Been there, done that..

Bucky and I have gone through a lot of up and down in our marriage.. When I saw this, I immediately thought of the time in our marriage that was horrible for me.. I know how it feels when you discovered your spouse or loved one is having emotional affair and/or sexual affair outside the relationship. We have built our relationship from the bottom and up but it still continously need work.

I often wonder how it would affect Bucky if I was the one that was having emotional/sexual affair and how our relationship would have turned out.. I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't be together still.. I guess Bucky is fortunate that I have forgiving heart but it won't continue to be forgiving..

Not Just Sex

Sandra, 45, a teacher in New York, meets a "totally beguiling guy" in a similar field. He helps her with a project; they start e-mailing, then phoning, having long talks over drinks. Thing is, she has a boyfriend. He has a wife. They're not having sex. Are they having an affair?

Yes. It's an "emotional affair," or "accidental affair," says Peggy Vaughan of AskPeggy.com and author of The Monogamy Myth: A Personal Handbook for Dealing with Affairs (Newmarket, 2003). "Emotional affairs are most likely to affect the person who would never intend to cheat."

According to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, 15 percent of wives and 25 percent of husbands have had extramarital sex. Add emotional affairs and other non-physical intimacy, and the numbers go up by 20percent.

Many emotional affairs are a byproduct of increasingly intense and collegial workplace atmospheres. According to Bonnie Eaker Weil, PhD, author of Adultery: The Forgivable Sin: Healing the Inherited Patterns of Betrayal in Your Family (Birch Lane, 1993), over half of work friendships become something more.

"The stereotype is the VP of the corporation having a thing with the cute typist," says Shirley Glass, PhD, author of Not "Just Friends": Protect Your Relationship from Infidelity and Heal the Trauma of Betrayal (Free Press, 2002). "But now the bonds between men and women working together are based on much more: similar interests and social backgrounds, in a highly-charged atmosphere."

What's So Wrong?

Hey, we're not made of wood -- what's wrong with a crush? "I had a flirtation with a guy at the restaurant," says Gail, 30, a Boston bartender. "But it was part of the work environment, and No Touching was clearly the rule. Outside of work I didn't give him a second thought -- but the extra dose of feeling attractive actually helped my relationship with my boyfriend."

But No Touching doesn't always mean Harmless Flirting.

"I had a close relationship with a married man: late-night calls, meaningful lunches, intense sharing," says Liza, 39, a social worker in Philadelphia. "A male friend said, 'If you're not having sex, there's nothing wrong with it.'"

Actually, say experts, there's plenty wrong.

"It doesn't matter that 'it could be worse,'" says Vaughan. "There's deception going on." That's the risk of a seemingly harmless affair: The more you rationalize that it's okay, the more it escalates, and the more you're compelled to hide. "You wind up depending on the other person more for daily peaks and perks, and that sucks the love away from you and your partner."

What's toxic about an emotional affair is exactly what distinguishes it from a fleeting, fun crush: secrecy. "The number one way to know if you're having an emotional affair is if you're hiding it from your partner," says Vaughan.

"When you 'end up' out to dinner sitting kitty-corner with that guy from work that you can't get out of your head, that's a date," Lana, 29, a Toronto attorney, says (from experience). "Saying you have a boyfriend doesn't count -- all he'll take from that is, 'Then why is she out with me?'

You both know the illicitness makes it all the more exciting and tempting. And you know when you cross the line because it's that thing you'd never tell your boyfriend, that thing that would freak you out if you found out he did it."

In or Out?

Are you crossing the line? Answer these quick questions to assess if it's an emotional affair: (Sources: Shirley Glass, author of Not "Just Friends" and Sharyn Wolf, author of How to Stay Lovers for Life: Discover a Marriage Counselor's Tricks of the Trade, Penguin, 1998)

1. Do you touch him in "legal" ways, like picking lint off his blazer?

2. Do you tell him more details of your day than you do your partner?

3. Do you talk with him more about your relationship than you do with your artner?

4. Does your partner have no idea how much time you spend with this guy?

5. Do you pay attention to how you look before you see him?

6. Do you think crush-like thoughts like, "He'd love this song!"?

7. Has one of you said, "I'm attracted to you but I would never act on it because I/you are attached"?

8. Would you feel uncomfortable if your partner saw a videotape of the time you spend with this person?

How many times did you answer "Yes"?

