There's always ONE

Growing up in school, Grandy was blessed with a twin sister and some good friends.

Grandy grew up playing year round sports and was pretty outgoing. Not shy at all. (What? You're not surprised?)

There was one girl...we'll call her Kelly. Why? Because that was her name (I'm original that way).

This girl had some sort of power over me. She was mean. When she was around, Grandy couldn't do anything right. Try as she would to be accepted by her...Kelly made sure Grandy knew she did not like her.

She scared the SH!T out of me. Why? I don't get it? When she was around, I was afraid to speak around her. What made it worse...I liked some of her friends. They were nice...she was just e.v.i.l. (or at least that's what I thought).

Freshman year, Grandy was goalie for the field hockey team. She only tried field hockey because as good as she was in basketball defense, she couldn't sink a basket to save her life. Twin got the basketball skillz. So, field hockey it was.

I only asked to be goalie because in my very first game, I lost my skirt. That was a horrifying experience...and I noticed the goalie didn't have to wear a skirt. Kelly played field hockey too, along with some girls I'd played softball with, and thought we might work through it. They were on Varsity and I was on JV anyway...so why would there be any problems? I could be just the freshman and hide. Can you believe this? Kelly made Grandy want to hide.

Well, apparently Grandy had some serious aggression skillz to work out and didn't fear girls coming at her with hockey sticks. I totally dug it! I was pretty good at it too. So good that in my freshman year, the coach decided to trade me up to the Varsity team. What about the Junior that was already the goalie for the Varsity team? Good friend of Kelly and sister of Kelly's best friend? She was bumped down to JV, in my spot.

Oh yeah...wince away readers. There was no way around the awkwardness. Grandy could not hide. There were moments I'm pretty sure Kelly came at me with her hockey stick.

As I look back, I can't give you any one specific thing that happened now. What was it she had over me? She would make snide comments and tell me to shut up, and I would. Why? Was it me? Just me?

It's been almost 20 years since I've had to see her. She was a year ahead of me so we don't have to worry about reunion stuff...normally.

Grandy's school is doing something different. In 2009 it will be the school's 50th anniversary, and so they're doing a combined reunion with several years, to combine the anniversary too. It's been kinda cool to watch as people update their pics, and those of their kids, on their little sites. I can send messages to people I've lost track of, and I get emails from people that...for the life of me I can't remember.

Tonight I went on to see my messages and see who updated their profile. There she was. She's updated her site.

::tummy flip flops::

I go in to her page and see her. She actually looks good... happy. Good for her!

Was I hoping she was fat? Sure. But why? It's been 20 years...WHY?

Now I find myself asking, "Self, why the hell does she have a power over you...still?" Would she be considered a bully by today's standards?

Tell me readers, do you have someone from high school that made you feel small? I know that High School can do that to anyone and I was very fortunate to thoroughly enjoy these years.

Admit it... share... you had at least ONE from your past...

Share something that will make Grandy feel a little bit more normal. I'm not asking for miracles, but come on...

Getting to know Grandy

Do you ever get these emails? Your friend sends you an email that lists a ton of questions to answer. It's usually fun to learn something about your friends.

Well, rather than send this email to a gazillion people in my address book (ok, maybe 10) I thought I would post my answers here. It's not a meme, so I don't "expect" you to participate.

