Another Miracle

I am definitely going to go to Church this Sunday. I have to!!! We have been so blessed in the past few days. Things are finally starting to really look up for us. And we are finally starting to see the light at the end of our VERY LONG DARK Tunnel we have been in.
Well, you know that Sam got a job, I told you about that. He started it on Wednesday, and he is already getting is first pay check this coming Friday. So that is really cool.
Since the other night, when I wrote that last post, some MORE things have been happening in our lives. First of all, there is a 1 on 1 nurse for one of my students at school and she runs a Food and Clothing Closet out of her house. She invited us to come to her house this weekend and get STOCKED up on Food, Clothing, and Supplies All for Free and she said bring plenty of strong men because she will FILL OUR HOUSE UP!!!! I was in tears when she told me that. She has lots and lots of food that she gets from Food Lion and Safeway and the Government. And she has bathroom supplies and cloths for all different ages, men, women, and kids. So that is a blessing right there, that she is going to be able to help our family out like that.
Another thing that happened is, last month Lil Sam was involved in a State wide competition for his Shop that he is in at High School. He goes to Polytech High School. He is a Junior. He is in the Carpentry Shop learning both indoor and outdoor carpentry. Well, last month he was in a competition among all the other technical high schools in the state, it was a competition about building something (obviously). Well anyway, he came in Second place in the state in his category and last night was the awards ceremony where he not only got a Silver Metal for it, HE Won a $1,500 Scholarship to College. Can you believe that? I was so proud of him. He was so excited. He said he wants to go to college to learn how to be a master carpenter. I think he will go too, he really likes carpentry and let me tell you, he can build some really incredible things. And he was the only Junior in his whole shop to compete, it is usually a competition for Seniors only, but his teacher said he is the best he has seen in a long time and wanted him to compete with the Seniors. So isn't that COOL!!!! We are so proud of him!!!
AND if all this hasn't been a blessing and a great week for us. I have some more very exciting news to share. I got another Job. You all know that I take care of children with disabilities. Well one of my friends has a niece who is 12 years old and she is totally in a wheelchair and has severe Cerebral Palsy. Well her mom is in need of a personal assistant a couple nights a week to help her out at home. Her dad works nights and the little girl is getting pretty tall and heavy for her mom to care for her by herself. So she needs someone to help her out with like giving her a bath, getting her ready for bed, and that kind of things. It will be about 3 nights a week for like 3 hours a night and because I have so much experience with working with children with Disabilities, she is STARTING me at $15.00 an hour. She says as time goes on and we all get comfortable with each other, there is definitely chances to make more money and even bonuses. I could not believe that when she told me how much I would be making for part time work. It works out to be about 12 hours a week. Isn't that Cool!!! I am so excited about that because it is doing exactly what I love to Do and I love it!!!!! So this could potentially bring in more than $500 extra a month. And man let me tell you, we can use all the money we can get right now.
So I am going into this Spring with a whole new attitude, a whole new outlook on life, and a whole new feeling!!! Everyday is a Miracle, Everyday is a Blessing, and Everyday is a NEW DAY!! and we are no longer going to take things for Granted ever again!!!!

~~~~PRAISE GOD!!!! MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!!~~~~

The Power of Prayers!!!

I have to admit that I am not an overly Religious person. I went to Catholic School most of my life and I went to Church ALL the time and as I have grown up, I have kind of gotten away from all of that. I don't really have a reason for it except maybe I got a little burnt out on it. Or maybe never really BELIEVED in Miracles per say. But I have to tell you something. If I never believed in Miracles or a Davine Intervention before, I CERTAINLY DO NOW!!!!! I have to tell you all something that has happened to us in the past few days. See if you have been following my blog or talking to me in person, you know how depressed, stressed, completely broke we have been. Sam has not worked in over 7 months. Could not get unemployment or anything because he was not at his job long enough to collect anything. AND we have been basically living off of my income alone. We have been so stressed, fighting, just absolutely horrible times. Sam has done nothing but Sleep all day and all night. It has been really bad here, getting ready to loose our house, our vehicles, our electric, etc. Just not a good situation. Did not know which way to turn, or what to do. We get food stamps but even that is not enough. Needless to say, we have been ARGUING and FIGHTING like there is no tomorrow. We were even to the point and I have to admit this as the truth, we were to the point we were actually considering Splitting up and separating.
