I think I"ve got friends.....that I can't see

That's right....I said it, I think I have a ghost(s).

I believe in spirits and "ghosts" and have always had a strange "six sense" if you will. My Grandfather (my Dad's Dad) passed shortly after I was born. My Dad has said that my Grandfather was so proud of me and couldn't get over how small I was (I was born 3 months early and just a little thing when I went home). Growing up, I've always had a mental picture of a sterile room, my Grandfather and him holding me --- remember, I was just months old before my Grandfather passed and all my parents have said is that he loved me so very much and that I made him happy in his last months (he died of lung cancer)

Growing up, I would always say, Grandpas in the hallway. My parents passed it off as me being silly. When I was 4 years old, they started to believe. We were on vacation, I was outside playing....My brother and I crossed a road that we were told not to cross. We could hear our names being called....TROUBLE! My brother held my hand. Carrie, we cross on 3 (I'm about 4 and he's 5).....1.....2....drops my hand and runs without me. I get scared and start to run....without looking. A car of teens is headed right for me. I freeze. My parents and cousin will tell you that something picked me up and moved me out of the way of the car. There is no other reason that I wasn't hit by the car other than God (and I like to believe my Grandfather)

When I was around 12, my Dad's Uncle passed away. I met him once, just before he passed. That night, I was sleeping, I had a dream of a woman searching through a phonebook, white lights and my Great Uncle rushing down a hallway.....That next morning, I walked upstairs for breakfast with my Grandma, Mom, Dad, Aunt and Uncle....I sat down and said, Uncle George died. A few moments later, the hospital called. My Uncle had passed.

Many years later, I'm in college. I wake-up early in the morning from a deep sleep, look at the clock and start to cry. That morning, my Dad called, my Grandmother had passed away unexpectedly at the exact moment I woke. I actually told him what time she had passed before he could tell me

So you can say that I've embraced my "six sense" - The Bible talks about spirits and I believe in them.

I moved into this house a few years ago and my laundry has always found it's way out of the dryer and onto the floor....My cats are awful but they aren't smart enough to open the door and throw everything on the floor.

Then I started to hear voices.....I thought maybe I was going crazy. It will be super silent in the house...I'll start to hear very faint talking...nothing that I can understand. I often thing that it sounds like men playing poker. I get annoyed and want to yell "keep in down" to the people sharing the wall....then I remember.....I live alone, I don't share walls and there isn't a good reason other than I'm sharing my house.

Just the other day, I felt cold. I checked the heat.....It had been turned off. Well my cats are 5 ft tall and I didn't do it!

Anyway, I embrace spirits. I don't feel as if they are here to hurt me. Some may think I'm crazy.....I just think I've always felt someone special around me and keeping me safe.

If they start to cut the lights, hurt me or my pets.....then I'm calling in Grandpa. Until then, we can all share the house : )

Is this normal??

I'm an Event Planner by day....and night and all I have to say about that is......I am my Fathers Daughter. I would lose it if I couldn't plan my life out by a calender or a clock....even on vacation I like to know how long things will take, how long travel time will be just so I can ensure I'm fitting in as much as I can.

What do I mean by that? Well, everything for me has a schedule. For example.....I had a birthday dinner tonight. It started at 6:30pm and this is how my brain works after ending work.....

6:30pm - Dinner
6:25pm - Park car and walk to dinner
6:00pm - (15 min drive) - Drive to work, may hit traffic but have some wiggle room.
5:45pm - Leave house, pick-up wine and hit the bank
5:30pm - get ready to leave...fix hair and make-up.

It's sick.

My Dad's brain works the same way - he hates to be late. He always says....If you're early you're on time, if you're on-time, you're late and if you're late.....don't show-up.

Sometimes I wish I could tell my brain to forget about a clock and all that jazz but that would drive me 10 times more crazy.

Can you say YUMMY!!!

I made this last night for dinner and it was a-freaking-mazing! Lick the dish, get in my belly, is it time for lunch so I can heat up leftovers, good! (I took the photo mid dinner and yes, we ate at the couch last night)

You can get the recipe here -  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cajun-chicken-alfredo-recipe/index.html

You may notice that my pasta looks nothing like the photo on the website....I made a few changes...

