Tuesday 4 - Let's Talk About You

 It's time again for Tuesday 4 in memory of Toni Taddeo, our founder. Join in here!

 

 

Let's talk about YOU this week.

 

 

1. How are you unique or different from your friends or family? How typical are you? I think we are all unique and have our differences. I have always been the black sheep of my family, and even more so in my husband's. LOL. His family is huge and they always want to get together for everything. Having a special needs child and having family brush them off kind of sealed the deal as she got older. And now with Covid - well that changed everything, and it changed my perspective of a lot of people, and I do mean A LOT! It will be amazing if some of us ever speak to one another again. I am definitely not a "typical" kind of person and definitely not a follower.

2. How do you spend your spare time? books, hobbies, visiting, TV, etc. I 💓 to read and listen to Classical music! I am also a huge GAMER MOM and play quite a few games from Skyrim to games like Wizard101 and Toontown Rewritten. I am part of an adult group on Facebook that play Roblox and we get together every Saturday night for game night. It's so much fun! But now, some of my spare time will be divided up since I decided to enroll in college. Yep, at the age of 47 I am going after my A.S. in Healthcare Administration. We will see if I go for my B.S. afterwards. LOL.

3. What was high school like for you? An endless stream of parties and cotillions! 😂 Well, not the latter, but I did party way too much in high school, and I ended up not finishing. I did not care for school the older I got, and a car accident ended my track and field days my Sophomore year. I quit the middle of my Senior year, but I did end up getting my GED and enlisting in the Texas Army National Guard for five years.

4. This question has multiple parts:

a. Handbag: designer style or any will do? I don't really carry a purse these days, but this style of Dooney and Burke drawstring will always be my baby. It was a birthday gift my freshman year of high school and I wish I still had it!! I have been thinking about acquiring another, but it has to be Vintage style (with the duck)! They are just so expensive, and I have more important things to spend my money on these days.

b. Pajamas or night gown? Definitely pajamas. I haven't worn a nightgown since I was a little girl!

c. Shoes: sturdy or pretty? While I would love to just shop around for the cutest and pretty sandals, any shoe I buy these days has to be sturdy. I have to have extra support for my plantar fasciitis.

d.home decor: classic, modern, farm house style, traditional? LOL! Every room of my house is different and I am not a huge fan of particular decor. Sad, huh? I do like the farm house style and I am big on vintage.

e. Movies: feel good, drama, romance, action? It really depends on what mood I am in. I enjoy lots of different genres of movies.

Happy Tuesday!

 

Post a funny picture.

Post a not so funny picture.

Post whatever weirdness you want. That’s it.

One thing for sure is this is a fun and easy meme to do. So come and join us in Happy Tuesday.

 

These little salamanders are called pink axolotls, also known as Mexican Walking Fish. They are just too cute, and I have a few in my Minecraft game. 😊

Sunday Stealing - One Direction Asks

  Welcome to Sunday Stealing - hosted by Bev Sykes. Thanks for the questions Bev!

1. Are you a Jeopardy fan?  Who do you want to replace Alex Trebeck? I used to watch Jeopardy all the time years ago! Loved Alex Trebeck, and no one can ever really replace him! It appears that Jeopardy is still in need of a host and I think LeVar Burton would be great!

2. What’s your favorite horror film? Stephen King's IT hands down. The original series was awesome! I am not a fan of the remake and of course, the book is always better!!

3. Are you a possessive person? No. I can be possessive about objects, but not really people.

4. Who’s your idol? I always thought of my dad as my idol, especially when I was a little girl. I followed in his footsteps when I enlisted in the military and he always supported me in whatever I chose to do, even if he didn't fully agree.

5. List five things you can’t live without. Gotta love expressions and idioms! Five things I can't "live" without:

• water
• coffee
• my computer
• books
• tacos
  

6. Where do you feel home? Home has always been Texas but I am so tired of the heat and humidity. When we flew to Maine a couple of years ago, I was dead set on moving. I want to be close to the ocean and close to things that I enjoy, like FALL, which seems to just skip over us here. Honestly, I take the phrase "Home is where the heart is" literally.