Well, this past Friday, like any other day recently, I came home from work to find Sam sleeping again. Not looking for a job, not making any phone calls, not doing anything but being severely DEPRESSED. I handed him a phone number of a husband of one of my friends that owns his own business and may be looking for help. Well for some reason, SAM FLEW off the handle. This was the worst time ever. He started smashing everything in sight. He started slamming things, he started yelling and was just insane. I was done. I wanted out of this relationship all together. I was ready to call a lawyer Monday morning. So Sam Left. NO Phone, NO money, just a little bit of gas in his truck, No cigarettes, No food, No clothes. No nothing. And he LEFT. At that point, I didn't not care at all what happened to him. I was done. It had gotten that bad. So he never came home that night. I had no idea where he went. I didn't even care. So the next morning, it was Saturday around 8:30 in the morning my nephew Robert called me and said that Sam called their house from someones cell phone and left a message on the machine. He sounded REALLY Really bad. He said he was broke, out of gas, lost, hungry, out of cigarettes, and needed help. SO he gives me the phone number that he used to call from and I called the phone number. A man answers, his name was JOHN. He said to me that he found Sam in his truck asleep, thought he was dead. He was extremely depressed, crying, just totally LOST. Lost in space, Lost in Spirit, Lost in LIFE. He said Sam was ready to give up on LIFE. John told me where he found Sam and I said there was no way that I would be able to come get him. He said he had things to do and wishes us luck but there was nothing else he could do for him. In the mean time, I have not talked to Sam the whole time. Then at exactly the time I got off of the phone with this John guy, my Gram called me. She caught me right in the middle of all that was going on. AND I just lost it. I told her everything that has been going on and she of course PRAYED with me and told me that I needed to go back to church and all that stuff. If you know my Gram you know what I am talking about. So I was on the phone with her for a little while. WELL all of the sudden about 1 1/2 hours after the first time I talked to JOHN, he called me back, he said to me, "I have not been able to get you and your husband out of my mind" He said, "GOD told me to turn around an help your husband" and "if it is ok with you, I want to talk to your husband and help him out and send him home". I cried and I was like absolutely. Then John told me a little bit about his life, he is 68 yrs old, he was in the very same situation we are in years ago, they were fighting and broke and depressed and the whole nine yards. Just like we are in. He then told me that him and his wife were fighting so much that his Daughter could not take it anymore, she ended up killing herself. HE said he never wants anything like that to happen to anyone like it happened to his family. He said if he can prevent anything like that from happening to anyone else in this world, he is going to help. So he found Sam, took him in his truck for over an hour, Talked to Sam intently, told him about his life, and all that happened to him. Told Sam to Go back home to his wife and family and get himself together. He gave Sam $40 to put gas in his truck, got him something to eat, and told him to go home!!! Sam asked for his name and address and all the man said was his name was John and the only thanks he needed was for Sam to go back to his family and get his life back together. Sam came home that night a CHANGED MAN!!!! He said he hit rock bottom, he said he was ready to give up, he said he witnessed a miracle and that he does not believe in God or anything like that, but for the first time in his LIFE HE PRAYED!!!! He prayed that he would get out of the rut he is in, he prayed that he would be a better man, husband, father, he prayed that he would get a job!!! He PRAYED!!! He has life in his eyes again. He is smiling again. He is alert again. He is totally Changed.
Sunday, that phone number of the person I gave him to call in the first place, he called here looking for Sam and set up an interview for him on Monday morning. Sam went to that interview, had a positive attitude and GOT THE JOB!!! Sam started work today doing exactly what he loves to do, building houses, remodeling, finishing basements, and building decks, etc. He has no idea how much money he is going to be making but right at this point, he does not care. He is just so dam happy to have a job right now and happy to be back into LIFE AGAIN.
SO If I never believed in Miracles or the Power of Prayer, I think I witnessed it this weekend.
I tried calling John back yesterday to THANK HIM AND TELL HIM, and BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE PHONE NUMBER IS NOT IN SERVICE!!!! AN ANGEL IF YOU ASK ME!!!!!!

The Day After

Yesterday I had a small surgical procedure done on my Uterus and today I am home feeling fantastic. I went into the surgery center at 12:00 and I was home by 3:30. They did a complete cleaning out of my uterus and they got those two tumors out that were cancerous. I did not have to have a complete hysterectomy. I am perfectly fine. I have NO Pain or Cramps what so ever. I came out of there completely awake and alert and feeling fine. The doctor was pretty impressed actually. He said "you are such a positive person" I said, "I have too much living to do to let this get me down." LOL. Anyway, I am home today to make sure everything is fine and to rest up completely so I don't hurt myself by going back to work too soon. The anesthesiologist told me that I can not drive for 24 hours, so that is why I am off today too because I was completely put out for this surgery and I still have the side effects of anesthesia in me. But other then that I am completely pain free, no problems what so ever and my tumors are gone. I do not have to go through radiation or chemo or anything at this point. So Thank God and Thank You all For your Prayers and Support!!!

Now we need more prayers that Sam gets this job. He had an interview yesterday for a job doing housing remodeling, reconstruction, decks, finishing basements, that kind of stuff and the guy said he is very interested in having Sam help him out and that he would be calling him back in the next day or two and let me tell you, the wait is killing him and me too. SO Pray that he gets this job because with him being out of work for 7 months has really been HARD to Say the Least.