0-1: Friendship/harmless crush.
2-4: Slippery slope. Step back.
5 or more. 911! Emotional affair.

Fess Up

If you're on the slippery slope between fidelity and an emotional affair, it is possible -- and essential -- to move to firmer ground. "When I felt most tempted, I forced myself to wait, and the wild love feeling actually went away by itself," says Sandra. The friendship that outlasted the lust is now out in the open with her boyfriend.

If you have crossed the line and are engaged in a full-fledged emotional affair, your relationship still has a fighting chance. According to Peggy Vaughan, 70 percent of couples seeking help after an infidelity do stay together -- if they sincerely want to.

"Surviving infidelity is not about what happened and why," says Vaughan. "It's about how you respond to it together. You must decide: Are we going to let this destroy us, or make us stronger?"

Positive steps you can take:

1. Take responsibility. "You didn't screw up because of something he did; you screwed up because you screwed up," says Sharyn Wolf, author of How to Stay Lovers for Life. Address overarching relationship issues separately, later.

2. Offer a sense of security. "Give him what he needs to feel safe," says Wolf. If he wants you to cut off contact with the interloper, or come straight home from work for now, you must say yes.

3. Be patient. He may be cool one day, furious the next. "The perpetrator has to become the healer," says Vaughan.

The temptation to stray may be only a matter of distraction by work or children, and inattention to each other. When you confront the issue, "The honesty and commitment you once just assumed were there are now affirmed openly," says Vaughan. It's a painful -- but worthwhile -- process, she says: "Sometimes you don't realize what you have till you almost lose it."

email from a dear friend of mine

I got three emails from a dear friend of mine that I have not talked to in a while so I wanted to post it..

I Could
by Kaunie Hagensen

I could write you a letter,
But what would it say?
Could it make things better?
Would it make everything okay?

I could write you a song,
Full of love hope and grace.
Would you tell me what went wrong?
Could you say it to my face?

I could make a telephone call,
And listen as you cried
But I would not let you fall,
And if you did, we'd both know I tried.

I could make the world go away
But would that be what you like?
You would miss the golden sunrays
You would miss the moonlight.

I could stop all this pain
Bring it all to an end
The tears would fall like rain
On the shoulder of a dear friend.

*******

My Friend
by Sammy Lane Sharp

We all need someone
To talk to in our life,
A friend to whom we run
In times of stress or strife

A friend who's always there
Throughout the years,
A friend we know will care
And take away our fears.

A friend who's always near,
Waiting for our call,
To wipe away our tears,
And lift us when we fall.

A loving friend indeed,
On whom we can depend
To fulfill our every need -
Thank you, precious friend

*******

How Was Your Day?
by Dreamer

We are friends from far away.
When we talk we always have something to say.
Our lives so different yet the same.

Every night we play the game.
We talk of families and about our day.
I always wonder if there's more to say.

Could it have been different for you and I?
Or was fate decided before we could have tried?
For now we play our parts, that's all that's left;
Never knowing if our hearts would have met.

Two people from far away, always asking, "How was your day?"

Parent Orientation

Last night Bucky and I went to WillowBrook Elem school for their 1st Grade Parent orientation.. I can see that this year will be a busy year for Ryan and for him to be actually doing a lot of things that will be paving the future for him..

I look forward seeing Ryan being able to read the books himself and be able to work math problems on his own.. It is just sense of accomplishment when he do things on his own without me helping or doing things for him BUT it also make me feel like I no longer have baby Ryan but a big boy Ryan :(

I love my children so much and it has been and still a adventure with Justin, Tori and now Ryan..

Ryan all ready for school!

Billy and Helen Duncan

Hello everyone..

Billy and Helen Duncan went to Oklahoma for SBCD conference and on their way home, they stopped by my parent's house for two nights before heading on home to Virginia tomorrow..

They came to visit us at our house marking our first out of state family to visit us in our house on my side of family.. Bucky's brother and Mom and grandparents has stayed here before..

