Everyone has a moment, a defining time that changes them forever...

Everyone has a moment, a defining time in their lives that changes them forever...  The question I hear all the time, what in the world possessed you into getting your tattoo's?   Here's the thing, for the longest time I was so afraid of life, afraid of things that may or may not hurt me, for instance getting a tattoo, skydiving, para-sailing.  Then I realized four years ago, on an awful, awful day that life is passing us all by! Whether we go out on a limb and do crazy things, or sit and pray all day long for our safety, we are all going to die.  It's already figured out, already written, decided!  So instead of watching, and wondering what it would be like to get a tattoo, or jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I decided to just do them!  If it's my time to go.....it's going to happen, regardless of whether or not I'm sitting around watching time tick away, or I'm living life to the fullest.  

My first tattoo... I've had my first tattoo for 2 years now...Four years ago we lost a beautiful angel by the name of Megan Gore.  She is the daughter of my really good friends Jennifer and Andy.  She was just a teenager when she passed, enrolled in U.C.'s DAPP program.  Meg was a giver, she loved life, she loved people!  I've talked about her before....and we all questioned why she was taken.  Well, I felt really drawn to follow her example of volunteering, helping, and just loving others.  I wanted to always remember Meg and the person she was - the angel she is.  Meg loved Sunflowers!  A number of her friends were getting tattoo's, some sunflowers, some a heart with her name, some angel wings!  I wanted something different, unique.....like Meg.  So I had my neighbor (who is an awesome artist) draw out a tattoo to represent Megan!  So of course we put the sunflower on it.  Meg would also say the quote "Sterger On"...well if you didn't know her, you would wonder what in the world it means..  But those of us who knew Meg knew that "Sterger On" meant "No Regrets" backwards.  With me deciding to start living my life more like Meg, volunteering, etc,  I would have to start living by that rule....no regrets.... Sterger On....keep on going!  So I had "Sterger On" incorporated into the tattoo.  It is on my lower back...yeah yeah yeah, I know tramp stamp...well, the lower back is also thought of to be the storage place of a person's spiritual energy, and to get a tattoo there was thought to help in releasing and harnessing a person's energy!  If I was going to live more like Meg...I would need this energy.... People love this tattoo!  I've shown this tattoo to so many people that I've become rather proud of it...instead of embarrassed about showing my back...yikes...My tattoo was drawn and inked  two different times, the sunflower by Jherek - and the "Sterger On" by Nick the Tailor - at Beelistics Tattoo's..(in case you are wondering). 

So on to tattoo number two.... the Fleur-de-lis...or Lily Flower has three petals that represent the Holy Trinity and a band at the bottom to represent Mary.. It sits on my upper back, between my shoulder blades, which symbolizes strength, it also symbolizes something that is behind us, but never forgotten.   Five years ago New Orleans was basically destroyed by hurricane Katrina, it is still not completely rebuilt.  I have been twice helping rebuild New Orleans with Give Back Beyond Cincinnati, and the Habitat for Humanity.  The Fleur-de-lis is the official symbol of the state of Louisiana, it is a symbol of support for New Orleans' recovery, and has been tattooed as a memorial of hurricane Katrina on many New Orleanians.. This year on the bus on our way to New Orleans I was speaking with some "NOLA" friends (people who have made the trip before) and learned that some of them had gotten the Fleur-de-lis tattoo together as reminder of New Orleans the people and the work that had been done.  A friend of mine named Jesse showed interest in getting one... (we were supposed to go in three's...but everyone chickened out) anyway, Jesse and I decided to get them, to remember NOLA and it's place in our hearts, when we arrived in New Orleans to work, we kept talking about it, but was sort of unsure....after working a week in a tropical storm, we decided to get the tattoo.  We found a place and walked from Bourbon street to get our ink.  It was a blast, we had the same Fleur-de-lis tattooed  on our backs, (except Jesse's is bigger than mine)..Now we are members of the NOLA tat Club...  We had them tattooed at Aart Tattoo by Brad.  

Last but not least...Tattoo number Three... Is a dragonfly on my right foot.   Why a dragonfly?  Well, I have the dragonfly for several reasons...the first one being in memory of my Grandmother...Pauline, she is part Native American..the dragonfly was a totem animal spirit guide, it represented change and wisdom, the need to tell of dreams and wishes for yourself.  It could supposedly guide you and help you make your wishes a reality.  Since the dragonfly has such a short lifespan, it also is looked upon as a reminder for us to live life to the fullest.  I am trying to do just that...live my life to the fullest, since we are never guaranteed another day.  Sean from Beelistics Tattoo's gave me this one.

