Letter to my aunt...(if you're religious- dont read this)

Dear Aunt Clara,

Thank you for your letter, it was good to see you also while I was in Missouri.

I appreciate the concern about my "personal relationship with God". Perhaps there is some need for that concern, as I have changed my views on religion in the past 10 years. Unlike you, I do not believe that Christians are the only people who will get into Heaven. And I especially dont believe as you apparently do, that one religion is better or more likely to get into heaven than another.I do believe, unlike you, that God or whoever...looks at how we have lived our lives, the good things we have done, how we treated others, etc. If we were basically a good person...we are fine. I do not believe that we have to be "fully immersed" in baptismal waters to be assured of going to Heaven. Where in the Bible does it say that? And where does it say that Methodists "arent scripturally based" so they arent worthy of Heaven? Do you really believe that God or St Peter or whoever...is standing at the Pearly Gates with a list, saying "Oh, youre a Baptist? Well,C'MON in!" and "Oh, youre a Methodist? Hmmm,sorry, but you are not allowed into Heaven...going down..."

It also says in the Bible that dogs cant go to heaven.( I know- I should get over this...lol) so, that would mean you wont be able to see your precious Sarah or Happy.

And, Im sorry (not really) but I cannot accept a God who doesnt let such wonderful creatures into his kingdom.

You have a daughter who is gay. Is she going to Heaven? Oh, the fact that she was raised a Baptist guarantees it??Ok. But Im a bicurious heathen Methodist so Im going to hell??

I respect your views on religion. I am glad that your God gives you blessings and comfort.

Please respect my views...which arent very tangible at the moment, as Im in a questioning everything time in my life.

And do NOT send me anymore religious propaganda if you wish to ever hear from me again.

Love,

Christine

CUTENESS OVERLOAD WARNING!!!

These are some pics my niece sent me today of her little boy, Hunter Morgan Napier...hes 10 months old- another October baby...I really *do* think October babies are the cutest...dont you?

Luv the fauxhawk...lol.Is that pure orneriness(sp?) or what?? LOL





Not sure if hes yawning or crying here...maybe both. LOL Or maybe he doesnt care for whatever he is eating.




He luuuuvvvvsss the doggie in the background here she says. He naps on it, bites its ears, rides it...plays with it all the time.




SEE MY NEW TOOFIES!!??!!

61 more days...

Don't worry, I will not be blogging the Daily Jackson Browne Countdown every day. LOL

On October 27th...2 days after my 41st b-day...I will have the pleasure, thanks to some wonderful friends...of seeing Mr Browne in concert..at the Tabernacle.

I have never seen him live. I have always loved his music...from "Somebodys Baby" to "The Pretender" to "Lives In the Balance" to "For a Rocker"...to my latest love- which always makes me cry..."For a Dancer" which has these lines, which are what make me cry every time...

Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But youll never know
*************************************************************************************


Here's the whole song...look it up online, its a beautiful song. Hope he plays it.


Keep a fire burning in your eye
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down
I dont remember losing track of you
You were always dancing in and out of view
I must have thought youd always be around
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now youre nowhere to be found

I dont know what happens when people die
Cant seem to grasp it as hard as I try
Its like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I cant sing
I cant help listening
And I cant help feeling stupid standing round
Crying as they ease you down
cause I know that youd rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
(right on dancing)
No matter what fate chooses to play
(theres nothing you can do about it anyway)

Just do the steps that youve been shown
By everyone youve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Anothers steps have grown
In the end there is one dance youll do alone

Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Dont let the uncertainty turn you around
(the world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound

Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But youll never know

Last nights pet sitting blog

Dogs. Ya just gotta luv 'em.