~~~~EVERYONE ENJOY THIS TERRIFIC TUESDAY & HAVE A BLESSED DAY~~~~

Sunday's Newsflash & Week in Review

Wow I can not believe I have not been on here in a long time. Last time I was on here I was sitting in Las Vegas. A lot has happened since that day. First of all, Las Vegas was Fun!!! But personally, it was a little bit of a Sensory Overload for me. See they still smoke EVERYWHERE out there in Vegas. So when you got off the plane, in the airport, in the bathrooms, in the hotel, in the casino, in the restaurants, in the malls, in the bars, etc. everyone was smoking and not only cigarettes but cigars too. And for someone who is not used to all of that, it was nasty. It was so overwhelming to have all that smoke around me. It was nasty and smelled gross-so my smell was affected. Then there were Tons of People everywhere we went, and I felt like I was being closed in a fish bowl-so my space around me was affected. Then there were lights and games and and so Many things to see all over the place-so my sight was affected. There was music and sounds and bells and thing from all the casinos all over the place-so my hearing was affected. There was restaurants and food and all kinds of different smells all over the place-so that was a sensory overload. SO needless to say, I was extremely overwhelmed by all the "happenings" that were going on in Las Vegas and I am so not used to all of that. By the time I got into my hotel room each night, I wanted nothing more then just ABSOLUTE Silence and to shut my eyes and to tune out the rest of the world. It was that crazy. But overall I had a pretty good time. I didn't win a dam dime though and everything was so frigging expensive out there. Just to get a basic cheeseburger, no fries or drink, was starting at $12.00. So it was very expensive trip for me (good thing I am getting reimbursed for all meals and etc that I en cured) but still for someone who did not have that money to spare in the first place it was a little too much. So if I were to sum up my trip to Vegas, It was Exciting, Expensive, and Overwhelming. Would I ever go back? Probably not. I can think of hundred other places I would rather go then go back to Las Vegas again. But At least I had this wonderful opportunity to go there and I learned a whole lot of useful information to share with the people in my state regarding my Union.

So besides Vegas it took me almost three days to get back into the swing of things around here. See our plane was so very very delayed and then in the middle of our flight, we had a medical emergency with one of the passengers that we had to make an emergency landing in Memphis Tenn for over 2 hours and we were not allowed to get off the plane or anything. So needless to say, we were exhausted when we got home. We were supposed to land in Philadelphia airport at 10:15 pm and we didn't even land our plane until 3:27 pm. Then it was a 2 hour drive back to my house, where when I got home, I brought the bags in the house, took a shower, and then got the boys up and we all went to school and work. This was Monday morning. Then I worked all day and then I had a meeting that night. I did not get home from the meeting Monday night until after 10 pm. Talk about Tired. Then I had to do it all over again the next day. So needless to day it took me about 3 or 4 days to get back into the swing of things, to catch up on my sleep, to catch up on my house, to catch up on my work etc. The week was very hectic for me. BUT I am fine now and totally back to normal. So Thank God.

AS you know, today is Sunday and it is So gorgeous outside!!! I am loving this weather. As I'm sure all of America is at this point. What a Winter we all had. I am so glad it is over. SO I have all my windows open in the whole house and we are loving every minute of this beautiful day. So You know Sunday is my weigh in day and I weighed myself today and I have lost 3 lbs this week. I have not lost anything in a long time. I thought I was pretty much done loosing weight but I guess I am not done yet. So my total weight loss at this point is 168 lbs. And I could not be happier. I feel fantastic!!!!

Monday, tomorrow, I have to have a small surgical procedure done and I am a little nervous. But I will be fine. Before I left for Vegas, I had some test done because I have been having some issues with my monthly woman thingy, well the day before I went to Vegas, I had the appointment to go over the results of my tests and they have found two small tumors in my Uterus they think are cancer. The doctor told me that it is 99% cancer. They are the size of pencil tip erasers. Well anyway, tomorrow the doctor is going to clean it all out and do a biopsy on it and let me know what to do next. If we can wait till July when I am out of school, I will be doing a complete hysterectomy then. If not they will have to do it tomorrow and I will be out of work for 6 weeks. I am hoping that we can wait, and I won't need to have chemo or radiation or anything like that. So all I can say is pray and keep positive thoughts coming my way and I will be ok. I am staying positive about all this and everything will be fine.

