North Carolina @ MindSay 
family
I won the limbo contest in the above picture. It was a first round knock out.
I also won the slowest guy in the train award, Seamus got first Beavis snuck into 2nd, and Rico got 3rd.
After I last wrote, we were getting ready to go see my mom in Jacksonville,NC where she is in a nursing home...That morning we got up to a flooded basement...so, we had to stay,, called insurance, and plumber...Both came out that day and next day...with the insurance check we got we made an extra house payment..God works in mysterious ways! now we are only one month behind...but they continue to not want to help us..just this week we were again denied for the loan mod...they told us as long as we were behind and in the hole each month we would never qualify!! What??makes no sense...we were told that was why people like us could qualify for it..job loss, behind on payments,etc...That's what Obama said!! its so frustrating!! Our second mortgage co. gave us a loan mod in 2 days!!! and we were behind with them too!! what's up with that?? who do you contact to find out if your mortgage co is jerking you around??/ they have to report to someone do they not?? sigh----
Good news is I got a job yesterday...Its part time like I wanted, no nights and no weekends..and only about 3-4 hrs a day, but every bit helps..I'm on Emergency unemployment now and my understanding is that that runs out in Oct... so we are still fighting to save our house as it stands now... oh and our first mortgage told us we needed to pare our bills down since we are in the hole every month..ok, well, we went to a credit manager and He told us there was no where to cut back!! we are paying only what we have to right now-utilities,insurance,gas,food,stuff like that that you cant pare back.. other good news, my husband and my daughter got some help to be able to go to Doctor and get meds now...Ours is no cost to go to Doctor and daughter has to pay $5 each visit.Husband is diabetic, so he got his meds for free and my daughter is on a couple of meds that are free now too..that is a big help there..and our past doctor bills were covered and paid also which was almost at $1000.00.....now just owe the dentist $500.00...dont know when that will get paid...as no extra money at all. And here in NC taxes went up!! are they trying to kill us??? Our property taxes we owe this year are almost $2000.00!!!!! and sales taxes went up too... and now Duke Energy is wanting to raise its cost??? great...people are struggling..what do they want?our blood??? Christmas this year will be bleak..I just basically want my family together.. still trying to figure that out..with property taxes due right in Jan. that kills us..Christmas isnt about getting anyway..its about Christ and his birth.. we love each other and have fun as a family..that's what matters..The Black Friday list has already come out...those that have $ to spend-have at it...we don't.... yesterday in the mail we get 3 different letters from the county ..we owe $5 per cat we now have ..taxes on our animals!! I thought we came to America to flee Taxes on everything !! and for Religious freedom!! good grief... tax this, raise this, what next???
have I said enough??? No wonder I was depressed earlier this week...
I was going to leave for the beach today with 3 good friends. they were going to take care of me so I could go.yesterday evening we get a call from one of them, my really good friend(I call her my Sis!) and her Dad was in ICU.. She had to call 911 earlier as he fell twice...so weak.... he had been sick all week but thought he was getting better... he was so dehydrated that they had to use a force bag to get the fluids in him. he took 4 bags I think..anyway, the rest of us told her we were not leaving her behind to go on to the beach..She wanted us to go on..can you believe that??She is so unselfish..I told her to shut up!! we were staying to be with her and the beach would still be there whenever...She couldn't help it that her dad got so ill...they weren't even sure he'd pull through last night! and she wanted us to go on.. No way!!my husband and I went over to hospital after she called and stayed. we took her to get something to eat. she went to be with her mom last night. her mom is diabetic and confined to the house..She has to be carried several times a week to receive dialysis. And she needs constant care..my friend is an only child so everything falls on her. She is a wife, and mother to two teens herself and works.. talk about having a full plate.. she does..
anyway I talked to her about 9 this morning and her dad stablizied during the night. they want to move him into a room out of ICU and regulate his meds. he lost so much weight...Will find out more later this afternoon..
my daughter started College in late August and she has adjusted well. Its our local community college, but she is doing great!! She has already aced a couple of tests! next fall she will transfer to UNCC. She has a new "Boy friend" lol says she doesn't want to be involved with anyone right now and they are just friends. I like him he is very nice.
Son has new girlfriend this year at Appalachian. he loves his apartment and having his own room!
I'm glad they are both settling in well.
well gotta run for now..maybe I will post again before another month rolls by! or two!
So, I am making my first entry for 2009. And here's what I thought of the NY celebration.
