2-28-11

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Make sure you visit April's blog to pick up the BB page I made using her Mardi Gras Kit! Just click on the preview below.

2-27-11

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Shame, shame, shame!!!

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Dear Wisconsin Republican Assemblymen,

Shame on you!

Shame! Shame! Shame!

The Day Ginger Snapped part 15

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"All right then, Miss Granger, you're all set up in room 407. The elevators are around the corner and to the left, but Felix here will be more than happy to help you with your bags," as the desk clerk said this he gave a knowing nod to someone behind me and Felix magically appeared to take my bags.

"Thank you very much." I smiled as Felix took the room key and picked up my bags. I turned to follow him toward the elevators and we had just rounded the corner when I heard the desk clerk call out to me. I waited to see what more he wanted from me.

"Excuse me, miss, I was supposed to give this to you when you checked in and I almost forgot. It was left by your traveling companion when he checked in earlier today."

I couldn't help but smile at the poor guy because he had obviously gotten me mixed up with someone else. "You must be mistaken. I'm traveling alone." I smiled at the poor overworked desk clerk.

He cleared his throat and looked around to make sure no one was standing close enough to over hear what he said, "Miss, he told me that would be your response. I assure you this message is for you. Your companion did a very nice job of describing you for me. You have my word that we understand your need for discretion and privacy." He took another look around us and smiled at an elderly couple getting off one of the elevators.

I was completely confused but decided that I wanted to know what the note said. So, I played along and took it from him. I mean, what if the note actually belonged to someone famous that was staying at the hotel or an international spy or something? I just had to read it!

I also pretended to search the area for eavesdroppers. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is to know that I have such a reliable person looking out for me. Thank you." With that being said I slipped a five dollar bill into his hand and turned to get on the waiting elevator with Felix.

As soon as the doors closed I laughed out loud and opened the note to read it.

Ginger,

Imagine my surprise when I heard that you would be
in town and staying at the same hotel as I am!
I am in the adjoining room.
Please knock when you are ready for a Margarita.

Always, Alden

I leaned back on the elevator wall to steady myself because I could feel my knees getting weak and my heart starting to race.

Alden! Alden is here! Oh my God, I think I'm going to throw up!

"I take it that you received some good news, Miss." When Felix said that I looked up to see that the elevator had stopped and he was holding the door open, waiting for me to exit.

I quickly left the elevator and fell in step behind him as he led me toward my room. "It's news. I can only hope it's good news." I was holding the note so tightly in my hand that my fingers were starting to turn ghostly white.

As Felix set my bags down to open the door, I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. When he turned to look at me I put my finger to my lips in a motion to keep him quiet and whispered, "I can take it from here, thank you." He looked at me rather strangely, but
decided not to question me once he saw that I was holding out a ten dollar tip for him.

Felix tilted his head toward me as a thank you, took the tip and quietly walked away. I whispered a silent thank you to him as he was leaving.

I opened the door as quietly as I could and set my bags inside. I was relieved to see that the lights were already on. I wasn't planning on turning any lights on myself until I decided what I was going to do about Alden Cassidy.

I opened my carry on bag and took out my tooth brush. Then I decided that I probably shouldn't run the water just in case Alden could hear it in his room. I decided to rinse my mouth with
mouthwash instead. I looked at my makeup and decided that was a hopeless cause. I smelled my armpits and lifted my shirt to add more deodorant. I tried to remember what underwear I was wearing but couldn't so I had to unzip my jeans and look. They were blue and lacy and very uncomfortable, so I figured they were perfect and left them on.

Then I tiptoed over to the door that separated our rooms and put my ear up against it to see if I could hear anything coming from his side. I couldn't hear anything, so I backed away while I tried to decide what to do.

Should I knock? Should I ignore him? Should I run downstairs and try to change rooms?

I decided to put my ear against the door and listen again. As I tiptoed forward, I somehow managed to trip on my own feet and fell into the door making the loudest "thump" I had ever heard. There was no way that Alden missed hearing it or the four letter word I accidentally yelled out.

"Ginger, is that you?" I heard Alden say and I'm not sure, but I think he was laughing.

I silently said every four letter word I had ever heard before I answered him.

"Who's there?" I said trying to sound surprised. I thought that was a pretty clever response.

When he answered there was no doubt that he was indeed laughing. "You know good and well who this is. Now stop playing games and open the door."

Oh God, please don't desert me now!

I opened the door and smiled my best smile at him. "Alden Cassidy! Why are you in New York and how did you know that I would be here?"

Oh Lord, this man looks good!

Alden was standing in the doorway wearing jeans and a blue button down shirt. He had slipped his shoes off and I could see that he was wearing navy socks. He was smiling from ear to ear and he had a Margarita in each hand.

"What have you been doing? I've been standing here holding these drinks for the last five minutes. I thought you were never going to knock." He handed me one of the drinks and as I took it he stepped forward into my room. I moved to the side and pointed him toward a chair.