So far this is all the artwork I have on my body...who knows what tomorrow will bring...they are sort of addicting...

"I must learn to love the fool in me the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries"

I'm not a ghostbuster...but one of the backpacks would be cool

So what is a ghost, according to traditional belief, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that is able to appear in visible form.   According to Sylvia Browne - a ghost is  "someone who hasn't made it - in other words, who died, and they don't know they're dead, so they keep walking around and thinking that you are inhabiting their - let's say, their domain.  So they are aggravated with you".   So the question is.....for me, do I believe in ghosts?  That is a hard one for me to answer, mainly because I am a Christian, so technically, ghosts should not exist right?  right!, however, I have had a few things happen to me that make me wonder.  Actually I don't wonder, I am 100% positive it was something unexplainable, but what it was, and if it would have actually hurt me are questions that I'm not able to answer. 
So what exactly has happened....well, here's the deal, the house I grew up in, is definitely haunted...from a very very young age I remember things happening that we couldn't explain.  For instance, in the fall, nearly every year, something goes off in the attic that laughs, sounds like a weird doll or something, but we hear it ONCE and only ONCE a year, since I was little, we have cleaned out the attic, never found anything that could make a noise like that.  I've also heard the story of my brother sitting on the stairs talking to our great grandfather who was deceased, my brother said, "I'm talking to Pop Hines", and he was too little to know him.  My cousin, (whose name I will not mention) was basically attacked as a child by something at night. 
 My parents house used to be a two family, one door in the front (where we lived) and a side door leading upstairs that was rented to other people. Apparently, a lady whom lived upstairs (before we moved in), fell down the steps in the winter, and froze on the landing at the side of the house, now, is this just a story?  Not sure, but everyone seems to know about it...I have tried and tried to find proof of this, but haven't been able to yet, the reason I bring this up is to give an insight on my next "unexplained" happening.  My parents used to throw the most awesome Halloween parties, complete with a haunted house, scary food, music, and kids leaving screaming their heads off.  During one of our parties, we decided to tell ghost stories, so my mom told the story of the lady and the stairs, my dad, was supposed to drop something down the stairs on cue, to scare the shit out of us at a certain part of the story.   Well, something fell down the stairs all right, but my dad hadn't done it, the minute we screamed, my dad comes in from the back door, and says "oh, is it time for the story?, to which my mom replies "we already did it!, my dad then says, "oh sorry babe, I wasn't keeping track of time"...well later I heard them talking and mom asking him what had fallen down the steps then, if he wasn't the one doing it.  
The next few happenings are just weird, I used to go to a friends, whose mom we liked to call "mama Siegel" cause she was so awesome.  Well every Friday night we went for a teen party, we played all the fun games, spin the bottle, 7 minutes in heaven, followed by a seance and light as a feather.  Our seances were top notch.  During one of them we decided to bring back mama Siegel's grandfather.  I was sitting next to her on the couch, and we called for him, well, it was different than normal because the candle actually went out, in which all of us girls screamed, and grabbed onto the closest boy next to us (hee hee hee), well, I kept feeling my hair being touched, I assumed it was Janet (mama Siegel), so I didn't say anything.  A few minutes later, I realized that Janet's hands were covering her face, and she was crying....well, I asked her what was wrong, she said, she thought she saw someone come in the door behind us that resembled her grandfather.  I was fine until she said, but I don't think it was him, because I asked him to play with one of my girls hair.  At that point I was seriously scared, but didn't tell anyone. 
Another seance at my grandparents house, is still kind of funny to me, the girls, my mom, my two aunts, my grandmother, and I were in the kitchen doing a seance to bring back Elvis of course , well my grandfather, and the guys were in the living room playing the guitar and singing (my grandfather was a member of the crowns men quartet) anyway, we called to Elvis, asked for a sign, and my grandfather starts singing...."love me tender"...For real..., we quit after that. 
Now on to the strange things, a lady lived in our house when I was little by the name of Mrs. Harris, she seemed really mean, but I think she was just aggravated by my brother and I making noise, she was very old, my brother and I had our bedrooms in the upstairs, she rented a small apartment next to our hallway.  One day, she called me in her room to tell me how much she enjoyed watching me play, I decided she was a very nice lady, and I loved her.  Well, she became very sick, and was put in a home.  One night, while sleeping, I woke up due to a huge bright light coming in my window.  I couldn't figure it out, wasn't scared of it, but went downstairs to my mom to tell her I couldn't sleep, when I got to the bottom of the stairs I realized my mom was on the phone, and she was visibly upset.  She hung up with whomever she was talking to and told me that Mrs. Harris had just passed away while she was on the phone with her brother....to this day, I think it was her telling me goodbye.   When my grandfather passed away, things kept happening at his house, weird things, just a feeling that he was there still, so I asked him to show me a sign that he was around, when I asked that, I opened a Bible of his, opened it to a random page, and found a note written by my grandfather.  At that point his watch went off, this watch was hidden in the deepest part of his drawer, and had been missing for quite some time.  Now that could be coincidence, but, maybe it wasn't.
