8 Random Things Meme

The rules:1. Let others know who tagged you.

2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.

4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

tagged by:Dawn

8 random facts:

1. My mother has been trying for years now to convince me to write a story based on my life (an autobiography if you will). I started doing this earlier this year, but am now experiencing a writer's block and have not written on it in the last few months.

2. I was raised in Kansas, but born in Washington, DC, and now reside in Michigan. I do not remember much about Washington, DC... for we moved when I was six months old and my dad's enlistment for the Air Force was over... but I really miss Kansas and am not very fond of Michigan... I do not like the snow and cold weather!

3. I have been married for almost 10 years and we have started looking into adoption, even sent in an application last month. Now we are awaiting our next step, going to adoption parenting classes (I have no idea what this is, they probably explain how and what to expect when adopting).

4. I have been watching that show, Ice Road Truckers, on the History Channel every Sunday night and really enjoy it. It only has four more remaining episodes and will not be back on next summer which is kind of disappointing because I secretly have a "crush" on that rookie TJ.

5. Besides Ice Road Truckers, I absolutely love that show Eureka!

6. Even though I am diabetic, I have the biggest sweet tooth imaginable. You name it I probably have eaten it!

7. I read the book Harry Potter And the Chamber of Secrets a few years before the movies started coming out. I really enjoyed the book and I was about to start reading the one that comes after it, but then the movies started coming out. When I went to see The Chamber of Secrets, I knew what was going to happen and who the "bad guy" was. Kind of ruined the movie for me. So that is why I have not read any of the others yet... I want to wait until after all of the movies have come out before I start reading the books again.

8. I went and saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Saturday, I liked it except that they threw in several new characters without much explanation of who they were. They were just there and were accepted by and friends with the others. I had to look it up on the Internet and there I found out who they are, I take it that the book explained things a lot better.

The 8 friends I tag:

1. Amber
2. Nathan
3. Sheila
4. Stacie
5. Kristi
6. Suz
7. Brianne
8. Gina

The week after

Once she got to the hospital, they pumped her stomach and kept her in ICU for a few days. Sharon was found to have overdosed on her antidepressants and aspirin so they had to keep a close eye on her. When Chuck went to her house to gather some clothes for his mom while she was gone he noticed all of her drawers were like almost empty! She had no clothes but the ones on her back and a little bit in the hamper. Nor did she have any books or a TV, it's no wonder she tried suicide she probably drove herself crazy by only being able to keep herself occupied by thinking and reflecting on the past.
I went to visit her, and the very first thing she asked about was how Bebe was doing I told her fine (she was too, was keeping my big dog company). Joanne was there too and Bill and Chuck (and Ken was even there) were busy talking to the doctor. Sharon was telling JoAnne and I how upset she was at Chuck because he never showed any signs that he cared for her before, so why did he choose to show up then? He should have just left her alone! I told her that it wasn't just Chuck that cared what happened to her, I was the one that asked Chuck to go check up on her because I was worried too. Plus too, I told her, even Ken is worried for her because he came here and is outside the room.
When Sharon was able to go home, we were all worried about her and her safety. So Bill took time off so he could stay with her and she told me to keep an eye on Bebe for her. That was a long week for Bill and for everybody else. Chuck bought food and supplies with Bill and Chuck's manaw would call every other day to ask our opinion about how she was doing. They also transferred some money to us so Chuck could go and buy her a cash register or something she really needed. Chuck and Bill used the money to get Sharon some different items, they looked into a register but they cost way more than what they had. The leftover money Chucks mammaw told Chuck to go ahead and keep it. But of course, Sharon would remind Chuck just how greedy and uncaring he was.
Bill had left after a week to go home (he was starting to get really stressed out from watching Sharon go through her temper tantrums and suicidal actions) and Sharon was going to a counseling session with the hospital at the time and she reassured everyone that she would be fine, so she stayed behind. But I found out that while she was in the hospital she had sold her business to Bill and JoAnne for $1, I was a little upset over this... she kept telling me that she was leaving the business to me! But Sharon still had the run of the business and she still needed my help with counting money for change and such.

