So Many Words, So Little Time

Hi everyone. I am gonna be all over the place with this post. I am angry and I am sad, but I'll get to that in a little while. Right now, I want to tell you what I done went and did last week.

Now, ya'll know that my husband is a truck driver. You may or may not have known that he was leasing his own truck. That can have an upside and a downside. Sometimes, the money was good, but most of the time, it sucked. In the end, we were about $5,000 in the hole with his company. And then, last Wednesday, after I read the pay statement saying he was again $741.67 in the red, I called him and said enough. I'd had enough of him being gone for 6 weeks at a time and still not making money. I'd rather be poor and together, than alone and poor anyway. So, I told him to come home.

So... He did. He made his way to Atlanta, where I had to go pick him up. Oh My God. It was crazy. An ice storm hit while we were en route. We left Henagar at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, and got home at 5:15 am on Thursday. Within 30 miles, there were 14 wrecks that the minion and I counted. Then, at around the 290 mile marker on I75 South, we came to a halt. It took us 45 minutes to crawl a whole 3 miles. The reason? A Fed Ex truck with 53 ft trailer, flipped and was hanging over a bridge. On I75 North, traffic was backed up for 5 hours, because 2 tanker trucks collided and Hazmat was called in to clear it before traffic could go through.

I myself, lost control and slid. I was extremely lucky and was able to change lanes, and slow down before getting hurt or hurting someone else. Below is a video of the I75 North traffic jam. No, I didn't take the video. Connie was in the passenger seat.

Alright, moving on. Do you remember this hot mess?  Ok, this is what I'm angry about. Chris and I had made our peace. He had apologized for what happened. We were fine. Well, apparently, a year or so ago, he made a pass at Tabby, the other night shift girl. When my boss found out about him kissing me, she had him banned from the store. Now, it seems they want to press charges against him. That is a big negative. I refuse to do so. Like I said, he and I got straight. I'm so dang angry. I see no point for him to be banned. I see no point in filing charges. I definitely don't see a point in his job being threatened. (We have customers that have charge accounts for fuel. His company fuels at our store.) Alright, there is the anger off my chest.

I end this post with sadness. My favorite customer died. I didn't know him long, but he made an impact on my life. Elder Edward Mines was a good man. He taught me that you can still be young, no matter the age of the body. He showed me that you can be nice even when in pain. He showed me that you can be a Christian without proselytizing. He often told me that I worked too hard and that I was only sweet when sleeping. I hope he finds the home that he believed in. I hope that his passing was easy and that he didn't suffer. Rest in peace, sir. I'll think of you often.

Love to All,
Allie



Craziness at the Batcave.

Has it been a full moon all week long or something? It has been craziness at work lately. It seems like everytime I turn around, something is going on.

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na... Batman!

That is what I wore to work Sunday. For the record, I am a Dark Knight fanatic. I love Batman. Adam West might be the original, but Michael Keaton is my favorite. Christian Bale comes in at a close second, simply because the movies with him are darker, harder, and of course have better graphics.

Anyway, I got all kinds of reactions to it. My favorite was this one old lady. She was probably around 70 or so, 100 lbs soaking wet, and a puff of cotton for hair. As she was leaving, she strikes a pose and says, "To the Batmobile!" I about died. Oh my god. I thought I would never stop laughing. It was great.

Is there a Flirtaholics Anonymous? If there is, I need to go. "Hi, my name is Allie, and I'm a shameless flirt." I can't help it. It is just me. Mom says I get it from Daddy. She said that it was a bone of contention between them in the early years. According to her, he swore he was just being friendly. She admits that after awhile, she could see that he didn't really mean anything, it was just his nature to be friendly and engaging.

The reason for this, is, I was molested at work. I totally brought it on myself too. My husband agrees, and he actually thought it was pretty funny. Alright, so here goes....

There is this guy named Chris. He and I have flirted with each other ever since I started my job in late July. (Definition of flirt: chat up: talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions.) We are both happily married, so I've never thought, or wanted to think, that it was going anywhere. So anyway, he was back behind the Pepsi machine and called me over. I thought something was wrong with it from his tone of voice, so I came around the counter and closed the door. Big mistake.

Chris: You have to see this!
Me: What? I don't see anything? (My hands are kind of down by my side, palms out.)
Chris: This. He grabs my hand and puts it on the front of his jeans. (He's a bold one, huh?)
Me: Holy f**k. You can't do that!

I pull my hand away and start backing away from him. I know that I was blushing and jabbering, but I wasn't exactly coherent enough to remember what I was saying. He advances toward me with the biggest grin on his face. And then....? I smack into the door. Crap. He leans down and kisses me. (Alarms are going off in my head. All I can think is the F word.) I'm pushing against him, and reaching for the door knob. After what seems like an hour, I find it. I jerk the door open and fall backwards. I slam the door shut behind me, and race around to the counter.

