Ann

Let's imagine that we're all going to drop in your house for a big breakfast. You decide to cook up your favorite breakfast foods for us. What will you be serving?

A professor at the Auburn University was giving a lecture on Paranormal Studies. To get a feel for his audience, he asks, 'How many people here believe in ghosts?' About 90 students raise their hands. Well, that's a good start. Out of those who believe in ghosts, do any of you think you have seen a ghost?' About 40 students raise their hands. That's really good. I'm really glad you take this seriously. Has anyone here ever talked to a ghost?' About 15 students raise their hand. Has anyone here ever touched a ghost?' Three students raise their hands. That's fantastic. Now let me ask you one question further....Have any of you ever made love to a ghost?' Way in the back, Bubba raises his hand. The professor takes off his glasses, and says 'Son, all the years I've been giving this lecture, no one has ever claimed to have made love to a ghost. You've got to come up here and tell us about your experience.' The big redneck student replied with a nod and a grin, and began to make his way up to the podium. When he reached the front of the room, the professor asks, 'So, Bubba, tell us what it's like to have sex with a ghost?' Bubba replied, " Shucks, from way back there I thought you said Goats."

Saying prayers for Loreen and her GREAT friend, Judy!!!!

My morning got off to a rough start. I was just too beat yesterday to make it to the grocery store, so I told myself that I would hop out of bed when I woke up and go to the store before work to pick up some things for lunch. Well, I woke at the normal time but just was in a lazy mood and lay there, staring at the ceiling and thinking. I was thinking about this time of year 7 years ago and the way I felt then. You know, this time of year really gets to me and I have a lot of rough days. On a better note, the weather has cooled down a bit here and although it's still around 80 today, it's better than last week when temps were in the mid 90's. By the end of the week, we should be in the 70's and that's my kind of weather!!! Judy....want you to know that I'm praying for good scans tomorrow!!!

I called my friend, Sue and told her right after the doctor told us. It was easy for me to tell her but telling our boys and Dennis' mom and dad were so very hard. Sue has always been my rock and before this, she always seemed to know just what to do or say to make things better...or at least seem better. When she heard this news, she was speechless and it was the first time I remember her being speechless. I was in denial until the first chemo treatment and that made the word cancer very real for me. At first, Dennis and I didn't talk about it a lot with each other. It was almost as if we didn't say the "C" word, it wouldn't be real. After the diagnosis, things started happening so fast that it was hard to find the time to just let it all soak in. There were so many arrangements to make....appointments to schedule, ports, blood work and about a million new terms and words to figure out. Oh....how I wish this wasn't a question that any of us had to answer!!!

[/b]When you first found out that your loved one had been diagnosed with lung cancer, who was the person you first shared the news with? How long did it take for you to realize accept that the diagnosis was real?

Judy, I am so looking forward to this little "cool down" that they say is coming our way. They keep talking about this ridge of high pressure that keeps blocking the cold fronts from getting down to us, so I guess I need to hope the "ridge" goes away...lol!!! Sorry that you felt bad last night but glad to hear you were able to fall back asleep. We have friends that are in your neck of the woods this weekend for FF. I would love to be there with them!!! Lil...it drives me insane when people are so rude and inconsiderate as to use this MB for a place to sell pills and **Word not allowed**. One would think they could find a more appropriate venue to peddle their wares. So, here it is, my favorite day of the week and I'm so looking forward to the weekend. I think the older I get, the more I live for Fridays. I used to dream about retirement and having free time, but I guess that dream is just that...a dream. So, tonight I'll be enjoying family time and having my birthday dinner. My party was last weekend, although today is the "real day." and I love being 29. Last night, my grand babies brought the gifts they had made me and I was in awe of how wonderful they are!!! They have the world's best mom and dad that encourage their creativity. They both painted little clay flower pots and went to the garden center and each picked out the plant they wanted to put in their hand painted pot. Then, they went to the craft store and picked out the paper they wanted to make my card on. They both colored the card and their mom attached pictures of them painting the pots and coloring the card. I am truly blessed!!! Their Grandpa Dennis is surely smiling down on us today!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful, happy weekend. Please remember my Tennessee friend, Emma Lynn, in your prayers as she says prepares for her Mom's funeral this evening. Ann

