more on the bed story

It was SOOO nice to sleep in my good bed again last night! I slept so soundly and so well that I almost didn't hear my alarm this morning to get up for church! I saw Jim and Karla last night at Bingo and told them I'd see them in the morning today. Jim had asked if I wanted them to call me in the morning like usual and I said he didn't have to because I'd have my alarm set. But if we wanted to he still could. :-) Good thing he did! Otherwise I may have not gotten up in time. LOL It was my first really good sleep in a couple months since the whole bed thing started and I guess I was making up for lost time. LOL

Well I happened to see an ad on TV last night that Mattress Firm was doing there no payment/no interest until 2008 sale so I decided to go ahead and pick out a new mattress and box spring for the twin bed since I wouldn't have to worry about payments right away and I knew I'd still have it paid off LONG before 2008. So I got there and guess what? The store right near me is closing so on top of the no interest/payments deal, they were having a closeout sale trying to sell off everything so they don't have to move it to another store. So I lucked out getting even better prices than they always have there.

I had them look up my account knowing they'd have my bed on file that I bought last time so I could pick a bed set for the twin that was similar to mine. I know how comfortable that bed is! LOL Well they had almost the exact same one in the twin size, but it was outrageously expensive. It would have cost as much as my queen bed did! I got a huge deal on that bed because the model I wanted was being discontinued and all that was left was the floor model so I took that and big time discounted prices. Otherwise there's no way I could have or WOULD have bought the bed set I did as it was very good quality so very high priced. Hey what can I say, sleep is the most important activity in my life so I'm willing to spend more for comfort, but not outrageously so. LOL

I got there right as they opened today so I was even able to get same day delivery! My new twin bed set arrived about 10 minutes ago. So now, whenever I actually GET company to stay, they have a mega comfortable bed to sleep in.

Kelley
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bed is repaired

I am so happy it's fixed because now I can sleep in my nice comfy BIG bed again. Note to self, as soon as I can afford it, get a new mattress and box springs for the twin bed since the current ones are over 30 years old! I got so used to the comfortable bed when I bought it that I quickly realized the one I'd been using for years was in dire need of replacement. And after the past couple months of using it I'm more aware of that than ever. LOL

Why did it take so long? Well I figured it would be something easy to fix myself, just putting the leg back in and realigning the supports. But I needed a good full day to do that since I had to take everything off the bed first and that was the hardest part. Try lifting a mattress by yourself, angling it up and diagonal to get it over the corner posts of the frame, then dragging it off to the side out of the way. Then repeat with box springs. Though that is much lighter weight and easier to maneuver. But I got that fixed at least too. I needed to replace the fabric on the bottom of it since the cats clawed there way through the funky black fabric that was stapled to the box frame. I just bought a plain white flat sheet and stapled it to the frame. Voila! Good as new. That was the easy part. LOL

So I finally about a month ago had a whole weekend free to mess with it. I wanted a whole weekend because I figured I'd take down all the curtains and stuff and wash them and the comforter and everything while I was at it.

Well the metal piece that braced the center leg, had stripped the wood all around it and I couldn't get it to stay in place. I'd screw everything in only to have it fall back out when I turned it over to replace in the bed frame. So I thought they'd have to rework one of the other supports to hold the metal fitting for the leg. Nope. I had tried calling one company, Rent-a-Hubby who I got out of the phone book and when I saw the name I just loved it. LOL But that guy did not seem to inclined to help me out. I called three times and nothing. So I said heck with it and called another company Mr. Handyman. They were able to come today. It took the guy all of 10 minutes to fix, which is all I figured it would take. I just didn't want to play with it too much in case it did need more done to it than I thought. Fortunately the guy who came lives like 10 minutes away so he was nice enough to not charge me for the full hour which is what they usually do. Usually I guess it's a flat fee for one hour then anything over that they break down by 15 minute intervals.

It kills me that I had to pay $50 to do something I probably could have myself, but was afraid I'd be missing something needing done but at least now my bed is fixed! I can sleep in it tonight. And I think this summer after I buy my plane tickets for my trip to the beach with Mom and Dad in July then home for Tommy's wedding in August, I'm going to see if Mattress Firm is having their no interest for a year sale again and replace my mattress and box springs on the twin bed.

Kelley
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Thrive Game night

Well I think I mentioned a little while ago about the new church I started going to and was planning to join? I'm actually missing at least part, if not all of the Steeler game today to go up for my membership interview. Talk about committing! But I AM still wearing my Steelers t-shirt and ball cap so they'll just have to accept that. Good thing this church is so casual so I shouldn't look like I don't belong today. LOL But that's not the subject of this post.