"Dude! You can't do that! I'm married! You're married! There are CAMERAS!" I'm blushing and he is laughing. I remember all I could really say was dude, which comes out as doo. I don't know why, maybe my accent?

Anyway, he apologized, and promised not to let it happen again. I called Mom as soon as he left. I told her the whole thing and I could hear her voice shaking with laughter. I admit. It was funny. After the fact. He's been back in since, and while we still flirt, I know he wants more. And he knows that I stand firm, faithful to my husband.

Confession time. When I met my husband, I was dating 5 other guys besides him. If I'm lying, I'm dying. There was Kev, a man 17 years my senior, to the day. To this day, I will still remember the birthday we shared, and all that he taught me. The 2 Jasons, one of which I had tried desperately to have a relationship with, but it just wasn't right. Jeremy, the Paragod, with whom I had an extremely combustible and dangerous relationship. There was Matt, the sweet, naive church going, tied to his mama's apronstrings boy.

To be honest, there are tons more than that, I just don't remember most of their names.  For a very long time in my life, I used love and sex to fill a void in me. It's not that I was addicted to sex, I just craved the attention and affection. Mike is the only man I've ever been faithful to. He's the only one who's ever made me want to be faithful, to tie myself to.

I don't regret a single thing I've ever done. Everything I've done, has made me into the person I am today. I'm not going to say that I don't look back, because we all do. I think of some of the things that I have done, and sure, I wish that I'd handled them differently. Hindsight will always be 20/20.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't regret. If you've done something you wished you hadn't, don't keep reliving the past. Stop being ashamed or embarrassed. Let it go, and move on.

Love to All,
Allie

Wait. What?

My week has been kind of insane. Work has been hectic, home has been hectic, and I've had the flu, and those are some of the easiest things I've had to handle.

My former phone. RIP

My phone decided to commit suicide on Thursday. It was a doomed relationship from the start. I had a tendency to drop it. It had a severe attraction to water. I would lose it for hours on end, growing more frantic in my searchings until I finally found it in the bottomless pit...aka my purse.

I went on a 6 week trip with Mike during the months of June and July of this year. Right before we left, I had slipped the phone into my pocket and climbed down from the truck. There was a puddle of water 4 feet away. Somehow, the phone threw itself from my pocket into the puddle. I didnt even notice it. My husband said, "Uh babe, is that your phone?" Of course I panicked. I pulled it apart with a quickness and dried it out. I left it off for several hours. I used Mike's phone to text my mom and tell her why my phone was off before she called in the Army. (That is a whole nother blog post. I'll go there later.) It was saved.

At that time, I was a housewife. I didn't have any commitments and could just pick up and go where the truck took me. After I got back, I was extremely bored and to the point of cleaning the house for FUN. Something very wrong in that. Anyway, my mom, who works at the Sylvania store, was telling me about the Rainsville store, and how much trouble they were having keeping good help. I know this sounds wrong, but the only reason I applied there is because I felt bad that they couldn't keep good people, and I was bored. Yes, there is a reason to this whole back story. I'm getting there. Patience.

So anyway, a couple months after I started there, I was doing my job and cleaning the bathroom. Yeah, you know where this is going, don't you? I had stuck my phone in my shirt pocket, not really thinking. I had *just* finished cleaning the toilet and had bent over to pick up piece of trash that was in the floor. PLOP. Oh, fan-freaking-tastic. Thank you god, it was clean. Otherwise, well, I'd have flushed it. After I got it out, I cleaned it, then laid it out to dry while I finished the rest of my chores. I left it apart for the rest of the night, calling Mom from the store phone to let her know I was incommunicado for a little while. She really hates that, by the way. And again, it was saved.

The months wore on and my phone and I were inseperable. We went everywhere together, having the best conversations, sending humor out into our little piece of the world. Then one day, my phone started acting a little funny. It would give me the cold shoulder and freeze up in the middle of texting. It would power down in the middle of phone calls. The phone became jealous, keeping me for itself, cutting me off from the outside world.

I tried to coax it into sharing me again, but to no avail. The final straw came when I was on the phone with my dear husband, shopping in Wal-Mart. It turned itself off and refused to come back on.The little punk took all my cool ringtones and awesome pictures with it too. I walked right over to the electronics department, and picked out a new one. (Yes. I'm a Verizon prepay user. It saves money, thank you very much. And I'm a cheap hooker. Just ask my husband.)

Now let me say this. I loved my phone. I could send 5 texts within 60 seconds, easily. I knew just how to work the buttons to make it putty in my hands.

The New Hotness. Name that movie!