What I will ask you to do is take a question from this list and answer it in the comments.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 4am
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Meet Dave - it wasn't bad
4. What is your favorite TV show? CSI New York
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Yogurt
6. What is your middle name? Antoinette - Shut.Up.
7. What food do you dislike? Beets - What kind of vegetable stains things just by touching it?
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Today, the new Alannis Morisette
9. What time is it right now? 10:00pm - Time for Bed
10. Favorite sandwich? PB&J on White Bread - haven't had in ages...but love it with milk
11. What characteristic do you dislike in people? Arrogance
12. Favorite item of clothing? Hoodie Sweatshirts
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Australia ::sigh:: Someday...
14. Where would you retire to? My bedroom
15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Was I supposed to remember my birthday?
16. Furthest place you are sending this? The World Wide Web
17. Person Blogger you expect to send it back first? Mike Golch
18. When is your birthday? April 22
19. Morning person or a night person? NIGHT!!!
20. Pets? 1 cat, 2 dogs, 3 fish (oh wait...make that 2, we just lost a 7 year old feeder goldfish...he had to be a mutant to live so long but his brother is still here too)
21. Exciting news? I had a big win on a case today.
22. What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to be one of Charlie's Angels
23. How are you today? I'm good, and you?
24. What is your favorite flower? Pretty Ones
25. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? August 5 - CRUEFEST
26. What are you listening to right now? See #8
27. What was the last thing you ate? Protein bar
28. Do you wish on stars? I never catch them in time.
29. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Lavender
30. How is the weather right now? Beautiful Top Down weather
31. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Hubby
32. Favorite soft drink? Don't drink sodas anymore. Propel is my drink of choice now.
33. Favorite restaurant? Taro's Sushi
34. Hair color? Brown
35. What was your favorite toy as a child? Simon
36. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
37. Coffee or tea? What category is a Skinny Caramel Macchiato??
38. Do you want your friends to email blog you back? Yes! - But I don't expect it.
39. When was the last time you cried? Last Monday...that was sucky.
40. What is under your bed? Dog hair
41. What did you do last night? Read blogs and cleaned emails.
42. What are you afraid of? Heights
43. Salty or sweet? BOTH!! Hey...who doesn't like toffee peanuts?
44. How many keys on your key ring? 4
45. How many years at your current job? 5 - 13 years in same industry
46. Favorite day of the week? Friday
47. Do you make friends easily? I think so
48. How many people will you send this to? How many read my blog? Oh...at least 10 of you.
49. How many will respond? Nada - I understand
50. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Yep

So...who wants to play???

RELAY FOR LIFE

Grandy is very sorry she's been out for so long.

Where does the time go? There's always a cause that Grandy is working towards.

ALWAYS!!!

So, what's Grandy's cause for this month?? Actually it's an all year project, just this year it snuck up on me. Usually we do this event in the end of August, and this year it's in the beginning.

Every year, Grandy and son participate in RELAY FOR LIFE with some very dear friends.

What is the RELAY FOR LIFE? It's a 24-hour Relay to raise money for cancer research. My son and I started this years ago, and have only missed it once...The year my father passed...and that was ONLY because the funeral was on the same day 3 hours away. We originally started to do this for his honor as a survivor. 4 years ago, that all changed and we do it in his memory now.

I even published an article over at Associated Content about the Relay HERE. Grandy is still getting her feet a little wet in the publishing her writing content, so she tried it. Go take a look...I'm not worried about the number of views, but you will see Grandy published somewhere other than when she struggles to be functional.

So...have you followed the link to my website for the RELAY FOR LIFE? Did I do the link correctly? If you go to my team pic, you'll see all my friends. This pic was taken a couple years ago.

Our team? The Marrow Menders

Our Mission? To raise awareness about the importance of Bone Marrow Donation, against the Leukemia fight. My dear friends lost their daughter to Leukemia years ago, and we just love them so, we wanted to be part of this. When Dad got sick with Leukemia, it only made it that much more important.

Our team color? Hot Pink...because that was Danielle's favorite color.

What's cool about this event? The money we raise stays local. They have this event all over the place, and the money stays and helps treatment in local areas.

Where else can you go take your children to learn the importance of doing for others, and fighting a cause together?

Well...the RELAY FOR LIFE of course!!

So...Have you ever Relayed?? Do you want to?? Take a look and see what's in your area.

If you can't support Grandy at this time (trying desperately to NOT sound like a feed the children commercial) we ask that you keep us in your minds, hearts, and prayers on August 2nd & 3rd as we do our part for this worthy cause.

Thanks!!!

Crazy Nicknames

What is the funniest nickname you've ever had?

In Grandy's comment section from yesterday (still licking her lips with all the desserts), Suzanne mentioned that one of her nicknames as a kids was Suzy Cream Cheese.

For whatever reason, Grandy thought this was funny. Not because there was something wrong with that, but because while people had cute nicknames, Grandy had some rather interesting nicknames as a kid but none were "cute".

I was fortunate to inherit my father's gift for nicknames. He had a nickname for everyone! He could never remember any one's real name, but rather associated them with their nickname, or made it one that he would be sure to remember. Even when angry with us, he would hollar for us by yelling our nicknames.