It was really COOL that we have a ramp in our front yard and Helen was able to use her electric wheelchair and wheeled right in our living room. WHEW!

here is pictures of us all..

Cousin Billy


Cousin Helen


The Duncan and The Carver's


The Duncan and Mom

Tori

Hello everyone..

Tori now decided to have her own blog after seeing Justin and my blog along Aunt Sandy and Vicki's blogs.. :)

It is linked here so you can go and view her blog.. I have seen it and it's cute.. :)

Smiling, M-

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

I went to see Dr Gurecki to discuss my sleep apnea problem and he said I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea and wanted me to go and do a sleep study.

I will be going for the first sleep study on August 1st then on August 15th I will go for the second sleep study and will be using CPAP machine that helps me to breathe so the doctor can compare the two tests and see what treatment will be the best for me..

You can read about the OSA here..

My Dad uses CPAP along with oxygen at nighttime only.. He was diagnosed with COPD as well as sleep apnea.. It seems to help him so I know the CPAP will help me with my snoring and waking up feeling very tired..

Interpreters..

Ridor has brought up the issue about the blacklist of Interpreters on his blog and it gave me something to talk about regarding interpreters..

I am very appericative of interpreters who truly do their job correcrtly and with passion.. Without Interpreters, we will not be able to use our language to communicate with hearing people and express ourselves the way we wanted to.


There are interpreters that does not have the passion for the job, it's just a way for them to take advantage of deaf people, or it's just a way for hearing people to "take control" of situation for deaf people. It is also a way, for some, to have sexual affairs also..

There is an interpreter in Knoxville and she has not been doing her job professionally in my opinion.. I am not putting all the blame on the interpreter only.. The male client she had been interpreting for is also at blame for that situation..

They had emailed each other via pager, regular emails and it was reported to her boss and requested that she stop emailing by the male client's wife. She was warned by her boss. Needless to say that she didn't stop emailing him and they were caught discussing some sexual things on the emails by the wife. The wife had reported to the boss once again. The interpreter STILLS works for the company even though she didn't listen to the order not to email anymore and now she is STILL emailing with that man..

The wife is very fed up and feel disrespected by the interpreter and the husband It's very unfortunate story..

Another issue came up in NC..
An married interpreter was very involved with church ministry for the Deaf and wanted to help the deaf group in the matter of communication. She has been attending the church for a couple of months and the deaf pastor who was married for about 20 years, started to come over to her house for sleep over along with his wife a couple of times. All of sudden, he announced to his wife that he wanted to have divorce because he has fallen in love with that interpreter.

It was such a drama with this couple.. They finally got divorced and yes the interpreter left her husband for the deaf pastor and they got married..

There are interpreters who knows their boundaries and they do not step out of their boundaries and I do respect them.. For those who do not respect their boundaries and step out to test the water with married people are the ones I really dislike and wouldn't want to work with them..

Our trip..

Today Bucky, Ryan and I went to meet Billy and Tina to pick up Justin and Tori at Canton.. OH BOY the trip to Canton was very long and humid! There was LONG LONG line of cars, trucks trying to get somewhere and it was due to the bridge being worked on and had lanes closed. I hate things like this complicating our trip.. We decided to take another way away from I 40 and it was nice scenic trip going through the country and got back on I 40 by Jefferson City. Just a few feet from NC-TN line, there were a wreck near the tunnel so we had another LONG LONG line to deal with.

We finally met Bill and Tina and got our kids back. They were back to their routine within seconds.. Justin and Tori and Ryan started arguing.. NO LOST LOVE THERE!!!

We decided to go back to TN using different route, we went back by going through the Cherokee as it has been 13 years ago since we last went through the Great Smoky Mtn Park.. WOW It sure has gone through a lot of CHANGES!! It is barely the same from 13 years ago! Nonetheless we enjoyed our long trip back home..

Bucky and I would like to go for a weekend and be tourists.. Hopefully we can do that soon..

Smiling, M-

You can say anything about me BUT

You can say anything you want to say about me BUT when it comes to my children, please take a long hard look at yourself before you lash out anything about someone else..