And wish that some came without their owners. *sighs*

Tonight has been a heck of a night...started off good...but when I got to a new clients house Id done 2 visits with...one of the dogs was missing. After searching frantically for 30 minutes for a black lab in his backyard and on his street...I called my boss. Got her voicemail. I called her again...got her this time. Told her what had happened...oh yeah, and I had locked myself out of the house too...lol. Their backdoor locks behind you, and the key I have doesnt go to that lock. And, I had locked the front door when I came in...and left the key on the counter in the kitchen, next to everyones phone numbers. Im batting 1000 now...lol.

OK..so I calm down a bit after she tells me she will go get the key at the office and come let me in and help me look for the dog.OK..I calmed down after sobbing for about 10 minutes...not knowing how to tell someone who has trusted you with their babies that you have lost one. I make the call..get hisvoicemail. Leave a message...and then go to a couple neighbors houses and tell them Clifford has escaped. I learn from one that Clifford is an escape artist and that I am not the first who has had to search for him. And hes hard to catch once you do find him. Oh wunnerful.

My boss gets there, lets me in..I get the key and info sheet, and she and I split up and go looking. Theres a golf course across the road from them ,so thats where I head...hmmm..hes a black lab, theres water and ducks to chase..yep good place to start.I drive all around it looking for a way in, and for him...finally get all the way around the opther side and theres an entrance. The secuirty guard wont let me come in and look...hes a foreign man...and assures me that no dogs have come onto the golf course. OK..whatever, heres my number, call me. Thanks buh-bye. I drive around some more and my boss calls. Shes headed towards me, so we stop, she says weve done all we can do, after 2 hours of looking, its time to go. The neighbor across the street had notified everyone he knew that knows Clifford and had looked for him himself, so we had quite a search party going. So, I remember that Id forgotten to feed the dogs...so I head back to the house...open the back door.

Clifford walks right in like nothing has happened...and starts eating. ROFLMAO!!

I hug his scruffy neck ask him where the hell hes been and and tell him hes not going out in the backyard ever again. He licks my nose. LOL.

I call everyone and let them know the prodigal lab has returned and is now and forevermore shall be inside his house safe and sound.

As Im driving...oh, yeah..I was supposed to be at an overnight with the beagles whose owners drive me crazy, Id called them while waiting for my boss to see if they had someone to come let the girls out till I got there. They said okay and said theyd find someone. (They had told me their in laws would be in and out of the house all weekend so I hoped theyd be able to just come let them out) So..I get a call from their owner, who says that her dogs are freaking out about having been inside for so long and theyve peed all over her house and that she will be compensated for the carpet cleaning and that she doesnt know how to assure this doesnt happen again but we need to do something, and that she *WILL* be compensated for the carpet. I had told her when I called from the dogs house that I was looking for a lost dog...tehy seemed understanding. She however didnt have an ounce of understanding, she was upset and demanded that we would pay for her carpets to be cleaned. I apologized and said she needed to speak with my boss either tomorrow or Monday about that and that I was on my way to their house. She said her in laws were there and they would point out the spots to me.

So. I get there. Her sister in law welcomes me in, asks about the lost dog...tells me yeah, theres some spots in the dining room (not all over the house-hmm) I look at them...they are not fresh, and were there last night when I got to their home, 2 hours after theyd left. (Things that make ya go hmmm) Then they leave.

I look around some more...no other spots, the girls are fine, happy to see me..tails wagging...licks being given.

I will not be sitting anymore for these people. When I came to get the key and see the house...she was telling me stuff, hed interrupt and correct her, or more like say the exact same thing she had just differently...I just do not like them. The dogs are obnoxious...but it isnt their fault, they do respond well to commands and can obey. They told me I had to eat on paper plates and cups because theyre kosher...which is more of an inconveneince to me...because I now have to eat at my house as oppsoed to bringing stuff here to cook..because you cant cook eggs and meat in the same pans..I have no idea what pans are for what...it is just easier in a way to eat at my house.

Im just tired..and frustrated..and wish everyone would just RELAX.

Im off to do that now as its late.

Goodnight.

Here's what eating 2 eggs almost every day will get ya...