"You might want to get some ice or a wet towel to put on your face." Alden's eyes glistened with laughter as he spoke. "Your cheek's a little red where you knocked on the door with it."

My free hand immediately went to my face to cover it up and he immediately cracked up laughing.

"Stop laughing! It really hurts!" I whined.

He sat down and made himself comfortable while I got some ice out of the mini refrigerator that was in the room and wrapped it in a towel. I then sat in a chair opposite him and drank my drink with one hand while the other held the towel in place on my face.

"Really, Alden, why are you here?"

He looked at me for a moment as if he were trying to decide if he wanted to tell me the truth. Finally he smiled and answered, "I wanted to buy you a Margarita."

I love this man!

"I thank you for the drink. Now be honest, who told you where I would be? Was it Bonnie?"

I must have sounded as if I were close to tears, because well, I
was. I had embarrassed myself in front of this man enough in
Charlotte. Now, he was here in New York. I had wanted to think that
he would give up on his stupid idea of a story and would forget all about me. Sadly, that wasn't happening.

Alden leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on his knees to speak to me. This was very upsetting because it's the exact same posture my father would use when I was a kid and he was about to tell me how much trouble I was in and what the punishment would be. I just knew Alden was about to give me some kind of bad news. Then he smiled and reached out to grab my hand as I placed my empty drink glass on the table.

"I did talk to Bonnie, but she didn't tell me where you were. She actually just told me to go to hell. Then she passed the phone off to Linda. Linda asked some very personal questions that I'm sure her mother would not approve of. Then she said that she had to go pee and handed the phone off to Grace. Grace told me all about her new boy toy and she even let me talk to him. He sounds like a very nice guy. Gail grabbed the phone away from him. She is certain that you
are certifiable and is almost sure that you may be armed and dangerous."

I couldn't help but laugh. He must have called the bar again after my update yesterday. "Well, I may be unlucky in love, but I've got friends worth dying for."

"Yes, you do. So, why don't you give this hunt of yours up and go home?" He took his hand off my knee and sat back in his chair.

"I can't. I started this and I just have to see it through. Besides, I found two losers already and I can't tell you how much that has improved my self esteem."

"That's my girl. You're not a quitter and I like that. However, I must warn you that I promised Gail I would get you into a hospital no matter what."

I relaxed and placed the ice towel on the table beside my empty glass. "So, you're here to have me committed?" I smiled.

"It was the only way she was going to tell me where you were. I had to promise. You understand that, don't you?"

"I understand that you are going to be in big trouble when Gail finds out that you lied to her."

"Who said I lied? I figure that I can take you out to dinner and on the way we can stop off at a hospital and use their bathroom or something."

I reached out and slapped his knee. Laughing, I said, "You're awful! I appreciate the offer, but I already have dinner plans tonight."

He placed his hands over his heart and acted like he had been shot. "Are you going to pass up dinner with me to go out with another one of your losers?"

"Yes, but I'm not so sure this guy is a loser. You see, so far the losers have all suggested we get together for lunch and all the winners have suggested dinner. Kyle suggested dinner at his place
tonight."

"Ouch, that hurts even more!" Alden watched me for a moment then asked, "What are you going to do now? We could kill a couple of hours and do some sight seeing."

"Thanks, but I'm really not interested in seeing the inside of a New York hospital. I really just want to take a nap before I have to get ready."

Alden stood up and placed his hands on the arms of my chair. He leaned in and lightly kissed my cheek where I had scrapped it. Then he stood straight and smiled at me as he ran his fingers lightly over the hurt.

"Good luck tonight. If you want to talk when you get home, I'll be next door." Then he walked out of the room and closed the door without ever giving me another look.

Drats! I should have asked him for another Margarita!

Life Happens Kit by Scraps of Ellay & IvoryKeys Digital Dreams

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Check out this beautiful new collab kit by Scraps of Ellay and IvoryKeys Digital Dreams called Life Happens...



This ginormous kit is beautiful and perfect for all of life's moments! It's also packaged as one large kit so you don't have to worry about buying different parts to have everything.

Here are a couple of layouts I made with the kit...





Visit the Scraps of Ellay blog and IvoryKeys Digital Dreams for more layout inspiration. Then go to Stuff to Scrap to buy this beautiful kit!

A much calmer day!

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Today was a much calmer day. Thank goodness!

I even took Martha (the GPS) down on Collins Avenue this afternoon. I was feeling sorry for her after last weekend and didn't want to risk having her mad at me and totally getting me lost someday. (I think Martha holds grudges)

At least it wasn't a Monday...

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I arrived at school this morning to find that just like after all our long weekends, the air conditioning was out and several building had been tagged by the local neighborhood trouble makers. The day kind of went downhill from there. lol!