The suicide attempt

So, after Carol left I was in charge of a lot more. Sharon is unable to count out the money, actually now that I think about it the only thing she was really good at was the decorating (after being told what to decorate and how to decorate it) and some of the organization. She had started talking to her brother again and they decided to get involved with the business. So they would show up every now and then... well it was mainly her sister in law, her brother was working... and I would feel I was in the way, so I would go home. Her sister in law, JoAnn, is one of those goody-goody types, she likes to take charge and allows you to feel like such an idiot when you do not do it her way.
I had been making plans with Sharon to come in on a Saturday to help with the shop because JoAnn had to work and wouldn't be there. She even kept asking me the day before if I was still going to be there and I hadn't changed my mind, and I would reassure her that I would be there at 10 o'clock in the morning. Then at nine that morning she had called to ask me if I is still wanted to come in since the shop was so cold, I told her I would be fine as long as I had my electric heater and I would see her later. She sounded really tired and drained on the phone and I was thinking she had just woken up so that is probably why. Then at 945 she had called back and told me not to come in. She still sounded really tired and I asked her if she was okay she said she was good, and I asked her why she did not want me to come in and she told me she just didn't feel like opening. I had a really bad feeling in my stomach that something was wrong, so I kept calling her back to see if she was sure she didn't want to open but no one answered the phone. I even called her cell phone and still no answer. The feeling in my stomach was getting worse, so I had Chuck go check on the mother. He called me on his cell phone and told me the doors were locked and he couldn't get in, he wondered if I was talking to her because she wasn't coming to the door. I told him no and she wasn't answering her phone. He then called his aunt and uncle to see if they were talking to her. They weren't, but JoAnn had talked to Sharon earlier and had noticed also that she sounded really depressed and tired. Then Chuck called his mamaw and she wasn't talking to Sharon either. So Chuck ended up having to call the police station. After a couple hours Chuck called me and told me that the ambulance had found his mother on the floor of the bathroom and Bebe was pitching a fit. Chuck found a "suicidal note" that said tell Rassel it wasn't his fault and a bag full of pills that she must have taken.
I got online and told Rassel what was happening, because I believe that once you are married you are not supposed to keep secrets from one another. Then Chuck showed up at the door with Bebe in his arms. He set Bebe down and told me he had to run to the hospital to be with his mom. Then Bill and JoAnn are coming up and staying the night with us. I was almost proud of myself for knowing that something was wrong and trusting my woman's intuition and because of that she was still alive.

My weekend fun

We got the kids Sunday night, all three of them. Usually we just get Brenden and Carrie but this time their stepbrother, Zac, wanted to stay too. It was a lot of fun and it kept me busy watching them and helping them play my game, Sims 2. Sunday when Ken and Kelly came to pick me up for church, Carrie asked if she could stay. Then on our way to church Brenden asked if he and Zac could stay, I said okay.

After church Ken and Kelly dropped me off at my house so Chuck and I could change into shorts. Then we went over to his dad's for barbecue and birthday cake. Then everyone in Ken's family (Kelly plus four kids and their dog Peppy) came over to celebrate Ken's birthday which was on Saturday. It was a great meal and a really good visit. They all seemed really interested in our adoption process. Carrie and Zac wants us to adopt a nine-year-old because that is how old they are, Branden wants us to adopt a 10 or 11-year-old since he is 11, Jessica didn't really have a preference... or at least she didn't say one. Chuck and I have not sent in our application yet, they want to see your house so Chuck and I are cleaning our house and removing all the unnecessary items that we have piled up. I am excited that he is now starting to take having a family seriously. It is about time I wasn't the only one. After we ate and the talk had died down, we went home and Ken followed us and dropped off the three kids. That evening we all watched Bridge to Terabithia and then they took turns on the computer or on their PlayStation that Brenden brought. Then they watched Ice Road Truckers and went to bed.
Monday I had them all to myself. Since it was a rainy day they spent it inside and played on my computer or on the PlayStation. By noon we noticed that it started to get awful dark... it was so dark, I couldn't even see the hands of the clock that was located 3 feet in front of my face!... then it started raining really hard. Soon after that we heard the tornado sirens go off. Since I grew up in "Tornado Alley", I was not worried at all because I knew what signs to look for and besides I was watching the news and I knew it was nowhere near us. I did tell the kids that if we were in any danger, they would go down stairs under the stairs and block them in with big boxes because of the big sliding glass doors by the stairway and I would go into a closet. The storm didn't last long, about 15 minutes after it had passed my sister-in-law showed up to pick up the kids. She was in a hurry and got the kids and left. It kind of upset me that she didn't even call to tell me she was on her way. I wasn't expecting anyone until five o'clock, so I didn't have the kids ready to go yet. They were at least dressed and fed, but they hadn't a chance to pick up all the toys that they had gotten out. Once they left I went in to the computer room and had to weave back and forth to avoid running over the PlayStation. Next time I would appreciate a phone call to tell me which you would be there at least!

The second disownment

I almost forgot to mention that when Sharon was buying the house and even the rental home, she also put the houses in Chuck's name too. He had a job and income so he gave her permission to buy the properties but she would be responsible for the costs and any damages. She also let me know that she left both properties to both boys in her will (I found it great that she was thinking of Chuck and Ken and not just Rassel).