Imagine...

The Horror...

Playing outside with your friends, so unassumingly climbing a tree and experimenting with swear words (oh yea, it started young for Grandy), when her dad would call her from down the street to get her home.

My nickname had two parts...the first one was HARMLESS and sounded like tinkerbell. If Dad was in a good mood, he would just call me twink. "How's it going, Twink?"

The last part? This is where anyone who was humorously challenged might start to get a complex and then grow up to blame her parents for anything that ever went wrong in her life.

Whew!!

Good thing Grandy never cared.

Grandy's nickname as a child... are you ready for this?... was TWINKLE TURD.

Funny...all this talk of my son's belly-ache, and now I'm talking turds.

Yep! You read that right. Not sure what about me was twinkle, but I can sure tell you which part of me was (or is) a turd.

Now, Grandy had her share of mean nicknames from jerk kids growing up, but this one never bothered her. Why? It was all I knew. It took me a while to realize what the nickname was and when I did, I never thought of it as a bad thing.

So...when you're done laughing at my honesty and openness...tell me what your funniest nickname you have ever had is.

Belly Watch 2008 Continues

OMG!! Seriously?!

It's been officially a week since his pain began for my guy. It breaks my heart! The doctors don't really know what it is, but they're pretty sure it's NOT his appendix.

Now Grandy has a horrible cold, no voice, and it ready to throw.in.the.towel. I'm pretty sure the fact that I have had to spend so much time in hospitals lately has NOT helped.

I'm tired, cranky, and I think I did something wrong with trying to add SezWho to my site. I hope no one has any trouble with my site today, although I think I am having trouble with it.

In the spirit of trying to think happy thoughts, and knowing I can't eat anything sweet... I decided this would be a fun blogthings to play. I don't want my readers to feel my cranky vibes, so let's look at something sweet.

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

It just so happens that this, served warm with ice cream, is my all time favorite dessert. I can't eat it now, it will make me sick, but it's nice to know that I somehow resemble a brownie.

So...tell me...what kind of dessert are you?

Please share....

Relinquishing my card

Remember how Grandy saved the day for those 14 boys? Remember my 2 extra credit points I earned for busting my butt and getting those boys to a new camp within hours?


Well...take those points back because Ty called me on Tuesday to say he had a tummy ache. No vomit, no other discharges, no fever. Grandy tells him to rest, have some sprite, and call me later.

Seriously? Grandy could not let him come home for a "tummy ache". He was so looking forward to it!! Maybe he could just nap it off.

Well, he ended up getting checked out yesterday in the morning by one of the leaders. They brought him down, and we took him to the doctor. Doctor sends us to the ER because she's worried about his appendix.

The ER doc wasn't overly concerned about the appendix. In fact, he wasn't concerned at all. What was funny? All the questions they asked my boy about his poo.

You read that right...he was very confused as to why there was SO much interest in his poop habits.

1. When was the last time you went?
2. Was it hard?
3. What color was it?
4. When was your last Bowel Mooooovement? (he just winced)

Have you ever sat in a room while a 12 year old tries to figure out the answers to these?

1. Went last night.
2. Not that hard...but my tummy hurt.
3. I went in an outhouse and didn't look...wouldn't know which was mine.
4. What's THAT?!?

Good times indeed.

So, we're on "Watch the Belly Watch 2008" at the moment. Liquid diet, rest, and back to the doctor.

I guess I shouldn't have tried to talk him in to staying?

Ugh...I'll temporarily relinquish my Mommy Card now.

In Local News...

As Grandy was driving, she heard a news story on the radio that caught her attention.

"Modesto man hospitalized for a bad case of mistaken identity. Gang members stab wrong man."

??? - Grandy thought to herself.

The story went on to report the following:

Four men broke into a man's home, beat him, and stabbed him in the back. Then the men realized they had the wrong person. They apologized, offered to take him to the hospital, and left. The reporter states they even hugged his wife, apologized, and left.

WTF??? Seriously people!?!

Is it ever the right house?

I decided to follow up on the story here and learned that some of the facts were a little off, as they don't state anything about a wife, or an offer to take him to the hospital.