My results What they recommend


Total cholesterol 195 (below 200 is optimal)

LDL 159 ( Below 129)

HDL 25 (Less than 50 for women)

Triglycerides 52 (Less than 150)

TC/HDL Ratio 7.7 (Less than 5)


So...ok..I need to cut back on the eggs....and increase my exercise.

I eat the eggs because they stick with me and I dont get hungry after 2 hours like I do with cereal or even yogurt. Maybe I need to eat every 2 hours, small things.

Is there a healthy type of butter?? I hate to use margarine (its artifical and most are loaded with saturated fats)to cook things...and love the taste that butter gives foods. I dont use as much as I use to..but I do use it to cook many things, including those eggs.

All in all...maybe Im in denial...but I dont see these numbers as being all that horrible.

I have lost over 50 pounds since moving here in 2006. I eat veggies every day, fruit every day, I get some exercise every day (walking dogs and just got a twice a week dog walk with 2 dogs that walk fast and hard - so theres that!)

I just need to up the ante, I guess...do a little more than what Im doing.

If I can lose that weight by doing just a little...making a few changes...imagine what I could do if I **really** worked at it.

I am at 216 right now. I have weighed over 200 since 1988. 20 years. I would love to get below 200.

Observations from my trip

People want to help...and will, if you just ask.

If youre scared and dont know what to do..ask someone.

TSA agents give great hugs. No, really, they do. (Thank you,Ethel)

It is perfectly fine to have a minor meltdown in the middle of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport because youre grieving your sister and are freaking out about the long line. No, Im not proud of breaking down...but...it was a minor meltdown...and *did* get them to move the people who were on 11 am flights to the front of the line.

It is okay and even feels good..to let someone else's grandma take care of you at St Louis Airport. Thank you Mae at the airport information desk, for not letting me hop on Metrolink and go downtown to the Greyhound station...and for the hugs and love. You are a blessing to all who travel thru there and meet you.

The bus *will* eventually get there.

Charlotte airport is nice..and has some healthy food choices. Yay!

My parents *can* drive to and from the St Louis Airport.

My dad *can* be nice to me. Shocking...I know.

Dogs know when you need comfort. Thank you Rusty in Missouri and Sweetpea and Angus and Crusoe here in GA. Love you guys!

You *can* find healthy food at a small town grocery store.No Kashi though... :(

It is okay to not be able to remember peoples names that you havent seen for at least 7 years. They will understand. And tell you their name.

Airplanes can fly through thunderstorms and be just fine.

They dont easily fall out of the sky either.

I *can* speak up to my dad. And feel good about it.

My dad will always have issues with eggs. Doesnt mean *I* have to. (The cycle has been broken ! LOL)

I need (and want :P ) to plan my own funeral. Cause my parents sure wont do it.

I am stronger than I thought I was.

Sister I see you...dancin' on the stage of memory

BELT Teresa Ann (Peck) Belt, 30, Holts Summit, passed away Sunday, August 10, 2008, at St Mary's Health Center, Jefferson City. She was born September 2, 1977, a daughter of Johnnie and Linda (Gilpin) Reed.

In 1985, she became the adopted daughter of Richard and Alberta Peck of Tipton.

She is survived by her partner, Donald Philbert, her ex-husband, Gary Belt, her children, Dennis, Brenda, Travis, Nathaniel, Ashley, Alexis, Desiree, and Brice; one natural brother, David Reed; one adopted brother, Michael Peck; one adopted sister, Christine Peck; and many other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by an infant son, Michael.

Memorial services will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 14, 2008, at First Assembly of God, Eldon. Visitation will be from 6-7 p.m. prior to service time at the church. Memorials may be sent to Hedges-Scott Funeral Home P.O. Box 49 Camdenton, Mo. 65020 to help with expenses.

WHY???

Why do people have to be so mean and hateful to each other? What purpose does it serve to cause a family who is already grieving the loss of their daughter...even more grief by leaving them out of the daughters obituary?

