time for the New Year's resolutions...again

Ahhhh New Year's. That wonderful time of year when you reflect on the past year, and all of the things that you said you were going to do...and didn't. And for whatever reason, you think that you will do it THIS year instead. (What is so different about THIS year than LAST year???)So it's time for the horrible New Year's resolutions again... But THIS time, I'm going to do something different than before - and I mean besides just saying that I'm going to do something, and not get it done... I'm going to write it down in the blog, so that it is actually WRITTEN OUT for all the world to see. Gives me some sort of accountability, don't you think? Okay, so here I go, and they're in no particular order...

1.) I'm going to lose some weight. I'm not going to put a number on it. What I'd LIKE to lose, as opposed to what I CAN lose will probably be two VERY different numbers, so I'll just say that. I plan to eat lower fat, healthier foods, and if that doesn't kill me, I'm going to try to get some exercise. I haven't decided the best way to do that part yet. I'd rather not join a gym (especially this time of year), but I have a really hard time walking or running when it's this dang cold outside. We'll see... I guess this also means that I'm going to have to start cooking dinner at home more too. Gonna have to get some new recipes...

2.) I'm going to get out of debt. SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, I am NOT going to use my credit card so that I can pay the stupid thing off. I just have two of them. One with a balance that was transferred, and one that I actually use. If I can get them both paid off, I'm going to cancel one of them altogether, and keep the other ONLY for emergencies (which means that it will remain at HOME, and NOT in my wallet!!).

3.) I'm going to get more money in savings. I really want to move to a bigger house, and without any more money in the bank, I am totally relying on my husband to fork over the cash for a down payment, which means I'm totally at his mercy as to when we can move... Plus, I want to save for my dream, which is flipping a house. I seriously doubt that that will happen any time soon, but I have to start somewhere...

4.) I'm going to start cleaning out/packing up my house... You know, just to be ready so that when we do move, I'll be ready... Plus, it never hurts to do a little spring cleaning... Wonder if I should even tell Chris about this one???

5.) I'm going to try to remedy some of the weird things in my life that need to be remedied, and are WAY past the point that I should have let them go. It may mean that I've got to step outside of the box and try something different that won't be as comfortable, but it's time... I won't say any more about it, in case someone is reading this that shouldn't be. (And for those of you wondering, no, this has nothing to do with my family and/or my husband... It is related to my life on a professional level and that's all I need to say about it.)

6.) I need to spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible. I don't do enough of that, and I know that my life would be much better if I did. You can't just go to God when you need (or want) something, and I need to be sure that, if nothing else, I thank Him every day for all of the wonderful blessings in my life.

I think that's a good start. Hopefully I can fulfill everything on this list this year, and in 2011, when it's time to make resolutions, I will be able to make new ones, since these have already been done.

I think we're all going to die

before this winter is over... And it technically isn't even winter yet!! There is nothing in the world worse than having the phone ring, and the caller ID is for the daycare or the school. NOTHING good EVER comes from one of those phone calls! It always means that someone is sick, bleeding, or both. In the last month, I have been in the pediatrician's office eight times, and I still have two more follow-up appointments to go! That will be $300.00 in co-pays in one month!! Merry Christmas to me... It all started with Emma's nose.

It was running... a LOT. AND it was green-EWWW! So I called the doctor's office and asked for them to call in antibiotics. She had just been there a month before for her checkup, and I figured it was just a sinus infection, so why not? There were no other symptoms. They were reluctant, but the nurse called in some Amoxicillan. The prescription was for one and a half teaspoons twice a day for ten days. The snot turned clear, but her nose was still running. By day eight, it was green again. Oh joy! About three days after her medicine ran out, she stayed up ALL NIGHT. She wasn't happy being held, but she wasn't happy being put down either. It was a very long night!!

The next morning, we were at the doctor's office bright and early. We found out that her right ear was infected. The doctor was surprised that the Amoxicillan didn't keep it clear, and he prescribed Omnicef - a teaspoon once a day for ten days. This one is a little bit stronger, so I figured that would wipe it out. As before, the snot cleared, but her nose still ran. By day seven, it was green...again. I remained hopeful since she wasn't complaining about it (other than the fact that her cute little nose was absolutely raw from wiping it). Three days after she finished the Omnicef, we took her in for her one year well visit. Everything went well except her right ear was STILL infected!!

