Today's "High" (it doesn't take much!)

Nick had a "long haul" this evening... a 3-hour tow each way. The customers were riding along with him and their Cadillac.

About 35 minutes into the tow, Nick stopped at a gas station to fill up and realized he didn't have his wallet with him. uh.... DUH.

So, he called me and asked me to check yesterday's jeans pocket for his wallet... Yep, there it was, right where he left it.

I loaded up two kids in their jammies and took off to meet him at this gas station and "save the day" by delivering his wallet (with the company credit card that he needed to get gas).

When I arrived, the gentleman who was riding along with his Cadillac came up to my car window and said (pointing at my dear husband): "He is sooooooo lucky to have you!"

I said, "Yes, he is. And, I already know that, but could you keep telling him that all the way to your destination tonight, please!"

You know, just so he doesn't forget! :)

(pssst! by the way, I think Nick knows it, too, even if he doesn't always admit it.... he's not just lucky... he's DAMN lucky! LOL)

I've Found My Calling

The title of this post is for my Mom.
I called her two days ago and said just that: "I have found my calling... as a tow truck dispatcher!" LOL

Nick's boss and his wife are on vacation for the next two weeks, leaving him "in charge" of the whole company while they're away. So, he asked me if I'd come in and help him with the phones, computers, and dispatching tow calls to him.

I packed up the kids and a zillion toys, books, food items to keep them entertained for a 12-hour day in the shop, and went. I admit, I was a little nervous at first... Five minutes after I arrived on site, Nick got called out on four different calls, all at the same time... leaving me alone to run the Towing Empire!!! EEEEK!

But a few hours later, I called my mom and said, "I've found my calling!"

I haven't worked outside of my house in over 6 years, so I was a little intimidated. But, WOW! I'm having a blast! It's so much fun to get up every morning and have to get dressed and GO somewhere!! Even more fun to answer phones and talk to other adults and maybe answer their questions correctly! I get a little bummed when someone calls asking me to price an exhaust system or headers and I have NO CLUE what they're talking about and have to hand the phone over to Nick or take a message so he can call them back. DARN. Defeat!

But, all in all, this is a really fun experience for me. I'm looking forward to the next week and a half... "playing" work is exciting for a girl who's been a SAHM to two babies for the past 5 years.

So, if anyone needs a tow or a tire change or a price for some headers in the next week... give me a call! I'll hook you up! :)

I Was Tagged (for REAL this time!)

Thanks, Jess, for tagging me! :)

Here goes:

Four jobs you’ve had in your life:

• cook/bartender/waitress at my family's golf course
• assistant teacher in a daycare
• sales clerk at Carter's
• Journal Production Editor

Four movies you would watch over and over:

• Pretty Woman
• 13 Going on 30
• The Notebook
• Dirty Dancing

Four places you have lived:

• Leonardtown, MD
• Dayton, OH
• Baltimore, MD
• New Martinsville, WV

Four TV shows you love to watch:

• Oprah
• General Hospital
• Dancing with the Stars
• Roseanne

Four places you have been on vacation:

• Bermuda
• Orlando, FL
• Knoxville, TN
• Ocean City, MD

Four websites you visit daily:

• scrapforums.com
• mercantilepeninsulabank.com
• msn.com
• all of my friends' blogs!

Four of your favorite foods:

• tacos
• pork chops
• mashed potatoes
• perogies

Four places you would rather be right now:

• Disney World with Julie P :)
• Leonardtown, MD with my best friend, Christie
• Middlebourne, WV with my other best friend, Sarah
• in a bar with a cold beer with my hubby

Four bloggers you are tagging:

• Julie
• Trish
• Linda (although I think she's already done this one!)
• Angie
  

New Pics of the Gruesome Twosome, for their fans!

(Pics taken January 11, 2006)

My Almost New Sister-in-Law!

Congratulations to AJ and Amber!!!!!!!

Nick's brother and his girlfriend became officially engaged yesterday!

We all love Amber with ALL of our hearts and she's such a "natural" member of the family.

I'm beyond tickled that she'll be my "official" sister-in-law someday soon!

[update: the official wedding date has been set for October 7, 2006!]

YAY!!!!

The following pic was taken of them on December 26, 2003, when they came to visit a brand new Avery in the hospital.

Insomnia at its finest!

Okay, so I wasn't "tagged" (darn it! Why don't more people tag me??)... But, I stole this from some unsuspecting blogger's blog and I'm starting my own game of Tag. So there. [I can do that, can't I? CAN'T I, ANGIE (my unofficial blog expert)?? LOL]

Here goes:

2 names you go by (other than the obvious): Ragan and Boss
2 parts of your heritage: Irish and German
2 things that scare you: death and chemical imbalances
2 things you are wearing right now: sweatpants and my charm bracelet that my Gram gave me when I graduated from college in '98 (that I discovered hidden in the depths of my medicine cabinet today)
2 favorite songs (at the moment): Honkytonkbadonkadonk by Trace Adkins and Must Be Doing Something Right by my boyfriend Billy Currington
2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love): honesty and commitment
2 truths: I've been blessed in so many ways and Gosh darn it, people like me!
2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex): big, muscular arms and that "traily" area between a man's shorts and his bellybutton (was that specific enough for you? LOL)
2 of your favorite hobbies: scrapbooking and reading
2 things you want really badly: to hit the lottery and to learn how to go to sleep at a decent hour every night
2 places you want to go on vacation: Hawaii and a Cruise to Nowhere
2 things you want to do before you die: Get caught up on my scrapbooks and see my children happy
2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick: I cry a lot and I love PINK (the color, not the "singer!")
2 things you are thinking about now: Why in God's name am I still awake at 3:30am and Who introduced me to this whole blogging thing anyway??
2 stores you shop at: Walmart and Dollar General
3 people you would like to see play along? Angie, Julie, and Trish

And don't ask me why that last one is 3, whereas the others were all 2, because I just don't know! :)

Bring on da Funk!

I recently joined scrapforums.com, a neat online forum chock full o' scrapbooking fun, not to mention some VERY talented women in the world of scrapping! Last week, I participated very little in their "Seasons Greetings Crop and Win" cybercrop and I was so tickled to WIN the $25 gift certificate prize! Woo Hoo!!! (I spent it today in a matter of minutes, stocking up on new Chatterbox papers... fuel for my latest addiction! LOL)

Starting this week, they're sponsoring a "huge layout contest" called "Funk It Up!" and it sounds like a crazy, cool time to me!

So, if your creative juices are flowing (or even if they're not, but you could use some fresh inspiration), check them out and enter the contest with me!

Say It Isn't So!

In 1988, when I was 12 years old, a new sitcom debuted and changed television forever.

So, I grew up watching this show all about "blue-collar" life and the trials and tribulations of marriage and raising kids, etc. And, yeah, it was funny.

Now, 18 years later, I watch re-runs of it every night on Nick at Nite. And I'm half embarrassed to say that it's even funnier. As a teenager, watching Roseanne and Dan fight about money and arguing over who was going to plunge the clogged up kitchen sink was humorous. Now, at almost 30 years old with two kids, a husband, and a blue-collar life of my own, I see this show in a whole new light. One that I never imagined I'd see it in.

Yes, I can actually RELATE to Roseanne, in many ways.

That is a scary thought. I can honestly say I never imagined I'd be at this place in my life... relating to Roseanne (eeek!). But, would I change a thing if I could? No, probably not.