Well, Judy, I'm glad to see that KW has a nice 83 degrees because your neighbor to the north (that would be me) is suffering with this 90 degree heat today!!! It's like walking into an oven when you go outside. We are supposed to have a cold front move in on Sunday and the temperature is supposed to drop to 83...wow!!! I have been so looking forward to days with temperatures in the 70's but it looks like those days may not come until January. Sorry that I haven't been posting much for the last couple of weeks but my life has been in a tailspin. I think you may know that my best friend from high school came to spend last weekend with me. We hadn't seen each other in 41 long years and it was a wonderful reunion! We had a great time and all that was missing was more time together. She has been caring for her 87 year old mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, for the past 6 years. Hospice was able to care for her Mom in their facility while she was here. Unfortunately, when she called from the Atlanta Airport Sunday morning, she was told her Mom had taken a turn for the worst. She passed away on Tuesday morning. I feel so helpless being so far away but I have been trying to comfort her over the phone. I promise to get all caught up and start back the GTKY posts on Monday. In the meantime, I'm so glad it's going to be Friday tomorrow and although that's always my favorite day of the week, I really need this one. Ann

Things Got Ya Down? Well Then, Consider These . . ............................. In a hospital's Intensive Care Unit, patients always died in the same bed, on Sunday morning, at about 11:00 am , regardless of their medical condition. This puzzled the doctors and some even thought it had something to do with the supernatural. No one could solve the mystery as to why the deaths occurred around 11:00 am Sunday, so a worldwide team of experts was assembled to investigate the cause of the incidents. The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 am. , all of the doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits. Just when the clock struck 11:00 , Pookie Johnson, the part- time Sunday sweeper , entered the ward and unplugged the life support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner. Still Having a Bad Day???? The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both. Still think you are having a Bad Day???? A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman. Are Ya OK Now? - No? Two animal rights defenders were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn , Germany . Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence, stampeding madly. The two helpless protesters were trampled to death. What?!? STILL having a Bad Day???? Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with 'Return to Sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits. God is Good! There now, Feeling Better ?

On the first day, God created the dog and said: ‘Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.’ The dog said: ‘That’s a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?’ So God agreed. On the second day, God created the monkey and said: ‘Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I’ll give you a twenty-year life span.’ The monkey said: ‘Monkey tricks for twenty years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?’ And God agreed. On the third day, God created the cow and said: ‘You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.’ The cow said: ‘That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I’ll give back the other forty?’ And God agreed again. On the fourth day, God created man and said: ‘Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you twenty years.’ But man said: ‘Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty,the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?’ ‘Okay,’ said God, ‘You asked for it.’ So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has now been explained to you. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I’m doing it as a public service

I went to counseling soon after losing Dennis but often feel that now, almost 7 years later, that there is a need to go again. I have found that when I begin feeling like I can't cope, I find a friend and just talk about what I'm feeling. Sometimes, it takes some heavy duty sorting to even know what I am feeling. But, I have found that just getting it off my chest and talking to someone who will truly listen helps me so very much. I know the words a counselor will say and I know what I should be thinking/doing/saying and feeling. But, sometimes it helps to talk to someone who knew my Dennis and that makes me know and remember that he was alive and he did make a difference on so many lives. When I talk to people that never knew him, it just isn't the same.

A farmer had five female pigs. Times were hard, so he decided to take them to the county fair and sell them. At the fair, he met another farmer who owned five male pigs. After talking a bit, they decided to mate the pigs and split everything 50/50.The farmers lived sixty miles apart. So they agreed to drive thirty miles each, and find a field in which to let the pigs mate. The first morning, the farmer with the female pigs got up at 5 A.M. , loaded the pigs into the family station wagon, which was the only vehicle he had, and drove the thirty miles. While the pigs were mating, he asked the other farmer, "How will I know if they are pregnant?" The other farmer replied, "If they're lying in the grass in the morning, they're pregnant. If they're in the mud,they're not." The next morning the pigs were rolling in the mud.. So he hosed them off, loaded them into the family station wagon again and proceeded to try again. This continued each morning for more than a week. The next morning he was too tired to get out of bed. He called to his wife, "Honey, please look outside and tell me whether the pigs are in the mud or in the grass." "Neither," yelled his wife, "they're in the station wagon and one of them is honking the horn."

