[stevem53]

Hi Everyone..And a warm welcome to our new community members

We are in the middle of a sticky heat wave..Its been in the 90's for a few days..A friend and I went to an AA meeting in Woosocket R.I. last night, and the hall was like an oven..We took off as the break because it was just unbearable..My buddy has trouble breathing because of some un-dx muscle disorder, and the diaphram in one lung isnt working properly

I had an appointment with my lawyer this past week to finalize my mothers estate..It sure is a long process..Atleast I will finally be able to get out of debt and my SSDI check will last more than 3 weeks

Im still building new conch traps, and hauled my boat out of the water this week to have my lower unit on the outboard replaced..The mechanic took it apart and said it was junk..I wasnt suprised because of the way it was popping out of gear, especially in reverse

How was your week?



I will not eat those green eggs and ham
I would not like them here or there
I would not like them anywhere
I do not like green eggs and ham
I do not like them

I am Saddam..Saddam I am

[dorrie]

Hi Stevem53....It has been really hot here in Ontario too! Mid 90's plus the humidex has made it unbearable! We went camping this week. Not too far away as the boys need to get to soccer games but I had a wonderful, peaceful time. I did some soul searching and ended up quitting my job too. This was a very good thing indeed as I had a really mean boss...the stress of being there and putting up with his sarcasm was too much. I have wanted to quit for some time but I have finally came to realize that my health is far more important than that job! Anyway, I feel sooooo great about it! We are going to go camping again later this month. I can't wait!! Have a super evening

[stevem53]

Congrats on your 7th Sober Aniversary Dorrie!

From 12 Steps and 12 Traditions

"Still more wonderful is the feeling that we do not have to be specially distinguished among our fellows in order to be useful and profoundly happy. Not many of us can be leaders of prominence, nor do we wish to be. Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort, the well-understood fact that in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return, the certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we need no longer be square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things--these are the permanent and legitimate satisfactions of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes. True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God."

"We have been talking about problems because we are problem people who have found a way up and out, and who wish to share our knowledge of that way with all who can use it. For it is only by accepting and solving our problems that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world about us, and with Him who presides over us all. Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living; therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A. Twelfth Step."

With each passing day of our lives, may every one of us sense more deeply the inner meaning of A.A.'s simple prayer:


God grant us the serenity
to accept the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

[RLSmi]

BUT NOT FROM THE HEAT! Although the temp has not reached the century mark yet, we can definitely tell that it is August. I hope the rain holds off for at least a week or two. Keeping ahead of the grass had required two cuttings a week when it was getting watered almost every day.

We are planning to spend several days nexy week in Tennessee for a network marketing convention in Nashville for my wife, and visits with our daughter and son in law in Murfreesboro. The week after that we will either take or send our grandson, William, to Seattle. His father moved there and took a job at the first of July and William will be joining him in time to start high school on September 5, his fourteenth birthday. It is still somewhat undecided whether we will drive cross-country to Seattle in our compact motor home, fly up with Will, or send him alone on the plane. The latter would be least expensive, but we would miss seeing the Northwest, where we have never been. I favor the cross-country senic route, and thought we had decided on that earlier this evening, but I'm hearing some reservations from the missus now. I am continuing to do really well with respect to PD symptoms and want to take advantage of that while I can .
Take care,
Robert

[vlhperry]

Dear Senator Coleman:

As a native Minnesotan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien, and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill, S.2611, which was recently proposed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill’s provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for 5 years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for 3 of the last 5 years.

I know a good deal when I see one, and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out. Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year, so I’m excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000.00 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family, because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as “in-state” tuition for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

If you would please provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would not be able to vote for the opponent in your state at the next election.

Sincerely,
Your Constituent

Think he'll go for it?

Quiet week. My truckdriver son has been stuck at a Holiday Inn in Kansas City while his engine is being shipped off for warranty repairs. He has been there a week. My newly married son and his lovely bride left Wednesday to make their nest in Dallas, Texas and were able to stop and stay at the same hotel as his brother the truck driver. They had dinner togeather and a few beers to break the monotony for my son the truckdriver.

