Happy New Year (Eve)

2006, 2006, 2006, 2006.....okay, just practicing. I can't wait to begin anew. It is strange how just because of a change in year, we have the mindset that our lives will be reset. Sunday will still be Sunday; however, it will just feel like a fresh, new start. The Snyders have had a really rough year and I am ready for a change. As Bev put in her post.....I am surrendering. I have been praying for some relief.

I will be cooking our New Year dinner on Monday. I have to work tonight and tomorrow night so I won't be able to celebrate until then. My MIL's birthday is today so we'll celebrate that on Monday also. I bought some of the traditional Southern "good luck" favorites. I will be making a pork roast with sauerkraut in the crockpot, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread. I also got shrimp and cocktail sauce to gnosh on. Do you and your family have any New Year traditions (food, activities, etc.)?

My Inlaw's truck got stolen the other night. Turdasses. They apparently ditched it when they ran out of gas (ha ha ha, jokes on them....he doesn't keep much gas in it). It came back in relatively good shape except for the steering column. This truck must be a precious commodity because this was the second time it has been stolen (6 years ago this month). So, Mr. Thief, if you are out there, I hope you get lots of jail time for the New Year.

I wish I had something eloquent or even really powerful to pass along to you. I am a plethora of useless knowledge; however, I am having difficulty regurgitating any of my blabber. I hope that you and your family/friends have a super New Year. Please be safe.

Guess who I met?

I met Stef, Jess, Monica, and Rene (Monica's Sister). We had a great time. Chef Chris is shown also. He was a lot of fun. So, are you all jealous?????

Work in progress...

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
1. Get out of current debt situation
2. Go scuba diving in Belize and/or Turks & Caicos
3. Experience childbirth
4. Find inner peace
5. Start a business with my Hubby
6. Complete my Sevens
7.

Seven Things I Cannot Do
1. Stay out of trouble
2. Totally relax
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Seven Things That I Admire in Others
1. Patience
2. Concentration
3. Beautiful skin
4. Ability to complete their Sevens
5.
6.
7.

Seven Things I Say Most Often
1. Get the frick out!
2. Good gravy.
3. Oh, poop.
4. I love you.
5. Donor Referral Hotline, this is a recorded line, how may I help you?
6. What an idiot.
7. What did I just say?

Seven Books I Love
1. The Polar Express
2. Harry Potter (all)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Seven Movies I Have Watched Over and Over Again
1. The Princess Bride
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. 8 Seconds
4. A Christmas Story
5. Sweet Home Alabama
6. 50 First Dates
7. Legally Blonde

Seven People I Want to Join in Too
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

I promise to complete this before the end of the year.

Merry Christmas?

I am celebrating the birth of Jesus sans the tree, presents, lights, carols, and luminaries. I will be partaking in the food and wine. I reserve the right to drop the "F" bomb tomorrow. Peace on Earth and God bless you and yours.

Signed,

Da Grinch

Not completely hardened....

When I awoke from a deep sleep early this morning and my first thought was of Julie, I finally realized that I am not completely hardened. I deal with death on a daily basis at work. When I was a Paramedic I was exposed to death, dying, and things that people should not have to be exposed to unless necessary. I have seen things that I will never erase from my mind. I cry about them....but not all of them. I typed this letter and submitted it this morning. If you feel the same...copy it, link to it, or write your own. I am not soliciting recognition, praise, or comments. This is simply for Julie's family.....

December 20, 2005


EAS, Inc.
555 Corporate Circle
Golden, Colorado 80401
303-279-6465 FAX

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a loyal Customer of EAS/Body for Life products and I am writing to you with a plea from the heart. As you are aware, Julie Whitt, died on December 19, 2005. The news has weighed heavy on so many hearts.

I completed a 12-week Challenge this past year with the intent of entering the contest. I changed my mind in hopes that someone who really deserved it would receive the prize. There has been much controversy of this year’s prize. Did the final 16 earn their place for the right reasons or did they do it for the money? I realize that this is an anniversary year and that the prize was upped for that purpose. The sheer volume of entries will prove that it has been a wonderful marketing tool.

The one person that I have seen do so much to promote the EAS/Body for Life lifestyle was Julie Whitt. She is the epitome of Body for Life. She had to work hard to get her body into shape in order to extend her life. She had to make her body stronger in order to be put on the transplant list. If you type in her name on any Search Engine, you will find the words Body for Life. If you type in Body for Life, you will see Julie’s name on so many Blogs and websites.

My plea is simple, please consider Julie’s family when you award this year’s prize. Body for Life was Julie’s life and her family supported her with it. The family has incurred an exorbitant amount of expenses in order for her to receive her lung transplant. Is she different from any other transplant recipient? No. But, has any other transplant recipient been so widely recognized for promoting EAS/Body for Life?

I want to thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully Submitted,

Live like today is your last....

Through adversity came a HERO.

Julie Blevins Whitt

March 20, 1969 - December 19, 2005

With every breath we take, you will be in our hearts.

