even compare...not that they were bad or anything just not the same or as exciting! I could not expect that anyway, we are talking a place that is about 8 hours away! So I kept looking and eventually my sister and I found Tangelwood, I knew at once that it was the place! The fireworks were really good, though still not as grand as the one in Ohio but they were still worth seeing and enough that I deemed that the place I would go to see them.  Well do to circumstances we skipped a year, went and then skipped 2 years...though one of those years we happened to be in Ohio and got to see my favorite fireworks display of all =) Of course that same year we went to where my husband used to live in Ohio and seen the fireworks there as well and ....they were a little closer then I was comfortable with! In fact we ended up coming home with a HUGE chunk of  firework that had nearly hit us! It was scarey and took away from the fun of it all...I don't like watching hot ash from fireworks fall to the ground in front of me STILL HOT! Anyway The next year we went to yet another place for fireworks, they were ok but there were other more personal reasons to go along with the OK fireworks that i was not satisfied. Then we come back to this year, happy to be back at Tangelwood once again with my family.

With 3 kids coming along we had to leave late to get there, I was not real happy with that idea but I understood why my sister wanted to spend as little time there as possible....though it turned out to be great and actually we could have gone sooner and been just as happy! The biggest fear was the kids getting bored and fighting with one another, but there were tons of other kids there and our kids ran and ran, they had such a blast!!!! We had our sparkelers and other minimal fireworks (basically a more elaborate sparkeler)  and a mini picnic. We did get the treat of some people with better fireworks setting them off next to us, I have some pics of that and the kids with sparkelers that I may put up on my photos once I edit them to look better. Anyway It was an all around good time and I was happy with the fireworks. We did end up waiting to get out of there after for around an hour and a half or so, but thanks to our dvd player the wait wasn't bad. The kids were out by the time we got home at almost 12am and we were all VERY ready to go to bed!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth!

Last night at about 11-11:30pm I got one HECK of a surprise! I had been tracking a storm online, assuming that like many it would either die out or miss High Point my a few miles. I had been watching the lightening flicker in the window for a good while, usually in between being on the computer and painting, my husband had also told me he was getting a good light show on his way home at about 10:30pm coming from the south. Well when I seen/heard  that the storm was coming closer I shut down the computer and resorted to channel surffing....not finding anything by the way on the weather situation..so I figured it was nothing to get to worried about.

Not to long after, A HUGE bolt of lightening struck ....very VERY close it seemed! Thunder AND lightening at the same time (Always was told that means it is on top of you or something) The night was suddenly a blinding day!  I thought for sure it wouldn't be long before hearing sirens blareing because lightening had struck a home or something! Just HOW close it seemed it was. After that I REALLY searched for some news cast on the storm, wondering how bad it was going to be....the lightening was pretty bad. Finally I braved it and turned the computer back on to check...I wanted to go to bed but the weather seems to always keep me awake....and it wasn't EVEN HERE YET! I was shocked....I guess this is what they mean when they say lightening can travel ahead of the storm!  I am still wondering if it ever actually rained or the wind picked up at all or did it die out as usual before hitting high point real good?

Anyway I finally just went to bed, I don't even know if it even rained (what I did see it didn't while I had been awake and the wind was calm) But I do know that I listened to thunder for a bit after going to bed before finally getting some sleep also checking my weather bug on my cell phone one more time...but on that it didn't really look like much was left of it (I am not a weather watcher at all....nope not me...ok yeah I like weather LOL)

I have only had one other similar experience a few years back (thinking about it we are probably talking 5 years or so). I had been in my room, again doing some various artwork during a storm, when a bolt of lighten struck close by....close enough that it made the lights go out and set off my phone and a game that had been laying on a cord in my room and of course the thunder was LOUD,  causing a fit of noise and scaring the pants off me! I think back on it and still get goosebumps ...thanking God it had not been ANY closer that night!

Well I really just HAD to share my experience from last night. Was anyone else awake last night in the area (311 bypass, Gordon rd., deep river area) that saw what I did?