Frizzy Hair

Well, let's try this again. I started this post a couple days ago but when highlighting the post to full justify it, i lost it. And of course, in all my computer technical knowledge, I didn't see the need to save it, so alas, I gave up, quite disgusted with myself.

Yes, my hair is getting frizzier the closer the BIG days comes. I am trying to decide if is related to stress or merely the fact that it is time for another perm. Hot Stuff (Jason) wants it curly for the wedding so I am going to get it permed soon and hopefully I will have curls instead of frizz.

I am starting to get a little excited. There is still so much to do, but the fact that he is moving down here next week kinda makes things seem more real, I guess. We have an apartment on hold in Independence, Kentucky. I am looking forward to decorating my own place. I've found a couple couches that I really like but for the first few days or weeks we might be sitting on the floor in the living room.

One big thing we both have going for us, is that fact that we have no debt. No credit card bills, no car payments, no student loan payments. God has really helped us to save our money by being good stewards of it. I really REALLY miss by Chevy Silverado, but in the long run it is smarter for me to get a truck later when I am better off financially. I really wanted someone to get it that I knew would appreciate it. A woman, only a couple years older than me, had wrecked hers and wanted one exactly like the one she had. Mine was the exact same except I had put a tonneau cover on mine. What a neat answer to prayer! It just proves that God sometimes answers our "wants" even if they are sort of silly.

A couple months back Jason was in Cincinnati with a charter. The group was going on a riverboat cruise and I got to go along. The Cincinnati Reds were playing that night and it was pretty neat to see the stadium all lit up and all the people cheering while we were standing against the white railing of the large riverboat. Our very first date was on a dinner cruise with the same boat line so that was pretty special. Of course, I like to point out that he didn't ever officially ask me to date. He just wanted to be "friends with benefits" i.e. hold my hand but we weren't "dating." I love teasing him about this.

I will apologize now in case I don't find the time or the creative juices to put anything on here for a couple weeks. Things are a little goofy around here lately. I worked over 60 hours last week and this week looks like a humdinger too!!!

Single Status

Summer is quickly fading and I am realizing that I don't have much time left as a single person. Obviously I have been dating for nearly the last year and things have been rather hectic. Now I am trying to squeeze in time for myself. I did go to a race this past weekend with my dad and that was fun. We went to a small "hick" track outside of Sidney named Shady Bowl. Nothing spectacular, just a 3/8 of a mile concrete track but those cars do get up to some serious speeds. I think the fastest average is 92 miles an hour. That's bookin' on that small of a track! Dad tends to root for the same guy, number 5 Chad Poole although I don't think I've ever seen him win a race in the last couple years we have been going. But Dad is nothing if not loyal. Yet again I am reminded of how awesome my family is. I suppose you could not say we are the closest family on the planet emotionally, but we have so much fun doing things together, especially on vacation. We have had a family vacation every year for quite a while now. I don't think we would know what to do if we didn't go somewhere together.

As the wedding day draws near, I am trying to push that anxious feeling away. There seems like so much to still pay for and to do. I am working on the invitations this weekend. Apparently I miscalculated and 125 invitations is not enough. Now it appears I have to go out and buy the "do it yourself" type invitations at WalMart and hope no one decides to compare invitations. Oops! But I refuse to pay another $60 for 25 more invitations like the ones that I have now. That seems a little extraordinary if you ask me. Besides, it's paper for crying out loud!!

I think every girl probably dreams more about her wedding day than any other day of her life. It seems unreal that I am about to experience my own "dream day." My mom is working feverously hard on the decorations and two of the bridesmaids gowns. She has thrown herself into the wedding planning almost as if it was her own all over again and I don't mind at all. She's been there and knows what to expect and plan for. I am what you might call clueless. I basically know what I want but making everything happen is a huge job. My cousins and aunt and uncle on my mother's side have accepted the job of planning the music. I have picked out at least two songs I would like to have sung and the singers are practicing (or so I've been told.) Jason is especially enamored with singing a solo to me so he is also practicing. He has a lot more guts than I do that is for sure. I am afraid my knees would knock louder than I could sing on that day, but bravo! for him.

If anyone has suggestions/advice for me, please have at it. I have one friend who has told me several times that she has Tylenol 3 for me to use the last couple nights before the wedding. I am fully prepared to pop some of them because I know my body and my brain just seems to go into overdrive sometimes at the most unfortunate times, like 2300 hours. Other close married friends have also given me some much needed and helpful advice. So feel free to give your own plug of wisdom (including you, Dad!).

