GOOD TRACTION

After a month off of work...Jim scrambled out of here so fast today it could have spun our heads around like the exorcist :l Our anniversary day was the day the doc pulled his stitches and gave him the green light to go about his business. We did enjoy the day, had lunch, and put my new ring on my finger :} Of course he had been cleaning out his van and charging it last week, didn't say "I get to go back to work" but sang it coming out of the doctors office :/ And mentioned with all the reno's, laundry, dog grooming, mail, dishes, etc...that it would be a break to go to work :l So my pal and help has good traction and flew the coop :(

But we have the trip coming about. I can't believe it's only a couple months to Christmas and our vacation. The year has gone by so fast. My hand has been in pain from crocheting Paros's snoods while in doctor offices and hospitals, but after not doing any needle work what so ever last winter because of the water issue, it was good to have my hands on it again (and I had some left over pain pills :). No pattern so I will have to plug away with it when I can till I get it right and move on to see what I can do with this hand :/

And like a pastor once said to me, any relationship is like building a house. You start with a sound foundation. One of truth, consideration, etc. and your house won't come down on you. And in moving forward I guess it's like your ride and how sound your tires are...you have good traction. And when Jim realized I had no more rabbits to pull out my hats and my inheritance was really gone, and he told me 2 weeks of his month off there would be no income...I thought I'd have to cancel our trip. It was like yanking Christmas from a 5 year old :l  He was going to go if he had to pull those stitches out himself lol but 2 hours within receiving a blessing card in the mail...we got some help so good blessings or traction there but we will have to hold out on his harley (this is us 15 yrs. ago when we were 6 months into dating and he sold his 9th harley to be able to go on this trip with me I had planned long in advance because I was single at the time and didn't want to fly out of the country alone :)))) We married a year later on the same date.

Now it's been 15 yrs. later, our third trip with carnival and probably our last. Seems each time we go with them something adverse arises. The first trip was 3 weeks (1 week in Miami, flew to Puerto Rico for a 2 week sail to South America) and my bank decides to cut everyone's cards off so they could tie Louisiana and Mississippi branches together :/  Then the 2cd trip was in April...shattered hand and daughter. Now here comes the third. Holland, Cunard, or any other line will just have to do if this one is even a bit bleak. And we are postponing the vow renewal. I won't be able to size my gown down (I got a $1000 Ivonne D from Macktak Mart for half price so kudos to them even with the gown having to be resized ;). Of course I wouldn't have ordered it if I knew he had spent all his personal and sick days :(

Well...joke lately has been about him being on hiatus and how desperate he has been to get back to work. He made those in New York look ok and with as much as he cleaned, reorganized, and charged that van...I wanted to slap him back on the road myself. Too bad he was outta here before I could help him along :D

God bless New York and the east coast with what they are going through. Especially those lost. Lord knows I've had to deal with hurricanes and tropical storms for so long...I know the sick feeling they are having to endure. New York is just too large of a city to have to deal with water, wind damage, and power outages.

With the new year coming...we are leaving behind any and everything that we haven't had a good relationship or track record with (doctors, shops, people, and now even our bank who didn't look out for Jim's best interest and charged him an extra $190 for well...more than a few checks :l  He isn't very savvy at banking either lol :D). He has a taste of what I do around here and hit the ground running this morning! We will just renew vows next year or so but until then...he will just have to remain a "Mr. Tobin" lol :D 

Yep. Good Traction. Makes for a safe journey when moving forward :)))))

Missing Mana

HOME, JAMES

Phew. Jim's surgery on Monday went from a 2 hour quickie to a 10-12 hour ordeal with his whole leg wrapped up like a mummy :(  I can't even begin to count the prayers, tears, or even explain the fear of losing my best friend, companion, and love but both my navigators (Rushnell's term for God in his newest God Winks book "Devine Alignment" and well...my James...my road navigator here :}) came through for me and for once...I drove James home :} But lord, please knock some sense in me before I go out of town alone to fill his scripts at Walmart (7 hours and $400 later....alone the next day....ouch).

And I don't mind running up and down the stairs for him while he recuperates. I figure I'll be a size 2 and won't have to go to physical therapy lol. Of course I had to postpone finishing my hand therapy too but did drop in to see them yesterday. I also stopped at a bridal shop to look for gowns since the ones I found online wouldn't be made till mid January (and the first 2 I chose like the Jovani I thought could be done in 2 months advance notice). I just decided to find a custom seamstress/dressmaker and later order a Rina di Montella gown since we also had to postpone our vow renewal. I'll wear the necklace he bought me later too and since his favorite color is blue...it will give me plenty of time to find a gown in blue to wear.

As for the shop in the next town up...it looked dirty, tape sealed the cracks in the glass, it was closed at 2 pm on a Wed., and the area made me nervous but it was the only bridal shop there. I tried a shop in the town south of here but their selection was like the national chain, David's Bridal; full of synthetic fabrics forming a generic brides maids gown. I think I will try and call at a later date to see if they can order one for me since the designers at Rose Taft haven't responded (and heaven knows they are too busy too deal with one individual order although I don't see any of these bridal shops within 200 miles putting in many orders either :/). Long way from New Orleans sitting in Fleur de Paris or Lillie Rubin to be fitted for a custom dress or gown and drinking champagne :(((((

Ahhhh but the jokes inspired living here....like how aliens don't leave crop circles here....they leave crop "X's" lol. Jim's vascular surgeon even laughed at that one. We both do like Oxford which is an hour up and over. No real big stores like Best Buy, Sam's club, Outback, oh how we miss Texas de Brazil too! No dog shows, not much but quaint and intelligent with a university just the same.