But it got me thinking...I haven't heard a local stupid story in a while. Granted, this isn't the next town over from me, it's more like a few hours away, but geesh!! I need to read more of the local news I guess.

Why couldn't they have just done what this dumbass crazy guy did here (not a local story). All he did was break in to a woman's home, tear down drapes, and growl at her. Growl? At least she didn't end up in the hospital, unless he had some helacious bad breath.


People are NUTS!!!


Maybe Grandy should just go back to putting my head back in the sand. It was safer there.



So... What about you?

Any local dumbass intellectually challenged crook stories where you live?

Please share...

Mother of the Year - 2 Points Scored

Grandy ROCKS the HOUSE!!!

See... It's not very often that Grandy does something right.

4:00 pm on Thursday, Grandy gets word that the boy scout camp that our troop was scheduled to attend on Sunday (today) was now cancelled because of the fires. I could not face the disappointment in the boys for this trip.

So, what does Grandy do? She scrambles, scatters, and basically pulls a rabbit out of her a$$. That's what she does. After hours of research, and several phone calls. Grandy found a new camp for the boys to land, for the exact same week and leaving today.

Oh yeah...there were a few glitches in the paperwork but the boys shipped out today at 8:00. When I'm losing my mind with the chaos of work, and my volunteer projects, seeing the excitement in the boys' faces as they couldn't believe they would still get to go somewhere made it all worth it.

So, while I'm basking in a quiet week without Ty, and feeling like I scored some serious "Mother of the Year" points, I thought I would thank all my faithful Entercard Droppers.

This month's top droppers are:

Dropper # of drops
Modern Glam 28
MamaFlo's Place 27
Meltwater. Torrents. Meanderings. Delta. 26
The Creative Nerd 25
Juuust a Bit Outside 24
Lucent Dusk 23
Beaker's 3 Dimensions 21
Inspire Emotion 21
Random Ramblings 19
Frugal Fergie 17

Thanks to everyone. Thank you to the NEW camp group that squeezed in my 13 boys to their group so they wouldn't have to go without.

I'm SO grateful!!

A Buck Fifty

You know the saying, a buck-o-five soaking wet? Well...who the heck wants to be that tiny? My SON isn't even that little.

A Buck Fifty...that would be a good goal weight, I suppose. I'm not really here to talk about my a$$ size at the moment though. It's just what came to mind when I wrote the title.

Is anyone curious what I'm talking about?? Is this a common thing with you, or is it just me?

Ok, I'll give you a hint...

This post is my 150th post on my blog since I started in October 2007. How very exciting to have written to you all 150 times. Sick of me yet?

My goal? By my 200th post, that I have 100 readers a day. Too ambitious? Does anyone remember my 100th Post with 100 Linky Lovin'? Yeah, Grandy was definitely needing to put the peace pipe down for that one. I was bound and determined to get 100 comments in, not in one day but in 2 1/2 days, and I was NOT going to try that any time soon. That was a lot of work too.

If I'm going to have that many readers, and I'm not too far off, I'm going to need some pointers from you pros as to how you get people to stop and comment. I'd ask Mrs. G. but she's still on her R&R with her family right now. That woman is awesome and has a great following.

So, give it some thought for me. Should I do a giveaway? Does it work to bribe people to come to your site? If I mention "bribe" and "popularity" in the same post where I reference my son, will that set off any Uh-Oh moments?

See, Grandy has come a long way from the "Hello??? Is anyone there?" comments in her blogs. She's very excited about all the readers she's met along the way...and can't wait to catch up on more.

You all think about it, while I spend the next two days trying to get 14 boys to a boy scout camp NOT in the area they were scheduled to attend Sunday. Due to all the fires, the camp has been evacuated and will be closed.

Grandy can do this... She can?... She's HOSED!

Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment of what works for you in getting readers.

Worst Blind Date Ever

Grandy was looking around the web, trying to get caught up with some blog reading when she found crazy working mom having a contest. To enter, all you had to do was talk about a memorable road trip experience.

Apparently this woke something in my inner conscience, because I started to leave the longest comment ever. When I realized it, I thought I should just direct her back here and share my woe with all of you. I'm going to apologize for the long post ahead of time, but I think you'll see...if you stick around...it's worth the read.