One of the boys in my class got sick and when I say he got sick I mean he got SSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!! He just kind of exploded and I ended up needing someone to clean my floor, one of my carpets, two of my tables, four chairs and three kids.

I sent kids to the office to get cleaned up and took everyone else outside while our room got cleaned. They thought that was just the best thing ever!

Being outside was fun right up until the point where another teacher came to the door and yelled out to us that we were under a code red and needed to get inside. I ran to the door in time to see the lady that works in our office running down the hallway to come get us and all the other teachers locking their doors. I started gathering my kids together as quickly and as calmly as I could before the terrorist/gang bangers/aliens/zombies or whatever could get us. My kids were really good and came into the building with no problem. However, there were several complaints about having to go back into the "sick room". I admit to not blaming them cause I was in no hurry to go back in there either. lol!

Our custodian, a very nice lady who doesn't really speak much English, was still cleaning and our room. I got the kids inside and out of her way then tried to explain to her that we were on a lockdown and she would need to stay in the room with us. She looked at me, smiled, shook her head up and down and said yes.

I went back to talking to my class and getting them settled down when all of a sudden I heard the door to our room---the door that I had locked and closed myself---close. I quickly looked up thinking, "Please be the ghost...please be the ghost...please be the ghost!" It wasn't the ghost. It was the custodian that I had just told to stay in my room-----leaving.

My next thought was, "OMG! She's going to get shot/stabbed/probed/eaten or whatever and I'm going to be on the six o'clock news because she was supposed to be in my class." I know that was a really selfish thought to have, but I was having a really bad morning and thought I deserved to be a little selfish. Plus, I REALLY didn't want to be on the news!

I couldn't freak out because I had a room full of kids. I let them know that it was OK to go to their seats and sat down myself to take a deep breath. Well, I didn't get to sit for long and the breath I got wasn't very deep. I suddenly had kids freaking out because the custodian left without cleaning up all the mess.

I couldn't ask the kids to sit there with the mess still all over everything and no one was going to come clean it up because we were on a lockdown. I had to clean it up myself. Trust me, you have no idea how hard that was for me to do. I don't handle things like that very well!

I was super proud of myself though because I got the job done and once again let my class know that they could go to their seats. They checked everything out very carefully before sitting down. One girl did everything but go over her chair with a magnifying glass! lol!

As soon as I got everyone quiet and seated and was heading for my own chair I heard the door---the door that I locked and closed myself---open. It was the lady from the office coming to get the bookbag of the kid who had gotten sick. I thought that was really strange because during a lockdown no one can come into or leave the building. That means his parents wouldn't be allowed to check him out.

I was about to ask her about that when I heard my Principal's voice come over the radio she was holding. He announced that the main campus was locked down and secure and the Drill was now over.

There were no terrorist/gang bangers/aliens/zombies or whatever and I wasn't going to be on the six o'clock news.

Why didn't someone just tell me that it was a drill? lol!

When the day finally ended I came home, grabbed a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints out of the freezer, threw myself on the couch and started telling Orange Croc Guy about my day. His only response was..."Well, at least it wasn't a Monday."

2-22-11

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Problems with downloads

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I've gotten several emails saying that there are problems with some of my downloads stored at box so I tried them myself and....you're right! lol!

I'm not sure what the problem is, but hopefully it will get fixed soon.

If you continue to have trouble just let me know.

Sorry!!!

PS---I thought this quote was perfect for the download situation and once I saw it was from Liza Minnelli I laughed and laughed. Maybe this is why she was in my dream the other night. lol!

Lucky Leprechaun Brag Book Page Freebie!

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I've posted the Monday Freebie on April's blog. Make sure you check out her blog store while you're there. Just click on the preview below...

Have a great week!

Dreams, Ghosts and a GPS that hates me!

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OK, I looked back over the posts I've made the last couple of weeks and I have to say that I am BORING when I don't feel well! Maybe telling you about the day I had today will make up for boring you so much lately.

First of all I had to set the alarm to go off at my normal wake up time today because I needed to take a test to add onto my teaching certificate. Let me tell you, getting up at 6 AM on a Saturday morning is no fun! Actually, I'm pretty sure that the last time I saw 6 AM on a Saturday was because I was still up from the night before. lol!

Anyway, I went to bed a little early last night knowing that waking up this morning wasn't going to be easy or fun. That's when I had the first dream of the evening. It was short and sweet! I dreamed of Charlie. My wonderful Charlie.

In the dream, he asked me for a little kiss. I told him no and said that I only wanted big kisses. lol! Then he kissed me and I'm telling it felt real. I know it gross to open your eyes when getting a big kiss, but Charlie's been gone for almost 5 years and I just wanted to look at him, so I opened my eyes. Sadly, when I opened my eyes in the dream; I opened them in real life too and that was the end of that dream. It was a good though and I was happy!

