4 Brits, 2 Americans, and a dead battery

Back from vacation/holiday yet it's still going on. We picked up the in-laws which included bro, mum, and bro's friend, and one of my college friends from Delaware, and drove from Lousyana all the way to outside Gatlinburg, TN. We rented a cabin at the very top of a mountain in the smokies, which was awesome, but the drive up the mountain in the middle of the night was a bitch, especially with 5 backseat drivers who've never driven huge lorry sized vehicles up mountains on the right side of the road. By the time we got there though, it was unanimous just to leave the cabin once to get groceries and beer for the week and leave it at that. It all worked out that way thanks to the dead battery in my parents' suburban that we borrowed. Apparently DH and I's last minute planning at 2am b/c of the Hurricane paid off, and the cabin we chose from the millions google found was just perfect with a bed for everyone, a pool table, hot tub, and gorgeous views. These people just don't know how lucky they are, from the way we chose the cabin, (eeny, meeny, miney, mo...).

On the last day we drove to the Jack Daniel's distillery and had a local inbred descendent of Mr. Daniel's himself, be our tour guide, complete with overalls, hayseed in mouth and hillbilly accent. I'm not sure if the Brits could understand anything he said over their giggling. I hope someone got a picture. At one point he said that he was a descendent of Jack Daniel's nephew and sister, to which we all raised our eyebrows and let that one go.

As I've mentioned before, this trip was to cheer up bro in law who had his heart broken a few months ago to the tune of a cancelled wedding by the bride to be (one of my college friends). I can happily say that Bro in law seems to have gotten over it, as his mum has put it, "he's starting to gain weight again," although when someone looks like a beanpole, I'm not sure how you can tell they've gained weight. Anyhow, he's enjoyed the trip so far, especially by hooking up with and courting my other college friend (I'm beginning to feel a bit like his pimp). After courting my friend C all week he got completely wasted last night (which was C's last night, she flies out today) sent C back to the hotel and told my husband, "Let's get rid of these women and go to Hustler," (nudey bar). Then after DH directed him to a club (not a nudey bar), he finished the night out taking shots through women's cleavage and mouths. I'm guessing he's had a good time, but I'm not very happy with losing precious time to spend w/my girlfriends while they fall for him and become his shag buddy. Ah well.

(bunch of stuff deleted after I've calmed down. blah blah blah blah)

I'm back at work today, but it's not as bad as I thought. Boss has a meeting all day, and the girls decorated my office with hanging stars and smiley faces all over the windows, ceiling, desk, computer, walls and door. They missed me. I feel loved. All is good...except that whole bitchy boss thing. And the pms I have right now. Grrrr. Oh, and the fact that I had to meet another girl from work this morning at 6am in New Orleans to catch a ride with her while the in-laws and friends slept in their lovely hotel beds.

I have cramps. Make me smile.

Where in the World is...

Months and months ago, DH and I planned this awesome vacation holiday for my college friends who live up nawth and his english mates and family. We spent weeks looking for the perfect house at just the right price in Seagrove Beach, Florida (in between Destin and Panama City) and spent even more weeks trying to convince the English that we were worth the money to come down and visit us, darnit. We got everything booked, plane tickets booked to fly into Ft. Walton airport, house booked, the road trip planned from New Orleans to Florida...

and then came Ivan.

Now there is no longer a rental house in Seagrove Beach that we have booked. Can't even get in touch with the rental office, and I doubt they can even get through the roads and past the downed bridges. Ivan came on Thursday, and Sunday we were supposed to start our vacation with 5 people flying in from abroad.

In two days DH and I have pulled our hair, pulled other people's hair, and came up with a fantastic plan B. Take the Brits and my one friend who decided to come, to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and have them visit the Redneck Riviera of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We got an awesome cabin, and have planned trips such as visiting the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.

Planning that in two days while trying to get all the visitors to reroute their flights to New Orleans instead of Florida has given me four ulcers and three migraines. I don't recommend going through this just after starting a new anti-depressant med. In the meantime I'm also having to plan a church ministry and train leaders at a church with the greatest amount of apathy in all of Baton Rouge.