I used to work for a traveling children's theatre. We traveled in teams of 2 and went from town to town casting 60 children. It was either the best experience of your life (certainly rewarding) or the longest bad blind date in history.

My first tour partner was awesome. We got along great! He made me laugh and we had fun. That relationship ended when his fiance started getting jealous about how well we got along. Hey, can I help it if Grandy rocks? I don't know what her problem was, I had told him numerous times that I was not there to stroke his ego so he needed to get over himself. There was nothing going on...but what can ya do?

In walked the replacement.

He smoked constantly, drank even more, and couldn't carry a tune in a 5-gallon drum. Talk about your first pick to play in Jack in the Beanstalk? WHATEVER!

One day, we were leaving Upper Michigan to our next destination in New York. I always drove the first leg of the drive because he inevitably closed the bar down the night before. This day, however, he decided he would try to prove himself and drive the first leg (insert caveman grunt and scratch here).

We hit the road by 10:00 (he was over an hour late picking me up) and by 12:15, he had fallen asleep at the wheel, with the cruise control set at 65 mph. We drove off a 40 foot embankment, into a wooded area. We came to a "rest" after bouncing off a very large tree.

SUCK!!

I wonder if we can still get to New York? I've never been there, and was really looking forward to going. Get it together Grandy!

Let's assess the situation...
Truck is sideways... on my side.
Driver is on top of me bleeding and unconscious.
I have no idea where we are, how far off the road we are, and if anyone will know how to find us.

SUCK!!

I start to push the driver up and out through his window (which is strangely now over my head and he is no petite flower, let me tell you) to get him off me. As I push him far enough to his knees he comes to. "Get off me" he mutters.

"What? Get the *#LL OFF ME FU**#ORIUWER&D*(&&***$$ RJKWERIU!!!" (Grandy swears worse than a trucker when in extreme pain...who knew?)

Just then, fate shined on me as someone had come to the truck. Turns out that up the road there was a small gas station/tow truck company. It was the only building on this road for MILES and the driver happened to be getting out of his truck and see us go into the oncoming lane and off the road.

"Can you stand?" he asked me.
Stand? Why wouldn't I? I am now sitting in the glass, on the ground, but still in the truck. I had twisted my body to position it so I could push fat a$$ out the window.

Stand Grandy.
Get the Hell UP!!

Let's re-assess...leg hurts...blood not mine I don't think...bump on head not bad...leg really hurts. Get up.

Can't Stand? WHOAHUWHA???

Gear shifter in truck is bent at 90 degree angle. I'm now focusing on inside of the truck...it is torn up. I look at the seat that I had been belted into and see that it is also buckled at a 45 degree angle. The set, costumes and sound equipment, typically kept in the back of the truck, had crashed forward causing the seat to buckle.

Crazy Grandy thought... I wonder if we can still get to New York?

Alas, to this day Grandy has not yet been to New York. I had ended that worst blind date ever, that day. We were transported to two hospitals because the local one didn't have the facilities to care for me.

The driver? He had a busted lip, injured his back, and got a concussion.

Grandy? Two compression fractures in her spine, a temporary shutdown of several internal organs, a "grossly disfigured" knee, a broken ankle, and more fun than should be allowed with your clothes on.

I never got to go back to that Children's Theatre after that. I never heard from him again either. It was a strange and difficult time to be traveling the country side doing what you love, and getting paid for it, one day...and having to rely on your parents to bathe you and feed you after that.

The date was November 7, 1994... a short 13 months before my son was born. You can see that Grandy was a fast healer, and obviously making some choices where she didn't consider the consequences. Also, you apparently don't need both legs to function to make a baby.

Who knew?

Things happen in your life that you can't control, isn't fair, sucks beyond all recognition. All we can hope for is that we learn from it and not dwell on it, but rather make it a part of who we are. No telling where I would be had I insisted on driving the first leg that day.

I'll tell you one thing, I wouldn't have Ty... or hubby... or some of my wonderful friends. Heck, I quite possibly wouldn't even have this blog. Aren't you lucky I do??

So...who's up for going to New York with Grandy??

Arte Y Pico Award

I have a new bloggy friend, Theresa Komar. You may have seen her comment here and there, and I'm so grateful she does. This woman has 3 blogs? I ask that in the form of a question (Alex Trebek) not because many of you don't have that many blogs but because I'm not sure exactly how many she has.