Now for the scariest one...I went to Kentucky with some friends of mine, Sandy and Rick Pendleton, and Patsy and Denny Troxell and Carolyn Beatty.  Well, we were staying at an old house belonging to Rick's family called the Pappy house.  The Pappy house was so old, it didn't have a bathroom, only an outhouse, and a well in the front yard.  We had always heard rumors that the Pappy house was haunted, but didn't care, we were teenagers, what was going to hurt us right?  Well, our first night there the boys (including some of Rick's adorable cousins, Jimmy and Tracy) were upstairs talking about us girls, we could hear them because we were in the back room listening through the ducts.  We were trying not to giggle to loudly.  We were in a little huddle cracking up, when a hanger hits me in the back.  A hanger?  yes a hanger, right out of the closet, well, we couldn't hold in our laughter anymore, and was hysterically laughing when the boys came downstairs because they heard us.  We told them, in which their response was "oh it's just the ghost"...whatever!..  The next morning the boys went to town to get a part for Rick's car, the girls were just going to hang out at the house.  We were in the living room , in the front of the house, watching television when we heard the kitchen door open, which was in the back of the house.  So of course we ask "did you find the parts you needed for the car?", no answer.  I walk in the kitchen, and the door is open, I didn't think much of it, closed the door and went back to watch television.  A few minutes later, it opens again, Sandy goes in and closes the door, comes back and says, "you must not have closed it all the way, the wind opened it I guess".  No big deal, until, it opened again.  I decided to lock the door, went back to the living room and said, "here's the thing, It's locked, if it opens again, it's either someone playing a trick on us, or something else".   Of course, you know, it opened again.  So we decide to sit on the front porch.  We are chatting, and someone says something about the stupid ghost bothering us, as soon as that came out, the door behind us, opened with such force it hit the wall, and knocked a picture off, and the screen door pulled open to hit the front of the house.  We took off running down the gravel road, only to meet the boys in the car halfway down.  The didn't believe us, why would they, we were stupid.  Well, I didn't sleep at all the last night there, as a matter of fact, I stayed up with a knife next to me, and haven't been back. 
These stories, and others I've heard still give me goose bumps, but, I'm not sure I can honestly say I'm afraid.  I'm more curious than anything.  My curiosity actually has me to the point where I am planning a stay in two of the most haunted places on earth.  The Chillingham Castle in England, and of course the Waverly Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky.  The castle speaks for itself, that would just be cool to stay in haunted or not.  The Waverly Hills Sanitarium, well that is a different story - this is an old abandoned hospital where they kept tuberculosis patients in the early 1900's.  I have read so much about Waverly Hills that I could probably host some sort of show on it.  I know that more than 6000 people died in the hospital, and doctors were said to do experimental surgeries, and used illegal drugs on the patients.  There was a floor for children, and is supposedly haunted still by a little guy named Tommy.  A wing was made for patients who had no hope of surviving, which is horrible, because they would have known they were dying when they were moved there.  There was also a body chute, which was used of course transport bodies to the outside, so patients couldn't see how many there were, and to cut down on spread of the disease, they say that the bodies were just thrown down and gravity took them to the bottom.  Why am I so obsessed with Waverly, well, my great great grandmother Julia Hatter passed away at Waverly, from tuberculosis, and insanity (which is caused by tuberculosis, since it ravages the mind).  I am still trying to find out where she was in the hospital, the room number and such, because I would love to see where exactly she was placed. 
So the question remains...do I believe in ghosts?  I don't know really, I mean, things happen that are unexplained, weird things, and scary things, but are they ghosts, or spirits?  John Edwards is a Christian who is also a psychic, he says that people can be in an area where they are able to communicate, and to check on us. 
Of course I watch Ghost Hunters (it's my favorite show), and other shows like that, but do I believe those?, not really!  I think they do a good job debunking things, and they do a good job trying to make it seem like things are not a set up, but are all the things they find real?  I doubt it, I would love to go on the show, and be with them one night to see.  So even if someone could provide plausible explanations for poltergeists, or ghosts that show up in a million different places and times, there is always the possibility that one that pops up will be the real thing.
So, for people who believe in poltergeists, ghosts and haunted places, take refuge in the fact that nobody ever has enough information to debunk EVERY ghost story, however, knowing God as I do, I feel secure in knowing where I am going after death.  I guess this is something I will just never be able to answer, and why it's called the unknown I suppose.  Don't get me wrong, I don't dwell on this stuff, I don't find ways or ask for ghosts to come to me - heck no, I'm not stupid, and I am definitly staying away from any satanic, witchy, voodoo things - I'm not into evil, I guess I'm like the rest of the world...questioning...
So, when I'm asked..."are you afraid of the dark?"  I can usually answer, "no, not really, I'm just afraid of what MIGHT be in the dark!."