The doctor was bumfuzzled, but he wrote a prescription for Azithromycin - a teaspoon once a day for three days. Before I could even fill the prescription, Emma got a stomach bug - on her birthday, no less! She spent the entire day throwing up anything that she ate, which eliminated the opportunity for birthday cake!! When I went to pick her up from daycare (I got there exactly one year and two minutes after she was born), I was informed that her warranty had run out. I laughed, but isn't that the truth?? The next day, when she was recovering from the stomach bug, I went to the pharmacy to fill the prescription for the Azithromycin (did I mention that they know me by name over there??). Oh yeah, and four days after the stomach bug with Emma, I got it too! And while I was home sick, I got the call from the school to go pick up Forrest. He was coughing his head off, to the point that he couldn't even function. That was such a blessing, let me tell you!

So anyway, about three days after the Azithromycin ran out, Emma stayed awake all night long AGAIN!! And once again, I couldn't make her happy. She was edgy when I held her, and would scream the second that I put her down. At three o'clock in the morning, I gave her some Tylenol, and she finally went to sleep. The next morning when she was eating breakfast, I noticed that one of her eyes looked really gummy. Back to the doctor... and guess what? Her left ear was now infected, and her right ear was STILL infected! We ended up having to do antibiotic shots - one in each leg for three days. The doc said if that didn't fix it, we were going to have to get tubes. Isn't that awful? Her first ear infection, and it just wouldn't go away!!

On the last day of her shots, I got a call from after-school care saying that Forrest was running a fever. Another trip to the doctor (that was two in one day!!!). This trip revealed that Forrest had pneumonia. UGH!! So here we went again!! The doctor decided that Forrest would need the shots as well, so he ALSO got two shots a day for three days. If you've ever met this child, you would know that he is a skinny little thing, but don't let that fool you! When he knows that there is a needle coming at him, he has the strength of four grown men! I love the folks at our pediatrician's office, but getting to see them six times in one week is just a little too much!

Today, as I write this, the phone rings. It's the school. Forrest is throwing up... Great! I guess it's his turn with the stomach bug. I wonder when Chris will get it...

One year is already gone

I am in complete disbelief that my baby girl is one!! I know that I'm supposed to be happy about this, but I'm not. She's just growing up so fast, and I can't stand it!! Maybe it's because I know that we aren't going to be having any more, or maybe it's because she's just so sweet that I want her to stay just like she is forever. I don't know... I just know that I remember this day, one year ago, just like it was yesterday.

I went to the hospital at 6:00 in the morning. Chris went to get me all checked in while the nurse hooked up all of the monitors and put in the IV. When she hooked up the fetal monitor, she asked me if I felt that. I said, "Felt what?" Apparently, I was already having contractions and didn't even know it yet! I was being induced a week before my actual due date, which was November 27, Thanksgiving. I guess Emma had other plans because she wasn't going to wait until then anyway! I remember the doctor telling the nurse that she needed to be ready because this was going to "go fast." I guess she was referring to how quickly Forrest was born, which was just over six hours of labor-really fast for a first baby.

By 11:00, I was ready to push, but Forrest hadn't arrived from school yet, so we just waited. My mom and dad had gone to pick him up, but the class was making a card to welcome Emma, so it took a little while. When he finally got there, we talked for a few minutes, and then he waited outside. At 12:18 pm, our sweet baby girl was born!! Forrest was the first to get to come in and see her. It was so precious!! I introduced them, and it was love at first sight!! We spent about a half an hour alone, and then brought in the rest of the family. It was such a wonderful day!!