7. What are your three best qualities? I have always considered myself to be a nice person. I am honest, brutally so to be exact. I think this comes across to some people that I am harsh and mean. But I am not. I am loyal and I have always stood up for friends and family, even when they stabbed me in the back. I am empathetic, which is sorely lacking in today's society.

8. Name three things that make you happy. I would say my husband and kids, my pets, and my computer, Max.Yes, I named my computer. LOL.

9. What helps you when you’re feeling down? Tuning in to my favorite classical music station and reading, or playing a war game. It honestly depends on my mood. 😀

10. Which big cities have you been to?Dallas is probably the biggest city that I have visited.

11. What’s your favorite love story? ( Book, film, etc. ) My favorite book love story is the Skye O'Malley saga by Bertrice Small.

12. Talk about the best concert you ever attended. Metallica LIVE!!! In Dallas at Reunion Arena in 1989! What a crazy night and I can't believe I didn't end up in jail. LOL!

13. What’s one thing you don’t ever want to change? My daughter's Autism. You near about trying to find a cure and all of that, but I would never want to "cure" her. She is the most amazing, loving, and caring person! 💗

14. What scares you? I am definitely scared of heights. I found that out when I enlisted in the military. LOL! So much for wanting to go Airborne! 

15. What are three things you want to do before you die? I would love to visit Scotland and Ireland, and my friends in South Africa! I don't think that will ever happen. LOL. But I do hope to make it to Halifax to visit the Titanic cemetery and I would love to go to PEI! 

 

College ... first week

I had to write an Intro for my Achieving Academic Excellence class the other day and post it on the class forum. LOL! I have actually had a few people respond with motivating comments. Starting on a positive note!!  

Hi everyone, my name is Jennifer and I live in the Lone Star State. I am an avid reader (historical fiction and romance) and enjoy just about anything history-related, especially the Dark Ages and Medieval eras. When I am not reading and listening to classical music, I am usually on my PC gaming, working on my website, or blog. I have been married to my best friend for almost 22 years. I have two not-so-little kiddos, a son that is 21 years old and a daughter who is 17 and has Autism. I have always been a stay-at-home-mom and I have home-schooled the last eight years. My daughter graduates high school next week!

I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be enrolling in college at the age of 47, but here I am at Ashworth! I am currently in the Healthcare Administration program to obtain my Associate’s Degree. Five years ago, my husband suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury. He was in a brain therapy program for two years and tried his hardest to return to work. Little did we know he would have to medically retire and file for social security disability. My motivation leading me down this path is to hopefully be able to secure a better job for myself and my family, and to combine my administrative skills and passion for helping others, working with seniors in a nursing facility or assisted living community.

Personal strengths that I believe will help me reach my goal are being determined, versatile, perceptive, sensible, and organized. My Army platoon had a motto back in my military training days – “Motivation, Dedication, leading Young Guns to Graduation.” We were called Young Guns and we were probably the most messed up platoon ever. But with dedication and teamwork, we overcame one obstacle over another and we made it, and I hope to do that here as well.

Thanks for reading, and good luck to everyone on this college journey we have undertaken!! - Jennifer

 

Proud Mommy!!

I started homeschooling eight years ago. Our son graduated from high school in June of 2018, and today our little girl accomplished that milestone, too! 👩🏻‍🎓 It has indeed been a journey. A roller coaster ride with lots of ups and downs, but yet here she is! We are very proud of her and what she has accomplished through the years. It hasn't been easy but she stayed determined through it all. 

Just in case you are wondering - UNDERTALE is one of her favorite games.


She also earned her Liberty Award pin, which was presented to her by her older brother.

National Doggo Day!

 National Doggo Day!!

 Happy National Dog Day! This is Zac. He came to live with us back in April of 2014 and he is such a ham!! 😀

Five years ago today we lost our beloved, Bo. We sure do miss this boy, and I know Zac misses him as well. 💚

 

Thankful Thursday

  

It’s Thankful Thursday hosted by Brian of Brian’s Home. He wants us to post what we’re thankful for.

This is my first time to participate!! 😃

 

 

I have numerous things to be THANKFUL for but these three people are the ones that I count my blessings to have in my life.