Your momma must of screwed a porcupine to get a prick like you....

Be forewarned that this blog is going to get ugly, really really fast.  This is my response to the article "Touch 'Em All: This Philadelphian has some issues with Cincinnati"...By Frank Fitzpatrick Inquirer Staff Writer for Philly.com.
So Frank has some issues with Cincinnati, my hometown, the place I love?   That's fine everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I'm down with that.  While we are at it....voicing our opinions...let me start by saying Mr. Fitzpatrick.....that "He who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones at others!" Now on to my opinion of Philadelphia.....The city of brotherly love.....or maybe perhaps it should be called The city of brotherly loathe!  Brotherly loathe, why would I call it that, well maybe because "Philly" is one of the most miserable cities, It's one of the top 10 most bitter and angry cities to live in due to their sports teams alone, It's number #15 on the most dangerous cities list, 10th most polluted, one of the 10th worst cities for staged accidents, and last but not least it is one of the top 10 ugliest cities in the United States.  So brotherly love...I think you are sorely mistaken sir.
Some facts from a Philadelphia newspaper, mass littering, bad attitudes, drugs, gangs, highest murder rates in the USA, worst criminal behavior all words that describe your city.  Don't get me wrong, am I trying to put down Philadelphia...NO, I'm trying to show YOU that your definition of Cincinnati, and it being soooo much worse than Philadelphia is a load of horseshit.  I know that Cincinnati has it's faults, believe me I've lived here my whole life, but that doesn't mean it's all bad, same as Philadelphia, you live there, obviously you think it's fantastic.  Cincinnati is a class act, fountain square the day of our last Red's playoff game against your Philly team.  I sat in the mist of Bengals, Reds and of course Philly fans, no one was killed, no one fought, no arguments, nothing, why, because we have class!  Your city is known more for it's senseless fan behavior than it is for your sports accomplishments....you need some examples, okay, what's up with your fan running on the field, and getting tased, was that amazing to you? Booing Sarah Palin at the hockey game, that's just immature. Throwing snowballs, throwing batteries, Booing Donavan McNabb for being drafted to your team instead of Williams, way to make him feel like part of the team, I'm sure he was thrilled!  You had to install a court, judge and jail inside of Veterans Stadium for unruly fan's, and you think that's okay.  Cheering as injured players are taken out on stretchers, and here's a good one "fan killed outside stadium for spilling beer", If i were to be punished for all the times I spilled my beer, I guess I'd be black and blue!  And the topper, throwing things, cussing at and intentionally vomiting on kids at the games....wow, I have no words to express my feelings on that.  Philadelphia fans complain about how misunderstood they are, really, show us some class and we will show you some respect, until then you need to take a long hard look in the mirror, and see what is staring you in the face before slamming another cities fan's.
I'm also very upset with your comment about our stadium, our river, our food... Really our food? You are bashing our chili, and goetta....when your city is one of the fattest cities in the united states.  I give you this, you have awesome cheesecake, and Philly cheese steak is pretty good too, but how about your fish head sandwiches, and crispy pork intestines?  I'm just sayin' don't knock it unless you've tried it.  You talk about our homeless, I don't know where you've been Frank but Philly has just as many if not more homeless people as we do, there are just as many shantytowns, and shelters.  The homeless people are everywhere, it's our job to help them, do we want them lighting fires on the river, no we don't, no more than you want yours blocking the sidewalks in North Philly. I'm positive there are awesome people in Philadelphia, I'm sure I know lots of people from there as well, and that's fine, because really my issue is not with Philly it's not with anyone, other than your sorry prick ass.
The thing I see and feel about Philadelphia is this, you have one of the worst violent youth problems ever.  They have been known to beat and kill people for amusement.  Your city also has 25 of the most dangerous schools in the United States.  Why do you think this is happening?  Do you think it may be because of the way your adults act towards people?  You are no better than anyone else, you are fans of your teams, guess what ... so the fuck are we, we just don't kill people who aren't, we don't bloody them, and beat the shit out of them....we buy them a beer and a goetta sandwich, play some cornhole (which I will add is an awesome game), maybe even a round or two of flip cup, and then go watch the game.
So go ahead an talk your bullshit about the city I love...good ole' Cincinnati, home of the first ball team, the first municipal university (GO BEARCATS), and home of the boy scouts! Because we all know the real truth, the one great, most awesome thing about Cincinnati is.....we are NOT Philadelphia.  So save your breath for your inflatable doll.....and from Cincinnati....U sir can suck it..!

