Big storm on Wednesday night...here is the result as it affected us...

One of the old trees in our backyard split in half from the sheer force of the wind - fell across the shed and knocked over the power lines, ripping the electrical box off of the house and leaving us without power [along with something like 500,000 other people in the St Louis area].

Here is the top of the tree on the neighbors porch - shockingly, their house was not hurt, but they had to chop the branches away from the front door to be able to use it.

Crazy.

I took refuge at the home of a friend for the evening since I had to be back at work in the morning, bright and shiny.  Yesterday my very capable dad [who can do/fix just about anything, thank you very much] but the electrical box back on the house and got us hooked back up so that we had power again.  Whew.

Today is my sweet sister Hannah's birthday...more about her later...

'You look good with shaggy....'

-My brother Jesse [9] to me this morning on seeing the 'new' look I have been sporting - the [yes, slightly] shaggy, scrunched - just came from the beach and don't give a care - hair....

Ummmmmm - thanks Jes...

"But when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of it's waistcoat pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waist-coat pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.  In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."

It is one hundred degrees in the shade here in the midwest....

I made two [necessary] trips out in the heat trap from hell [aka - my car] and was nearly reduced to puddle-like form by the time I emerged less than ten minutes later. 

[side note - while black leather may look all cool and everything inside a car - it is horrendous to have when it is so hot and your a/c is out with the heater blowing on you - it sucks the moisture out of your body and then pools it so that you are nothing but a mass of wet when you get out of the car - beyond disgusting]

Today was my first day back on first shift.  I forgot how many people go to Wal-Mart on a Sunday.  Ugh.  I don't know how claustrophobia feels, but I have a feeling it is a little tiny bit what I was experiencing today.  I was able to leave early today however because of the wedding...drove home, threw on a dress and heels - slapped on some more makeup, and ran out the door.  [not that it mattered by the time I got out of the car dripping and drooping - how do people live in the desert?  Am I the biggest wimp of all time?]

The wedding was beautiful...at a place called the conservatory here in St Charles.  It was a lovely place for a wedding - I would totally get married there, except for the fact that it only seats up to one hundred people.  That would not even hold my family at this point!   

Anyway - Meredith was lovely - she wore her mom's wedding dress - the whole combination was beautiful...oh my.  She started to cry while she was saying her vows [pass the hankies please]...and we were all goners at that point.  I think probably half the place was tearing up right there with her.  The ceremony was short but meaningful.  I like short at weddings - more time for visiting, etc at the reception!

I should have gone to the church picnic this afternoon/evening, but did not have the fortitude to face the heat again - at least voluntarily.

Tommorow I am off....ahhhhhhhh......finally, some things are going to get done!

Last night was the last shift in my six month tour of duty on overnights.  I am SO glad - cannot even begin to tell you how glad I am to be getting back on the same schedule as the rest of the waking world.  I will miss the people that I was able to work with on the overnight crew - they are a good lot...

Tomorrow I am hoping to edge out of work early in order to go to a wedding...one of the associates in my store is getting married and apparently thinks enough of me to ask me to come to their wedding.  Getting the invitation blessed me - in our talks of the pending nuptuals she had talked several times about how they were needing to keep the whole affair on the small side due to the size of the place they are getting married...knowing that I am one of the 'chosen' ones...that is cool.  Yet another small reminder to me that perhaps I make a difference for some of the people that I work with.

So today, in preparation for the wedding [and although I was loathe to spend the money] I decided to get the waxing done and the hair colored...It turned out beautifully...more blond highlights really - not an all-over color - but it is a bit brighter, and all shiny and smells good like hair tends to right after you leave the salon.  Despite being tired, I feel beautiful. 

I am rounding off my evening with a night of trivia...John and Hannah are coming to pick me up, drop Ian off with my mom and dad, and we will be off to show how much we really don't know about anything really...  Nothing like a couple of rounds of trivia to make you feel like a total ignoramus...and yet....I keep going back for more.  Is that a bad thing?  The positive spin would be that I always come out encouraged to learn - if for no other reason than to not suck as badly the next time.

Good times.

I'm off to put the finishing touches [read actually apply] on my makeup.  Later...