Oh yes, that is me! I was in Richardson, Texas on a business trip last October. One of those wonderful deals where you sit for a few hours and listen to other people ask questions of the experts and generally don't get to the "meat" of the actual business trip. Nonetheless, the owner of the software company that our jail uses is, of course, rather wealthy. But he has a great care-free type attitude and is very generous. As you can see, I am sitting in the front of his 1976 bi-plane. The little space behind me is where he was sitting. That red colored thing on my back is the parachute...just in case. All I need is a red scarf, right? Apparently the software company owner is also an extreme sportsman. He showed us some ESPN spots that he was featured in and I was quite impressed. Impressed enough to let him take me upstairs and do some loops. Let me just tell ya, it makes roller coasters feel like bone-jarring disc-displacing torture. We did some upside down stuff and it was wonderfully smooth and comfortable. He was able to take me up just after the sun said good-bye and it was absolutely beautiful. We did several dives and straight up in the air stunts and I was incredibly glad I had accepted the challenge.

Unfortunate Reality

I was at work the other day when I realized just how much being employed at a jail affects a person. Not only do I see some of the lowest people on the totem pole, so to speak, I also have to talk at length to many moms, dads, sisters, brothers and any number of other family members and friends who just don't get the whole jail process. I come away some days with the question "how do people do this stuff?" Not only do they do it, most of them seem to think its okay since everyone else is doing it. We have the really bad people (murder 1st degree) and drug traffickers down to the lady who forgot to pay her fines and got a warrant slapped on her. Oh and let's not forget the lady who was drunk and ran into someone killing them, but kept on driving. Let's just say I was very upset to learn the Judge gave her an OR bond, which means no money had to be put up, she was just released on her own recognizance. I can't imagine being the family of the victim and knowing that the person who killed my family member is out on the streets waiting for her court date instead of sitting in jail thinking about what she had done. Sometimes the justice system really stinketh.

Just this week we arrested a couple guys. One was found nearly dead in the backseat of a car with a needle sticking out of his arm after just pushing a near lethal dose of herion into his veins. EMTs brought him back around after some work. The other guy was so pumped with heroin he didn't even know what was going on. If his mugshot was any indication, I am glad I wasn't around when he came in. The worst is when they start withdrawing and there is very close to nothing we can do for them besides give them a few meds.

I've been at the jail for over a year now and it has given me a whole new idea of what the term "frequent flyer" means. We have several of them, some we see almost weekly. You would think that being in jail 22 times was enough, but a certain gentleman decided to visit us again this week for the 23rd time since 1999. I am convinced we probably had him even more times but the computers crashed in 1999 and we don't have any information from before that. What's even more sad, I know he must know something about God from somewhere. I wonder if he went to Sunday school as a boy or his grandma read him Bible stories.

To get the full effect you have to understand the methods a jail employs to control its inmates. There are various ways to do it, most are harmless, like cutting off their commissary privileges which just means they can't buy anything like snacks, pop or envelopes for a while. For the more unruly ones, we use a restraint chair, basically a metal chair with straps every few inches, designed to totally restrict the movement of every appendage and part of the body. We put this frequent flyer of now 23 visits into the chair when he came in because he would not control himself. He decided to serenade everyone within hearing distance, and no, he did not have a good voice. But what struck me the hardest was his choice of song, or rather hymn: "The Old Rugged Cross." WOW! I am not sure what else to say but that. The above picture is looking into a direct supervision cell, meaning 1 deputy, 64 inmates are together into the cell. These inmates however are free to leave the cell and go outside at any time as long as they are not on restriction and they have their pass card.

So let's just say after another hard week of dealing with these types of people, it makes me wonder how the deputies can handle their 12 hour shifts and yet they do their jobs very well. Things are even tougher right now as far as security goes because we are adding on to the jail. Right now we have under 300 beds. We are going to have over 700 beds when the building is completed in the next couple years. I admire those folks who have to deal with the inmates on a daily basis. I am convinced most people never even give a second thought to how a jail runs or the kinds of situations deputies have to put up with.
A young female deputy at the jail who is getting married the same day as I am, was placing an inmate in the restraint chair when the inmate became violent, pitching her body around. Deputy Armstrong called for assistance and tried to hold the inmate under control until the others arrived. In the meantime, the inmate furiously scratched the deputy's face leaving long red streaks down the sides of her face, drawing blood. She had to push her engagement pictures out because it left scabs on her face for a while.