So this.. this is my new phone. I like it, but there are reservations. It is pissing me off-fa-fa. And that comedian is? (Sorry, but I'm in a feisty mood, and I quote movies almost as much as guys do.) It's nice, don't get me wrong, but there a few kinks to be worked out. For example, I was texting with my friend Jamie and also with my friend James. Now, maybe this is user error here, but several times, when I was replying to Jamie, I would be in the middle of typing and a text from James would pop up. I'd choose view later, and finish my text. When it sent, it would send to James. What the firetruck? I don't understand. And while the qwerty keyboard is nice, it's SLOW. I'm not as fast as I was with the other phone. I'm sure I'll get used to it, and yes, I am eventually happy. I'm just whining. I'll get over it, or get used to it, one.

Alright, so for some more awesome updates. I've lost a grand total of 39.2 pounds. And as for the blog, I've had 944 page hits since 09/26/10. And of those, I've had recurring visits from France, Russia, Brazil, Croatia, German, and the United Kingdom, as well as the aforementioned Denmark, Lebanon, Canada, and of course, the United States. I've also had referral from sites that I've never heard of. In the photo below, my website has the TOP SPOT. Sorry for the screaming, but that is just amazing to me.

I'm going to bed now, I've got tons of stuff to do before the holidays are seriously upon us.

Love to All,
Allie

Depression and Black Friday.

Depression sucks. Majorly. I hate when I'm depressed. I know what is going on with me, but I still withdraw to the point of little interaction with human beings and only go out when I'm forced to. I don't understand why I get depressed. I know what causes it, I guess, but it still doesn't make it any easier to handle.

I miss my husband. I wish I was on the road with him now. I miss waking up beside him. I miss him being here. Hell, even the dogs miss him. (I say the word Daddy and they go off to the door, looking for him.)

Mike came home for Thanksgiving. He was in for 3 wonderful days. We had dinner at my Dad's house on Wednesday, because I had to work on Thursday. (No, I'm not complaining. It was time & 1/2. Can you blame me?) Mike went over to my Uncle Tim's house for dinner that day. When he picked me up, he had my cousin CJ with him. He's all happy... "Your Aunt Tish had brussel sprouts!" (A veggie that he and I both love.)

Anyway, we'd decided to go to the midnight sale at Wal-Mart. I had never been to one previously, and figured, why not? That's why we had CJ. To give a little background on CJ, he's days away from being 18. He's 6'7 and 235? lbs. He is the spitting image of his father. He is the most polite teenager I have ever met. Every time he sees me, he gives me a spine-cracking hug. He's one of the best people I know, really.

So, Mike is over by the video games with orders to pick up some that CJ would like, and to grab a griddle that is also on sale for Aunt Tish. (That was purely CJ's idea, btw.) CJ was with me stuck smack dab in the middle of panty and bra land because that is where they stuck the $20/500 threadcount sheets. Allie want!

So, CJ and I stroll up to the rack of sheets to check things out and it is already surrounded by some rude, older ladies, and a couple of girls my age. The older ladies took one look at CJ and automatically went on the offence. Going on and on about this is the Auburn side of the rack, you won't get any sheets, blah, blah, blah. Talking serious smack. CJ, being polite, said, "No, ma'am. We're Alabama fans." and proceeds to show her is Alabama tattoo. (Which I totally adore.) She laughs and says, "I bet if we cut him, he'd bleed crimson."  And, I love CJ for this, cause he's got the sarcasm that our family has perfected. He quips, "Ma'am, we ALL bleed crimson." Just smiling, waiting for her to get it. Greatness. That boy has it.

Things rock on, and another lady, probably in her mid to late 60's walks up and looks at the crowd and says, "Well, I doubt I get any sheets." She, another girl, CJ, and I get into a conversation about what sheets we want. I want a king size set, she needs 2 full size sets, and the other girl(Tuscaloosa girl) wants 2 queen size sets. The whole time, the old biddies up front are still talking smack and trying to covertly open the rack. Seriously?!

The associate walks up and makes them back up so she can take off the plastic wrap. And then.... it is GAME ON! CJ, with a quickness, hands me the one I want, goes back for the 2 the older lady wants, and then, hands me a queen size set. We back away from the crowd so we can see who has what. The old lady thanked us and left. I see Tuscaloosa girl (So named because that's where she lives.) and ask her if she got what she wanted.

She sighed and said, "No, I needed another queen size set." I hand her the one that CJ handed me and said, "Merry Christmas!" She smiled and hugged us both.

