It's Friday

And I'm nosy...

So here's the question: As you know, I've had 2 friends pass away unexpectedly in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Other than older relatives, this has been a first for me. It's completely different when it's a close friend, a girlfriend that you've shared your life and your heart with.

I don't mean to sound morbid, but I'm interested to know if you've ever had a close friend pass away?

This has been a wake-up call and sure has made me think about my own mortality in a more personal and serious way. It makes me want to nurture more carefully the relationships I have with the family and friends that I love. Both of these losses were sudden and unexpected and will leave a hugh void in many lives and hearts. We need to make everyday count because again, you just never know when God is going to call you home.

My Friend Carol

It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you our beautiful friend Carol passed away early this morning. Her weak body wasn't able to fight off the infection and she went into cardiac arrest in the wee hours of the morning. This time they weren't able to bring her back.

The details are still sketchy but we do know that Paul, Carol's husband and one of the dearest people on earth, is in route right now from Las Vegas to their home in Long Beach. I'm so worried about Paul and her sons, please continue to keep them in your prayers. Carol was outgoing, vibrant, and the rock that held her family together. This is a devastating loss for so many.

I knew without a doubt that if I asked for prayer, that you, my wonderful blogging friends would be fervently praying on Carol's behalf, and I thank you! Thank you to each and everyone of you that took the time to leave a message saying you were keeping Paul and Carol in your thoughts and prayers. Your comments mean so much! Although our prayers weren't answered as we wanted them to be answered, I truly feel that we'll have all of the answers to all of our questions when we get to heaven, and that's where I'll see my beautiful friend Carol again someday!

As information becomes available, I'll let you know more about what caused all of this. We're all just shocked and devastated.

Urgent Prayer Request

Today we got an unexpected email and telephone call regarding one of our very close camping club friends, Carol. Carol is the pretty woman with the long brown hair...


Carol and her husband Paul were in Lake Havasu and she discovered she had been bitten by something (they think it was a scorpion although it sounds like a brown recluse to me). I guess she let it go for a few days until it was clear that she needed to have it looked at. Paul took her to an urgent care where they said she needed to be taken to the hospital. She was air lifted to a hospital in Las Vegas and is in critical condition right now. She's had to be resuscitated once and her kidneys have shut down. My husband talked to Paul earlier tonight and it doesn't look good at all. If she survives, her foot where she was bitten will be amputated.

Please take a minute and say a prayer for my dear friend Carol. She has 2 grown sons, 2 grandchildren, a loving husband, and is a doting mommy to a dog that she's crazy about. She got Rusty because she saw how much joy Jake brings to me. Carol will be 50 years old this September so she's still got alot of living to do!

To The Dentist...Again!

Well I'm off to the dentist again. Saturday night that one front tooth of mine that chipped a few years back chipped yet again. I haven't even left the house because I feel and look like a darn hillbilly!

It's a small chip and the dentist has fixed it before but I have a feeling I'm going to have to do something drastic, like cap my tooth or something. I'm afraid! That seems soooo drastic! What if the color of the capped tooth doesn't match the color of the tooth next to it!

Decisions!
Decisions!

What to do?
What to do?

I can't keep looking like a hillbilly every few years!

Swimming Pool Redo

We have needed to have our swimming pool redone for quite sometime now, years in fact. We have gone so far as to get bids over the last few years but for whatever reason, we never followed through. Finally, we made up our mind that this was going to be the year. This was going to be the year for the swimming pool renovation!

If you've been reading my blog for very long, you also know that we will hopefully be putting our home on the market some time this year. So now you might be asking yourself "why would they spend the time and money to redo their swimming pool when they plan on moving? Are they crazy!?" Well, maybe we are a little crazy but we feel that in order to get top dollar in today's market, your home needs to be in tip top shape. It needs to stand out from the rest. The last 2 projects that we've done, redoing the roof and swimming pool, will help move us in that direction.

As you can see from the "before" pictures below, the 20 year old plaster and tile was really showing it's age...




The hardest part about the project was picking out the new tile because there are so many beautiful tile samples out there to choose from. It's also one of the first things you need to decide on as the tile is installed early on. We found that for us the best thing to do was to bring home lots of samples and then just start eliminating the one's that didn't work. We narrowed it down to two tiles, but in the end we chose this pretty, textured blue tile. I think we made the right choice...


Some "during" photos...







I don't know what I expected but the process was pretty easy and painless as home projects go. Maybe it was so easy because everything was contained outdoors. Finally, a home project that didn't turn the inside of the house upside down!

The pool renovation took about a week from start to finish and we're really pleased with the results. We just keep asking ourselves "what took us so long to get this done!?!





Another home project completed...and just in time for summer!

Getting To Know YOU

Today, for something new and fun, I'm linking up with Keely over at Mannland5 for her Getting to Know YOU Sunday.

The rules are simple. To play, just copy the questions, answer them, post them on your blog, then come back to Mannland5 and link up.

So without further adew...

1. If you could star in any movie genre..what would it be..romance..horror..comedy..suspense or action? Romantic comedy, with a handsome leading man!

2. Do you recycle? We recycle our cans.

3. Have you ever been to a strip club? For my 30th birthday, a group of us girls took a limo to Chippendales in Los Angeles. That was my one and only "strip club" experience.


4. Do you have a nickname? Not really, although one friend at work insists on calling me Linda Lou!


5. What's a name you can't stand to be called? Without a doubt, it's ma'am!


6. What are your Summer staples? Cute flowing skirts and sandles!


7. What was the last thing you bought for yourself? I can't remember! Most of my purchases are for the house, family, friends, and coworkers. But trust me, I'm not deprived! I'm very blessed!


8. Are you happy with your boob size? I was until I put on some weight! Now they're a little BIGGER than I'm used to!

Happy Sunday!

It's Friday

And I'm nosy...

So here's the question: If you were going out to lunch today and ordered a sandwich, what type of sandwich would you order?

I'd order either a cold turkey or club sandwich. Would you believe Denney's has the best club sandwiches ever! A couple of times a year I'll be in the mood for a good club sandwich so it's off to Denney's we go! It's usually when we're out traveling. There's just something about eating at a Denney's when you're on the road!