Anyhow, one of the things I like about this church is they have different groups for all ages of adults in all stages of their lives. They have The Point - 20 something singles, Thrive - 30 something singles, and bunches more. Well I am getting to know more people down here after two years, but I don't really know a lot of people my age or at the same stage of their life as me. I wanted to find a group to socialize with where I could meet those people. Enter Thrive. I was exploring the church's website last week and found Thrive. I went to their website, liked what I read so joined their mailing list. About three days ago I got my first newsletter and it just happened to have listed Game Night last night so I decided to e-mail them to ask about it. They responded, and I went to the game night.

Now this group is primarily for Bible Studies, which I'm not really interested in doing right now. So I asked if they minded that I only wanted to participate in the social and community service aspect of things. This was because some of you will remember that dance group I tried to join a few months ago and when I started asking all kinds of questions, like where do my membership fees go and what age group of people and how many come to events, they flat out told me maybe I ought to go find another group as I might not be for them. How rude! So I refused to join that group on principle, s much as I want to find a dance group again. I miss my dancing!

So I was wary about joining another group hence my questions to Thrive about would I be welcome if I don't do Bible Study and all that. The girl I was talking to was very very nice and welcoming so I decided to give it a shot just because she was so nice. I am so glad I went! I h ad a blast!

I got there at 6:00 on the dot, when it was scheduled to start and the only person there was the girl running it, who had been the one I was e-mailing. As soon as I told her my name she knew exactly who I was and was very excited I came and all that. A few minutes after I got there another guy showed up, also a new guy who just went to the church for the first time last week and stayed for the bible study. The regular members all didn't start rolling in till 6:30/7:00. But the few of us who were there got going on a game right away and it was nice to meet some people in dribbles like that. Gave me a chance to talk to them one on one before it got crowded and loud. Stephanie, the girl in charge told me there'd probably only be 15-20 people there when I asked about being overwhelmed with meeting all these new people. Well there was more like 50 by the time the night was over! Of course I only actually met maybe 10 of those, who were all at my table for games. We played something called Wahoo which I'd never played before, then we moved on to Cranium, which I'd never played before but was a blast! I need to buy that game. (BTW, I came in last place both times we played Wahoo though I started out almost in the lead. But my team won at Cranium :-D)

It was a really nice relaxing evening with lots of munchies and drinks and just plain fun. I'm not going to remember all the names of people I met but... (Oh and one guy, one of the first to arrive, looks SO much like Andrew, my long since ex-fiancé, that it was eerie! But he was loads nicer. LOL)

A couple of the guys, and a couple of the girls I got to talk to more and they seem really nice. I may find me some good friends out of this group yet, we'll see. The one guy, the other newbie, Alex, started to walk out with me until I told him I was parked way at the other end of the building (which is HUGE) since I didn't know where I was to be going so just parked where Jim and Karla always do for church on Sundays.

I did have about 4 or 5 of them ask if I was going to start coming to Bible Study on Sundays and I said I wasn't planning to at this time. I just wanted to meet some people to socialize with. They seemed a little disappointed in that but oh well. This group has social event almost every weekend it seems so I like that. I'll go to a bunch of those and meet people that way. The next event is a Super Bowl party at one of the members' house. I'm already planning to go, expecting my STEELERS! to make it that far.

So I had a really good time, met lots of new folks, plan to go back for more events and who knows, maybe eventually I'll go to the Bible Studies too, but I've no interest in that right now. I'm glad I just went ahead and decided to go to Game Night and didn't just stay at home by myself watching TV or playing on the computer.

Oh and the best part? One of the guys there last night is a swing dancer too! I didn't get to meet him last night as he was on the other side of the room, but when I was talking to the people at my table, one of them told me that when I mentioned I used to swing dance all the time. So I made a mental note of the guys face so I can introduce myself to him next time and ask about swing dancing places down here.

Kelley

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Gretchen Wilson Concert last night

well I went to her concert last night. it was a great show! I had heard she was coming and debated buying tickets but I wasn't sure I liked her enough to spend the $45 per ticket plus parking. So I had decided I wasn't going to go.

 

Then at work about a week ago we got an e-mail that the Nokia Theater was giving away free tickets to military personnel for the show. I checked to make sure I could participate even though I'm not in the military and I could. :-) So I immediately called Susan to see if she wanted a ticket and I asked Casey if he wanted to go. Casey said yes right away and Susan never called me back. I finally called her again to see if she wanted to go and she said she did. So I got three tickets for myself and I also got the tickets for everyone else in my office who wanted some. We had about 12 altogether.