Either way, I don't know how many of you deal with multiple blogs. It's all I can do to keep you entertained with just my one blog.

Anywho... Theresa, over at A Bumpy Path, has bestowed an award on me in her post The Arte Y Pico Award. What a SWEET honor!! Thank you, Theresa. I've read some of your other honorees and feel privileged to be considered a part of that group.

Now, Grandy has to quote Theresa's site because I'm not clear where the rules stop and her words begin. So...here it is:


About the Arte Y Pico Award

This award was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, and for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you have received this award, you are to pass it on to 5 others. What a wonderful way to show some love and appreciation to your fellow bloggers!

The rules for passing this honor on are..

1) Pick 5 blogs that you would like to award this honor to. ~ How does Grandy narrow it down to 5 of you? Have you seen my blog roll?

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award from Arte Y Pico.

And now... the moment you have all been waiting for... My honorees.

In my last award I granted it to blogs that were new, or new to me. However, with this one I knew instantly I would have to honor some real pros. Without these 5 sites, Grandy would not be the obsessed crazy stalker Blogger she is today. Each site has had a positive impact in Grandy's world, and the blogosphere in general.

Mrs. G at Derfwad Manor ~ I can't get enough of my favorite Derfwad. She's a HOOT!! She's on vacation this week, and has some guest posters over there, but I'm sure they can graciously accept this award on her behalf. ;)

Michele over at Writing the Cyber Highway ~ This lady can really make you think, and feel. Isn't that what writers do? Well, Michele will make you put the words into a sentence and push you to get the words written. She is quite a mentor and cheerleader to me. Thank you sweets!

Dee over at On The Curb ~ This woman...what can I say about this curb squirrel? She will make you laugh until you have orange juice coming out your nose. Or maybe that was just me... and just that once.

Chris at Wat da Wat ~ I like the way this guy can tell a story and make Grandy think. Keep up the good work, Chris!

And of course...last but never least we have Sandy at Momisodes. I've learned a lot about what to do, and what NOT to do from her blog. I love how she shares her thoughts with the world, and takes some great pics!! Besides, without her, I would forget what day of the week it is.

Thank you again Theresa. I am truly honored to be among your list of blogs.

Thank you, to all of my readers for stopping and commenting. You all make significant impacts on the blogosphere. If you weren't mentioned in this post, I'm sure you've been mentioned recently. I do talk about all of you crazy cracikers equally. Besides... Grandy doesn't believe in saying anything about anyone that she isn't prepared to say too them.

What's in a name?

Suzanne, over at So You Don't Get Calls from me... , recently posted this interesting blogthings.

I thought...hmmmm...what would my name say about me? Well, I ran this test on Grandy, and thought it was total crap amazing that there was actually some information on the name.

Not sure how accurate some of this is, but it is interesting.

So...what does your name mean??

What Grandy Means

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Another Meme from the Road

It's true... Grandy has been tagged for another meme by the lovely Paloma at PollyWaddleDoodlesAllDay. She's truly a nut.

I may have done this before, but the rules change just a bit each time that I'm not sure. Not wanting to be the pooper of the partay, I feel compelled to oblige.

Here are the rules…And my commentary of course.

1. List these rules on your blog. ~CHECK
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog. ~NEW FACTS?? What haven't I covered?
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. ~Easy enough
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. ~Alright, quit nagging.

My 7 facts are:

1. I am #5 of five children (my twin is #4 by only one minute). #1 is Nurse Sister, 9 years older. You might remember her from I C more of U. #2 is in San Diego, I'll have to come up with a nick-name for her. For that matter I should post something dedicated to her. #3 is Poor Brother. I say poor brother because he is the only boy sandwiched in between 4 girls, and he always thought he deserves special pity for it. You can see I feel thoroughly sorry for him.

2. I am a HUGE Disney fan. I want to go to Disney World some day, but until then, I will just watch the commercials and dream. It's been a couple years since I've been to D-Land, and I'm thinking I'm about due for another trip.

3. I have now lost a little over 60 lbs in a year. Still working at it...still trying. I have about 15 lbs to go. It's very cool. I don't necessarily do well with compliments, but it does feel pretty good when people call me skinny.

