Scary

A scary thing happened this weekend. I turned on the news this morning to see that 2 more local high school kids died in a car crash over the weekend. It seems like every weekend brings news like this or news where the kids were seriously injured in a car accident. These two 17-year-old boys were from a neighboring school, my high school alma mater, West Geauga. When they first mentioned the accident they showed a stretch of road where the car went off the road and into some trees. It looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't be sure. When they showed it the second time, it hit me. It was on the street where we live, a few miles away, but a place that I frequented as a teenager too. The news crew cut from the accident scene to a memorial service that had been held at the high school yesterday. All the kids said the same thing - "everybody tries to jump that". Yep, they were talking about the road. The road has a hill, where if you hit it just right, at a speed far greater than the posted limit, you can get airborne. The kids got airborne, but when they touched down, they lost control and now they're dead.

My daughter will be 15 this year - 6 months after her September birthday, she will be eligible for her temps. Now she's a pretty good kid and she's pretty responsible, but then again so was her mother. I walked the straight and narrow, for the most part. Sure, I did some things that I shouldn't have, but my parents never really had to worry about me. Had they known that I was one of those kids that jumped that hill, they wouldn've been worrying! Yep, not only did I jump that hill once, I jumped it several times. Never once did I imagine that something bad could happen. Fortunately it never did for me. Unfortunately, those kids were not as lucky.

When my son was 11-years-old and we were cresting that hill, he asked me if a car could jump it. I was shocked that he was able to see that from a child's eyes and I explained to him and his sister that mom did that and yes, you could go airborne. But then I explained to them the way I saw that hill now, as an adult. I showed them the mailbox right over the top of the hill. What happens if someone decides to jump the hill while the person in the house with the mailbox is crossing the street to get the mail? Somebody is going to get hurt or die. What happens if someone is pulling out of the many driveways or even the street on the other side of the hill. Again, somebody is going to get hurt or die. I tried to explain how dangerous and irresponsible it would be, but is that enough? When my daughter turns 16 or her friends turn 16 and they're out driving, will they think about what might happen? God, I hope so!

4 Months????!!!

Wow! You've got to be kidding! I haven't "blogged" for exactly 4 months. Maybe my working full-time has something to do with that, huh? Or maybe I've just been lazy. I honestly don't know what it is, but I'm back.

I don't have a whole lot to blog about, but I did just return from the concrete jungle, aka Orlando, Florida. The family and my daugher's friend jumped in the car last Friday and made that 16 hour drive south. Great weather and a good time, but nothing comes close to Key West - especially not Orlando. Hey, I've got nothing against going to Mickey's house, but Orlando is just not the relaxing vacation spot for me. I've done the WDW thing and I wouldn't trade it for the world - I'm even thinking about taking my son back since he doens't remember much, but it would only be a couple of days with no misguided ideas of spending relaxing time around the pool. I'm not getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the pool, lay down a towel, and save a chair. People are NUTS! Key West is the way to go, no lines, no waits for a table in a restaurant, and NO crowds. Just a laid back way of life with great food, warm weather, and cold beer!

Even though it wasn't the ideal vacation, the thought of going back to work sucks! Somebody find me a job that I like - I'm not sure what, but something outside the area of accounting. Something that involves travel, people, or fun things! Please?????