I am so FURIOUS tonight when I spoke to a family member in NC and was told that a cousin has told her kids that they can't be with my son Justin because he's a bad influence as he's using drugs..

Justin may dress different, have different hairstyle, or even have different point of view on life BUT he doesn't do drugs. I know because he is around us a lot and we do check his room periodically and we do have conversations regarding things like this.. Bucky and I stay awake during the day when our kids are up and we do know where and what the kids are doing.

To that "cousin" of ours, You need to stop and think for a minute before accusing my son using drugs.. You need to take a good look at your own children, and your mothering skills.

The facts are:

You have four kids and they are 14, 13, 8 and 7.

You go to bed at wee hours in the morning and don't wake up till late afternoon/evening to get ready for a special event you have to be at that night.

You don't even know where your kids are when they come home from school.. Your youngest kids goes over to neighbor's house and stay for hours before you even realize that they are not at Mom Mom and Pop's house or even at your house. There are two child molesters living in the area.. WAKE UP!!

You expect your Mom or anyone available to be responsible for your kids.. It has been like that for 14 long years.

I have heard so many things about things that has happened and they're obviously screaming for help.

You need to make your choice, continuing to have good time to satisfy your need to prove you are still a young woman or being a Mom your kids needs..

I am saying prayers for your children and hope for the best in their future..

M-

Sisters..

Thanks to Terri for sending me this email..

I have very close friends that I consider my sisters along my own sister Sandy.. To my two Mom, Sandy, Tina, Vicki, Terry, Tangie and Lauren, I want you to read this and know that I consider you all special to me in my life.. You all have roles in my life being my sisters. I love you and am very blessed to have you in my life.. Thank you for being there when I needed you and Thank you for being you! I know I will gain more sisters as I continue to grow years to come..

*********
A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them. And remember that "Sisters" also means your girlfriends, your daughters, and other women relatives, too. You'll need other women. Women always do.

" What a funny piece of advice! the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup. Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile! But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life. After almost 50 yearsof living in this world, here is what I've learned:

Times passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Love waxes and wanes.
Hearts break.
Careers end.
Jobs come and go.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
But Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A Sister is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley, and you have to walk it for yourself, your Sisters will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out. My mother, sister, sisters-in-law, and girlfriends bless my life! The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I.

When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we still need each other.

Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.
Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be.
Grandma Moses

Why condoms comes in box of 3,6 and 12

WHY CONDOMS COME IN BOXES OF 3, 6, AND 12

A man walks into a drug store with his 8-year old son. They happen
to walk by the condom display, and the boy asks, "What are these, Dad?

To which the man as a matter-of-fact replies, "Those are called
condoms, son. Men use them for safe sex."

"Oh I see," replied the boy pensively. Yes, I've heard of that in
health class at school." He looks over the display and picks up a
package of 3 and asks, "Why are there 3 in this package?"

The dad replies, "Those are for high school boys, ONE for Friday,
ONE for Saturday, and ONE for Sunday."

"Cool" says the boy. He notices a 6 pack and asks, "Then who are
these for?"

"Those are for college men," the dad answers, TWO for Friday,
TWO for Saturday, and TWO for Sunday."

"WOW!" exclaimed the boy, "then who uses THESE?" he asks,
picking up a 12 pack.

With a sigh and a tear in his eye, the dad replied, "Those are for
married men. ONE for January, ONE for February, ONE for March....."

115 Johnson Road

By: Beverly Majors Oak Ridger Staff
beverly.majors@oakridger.com

A former Oak Ridge resident was arrested Wednesday for arson, eight months after a fire destroyed the home she and her children were living in on Johnson Road.

Oak Ridge police served a warrant on Tammy Renee Marcum, 37, 754 N. Country lane, Kodak, charging her with aggravated arson, two counts of reckless endangerment and filing a false police report.

Marcum Court records said Marcum allegedly set fire to the flat-top home she was living in at 115 Johnson Road. Records said she set fire to the living room of the house and used kerosene as an accelerate the blaze.

Marcum's two daughters, Ceaira Marcum, 17, and Callie Marcum, 10, were both asleep inside the house when the fire was set. Marcum and the girls escaped from the home and were not injured.