We were calling Mike trying to find out where he was while also trying to find the griddles. As we got closer to where they should be, We saw 2 ladies walking by, buggies piled high with griddles and crockpots. By the time we got there, the pallet was empty. I joked to CJ that he should've just ganked (thugged, thieved, stolen) one from the other ladies. He said, "Nope. If I can't get it the right way, I won't get it. Maybe I can find a decent one for Mama anyway." (I am telling ya'll, that is one good kid. Ladies, once he's out of college, he's going to be a catch. He's going for Civil Engineering. Smart, good looking, polite. Alabama fan. Some girl will be happy one of these days. :P)

After an hour, we locate Mike. Not only does he have a couple of games for CJ, he also snagged the last griddle. CJ just smiled. We paid for our things and headed for the Huddle House. Mmmm. Strawberry French Toast. Drool.

Anyway. That's the end of it. I'm sorry I've not been around for a couple of weeks. I pull into myself and don't really know how to get out of it. I'm going to try harder to be better at this. I love you all and thank you for the support.

Love to All,
Allie

Drugs Are Bad, M'kay?

Thursday started out like any other normal night at work. I should've known things were going to get weird when a clearing company showed up and pumped $953.30 of off road diesel. That is a whole lot of fuel.

For those of you who don't know, on road and off road diesel are the exact same thing, except for the fact that off road has a dye in it. Anyway, off road fuel is usually 30 cents cheaper per gallon than on road. I think the most I've ever sold was like $75.00 because whoever it is (DOT?) that checks it will give you a hefty fine if they catch you running it in your regular on road/tagged diesel vehicle.

Anyway, when I came in, they'd already been there 30 minutes and me and my assistant manager were both kinda what the heck about it. The truck had been parked kinda funny, so we couldn't see the name of the company, truck number, nada. So... I get the brilliant idea to go check the trash can out by the pumps. I made conversation with the guys who were pumping and I checked it out. It was a 1000 gallon tank in the back of a box truck. What can I say? I'm a paranoid freak like that. (This becomes evident later that night.)

So anyway, the night rocks on and I'm dusting when one of our regular customers comes in. She and I chat all the time. She'd just finished paying when another regular pulls up to the pump. She automatically backs away from the door and asks me if it was a certain kind of car. I confirmed it and she said, "That's my cousin. He and I have bad blood. Watch this, I'm gonna fix him." I distinctly remember telling her not to start any trouble up there.

About 30 minutes goes by and the guy finally comes into the store, followed by my mom and two police officers. (That time is completely normal. I've had folks stand outside and talk for an hour before coming in to pay.) I've seen the cops before and they ask me if I know who is driving the car on pump 1. I shook my head no and the guy that had walked in pipes up with, "It's mine." (Oh, yeah... I'm thinking. I swear, every single time I see his car, I wonder whose it is because it has TN tags on it.) They ask him to step outside and he said that he would after he paid for his stuff.

My Mom's eyebrows couldn't get any higher on her forehead, at least I don't think so. We were both tripping hard. Another thing you might not know. Anytime there are cops in a gas station parking lot, everyone and their brother shows up. Everybody must know what is going on... Right that moment.

So in between customers, we watched as they talked to him. (The whole time they're conversing, he's eating a Caramello and drinking a Mountain Dew. I kid you not.) Then, we watched as they put him up against the back of the car, frisked and cuffed him. Out of his pockets, they pull bags of pills. Oh Em Gee, I was tripping. One officer stood with him between his car and the police car, while the other started searching the car. Out of the car came more stuff. Several bags of pills and what I'm thinking was marijuana. Needles, rolling papers, and other paraphernalia.

At this point, I was tripping hard. This guy was a regular. Always extremely sweet. Never rude. Total flirt. I always thought he was a stoner. That's his business. I never once thought he was anything else. And then... they pulled three shotguns and two pistols out of his trunk. I dropped the F bomb then. Mom didn't even look at me when I did it either. She was in shock too.

The police put him in the back of one of the cruisers and then came in to talk to me. They said they needed to talk to me. I figured it was just because I was on duty or whatever. WRONG. They said that I was the one who called it in. What The Truck? I remember hearing Mom gasp and her head swiveled a full 90 degrees in a nanosecond. I'm flipping out, oh no I did not call you. I know my voice was rising and I was panicking.

Apparently, his cousin that didn't like him had stepped into the bathroom and called the police. She claimed that he was out here selling drugs to kids while pumping gas. When they asked who she was, she replied, "I'm the lady at the gas station."

Now there is a reason I am panicking. In July of 1991, my Great Uncle Ronald, was kidnapped from Collinsville Trade Day. This happened in plain sight of Ronald's son Christopher (10 at the time) and my brother B. (12 at the time)

Uncle Ronald hauled produce from Florida to Alabama. He had also hauled some other, non legal things between states. Well, he got caught. Then he did the worst thing he could ever do. He turned snitch for the feds. Someone was dirty and leaked it to the people he had told on. (Happy Holler, anybody? Local people will get that.)