4. I can sing. Yikes, I don't admit to that very often because people will then ask me to show them. Whatever... like I'm auditioning on some sort of Star Search (oh wait, just dated myself, I meant to say American Idol). I sing in church, and used to perform for a living, I have even been known to knock a few people down in random Karaoke performances.

5. I am way too involved with Boy Scouts of America. I have recently agreed to take on the role of Committee Chair for our troop. I love these kids, and want to give them a great program. The previous chair is stepping down due to just needing a bit of a break. Quick...someone get the eraser and take "SUCKER" off my forehead.

6. I'm technically challenged. I have friends and family who buy me technical gadgets and I am too embarrassed to tell them I don't know how to work it. When I read some technical blogs, I get really confused and afraid to leave a comment in fear of being laughed at (and not with).

7. I am preparing for my annual Relay for Life, for the American Cancer Society. I've participated in it for the last 6 years, in honor of my Dad. It's a 24-hour event that raises money for cancer research (oh yeah, Grandy moves from one mission to another). I'll have to do a post about it, but you can visit my personal page here.

Now for the tagging...

eastcoastlife - You will have to post about something other than buns and feet. :)
Joyce-Anne - I don't know if you have a blog...I haven't found you, but I so appreciate you stopping by and commenting, I'd like to learn more about you. Tell me how to find you.
Theresa Komor - You'll have to tell me which of your blogs you'll be posting this on.
Malone! - Because I can never learn too much about you my friend.
mysecondjournal - I'm sure you can come up with something on these 7. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
glam - I know it may not fit your awesome fashion blog, but you have others. Let me know if you decide to play, and where you're playing. :)
Dirty Laundry Diva - Oh yeah, the trials and tribulations of your NewscasterHottie, and crazy people in your life...I can't wait to see what you share. :)

Anyone else want to play? Feel Free!! Just make sure you leave a comment to let me know so I can come check it out.

How many of you nuts are still part of the Blog365? Need a topic to blog about??

How are you spending the 4th?

It's a holiday weekend...yeah!!

Grandy will still be working on homework (by the way I did well on the next exam in line) but wanted to send a Happy 4th to all my faithful readers (and even the occasional readers).

How will you be spending the 4th?

Will you be BBQ'ing? Boating? Lighting your own fireworks? If you're anywhere in California, I don't know how many of us will be doing that. Even townships who usually put on their own displays are cancelling them because of the current fire situation.

Me, I'll be doing homework, biking, studying, kayaking, studying... Yep, going back to Tahoe with my friends. Won't have internet again...drat...but am definitely doing some pre-posts so you can still come check on me.

I appreciate every one's support through everything with my grandmother, work layoffs, exams, packing, etc. The blogosphere is definitely a great group indeed.

I don't think I've been very funny lately, and I know some of you typically come to laugh. I think I've made a few of you cry. I know a couple have peed your pants, but I'm not taking the blame for that (you know who you are).

Grandy is finally breathing again and will come back with some humorous or moving tales to entertain the masses (or at least the few that stop to read).

Thank you! Happy 4th of July!!

Hug a soldier and thank them for our freedom while you're at it. :)

We Made It... or did you remember?

Readers who ROCK... UNITE!!!

Yes...You, in the back, I'm talking to you.

Can you see the picture from back there? No? Well get up here and see what you helped with.

Photo provided by The Breast Cancer Site

I know, only because I am learning how to use my sitemeter, that it was not the gazillion hits on my little Functional Shmunctional website that did this. I know several blogs specifically posted on this. I do want you to know that you did make a difference. Just think, if you stopped by even 10 times in the month of June, then they would have only gotten 7,999,990 clicks.

Remember...You alone can make a difference.

Thank you, faithful readers, for the difference you make. Whether you posted about this awareness, participated, or even cliecked it once. You are good folks.

Thank you for stopping by to read, click, and enjoy the frivolity of it all. :)

What... did you think Grandy was going to go on and on about the importance of voting? Nahhh... You guys all helped remind me, even through your sites, that it's important to have a voice, whether you use it or not ...that is completely up to you.

Thanks for "voicing" from this site. Make sure you stop and "voice" again sometime.