Ok, I must have blinked and missed the actual ball drop. No, seriously, in years past they focused on the ball for at least the last five seconds. This go around we hardly saw the damn thing. I don't give a shit about the crowd... I see people everyday! I want to see the ball!
Dick Clark. Oh, man. I know he had a stroke four years ago, but this was the first time I saw him and really thought, "Damn! He's aged!" Dick Clark isn't suppossed to age! It's not natural! I hate to say it, but every year since his stroke I've kind of wondered what New Years will be like when he's gone. It just won't be the same. Kinda made me sad, really.
Time's Square. I've been there plenty, but for some reason tonight I noticed... it is just one gianormous advertisement. Did you notice that?
So I have decided one of these years I am going to go to Mt. Olive, NC... that's where they make those Mt. Olive pickles. Well, on New Year's they drop a giant pickle. I have to see it! LOL! I know Raleigh drops a giant acorn. That always tickled the hell out of me.
The Raleigh, NC "First Night" Acorn Drop:
The Mt. Olive, NC Pickle Drop:
Now if you ever go to Raleigh, NC, the acorn is on display in center city by the City Market. As far as I know, the pickle is not on year round display.
By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2008 - Four states along the East Coast are employing their National Guards as Tropical Storm Hanna nears. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have almost 40,000 Army and Air National Guard members available to their governors, if needed. This includes almost 11,000 in North Carolina, 9,000 in Florida, 11,000 in South Carolina and 9,000 in Georgia.
"The National Guard is pre-positioning several multifunction force packages of trained people and equipment that will be used for transportation, distribution of supplies, ground evacuation, swift water rescue and security of impacted areas," said Army Maj. Randall Short, a public affairs officer with the National Guard Bureau.
Florida and Georgia expect to avoid a hit from Hanna, but two Air National Guard units in those states have evacuated their aircraft nonetheless. The 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville, Fla., has evacuated 13 F-15 aircraft to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah, Ga., has evacuated four C-130 aircraft to McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, Tenn.
In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford announced in a briefing today that about 250 soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard will remain on standby. He also asked for the voluntary evacuation of Georgetown and Horry counties in the northeast section of the state. Three emergency shelters in those areas would be opened for anyone needing assistance.
At McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., the Army National Guard plans to shelter all of its aviation assets on base, while the 169th Fighter Wing will keep 12 of its F-16s in hangars. The unit's 12 remaining F-16s and one C-130 will be evacuated to Texas tomorrow, said Air Force Maj. Jim St. Clair, a public affairs officer with the South Carolina National Guard.
In North Carolina, Gov. Mike Easley ordered 270 Guard members to state active duty yesterday in preparation for the storm. Guard members will start arriving for duty today and will be in place tomorrow, said Army Maj. Matt Handley, the state public affairs officer for the North Carolina National Guard.
The North Carolina National Guard will field several multifunction force packages of about 50 personnel each, capable of providing security, ground evacuation, transportation, and equipped with swift-water rescue personnel, according to a news release from the state.
Other Guard members will provide logistics support, and six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are on standby to conduct missions if needed, the release stated.
North Carolina Guard planners also met with state emergency management personnel over the last several days to finalize plans as the storm approached. All state active duty missions are coordinated through the state emergency management agency.
The North Carolina Guard has mobilized for numerous hurricanes and brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise to these types of operations, Handley said. The last deployment for a hurricane was in 2006, when North Carolina mobilized about 220 personnel for Tropical Storm Ernesto.
Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine declared a state of emergency in his state today in anticipation of Hanna. He authorized state agencies to identify and preposition resources for quick response anywhere they are needed in Virginia, according to a news release from the governor's office.
The Virginia Emergency Operations Center has increased its operations in response to this declaration, and the Virginia National Guard has personnel alerted and on standby for potential response and recovery missions associated with the storm, the release stated.
"Current forecasts predict Hanna will bring tropical-storm-force winds to Virginia, causing coastal flooding and the very real possibility of tornadoes and power outages," Kaine said in a news release. "Virginians should listen to their local government representatives and local news media for instructions for the duration of the storm."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported today that the center of Hanna was located about 205 miles east of Nassau and about 670 miles south-southeast of Wilmington, N.C. The storm is moving toward the northwest at about 14 mph, a pace expected to continue for the next couple of days with a gradual increase in speed, according to NOAA.
On this track, the center of Hanna will be near the southeast coast of the United States by late tomorrow.
(Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke serves at the National Guard Bureau.)
Showing 1 - 5. [ Next ]