I looked at the clock and saw that I still had three hours to sleep. So, I forced myself to stop thinking about my dream and to drift back off to sleep again. That's when the not so short and sweet dream happened.

I must have really been thinking about waking up for the test because that's what I dreamed about. I dreamed that I got to the testing center and the lady in charge was the lady that owned the little stationary/gift shop I worked in while I was in college. (She hadn't aged a bit!) We talked for a few minutes about how good it was to see each other then she started checking me in. I showed her my two forms of identification even though she already knew me and she asked for the printed confirmation I got when I scheduled the test. Well, I had forgotten to bring it with me. She said that I wouldn't be allowed to test, my $200 would not be refunded and I had to leave the test center immediately. I just couldn't understand. She had confirmed who I was and my name was in her system so she knew why I was there but she still wouldn't let me take the test. She even threatened to call the police if I didn't leave. I picked up my suitcase and walked out determined not to let her see me cry. (I have no idea where the suitcase came from, but it was there and it was mine so took it with me. lol!) I went outside and there were people everywhere. I stood at in the crowd and looked out at something for a few minutes. (I couldn't figure out why so many people were there or what they were watching.) As I turned around to leave I saw the lady from the test center again. She was on her way to mail some letters and she had one for me. She threw it at me and ran away. (Guess she could tell I was still mad about her not letting me take the test. lol!) I stared after her and didn't pick up the letter because I was afraid of what it said. Then, the next thing I know Liza Minnelli is there picking up the letter and handing it to me. (Seriously, people, what is Liza Minnelli doing in my dreams?) The letter said I couldn't take the test for reasons beyond my control so I would be getting a full refund. I woke up after that. I woke up happy again because even though I didn't take the test, I still had my suitcase and I was going to get my money back.

Let me tell you, before I left the house this morning, I made sure I printed out my confirmation sheet and took it with me. They didn't even look at it at the testing center. lol! But, I did pass my test and now I'll be able to add another area to my teaching certificate. I'm not sure why I did this. Kindergarten is the only thing I'm interested in teaching. But, we are on our third principal in six years, so you just never know what the future will bring.

Anyway, let me back up a little bit here so I can tell you about the ghost. I was in the shower this morning when the toilet flushed all by itself. I promise I'm not lying! It really flushed and it scared me! I live alone and toilets shouldn't flush on their own. I stood in the shower for a minute completely freaked out because I was in the bathroom all alone, but the toilet had flushed and the seat was down. That was when I decided I had a ghost and it wasn't Charlie. It couldn't have been Charlie, because he never put the toilet seat down.

I was freaked out, but happy to have a polite ghost that put the seat down. I did the only thing I could think to do. I asked the ghost to fix me some bacon and eggs for breakfast and continued on with my shower. The ghost didn't cook breakfast for me, but I wasn't upset. It probably would have if I had actually had some bacon and/or eggs in the house. I had to settle for my usual bowl of cereal. Then I also had a mini Snickers bar because it was barely 7 AM and I had already had a long day. Plus, I read somewhere a long time ago that you should eat something sweet an hour before you take a test.

I made sure I had my two forms of ID, my confirmation receipt, my lucky underwear (I decided my lucky underwear was the first clean pair I found cause I seriously need to do some laundry!) and I left for the testing center hoping the ghost would clean and do laundry while I was gone. I punched the address I needed to go to into the GPS and took off.

I'm not sure if my GPS system is angry with me, jealous of the ghost or just bored and wanted to do some sight seeing but that stupid thing took me through parts of town I have never seen before and hope to never see again. I had no idea where the testing center actually was so I had no choice, but to do what Martha (Martha is my GPS' name) told me to do. Right before Martha took me on the scenic tour I remember thinking that I could probably just go straight, but I turned right just like she told me to. 15 minutes and several turns later I arrived at the testing center. It wasn't until I finished the test and asked Martha to take me home again that I realized I knew where I was. Even though I'm not 100% familiar with that part of town, I was correct in thinking that I could go straight. Had I done that I would have arrived at the testing center about 14 minutes earlier then I actually did.

I got home and discovered that the ghost I have doesn't clean or do laundry, but I had passed my test, I didn't get lost in Miami and the toilet seat was still down so I was happy anyway.

I napped, ate lunch, played on the computer, watched some TV shows that have been recorded on my TIVO since January and held several one way conversations with the ghost. Look, I'm happy about the whole toilet seat thing, but I think it should at least talk to me. I mean, how else can I make it clear that being in the bathroom and flushing the toilet while I'm in the shower really isn't appropriate? Orange Croc Guy says the ghost probably read my blog and ran away in fear. (He's so mean.)