According to the warrant, firefighters found a kerosene container at the scene.

Marcum reported the fire and told officers at the scene that an intruder had assaulted her and set the fire. She later recanted that story and admitted to setting the fire, records said.

Marcum told officers she set the fire in an attempt to possibly commit suicide and implicate her former husband in the incident.


*** We used to live in that house years ago.. It was a small cute cottage type of house.. We lived there for a year before moving to Clinton when Granny and Gramps bought the house and let us move in the house in Clinton.. Now that house has been demolished and cleared.. I have no idea if they will build another house or not..

Ryan's first day!

Ryan's first day of school!

He seemed to enjoy his first day of school even though it's just a half day.. From 8:15 to 1:15 for three days then he will go for full day from 8:15 to 3:15 on Thursday..

So far, He seems to enjoy his class and I'm trying to find out more information on how he likes teacher, new friends and etc.. :)

Will post again later..

M-

Name translator

This link I just found online.. Justin LOVES Japan and I played around with the names.. MMM interesting.. Type in ur name and see how it is spelled in Japan..

14 lbs baby born

July 16, 2005

CORBIN, Ky. (AP) -- A hospital official in Kentucky says a baby girl born Tuesday weighed 14 pounds and three ounces.The National Center for Health Statistics says less than one percent of babies weigh more than eleven pounds at birth.

A nurse at the hospital says the girl was born by Caesarean section and appeared healthy. She says the baby went home Friday.

The birth of the large infant comes a month after a 13-pound, 12-ounce girl was born in Wisconsin.

Oklahoma mother charged after baby born drunk

An Oklahoma woman who allegedly drank so much that she gave birth to a
drunk baby is charged with child neglect. A police affidavit says Melissa Tanner
had a blood alcohol content of .29 percent when she gave birth June 30th. Police
say the baby girl was at .21 percent. Hospital staff had to use an oxygen bag to
help the baby start breathing and gave her medication to counteract any
narcotics. Police say Tanner told them she and another person had just polished
off a case of beer -- and that she regularly drank during pregnancy. A sheriff's
investigator says the baby has fetal alcohol syndrome. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention lists the syndrome as the leading preventable cause of
mental retardation and physical deformity. The severity of the girl's disability
won't be known until she is older.
copyright AP
Katie Allison Granju , Online Producer

Last updated: 7/15/2005 1:46:53 PM

Justin and Tori on another vacation

Hello Everyone again..

It's quiet at our house once again.. Justin and Tori went to North Carolina to visit Grandma and Uncle Bill/family and Mom Mom/Pop for a week vacation.. It will be their last vacation before schools open for them in August.. Ryan couldn't go because he's starting school on Monday, yes.. July 18th is Ryan's first day of school.

Ryan's teacher was Justin's teacher years ago in other school in Clinton.. It's small world that she would teach Ryan in new school in other town! LOL So I know we will have good rapport with her because she was great with Justin back then..

Bucky only has 3 more days of interning before he completes it.. I can't wait to have a couple of weeks with him home until his classes starts August 29th..

Smiling, M-

Quilting class

Hey everyone,

If you remember in one of the post I posted while back telling you about the quilting class we will be attending was today.. Like Sandy said in her post, there were 5 of us in the class today. Mom taught the first class telling us about what tools we will need, how to read measurement on the measurement tape, about fabrics, patterns and so on..

It was very interesting class even though I had known some requirements but there were something I had learned today because Mom decided to held back some information till the class.. Mmmm.. SMILE..

Sandy was meany to me today trying to snip my skin with the scissors :) She's a terror with tools.. So we have to watch out for her when we start doing the quilting things.. ;)

So far, we will have another class on August 6th IF the church has an opening for us to be able to use the church.. I look forward to get started with christmas gifts that I want to make.. Will post the pictures of things I made when it's done.. Can't wait to get started!

M-

Tori came home..

Tori went to TSD middle school camp last Sunday and stayed until today.. My parents picked her up from TSD and brought her home.. She had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the camp very much.. She has attended TSD middle school camp for 3 years in a row and will be attending the high school camp next year! I am NOT ready for her to be involved with high school actvities.. She's still my baby!! Smiling..

