Help needed

To all of my friends out there, I have been asked by my sister to blog for assistance. She called me this morning with and said one simple thing. "I need to raise money." Here is the situation, and you may need a kleenex because I burst into tears the minute she told me. My 5 year old nephew got in the car yesterday after school and told his her he had heard his dad yelling at her on the phone the night before and he was sorry about that. He then went on to say "Please don't duct-tape me like my daddy did." Now I know 5 year olds can make things up but I do not know too many 5 year olds that know the term duct tape. He went on to describe how the man taped his wrists together and then taped his arms to the side of him at his waist because he did not know three of his spelling words. He told him he was going to stand in the kitchen like that until he could spell the words right. Needless to say she went straight to the police department and filed a report with the police and then went to the town her ex-husband lives in and filed a report. While there she learned that he has had an altercation with said police department in which they either had to or almost had to pull their weapon on him. Laura contacted her attorney. The first officer has contacted the ex in regard to the harrassing phone calls and complaint filed against him. Our attornye is waiting to hear back from the officer. They are supposed to be contacting childrens services. Perry said the same thing I did. How does a 5 year old know that word. So if anyone has any ideas on how to raise money quickly for a legal fund, we would certainly appreciate it. I am already working 3 jobs to help support her since the, pardon my language, asshole doesn't. Please say a prayer that we can work some magic and have all parental rights taken away and come up with a way to pay for the court costs and attorney fees. Thanks!!

In Memory of a lost loved one

I would like to pay tribute to a loved one of my family. Hard to believe it is possible but it has been a year since my Aunt Rose Marie passed away. I had talked about it with my coworker Dona yesterday and her suggestion was to remember that she now is in a better place without pain. She enjoyed spending as much time as possible with her family and would have loved to be with us longer but her body just couldn't do it. Considering she came into this world prematurely, it is not surprising that she would leave it early also. The holidays were her favorite time of year. To her it wasn't about the presents, it was getting together with everyone and having a good time together. There were times when she could drive you bonkers but that was just part of her personality. The more she pestered about something meant the more she cared.

So, my friends, as you read this I ask you to pick up a glass of your favorite beverage and join me in a toast to my aunt, Rose Marie Emerson Hill (November 23, 1956-December 10, 2007), the nosiest angel in heaven. I know you are looking down and watching over us as you did on earth. Loving and missing you today and everyday.

Holiday questionairre

My friend posted this on her blog and said to copy and paste my own answers so here goes.


Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely wrapping paper. my family always can tell which one i wrapped by the amount of tape used.
When do you put up the tree? usually right after thanksgiving but haven't done it yet.
When do you take the tree down? Whenever i get around to it.
Do you like eggnog? Hell No!!!
Favorite gift received as a child? brand new bike
Hardest person to buy for? My father. He has a tendency to purchase things that are ideas for gitfts.
Easiest person to buy for? my mom. anything lighthouses or a good book.
Do you have a nativity scene? no
Mail or email Christmas cards? I have a tendancy to forget to mail them.
Worst Christmas gift you ever received? any type of clothing from my grandmother. She continued to buy my sister and i the same thing, in the same size even though we weren't the same size. nothing ever fit me.
Favorite Christmas Movie? emmet Otter's Jug band Christmas
When do you start Christmas shopping? whenever I find the time and have the money. my mom and i have a tradition of going christmas eve to get last minute items.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? my mom's snowball cookies
Lights on the tree? As many as I can fit on in as many colors as possible
Favorite Christmas song? tie between O Holy Night and Carol of the Bells. Also anything done by the transiberian Orchestra
Travel at Christmas or stay home? travel to my parents, who can pass up christmas in florida?
Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? i'm a teacher, of course i can. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and rudolph.
Angel on the tree top or a star? depends on my mood that year. I have done both.
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? christmas morning but growing up mom always let us open 1 on christmas eve. generally it was pj's or slippers.
Most annoying thing about this time of the year? finding a place to park at the mall or store.
Favorite ornament theme or color? nutcrackers(theme) green, silver, and blue (colors)
Favorite for Christmas dinner? my dad's standing rib roast
What do you want for Christmas this year? world peace, wait a minute that was the answer to my question in the miss america Pagent. seriously, though, I really would like a Nintendo dS with the brain age game

in a funk

I find that I am in a funk today. I know there are things I need to do, like laundry and cleaning the apartment, but I can't seem to motivate myself. When my parents called to remind me of a few things to bring with me when I go up to their place for thanksgiving, my Mom suspected something but I played it off with not feeling to hot, which I don't. As usual, my sinuses are bothering me. But that is not all. I am trully blue. I know the reason and there isn't much I can do about it. I don't want to talk to my family because it will just upset them especially if they didn't remember what today is. I know my sister does and I don't want to upset her. It's just that time of year. Today would have been my Aunt Rose's 52nd birthday. Thanksgiving, her favorite holiday, is just a few days away. And to top it off we are coming up on the 1st anniversary of her death on December 10th. I have tried not to think about it and when I am busy I can keep the thoughts at bay. But today is different. I didn't have any plans so I have kept to my apartment. Left alone with my thoughts. My friends know that can be a dangerous thing. I just miss her so much. She was more than an aunt to my sister and I. She was our confidant. We went to her when we couldn't go to Mom. We told her things that we would never tell our parents. And we always knew she wouldn't say anything. It's hard to not pick up the phone and call her with some little tidbit of info.

