Why do people have to be like that?

Yesterday Lee was telling me about a “Lady” (And I use the term lightly) that had pulled into their already crowded and small private parking lot at work. They clearly have signed posted that say “No Parking. Parking for (his company’s name) patrons only. Cars will be towed at owners expense.” Now even if I could not read, I would know that the big red P that was circled in red and had a line through it would indicate that I could not park there. Guess she couldn’t read or just thought that she was “special” or something.
She proceeded to park her car, get out and start to walk across the street. One of Lee’s co workers stopped her and said “Excuse me ma’am but you can not park there. This area is for our store customers only.” She looked at him and said “I am just going across the street.” He proceeded to tell her, “I am sorry but you will have to move your car.” She started in on him with “You people are racist.” REALLY? Nothing was said about the color of your car. Lee’s co worker walked back into the building as she began to pull her car out of the parking spot. She stopped in the middle of the driveway, rolled down her window and threw all the trash in her car out the window. Then began calling all of them every cuss word a sailor knows.
Why do people have to act like that?
What made her think she was above the law and can park in a no parking zone? What is racist about asking you to move your car since you were A. illegally parked and B. not a patron of the store?
Was it really necessary for her to be so belligerent throwing trash and cussing like a sailor? Maybe next time the employee’s should follow the rules and have her car towed at her expense instead of being “civil”.

So many times I hear (and I am GUILTY of it too) people express their opinions out loud. Or express their opinion about a topic that may offend someone standing near by or even the person they are talking to.
I heard this comment this week and it made me go “Hue.”“If people think that riding my bumper while I am in the “fast lane” is going to make me go faster then they have another thing coming!” My first thought was:Why can you just not get out of their way if they are not able to get around you?
But what I really wanted to say was: (and this is the Mario Andretti in me!)“No, we are not only hoping you will go faster, but we are hoping that you will get out of the way and stop holding up traffic!”

Follow the 90/10 rule.
10% of life is made up of what happens to you.
90% of life is decided by how you react.

10% of your issue was that someone was riding your bumper.
90% of why you were still mad about it an hour after you were at work was stress that you brought on yourself. You could have moved over. You could have speed up. (not really safe…but)
It made you mad. “How dare they? Do they not know that I am going as fast as I want to?”
Turn it around.
10% would be spent on moving over. Done finished.
90% would have been spent on getting to work safely, and having a better day instead of letting a stranger mess up your ride into work.

We have rights in America and THANK YOU to all our service members who fight for our rights, but we don’t have the right to be “mean, hateful, rude, crude, obnoxious, belligerent, sassy, mouthy ect…”
We do have the right to treat each other with “kindness, love, respect, compassion, benevolence, humanity, care, concern ect..”

Be kind to one another … and to yourself!

Only one thing to say...start them young ladies!! Shopping princess Ellie!

Just not right...

Some of you might not find this funny, but when you were as tired as I was, didn't feel like shopping, and just wanted to go home to a nice little relaxing drink...you laugh and just say what the??? I guess you can go down this grocery store isle and get your "kicks" and munchies all in one!! Whole new meaning to one stop shopping?