Ryan's First Helicopter Ride

Wow! What a night! It started out like any other Friday night. I dropped the kids off to do some skiing and snowboarding and we went out to dinner. At 9:02 all normalcy ceased. I got a call on my cell phone that Ryan had an accident on his snowboard and that they needed me in the ski patrol hut. Having skied for 35 years and knowing Ryan, I figured everything was fine, but he was just shaken up. After arriving there, I still had that feeling that he had the wind knocked out of him and was scared and maybe he had done some damage to his ankle. They checked him out and explained some stuff to me and then told me I needed to have him checked out. We made sure he would have room in my mom's SUV when all of a sudden they told me they were calling 911 to have him transported. They explained their reasoning - his belly was swelling and they were afraid he may have some internal injuries. Fine. I still didn't panic. The squad arrived and they tried to get him calm, hooked him up to an IV, and kept a close eye on his vitals. They got me situated and strapped me in the front seat as we got ready to make the run to Hillcrest. I told Marty to meet me there and that's when things went horribly wrong. Ryan couldn't feel his arms. He couldn't lift them and couldn't wiggle his fingers. Stilll, I didn't panic because I knew he had worked himself into quite a frenzy. The next words from the paramedic's mouth was, "We're calling LifeFlight." My head spun around on my head and I know my look turned to sheer terror. They expained to me that they were worried about the fact that he couldn't feel his arms and his vitals were spiking. That's when I called Marty and told him to get up to Alpine NOW. Marty arrived and he was a basket case. Maybe it's because I handle these types of situations better or maybe it's because I had been there while he was still in the ski patrol hut, but when Marty saw Ryan strapped to the board and them putting an IV in his arm, he lost it, as did Amanda. She was crying and telling me how she wanted her grandfather. God knows I was thinking the same thing and I knew he was up there watching out for all of us.

I was cleared to ride in the helicopter and we were gone within minutes of it touching down. The 5 guys on board were great as was the entire staff at the trauma center at Metro. By the time the 9 minute flight from Chardon to Cleveland ended, Ryan was feeling better and we were engaged in a game of thumb wars. The trauma team at Metro took over and did a very thorough job of checking him out and around 1:15 he was given a clean bill of health and we were able to leave. He's going to be sore today and probably for a few days to come, but he's not ready to give up the snowboard, but he will be wearing his helmet from now on!

Feelin' Great!

Yep, that's right. It's Monday and I'm feeling great! I've kept my promise to myself to work out every day (well, almost every day) and I'm feeling wonderful. I skipped Friday because I had to run out and pick out light fixtures for the new bathrooom after work and I skipped yesterday because I worked all day. WTH? It was Sunday and I was at work for more than 8 hours. Go figure! That was partially my fault because I wanted today off to spend with the kids, but I'll still have to work at least 2-1/2 days this week. I keep saying it's time to quit, but then I think, no, they just hired 2 more people to help me with my job so things will get better. I think I'm going to try to ride it out and see what happens in the next year. With Marty's job going the way it is, we can afford it, but what would I do with my free time? I couldn't stay at home and I don't want to become one of those women that goes to the mall everyday. BORING! Let's see, what do I want to be when I grow up? I still don't know.

I've got to jump in the shower now. Promised Ryan I would take him to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. I think we may even hit the slopes this afternoon. We're staying close to home and not taking that trip to NY because I don't think the conditions are all that great, and I can't justify spending $120 in lift tickets alone to ski on yucky, man-made snow. Pray for snow!

What's With the Weather?

I can't believe this! The winter (actually it was still fall) started out with a bang and once winter really hit, it died so fast. I think here in the snowbelt we had 83" of the white stuff before Christmas and when Christmas came, so did the rain. It seems to me that it's been raining ever since. Who'd a thunk it? Both of the kids wanted season's passes to the local ski resort, but I wasn't willing to take that chance, not knowing what the weather would be like. After we got those 83" of snow, I thought to myself, what was I thinking. It would be a wonderful winter for a season's pass. WRONG! Thank goodness I didn't change my mind and buy them those for Christmas. I would've been bummin'. Anyways, today is Ryan's day for snowboarding and I can't imagine how crappy the conditions are going to be, especially with the downpours I heard when I was playing volleyball last night. I should've know. I got my car washed on my way home from work and you really can't tell now. It's filthy. Unbelievable. Well, not really.

So the kids are off next Monday for Martin Luther King Day and then again on Friday for teacher in-service day. I'm hoping to take those days off from work, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to swing Monday. They are both begging to go to Peek 'n' Peak on Monday because they have all 28 hills open and all 8 chairs working. Obviously they aren't having the temps that we are having because they've been making snow every night. I guess we'll wait and see if we can make the trip. I just heard from my sister-in-law and she and my brother are coming to town next weekend because her 28 year old sister is scheduled for surgery. Cancer. Will this never end? She's young, she has a baby. Why does this keep happening? I sure hope everything turns out alright and I hope the weekend goes smoothly.