I had to jump in on this one. By the way, this is a great idea, Michelle. When we lived in Miami, Dennis and I bought a great boat!!! It was the boat he had been wanting for years and we finally found a great deal from a private owner. Well, the owner lived about 45 minutes north of us , so we decided we would take the boat down the intercoastal waterway, rather than trailer it home. Well, Dennis always loved to talk, so we ended up leaving the seller's house later than anticipated. What would seem like a simple thing to do, turned in to quite a fiasco, as the intercoastal is not as straight as one might think. It took us hours to get home. It was so dark and we kept navigating way too close to the shoreline. But, finally we made it. What a night that was and we laughed about that episode for years!!! Oh....how I loved that man....still do...always will!!!

Can you tell I'm counting calories....? Halloween Candy ~ Snack Size ♦ 3 Musketeers, (2 bars) [140 cal/4.5 g fat/0 g fiber/26 g carbs] ♦ 1000 Grand, (2 bars) [190 cal/8 g fat/<1 g fiber/30 g carbs] ♦ ABC Fruit Chomps, (7 pieces) [140 cal/1.5 g fat/0 g fiber/32 g carbs] ♦ America’s Original Bubble Gum, (4 pieces) [60 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/16 g carbs] ♦ Annabelle's Mini ABBA ZABBA, (1 bar) [50 cal/1 g fat/0 g fiber/11 g carbs] ♦ Annabelle's Mini Big Hunk Bars, (1 bar) [50 cal/0.5 g fat/0 g fiber/11 g carbs] ♦ Annabelle's Mini Look Bars, (1 bar) [50 cal/1.5 g fat/0 g fiber/9 g carbs] ♦ Atomic Fireballs, (1 piece) [40 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/9 g carbs] ♦ Blow Pops, (1 piece) [70 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/17 g carbs] ♦ Dum Dum Lollipops, (3 pops) [59 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber] ♦ Jolly Rancher Mini Stix, (1 stick) [35 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/9 g carbs] ♦ Kit Kat, (one 2-piece bar) [80 cal/4 g fat/0 g fiber/10 g carbs] ♦ Life Saver Five Flavor Candy, (4 pieces) [60 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/16 g carbs] ♦ Life Saver Gummi Savers, (2 rolls) [110 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/27 g carbs] ♦ Life Saver Pops, (1 pop) [40 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/10 g carbs] ♦ Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses, (6 pieces) [150 cal/3 g fat/0 g fiber/33 g carbs] ♦ Milk Duds, (4 boxes) [160 cal/6 g fat/0 g fiber/26 g carbs] ♦ Necco Wafers, (1 roll) [50 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/13 g carbs] ♦ Nerds, (1 box) [35 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/9 g carbs] ♦ Nestle Crunch Fun Size, (4 bars) [200 cal/10 g fat/<1 g fiber/26 g carbs] ♦ Now & Later, (3 mini bars) [140 cal/1.5 g fat/0 g fiber/34 g carbs] ♦ Peter Pan Peanut Butter Cups, (4 pieces) [230 cal/15 g fat/1 g fiber/21 g carbs] ♦ Reese's Peanut Butter Bites, (3 pkgs) [230 cal/13 g fat/1 g fiber/24 g carbs] ♦ Skittles, (3 pkgs) [170 cal/2.5 g fat/0 g fiber/36 g carbs] ♦ Spree Twist, (2 rolls) [60 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/14 g carbs] ♦ Starburst, (3 funsize pkgs) [170 cal/2.5 g fat/0 g fiber/36 g carbs] ♦ Starburst Fruit Chews, (8 chews) [160 cal/3.5 g fat/0 g fiber/33 g carbs] ♦ Sugar Babies, (2 pouches) [210 cal/2 g fat/0 g fiber/47 g carbs] ♦ Sugar Daddy Pops, (3 pops) [160 cal/2 g fat/0 g fiber/34 g carbs] ♦ Sweet Tarts, (2 rolls) [50 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/12 g carbs] ♦ Tootsie Hot Chocolate Pops, (1 Pop) [70 cal/.5 g fat/0 g fiber/17 g carbs] ♦ Tootsie Roll Midgees, (6 pieces) [160 cal/3 g fat/<1 g fiber/33 g carbs] ♦ Twix, Regular Size, (1 2-pack) [280 cal/14 g fat/1 g fiber/37 g carbs] ♦ Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel Cherry Candy, (3 pieces) [120 cal/.5 g fat/0 g fiber/28 g carbs] ♦ Twizzlers Strawberry Twists, 4 twists [120 cal/.5 g fat/0 g fiber/29 g carbs] ♦ Wonka Nerds Gumballs, (1 piece) [45 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/11 g carbs] ♦ Wonka Shock Tarts Gumball, (1 piece) [30 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/8 g carbs] ♦ Wrigley's Chewing Gum, (5 pieces) [50 cal/0 g fat/0 g fiber/10 g carbs]