For whatever reason...my sisters ex husband...who my niece and I have named Douchebag Extraordinaire...and who in reality never legally became her ex...but I digress...and thats a whole other blog entry...and his family have been put in charge of her funeral arrangements. They submitted an obituary and...left her adopted family out of it. No mention at all.

So...I quickly got on the phone to the paper...and then my niece..and we have rewritten her obit..leaving in most of what was submitted..but adding her adpoted family's info.

I have called the paper and the funeral home to get the changes made..and will take the obit we wrote to the local paper here.

And, even though my dad thinks my niece and I will be causing a huge fight...I know *I* will not...but...I *will* let it be known that my family was deeply hurt by being omitted.

And then I will walk away...because killing him and his whole family is not an option. They are the scum of the earth and not worth going to prison for. My mom says they wont care that theyve hurt us. I agree...but will still let them know.

Send positive thoughts my way...I need all the armor I can carry.

Did yoga this morning...did Archer Pose to build my strength.

Hanging in there,...and trying to remember ahimsa. Do no harm.

I will not harm anyone..bu8t I will let it be known that *they* have harmed myself and my family.

And people wonder why I want dogs to rule the world.

Dogs bite and growl..and let people know when theyve been hurt or feel threatened. You know where you stand with dogs...they dont play hurtful stupid games.

*breathing deeply*

Namaste....:)

Offline for awhile...

I got word today that my sister has died...we think a blood clot..she jusdt had a baby 3 weeks ago and was bleeding afterwards...still smoking...and has had 9 kids (8 living) in 9 years she would have been 31 in Sept.

Feeling quite mortal

And thanking goodness I have friends who know about booking travel and have frequent flyer miles

I will be offline prolly till Sunday afternoon..getting back here late Sat night.

From Post Secret

So how does one do that...when you take yourself out..and all you think is "I wish someone else were here to share this experience with me." It doesnt even have to be a man...just someone else. And, yes, even though I spoke to a few people at the play..and did get a couple comments on the dress...it still...felt sorta empty. I had fun, yes...but kept thinking itd be so much more with someone else to share.

I just hate being alone.

I hate eating alone..hate cooking for just me...well, sometimes I enjoy it...because I can fix what I want to..and put all the Herb De Provence on whatever I want to and no one will complain (roomie doesnt care for it much...especially not in everything...lol) and because its fun to create a dish. Guess I just need to do it more often.

Watched Hope Floats last night, or part of it. Ive seen it many times...there's a scene where Harry Connick Jr is telling Sandra Bullocks character how to eat alone in a restaurant. "You have to look like its your idea. And be mysterious" he says.

"And order some dessert, just to spite them" Now, that part I like....lol

OK..gotta eat some breakfast and go feed the doggies.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Date night

I had a date last night.

With myself.

:) The pictures above were taken on roomies phones camera, so theyre not the best.

And, in my mind...I looked better than I do in the pics...and I guess thats all that matters.

The idea for my dates started because the roomie was "entertaining" Friday night and had asked if I could make myself scarce (we've decided this is the best thing..and well..I heard him and one of his girls one time...and well..it didnt help matters- made me horny and jealous)So I was looking for something to do...drove by a banner for Georgia Shakespeare Festival at Oglethorpe University this last week...took a look at their website. And, because I am pet sitting for one of the other pet sitters and she was going to pay me cash...I knew I could afford to spend a little extra.So...Thursday came...I got the $10 more I needed to buy the ticket...then when I got to the box office..I decided for $5 more, I would get a ticket in the mezzanine area instead of the balcony. So I did.

On the way home from the box office...I decided I should take myself out once a month. Then I decided, screw that..Ill go twice a month, on the 1st and 15th. I began to think where Id go..and when I got home..I posed this question. "Christine, where would you like to go on our dates?" Hmmm....soon I had a notebook page filled with places and things to see and do.

The next day the pet sitter called and asked if I could come earlier in the day....yes, of course- cause then I could go buy some makeup and maybe a new outfit for my date.