I have such mixed feelings about this day. It was such a wonderful day for our family, but looking back, it makes me sad that time is going so fast!! I miss the intimacy of trying to get pregnant, knowing that you may be creating a new life. I miss the delicious secret of finding out that you ARE pregnant, and knowing that no one else knows. I miss BEING pregnant. I had two wonderful pregnancies, but like any other woman out there, I was OVER it by then end of the nine months. Sure, I wanted it to be finished, and I wanted to get to hold my baby. BUT, the second that it's over, I miss the pregnancy. I miss getting to feel the baby moving inside of me, knowing where she is, and that she is safe at all times. I miss those late night feedings when it's just the two of us, snuggled up while the rest of the family is sound asleep in their beds. I miss those baby smells, and tiny baby noises. I miss the little fingers and toes, and the tiniest little nose. I miss laying on the bed with a sleeping baby on my chest. I know, I know... She's only a year old!! It's not like she's a teenager and I don't still get to enjoy some of these things. I just don't want to see them come to an end!

I was looking at Forrest the other day, and he's just HUGE! I remember when HE was this tiny! I remember my whole pregnancy with him, and when he was born. I remember sitting on the couch feeding HIM at three in the morning. And now he's EIGHT!!! My babies are growing up so fast!! I know that I will have many memories of my children, many more than just baby memories, but I want to hold onto these moments from when they're little for as long as I can. I treasure these memories, and I just want time to stop for a little while so that this won't go by so fast!

Sticking our heads in the sand

One of the things that I learned while taking management classes was that you never want to be a part of groupthink. You want to hear and consider opposing viewpoints so that you will have the most information available in order to make the best decision. Likewise, I learned that in journalism, you are supposed to do your very best to keep your opinion out of it. You are to report on the facts, and ONLY the facts. While it is nearly impossible for the writer to avoid including some personal bias, it should be the goal to keep bias out of reporting, unless the piece is an opinion piece. That being said, what in the world has happened to politics and the media??

If you look at the politicians in the forefront (democrats and republicans alike), they are surrounding themselves with only those that think exactly like them. Everyone was so critical of George W. Bush for selecting "yes men" to advise him, opting not to have anyone upset the apple cart when it came to decision making. From what I've seen of the Obama administration, nothing has changed. All of these politicians are out there making decisions that will affect our lives on multiple levels, and they aren't even taking an alternative viewpoint into consideration.

In addition to this, the media is selective of the stories that are covered on television and in print. For the most part, the media is left-leaning and favorable of the Obama administration (as well as highly critical of the Bush administration). In order to find a media outlet that is critical of the Obama administration, you have to click over to Fox News or listen to conservative talk radio like Rush Limbaugh. Now I'm not a huge Rush fan, but I will listen to him on occasion, and he makes some valid points. I try to watch several news channels to stay informed, which often means switching between Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC. I also try to read books and magazines that have critiques of politics and policies so that I can stay up to date and aware of what's going on. I feel like I need to hear both sides of the story and then I can make an intelligent decision about what I agree with, and who I will vote for.

My biggest concern is that I have seen too many people that choose to pay attention only to those that agree with them. They have no concept of any other viewpoint, nor do they wish to hear someone that opposes what they believe. If pressed on WHY they believe a specific way, many times they cannot back it up. Just because your daddy voted democrat is not a reason to vote democrat! If you believe in the ideology of the democratic party, then by all means, vote democrat!! But if you don't know what it means to be a democrat, what policies that democrats back or oppose or why, then why do you claim yourself a democrat? Because your daddy always voted democrat??? That is completely ignorant!

I don't want to call myself a republican... I'll say I'm conservative. I tend to vote republican just because the party usually (not always) backs the things that I believe in. I don't believe in abortion. I am fiscally conservative. I think that the government should stay out of the economy as much as possible, and I believe that the economy will expand and contract on its own. While this may mean some discomfort while we're in the recession, I have learned that things will correct themselves on their own. I don't believe in big government, and I think too many people are relying on the government to fix everything. All I've ever seen from government involvement is a huge cluster that is irreparable and never ending. I'm not going to get into backing all of this up in a blog, but you can be assured that if I've made these statements, I have educated reasons to back them up. You don't have to agree with me, and you don't have to believe what I believe. I'm just saying that I have taken the time to research each of these subjects, and I have formed my own opinion based on what I've learned and seen with my own eyes. (Would you believe I used to be a democrat?? It's amazing what a few years and life experience will do for your viewpoint...)