My uncle had a partner, Hollywood. (Don't ask, I have no clue where he got that nickname.) Hollywood took B & Chris to get a drink? I'm not sure. On their way back, they saw Uncle Ronald being shoved into a car while being hit in the head with a ball peen hammer. His body was later found in Wills Creek. He had been beaten and severely mutilated before they finally shot him.

What does his story have to do with mine? I learned my lesson from him. You do not snitch. The area in which I live is know for drugs. Sand Mountain Slim Fast - aka Meth. Happy Holler. There are just things you don't run your mouth about and that is one of them.

So when I found out chick had snitched and used me as her cover, I went on the defensive. The video from our store has been pulled and it shows I did not touch a phone at the time the call was made. I also let it be known to his family that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Then I called a few.. um let's say acquaintances and put the word out on the street that I knew who the real snitch is. Ya'll may find that harsh, wrong, whatever.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a dang. I refuse to die for someone else's stupidity. I will not put my mother through what my family has already been through. Personally, I like my life. I'd kinda like to stick around a few more birthdays. (Today, btw, is my 29th birthday)

The moral of this story? Mr. Mackey said it best. Drugs are bad, m'kay? Bonus points if you said it in his voice.

Love to all,
Allie

Hiding Out.

I've been laying low for awhile. I usually try to post every other day or so, but there's been alot going on. I worked 33 hours in 3 days, which I'm totally cool with. I just feel so drained. For the last two days, I've laid low, piled up in my bed catching up on the tv shows I've been queuing on Hulu.

I love that website. Since I work nights, I'm not always able to catch the shows I'm addicted to. I have lots of addictions. Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Blue Bloods, Family Guy, the list goes on. Usually when I come home from work, I eat dinner, I play with the dogs, then I pass out. So... on my first day off, I start laundry then I grab my laptop and vegetate.

Do other grown people do this? I mean, seriously? Know what I did last night? I picked up a pizza and a six pack of Bud Light. (Wait. Are you shocked? Yes. I drink.)

I've had alot on my mind lately. Remember I was worried about my Grandma? Well, I talked with her about a week or so ago. She and I had a conversation with her doctor, and he took her very seriously. He scheduled several tests, including a MRI. Thankfully, it came back good. He also scheduled a test to check for Carotid Artery Stenosis which can cause a stroke, which can cause memory loss. It shows she has some blockage. So.. good news and bad news.

Remember my Minion? She was rushed to the hospital today. Why? Because she is completely irresponsible with herself. She is diabetic, but she refuses to take care of herself. She won't eat healthy. She will not take her insulin shots like she needs to. For example, today. She came home from school early because she wasn't feeling well. Her sugar was so high, it wouldn't register on the EMT's glucose monitor. How did that happen you wonder? Let's see. The most likely culprit? The canister of chocolate frosting in her book bag. When the ambulance finally got there, she had already started turning purple and was losing sight. When they got to the hospital and checked her glucose it was over 1200. TWELVE HUNDRED! I'm so mad right now. I'm torn between banging my head against a brick wall and taking a belt to her butt. Yes, I know. Violence never solves anything.

Anyway, I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and I'm worried. I'm going to sleep and hopefully in the morning I'll wake up and I'll find out I won the lottery. Wait. I don't play the lottery. Dang. Oh well. Night All

Love to all,
Allie

Faking It.

I was an angel for Halloween. No, that isn't a joke. I went in last night to give out candy and lend a helping hand. One of the stipulations is, we had to wear costumes.

I'm cool with that. The other girl, Tab, wasn't so keen to dress up. For one thing, she's pregnant and there aren't really very many cool costumes for pregnant ladies. Sure, there's the baker costume, with the whole bun in the oven thing, but that's kinda played out, plus we wanted to dress alike, or at least compliment each other. How in the world could I have done that? I so didn't help with the baby thing. Then we were talking and decided to be spies. But the trench coat would've been too hot. I was tempted to get shirts that say F.B.I. and wear shoulder holsters with squirt guns in them, but - we have a serious problem with drugs up here. Now, I'm not saying that people that come in my store are on drugs. I'm not saying they aren't, either. I'm just not willing to take the chance of someone freaking out. There will be too many children there.

Tab came in one day and was like - "What about I be an angel, and you be a devil?" Her mom had picked up some things on clearance last year, and there were angel wings/halo and devil horns/tail. Hmmm. I can see myself doing that, so I told her sure.

She came in a week later with the biggest frown on her face. "Um, Allie? We have a problem." Oh, great. I'm thinking something is wrong, she's sick, the baby's not ok, I mean, anything really, other than what she says next. "Mom has 2 angel outfits, but no devil."

Lovely. Now, most of ya'll who have at least met me will know what I'm about to say is the truth. I'm no angel. I had absolutely no idea how to pull that off. I had wings and a halo, but... being an angel is so much more than that. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it right. So, I enlisted the help of my mother.