Tonight, we went back into Miami for dinner. I drove so I could show everyone how crazy Martha the GPS is and why I think she's jealous of the ghost. Martha played nice going to dinner, but coming home was a whole other story. Apparently, Martha wanted to party cause she kept telling me to head for Collins Avenue. Even when I was sitting right in front of my building and I could see the little destination flag on Martha's screen she was telling me to turn right. I needed to turn left to go through the security gate, but Martha told me repeatedly to turn right and she had Collins Avenue highlighted. Seriously!!!

Drive on Collins Avenue on a Saturday night! A Saturday night when the boat show is in town! I think not! There's a reason we always walk when we are heading toward Collins. It's called traffic...and bars. lol!

Now, that I'm telling you my story, I realize that poor Martha probably hasn't been on Collins Avenue in the evening, much less a Saturday evening. OMG! She really did want to party!!!

Of course, maybe there was something on Collins Avenue tonight that I was supposed to see. Maybe I've missed some major connection or turning point in my life because I refused to turn right when the GPS said to over and over again.

Oh, good grief! Sounds like I'll be dreaming about Collins Avenue tonight. That is if the ghost doesn't wake be up by flushing the toilet.

2-19-11

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The Day Ginger Snapped part 14

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"Well, Ginger, that story wasn't as funny as the last one, but you're right, he is a loser. I'm going to pee now, then I'm going to get my free Ginger-rita. Love you!" Linda's voice got harder to hear as she talked. I guess she was running away from the phone and toward the bathroom as she said good-bye.

"I don't care if the story is funny or not! The only thing that matters to me is that he has a horrible, horrible life." I said for anyone that was still listening.

"Ginger, hostility is another sign of a mental disorder. I'm not sure which one it is though, so why don't you just take yourself straight to the hospital and talk to a doctor about it."

"Give it up, Gail, I'm not any crazier than you are!"

"In that case you really need to get to a doctor and start some serious medication!" Gail insisted.

"I want to hear about the winner. Is he available?" Bonnie asked hopefully.

"No, he ended up marrying the girl he dumped me for. He's a financial planner and she owns a bakery. She even has her own cooking show on a local channel here. They live in a private
community. They have a teenage son and twin daughters. They still hold hands when they go out in public. It's sickening really."

"Ginger, fill us in on what to expect next week." Hal shouted out over the free drink orders that the crowd was demanding.

"I have no idea what to expect myself, guys. I'm off to New York in the morning though, so wish me luck."

"Luck!" was being shouted out by every drunk in the place as I disconnected the call.

Wuv You QP freebie

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Click on the preview below to head over to the Stars of Ellay CT Blog and pick up the quickpage I've made for you using the Wuv You Kit.

Back among the living

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OK, I'm really starting to feel better. I only have a couple more doses of medicina to take and my coughing attacks aren't as bad as they were this time last week. Plus, they're also not happening as often! YIPPEE!!!

I've gotten lots of sleep this week and that has been kind of awesome!!! As a matter of fact---think I'll go get some sleep now. lol!

2-16-11

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Words of advice...

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OK, here's my advice to you...

When you're sick and on serious medication, do not sit and watch three straight hours of Celebrity Ghost Stories. You'll want to stay awake because of the crazy dreams you're having, but you won't be able to because of the medicine.

Catching Fireflies BB page Freebie

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I've put up a Brag Book page freebie for you on April's Blog. It was made using Catching Fireflies. You can buy the kit in April's blog store.

Just click the preview to go to April's Blog and get your freebie.

Paree

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I can't think of a better kit to release on Valentine's Day than one with a Paris theme and Scraps of Ellay has got one for us. Check out this beautiful kit called Paree...

This kit has 20 papers, 47 elements and a full alpha. Don't feel bad if you don't have any Paris pictures to scrap, because this kit is perfect for so many other things! Especially Valentine's Day and love!!!

I pulled out some of my pictures from the spring break trip to Paris I took a couple of years ago. Check out my layouts...

Check out Ellays blog for more layout inspiration then visit the Scraps of Ellay store at Stuff to Scrap to buy the Paree kit!

2-13-11

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Oh man, what a bummer!

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This is the first weekend in a long, long time that is all mine and I'm sick. I went to the doctor yesterday and got two different antibiotics, an inhaler and some killer cough medicine.

So, this is the first weekend in a long, long time that is all mine and I'm probably not even going to remember it. lol!

The Day Ginger Snapped part 13

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I agreed to meet him for lunch at the food court in the mall.

"Wait, did you really just say the 'food court in the mall'?" Linda was laughing hysterically.

"Yes, Linda, I did. Now be quiet and listen." I waited for everyone in the background to stop laughing before I continued.

Anyway, I agreed to meet him at the food court. I figured it was just a safe, public place to meet when he suggested it. I even told him that was perfect because I could get some shopping in while I was at the mall. He made some wise crack about not shop lifting that I really didn't understand, but I laughed anyway.

I was a few minutes late getting inside because I had a really hard time finding a parking space. I circled the food court once and didn't spot him, so I grabbed a seat at a table and waited for him to come find me. Five minutes later I was still sitting there. So, I decided to walk the food court loop again.