Rivalries

It is probably the biggest rivalry in college football, Ohio State University and the University of Michigan. Today is the day that Buckeyes have been waiting for all season long. It doesn't matter how well either team is doing during the year. This is the one game that matters to them. It doesn't matter that Michigan is 3-8 and OSU 9-2. You have to be on your game and go in there like everything depends on it. You can not be too cocky. Already emotions are high on the field. If people thought it was going to be an easy win for OSU, they are mistaken. We have seen it too many times. Should prove to be an interesting game. On another note I would like to wish my parents a happy 39th wedding anniversary.

Here is the latest dilema we are dealing with in my classroom. I recently got a new student. I will call him "RJ" to protect him. He is 18 years old is is a nice young man. He is in a wheelchair due to crippling Cerebral Palsy. He needs assistance to transfer from his chair to the toilet. Two of us have to accompany him since we are all female. I feel bad for my assistants because they are left with all of the bathroom duties since I am not able to lift yet. Whatever task you give him he gives 110%. He is sweet and the other kids love him. He fits in so well. So what is the dilema you ask? He has lived most of his life with his dad and when he turned 18 he was given the choice of whom he wanted to live with. He chose Mom. My transition coordinator told me on Monday that his Mom had called her and told her she couldn't take care of him anymore. What mother would do that? My heart just goes out to him. In the three weeks he has been with us you definitely tell something is up. On Mondays when we ask what he did over the weekend his answer is usually nothing. Did you go anywhere with Mom? No. He got off the bus this morning and he just looked so sad. I honestly don't know what is going to happen to him. He loves being here. You can tell because his mood changes once he is in the room. It makes me want to cry.

random thoughts of the day

I just finished reading the most recent post on a friend's blog. In it she questions whether she will ever get her shit figured out and if not is she normal. My question is, what is normal? And who determines whether we are normal or not? If you ask me, I can definitely tell you I am not normal, nor do I want to be. I like going against the grain. Wouldn't life be dull if we were all normal? Because isn't being normal mean being like everyone else? And do I really want to have all of my shit figured out? For the most part, I can say that I am pretty happy with the path I have chosen for myself. Sure, I would like to have a family of my own but I have proven to myself that I can survive on my own. Living by myself scared me to death. But now, I can't imagine sharing it with anyone else. I have my own routine and it is nice and quiet. Well, except for the dogs and the off kilter washing machine upstairs. I look at my brother and my sister. Both have been married. My brother for 15 years and my sister 2 times with the longest one lasting 4 1/2 years. Are/were they happy? I really don't think so. My sister is heading in that direction now but my brother is and has not been for years. His wife holds things over his head. Everything that goes wrong is his fault and he has to somehow always come up with the solution to the latest problem. The recurring issue with them is money. I love my brother but I can not stand the woman he chose for his wife. I have tried. I always wanted an older sister. But she is not what I wanted. I wouldn't trade his two girls for anything. But for a woman that works in a bank and can balance her drawer every night, she sure has a hard time balancing her checkbook and getting bills paid. Now don't get me wrong, I have had my fair share of money troubles but I soon recognized what I needed to do to correct the situation and what to do so that it didn't happen again. She has not learned that. My parents have helped them many times over the 15 years but as my dad put it, the well has run dry. And not once has that woman thanked my parents for their help. Top this off with the fact that my brothering is losing his job to cutbacks the 1st of December. If it weren't for the girls, I know he would have cut his losses by now. But, my brother is a stand up guy and will honor the vows he made. His health is not the greatest and my fear is that something is going to happen to him. I don't know how much more he can take. I think the best thing is for him to go through with bankruptcy and then file for divorce. He has put up with a lot of emotional abuse from her over the years and it needs to stop. Jeff has no self-worth anymore. Those of you that have known me for awhile know how my sister-in-law can be. You have witnessed the beast in action. I have always been close with my siblings but over the last few years, I haven't been as close to Jeff. I think the distance has something to do with it. But I don't call their house because it is hard to talk to him when she is there. He is a different person when Mary is there. I want my brother back.