My biggest fear is that I see so many of my peers basically sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring what's going on. I guess they think that if they ignore it, it will go away. Let me tell you, NONE of these things are going away!! Remember when the state of Tennessee raised the sales tax to 9.25%, and it was supposed to be "temporary?" How long ago was that? It hasn't gone away yet. Have you ever seen something that the government implemented go away? It may have been renamed, but it's never gone away. I see people my age behaving as if some of these things are no big deal. These are things that will affect us for the rest of our lives, and they aren't even paying attention. I see the very ones that complain the most sit back and fuss, but not even bother to vote. So maybe the one you wanted didn't get elected... WHO CARES?? If you didn't take the time to go vote, what are you complaining about? You can't sit back and wait for someone else to do it! And you can't pretend that nothing is going on in the world, or that everything will be okay. You have to stay informed and make politicians accountable for their actions. These guys will slip anything by us that they can, and just hope that no one was looking when they did it.

Did anyone even notice that they attached the hate crimes bill onto a military spending bill? If you don't vote for it, you look like you're against our troops, but if you DO vote for it, you're passing legislation that may make it illegal for a pastor to stand in a pulpit and speak out against gay marriage. This very blog could probably be considered a hate crime. Who knows? How is it that a hate crimes bill can be attached to one about military spending? The two have nothing to do with one another, but yet, if you vote for one, you get both. There is no line-item veto in congress.

Where is MY generation? When are we going to speak up and get involved? My generation is strangely silent when it comes to the political arena. Is it because we are uninformed? Is it because we haven't taken the time to research and form our own opinions? Our parents are getting older, and it's time to start stepping up. Mommy and Daddy can't protect us anymore. We're ADULTS now, and we need to behave like it! We can't just watch the college age kids with no life experience make the call. We can't expect our parents who are retiring (or are already retired) to fix things. We can no longer stick our heads in the sand and pretend that nothing is going on!

Things that I have learned that I (unfortunately) have to teach my children

I have had a very uneasy feeling about my children lately. I think I've been watching too much TV, and it has made me nervous that something terrible will happen to them. I realize that logically, the odds of something awful (like an abduction) happening are not high, but still... I have decided that we live in a really awful world! I want to believe that people are good hearted, I really do, but I just can't any more. The longer I've lived, the more terrible things I've seen happen. The things that people do to each other aren't just cruel, they are depraved! And I can't seem to get away from it. Every time I turn on the news, I see more of it, and it is all so depressing. Between the murderers, terrorists, and child abusers, I don't know where to look. Chris has just stopped watching the news altogether, but I can't do it. I want to know what's going on in the world, and I need to be aware of everything happening, even the bad things, so that I can arm myself with the knowledge of how to protect my family. I just don't believe that there is nothing good happening. The earth is a big place, and no one can tell me that the only things going on are bad, but I once heard someone say (in referring to the news) "If it bleeds, it leads." Truer words have never been spoken! I guess that the ratings are so important, and no one wants to hear good news any more.


That being said, I have learned a few things over the years that I'm going to have to pass along to my children...unfortunately. What happened to the days of letting your child play outside with friends without having to worry about strangers? What happened to the days of letting your child go over to a friend's house to play without having to question what kind of home life the friend has, and if the parents are trustworthy? What happened to sending your child to school and trusting that the teacher isn't going to be having an inappropriate relationship with him (or her)? The days of innocence are long gone, and unfortunately, I have to go way beyond the days of "never talk to strangers." So here is my list of things that I have to be sure to teach my children in hopes of preventing something terrible from ever happening to them...


1. Always drive with the car doors locked. If the doors are locked, no one can open a door and get in the car with you, unless they break a window first. In any case, if they had to break a window, you would have a sufficient amount of time to drive away. Even if they have a gun, if you hit the gas, they won't be able to shoot you.


2. If anyone ever tries to carjack you, just let them have the car and GET AWAY as fast as you can. The car is not as important as your life, but hopefully, driving with the doors locked will help prevent this.


3. If you are staying in a hotel, lock EVERY lock there is on the door, ESPECIALLY the metal bar that keeps the door from opening more than three inches. That metal bar is the MOST important of them all because even a master key cannot open that. Should someone try to get in your room and that bar is flipped, if nothing else, you will have time to dial 911. (This one came courtesy of Jennifer Hampton, the girl that was abducted from the Days Inn on Lovell Road. One of the Days Inn employees, an illegal alien, had a master key to all of the rooms, and he used it on her door in the middle of the night. She was later found by a fisherman floating in the river.)