Just as I was about to take another seat, a security guard grabbed my arm and said, "Excuse me, Miss, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

"Why is something wrong?"

The security guard cracked up laughing, let go of my arm, took a step back and said, "Ginger, it's me. Jake."

"Oh my goodness! It is you! I guess I wasn't expecting to see you in a uniform."

"Impressive isn't it? I've worked here for a while now and I love to scare the people I know by making them think they're in trouble. Of course, it only works if I see them before they see me." Jake scanned the area for shoplifters as he talked to me.

"Well, it sounds like you really enjoy your job. You must be very happy."

"Oh I am happy. I'm the sixth person in the chain of command around here. I know all about the sales before the general public. I get a five-percent employee discount at all the shops and sometimes they even let me into the movie theater for free." Jake bragged.

"Hey, that's awesome. Congratulations. How many people work in the security department. I said, hoping that I sounded more enthusiastic than I felt.

"There's nine of us all together, but one guy only works part time. Walk with me and I'll give you the grand tour." Jake took another quick scan of the area before starting to move.

When he finally moved Jake started walking toward a set of double doors marked 'Authorized Employees Only' and I fell into step beside him.

"So, you have two full time and one part time employee that work under you?"

"Well, it doesn't really work that way," he said as he held one of the double doors open and motioned for me to enter in front of him. "The person on duty with the most seniority is always put in charge for the day. Only five people have worked here longer than I have and one of
those guys is about to retire. Right now, I'm in charge on Sunday mornings from nine to eleven o'clock and Thursday nights from seven to close."

He pushed open another set of double doors and I followed behind him. I found myself standing inside the security officers break room. There was one table with five chairs around it, a set of lockers, a refrigerator, a drink machine and a poster reminding everyone to 'put safety first'.

Jake opened the refrigerator and took out a large brown paper bag. "I hope you don't mind, but I packed us a picnic lunch and I thought we could have more privacy to talk if we ate back here. I get thirty minutes for my lunch break and I hate to waste it standing in line at the food court."

I couldn't help but smile. He isn't someone I would date now, but the picnic lunch was a nice touch and he did seem to have all of his teeth. "I love picnics. What did you pack?"

"Well, it's actually leftovers from dinner last night, but I've got some chicken and a pasta salad. I figured I could treat you to a drink from the soda machine."

I pulled out a chair and sat down. At this point I hadn't made up my mind if this guy was a loser or a winner, so I knew I had to get him talking about his life.

"Chicken is my favorite! Did you cook it yourself?" I was going to be really impressed if he had.

He started feeding change into the drink machine and pressing buttons, "I'm worthless in the kitchen. About the only thing I can do is boil an egg."

He placed the drinks on the table and started taking the food out of the bag. The pasta salad was in a plastic bowl with a lid and the chicken was on a plate with tin foil over the top. "My mom's the only cook in our house." Jake explained as he started filling two paper plates with food.

"Your mom lives with you?"

"Actually, I live with her. My dad is always joking about how they are going to sell the house and move while I'm at work."

"How long have you lived with them?" I couldn't believe I was talking to a forty year old man that lived with his parents.

"Um, all my life, they're my parents." Jake gave me a look that said that answer should have been obvious.

It was at that exact moment that I knew which side of the board his tally mark would go on.

LOSER!

"Yes, I know that they're your parents, but you had some pretty big dreams in college. I guess I expected to hear that you had become a world traveler or something."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I have been places. Most of the places I saw were on Uncle Sam's dime too. I ended up leaving college mid-semester my junior year and joining the Army. At the time, I thought I was going to make a career out of the Army, but things changed and I ended up leaving after ten years."

"Ten years? That is impressive. What made you leave college to join the military?"

"Actually, I was asked to leave college. I was on academic probation and I got caught in one of the buildings after hours. They thought I was there to try and steal test answers, but really I was just drunk and looking for a bathroom.

"If you needed a bathroom why didn't you just use a tree or the water fountain on front campus like all the other drunk guys did?" I questioned him.

"OK, you busted me." He held out his hands like he wanted me to put handcuffs on them. "I was looking for test answers. It wasn't my fault though. I was doing it on a dare." Jake laughed as the memory came back to him.

I almost chocked on my chicken when he said that. "I'll just bet you were! So, tell me why you ended up leaving the Army when you were half way to retirement."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Burn out mostly. I didn't make rank a couple of times because of my attitude and once I even got busted back down to private because of a disagreement I had with an officer."

"That must have been some disagreement. Did you decide to leave the military or did they ask you to leave?"

"That's not important now. I'm here and I have a great career. What more could I ask for?"

I took that as a sure sign that he had been put out of the Army. "Are you seeing anyone?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm still playing the field and weighing my options. I meet all kinds of women working here so I'm never without a girl on my arm for too long. How about you?" Jake asked between bites of chicken.