Still...the bible belt here is strong with the power of prayer. Jim will be able to dance with me as planned and although my cousin's daughter who was involved in a serious accident will be in a wheel chair for her senior prom and won't dance....she is doing ok and her back isn't broken (praise God the navigator!!). I have been inspired by the Rose Taft gown that reminds me of Stevie Nicks garb to do a new mask for her so she will still be the 'Belle of the Ball' ;)

So despite all the adversities....I still like lemonade and have a grateful heart (and Jim's doc says it's ok for him to have his harley lol!). Nothing much matters to me but that he's home :}

I'm ready to dance regardless of what I'm wearing!

COLLISIONS

Our anniversary month and we are busy with fittings and ER visits. I just quit looking for my daughter's dog, Mana, with no reply back from anyone and depressed about it all. I figure whoever bathed her in green apple dish soap is housing her so Jim cheers me up and takes me last Saturday to Clarksdale while he has maintenance work on his company's van. I then asked him to take the rest of the day off so we enjoyed hitting the road in the Miata from Grenada to Southaven being fitted for formal wear. We plan to celebrate it all on the Christmas Cruise; birthdays, anniversary, Christmas. He did get me some jewelery to wear so I plan to wear it with a dress from  New York Dress (not sure which one though although the Bowls and Jovani match the fur...the 4th would be in Charcoal...Jim likes Jovani #3...so any votes would help ;)). Really great prices and for the second formal night...I will just wear a formal pant suit I bought from Dillards that oddly enough...cost more. Go figure :l

So we are looking forward to the trip but I had to make him come home again the other night to check out his leg that was bothering him. Ended up in the ER. Seems he has been traveling a bit too much and developed thrombosis with an infection so I have him off his feet a bit till we get it cleared up and visit a vascular surgeon. I'm hoping it won't hinder him getting his Harley in Feb. His bud is on standby and will build/do him a nice hard tail (shovel) unless we can splurge for an Evo. It will be his 10th harley but 40 something bikes including the triumps, 3 wheelers, nortons, etc. All this at one time I just giggle and say it is his turn to come out of surgery the next day and go on a cruise we already booked and paid for :}  He is just   glad this is going on now so he will be able to dance with me under the stars on the sky deck while in the caribbean! What a love and best friend :))))))

And even though we are so opposite...we are the same in many ways. It was odd ordering the Sonny Barger  and God Winks books from Barnes and Noble at the same time. The sales lady even commented on it lol and we will even exchange books and read each others. I am saving "Devine Alignment" for the cruise and he is saving his "6 Chambers and One Bullet" so for now I am reading "Inside the Other Side". (I still keep thinking 'boooooookkkkkks' with one of my hand therapy girls and found out she listed it in her bio as well. I will have to reschedule soon here).

Well...the new neighbors dog bite my beloved neighbor lady, pastor from Jim's favorite church came over, the tree was removed to the side of the property which was the wrong place, I've continued on with compatible software for windows like Stardock and dreamweaver (seems Autofx isn't on their list), cousins children/grandchildren were in an accident but out of the hospital, framework is still messed up in this computer from when I first got it and microsoft crashed it when trying to correct their corrupt files (HP got me back on but still all messed up in there and they are a bit out of it), not to mention we were told the water treatment plant is in the middle of a cotton field where they crop dust so I have to confirm this :/  Soooo not right. I'm butting heads with enough stuff around here still.

And talking about colliding with things...funny the stuff you watch while your spouse is down. We caught some episodes of  "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" :l  I was disgusted at first until I caught it fromt he producers perspective through scenes of them swatting bugs, dog licking it's cooter, train going by the house (and I mean RIGHT UP ON IT!), and well...the foods they eat. I think the woman is smart enough though to  enable her daughter to do these pagents, hope they make enough money to come out of poverty and learn some social skills or what Ms. Georgia says "Refinement". The child does have a load of personality so when she talks about Glitzy her pet pig and doing things 'Redneck Style'....we just say we need to talk to the new neighbors about their dogs before we walk our Glitzy dog 'Southern Style' (we may need to carry a gun or stick but will offer them some fencing :}). And I did get to play in PS over at Texttuts (although I don't know why adobe manager came up and threw me a trial of CS6. Soooo wasn't ready for that :/).

Some collisions are bad, but others are good. So whether it's harleys and/or jewelry, God and/or bikers....attractions seem to pull towards one another and opposites do too. They don't always repel so hopefully there we be collisions of an awesome kind in the upcoming future. There is a reason for all things I believe so may God give us the strength and wisdom to find them and comfort us in our time of need  ;)

*Note: We met the local doctor and he is now Jim's doc. Although everyone had bad reviews on him...he was intelligent, attentive, cordial, sober, and we like him! :)

And he soooo wants to go back to work after the specialist tomorrow. Already read his book and tired of viewing formal suits, dresses, and excursions :/