So....at least the house is still standing...

Interesting story...since it is Autumn now (my favorite time of the year).  So two years ago I was given a huge job.  A huge job that I wasn't capable of doing of course, and I would've thought my family would have known this about me, but apparently...they did not.  
I lost my last living grandmother not to long ago, she was the world to me.  She lived down in Casey County, Kentucky, on a farm that she purchased when my grandfather was away at war.  They used to live in this sweet little white house on their farm.  I loved the house, except of course the upstairs, where I swear was haunted by a little kid, and had these cubby hole things (storage places) but they were covered with like curtains...scared the shit out of me when I slept up there, but what was really cool was the vent in the floor, you could see everyone in the downstairs room, and hear what they were saying.  It was pretty awesome.  They had a wood burning stove, that my grandfather threatened to stick my nose to when I was sick, (like he ever would), he did however give me homemade cough syrup, which was horrible and delicious at the same time, it was made of sugar cane or something, and probably whiskey who knows.   So this perfect little house caught on fire when I was small, on Christmas Eve.  I remember very well getting the call saying that the house was on fire, it was within the walls, and we needed to leave to go down.  Now the drive was four hours, so it took a while to go down.  We left all of our presents, not even worrying about Santa, and headed down to Kentucky.  When we got to the house it was completely gone, a few things saved, but the rest was ash.  I can remember walking on the ashes which were still warm, and looking for things that we could salvage, like coins (my grandfather had a coin belonging to Jesse James), pictures, anything.  I was wearing those awesome Earth shoes, when we finished the whole bottom of them were melted off, lol.  Worst Christmas I can ever remember!  So since this house burned they have lived in a trailer where the house sat, the trailer has been built around and is huge, looks like a house, and has an enormous front porch, that I love with swings, and vines all over it, ahhh, Heaven.  So on to the story...
It was Thanksgiving, we always go to "the farm" on Thanksgiving.  My mom, and aunt had to work so they were coming a day late, I was in charge of taking the enormous million pound turkey down to the farm....Okay, no big deal right....right!...I got the turkey down there, and of course had to help grandma get it ready since she was a very fragile lady at this point.  I did all that, turkey, was ready to go, green beans in the crock-pot, everything ready.  We put the turkey in the oven to cook over night, since it was going to feed about 50 people, it was huge!...  I told grandma that if I didn't hear the oven timer go off, for her to wake me up, and under no circumstance was she to get the turkey out of the oven by herself.  Well, she is as hard headed as I am, and thinks she can do everything (like I do), so the timer went off around 7 a.m. and she decided to take the turkey out of the oven, by herself....that did not go well....at all... she comes in my bedroom, wakes me up and simply says, I think I may have a little problem.  A little problem?  okay, so I get up go in the kitchen and the turkey is half way out of the oven half way in, No big deal right...NOT, she has tried to get it out and put a hole in the roasting bag, so juice, and grease or butter, or whatever was spilling out of the bag, over the aluminum pan (which really this huge poundage of turkey should never be placed in in the first place, because it is now smashed in on the sides) and spilling into the oven.  AWESOME....so I pick this stupid turkey up and damn near kill myself trying to get it on the top of the stove without damaging the aluminum pan anymore, or spilling shit all over the floor.  I manage to get this done, and grandma starts giggling at me, I look down and there is a small fire in the back of the oven where she had spilled the juice out.  Very Nice!, I'm like, Oh My God...what the shit... we gotta put this out.  Grandma says, well it's an electric oven you cannot put water on it, you have to put flour!, Flour? like baking flour?  So, grandma closes the door, says the flour is in the cabinet in the back room, so I run like a fool, to get it. By the time I run and get the flour and open the oven door....it is completely engulfed in flames!  Grandma says, throw the flour on, so I do, well the flour mixes with the juice and makes some sorta gravy fire mixture that goes up in flames like gasoline, flour powder comes blowing out of the oven, in my face, I can't see, probably look like a ghost, and the flour gravy is burning like crazy.... HOLY SHIT, I shut the door, and run like an idiot to my cousins house (next door), wake him up in which he is like...."what the fuck do you have on your face, and why are you waking me up"..."um, grandma's stove is on fire, and the damn house is going to burn the hell down....again"....we run up to the house, he is in his boxers, very nice!...there is black smoke coming out of the windows...and the house is filled, flames are shooting up through the burners, surrounding the turkey which is on top of the stove.....yes now it is pretty hilarious right?  We finally get the fire out, open all the windows, freeze the shit out of the house, and learn that of course the oven is completely useless, burnt the hell up, and the food is not ready, so we get this bright idea to go back to my cousins house, and move his oven to grandma's which is a most awesome plan by the way.  Stuart and I dragged an oven up the hill, and actually finish cooking the food, and actually get it finished in time...Everyone arrived, about 50 people crammed into this little trailer house, the turkey was incredible, nice smoked flavor, everyone was asking how we cooked it...grandma and I, would bust out laughing, and say it's a secret!...a few wanted to know if we burned the rolls or something, in which we were almost crying from laughing so hard, to tell them yes, exactly we burnt a few rolls.   To this day, it is the funniest Thanksgiving EVER!!! 