"I just ended an eight year relationship. It still burns so I don't care if I never have another man in my life or not."

"Oh come on, you don't really mean that. He just wasn't the right one. You still look Okay, you can find someone else.."

I had to remind myself that he actually thought he was paying me a compliment when he said that I looked 'Okay' so that I wouldn't kick him under the table. "Thank you for that vote of confidence." I still wanted to kick him!

"I tell you what, I get off early today. Why don't you come over and spend some time with me tonight. It's spaghetti night and no one makes spaghetti better than my mom. Plus, my dad just got this new big screen plasma TV and he'll let us order a movie from In Demand."

This poor guy actually sounded like he thought that offer would impress girls. No wonder he's single.

My desire to kick him completely disappeared and I just wanted to kiss him right on the mouth. "I wish I could, but I have other plans."

"Well Okay, but if you change your mind you know where to find me." Jake wiped his mouth on a napkin and started to clean up the table.

I stood and walked to the door. Before I left, I turned and blew him a kiss. After all, I did say that he still looked Okay.

2-10-11

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We're not all miserable!

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OK, so according to the latest Forbes list I live in the second most miserable city in America. They said the only thing keeping us out of the number one spot is our awesome weather and lack of state income taxes. Well, isn't that enough to keep us on the happy list? I've lived in states with high state taxes before and it's no fun!

Maybe our politicians are corrupt, but really isn't that true of politicians everywhere?

Sure we've got one of highest violent crime rates in the country, but have you seen how crime is on the rise in small town America? Now, that's scary!

We have no subway system and the metrorail has a limited run so the rush hour commute is a pain, but those express lanes on the interstate are awesome and so worth the price!

Our housing market is in the toilet right now, but our houses are close to, if not on, the beach!

You would have to actually go to Cuba to get a better Cuban sandwich and the Columbian pastries are to die for. You can walk along the boardwalk any afternoon and do your star watching. I still tell the story of talking to Mark Consuelos in line at Walgreens! We have Mojitas all year long not just in the summer. There is always a party or celebration going on somewhere. We have awesome museums with free family nights. If you like to sit and people watch, just come to South Beach...you'll see all kinds of people!

Don't believe the hype! Miami is beautiful! Come visit me anytime. I'll give you a tour.

YUCK!

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Remember when I said I would let you know how mad I was at my doctor for that stupid shot? Well, the answer is that I am REALLY, REALLY ANGRY!

I feel awful! I went to the nurse at school today hoping that I had a fever so I could go home, but no such luck.

Another Kiss Me Brag Book Freebie

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In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day I've got another BB page freebie for you on April's Blog. I used the Kiss Me kit again to make this one. Just click on the preview below to go to April's Blog and get your download link.



Have a great week!

New Kit by Scraps of Ellay & A Challenge!

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Scraps of Ellay has released a new kit called Wuv You just in time for Valentine's Day. This kit is super cute! Just check out the preview...

This kit has 17 papers, 50 elements and one full alpha. Check out my layouts...

You can buy the full Wuv You kit in the Scraps of Ellay store at Stuff to Scrap.

After you pick up the full kit, visit Ellay's Blog for more layout inspiration and check out the Stars of Ellay CT Blog for a Wuv You Challenge.

A Happy Ending

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First of all, let me say thank you for the advice you gave in my earlier post. I should have taken it. I should have listened. I mean everything you said was true and it matched the answers I got from the magic eight ball and when I tossed a coin to decide what to do. I even did a two out of three deal on the coin toss. lol!

FYI: If you have an obligation that you really don't want to keep and you resort to coin flipping to decide what to do --- everyone involved will be better off if you just break the obligation!

I tried to do what I was supposed to do because I thought it was the right thing, but when the right thing makes you cry, maybe it's not really the right thing afterall.

I gave Orange Croc Guy a call and let him know that I was over everything and on my way home. The guy knows me so well that he met me with a pitcher of margaritas. Then to make everything even better he offered to treat me to fajitas!

That's right! He actually encouraged me to order them so the cute fajita guy would come over AND he didn't even make fun of me like he usually does. OCG really does rock!

The cute fajita delivery guy arrived and said he was glad to see me! He totally rocks too!

Now, the only problem I have in my life is the cold I seem to be developing. The cold I had no signs of until yesterday---three days after my doctor insisted that I just had to get the pertussis shot.

I'll let you know in a day of two how mad I am at my doctor. lol!

Ellay's Having A Birthday Sale!!!

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Ellay is having another 25th birthday. (Love you, Ellay!) We all get to be part of the party by saving 50% in her Stuff to Scrap store today and tomorrow! Isn't that awesome!!!

Everything is on sale, including the beautiful new Wuv You kit. I'll have some layouts to make with this kit to show you later. I also used it to make my Valentine's Day candy bars.