Right now it's the calm before the storm. Church ministry starts tonight, and the first of our visitors flies into New Orleans tomorrow morning with the rest flying in...who knows when (instead of changing their flight via phone ahead of time and making sure they'll be on a plane to New Orleans on the right day, they're going to change their tickets at the airline counter the day they're supposed to fly out...fingers crossed and pass the ulcer medicine).

The British are coming, and our dirty clothes are stuffed under the bed.

I know we'll have a good time. In fact, DH and I are more excited about the Smokies than we ever were about the beach. We're mountain people, not beach people. I just can't rest until I have everybody in sight and they all have smiles on their faces.

See you in a week, when we return from Tennessee. I'd have some guest bloggers but my blogging friends blog even less than I do. Cheerio.

What about my holiday?

Hurricane Ivan barely touched us, we just got wind and are all okay.

But Destin, Florida, near the site of our rental vacation house that we're supposed to use from this Sunday for two weeks, got hit very hard.

Still no idea how hard, or if the house is there, if the beaches are okay, if we can even drive there from here. Haven't been able to get in touch with the rental office either, they evacuated last week.

So, Sunday we're going to try to drive to Destin, only to find out the rental office is closed, the house is missing part of it and we can't even get the key.

DH just realized that we have to pay the full amount when we pick up the key. He and I don't even have our portion of the payment. The other people aren't flying in until the next day or the next day.

We're screwed.

I did get a day and a half off work though thanks to the Hurricane.

Latest Satellite Imagery

Latest Satellite Imagery

I love looking at the satellite pics of the hurricane, and it's a bit sad that it excites me b/c we might get off work.

Then I remember that as civil servants we're supposed to run the shelters in case of hurricane.

Damn.

Still, I'll probably be in a shelter near home rather than near boss.

I just hope it keeps heading this way instead of our vacation spot in Florida.

Is that a bit sad?

I just miss my in-laws that much.

BBC NEWS | Americas | America's economic battleground

It's the Economy, Stupid.

So where are these newly created jobs? Iraq? What's the explanation that this boost in economy and jobs has YET to reach the south, and apparently every other state? Where ARE these jobs Bush keeps talking about? I want one.

Wahhhhhhh!

I haven't worried much about Hurricane Ivan b/c it didn't look like he would hit louisiana, nor the part of florida (panhandle) where DH, his family, a few friends and I have rented a house for the last two weeks of this month. A nice vacation with family that I haven't seen in a year to two years and a friend that I haven't seen in 3 and 1/2 years, and at the perfect time of my life to take a vacation, right when I'm going crazy.

Checked out Ivan's path today and he's headed straight for the area where we've rented the house. Right for the stinkin' emerald coast where we're supposed to be in exactly a week.

Why can't he be a good little hurricane and hit Louisiana instead? We're used to it, we took two hurricanes in a month two years ago. Why not come hit us instead huh? We don't have the nice tourists wanting to come here and spend money, it won't ruin anybody's vacation. The French Quarter is a bit stinky anyway, especially in this muggy heat, why not have Ivan pour some nice rain on top of it and we'll just add some soap? Why go to Destin huh?!?!? Get out of my vacation's way Ivan! Grrrr!

Bad Blogger

That's right, I've been a bad blogger. Getting as lazy about it as my DH. No real excuse except I celebrated a birthday, saw a psych counselor, and have been working a little harder so that it will be easier to pack up and leave when I can.

Wednesday I saw my therapist for the first time. She's fantastic, and doesn't baby me around, instead she "calls a spade, a spade" and tells things to me straight. It's definitely true, that I have severe clinical depression, but things right now are making me even more crazy and she told me a few things to help that:

• Get out of this job. She said that I'm slowly dying here, and when I told her my boss's name, she said, "That name has run across my desk a few times."
• Go for a job that I'm worth, not another secretary position that makes me feel like a failure.
• Get out of the State and go back to Virginia where the jobs are good, the weather is better, and the friends are in living color.
• Get OUT of my parents' house. She wasn't too happy about me mentioning their part in my bankruptcy by having 5 credit cards out in my name with tons of debt on them. Can't ever tell my parents that I have bad feelings about that one though, they immediately shoot back with everything they've done for me throughout my entire life. So need to keep that one quiet. The getting out bit is also so DH and I can have a place of our own and won't just be "roommates".
• Sell the gas guzzling truck, even though it's almost paid for, and get a non gas guzzling car. (Any tips on how to do this with a bankruptcy on my record, please PLEASE let me know).
• Buy myself some nice clothes that make me feel good when I wear them.