- I added a whole onion. We love onions and when cooking we pretty much feel you should have an onion with every everything.
- I added about a 1/2 cup of white wine. I used a pinot grigio - I figured I would have to drink the rest of the bottle, why not pour in something I enjoy.
-I added a whole bag of cheese - it was well worth the extra calories.
-I took some of the sauce and poured it over my noodles while my sauce was cooking down....to keep them from sticking (I didn't time my sauce and noodles correctly)

I think that's it - This was not in my points range but so worth it and to be honest, it was really super easy to make.

Life....It's so short.

Each day I wake up and I try to remember, it could be my last. However, I sometimes forget this. I continue on with my life as if I have 100 years to spare and as if everyone around me will be here always.

I've been crazy busy the last few months with work. My relationships, I feel, have been neglected. My phone calls and time spent with Doug, friends and family have been minimal and that's not OK.

I feel that I need to mention, I love my co-workers and the volunteers who I spend much of my time working with. They are awesome people and if I'm going to share my time away from those I love the most, I'm in great company.

This past weekend, Doug and I planned to spend the weekend together (we both took off work on Monday for an extra day). It was exactly what we needed. We went to a party, cooked breakfast, went out for dinner and beers, watch movies, laughed, went shopping, at breakfast at 11am, lunch at 3pm and dinner at 7pm - it was wonderful. We need to do this more often. When we first started dating, we spent every Saturday together out and about. Over the last year, as work for me have become more and more crazy, I find that I've made this less and less of a priority. Shame on me.

I use to travel home once a month to spend a long weekend with my parents - March has been the exception to the rule this year but I haven't been doing that. Going home once an month is something that's really important to me. I wont have my parents forever and I want as much time with them as I can get. I need to be better at this.

I've been trying to grab a weeknight dinner with a friend and forget about the 100 other things I "should" be doing because the laundry, extra hours of work and the other 98 things I "should" be doing, wont really matter if I lose a moment with someone I love and care about.

I need to remember to say "I love you" "Thank you for your time! You're an awesome person" "Thank you for being my friend" and 100 other things I should say to show those around me just how much I care.

Malkin!

Nine years ago, I "adopted" my first pair of cats as an adult. I was super excited due to the fact that I love cats and if I love anything more, it's a kitten! Malkin (L) and Stallzy (R) were born on in a yard and needed a home - I was more than happy to bring them to my home.

These two are sisters and raised by the same Mom, me! They couldn't be more different. Stallzy (R) is friendly, smart, annoying and ready to get into anything that isn't cat friendly. Malkin (R) is shy, scared and sweet all rolled into one. She was born with an eye issue and after a visit to the eye specialist at a young age, it was determined that there is nothing that can be done. She could have eye surgery but it would be painful and the results would only be temporary. I've never been able to pick her up and hold her....sometimes she will allow pets, if you are sitting and she comes to you.

This photo is so big for one reason.......After 9 years, I was finally able to walk in the room, sit on the couch, get up and come back.....all without her running away. She just sat there. Maybe it's the old age kicking in. Maybe shes finally realizing that I'm not going to hurt her. Whatever it is....It made me pretty happy.

 

 

I needed that....

So much that I had to share before I run out the door....... I lost 2.4 lbs this past week! Even better, I was able to button my fat jeans. I had thought that my legs and butt were looking a little more fit and that my hips felt smaller but I wasn't ready to give it a try, until today, when I realized I didn't have any clean pants to wear to my meeting (I work from home - It's always a big deal when I need to leave and look like a normal person!) Well, my muffin top is there but to be honest, the black shirt and sweater cover it enough that I could really care less. These pants fit and it's really all I care about today!

I was home this past weekend for a black tie dinner, my Dad took me out to buy an outfit since I can't fit into any of my dresses.....Well, I left in tears after trying on 10 dresses and looking awful in each one. I went out on my own the next day and found the most perfect dress. I still felt fat and under dressed but it's the little things that count right now when it comes to clothing.

Fingers crossed that this continues......