Just finished my Special K and I'm off to the gym. Time to lift those weights and ride that elliptical. After that, I've got errands to run. I've got to get the last of the Christmas presents that don't fit back to the store. Yuck. I've become quite spoiled lately. I love to shop at little boutiques and lately I just can't stand the crap they sell at the mall. Wow. What a snob!

The End of Another Chapter

Another chapter of my life has come to a close and I'm not sure how I feel. Several years ago I re-connected with an old high school boyfriend and we became friends again. But, after many ups and downs, it came time to say goodbye again. The first time, there were no goodbyes, he just disappeared in the horizon. Today it was my time to say goodbye. I'm not sure who handled it better, him disappearing 22 years ago or me telling him to go f*$# himself. Yes, those were my exact words. Probably not the best choice, but it got the point across. The relationship had become toxic and unfortunately he began reading way too much into everything. I felt that the best thing to do was to move on and I know it is definitely the best thing for him. It's too bad it came to that and I will miss him, but we will both be better off in the long run - especially him. He held some deep resentment against me that didn't come to light until this morning. I can't believe I didn't see it before, but the moment it surfaced, the light bulb went on and everything made sense. All I can say is, "Goodbye Rob. I'll miss you."

On a lighter note, last Friday I called the doctor and I was on hold waiting for my OB/GYN to pick up when the nurse got on the line. "Susan?" she asked. "Yes," I replied. "We got the results and they are positive. The numbers, however, are low and the doctor would like to see you next week." WHAT?????? Having had 2 children, one being a high risk pregnancy that followed a miscarriage, I knew exactly what she was talking about. PREGNANT? I don't think so!! I told her why I was holding for the doctor and she apologized. What are the odds that there are 2 Susans on hold at the same time? I was dying. Being the smart ass that I am, I couldn't wait to share the news with everyone. It sure was funny to see the looks on the faces of my friend at work, my mom, and my son. DH just said, "Well, if you are, we have bigger problems!" Didn't even phase him. My son just kept snickering. I wish I had video of that. It cracked me up.

Oh yeah - I worked out today. 13,000+ pounds and 2.5 miles on the elliptical machine. Go Sue!

Why?

Why, when I'm working so hard at it, is losing weight so damn difficult? It hardly seems fair. I can gain weight by just looking at food, but losing it is another story. Pack on 3 pounds in one day, but it takes 3 weeks to get those same 3 pounds off. There are days when I wished I wasn't so obsessed with my weight, but right now I'm not obsessed. A lot of times I worry about the number on the scale, but right now I'm just not comfortable in my own skin. I catch my reflection in the mirror in the store dressing room and I'm disgusted. I don't think I've ever felt like that before. Sure, I've been unhappy, but not disgusted. In this time of low-rise pants, it's even worse because it's always hanging out. I'll just keep working at it. Fortunately I'll be working at least 3 days this week, which makes sticking to the WW plan a lot easier. I also think I'll invest in another water cooler so that I start drinking more water and less Diet Coke. I think Amanda is doing really well and we've seen some changes on that front. I certainly don't want her high school years to be her overweight years. Not fun!

Big plans for this afternoon. Ry-Guy and I are taking a geocaching class sponsored by the local park system and Gander Mountain. He went geocaching in his gifted class last year and my dad got him a hand-held GPS system for Christmas before he died. Since he never got a chance to use it with Ryan, I'm going to go learn how to do it. It sounds like a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to learning more about it and then actually going out and geocaching in the spring and summer. Heck, Jeep has some really cool prizes you can win in a geocache that they have set up. Should be lots of fun!

Oh yeah, and the plumber is here today and finishing up the bathroom. After he's done we need to buy the toilet, sink, bathtub, cabinets and countertop, and then figure out what were doing about flooring. It's actually getting done. I'm so excited!