Now we are preparing to leave to go to Lake Junluska NC to meet Bucky's Mom so Tori could go and stay a week with her for a week before school starts in August..

Smiling, Mary

Love Poems

Here I go again with Love..

I found a couple of poems.. So I'm pasting them here :)

Balloon

I think that I might fly away, in my hot air balloon,

And hide from worldly worries on the dark side of the moon;

There’s but one thing I need before I float into the blue:

I need a sky companion and I want it to be you.

We’ll fly beyond the storm clouds and we’ll watch from up above,

I’ll cover you in rainbows as we feel each others’ love;

You’ll shower in the stars at midnight in our special place,

I’ll dry you with a comet’s tail and kiss your beaming face.

Dreamy drifting panorama, changing every day,

Every night your loving smile will be my milky way,

The moon will wane before us, sailing there in heaven’s height,

For nothing else can challenge our love’s everlasting light.

Venus shining on us, glowing soft at our devotion,

Our daily drifting dalliance in love’s celestial ocean,

I’ll write you lovers’ poetry, and you will be my muse,

Orion and Andromeda will oversee our cruise.

We’ll sleep with clouds as pillows, maybe steal an angel’s wings,

Then fly as magic lovebirds, or slide round Saturn’s rings,

And should we tire of drifting and the stars all floating by,

We’ll hook onto a meteor and soar across the sky.

Will you consent to be my mate on our celestial ship?

I’m ready, heart all packed with love, to last us for the trip,

Take my hand and step aboard, we’re heading for the sun,

We’re flying till we find the place where our two souls are one.-

Graeme King -

***

Love Is ...

Love is the greatest feeling,

Love is like a play,

Love is what I feel for you,

Each and every day,

Love is like a smile,

Love is like a song,

Love is a great emotion,

That keeps us going strong,

I love you with my heart,

My body and my soul,

I love the way I keep loving,

Like a love I can't control,

So remember when your eyes meet mine,

I love you with all my heart,

And I have poured my entire soul into you,

Right from the very start.-

Meghan -

***

The Meaning

To love is to share life together

to build special plans just for two

to work side by side

and then smile with pride

as one by one, dreams all come true.

To love is to help and encourage

with smiles and sincere words of praise

to take time to share

to listen and care

in tender, affectionate ways.

To love is to have someone special

one who you can always depend

to be there through the years

sharing laughter and tears

as a partner, a lover, a friend.

To love is to make special memories

of moments you love to recall

of all the good things

that sharing life brings

love is the greatest of all.

I've learned the full meaning

of sharing and caring

and having my dreams all come true;

I've learned the full meaning

of being in love

by being and loving with you.-

Kellie Spehn -

Here is some of love quotes found on the same website..

Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle.-

Crystal Middlemas -

***

Love is strong yet delicate.It can be broken.

To truly love is to understand this. To be in love is to respect this.-

Stephen Packer -

***

Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner.-

Amy Bloom -

***

Love isn't blind; it just only sees what matters.-

William Curry -

***

Love is a decision not an emotion or feeling,that if made from the heart will outlast anything. Raul and Samantha Juarez -

***

One look

One smile

One touch

One embrace

One kiss

One love

Two people

Two minds

Two souls

Two destinies

One road

One journey

One ending

Together.

- Melissa Higgins -

***

That's all for now.. Thanks for stopping by..

M-

The Love Calcuator

I went on Google and put in the word love in the keyword and one of the listing was the love calcuator..

I put in Bucky and Mary and it said we have no chance of love.. Mmmm We have been married for 13 and half years, of course it has not been a smooth sailing.. We worked at it and it has been a long bumpy ride.. So I put in Bucky's real name Jerry and it said we had 13 percent chance.. Mmmmm.. :)

I went on to see a couple of names (family and friends names) and some of those names has higher chance.. Good for them ;)

M-

Child hurt in wreck

Child hurt in wreck

Oak Ridge firefighters and police officers, along with the Anderson County
Emergency Medical Service, were called to Vermont Avenue near the corner of
Venus Road Friday afternoon when a child riding a bicycle was hit by a sport
utility vehicle. Jordan Trentham, 11, 112 Wakeman Road, rode off Venus Road
shortly after 3:25 p.m. into the path of a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by
Samantha L. Cox, 355 Half Moon Road, Oliver Springs. Trentham was not wearing a
helmet and sustained injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical
Center of Oak Ridge.