My own job is somewhat limited in interaction with the inmates, although it's not unusual for me to be in the cells or booking area. I enjoy the fact that I never know exactly what a day might hold. Just recently a female police officer was bringing in a male inmate. I figure in his mind he was thinking "I can take on this chick." He took off down the street, still in handcuffs. Not sure how far he thought he was going to get. He got about 300 feet before she tackled him. I wonder what goes through their mind. "She has a gun, I have handcuffs, I know I can make it!". You'd think they would realize things are a little out of wack, but then again they were probably arrested because they weren't thinking too clearly anyway.

I really don't think the general public even thinks about what goes on in a jail except for the fact that that's where the law breakers end up. I try to tell my co-workers that they are doing a good job when I see them dealing with these kinds of situations on a daily basis. If you know any law enforcement personnel, I would encourage you to let them know you appreciate what they do for you and the community.

Pink Memories

I hesitate to write about this weekend's rather embarrassing events but I think I have something important to say. My wonderful Matron of Honor decided to throw a "personal" shower for me. I was only too happy to oblige as I have very little of these unmentionables for obvious reasons. I subsequently began to prepare myself for the upcoming event, assuring myself that surely no one would strive to embarrass me too badly.

Apparently I didn't prepare myself too well, because I woke up at 6:30 the morning of the shower and because of the churning of my tummy, could not go back to sleep. Breakfast thoughts were quickly extinguished by visions of possible "cookie tossing" later that morning. The shower was slated for noon. My wonderful friend and boss of 6 years allowed us to have the shower in her beautiful home. Little did I know she was later to become the main instigator of a rather unsavory plot. My friends and family decorated the bottom level of the home nicely in pinks, reds and hearts. It was a lovely affair. We played several games in which my sister insisted on being the comedian. I admit she is rather funny at times. I have no clue where she gets it from! The normal pictures of the bride and her friends, family and co-workers were snapped for future reminiscing. Then came the part I had been torturing myself about--gift opening. Stomach in knots does not begin to explain it. I knew for certain my mother would be kind to me. As for the others...my nightmares did indeed come true. A pink piece of decorating tulle was placed over my face. But that didn't really help that much, they could still tell I was quite red under there. However, once everything was said and done, I would not have wanted it any other way. My friends and family were more than generous with their gifts and laughter. I think we often take for granted those closest to us. No matter how embarrassed I was, I was thankful that God has given me such a wonderful group of friends and family. Because of the huge change about to take place in my life, I seem to be focusing even more on how much God has given me: a wonderful family and soon to be wonderful in-laws.

With the recent passing of my both my grand-parents, who died 3 months apart, life has taken on a more serious glow. Time is short and relationships are more important than I had thought previously.

Seeing my grandfather, a Korean war hero, lying as if he were sleeping really made me wonder about this whole episode we call "life." He is in heaven now and I imagine sometimes that he can see us. He was a rather teasing fellow and I wonder if the angels have to slap his arm once in a while because he is picking on them.

Yet I see him saluting proudly, dressed in full army regalia, Silver Star and all, giving honor and majesty to the One who created him. Grandpa wasn't much of a singer but I imagine the Creator doesn't mind the gruff notes or sharp tones. The rose below is from my Grandpa's funeral. It's lovely here but was soon dead and dry. In a way it reminds me of life itself.

In the daily grind of life, I forget that there is more than just work and play. There is eternity, an unimaginable infinite space of time, something we earth-sitters cannot comprehend, and I imagine Grandpa is only now beginning to understand. I have been challenged to live "in the light of eternity." New cars, though nice, aren't that important when you realize that God doesn't particularly care about that. He is more interested in what you are doing for Him; what you are doing to tell others that there is more to this life than just wandering this earth.