4. If we get should separated in the store, find a FEMALE store employee and ask for help. How do I explain to my eight year old why he can't ask a man for help???

5. If anyone ever tries to grab you and leave with you, yell "FIRE." People will respond to "fire," but not to "help" because they don't want to get involved.


6. When you arrive at your destination, have your purse and keys ready, get out of the car, and go directly inside. Don't linger outside or in the car. Also, don't park next to a van. (This one comes courtesy of my boss, who was abducted from the West Town Mall parking lot by two men who, by the way, had already abducted, raped, and left for dead, two other women in town. Fortunately for her, she jumped out of the car when they slowed down to make a turn, and she was able to get away. She later testified against them, and they were put away for a very long time. Wonder what would have happened if she hadn't gotten away??)


7. Always carry your cell phone with you, and have it powered on. If someone goes missing, authorities can often help pinpoint a location by the pings on a cell phone to the closest cell tower. (This comes from several sources: Kelsey Smith, who was abducted from a Target parking lot, and later murdered. Her body was located with the help of the last known location of her cell phone. This also comes from Elizabeth Shoaf, who was abducted and hidden, but was able to send her mother a text message, which ultimately led to her rescue and the arrest of her abductor.)


8. Wear your hair down, and keep your purse strap across your body. Women wearing ponytails are more susceptible to abduction because they criminal can grab her easily by the hair. This is the same for purses, which are more difficult to grab when the strap is cross-ways across the chest.

9. When leaving a building (office, store, whatever...) have your keys ready and go straight to the car. Don't fidget with your bags, or talk on a cell phone. Criminals take advantage of people that are distracted and unaware of their surroundings. (This one comes courtesy of Dru Sjodin. She was talking to her boyfriend on her cell phone when she was abducted out of the mall parking lot. Her body was found five months later, face down in a ditch. She had been raped, beaten and stabbed by a known sex offender that had recently gotten out of jail.)

I'm hoping that this list doesn't grow, but I'm afraid that it will. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to one of my children. In an interview with Hallerin Hill last week, Gary Christian said that in his dreams, he can see his daughter crying out for him but he just didn't hear her. I can't imagine how that must feel, nor do I wish to. I can't imagine the thought of one of my children crying out for me, and not being able to help them. I know that I can't be with them all of the time, so I've decided that I'm going to have to arm them with knowledge so that I won't ever have to experience that first hand.

Reflecting (with no regrets)

I've been thinking lately about my life. I don't know why it's been so pressing on my mind. I think most of it is the awful trial that's been going on, and the graphic details of it that have been coming out. As a mother, it makes me want to scoop up my babies and never let them out of my sight. As a human being, it makes me want to apologize to the families of the victims for the horror that they have been through. At the same time, I want to exact some sort of revenge on their behalf. I wish that there was a way to terrorize and punish the killers in the same way that they terrorized Channon and Christopher. It has also made me think about my life and the blessings that God has so graciously given me.