THIS IS SO AWESOME.... READ IT EVERY WEEK!!! Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old She is published in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:" 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 15.. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?". 26. Always choose life. 27. Forgive everyone everything. 28. What other people think of you is none of your business. 29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. 30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 31. Don't take yourself so seriously.. No one else does. 32. Believe in miracles. 33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 36. Your children get only one childhood. 37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 41. The best is yet to come. 42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 43. Yield. 44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Thanks for sharing this beautiful story with us!!!

I am so happy that this happened for you, Michelle. I have so many wonderful stories about "signs and messages" that I have gotten from my Dennis over the years and I draw comfort from them each time they cross my mind or I share them with a friend. It's amazing how comforting it can be to know that our loved ones never really leave us, as they are forever alive in our hearts. I know that my Dennis used to always tell me that every time I think of him, he will be alive. I can tell you that those thoughts are long and often.

OK guys and dolls......today is a "let's pretend" day. Let's pretend you're dressing up for Halloween (whether you are or not). You're going to pick a costume or a character that will really portray the real you! Who/what will you be and why?

Sending lots of warm, fuzzy hugs your way, Michelle..... ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearnings. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could." ~Louise Erdrich~ *The Painted Drum*

If you were given the opportunity to sit down and talk with any one person in the world, with hopes of getting them to raise awareness of lung cancer, who would you talk to and what would you say?

I think you were unsure about exactly what you were going to say tonight and this is just God's little way of letting you know that you're on the right track. Of course, I have to chuckle when I visualize Johnny, having a heart-to-heart conversation with God. I think this is how the conversation might go...."God, you have to help me with this one. My Lilly is a great gal and she's always given so many sacrifices to help other people and to make their lives better. Now, she needs to make her life better and is getting a lot of flack from her nosy, busy bodied neighbors. So, God, can you do me a favor here and send her a little sign that we....You and I ...want her to get on with her life and do what she wants for a change? She just needs to tell those people to butt out and leave her be!!! " So...I think that's probably what Johnny said to God...just before that paper landed on top of your notes for tonight!!!

Judy...sounds like you have a long and busy day ahead of you. Make sure to find time to rest and also drink lots of fluid. It's really hot here in Florida and we have to remember to drink a lot during the day. I've been contemplating buying a bicycle...but I could never make 12 miles...lol!!! Lil....you crack me up!!! I am so proud of you and are glad that you're going to take all of those busy bodies on at the meeting. I think it's a good idea to write your thoughts down rather than just shooting from the hip. Sometimes, when we just spout off, we say things that are better unsaid and end up doing more harm than good. You have a way with words and I am sure you will say just the right thing to fit the situation. I think you should have hugged in public!!! It's still hot here in Florida. We're supposed to have a cold front push through by the weekend and Saturday and Sunday high temps are only going to be 80. Do you think I'll have to pull out my sweaters??? Oh, I have a favor. Does anyone have a magic wand they could pull out and make it Friday for me???? Tina....How about them VOLS??? Go Big Orange!!! And ...speaking of orange....I think the orange jerseys worked magic for the Dolphins last night!!! I'm a real Colts fan but Dolphins are next in line!!! Ann

Let's talk weather today. People tell us here in Florida that it really is Fall but with 94-96 degree temperatures, it's hard to believe. So...what's the temperature where you are???

How I learned to mind my own business : I was walking past the mental hospital the other day, and all the patients were shouting, '13....13....13.' The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks, so I looked through to see what was going on..... Some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick! Then they all started shouting '14....14....14'....