 

Have the courage to live...anyone can die.........

Three times....

So, I've almost died three....yes three times....lol, I know it's not really really funny, but it is when I tell it, because, well....I didn't die.
The first time, I don't even remember I was a small small baby I had rheumatic fever... rheumatic fever is a severe infectious disease that mostly kids get, they develop a very very high fever, and inflamed joints and muscles, usually it causes permanent damage to the valves of the heart. Which is exactly what I have now, the rheumatic fever caused an inflammation in my heart muscle and caused me to have a heart murmur which is basically a hole in my heart...awesome right?  NOPE, not at all, this means crap like, anytime I go to the dentist I have to take five 1000 mg of antibiotics an hour before.....gross...makes me sooo sick.  Plus it makes my heartbeat do this weird flip flop shit, which is actually it hesitating to beat....very nice....anyway that's number one near death, since I've been told, I almost gave in....

The second time, was when I gave birth to my little boy Nicholas.  I went to the doctor and had a very high blood pressure reading, and my heart beat was kind of erratic.  So, my blood pressure wouldn't come down no matter what I did, so they admitted me into the hospital.  They started checking me for Pre-Eclampsia, which is basically something in the Placenta says....nope, we hate your body now, and releases all this shit in your blood, it makes your blood pressure spike and whatever.  Well,  apparently I had HAD Pre-Eclampsia and it had went into full blown Eclampsia within a matter of an hour.  Eclampsia is basically a series of brain seizures and blood poisoning.  The only way to cure these two things is to deliver the baby.  Sounds awesome right....well, It is not.  All I remember is losing eyesight, headache, my heart pounding, and going into labor.  My doctor had not arrived so the doctor at the hospital was dealing with me, which I hated.  So, apparently I went downhill, my blood pressure dropped dramatically, my heart beat slowed, and I went fuzzy.  And Nick was in distress, so I had to deliver, problem was when my BP dropped they needed to bring it up, so they dropped my head to the floor, my feet in the air (? don't know why) and was told I needed to deliver stat, but could not have a C-section because I had massive blood poisoning, so my blood would not clot, meaning I could not have any sort of blood drawn, or any kind of surgery what-so-ever or I would bleed to death.  Well, I basically delivered, without any drugs at all (I couldn't have anything) with my head towards the floor, by my doctor who walked in at after the head had been delivered, why was he late, his wife had left her purse in his car, and he had to take it back home....WTF.  I'm just glad Nicholas was okay.