Yesterday, my friend Wendy and I took her kids and several of my siblings to the Science Center here in St Louis.  They have a 'sports' themed exhibit going on right now with a TON of fun things to do - rock walls to climb, baseball throwing cages, timed races, a bicycle contraption called the 'G-Force', demonstrations of martial arts and other sports requiring some intense skills....and so much more that I am not listing...
We all had a great time - unfortunately, I could not find the working digital camera [arm jerk], so I have no pictures - Wendy got some really good ones however, so be watching her site for them in the near future... [I am just assuming that she is going to be posting them soon - we haven't actually talked about it, but what it the world do any of us take pictures for if not to post them? ] 

After getting home, my mom, sister Jannah and I headed out to see a movie together - were going to see Nacho Libre, but it wasn't showing until later, so we saw Pirates of the Carribean 'Dead Mans Chest' instead.  I was not impressed.  I expected so much more...perhaps because I liked the first one so much - but this one [in my opinion] was not as funny, scarier, and much more confusing than the first. 
We should have waited for Nacho Libre. 
Oh well.

Hung out at the house for a while after the movie and then left again to meet Wendy for coffee...I know that we had just spent several hours together earlier in the day, but with 9 children and a LOT of distractions, there wasn't any good visiting going on.  I said goodbye at the Science center and felt a little gyped  - like ' I didn't get to talk to her at all really, and I  want some sit down, face time with her'.  Teehee.  So I called her, and lucky for me she felt the same way.  PLUS she had to pick someone up at the airport at 1 in the morning, so 11pm found us in Denny's again - drinking coffee and burning the midnight oil...
Good times.
Have I mentioned that I love my new friend lately? 

Tonight I go back to work.  This will be my last week on overnights.  It is going to be good to have a quasi-normal work schedule, but I am going to miss the people on overnights.  I think that the change is going to be good for me.  Pray for me if you think about it...

I was born with no chance at life
Dead before I took my first breath
I was born with no family ties
Alone before I knew where I lived

(Chorus:)
They called me broken, worthless, and a shame
They called me wasted, used up, and chained
But You made me Your child
And You called me Your own
Now they can call me
But they've got to use my new name

I walked miles and couldn't find a home
There was no place that I belonged
I walked for days and days and weeks and years
Couldn't find a melody for my song

(Chorus)

I don't need money, I don't need fame
I don't need the love that this world can bring
I don't need this prison, I don't need these chains
I needed a Father, and Child is my new name

***ON ANOTHER NOTE....HAPPY BIRHTDAY DEBORAH!!! I LOVE YOU!!!***

Ran into a girl at work today that used to work at our store....
She was literally on her way out of town - headed to Belarus.
I want to leave this country for a bit too....

Just got home from seeing my new friend again....so good.
However, it is now well after midnight, and I am pumped full of coffee...sleep may be a ways off. 
What better way to while away the time than to do a most random post?
While at Denny's I had a 'duh' moment....ran to use the bathroom - was distracted and walked in only to think to myself 'this looks different than it did last week...'
That was the point that I noticed the urinal. 
Yep - totally walked into the mens restroom...thank God there were no occupants at the time - and also that no one saw me run out [with a very red face I am quite sure] either.
Had several ugh moments today - the first while I was going through the stack of mail that has been accumulating for almost 6 weeks...
While I pay all of my bills online, and felt safe ignoring my mail for that long, I had totally forgotten that my car insurance is due in June and December....in the opening of the mail today I found out that I had had my insurance cancelled for FIVE DAYS!!!  I immediately called and had a direct deposit done and the insurance re-instated, but I have had a lingering sick feeling in the pit of my stomach since then as my mind has gone over all of the 'what ifs'....ugh.
I got all of that worked out, and went to pick up my cell phone - only for it to freeze up and crash on me, which promted a run to the Sprint store to pick out a new [as cheap as I could get] phone. 
The good news is that they had a fairly inexpensive phone that was PINK [WOOHOO!!], AND they were able to transfer all of my phonebook from the dead phone into the new one...it is charging as I type.  Whew.  It stinks to be out of communication for even a few hours, let me tell ya.
Last, but certainly not least in this time of everything falling apart - it seems that not only is the air conditioner in my car not functioning, but the HEATER is stuck on.  Driving home from church yesterday with the outside temperature at 97 degrees reduced me to a puddle by the time that I got home.
The postive spin that I am putting on it?  At least I am working nights for right now, and do not have to drive in the heat of the day...I should be able to get it in the shop by next week.    With the sunroof and windows I could totally tough it out and do the summer without the air conditioner, but the fact that the heater is blowing on me just about puts me over the edge.  I realize how 'spoiled' that may sound....but whatever....
Have a great fourth everyone...enjoy the fireworks and barbeques for me! 
Don't forget - be safe....dont' be a statistic!!!
[Thanks Tracy - I am taking that line and making it my own....]

'The truest friend does not doubt, but hope....'