Paint paint and more paint

I took Friday off from work because we refinanced the house for a lower interest rate. In the long run it will be a good investment. So since I was off Friday and Lee would actually be off on Saturday (Two weekends in a row!!) I thought it would be a good idea to get started on painting the inside of the house. Now let me remind you that any sentence that starts with "I thought it was a good idea..." usually ends up not such a good idea after all. Thank the good Lord above that this did turn out OK. I started with our bathroom Thursday after work. I did all the pre cleaning of the walls and taping off and cutting in the corners and baseboards. We decided on a pale yellow and deep red. I know yellow and red right? But it really does look nice. I first saw the colors in a beauty salon in Michigan. (Thanks MJ'S Salon in Oscoda Michigan!) Friday morning I finally got started. Having a power roller I thought I will be done in an hour or so and I could relax the rest of the day. It is so funny how I think things will only take me an hour to do...
First I had to remember how the roller worked. I must have thought that I didn't need the instructions any more because they were no where to be found! My memory slowly started coming back to me as the pump turned on and I pressed the button on the roller. I watched the paint slowly being pumped from the container you pour the paint into, up through the pump and into the tube. I started rolling out the paint and was on my way. I was so proud of myself. I got most of one wall rolled out but had to stop when it reached the edge of the bathtub. I couldn't reach that high up and knew that with my ever so gracefulness, I would slip on the edge of the tub for sure. Safety first right? So I put a chair in the bathtub and started rolling out the wall above the tub and shower. After a couple of rolls I realized I needed more paint in the roller. I press the button and the pump comes on. Yeah we are still good! Wait...no paint is coming out? I look down and see that the tube is no longer in the pump and paint is still coming out. I grab the tube and what happens?? Paint goes every where as I am flinging the tube around saying "Where is the paint coming from!!" Thank goodness all the paint was flung on the bathtub walls, shampoo bottles a little on the bar of soap, and the chair. I put the tube back in the pump and remember what the little black clip on the end of the tube was for. While trying to wipe up the paint that was flung everywhere I managed to step into some paint that was on the chair. I am not giving up yet. I wrestle with the paint container, tube and pump and get started again. I get to the next wall with the toilet. I was able to get the roller around the toilet and knew that I would have a little touch up work to do since it was a tight fit but paint washes off of porcelain right? I finish behind the toilet and look at the wall and see a unique "roller" pattern..."What made that mark?" Oh well, roll over it and WALAA. Done. Another obstacle tackled. The mirror and lights are next. I move the chair to in front of the mirror and get a look at myself before I step up to begin painting above the mirror. Wow, instant hair color that matches the newly painted wall and I created a new faux finish! All I could do was laugh. I am almost done with a 6' by 8' bathroom and so far I am truly covered from head to toe in paint. I still have one more bathroom and our bedroom to do...Lord help me. Three hours later I finally finished painting the bathroom, took a look at my hard work and loved it. Now time for the clean up...should only take about an hour right?

50 years

This past weekend we took a one day trip to Georgia for a very special occasion. It was for Mr. and Mrs. Claude O'Neals 50th Wedding Anniversary. Fifty years of being in love with the same person. Sharing every....well, everything with that person. Uncle Claude and Aunt Myrtle (Sorry for the informality but that is what I call them!) have four very special kids who have wonderful spouses who would not let this very special occasion go by without some kind of celebration. All had a hand in the celebration just like they all have each others hands in their own. I was first introduced to this family over 25 years ago. From the first day that I walked into the O'Neal home in Dale City Virginia, I felt like I was family. My first impression was one of peace, love and family. Even though all the "kids" were going off in different directions, they at one time or another during the day would come together to talk about their day, what was happening in their lives, and what was going on. And then they were off. Off to work, school or to "play". Aunt Myrtle and I would talk about being a wife and later mother. She took my kids in like they were her own Grand kids. I guess after four what is a couple more? She and Claude whether they knew it or not, guided Lee and I in our own lives. We couldn't go to Michigan from Virginia without stopping in Dale City to see them. As we all "grew up" and moved in separate directions, we wouldn't get to see each other as often, but when we do, it is twice as special. Only last year, we introduced them to our next generation of family. Ms. Ellie. And like all the other babies before her, Aunt Myrtle took her under her wing too. Thank you Uncle Claude and Aunt Myrtle. We love you very much.

Green eggs and Ham???

These eggs are not dyed. If I did not see them with my own eyes I would not have believed this. Yes, these eggs really are green. Lee's mom has a friend who has a chicken that will lay colored eggs. Blue and Green. I asked her if they feed them a certain food or if they eat nothing but grass and she said no they just eat regular chicken feed. It is a certain breed of chicken that lay them! It is amazing some of the things that are in our world that are still out there to explore and learn about. So yes there really is such a thing as green eggs and ham!! Sam I am! (Not) I always wondered if Dr. Seuss was real!!

Moja Rodzina (My Family)

For the past ten months I have been researching my family. It all started when we went to Lee's family reunion this summer and he was given a packet of papers that was his complete family history from the first Touchton to come to the United States in 1657. Both of us were so interested in the story of his family and it made me realize how much I was missing out on mine. I started talking to my Aunt about it and she was able to give me some information. It was a start. I talked to a friend and she was able to tell me how she started tracing her family. I started by googling names. Looking up names on the Ellis Island website and any other genealogy website I could find. Including a Polish one. I found Michael Juda, my great Grandfather. Walter Juda my Grandfather. These are their pictures along with my dad. Michael was the first to come to the United States in 1906 from Wola Poland. Our history is small so far but it is a start. I have discovered who my Great Grandparents were, who my Grandparents were and where they all came from. I know there is more to discover and I will keep looking because I now have a sense of who I am.