Whenever I would go visit her, I would actually get excited about the houses one day belonging to us. Then a few weeks later Chuck got into a big fight... a yelling match if you will. Sharon was already living in the brown house and they got into a disagreement about the way Sharon was acting in regards to Rassel. She always talked about him like he was the best man to ever walk on this earth. He was not used to having his mother talk about a guy like she did Rassel. After all, this was her third marriage. Not only that, but she was married to Chuck's dad for 30 some years and she wasn't one to refer to a guy in such a way that Chuck nor Ken could recall. She couldn't expect them to graciously accept this new guy, it would take while.

But Chuck did call Rassel a bad name, which he shouldn't have done since Rassel wasn't there to defend himself. That just made Sharon even angrier with Chuck, so she told him to leave and since I was with him that included me too. As he was helping me into the car, she came out and told Chuck to leave and never come back because he was not her son any more... at least she told him to his face this time.

I was angry with Chuck for saying what he did, so I would not talk to him until he at least apologized. He thought about it and he apologized the next day. She accepted his apology and she claimed him as a son again, but still didn't fully trust him again.

An edit

Here is an edit for a bad business venture

The opening for The Jeweled Peacock was in November not January! Sorry about that, don't know were my mind was when I wrote that!

Happy birthday America!

I know it isn't until tomorrow, but I want to wish you a good one anyway!

A bad business venture

So Sharon and Carol were setting up shop. And I was filling out her paperwork for the Visa. I would go visit her at the shop for a few hours once a week, and when I would go the inside decorating got uglier and uglier! It looked like a bunch of old people (a Ma and Pa store) started a secondhand dress shop. Nothing that attracted a young bride to buy from. They did a good job on the display window and the front of the shop looked good, but once you entered it took a downward spiral. At first they had it open as they were trying to move-in and organize their merchandise, nothing was out to sell but people could walk in at any time... they said this was so people would know that their shop was there. I kept trying to convince them to get a sign, it didn't necessarily have to be an expensive one just one to let people know going down the road that the shop is there. I do not know how many times my husband and I drove down the road and overlooked the house because for one, there was no sign and number two, the house is set so far back on the road that no one realizes it's there at first.

The shop was pretty small to begin with and in the main room where the cash register was supposed to be was a big long table with red crepe paper (reminded Chuck of the tables selling prom tickets/raffle tickets that you see), and across the way was a little round table with a matching wire chair with out the bottom and a wing chair that was found on the sides of the road and the arms were totally ripped up (like they were mauled by a cat) so they put on an ugly piece of fabric over the chair to hide the arms. They had some other stuff, like a sewing table (only without the sewing machine), and an armoire (full of cake top and other bridal accessories). The room was so small that with all the junk in there, no one could hardly move! One of the neatest decorations they had was a picture of a Peacock with shiny gems throughout the tail, it was made by Carol and since the store was named The Jeweled Peacock it fits.

I was asked to make some flyers for the shop so they could announce the grand opening. I was actually glad to be participating and not have Sharon be downing me by saying I was too lazy to help like she did my husband. They had their grand opening, but it wasn't so grand. No one came, but in a way I do not blame them. The basement (the shop) was not heated and it was in the middle of January and there was snow on the ground. A few days later, a pretentious bride bought a wedding dress from them. I wasn't there, so I can only go on what I was told, but I guess the dress was a halter top one and she had to try the dress on in the back room... the furnace room... in the cold. Sharon told me her arms were all full of goose bumps and were turning a light purple. I kept trying to explain that they need to invest in some sort of heater right away. But according to Sharon they did not have enough money right now, I told her well your ex-husband (the dad) has an old gas heater sitting in the garage which he is not using right now and I am sure he'd be more than willing to work out some sort of payment plan so you could have heat. She would just shake her head and claim he would be so mean and tell her no.

After they got their checks for the shop, Sharon would notice little odds and ends appearing around the shop. Carol would walk around with the checkbook on her just to make it look like she actually had money. Sharon did not know it she could trust her after she had put herself as president and Sharon as a manager without consulting Sharon about it. We found this out as I was filling out the last of the Visa papers and the I had to put a job description and such. So Sharon had asked me to keep an eye on the bank account (I basically turned into a bookkeeper for the business) and tell her how the money was doing. I said okay because I had already submitted the Visa papers.

I do not know the full reason why, but Carol got upset one morning and threw the checkbook at Sharon's feet and said she was done and stormed out. Sharon did not know the first thing about running a business and she was terrible with money, so was under a lot of stress and would cry whenever she talked to her mother (which was every day, several times) I was asked by her mother to help her out in the shop and I said okay (like I knew the first thing about running a business!).