So..I did. I went to ROSS hmmm..how to describe Ross...other than heavenly..I dunno...they have designer clothes at ridiculously reduced prices. Yeah, that about covers it. They have off brand clothes too, but a lot of designer stuff. Not that Im into designer clothes...lol. Ive only been there one other time, and found lots of stuff for $10 or so. This time..I was looking for a dress specifically. Something summery, something cute, a little sexy but not slutty. Looked thru the clearance rack...wow..lots of stuff..but not in my size. I did find the above dress. At first I thought...its green. Then I thought yeah, but its damn cute! Its a print came next.( I dont like green...nor do I *usually* like print fabrics) Its green came up again...then the "Its CUTE!!" came back..louder this time. Ok..I will try it on...if it looks good..I will buy it. I got 2 other dresses to try on...and off I went. Tried the others on..nope..I may have gone down a few sizes in jeans, but tight cotton sundresses in size 1X still wont fit me.Damn.OK..now the green dress.

Wow. It fits beautifully. Wow..its IS cute...and even cute ON me!Hmmm....ok..youre coming home with me.

Back to the clearance rack...this time a purple dress catches my eye.Its a "social" dress...formal but short. Where the heck am I gonna wear that? I hear. "To see a play at the Fox theater is on your list". I think, yeah, that would be the place. I look at the price tag, knowing its prolly too much.

$9.99. I look again. Yep...Its still $9.99. I say (out loud- lol) "Youre fucking kidding me." I look again. Yep..still the same. I say "Youre coming home with me too, even though I have no idea where Im gonna wear you." I try it on..it fits beautifully...its a size 20...omg..yep..its mine.

OK...off to the shoes to see what they have. I find a cute lil pair of Steve Madden sandals for $12.99. I try them on..again..fit perfectly...and theyre gonna look so good with the green dress!

Over to Target to buy some makeup...I buy some green eyeshadow to go with the dress as well as some new brown shadow because what Ive been wearing is old and its time for all new makeup.

I spent more on makeup than I did on clothes...LOL Makeup aint cheap! But, as I said it was time for all new stuff.

OK..rush home..feed roomies dog..let her out..paint my fingernails, toes look fine...rush and do my evening pet sitting gigs...home at 6:15 damn..guess I wont be going out to eat before the play...shower, shave my legs...put on dress...damn, I look good...makeup on...yep...still look good...lol.

Go downstairs to ask roomie if he could take some pics of me...hes amazed at dress...and me (EAT YOUR HEART OUT, BABE- you had your chance!) ...and the prices...(oh, the dress was also $9.99. It didnt have a tag..I told them Id seen one on the rack for $16.99 (I was gonna pay that- really!) the lady said "Oh, Ill just ring this one up twice- no problem" Um...OK! ) OK..so I have to stop at QT for gas due to poor planning on my part (I was running on fumes...lol) I buy some cheese and bottled water to eat on the way. I get to Oglethorpe...it is a beautiful small university....perfect place for a Shakespeare fest...the buildings look very Elizabethian, stone and wood combined...I will find some pics and post them in a minute.

I get a lemonade and sit out on the terrace, they have a dining area out there, plastic tables and chairs, so people can picnic before the plays...next time Im definitely brining a picnic with me! Finally...the house opens and we go inside to be seated. I fond my seat with no problem..wow..great view of the stage...this is gonna be great!

I forgot to mention that this years theme for the plays was love...and all of them were set in the 60's. My 2 favorite things!

The play was As You Like It...it apparently is one of Shakespeares first plays..and while I wasnt familiar with it...I did recognize the "All the worlds a stage" speech. Its a romantic comedy (of course)

And I will be moving to the Forest of Arden (Ardenne) next week.At least this one, full of hippies and good people banished by their evil kin...all falling in love and lust with a band of troubadors (sp?)showing up every once in awhile to make them all happy.