• My amazing husband who tries his hardest and always to the best of his ability, even after suffering a TBI five years ago.
• My beautiful daughter who was diagnosed with Autism before the age of three, and is graduating tomorrow from high school. She has come so far!!!
  
• My wonderful son who takes it upon himself to help out his baby sister and his dad, and makes things run smoothly around our house since I am back in school and trying to find a job.
  

Roblox - Game Night: M.O.P playz Draw it super blocky ball big paintball & more in GAME NIGHT...

This video is from one of our group members. She does a fantastic job! We have such a  GREAT time at our game nights. 😁

Badges done!!

Yay! I am so proud of my daughter! 😊 She has been working basically non-stop trying to wrap up her Senior year in high school and complete her badges to earn her Liberty Award. She only needed to complete two more badges and she wrapped up her Elections badge yesterday, and finished with her Government badge today. 

I can't believe my little girl graduates from high school FRIDAY!!! 😯

Tuesday 4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept in memory of her.
Let's talk about food this week shall we?

I haven't played in a while and I am a bit late, but ... 😊

1. What is/are your favorite meal (meals) to eat and to cook? Spaghetti and homemade meatballs! 🍝

2. How often do you cook at home and what kind of meals do you make? My husband is usually the one that loves to cook, and often. Anywhere from grilled chicken, pork chops, steak, veggies and this is mainly done on the grill if the weather is good. We do order out some and may get some pizza or Chinese/Japanese. We cook at least four to five times out of the week, unless we have tons of appointments.

3. When you go out to eat what foods do you find yourself ordering most? Well, we haven't actually gone out to a sit down restaurant since last year. LOL! Normally when we do, I end up getting the exact same thing I always order. If we go out to eat Mexican food, it's either something like a Taco Dinner or Fajitas. If we go to our favorite German place, I end up getting Steak and kraut, with a vinaigrette salad. And their bread. I love the bread!

4. Can you recommend a restaurant in your area? Why do you like it? Mexican Inn Cafe. I have been going to this restaurant since I was a little girl, and I am so thrilled that the original location is being re-modeled. I can't wait to visit. They have the best chips and hot sauce! My favorite Italian restaurant, Spaghetti Warehouse, closed years ago. They had the best sourdough bread and butter, and the Toasted Ravioli was so tasty!! It was located in the famous Fort Worth Stockyards. I really miss that place. 

Game Night - Roblox

I had such a great time playing with these peeps and talking in voice chat. We had so many laughs last night. Game night theme was SUMMER!! 🌞🌴

Sunday Stealing - Who I Am Hates Who I've Been

 

Welcome to Sunday Stealing - hosted by Bev Sykes. Thanks for the questions Bev!! It's been a while! Gotta love LIFE.

Who I AM Hates Who I've Been

1. Has anyone ever made fun of your taste in music? I don't think anyone has made fun of my taste in music, but I know my husband has made comments about listening to certain genres, mainly Classic Rock or Metal. LOL! I will listen to all sorts of music, but my favorites are Classical and Movie/Game soundtracks.

2. Do you have pop-tarts in your house right now? Yep! Brown Sugar and Cinnamon and Chocolate Chip Cookie dough.

3. Does someone owe you over twenty dollars? Nope. I honestly don't have extra money to even lend if I wanted to at the moment.

4. When was the last time you burned any part of your body?  Just the other day! I burned my arm on the oven trying to get a hot pan out. And yes, I had on an oven mitt. LOL! I burned myself right above it!

5. What kind of booze did you last take shots of? Fireball whiskey! It's been a few years though. I am not much of a shot drinker anymore. I had my share in my youth. LOL! I drink beer mostly, or Amarula when I get the chance to order a bottle and have it shipped.

6. If you could see any musician live, front row, who would you choose? None. I would prefer to see it streamed LIVE than to be there in person. I am definitely not a people person anymore, nor do I like crowds.

7. If I gave you ten dollars, what would you spend it on? Probably at the laundromat since my dryer has stopped working. We have to order the part and it's going to take a couple of weeks to get here.