Third time....Para-sailing in Myrtle Beach.  My sister in law Kim and I decided to para-sail, knock something off my bucket list.  Well so this taxi boat takes you from the beach to the main boat that sits about a mile out in the ocean, there are about 10 people on this boat.  We make it to the main boat, and it is really choppy, the first two sets of people have already had their turn, and Kim and I were up next, and the last ones to actually Para-sail.  A call comes in to the captain that they are going to have to cancel the rest of the day, because a storm is coming in and the water is unsafe, which I can totally understand, because the boat was being knocked around everywhere...the waves were huge.  People (not me or Kim of course) but the others were vomiting off the side.  The captain says, well we have you two out here already we will just go ahead and let you take your turn, so we get up in the air, and look down at the boat, the waves are hitting it like crazy, and almost everyone is puking off the side...very nice.  After our ride, we have to land standing up on the back of this boat that is being pummeled by waves, we do pretty good actually, but here is where things get sticky.
We all board the taxi boat to go back in....shortly after we leave the main boat, we get smacked by a huge wave, and the boat flips.  Kim actually stays in the boat, her leg is stuck in a rope, so the boat gets flipped back up and she's in it, which is hilarious now.  Anyway, I'm in the water, about 3/4 a mile out from the beach, and I am getting pummeled by waves, I can't even stay above the water, even with the life jacket.  I come up, and glance behind me looking for a break from the waves, and I see the boat, about a three feet directly in back of me...."oh shit, I'm going to get hit by the boat!"...I go under (? not sure why), come back up, and of course it's still there.  Out of the blue, I get this idea that I should be swimming sideways, away from the boat and the current (that's easier said than done), but I do it...I keep going under and swimming sideways...finally the boat is in front of me, with Kim in it of course lol.  The para-sail company comes over to us, and say "Oh my God, are you okay?, we have these T-shirts for you"..T-shirts...wtf...I want my money back, but NOOOO!. The best part is that no-one except Kim's husband Brandon saw it, everyone else was in the bar!!!!....So we walk in the bar, and everyone was like...."geez you guys are wet, what they do, dip you in the ocean?"  UM, yeah, they dipped us in the ocean alright.
Hopefully I will not have a number four, or higher.....because I mean how many lives could I possibly have, I'm not a cat!!!! meow.......

I'm in LOVE with a.............................

It's me again.... just a little blog (yeah right) about a very important book I own, what's in it, and most importantly why I have to keep it safe.  Wow?  sounds intriguing right? sure it does!, so wow is right (actually you will probably find this to be more funny than..wow, but anyway). 

Let me start by saying that beautiful people are everywhere.  Yes people are beautiful on the inside, but that's not what I'm talking about here, yes they volunteer (which I'm all for, but not talking about), yes they help children (sweet, but not talking about that either), all around genuine caring person (that's awesome, but nope, not that).  I'm plain and simply  talking looks, adorable faces, sexy bodies, beautiful eyes, ...got it, beautiful people are everywhere. Of course not everyone has the same taste, we all know this. I mean remember in high school and your best friend's boyfriend was just God awful ugly? Yeah!, but to your friend, they were the cat's meow!  Now let's talk about the reason people get crushes...well of course could be the adorable extremely gorgeous faces, great hair, beautiful eyes, sweet dimples,  or maybe it's the hysterically funny person that makes you giggle like a school girl, or simply the way someone carries themselves, or presents themselves to others.  Everyone has a crush, a person that makes them say.....ahhhhh - very nice.  This is where the book comes into play...Called the celebrilist...which is defined in the urban dictionary (love it) as a list created by the individuals in order to notate which celebrities they are allowed to have sex with, if given the opportunity, and will not have committed any kind of wrong-doing in any relationship.  So basically, it's a book listing celebrities (well, truth be told they are not ALL celebrities) people have chosen as their "celebu-crushes", and possibly even stalkerazzi level crushes.  

Here's the deal, it started about two years ago on a girl trip, at a restaurant I believe PF Chang's, anyway waiting for our food, we got into a discussion about gorgeous actors.  I had a small pad of paper in my book, and jotted them down, even went as far as to write down our waiter's choices...(we each got five).   It was hilarious, and every single time we were together again, we brought it up.  One day out of the blue I had a text.."Paula, I need to change my list, I've decided I really think Channing Tatum is hot".....OOooKaayy... this text was the official beginning of the "celebrilist".  Now I have a small book that I keep with me, it lists names and celebu-crushes for most of my friends, and a few others.  It is updated a lot, mostly by text, and some lists have grown from five, to fifteen. 

Why do we do this....well mainly because it's funny,  It's funny looking at other peoples lists, judging their celebs, and of course updating it is also fun! 

 

So here's the deal, the Celebrilist..... is real, it's secret (well, sorta.. ummm not really,  nope...not at all), but it is an actual book, and I own it.  Want to add to it, sure, just jot me a note.  We are serious when we say, what's written in ink is branded for life (I guess that's a tattoo), well what's written in blood (that won't work either, cause it's not blood, I'm not crazy).  What is written in this book....well it's neither a contract or the law, it's not going to be binding in court or anything sweet like that.  However, it does add a little bit of fantasy, bliss, and wishful thinking to our somewhat mundane lives...lol

I can hardly wait for the leaves to turn brown to match my grass!!