I have the obvious - a wonderful husband, two beautiful and healthy children, a very loving extended family, a home, a job... But it has taken a lot to get here. When it comes to my marriage, I credit much of the success of it to a relationship that I had before I met my husband. When I was 15, my friend Kristie introduced me to a guy that I ended up dating off and on for over five years. John is a good guy, just not a good guy for me. I didn't know this at the time, but of course, my parents did (parents always know, don't they??). When we started dating, I was completely smitten with him. He was my first love. At the time, he seemed perfectly normal, and his family was great. BUT, that all changed about three years into the relationship. That was when his parents divorced. Don't get me wrong... things weren't all roses for the three years leading up to that, but the divorce was the final straw for him. Apparently (unbeknownst to me), his parents had had problems for years, but it finally boiled over into an affair and a nasty divorce, and I saw behavior out of them that I am still shocked about. I can't imagine anyone, no matter how much you may despise your ex, behaving that way in front of your children! But I've seen it over and over throughout the years... Anyway, when his parents split up, John went off the deep end. We were 19 at the time, so you would think that he would have handled it better because of his age. In hindsight, I think his age probably made it worse. Everything that he had ever known came crashing down in front of him, so I think he was entitled to a meltdown. But with this meltdown at home came the meltdown of our relationship. By the time the divorce was final, we had been dating for nearly five years, and all of my friends were getting engaged and married. We had been together for so long, and it seemed like the natural progression of things. We had gotten engaged some months before, and the date was set. That date was rapidly approaching, but there wasn't a whole lot of planning going on. I did the things that my mother made me do, but I guess without realizing it, I knew that this just wasn't going to happen. Then one day, he showed up at my door with a trash bag full of clothes. His dad had kicked him out of the house, and he had nowhere else to go. What was I supposed to do? This was my fiancee... After three days of him sitting there doing nothing but playing video games while I was at work, he went back home (I guess his dad didn't have to heart to put him out for real), and never even bothered to call me to tell me that he wasn't coming back to our apartment. After a couple of days of this, I called him, furious. I demanded that he tell me whether the wedding was on or not (at this point, it was two months away-and I think I knew his answer before I even asked). He called it off, which really didn't surprise me. BUT, I guess he still wanted to hang on to me for whatever reason, so he still wanted to keep dating and be engaged.

I don't know what happened at that moment. It's like something suddenly snapped. I told him that he needed to come and get his crap, and GET OUT! He showed up five minutes later (he must have flown!). He was there for about an hour, crying and begging me to stay with him. I cried a little too, but not as much as you would think. The craziest thing was that I wasn't upset that my fiancee and I were breaking up, but that I felt like I was abandoning him when he needed me. I felt guilty!! I suppose that I was over this relationship long before I ever realized it, and I'm just glad that God gave me a swift kick in the teeth before I actually walked down the aisle with the guy!! But as always, He has a master plan. Three weeks later, enter Chris. Two months after that, he bought my engagement ring. Three months after that, we got engaged, and nine months after that, we were married. So in the period of a little over a year, my entire life changed course. Eleven years later, here we are! I'm go glad that God is in charge! I shudder every time I stop to think what my life would have been like if I had married John...

That being said, I wouldn't change a THING about any of it! John and I basically grew up together. I'm not proud of some of the things that I said and did while we were dating, BUT it taught me more than I could ever believe. I learned how to be in a relationship, and how to let go. I learned what behavior was acceptable, and how to pick my battles. Because of this time in my life, when Chris came on the scene, I was ready. I was ready, and I appreciated him. AND with the fast track of our relationship, my parents didn't even flinch! (Did I mention that when I called my mom to tell her that John and I wouldn't be getting married, her exact words were "Your father will be so relieved...") Mom and Dad LOVE Chris, and they always have. The other thing I should have done...listened to my parents...

As I said, there are things that I've said and done that I'm not proud of (haven't we all?), but I would never change a thing about my life. I've been very blessed to have the family and friends that I have. Yes, there are things that I wish I could have done better. I wish that I hadn't rushed to judgement about certain people, and I wish that I hadn't listened to so many opinions of others. I wish that I had realized who my true friends were, and who could have been a true friend long before they actually became one. I'm happy for the friends that I've made over the years, and the friends that I've kept over the years, but I wish I got to spend more time with them. I'm glad that I finally finished school, but I wish that I hadn't waited so long to do it. All of that being said, I'm glad for the way things have turned out. If I had done things differently, I wouldn't be who I am today.

I guess if I had to have one thing in my life that I regret, it would be that I didn't know then what I know now. I think we ALL wish for that...

Road rage is a bad thing

Okay, I'll admit it. I have road rage. I'm a fairly patient, laid-back person about most things, but NOT when I'm driving. If you've ever seen the movie Office Space, in the opening scene where he's going to work and being passed by a man with a walker, that would be me. I can't stand traffic jams, slow drivers, stupid drivers, really old drivers, really young drivers, drivers ed students, traffic light cameras, or road construction projects. Oh yeah, I said it! And since that eliminates pretty much everyone, I guess that means that I shouldn't drive at all!