So, head over to her store and do some shopping while you can. Afterall, a girl can only have so many 25th birthdays. lol!

What would you do?

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I'm not purposely trying to be cryptic, but I want some advice and I can't give you all the details because I need to protect the innocent. lol!

I have something that I'm working on and there are people who depend on me to hold up my part of the bargain. I'm doing the best I can do, but it's kind of a thankless chore and most of the time I feel like I'm just wasting my time.

Sometimes I'm happy with how things are going other times it feels like I have nothing more to offer and they aren't interested in or happy with my contribution anyway. I tell myself that what I'm doing is for a good cause then I think about the hours it takes me away from my real life, my blog, my friends, scrapping, crafts and even the cute fajita delivery guy and I tell myself that the rewards aren't worth the sacrifice.

So here's my question, if I'm not happy and I have reason to believe that the other people aren't happy (They say they are, but this is a case of actions speaking louder than words.) do I still need to continue? Do I continue to show up when no one really cares if I'm there or not? Do I continue to show up when I don't feel like I have anything to bring to the table?

What would you do?

The Day Ginger Snapped part 12

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"Hello everybody! It's me, Ginger" I heard what sounded like a hundred voices calling out hellos and whistles in response. "Well, I guess I don't have to ask if I'm on speaker phone." I laughed into the phone.

"Hello, Ginger! All the regulars are here and we've even had a few more people join the party. I have personally made sure that everyone has a fresh drink and I'm standing by with the board to update the tally marks. So far the score is winners over losers 2 to 1. What news have you got for us today?"

"I managed to track down two of the guys I dated in college. They both live in Greensboro. Do you want the long stories or the short ones?"

There was lots of shouts in the background. It seemed that the crowd was divided as to whether or not they wanted the long version of my stories.

"Oh my God, you guys, stop encouraging her! Ginger, I demand that you check yourself into a hospital right now." I could hear Gail getting booed in the background.

"So, Gail, how's that petition of yours coming along?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Are you having hallucinations now? Ginger, you are off your rocker and you need to come home before something bad happens to you!" Gail screamed at the top of her lungs.

"It's too late, Gail. Something bad has already happened."

"Oh my God, did you get arrested? Do you need bail money? Do you know where you are? Do you know who the President of the United States is?"

"Calm down. I can only answer one question at a time." I said laughing.

"Well..." Gail waited for my answers.

"The answers are no, no, yes and unfortunately I do."

"Oh you think you've got jokes? Well, they aren't really going to help you out when you finally get locked up in the loony bin. Now, are they?"

"Gail, leave Ginger alone! I own this bar so I get to ask all the questions. Ginger, whose picture is on the ten dollar bill?"

"How am I supposed to know?" I shouted.

"Hey, the girl sounds normal to me. Let's get down to it! Ginger, tell us up front where this weeks tally marks go and then we'll move on from there."

"Well, put the first mark on the loser side." I could hear all kinds of cheers and people were saying something about free drinks in the background.

"Ginger, it's Linda. I was in the bathroom because I had to pee. What did I miss?"

"Not much really. I just told them that they needed to add a tally mark to the loser side." There were more cheers in the background.

"That's so cool! Now Hal owes everyone a free drink! Did you know that he promised everyone a free drink for every loser you found? I don't think he thought he would have to buy any more drinks after last week."

"I'm so glad I could make you guys happy." I mumbled, "But the bad news is that you also have to add a tally mark to the winners side of the board."

"That makes the score three to two everybody! Ginger, are you ready to come home now?"

"No, Hal. I'm flying to New York in the morning. I think I have another old college boyfriend that lives there now." There were more cheers and boos in the background.

"Ginger, my boy toy wants to hear the loser story!" A drunken Grace shouted out.

There were yet more cheers in the background. I really don't think people get this excited at Super Bowl games.

"Grace, I'm glad you're there. How are you?"

"I'm drunk, thank you very much! Hal is making us special Ginger-ritas in your honor."

"I'm afraid to ask, but just what is a Ginger-rita?"

"It's a blue Margarita on the rocks with L shaped ice." Gail proudly announced.

"Why is the ice L shaped?"

What sounded like three hundred voices all answered my question at once... "LOSER!"

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, guys." I just wanted to cry.

"Oh Ginger, he's not calling you a loser! He's hoping you'll find some losers!"

"Well, I found one. Do you guys want to hear the story or not?"

In response, I heard people chanting, "Ginger-rita, Ginger-rita..."

"OK, shut up you hoodlums and listen..."

2-3-11

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2-2-11

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I've never taken antidepressants, but I do love Glee and seeing this on postsecrets made me laugh!

Oh course, I made Orange Croc Guy sit and watch tonight's rerun of the Glee Rocky Horror show. He was not impressed. I thought it was fox-eee! lol!