I Miss You...

On October 25, 1923, Marion Laverne was born to German immigrant parents in a small town off the Texas coast. By the time I came along some 45 years later, she had three brothers and four sisters. I know my great grandmother gave birth to more children than that, but my family wasn't big on discussing the babies and children that died long before my mother was even thought of. There were several adopted children too. Apparently my great grandmother was happiest with a very full house.

The women of my family have very strong personalities. They have never needed heavy perfume to leave a part of themselves behind as they exit a room. They are vibrant, resonating women that have little trouble leaving their mark everywhere they go. My Grammy was no exception to this rule.

She was one of the strongest people I've ever known. In February 1973, she had a stroke due to an anuerism at the base of her brain. She would live another 21 years, 5 months, and 6 days despite having many more strokes along the way. On July 27, 1994, Marion Laverne joined her German immigrant parents in Heaven and my world tilted off its axis.

I miss her every single day. Without exception. I can't smell coffee or Tabu perfume without thinking of her. I can't hear a Conway Twitty or Loretta Lynn song without missing her. I can't go more than a month without dreaming of her calling me her angel baby and waking up crying.



I miss you, Grammy. I love you and I'll never ever forget you.



Every time I hear this song, I think of her and it almost always makes me cry.




I Miss You
By Miley Cyrus

Sha-la-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la
You used to call me your angel
Said I was sent straight down from heaven
And you'd hold me close in your arms
I thought of the way you felt so strong
I never wanted you to leave
I wanted you to stay here holdin' me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha-la-la-la-la
I miss you

You used to call me your dreamer
And now I'm livin' out my dream
Oh, how I wish you could see
Everything that's happenin' for me
I'm thinkin' back from the past
It's true the time is flyin' too fast

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
I miss you

I know you're in a better place yeah
But I wish that I could see your face, oh
I know you're where you need to be
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
I miss you

Extremely Past Due...

In August, I received a "Nice Matters" award from Kwizgiver and due to being insanely busy at work, I didn't pass it on. I'm am about to rectify that.

First of all, thank you so much, Kwizgiver. You truly are my Sunshine. :)


"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."


Next I need to pass on the honor. I choose:

1. Wendy Darling - I know that Kwizgiver gave her one at the same time, but I wanted her to know I felt the same.

2. Cleggy - My best friend for over 11 years. I can honestly say he is one of the nicest, kindest, and sweetest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

3. Margo - You never know when or where you'll find a new friend. About 6 years ago, we were both members of an online email group and began to sporadically talk outside of the group. Now I can't imagine a day without her.

4. Focus - She is the mother of Margo, but my friend too. And even though she's never met me face to face, she has been a kind and good friend.

5. Cormac Brown - Or as I call him with great affection, WP. A blogging friend that is very supportive despite the fact that until about a month ago we didn't even know each other's real names. He's a great writer and a super nice guy.

6. Wes - Another blogging friend who's blog I never get to read often enough. He's a great guy, a nice person, and he cares about people & the environment.

7. Feel-good Librarian - This is not a person I actually know, but I do read her blog on a semi-regular basis. She never ceases to amaze me with her insight and the size of her heart. And basically, I just love librarians. :)

More About Me...

I was intrigued by Kwizgiver's Personal DNA listing on her blog sidebar. So I took the test too. So this is me. What do ya'll think?

Considerate Experiencer

I also added it to my own sidebar. If nothing else, I like the colours. :P

Is This Really Me?

Well I finally took the personality test and here are the results. Do you guys think it sounds like me?




Of course I didn't have to take a test to know I'm an introvert. :P

Breast Cancer Awareness & Digital Camera Giveaway!!!

Wendy Darling hipped me to a special-edition pink Casio digital camera giveaway over at 5 minutes for Mom.

Here are the details:

"Slim, sleek and ultra-chic. She’s dressed in pink and takes fabulous photos. Her mission is promoting awareness and education about breast cancer.

Who is she?

She's the Casio Pink EX-Z75 digital camera specially bundled with a camera case with pink stitching and a pink ribbon-clad lanyard to show support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF).

Yes, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Casio is putting on the pink. They’ve taken their pink EX-Z75, a 7.2 megapixel digital camera which is part of Casio’s highly-regarded zoom line of EXILIM cameras, and are offering it with this special camera case and pink-ribbon lanyard for the month of October.

The special-edition pink EX-Z75 will be available beginning October 2007 and can be purchased at Sears, La Curacao, Fred Meyer, BJ’s, Nexcom, AAFES, Staples, and Future Shop. The bundle package will have an MSRP of $179.99, and will proudly sponsor the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, please visit www.casiousa.com."

It’s a great cause and a fabulous camera so head on over to 5 minutes for Mom and sign Mr. Linky to be entered into the drawing. They will draw the winner on Friday, October 26th.

And remember to visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Site for more information about how you can help promote awareness.

There's More Than One Way To Get Whiplash...

A couple weeks ago while I was on my way to pick up Cleggy for some much needed time off and travel CD's (Thanks again dude!), I pulled up next to this truck at a stop light. And I nearly hurt myself laughing. I did manage to snap this picture with my cell phone though. Enjoy! :P



Oh and my advice is to not call their competition because they obviously suck. :P