Well, before I write a complete book, I better end this post now. I will get back on here in a few days or so and let everyone know how my surgery went and how I am doing. Until then, keep me in your prayers and thoughts I will be fine.

~~~~EVERYONE HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK~~~~

~~~~ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL WEATHER~~~~

Hello from Las Vegas!!!

HI EVERYONE!!! I am sitting here in Las Vegas having a wonderful time. I am broke as a Bitch though. No winnings for me. But having fun anyway.

Just wanted to say hi!!!

I will post more about my wonderful trip when I get back home.

~~~EVERYONE HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND~~~~

LAS VEGAS~~~~HERE I COME!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, the day has finally arrived!!!! I am leaving this afternoon to go to Las Vegas Baby!!! I am SUPER EXCITED!!! I am going to work this morning and then leaving at 1:30 to drive up to Philadelphia airport to catch my plane. Our plane leaves at 6:02 this evening. So wish me LUCK!!! Think about me!!! and Pray that I have a good flight and maybe come home with some big winnings!!! We have a little bit of down and I am so ready to be gambling. I mean who goes to Vegas and doesn't gamble. I have saved a little bit of spending money to bring with me. SO I hope that I can at least come home with the amount of money that I am leaving with. That would be so nice.

~~~EVERYONE HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK~~~~

&

LOOK FORWARD TO MY BIG POST ABOUT MY TRIP

TO VEGAS WHEN I GET BACK

Sunday's Newsflash!!!

Wow I can not believe it is Sunday already and I have not done my newsflash in a while. SO It is time to post about me, my life, and the happenings around here. First of all, I found the coolest new website for blog backgrounds. I used to use http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/ but it has been having issues and I can never get on there anymore. So I did a search for blog backgrounds and I found http://www.jellypages.com/ they have the coolest, brightest, backgrounds for blogs, myspace, etc. IT was cool. I found this really neat St. Patrick's Day background. Isn't it cute? On the side of page they have a ton of other pages of backgrounds. If you are looking for new backgrounds, go check them out. And to put it on your blog is super easy.
So today I weighed myself again and I am happy to report that I am Maintaining my 165 lb weight loss. It has been about 2 months since I have stayed the same and I am doing fantastic with everything. I feel incredible. When my taxes came in a few weeks ago, I went clothes shopping for myself, something I have not done in a long time. And it was wonderful to shop in the REGULAR section of all the stores. None of my clothes have an X or a # in front of anything. And none of my clothes have a W behind the # anymore either. That is HUGE for me cus I was a size 32W and a 3X now I am a size 18 and a L. Isn't that incredible. I feel fantastic.

Well I have to get off of here and get my suitcase packed. In exactly 48 hours from now, I will be on a plane headed to Las Vegas and I have to get all my stuff together for that. I am even setting my clothes out for tomorrow so that when Tuesday comes I will be all ready. LOL. I am so excited to be going to Las Vegas. I have never been there. It is going to be a lot of work but we will definitely have some down time and be able to hang out and play a little bit in the casinos. I have saved a bit of money for me to go there with hopefully I come home with the same amount I went there with, that would be wonderful.

~~~WELL EVERYONE HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK~~~

~~~IF I GET THE CHANCE I WILL POST WHILE I AM IN VEGAS~~~

BUT IF NOT

~~~~LOOK FOR A HUGE UPDATE WHEN I GET BACK~~~~

~~~LOVE YOU ALL~~~

7 Days to LAS VEGAS BABY!!!!

Wow I can not believe I am going to Las Vegas in exactly 7 days. I can't wait. Our plane leaves at 6:20 pm on Tuesday night and we get to Vegas at around 10:45 pm their time. I think it is like a 3 or 4 hour time difference, I am not sure. But I really don't care what the time difference is because I am going to LAS VEGAS baby!!! My best friend Margaret and I are going to the NEA ESP conference in Vegas and we are going on Tuesday night and not coming home till Sunday night. We are going to have so much FUN!! I saved some of our tax money so that I can play a little bit while I am out there. I heard there are slot machines EVERYWHERE even in the Bathrooms. LOL.
Anyway, this has been a very very busy week for me. I have had an appointment or meeting every single night this week and I hope to be able to get caught up in things before I leave on Tuesday. I will be able to get caught up hopefully this weekend. I don't have any plans this weekend, so that will be good.
I had my interview last night for the DSEA ESP of the Year. I think I did really really good. But I was extremely nervous. I have not been on that side of an interview in over 18 years and I was so nervous, I was lost for words at one point, YES ME I WAS LOST FOR WORDS can you believe it? But anyway, I am now anxiously awaiting the results to find out if I am the DSEA ESP of the Year. I am Super Excited about it. When I find out, I will be sure to let everyone know.

~~~Everyone Have a Wonderful Night & Happy Hump Day Tomorrow!!!~~~