I bought a pretty white shirt, a watch/bracelet set, feather earrings and glitter. Then I turned it all over to my mother. She, with all her makeup and her expertise that I never took the time to cultivate, made me beautiful. I'm one of those girls who don't ever really see themselves as beautiful, but when I looked in the mirror last night, I was amazed.



The devil in disguise and the pregnant angel. Struck by lightning in 3...2..

Alright. I'm off for now. I'll post again later with photos of all the little goblins and ghouls from last night. I hope you had as much fun and saw as much awesome as I did.

Love to all,
Allie.

Slight Delay.

Hi everyone. My magic 8 ball was wrong. I'm not going to post the recipe today. Why? Well, I didn't have time to before work because I was trying to find a dentist that is open on Friday so my husband can go get a tooth pulled. Bless his heart, he comes in and has to go straight to the dental chair. Major suckage.

Have you noticed my penchant for making up words? Suckage. Spaztastic. Another example, instead of using the F word, I use truck instead. As in - back the truck up. I'm not kidding. Quick joke. What word beings with the letter f and ends with uck? Hey. I just told you I don't use that word. Acceptable answers are firetruck and fastduck. Thank you, I'll be here all week.

I've been mulling over the advice from Anonymous to try to get into professional writing, and I've decided to give it a whirl. A friend told me earlier today that I needed to pick someone or something local to write about and they would help me get it printed. Yeah. I'm scared spitless. I was at work when he told me that. I was thinking about it there and a woman walked in and I decided it was her that I needed to talk to. I'm not giving anymore details because if it falls through, then I'll have gotten my & your hopes up for nothing. I'm really excited about this, so I'm gonna play it close to the vest for a bit.

Alright. Time for more exciting news. I've lost 37 lbs. Yay me! Since September 26, I've had 513 page hits, with 1 from Lebanon, 2 from Canada, and 3 from Denmark. All I can say is... Holy wow, Batman. I've got the biggest grin on my face.

Well, it's time to go to sleep. I've got to get up early again so I can take my Granny to the Dr's office. If there's anything you'd like to ask, leave it in the comments. To my overseas readers, welcome. And to Anonymous, thanks for the support. Do I know you? If not, how did you hear about my blog? I'm just so curious. Anyway. Good night.

Love to all,
Allie

Work = Blog.

I'm so tired. Isn't that sad? I went in at 11:30 this morning then closed up at 9:30 tonight. In between being slammed and cleaning up, I decided I needed to blog about work. After all, it is part of my life. This post is going to be a bit random. Back and forth but hey, that's me.

Let me start out by saying this... I love my job. Really, I do. I meet new people every day and have several customers that are my favorites. Yes, I admit it. I have favorites.

 Ryan, of course. There is an older gentleman, he reminds me of my Papa Bill. All he wants is a Copenhagen snuff. And then he tells me I'm only sweet when I'm asleep. There's a guy Mom & I both know. We refer to him as Hot Guy. He's entirely too good looking, very sweet, and smells incredibly yummy. There's the lesbian. She flirts shamelessly, even though she knows I am married. Then my junkie. He calls me his dealer. He comes in daily, I believe, to buy at least 1 of the 32 oz. Rockstar energy drinks. (Yuck. For the record, I've not met an energy drink I like.) He's pretty funny. He came in today and told me he was working his way through my blog. He says it's funny. I've heard that a time or two, but I still don't believe it.

Kids. I have a love/hate relationship with them. Most of the time, kids are sweet, cute, and funny. When do I not like them? When their parents aren't making them behaving. Or when they go in the bathroom alone. That scares me. No, I don't want them to make a mess, but I also don't want them to accidentally lock themselves in. Also, when parents send their small children in to pay for gas, I worry because people speed through the parking lot.

Teenagers. Again with the love/hate thing. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are rude. And sometimes they are sweet. I saw a couple standing on the sidewalk sneaking kisses. I'm not sure why they were sneaking kisses, but it was so sweet.

Teenagers lead me to underage tobacco buyers. I don't know how many times I've actually had them show me their id's and knowingly be underage. They kill me. Thinking that a sure smile and confident attitude will get what they want.

And that brings us to... alcohol. How many times have I heard, "No beer? What the?!" Yes, I know, hard to believe, but it's the truth. I hear it like this too. "No  cerveza? Por que?" And yeah, it may be mean, but I just stare blankly at them. (Again, yes, it is mean, but I think if you live here, you should speak the language. That's my opinion.)

Men. Generally speaking, most of them are pretty cool. There are some weird ones. Some rude ones. And some extremely perverted ones. Another of my opinions? Man hands should be rough and calloused. Not all soft and manicured. My favorite guys, (other than the ones listed above, I mean.) are the police officers.