8. Does / did either of your parents serve in the military? Yes, my father. He was a Marine and then finished out his military service in the Army Reserves. My mom was a stay-at-home-mom for most of my growing up years, then ended up going to work when I was 12 years old.

9. Do you like sour candy? Absolutely not. LOL! For some reason, sour candy just doesn't sit well with me these days. My daughter 💗's sour candy!

10. What do you do to stay awake when you’re tired? I don't and I usually go to bed. If I make myself stay awake, I would eventually end up on the floor because I would fall out of my computer chair.

11. Do you wear your shoes around the house? Yes. If I don't have my sandals on, I have my tennis shoes on. Very seldom will I go around barefoot anymore.

12. Is there ever a time that you enjoy cold showers? No. Just no. Even in winter, I take hot showers. I remember a time when I was in Army Basic Training and the water heater had gone out at our barracks. It was mid October in South Carolina and I froze my butt off taking cold showers for a week!

13. Are you good at filling silence in awkward situations? I suppose if I had to. I am usually not one to initiate the conversation.

14. Any TV shows you sit down weekly to watch? I don't watch much TV. I have a few shows that I watch on Netflix like Cobra Kai, The Last Kingdom, and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. We try to have a movie night once a week.

15. Are you one to sneak food into movie theaters? LOL! Last movie I saw in a theater was Christopher Robin back in 2018. And the time before that was TITANIC when it was airing at the dollar cinema back in 1999. The movie theaters have gotten way too expensive unless you are visiting one where you can order dinner and drinks. Years ago, I loved going to the movies with my mom and we would always sneak Best Maid pickles and Cokes in!😊

 

College...first week

I am not exactly sure how I am going to set up my routine for school, but I have already dived into my first lessons and exam, scoring a 90%. I guess I could have taken the other attempts and tried for 100, but oh well. LOL.

My first course is aptly titled Achieving Academic Excellence. Pray for me! Being studious was never one of my strong points where education was concerned. 😁

College in your late 40s...

I didn't graduate from high school, obtaining my GED instead. I enrolled in our local college to pursue a Criminal Justice and Law degree, but I found myself unable to get a job and go to school so I quit. I worked a few jobs before joining the Texas Army National Guard. Regular Army would not accept a GED at the time, so my intent was to go active-duty military when I was up for re-enlistment. During this time, I ended up meeting my best friend, and getting married. In the next few years I became a housewife, a mom to two amazing kids, and a caregiver to my own mother. After our beautiful daughter was diagnosed with Autism and my mother became very ill and passed away, re-enlistment never happened. I stayed home with my kiddos and my husband got a decent job working for our city. As he was promoted through the years up to Public Works Superintendent, I homeschooled our kids and worked a few part time jobs here and there.

Fast forward a few years later, and my husband collapses at work causing a traumatic brain injury. Never in my wildest did I know that he would become unable to work and have to file for Social Security Disability. It has been a long road fighting for that little SSDI check, but it finally happened. There is one huge problem - it's not enough money to sustain our family. 😟

I find myself having to become more of a bread winner. But in order to to do that I have to find a decent job that is not only going to pay me above minimum wage, but also give me the hours that I need in order to make enough money to add to my husband's SSDI check to pay a mortgage/lease AND utility bills with something left to buy groceries. In two years, I still have yet to find a job that will accomplish this, and all while trying to juggle doctor appointments for all of us, therapy appointments for our daughter, and only having one vehicle to do this with. The pandemic we are going through has not made it any easier.

I have very little work history, no college degree or certifications, and I am getting ready to turn 48 years old next month. I figure I have a good 15 or 20 years left in the workforce, if my health holds out and if someone is willing to take a chance on me. Two years shy of hitting the 50 year mark and I am thinking of college. I have been doing a bit of research the last few days and today I took the leap and enrolled so I am now officially a college student working on my A.S. in Healthcare Administration.

Roblox Game Night

Last night my Roblox group got together for another Game Night - and several of us lasted over 5 hours! 😂 We had such a great time!! It was CIRCUS-themed and I dressed my avatar up as a Ringmaster with a little elephant.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor

With the end of the summer season upon us we decided to reserve a day to visit Hurricane Harbor. Since we hold Six Flags memberships, parking was a breeze and it was easy to navigate. I am not exactly a water-park fan, but it was so nice to just sit in the water and relax. It was not overly crowded and we had a great time!