Well I'm assuming it's too late to start my spring cleaning now, and my tan will have to wait until next year.....BUT, I have to admit that Autumn is my most favorite season of all.... I bet you really don't wanna know why, but if you are reading this rambling you are gonna find out....

Football.....I LOVE football!  The best Friday nights are when I meet my friends for a little tail-gate action before our local high school football game starts.  The Colerain Cardinals are top-notch!  We are known as the hill people, obviously because we sit on the hill and not in the stands. There is a very good reason for sitting on the hill.  Well, of course all our friends are there.  We lay blanket's out on the ground, and chill out, so it's much more comfortable than the stands.  We get to spread out, not sitting shoulder to shoulder with people, and you can see everything, the entire field for one, the concessions (gotta know when to get in line), the band, the cheerleaders.  We can hear everything going on in the Cardinal Village behind us, and see everything in front of us including the silly high school kid getting hauled out for sneaking alcohol in the stadium (will they ever learn?).  We have Twizzlers, not necessarily to eat, but we actually hurl them into the crowd when we score, we dance, laugh, we are super loud and obnoxious, and move around visiting with everyone on the hill (well as long as you don't jinx the team)! Of course I also love the University of Cincinnati Bearcats....gotta love our CATS... one reason, well shouldn't be a surprise, Coach Kerry Coombs is there, he was the football coach at Colerain not too long ago.  Coach Coombs is awesome, his family is awesome, I love his wife! They are great people, so of course I want his team to succeed. I've always been a big fan of UC though, even before Coach Coombs started.  They have had their ups and downs but...hey, doesn't everyone.  WHO-DEY - ADORE those Bengals..."Hear that Bengal growling, mean and angry, see that Bengal prowling, lean and hungry, an offensive brute, run, pass or boot, and defensively, he's rough err tough errr.. Cincinnati Bengals that's the team were gonna cheer to victory... Touchdown Bengals!! Put some points up on the board and win a game for Cincinnati..."  Sorry had to add that, anyway, the Bengals with Batman and Robin this year (T.O and Ochocinco) they are hysterical, and bound to be entertaining.  Last but not least...the New Orleans Saints....I love the Saints, since I have been to New Orleans, read about the volunteer efforts of the Saints after Katrina, I have gained a great deal of respect for them.  They are an awesome team, sooo glad they won the Super Bowl...WHO-DAT.  
Another reason to love autumn....LEAVES...! When the leaves change color, it's like an artists canvas, it's beautiful.  Driving through Mt. Airy forest near my house is very calming during this time, you can see the creek, the little waterfalls, see the deer, drive to Putz's and realize, they are closed..UGH..just kidding.  I love when the leaves fall, they cover up the dead grass, and the kids at preschool love to rake them and jump in them.  I remember the smell of them when I was a kid jumping in the huge piles we had built at my grandma's house, and then filling my dad's clothes to make a scarecrow (why is it called a scarecrow when it's not actually a crow, should be called a mantoscarecrows...right?) We were really being tricked, tricked into raking, and then tricked into picking them up.  The only bad part about that was when you jumped in a pile of leaves was when you would hit a stick, geez that would hurt...
Carmel Apples - the ultimate deliciousness.....wow, melt in your mouth wonderful, scrumptious, heaven to your tongue... I've already had four this year, and it's not officially fall !  Candy Corn - I love candy corn, especially the kind with the brown ends...yummy.  Hot chocolate - that is the ultimate warmer upper at the football games. Bon-Fires - Nothing more fun than roasting marshmallows with friends around a fire, the smell of the wood burning alone is amazing.  Spice - I love the smell of spice, cakes, cookies, candles, whatever it is, it makes me happy.  Apple Cider and pumpkin bread - aaahhhh, delicious!  Pumpkin farms - going to the pumpkin farm with the preschool is one of my favorite things to do, they are so excited. I am so excited...I usually pick out my pumpkin and then steer all the kids away from it, so it can be MINE... I hate to carve them though, they stink, like vomit.  The last two years I've carved my pumpkins to look like they are puking, the neighbors love them!  Haunted Houses - just so you all know, I am willing to go to any haunted house in the world....I love them, I love being scared, wanting to run through it, but wanting to see everything, people pushing and shoving.. screaming and then laughing about it.  It's awesome, It's one of my favorite things to do, I just need to have friends who are less scared of them, they are not real!  Halloween, I think this is my favorite holiday, i love dressing up, going to parties, seeing all the costumes.  So much fun seeing what everyone came up with to wear! 
So to sum it all up.....yes, fall or Autumn whichever you want to call it is an essential part of my happiness!  Yea for fall.....it's here!!!!!   Wanna go to a haunted house??