Well glory be..somehow I feel the need to get on here and see what's going on. I hate the new Facebook Timeline. I'm not sure if anybody is lurking around here or not. Yowza, this new format is totally blowing my mind. I have an itching to dig into my graphics again also. Wonder will this is all coming from. I'm not sure if anything on my external drive is even compatible. Anyhoo, Joey turns 29 tomorrow. Becky got married 2 yrs ago on September 18th, and my baby, 26 yr old Megan, is living and working in marketing in Washington DC. She was home this past weekend. We all took Joey kayaking on the Allegheny River. It was a blast. So I'm going to see how this saves. I had to use GMail access now to get into the blasted thing. I may just write to entertain myself. :-)

Remember Me?

Peeping around the corner and wondering just who is still around and just who in the heck gives a hoot about this lost soul. Where have I been and why did I disappear? I really wish I had some concrete answer. I do have some new buddies leaving comments trying to sell me Viagra and all sorts of odd spam. I lost my “mojo” for PSP, don’t have a clue if my long time PSP group is still around, and actually really do care about that. I have no clue if I could make a graphic if I dusted off my Paint Shop and opened it up. But, honestly, I'm quite amazed at the creations I see on here. boo ya...I can't remember how to change the backgrounds here so I guess it's going to be Valentines Day for the time being.

My cacklin e-mail froze my pc for the longest time. I had DSL problems on top of that. ROFL…I now have about 6,000 pieces of e-mail to go through. I’m finding that threatening. I seem to be threatened by so much lately yet I’m not depressed.

My camera has been sitting inside the tv stand for a year. We had no summer this past year in Pittsburgh so I didn’t walk and now am now unhappy about the weight I lost and gained back. I still have my buddy, the cyst, on my ovary being watched. I can’t stand seeing pictures of myself and my round moon face. Guess, I still love to whine, obviously. But what hasn’t changed is my deep longing to reconnect with my journal/blog friends whom I really do love so much. I apologize for my absence and just falling out of existence. I got into FB for a while and then the games on FB which seemed to satisfy a need for a bit. I’m supposing anonymity is easy to maintain on the FB application. Why I felt the need to hide is still a mystery to me. Why a year almost? Again, a mystery because I even began to hide on FB.

I entered a few blogs today and actually read some of my last entries and have to wonder why I left. Tears flowed as I read comments and blogs and saw familiar faces. After all, my original journal was started as a means for me to record my life events, emotional unloading, etc. The rest became icing on the cake as I met some totally awesome people who were always there for me. I’m still of the opinion that blogger has not been the home that AOL was.

So, as we enter the Christmas season and new year, I intend to pull together and rebuild my life here from the shreds that are left. I hope and pray that my dear friends will forgive me and join me once again. Dang, I do miss the world we had at AOL but even more, I’m missing my AOL friends and need to know how everyone is doing.

Mid Week Ramblings/SNAG

Yikes, has it been almost a week since I posted anything? Where does time fly to? I still don't have all my Steeler celebration pics uploaded. I went to work Monday feeling great, woke up Tues morning feeling nauseous. All the rest of the crappy stuff followed...headache, earache, sore throat. Yesterday, I was in bed all day. Today, I feel more back to life again. Tomorrow, I have to go to work if even for half a day. From what I've been reading on Facebook and here, it seems that so many are ill and feeling crappy. Megan is sick also. Joey is the only one in the house so far who's been spared. My BF is starting to get it now.

Anyway, today, my BFF that I grew up with contacted me on Facebook. We were inseparable all through school, had our first two children a month apart, our second a couple of months apart and then somehow we just drifted apart. We were each other's maids of honor. She was the sister I didn't have and vice versa. She has lived in eastern Pa for many years. So, how in the world do you ever let a friendship dry up and fall apart? Is it possible to rekindle it? I've wondered many times. Her brother still lives next door to my mom. The last time we spoke was when the year 2,000 came around. We are most definitely polar opposites but always have been. She could crack me up like no other person could. We spent most of our summers with her relatives in Bedford County chasing the country boys. Oh...the memories.

I want to thank everyone who gave me awards. I need to post them and pass them. Ugh, I'm terrible at doing that. I know Hollie and Sugar and Katie had some for me. I'm probably forgetting. I'll get back later and pass them on.

Becky is flying to Missouri to spend Valentine's Day with her BF. They are both my friends on Facebook. He does seem to really love her. She's leaving tomorrow and will be back Monday night. I'm anxious to see how this goes.

And that is about it for me. Almost the weekend. Boy, do I hate to take time off for sickness....ugh. Hugs to all....CHRIS

Valentines Day SNAGS

Just a quick entry to post some Valentines Day snags. I've been so busy this week. I'm behind on Blogger, Facebook, tags, my psp groups, etc. I've been spending about an hour a day trying to keep up with e-mail and read a few blogs. I'll catch up this weekend; at least that is my plan.

LOL...I live in Sixburgh. The parade for the Steelers went right by my building. Awesome! We spent our lunch hour right outside the entrance. We could reach out and touch and shake hands. I have some pictures of us celebrating and the parade that I haven't gotten uploaded yet so I guess you are still going to have to enter Steeler Country for another day or two.

Lovin the Black & Gold

SUGAR SHACK thanks, Sug!

LOL, what can I say? Pittsburgh born and bred. Gotta love the "Stillers." Try getting into Walmart today. I tried yesterday. There were absolutely no parking places. You had to wait for someone to pull out. I've never seen it that bad since it first opened. Ugh, everything black and gold is flying off the shelves. Parties galore. Terrible towels waving.