So, just one session with her did me a world of good. Of course it doesn't cure me, but I do feel better that I'm involved in taking care of this disease, and that someone else doesn't think I'm just crazy. She also reminded me that I've been through tons of things in my life and I'd have to be VERY strong to go through it all and still be here...I had forgotten about that. It was nice to be reminded. She said that my spirit is dying, and I need to find my backbone again. Boy I wish I knew where I put it.

So, there you go. Saw a shrink, and the shrink did good. Supposed to go every two weeks, and when I told boss this she had a miniature hissy fit. I told her that it's not like I can automatically cure myself or even that it will heal as quickly and efficiently as a cold. It's a disease, and I need this treatment to live normally. She said, "Well yes, but all the people I know usually go to their therapy sessions in the evening, after work." She's trying so damn hard to control me. Not all shrinks work that late, and hardly any of them have openings in those popular spots. Mine doesn't, so I'm going when she's available and that's that. Bitch.

Not that I said any of that, but I should would love to take the opportunity to bitch slap her one time. And remind her that I'm not the only person she's driven to the looney bin.

Edit - Thanks to Blogger, I wrote this last night but couldn't publish it until now...buggers!

Feliz Cumpleanos a mi!

That's right, it's my birthday! Or at least it will be if you read this on the 8th. 26 years young, and all of a sudden my co-workers who are twice my age are beginning to realize just HOW much younger I really am. Not sure what is planned for the birthday, but I'm starting the day out at my first psych eval with an overpriced but hopefully partially covered by insurance psychologist. Then it's off to work where my co-workers have asked me my favorite cakes and ice cream flavors, and home to where hopefully the 'rents will take DH and I out to dinner as they promised (anything can come up). Not expecting any big presents this year, as I haven't in past years, as family and DH are as broke as I am, and DH just had to borrow money off of me to put his bank account in the clear. Money is never a fun thing for us.

Apologies for not posting in a few days, one thing that happens with my depression is that I even block myself from doing the fun things, like writing on this thingy. Hopefully things will look up for me, as the doc put me on a new med again (Effexor XR) and showed me at my Friday appt that he's the best doc I've ever had.

I mentioned in passing to his nurse about being turned away twice from psychiatrists' offices recommended by him, and she immediately told the doc who immediately asked me a few questions about it, said, "Excuse me, I haven't yelled at anyone today yet," and went into the hallway where I could hear him on the phone bitching at both offices that they should never treat a new psych patient like that. He then came back, apologized for their behavior, said it was completely wrong, and offered to make an appt for me himself, if the out-of-insurance-network-psych that I scheduled myself gets too expensive.

My doctor is an ass-kicker. I like it. Things are looking up.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!!

I love making lists

• I have a psych initial eval appointment, with a church friend's therapist. We're housesitting her house (with Maxi the Golden Retriever) for a week, and I'm taking her therapy slot next week on my birthday. They're not "in-network" so I have to meet a huge deductible before my insurance company covers it.
• It's such a relief to finally have an appointment.
• The Vicar/Priest guy called yesterday and approved my dream list of literature and course materials I asked for in order to start another Alpha course at my church.
• I'm really in charge of the Alpha course this time and it scares me.
• One of my co-workers is retiring today after 36 years working for the state. We spent most of yesterday cutting out colored smiley faces and putting them all over our Division and making a scrapbook for her.
• We wouldn't have been able to do that if boss weren't away.
• Monday is Labor Day which means I don't work! YAY!!!
• I can't believe my nickname used to be Smiley. I have to be reminded to smile now.
• DH sold two policies yesterday, one will definitely go through and he'll make equivalent to what I make in a day and a half, and the other may take 6-8 weeks to go through. He worked on his own though, his confidence is soaring and his mum will be beaming when she notices this when she sees him in a few weeks.
• I can't wait to see mum-in-law, bro-in-law and company in a few weeks.
• Believe it or not I love my in-laws, and they support my british chocolate habit.
• I took a picture of a raccoon who was visiting me last night for sis-in-law. I think she'll name him Rocky.
• I cried/bawled last night when watching that makeover my family reality show with the family from Trading Spouses. I love Mela.
• 26th Birthday in 6 days!