---Jordan is my neighbor.. She was also taken to University of Tennessee hospital via lifestar as the local hospital was not equipped for this type of trauma.. It's now a big mess with the insurance wanting Jordan to admit that she was in the wrong. Jordan and her friends who were with her said they did stop at the stop sign and the driver and the car behind the driver said no Jordan didn't stop.. So lawyers are now involved.. It's a unfortunate mess.. ----

SMore's Vet visit..

Hello everyone!

We took Smores to Sandy's house to meet the vet.. and got her shots and will have to go back in 3 weeks for her second set of shots and rabies..

I had thought she was a 6 to 8 weeks old but the vet said no, she's actually between 12 to 14 weeks old.. Mmmmm

Smores didn't like the medicine the vet had to give her.. Poor her! Anything to make sure that she's strong and healthy is worthy of time done..

Smiling, Mary

How to stay married

How to Stay Married

A man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoebox and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll."

The little old man was so moved, he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?"

"Oh," she said, "that's the money I made from selling the dolls."

A Prayer.......

Dear Lord,
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him;
And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.
Amen!

Thanks Sandy for forwarding this to me! :) I should have take crocheting course from Mom and make some bucks out of those dolls..

Smiling, M-

25 cheap ways to save AC bill

cheap ways to keep your house cooler

Simple changes such as moving lamps away from thermostats can save you hundreds of dollars.

Here are more money -- and energy -- saving tips.

Sure, go ahead and turn that thermostat up to 80. You'll be sweaty and still shelling out a bundle -- unless you take other steps to make summer heat more bearable and reduce stress on your air conditioner. Most of these cost little or nothing.

Thank the Department of Energy's Energy Savers program, which provides most of these tips (and more) on its own Web site. Get the most from your air conditioning

Open windows and use portable or ceiling fans instead of operating your air conditioner. Even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler. Make sure your ceiling fan is turned for summer -- you should feel the air blown downward.

Use a fan with your window air conditioner to spread the cool air through your home.

Without blocking air flow, shade your outside compressor.

Change air filters monthly during the summer.

Use a programmable thermostat with your air conditioner to adjust the setting at night or when no one is home.

Don't place lamps or TVs near your air conditioning thermostat. The heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer.

Consider installing a whole house fan or evaporative cooler (a "swamp cooler") if appropriate for your climate. Attics trap fierce amounts of heat; a well-placed and -sized whole-house fan pulls air through open windows on the bottom floors and exhausts it through the roof, lowering the inside temperature and reducing energy use by as much as third compared with an air conditioner. Cost is between $150 and $400. An evaporative cooler pulls air over pads soaked in cold water and uses a quarter the energy of refrigerated air, but they're useful only in low-humidity areas. Cost is $200 to $600.

Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.

Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.

Install awnings on south-facing windows. Because of the angle of the sun, trees, a trellis, or a fence will best shade west-facing windows.

Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows.

Landscaping for a cooler house Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity.

Grown on trellises, vines such as ivy or grapevines can shade windows or the whole side of a house.

Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides because it increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.

Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides will keep your house cool in the summer.

Just three trees, properly placed around a house, can save between $100 and $250 annually in cooling and heating costs. Daytime air temperatures can be 3 degrees to 6 degrees cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods. Little things mean a lot

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents; they produce the same light but use a fifth the energy and heat Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.

Use a microwave oven instead of a conventional electric range or oven.

Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.

Plug home electronics, such as TVs and VCRs, into power strips and turn power strips off when equipment is not in use.

Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater; 115° is comfortable for most uses. Take showers instead of baths to reduce hot water use. Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

Don't air-condition the whole neighborhood Caulking and weatherstripping will keep cool air in during the summer. If you see holes or separated joints in your ducts, hire a professional to repair them.