Mocha is wearing my jester hat in the pic below. This pic was from the previous SuperBowl when I was skinnier. I'm going to wear the same hoodie and get a pic of us this year. Just haven't done it yet. I'm trying to remember where our Terrible Towel is. The game will be interesting, for sure. Stevie Breaston on the Cardinals graduated from Woody High, our favorite high school in Pittsburgh. Becky graduated from Woody High. I was still a Woody High maniac when Breaston was quarterback in the Pa. State finals.

Anyway, onto my ultrasound. A cyst was found. I was terrified for a couple of days. It's definitely a cyst. I need a follow-up ultrasound in two months. If it's still there, everything is coming out which won't bother me one bit.

ROFL, I'm on Facebook now. Becky and her sweetie are officially engaged. He is also a friend of mine on FB. I sort of got addicted for this past week. It kept my mind busy and off of whatever was worrying me. You guys are all the best. I can't thank ya'll enough for your support.

I got my hair done yesterday. It's black now and not as short. Actually, I love it but hate my fat face. Can you believe I gained 5 lbs since I had my gyne appt. on January 22nd? I was in shock when I weighed myself at my BF's. 5 lbs in 9 days...ugh. I don't really know how. I haven't changed my eating habits. Yikes, I can't even begin to walk around here. There's 2 ft of snow. The roads are still terrible.

I'm still working on blog reading. If I missed you, I will get to you some time today. I hate being behind.

One more time: GO STEELERS!!!!!

Steeler Mania/answers and More Questions/SNAG

First of all, I want to send all of you the biggest hug in the world. You've all come through for me with your love and support. Feel free to snag the first of the Valentines Day tags I made (actually the only one so far.)

Steeler mania has swept the Burg big time. Truthfully, I never expected the Steelers to end up at the Super Bowl this year at all. Total surprise. I thought the Titans had it in the bag. Anyway, this city is going absolutely crazy, me included. LOL at the first of my Steeler maniac pics below. Some guy at work gave me those black things to put below my eyes. This pic was taken with my cell phone.



So, anyway, my black mood has lifted. Good news/not so good news. I had a gyne appointment on Thursday. I hadn't had one in 3 or 4 years because my doctor moved to Fla. My fault, of course, for putting it off. Anyway, may be too much info for some but I've been in menopause for 6 years. The doctor was examining me and asking me if it was my time of the month...heck no. Had I had any bleeding....nope. My endometrial tissue is too thick so I'm having an ultrasound done tomorrow and a biopsy will be scheduled if the uterine lining is too thick. He feels and I agree that my hormones are raging again which would explain the totally black mood after the New Year. My son asked me a week ago if I was having PMS. LOL...I didn't think so but now I do. I think I was having a horrendous bout of PMS. It's been so long I had forgotten how out of whack emotionally I used to get right before my period.

So, off I went to get a bunch of blood work done to check my hormone levels and thryoid. If my hormones are out of whack, then the pituitary gland and another gland need to be checked. Too many things to think about so I choose not to. Megan, bless her, says it's going to be just fine because of her experience. My Joey thinks I'm hiding something. I'm not because the doctor said very little. My BF was so upset. Now, he's saying he doesn't think I'd be strong enough to handle anything bad and that's what upset him. Pffft....Pissed me off, pardon my French. I'm far stronger than he imagines. He wouldn't be able to handle it, in my opinion. So, good thoughts, prayers, etc. please. It will probably be a while before I know what's going on.

I'm plodding away at visiting your blogs. Forgive me if it's taking me a while. I seem to be so far behind all the time.

Love n Hugs to all.....CHRIS

Peering Through the Darkness/SNAGS

I'd love to say that 2009 has started out the same as any other year, cold, snowy, etc.; that much it has but 2009 has also been horrible emotionally. I can't put my finger on any one thing; just the darkness, chill, dreariness. We had over a foot of snow on Friday night through Saturday afternoon. It was coming down at well over an inch an hour. I was stuck in the house until Saturday evening feeling more than stir crazy. Pittsburgh was pretty much spared but I'm 50 miles north of Pittsburgh and that much closer to Lake Erie.

Actually, I've been feeling like I've been walking through a fog, a black fog, since right after the new year. Not fun but nothing totally new to me. But it's been a very long time since it's been quite so dark in my world. I'm behind in reading blogs. I couldn't force myself to sit down at the computer and write an entry. I was numb to PSP. Depression sucks but is surmountable. The fog is lifting but the weather still sucks. I know that many here are also struggling. Say a prayer for all who are suffering the winter blues.

Megan is home and working at Eat'nPark waitressing and searching for a job. We were continuously butting heads at first. It's been a struggle because we are so much alike. It's not like school vacations when I know she will be going back to school soon. Ugh, it sounds like I can't stand my daughter. Actually, I love her to death. Too much togetherness with two strong personalities. Things have been relatively quiet on the home front recently, knock on wood.

Becky has a new BF. It's someone she knew from high school and met up with again. He's about to be discharged from the Army, having been injured in Iraq. I haven't posted my Christmas pictures yet, oy. He is on them. And....she went to visit his relatives with him after Christmas, who now live in Delaware, and came home with his great grandma's engagement ring. Ok, I'm worried but she will be 28 soon. I know many who have known right away that they met their special someone. Still I have some underlying fears which I'm not even going to get into right now.

That's where I am and what I've been doing.....having a huge pity party. Now, its time to pull myself up by the boot straps and step back into life again. I took some pics of the snow that I haven't uploaded yet. It's certainly not nearly the most we've ever had but sure was a lot to get in a 12 hr period.

Hugs n Love to all of you....CHRIS