Police officers are so much fun to mess around with. I was on the phone with Mike one day and Patrolman Wigley came in. I said, "Honey, I've gotta go. They're here to arrest me." Mike is all spazzing out and I hang up on him. The officer is shaking with laughter, and Mike calls back. I give Wigley the phone and he answers. "Hello? No, sorry. She's in handcuffs right now." I'm not sure exactly how he pulled that off, because he was trying the entire time not to bust out laughing. Ah, I love to prank my husband. I'm always thinking of something to pull over on him.

I think I'm the equivialent of a bartender. You know how everyone tells their bartender their troubles? I hear everything. Health problems. Their take on religion and politics, which I don't discuss at work. Does anyone out their like Baja Blast Mountain Dew? Supposedly if you mix regular Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist, that's what you get. Someone let me know.

Anyway, I'm bout to pass out. Really quick though, M got his orange belt! Way to go Monkeybutt!

I think he has Auntie A's problem with blinking at the most inoppurtune times.

Love to all,
Allie

Movies, Books, and Flair

 I've turned into a flair addict. For those of you who don't know what flair is, go watch the movie Office Space. Not only will you find out what flair is, you'll also laugh until your sides hurt. Or you cry. Or both. Anyway, my aunt got me addicted to flair on facebook. Everyday, I go through and send her random stuff so I can add flair to my board. Last night, I found the Anita Blake flair. Oh, I was ecstatic. And this morning, I found the Labyrinth flair. There aren't really words to express how happy it made me.











Ok, now then. For those of you who read but have not heard of Anita Blake, she's the X rated version of Twilight, except better. Yes. Twilight was a great series, but it was written with teenagers and young adults in mind. I've always loved who I am, but I want to be Anita Blake. So, if you like vampires, were-beings, and sarcasm, check those books out. Oh, and by the way, the Anita Blake series came way before Twilight.












Labyrinth. I say that word and what comes to mind for you? For me, it will always be David Bowie. (And his ridiculously tight pants.) When I was a little girl, I loved the movie because of the singing and the fantasy of it. Now I watch it and think, Wow. David Bowie looks the same as he did then. And he does. Does that man never age? Is he really the Goblin King? If so, does anyone have a baby brother I can give to him?




I know. I'm so very wrong, but hey, I've never claimed to be right. I'm not. Anyway. I've included links for Anita Blake stuff, Labyrinth, and Office Space. As for me, I'm getting ready for work. It'll be slow and I'll be wishing Jareth or Jean Claude will walk through my door. Preferrably together. With Asher, Micah, and Jason behind them.

Love to All,
Allie

Acceptance.

People struggle with acceptance every day. I struggle to be accepted as overweight. (Yes, I'm working on it, but you still would not believe how many people are rude to me on a daily basis.) Other people struggle because of a mental/physical handicap. And then there are people like my friend, Ryan.

I love him. He's so dang sweet, and happy. All the time. This is him visiting me at work. Ryan is very open about who he is and what he likes. He's a very special person to me. Whenever he leaves, he always tells me he loves me. And I tell him I love him too. It never fails though, after he leaves, someone feels the need to say something mean. I've gotten to the point where I'll ask people, "Do you know him? No? Then don't say another word about him, because he's MY friend." Yes, I know. I live & work in a small town in the bible belt. It doesn't matter. I don't care. People need to stop being so judgemental. A few quotes from the bible for those who judge -Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

As for me, I'll just continue to do what I do best. Supporting my friends & family with a smile on my face. I love you Ryan.

Love to ALL,
Allie

Why?

Several people have asked me why I'm trying to lose weight. Apparently, being overweight is not a good enough reason to want to lose it? I'm not sure. So I sat down and thought about it for a bit, because I really wanted to know myself. One night, I just decided it was time, but why?

These children are one of  my favorite reasons. My nieces and nephews, Christmas of 09. I want to be able to play games & spend time with them and not be worn out in 30 minutes.

This little girl, Gracie, is one of the sweetest reasons. Here she is protecting mommy from the evil goggie in the mirror. She fought with it for a few minutes. I think she finally realized it was her. Or that the other dog was just protecting her mommy too.

Here's my funniest reason, Squishy. See the eyes? I told you they were demon dogs. She reminds me so much of a cat sometimes. She just doesn't want to do anything you want her to do, until she's ready. She named herself by the way.

This is my pushover reason, Spot. I am a pushover for this dog. I don't know why. Possibly has something to do with the fact that I can do no wrong in his eyes. He just wants to pile up with me for ear scratches and tummy rubs.
Can you tell I love my dogs? I do. And my nieces & nephews. (My whole family, really.)