Living here in Knoxville, we live in the road construction capital of the world. NOT kidding! I went on vacation one summer, and was talking to the server where we had stopped for lunch. She asked me where we were from, and when I told her Knoxville, she actually said, "Oh I've been through there, but I hated it because of all of the road work going on. It's like that every time I go through there." Oh yes, we are known across the Unites States, not for our beautiful state, friendly people, or national parks, but for the road construction. I swear, I see orange and white construction barrels in my sleep! I can say all of this because I have lived here for my entire life. I have never moved away, so I am well aware of how often there is road work going on. In fact, the only time that I can ever remember there NOT being a road project going on was during the World's Fair - and that was in 1982. For those of you with no math skills, that was 27 YEARS ago!! One thing that I've never been able to figure out is why they don't bother to finish one project before they start twelve more. If I were in charge, the guys would be working at night instead of during the day, a project would be complete before another one commences, and there would be ridiculous fines for taking longer than the allotted time to complete the job. But of course, I'm not the one in charge...

Recently, we've had the strangest weather. I can't remember a summer when it rained as much as it has this year. The biggest reason that I have noticed this is because all of these horrific storms hit right at either 7:30 am, or 4:55 pm, right at rush hour! If I thought people couldn't drive before, they REALLY can't drive when it's raining outside!! It's just water people!! Slow down a little (but you don't have to drive 3 miles per hour), turn on your headlights, and don't drive through deep puddles. That should be enough said...

Now in case you didn't know it, in the great state of Tennessee, you can turn right on red. That means that after stopping, it really is okay to turn right. If a car is coming six miles down the road, is really isn't necessary to wait until they pass before turning. I can also promise you that the other driver will not be giving you an engraved invitation to turn either, so please, JUST TURN ALREADY! And another thing, turn lanes are there for a reason. USE THEM!! If you have a turn lane, there is no reason whatsoever for you to slow down in the middle of the road to execute your turn!

If you're driving in the left-hand lane through town, you need to be going at least 45-50 miles per hour, no less. If you aren't, you need to be in the right-hand lane. If you are on the interstate and you are in the left-hand lane, you had better be going at least 70 miles per hour, or you need to move over and GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!

If your car is like mine, with no power whatsoever, don't pull out in front of someone driving 50 miles per hour. You WILL get run over! This should come as no surprise to anyone. I'm well aware of how long it takes for my car to get going, and you should be too. I'm just saying...

If you are getting on the interstate, that little ramp is called the acceleration ramp. It is designed to get you up to the speed of interstate traffic so that when you merge, you don't get run over by a semi. In case you missed it, to accelerate means to SPEED UP! That would be the pedal on the right...

Recently, the government in Knoxville starting having traffic light cameras installed at intersections around town. If you haven't seen one of these, don't worry. One of them WILL take your picture (in full color, no less) before you know it! Did I mention that I was the lucky recipient of one of those tickets? Oh yes, I got a $50 ticket in the mail for running a red light, complete with a color picture of my car, front and back, and a close up shot of my license plate. Great, right? Oh, but the other thing is that these cameras aren't even property of the Knox County government! They are owned by the company that installs them. So when you get a $50 ticket, $25 goes to the camera company, and the other $25 goes to Knox County as free money (and it doesn't even go on your driving record because the government isn't running the program). I've also heard rumor that there are now live video cameras that will catch you on moving video turning right on red without coming to a complete stop first. I'm sure I'll be getting one of those tickets in the mail soon! I guess the $60 that we've been paying for a STICKER to put on our license plates just wasn't enough money for them... Oh, about that sticker... Once I didn't get my little notice in the mail to renew mine (I mean really, how often do you walk around to the back of the car to make sure your tags are current??), and I got pulled over by a twelve year old cop, who proceeded to write me a $180 ticket for expired tags. And THEN he had the nerve to tell me to have a nice day...

Now I've been really good for all of these years. I'll admit that I yell at other drivers, but I'm proud to say that I've never cussed in front of my child. One morning while was sitting at the intersection of Concord and Northshore (before they installed the traffic circle, but that's another story...), I was waiting to turn left so that I could take Forrest to daycare. There was a car in front of me, also waiting to turn left. It being rush hour, there was quite a bit of traffic, so the other driver couldn't turn just yet. From the back seat, my three year old son pipes up "GO GO GO!!!" That was the low point...