MY HUSBAND HATES NEIL DIAMOND!

Ok, as for the Neil Diamond stuff, we'll get to that later, as for now, just a few updates of what's been going on in probably the busiest week of my life as to date. Well, maybe not, but it sure seemed like it!

First of all, I want to tell everyone how proud I am of Jillian. She is my 26 year old step-daughter, (but let me clarify to everyone, that both her and Megan are both more like daughters than step-daughters, simply because I came into their lives when they were very young and I was young also!), that has been living with us since the day before Thanksgiving. She has been through living hell with her marriage and her own personal hell as well. I took a chance and hired her to be one of my employees and to make it even more weird, to take over my previous job as a shirt presser. She has been doing really well and excelling every day. I also found that I could count on her when I really needed help, as I had to call her back to work the other day, when I was in a mess, she was in the tub, but came back directly to help me finish that task that I needed to complete. Anyway, we drug test all of our employees, and after her years of drug use, her test came back 100% clean. She is also going through some sort of self evaluation, which is hard, but really making an effort to get her life back together. She is attending Narcotics Anonymous meeting on a daily basis. She has also decided to make some changes in her personal life that I won't publish, but I was so glad and relieved to hear that she is really serious about that aspect of her life. It actually feels like she is part of our family again, after being somewhat separated from her for years. So, welcome back Jillian, and if any of you local bloggers see her out and about, give her a big hey!

Megan, John and the kids are also doing well. Megan has started working again after about a year and 1/2 of not working. She is working for a big paper company in South Carolina called Bowater. She has a lot of excitement in her voice, which I haven't heard for a while, and seems to be so glad to be back to work. She will also be having other opportunities with this company that involves travelling to other states and I am so jealous! WOOOO!! New York would be awesome and so would Canada. John is loving his job as well, and especially the part that he doesn't smell like a pork shoulder every night when he comes home. He is learning to be a pipe fitter and really likes it and all of the people like him as well, but who wouldn't like John! He is the model for a GREAT SON-IN-LAW! The kids are all doing well, growing like weeds, and doing great in school. I sure do miss them though.

Yesterday I registered Pete for his second semester at WKCTC. It was the last day for registration, so there were slim pickings on the classes. He has some harder classes like, THE ETHICS OF WAR AND PEACE, GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY, INTRO TO MUSIC, and WRITING II. I really hope that he excels and makes good grades this semester. He does love the "college" scenario better than the "high school" scenario though. And of course, he still loves his music, and times are rare when he doesn't have a guitar in his hands just picking or strumming at it or something. He doesn't even know how proud that I am when I hear him playing the guitar, and that he is talented enough to just hear of figure out a tune without much effort. I always had such a hard time memorizing a piano piece, and learning to read music. His work schedule has been cut to two days a week at the laundromat, and he is still doing rugs at the plant, and I will also be able to call him in for various other jobs as I need him, IF he's not too busy studying.

OK, now as to the reason why my husband hates Neil Diamond! I really don't know! Who in the world could hate Neil Diamond? He says that he just hated all of the "pop" stuff that we grew up with, but who could hate Cracklin' Rosie or a live version of "Holly Holy"? Or, songs like "I Am I Said". It is just beyond me! Well, years ago, when my sister came to visit me we were talking about music. I used to love fooling around with her record player! I would stack those 45's up and just let them play and play. Well, I don't know what resources she had, but one day she came home with this album. It was Neil Diamond Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and I am here to tell you that it is the most awesome thing ever. Even now, years later, I still listen to it, and am listening to it now! The orchestration is awesome, and if you have ever read the book by Richard Bach, well, that's all that I need to say! If you don't have this CD or have never heard of it, I encourage you to find it somewhere because it's definitely something that just makes you feel peaceful and it's something that you can just kick back and relax to! Every time that I play it, it also makes me think. I don't know why, it just does! Oh, the picture is for my sister just because I told her that I would post one. By the way, the earrings are JULIE SHAW originals. I got them for Christmas and I love them. The photo was taken after a hard day at work. I usually try to not look so CRAPPY!

WORD OF THE DAY!

ESCHEW

es·chew /ɛsˈtʃu/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[es-choo] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object)
to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid: to eschew evil.