This man right here. He is the most awesome reason. He is everything I'd have asked for. He amazes me. For example, when he was in last, I was complaining about the fact that the radio at work sucked. You can't pick up a decent station and it didn't have a place for cd's. Only tapes. I love music. Alot. Mike knows that. I'd gotten an mp3 player for when I go for walks and we had looked for a docking station, but they were too expensive. I was adjusting to the fact of a non-musical work place. I really was. Well I had to work on one of the days he was in. He had to go to the pharmacy to pick up my meds for me & was cruising the clearance aisle, killing time. And then? A light shined down from heaven and pointed out a docking station for $1.99. So smart him picks up that & the triple A batteries needed for it and delivers it to my workplace that day. See? I love, love, love him.

Oh, and that girl up there in the pic with my hubby? She's the best reason to lose weight. My stance is this. I am and always will be number 1 in my life. Why? Because if I don't take care of myself, how can I take care of others?

So, those are my main reasons. My family. My dogs. The love of my life. Me. Now then. I'm going to share with you my reward for losing the weight. My goal is to be 200 lbs. Once I get there, I may decide I want/need to lose more. But my reward for getting to 200 lbs?

This is a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R. (This picture is credited to Norman Mayersohn for The New York Times. I just found it on Google images) This. Just this. I drool for this. I see this and my heart beats faster. I wants it. It's my precious. I could get it now, but I won't. I am pushing my patience, commitment, and self for this. Every time I want to slack off. Every time I feel like I'm not getting anywhere, I look at this.

A friend got me hooked on this site : http://killboy.com/ I love the highlights. The photography is awesome. Most of the things being photographed I want. At least to touch them. I saw this image earlier today and it makes me think of my daddy. (This photo does not belong to me. I don't know who took it exactly because they have different photographers, but it's on killboy's website, so it's his.)

Alright, I've had enough photo fun today. I hope you go by killboy's website to check out the cool cars/trucks/bikes. Oh, but word of advice. If you're at work, the fuzzy pictures - a.k.a. the naughty - are definitely not safe for work.

Love to all,
Allie

Tired.

   Tired. That is the word for today. I did a bad, bad thing. Well not extremely bad. Not even immoral or illegal. Just not good for me. I didn't go to sleep until around 1 this morning. Why? Because I just couldn't wind down quickly enough. And then, I woke up at 7. I didn't want to. I had my alarm set for 7:45, but oh no, my brain decided I needed to be awake 45 minutes early. So I snuggled with my demon dogs for 45 mins before I forced myself out of bed. I put on my new sports bra. (Danskin High Impact - it's awesome) & my workout clothes and headed to moms house.

  We went to the walking track in Henagar. I love to work out with mom. It's so much fun. She just so happens to be my best friend. So anyway, it's been kinda rainy here. Which is awesome, because we need the rain. But it is major suck to walk in the rain. We'd done 1.5 miles when we noticed the storm clouds moving in. We made the big loop to add the last .5 mile in one. We'd just finished our cool down stretches & gotten in the car when the skies opened up and poured buckets. That walking track is pretty great. There are just a few things wrong with it. It needs to be resurfaced. There are several cracks that make it a little unstable in places. That is caused by what you see in the picture below.

  These are workers for the city of Henagar that collect the garbage. Instead of walking over to the trash barrel and carrying it 10 feet, it is apparently neccessary to drive on the walking track. Where I might add, people were still walking. How effed up is that? What totally kills me is the fact that there are signs everywhere that state no cars/bikes/skateboards on the walking track. Grrr.

  Alright, so after that we had to rush over to Pisgah school & take my minion some pain reliever. Someone opened the door and it cut her toe really badly. After we checked on her, we flew (not really) back to mom's house so we could do the strength training routine before I got ready for work. I had to be there at 11:30 am.

  Work was slam busy tonight. Mondays are usually slow after 5, but we were busy right up until 8. I've been going, going, going all day and I am worn out. But before I leave, I'm going to copy & paste the Day Two post from sparkpeople. I hope whomever is reading this is enjoying it. I'm really enjoying writing it.

Day Two : Oh. Em. Gee. I woke up this morning & I was so sore. But it was such a good feeling. My stomach, my arms, my thighs... all sore. And I loved it. Every time I moved, I could feel it. It was great. Is that weird? I went to see my dad today. Trying to do the whole balance work, family, friends, life thing. And the first thing he says? Gosh, you're getting so little! And my daddy? He calls it like it is. Not so long ago, he said to me, Shay... you're fat. And I said yeah, you too kettle. (That's how we've always been. Nothing but love, I swear.) So to hear him tell me repeatedly today that I was getting smaller & he was so proud of me, well that just makes me glow. From the inside out. So yes. I am sore, but I am ecstatic.


Love to all,
Allie

By the way, Danskin does not support me in any way, shape, form, or fashion. I just happen to love that bra.