I hope everyone has had alot of bar-b-ques to try to beat the heat. We had lovely weather today in MN. The high was in the low 70's and it rained all day. Just what we needed to break the drought. Regular programming is running again. Was getting tired of the constant pictures of the bridge collapse. The media does tend to overdo it abit.

Vicky

[proudest_mama]

Well, I just hit the wrong button again and lost yet another note. Technology is wonderful .... until you hit the wrong button. UGH!!

I've had a good two weeks but they've been busy. My sister and her family drove all the way from Idaho (1800 miles!) to visit us. We went to one of the big name waterparks in the area, Sea World, and just had a lot of fun being together. I have three siblings and her children are the closest in age to ours so we have more in common than my brothers.

My husband is going on business trips starting next week. He has three weeks of back-to-back trips ... is home for one week ... and then has three more weeks of back-to-back trips.

In our 23 years of marriage, he has never, ever travelled that much. Now this is going to be interesting! (Oh, I am trying to renew my passport to accompany him to Barcelona in November).

Because he's going to be gone so much, I'm going to send a note to my close friends inviting them for a little R&R. We're all stressed these days, and especially mom's. (No offense guys!!!) This offers them a little respite with very little, if any, cost.

We sit around and talk, sleep in late, talk, watch TV, talk, soak in the hot tub, talk, swim in the pool, talk, and eat a lot of junk food. Did I forget to mention the word talk??!! It's therapeutic for all of us ... including me!

I just found out yesterday that our two older kids will be coming home next weekend so I'm trying to plan something for the six of us. One thing that was mentioned was miniature golfing.

My daughter has a new boyfriend who I met this summer when I went to Oklahoma for a visit. My husband has yet to meet him but word is that she's bringing him here over the Labor Day weekend. She's our only daughter and is studying Petroleum Engineering. To say that she's the apple of her daddy's eye would be the understatement. I feel sorry for the poor guy!!

Our middle son is set to go to a community college next fall. All I can say is that it's going to be an interesting semester!

I have another appt. to see the neuro on Thursday. I'm coming close to the four year mark (October) so it's time to seriously consider taking Sinemet. I'm beginning to feel like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz!

Okay, have a great week everyone!

[vlhperry]

I feel more like the strawman. If I only had a brain! LOL

Vicky

[Stitcher]

We are having hot temps here too...90s daily.

Not being allowed to drive a car has caused me to re-work my habits. So, I walked to the grocery the other day and locked myself out of my house. I didn't know if I would be one hour or three/four hours outside on the back stoop in the heat.

I did finally get my proof of disability signed by a physician on Thursday, then went directly to the county transportation service and turned it in along with the other documents they needed to register me in their system. So, this gives me a bit more freedom to come and go when I need or want to go somewhere...

My son sent out his Iraq email address, so now i can chat with him anytime, which is a great thing for this mother. Mostly we chat about what he wants in his care packages...coffee pot, coffee, creamer, cigarettes, favorite crackers, etc.

[stevem53]

Sounds like a good deal....Its a better deal than Im getting right now

[rosebud]

I'm alive and doing well at my son's place on Vancouver island. I am however a little isolated as I cannot get my e-mail to work on this computer. VERY frustrating. So if you havn't heard from me in awhile (there are a few of you I keep in touch with) this may be the trend until the end of August. We are waiting patiently, mostly, for a new grandchild to arrive around Aug 14. Sept 2 is the 1st birthday for the twins already!!! I am staying busy cropping a whole whack of old family photo's my son accidently aquired while retrieving some of his storage from his fathers house. I'm going to do one of my "quick & dirty" scrapbooks. Went to Wal-Mart yesterday and got cardstock and misc supplies so I can get started. Those old wide angle 35mm point and shoot cameras took remarkably few good pictures. I'm cropping away pounds of photo background and out of focus friends!

I'm still reading as many of the posts as time allows. The weather is great here and I'm feeling quite relaxed. The next big change in my life is coming in October when I'll be moving closer to my daughter. I'm really looking forward to that. I'll get to hang out with the twins!

hang in there (not that you have a choice...)