I only snapped a few pics because I don't have a waterproof case for my phone, and I am not crazy enough to think I won't submerge my phone. Next time I am snapping a picture of how many people were in the water just walking around CARRYING their shoes. 😅

Frontier Girls

Through middle school and into high school, my daughter and I had been part of Girl Scouts, and I was the Assistant Troop Leader of our multi-level troop. After two years, our troop disbanded and there was not another one close by, so we became part of the Juliette program. Skye made it to Cadette, but her interest began to wane so we did not re-join. Of course that was a few years back. My daughter and I have been looking for something that we could do together as mom and daughter and we found Frontier Girls. Unlike Girl Scouts, which is an organization you join, Frontier Girls is a curriculum style program that you purchase a membership for and it offers more flexibility. There are over 1,000 individual badges to earn and you can work at your own pace. We joined as Pioneers Owl/Eagle. Even as an adult, I get to participate and earn badges! It's been slow progress with us getting delayed by hospital stays, dr. appts, therapy, sickness, etc. But we are getting there. LOL!

Skye will be graduating in two weeks!! Yep, in two weeks our little girl will be donning her purple gown and cap and getting that diploma! Amazing!!! And with that, her brother with be presenting her with the Liberty Award pin. She only has three badges to complete!! 😊 We are so proud of her!!!

 

 

A new group for parents and adults...

I just happened to be scrolling through Facebook the other day looking for gaming groups when I came across this the gem!

To say that I was over the moon is an understatement. I have been part of the Roblox community for over six years and have played several games with my kiddos through the years. I wasted no time in applying to join and was accepted the next day. It is so nice to see that I am not the only adult playing. One of the best things about this group - Saturday Game Nights!!

Theme - Horror (I dressed as Freddy Kruger) 😁

Six Flags 60th Anniversary

Today was such a fun day to be at Six Flags celebrating 60 years! We made it an early day to visit the park so we could be part of the ceremony. It was so awesome seeing some of the rides that Buddy and I remember as a child, and T and Skye were able to see a few old photos. They pulled a fast one today and as the Park President, Ron McKenzie was showing us the video of what Aquaman is going to be like, the video cut out and these pirates poured out of the building to greet the crowd! The biggest unveil - Pirates of Speelunker Cave!!!! I was over the moon! The cave has always been one of our favorite rides and I am so happy to know that it is returning. 😍 So, we have two new rides set to debut next year, but they are pushing for Pirates to open first. WE CANNOT WAIT!!!

After the ceremony, those who made VIP reservations were able to view the museum first and meet a couple of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. While we haven't been major sports fans in a long while now, it was pretty cool getting to meet these two ladies. Fabian talked to them for a couple of minutes and told them what a fantastic job the DCC does. As he was leaving, security tapped him on the shoulder and wanted him to return to the table. A team rep presented him with a Dallas star pin that he literally removed from his lanyard. How cool is that? 😀 The museum displays consisted of some throwback memorabilia, a few things I remember having as a kid. They had a bar serving drinks and some cute 60th Anniversary cupcakes in to-go boxes. We grabbed our cupcakes and went to the member lounge to kick back for a bit and eat them.

Afterward, we rode a few rides and then decided on an early dinner. Buddy wanted loaded brisket nachos and the kids and I decided on chicken. While we were waiting for our food, these two women waved me over. They wanted to know when the caricature artist was returning from break. LOL! They thought I worked for Six Flags, and they were both clearly intoxicated. I told them he was at lunch and they got a bit miffed. It was quite funny until they decided to proceed to tear the guy's sign off his drawing pad. They wrote 'customers on strike' and left. LOL! I took a picture of them and we got a laugh showing the artist. He just grinned and said security will probably be showing them the gate soon. I know both Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor are serving alcohol now, but why? Why in the world would you want to drink and then go get on roller coasters? No thank you. 😮

The first time the kids had a Pink Thing, too! Awesome day!