 

So yesterday I stayed at work a little late, since the theater is only 10 minutes from work and I went straight to the show. Susan bailed on me last minute (she's "persona non grata" with me right now over this and some other stuff leading up to it but I'm not about to go into it right now. Still too upset with her.) Casey said he'd meet me there since the leasing office didn't close till 6 then he had to go home and change first.

 

I got to the theater about 7 and walked around a bit (the place is really small, but that's really cool I think. The opening act - Blaine Larson - started at 7:30 on the dot. first time I've ever been to a concert that started EXACTLY on time. I had no idea who he was but he was pretty good. He's only got one single out so far that was just released recently so he did a couple songs from his album but mostly he did cover songs. He's a GOOD-looking guy! Very young looking but a cutie nonetheless.

 

After Blaine Larson, Van Zant was performing. I thought I knew one of their songs, but it turns out the song I thought was theirs - Boondocks - is not actually by them. I had them mixed up with someone else. LOL These guys were pretty good. They did a bunch of their own stuff, one .38 Special song since the one brother used to play for them. And they did a couple other awesome songs - Sweet Home Alabama being the highlight - and closing song - for their act.

 

Gretchen Wilson came on about 9:00 and she was fabulous! I'm glad I got free tickets or I wouldn't have gone and I'd have missed a good show. I know her stuff really well and she's one that I do like I just wasn't sure I liked her enough to spend the cost of the ticket. LOL She brought everyone to their feet (well everyone who wasn't already on their feet after Sweet Home Alabama anyhow). She did all her hit songs, except Redneck Woman which of course was her encore song as I knew it would be. She also did several songs by her "heroes" of music. Everything from Loretta Lynn's "You Aren't Woman Enough to Take my Man" to the song "Barracuda" who I can't for the life of me think who sings it. LOL She also did some other songs from her second album. One of the really cool parts was she did this sit down part where she did a song that had a 40s kind of sound to it and all the images on the screen of her performing were done in black and white, to keep to the feel of the song. She even used a 40s style microphone for that song. Then she did a song that reminded me of the type of songs from the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" or whatever it was called. I think that's the right title... you know the George Clooney movie.

 

Casey was late getting there and got there just as Blaine Larson was finishing up. I was getting worried there for a bit, wondering if he bailed on me too. After all, Susan had already bailed and then two of my coworkers who had seats with mine never showed up either. I was sitting there thinking for briefly... "Geez I'm such a loser. I can't even get people to go to a concert with me when the tickets are free!" LOL But that was only briefly. I used to go to concerts by myself all the time before I moved because my friends weren't in to the same kind of music as me so I knew I'd have more fun going alone then taking someone who didn't want to be there listening to music they don't even like.

 

Anyhow, Casey got there and we had a ball. He's so much fun to hang out with.And he's just an all-around nice guy. We'll have to try to make a point to hang out together more because we always have fun. My voice is a little shaky this morning from singing and yelling and screaming last night. LOL

 

I got home about midnight last night and got to bed about 1 AM. Getting up for work today was not easy and I actually was a little late. Which is not the best thing to begin with plus the fact I need to take a couple hours off this afternoon for a funeral.

What celebrity do you look like?

I found this link through someone else's blog and I had to give it a try. The website is http://www.myheritage.com. You have to register to see your matches, but it only takes a second and it's free.

Who did I look like? Well apparently I look like:
Demi Moore - 64%
Nana Mouskouri - 61% (who the heck is that?)
Nicole Kidman - 57%
Sigourney Weaver - 53%
Julia Roberts - 52% (wow the likeness between the picture I loaded and the one in the database for her is incredibly strong. Though her mouth is still a little wider than mine. LOL)
John Howard - 49% (whoever that is)
Mae West - 49%
Angelina Jolie - 47%
Faye Dunaway - 46%
Soong May-ling - 45% (No idea who that is either.)

Hey I never knew just how GOR-geous I was... LOL

Kelley

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Well the book tally is in for 2005

I had to go back through my review binder to get the total but here it is. And no I did not break it down by ratings or anything yet. I'll do that later this week when I write my column for Fresh Fiction.
I read a total of 76 books this year and that's just ones I actually read.
I also listened to a total of 41 books, just since May 2005, which was when I first started keeping track. I seem to average 1 audio a week at least so I can tack on 16 more audio books, as a guesstimate.

Not nearly as many books read as I would have thought my count would be, but it still is more than one book a week so that's not too shabby! LOL

Kelley
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