Add insulation around air conditioning ducts when they are located in unconditioned spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, and garages; do the same for whole-house fans where they open to the exterior or to the attic.

Check to see that your fireplace damper is tightly closed.

Plan ahead, More costly but effective cooling measures are available as your home undergoes normal upgrades and repairs.

A 10-year-old air conditioner, for example, is only half as efficient as a new one. A quick check of your air conditioner's efficiency can help you decide whether to call in a service professional. Use a household thermometer to measure the temperature of the discharge air from the register and the temperature of the return air at the return-air grill. (Keep the thermometer in place for five minutes to get a steady temperature.) The difference should be from 14 to 20 degrees, experts say. An air conditioner that's not cooling to those levels could be low on refrigerant or have leaks. A unit cooling more than 20 degrees could have a severe blockage.

Using light shingles on a new roof can cut the amount of heat the house absorbs.

Repainting in a light color, especially south- and west-facing exterior areas, helps as well.

Upgraded insulation in the attic and double-paned windows all around, complete with tinting to reflect sunlight, are good ideas, too.

New Auto or Truck?

The couple had been debating the purchase of a new auto for weeks. He wanted a new truck. She wanted a fast little sports-like car so shecould zip through traffic around town.

He would probably have settled on any beat up old truck, but everything she seemed to like was way out of their price range.

"Look !" she said. I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in 4 seconds or less. "And my birthday is coming up. You could surprise me."

For her birthday, he bought her a brand new bathroom scale.

Services are pending.

Thanks Terri for sending this to me.. Bucky and I had good chuckle..

Hey Doug,

Happy belated birthday to you!
I am so sorry but belated is better than complately forgotten.
I was working on my calendar and realized that ur birthday was sunday!
Oh man! So I am here to say

Happy belated birthday to you!
Happy belated birthday to you!
Happy belated birthday to dear Doug!
Happy belated birthday to you!

@~ Mary ~@

ASL Website and map..

Hi,
There is a new interactive sign language map! And there are now over 640+ messages already posted from all over the world. Check it out! Zoom in and tell us where you're from!

Here it is:
http://pub36.bravenet.com/guestmap/show.php?usernum=3018220529

Use the "Zoom" button on the webpage in order to view the people in your local area. You can press this button 4 times. And when you go to post your message, use the "Dots" button to get better global positioning. Finally, click the "Icons" button to view the people on the map.

And the 701+ members of our international sign language group would like to invite you to join us! We have lots of interesting emails, especially our popular sign language trivia questions and games. Just follow this link to join!

http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/bccaslclub

Here are our great websites!
http://www.geocities.com/bccaslclub
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bccaslclub


Cheers & Welcome! =)
The ASL Club

Opening up Barber shop for men

Justin looking like this before his haircut

me cutting Justin's hair..

his look now.. :)

Cutting Bucky's hair..

Cutting Robert's hair..

Cook-Out

I didn't have much of time to take pictures so I'm stealing some pictures from Sandy and Robert to post... :) Those pictures are not in order.. Bear with me :)

I really had wonderful time.. I enjoyed the guests and everything but I will tell you that I was POOPED tired! I couldn't keep my eyes open much longer so I took nap when I got to Sandy's house.. :) Poor Sandy and Robert having to hear my snoring! LOL!

anyway here's the best part of the blog.. PICTURES!!!

Pics of SMores

Told you I would post pictures of Smores.. So here she is.. ADORBABLE!!!

Engaged!!

Anthony proposing Ingrid to marry him after a firework show at Oak Ridge..

New addition to the family...

We have new addition to our family.. A KITTEN!!!

Her name is S'Mores.. :) She is about 6 to 8 weeks old.. Will be posting the pictures of her soon..

Smiling, M

Happy 4th of July!

Hey everyone!

Happy 4th of July! Have a fun filled day but be safe.. Enjoy the fireworks show tonight wherever you are..

I will have 11 people here for the cook out today.. Vicki and Doug, Sandy and Robert, Anthony and Ingrid along our children, Bucky and I.. I look forward this.. :)

Will take pictures and post when I'm all done and rested up :)


Smiling, M-