Thursday- I LOVE my job

I can not wait for vacation! It just can not come fast enough for me—then 7 glorious days with no work. Today was very trying. We started out the day with one of my favorite kinds of meeting [yeah right]. The kind I am held hostage in for one full hour of telling me how things in the company are supposed to work.
There was an opportunity for us to donate blood today at work with the local blood bank. I really like to donate when I can because I have blood type that has only 6.7% of the population. We are encouraged to donate blood when they come. Don't read this if you are squeamish So there are several in my department that wanted to donate. I was told to go first and only stay if there was no line.....so I walk down to donate..one person in front of me to have the interview prior to the donation. Well little did I know she was going to donate using ALEX (a portable plasmaphoresis device where by you are able to donate 2 units of red cells instead of one unit of whole blood). I don't qualify because you have to be taller than 5' 6”--so what is up with that??? anyway I waited—and waited—and waited. Then I finally got ready to donate and they got the needle in and I stopped bleeding. The phlebotomist had to “wiggle” the needle to make me bleed faster. It only took6 minutes once I started bleeding. Anyway, I left the mobile unit and started walking back into the building to go back to work. I looked up and there was my supervisor walking down through there looking for me!!! she said “Are you OK? We were worrying about you—you have been gone a long time” ---- translate that into worker bee and she meant "where have you been?? You have been gone entirely too long. I TOLD you to hurry.So where have you been-----soooo I explained the above and she 'escorted' me back to my desk.
When I got back to work two of the other worker bees said 'did she find you??? she has been frantically looking for you” So that was the joke for the rest of the day-- I am so irreplaceable that I cant be out to donate blood . Geesh I wish I were paid as if I were indeed that irreplaceable.
The best news ever is that Katie was called yesterday by 'The Pink Palace” http://www.memphismuseums.org/about_us/ and offered a job (actually using her degree!! Whooo hoo) Making a decent wage and hopefully a job that she will enjoy. She is also trying to get employment at The National Civil Rights Museum http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/about/about.asp . She knows someone from home (here) that works there and I believe she said she had an interview there or they looked at her resume and want to interview her. Her hope, I think, is to work both places part time and go to school. She thinks she has a assistant ship at University of Memphis. That will allow her to attend school with no fees and get a stipend to boot!!!! GO KATIE!! GO KATIE!!! GO KATIE!!!
Sam's blog update was not too good today. They were expecting to get some money to travel on from his mom's 401k. Something happened and there is no way they are going to have the money to get to Mayo to see Sam's Dr. and for his check up. If you are reading this and feel you want to –please say a prayer for them. I don't know how they do all they do with as little as they have. I wish I had the money to be of use to them.....all I can do is pray ( I know that is a big something) but I wish I could help them monetarily.
Well, off to do laundry and prepare for Friday at my lovely wonderful work place

Sam, blogging and waterfall

I went back and was reading some of my past post in the other blogs...it made me realize that I really enjoy writing. So I am going to try to write something every single day....most of it will not be interesting to anyone but me. i guess it will be just random thoughts and ideas and stuff
the first news is that I saw a post by Sam's mom--- PTL they don't have to go to Rochester any earlier than they thought. So that gives them a little more time to prepare....and to hopefully get some extra money to make the trip. One of her fears is that their experience will deter other families from adopting special needs children. She states that she would never ever take back the time and experience they have had with him.
I want to post some pictures of out outdoor project. Mark is working hard to get our waterfall done in our backyard. We have been trying to get this done about forever. He has put a lot so sweat and effort into this project of love. It isn't done yet but it is getting closer

hello to anyone who takes the time to read this

Hi to anyone who reads this. I have been bad at blogging lately. Not much exciting happening around here. We are trying to get ready for our short vacation at the end of the month. With the price of gas going up so fast I am glad we decided to just go about 45-50 miles away to the Smoky Mountains. We will be there a week! Yeah!!!
actually we went there this last weekend for two nights. DH's sis went with us. We had the opportunity to stay in a cabin through our time share for two nights @ $82 for both nights for all of us. We got there on Friday and checked in and by then we were all starving and had to eat at the first place we came too. (Cracker Barrel) Then to W-mart (and I HATE to go there) to get swimsuits..... yup we forgot ours in the rush to get gone from home. Well if you are female you know how traumatic that was for me. Anyway we both got suits (Lo remembered hers) and went to the hot tub on the back porch for a while. By then we were all done in and headed to bed.
Sometime during the night I woke up with a migraine, medicated myself and when we woke up on Saturday morning still had it. Mark and Lo went to G'burg and met the guy from the time share –he wanted to make sure everything was going well and gave us $75 in gas cards for our trip and time. They said he did not pressure them at all about buying something etc. Anyway, by the time they got “home” I was feeling better. We hung out a little while and then went to have dinner at “the Alamo'. Let me tell you that is the absolute BEST steak I have ever eaten (been there x 2 and both times were out of this world). As usual I ended up taking most of my steak and sweet potato back to our cabin . Then back to the hot tub we all went.
When we “cooked” a while we all adjourned to our separate rooms and prepared for the night. Then we got started on a jigsaw puzzle I had taken (1000pieces and the pieces were all different sizes). It is really a hard puzzle. Lo and I stayed up until 3 am working on it. It was lots of fun. When we get it completed it has lights to put in it and it runs on batteries. I got it for Christmas from my bro and sil.
News about Sam----- his mom said his echo was really better than they thought it would be and his replaced valve was not leaking as badly either ---Her direct words were “ You might ask what leaking valve??? WELL I WOULD HAVE MENTIONED IT IF I HAD KNOWN” . But she went on o say it was a blessing because she didn't think she could have taken the stress. Anyway Dr C at Mayo will look at the Echo and tell them when to come back there – they can not fly because of his condition so this is going to be a looooooong trip for the Long family. They anticipate having to go up there within the next two weeks,.....anyway if you are reading this please say a prayer for Sam, Vicky (his mom), Rick (his dad) Stacie and Emma (sisters) and Eric and Ryan (brothers). They are really having a rough time. With Rick's job loss it is even more of a trying time---
well I will try to upload some of the pictures from this weekend when I can-- we had a really really neat place and lots of fun. I am working on my quilt and have sorta stopped with the paper crafting. I am in a lull with that I think. But I can take my quilt piece and work on it wherever I am. I plan on taking several pieces when we go on the long road trip to Colorado...... looking forward to that too in September