Sleepin' good

It's about doggone time. We had to get a new mattress because the other one was actually hurting us. It was a Cali King that had been folded like a taco to get it into one of my many residences. Needless to say, it lost its support and, in turn, it didn't give us any. But....the new one is nice and firm. After we had it delivered and I put on the fitted sheet, Hunter jumped on it and rolled around. He gave it two paws up. Even though I have slept great for the past two days, I am still sleepy. I am currently working Day Three out of four in a row and twelve-hour shifts are long and torturous. I will be working four days in a row the weekend after Christmas. I switched days to meet up with Jess, Stef, and ??????????????????

Lately, I feel pretty (love my new hairstyle) but PORKY. All we do is snack at work. We sit in a room all night and wait for the phone to ring. I miss being able to get up and go!

I was happy to hear that Julie Whitt has received her lungs and is in recovery. Since I work in the field of tissue donation and we work in coordination with our local organ procurement agency, I get excited when the cycle comes full circle. Although it is a rough time for the donor's families, believe me when I tell you the quiet joy that they exude knowing that their loved one can help someone else.

Register to be a donor and educate your family about your decision.

For my friends in Cali...

Unlike Stef, I don't particularly like snow. This is what is left of the woods behind our house. Damn Developers.

Pics

Before, after, and just for fun! I am very pleased. Now I just need to get my body to match my happy hair-do!

Today's Ramblings

Mark your calendars. My birthday is on the 13th. Happy 34th to me (yippee)!

I am going to have my hair done on Monday and I am going to tell my Stylist to do whatever she wants. I don't care. The very first time that I went to her I told her that I wanted my hair cut short. She cut like 15" off and it looked fantastic. I have accumulated SEVERAL trillion white hairs over the past couple of years and I am ready for a change of color (possibly). The older you get, the more your hair loses it gloss and color. I will take pics with the results...maybe even a Before and After. Check this out: www.lhj.com (Try-a-Hairstyle). It's fun (or funny) to see what you would look like with different hairstyles.

We went to Wendy's last night and they had a sign in the window that said "Hot and Juicy Fulfillment Center." All I could think of is 'how do they know my husband?'

Also last night...I was chewing a piece of bubble gum and I love to blow bubbles for Hunter (my male dog). It's my way of getting lots of kisses. I blew a bubble and he slammed his nose into it and it may a loud "pop." Hubby thought it was my jaw and thought that I was crying instead of laughing. It was so funny. As I attempted to blow another one, Hunter bit at my tongue. If you are not a dog lover, you will never understand how sweet this really is. I'm such a puppy kiss whore!

Best Christmas Gift Idea

Without a doubt, Philosophy's Amazing Grace is one of the best Christmas gifts that you could buy for yourself or someone you care about. It's even one of Oprah's favorites. I have been using this for years and my husband LOVES it when I wear it. This gets an "Approved by Melanie" stamp of approval.

My trip to Kroger...

I hope that there is a Kroger Executive out there, somewhere, reading this....

I decided to go to my favorite place to shop. Even though I think that the idea of having Kroger Plus prices is so insanely stupid....I mean just charge that price for gosh sakes. Oooooh, I'm special because I took the time to fill out some application just to get those prices...but....I digress...I wanted to get some ingredients to make some of the EFL soups. Don't get excited. I'm still a chubby butt and haven't gotten back on the wagon yet.....again....I digress....(damn ADHD). I went to the creamer aisle to see if they had the new Creamette creamers....egg nog, gingerbread, and I forget what the third one is. The shelf is barely stocked, no new creamers. But then a glimmer of hope appeared. The stock boy went past with....could it be.....maybe.....? I went down the aisle that he was in and started to smile pretty big....

"You wouldn't happen to have......Ohhhhh, you do! When will you be putting the creamers out?"

"When I am finished with this."

Okay, no offer to let me pick one out. Okay, I'll just wait. So, I waited.....and I waited. Would you believe that dumb SOB never did come stock the creamer. He walked right past me and kind of glanced my way. If he was putting them somewhere else he sure as hell didn't tell me. I mean...come on....my giddiness is so unbelievably infectious (kind of like herpes). Couldn't he see how excited I was? How dare he deny me of my frickin' holiday creamer!!! Well, Bucko, if you're out there....I hope you have a sucky holiday season and that you get dog shit in your stocking, Mo Fo!!!!

Now, as I was leaving the store, there was a guy playing holiday songs on his clarinet. It sounded really pretty....right up until he messed up a few notes and mumbled "aaaaah shht." Couldn't quite tell if it was shoot or shit but it was funnier than hell.

Well, my day could have been worse. I could have been the woman I just passed that had her white scarf hanging out of her car door :)

The Flip Side

If you haven't seen "13 Going on 30" you probably won't get the full effect but this is still great.

While Hubby and I were at Walgreen's today, I found Razzles (first it's candy, then it's gum) and HAD to get some. I think of the part in the movie and get warm fuzzies!

"Hey, maybe Razzles could be OUR thing too."

"We already have a thing."

"What's that? Bob's?"

"No. That I married my best friend."

I almost cried. He is so amazingly adorable. I love him. I think I'll keep him.