If you don't know Jesus, ask me about Him. I would hate to think that you know ABOUT Him, but don't KNOW Him. Knowing about Him, doesn't count for much. You have to get to know Him personally. Many people know about God, know the story of Jesus' death on the cross, but they have limited the story to that. What about when He rose victorious over death and hell? Making it possible for us to join Him for eternity. Makes things of this world seem insignifcant, doesn't it? Even my Grandpa's service to his country, though heroic, didn't save him. He had to ASK for forgiveness. If you knew that my mother had been praying for him her entire life, you would understand the sheer joy we experienced when my Grandpa came to KNOW Jesus as his Savior. Death doesn't have the same effect. It simply becomes a phase of life through which we must pass. "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (I Cor. 15:54b)

Evening Inspiration

I have this certain adversity to being disciplined on Saturday. I think perhaps the very word Saturday inspires a rebellion in and of itself, which could explain why I was still awake at 2:30 on Saturday morning. The fact that my work week does not include Saturday seemingly sets me free to be as lazy as possible. And we must also take into consideration that if Mother Nature decides this earth needs a bath on any given Saturday, it seems only right that I shouldn't interrupt her by popping up my olive green umbrella to ward off her showers. So I take the opportunity to sleep while she continues her work.

Of course, that doesn't give me an excuse for this Saturday. I awoke at a bright and early 12:30pm. Early afternoon that is. The sun was shining so brightly it is a wonder that alone didn't wake me. My current bed is not actually a bed at all. It is a 1986 blue 6 foot couch with three cushions that refuse to stay in their correct positions. It is situated in the living room so that I am facing the large glass patio doors. It is also a wonder that I didn't hear my sister and her friend walk right by me to the front door, as they eagerly anticipated their morning swim. The door even has 4 golden bells on it. (Perhaps I should get my hearing checked? The door is 10 foot away.) Our room mate was heading out the door as I was falling out of the couch.

Approximately an hour later, I was standing in JCPenney when my cellular rang. I glanced at the read out and it was not a number I recognized but I answered it anyway. "Where are you?" my sister asked. I answered "the mall." Apparently she and her friend had returned to the apartment to find themselves locked out. Now how was I to know they were down the block at the pool? They were standing in the upstairs hall outside our door, dripping wet. I found it rather hilarious myself until I realized she called me because I was supposed to come and unlock it for them. (I did actually find a way out of that assignment.)

I spent the rest of the afternoon searching high and low for a gift. Apparently September is the month for weddings. A friend of mine is also getting married that month and her shower is tomorrow. I decided on a hodge podge of items, including but not limited to: candles, wicker balls, a basket, sconces etc. After about 9 foot of wired ribbon and 7 foot of small regular ribbon, I was able to make a bow. La Senora did her best to educate us in all things quilts and scrapbooking but I don't recall a class on "bow" making. So after about 20 minutes of trying, this is what I came up with. I emailed the picture to my mom (the most creative preson I know) and she gave her stamp of approval so that is something I admit. Of course this creative ribbon making session had been preceded by a rather long and heated discussion.

I had been out furniture "shopping." It is quite hard to shop with no money but nonetheless I gave the appearance. A nice light tan leather couch had caught my attention. In my price range (or at least my future price range) I was sure my fiance would be as delighted. He was until he realized he would not be permitted to eat on the couch. I insisted the dining room would suit nicely for stuffing one's face. Compromise! I think that is a key word in a relationship. I agreed that eating on the brand new light leather couch could possibly be permitted if thick blankets were covering every inch of exposed leather. Mr. Cottage Cheese and Pineapple also compromised and agreed that perhaps the dining room would be an acceptable place to eat as well. I am glad God has given me a man who is willingly to compromise. I can't imagine what it would be like otherwise.

Not long ago, Jason was in Kentucky and insisted on a "surprise" date. We had agreed to dress up and get a few pictures taken. My roommate, BB, as she is affectionately called, is quite good with a camera and obliged. It was pretty warm outside so we didn't get many pictures, but I was happy with the results. Keep in mind that we had our pictures taken in a cemetary, granted, a rather nicely landscaped one. After a few pictures later, we escaped the graveyard and headed out. I insisted he tell me which state it was in, Indiana, Ohio or Kentucky. I deduced it was in Kentucky. That eliminated my guess of Montgomery Inn, until I realized there was a Montgomery Inn in Kentucky. I said "that's where we are going, isn't it?" He grinned and said " I can't believe how good a guesser you are." Then we passed the exit to the restaurant and I gave him a puzzled look. He explained " I didn't say you guessed correctly, I just said you were a good guesser." I punched him on the arm and tried to quickly come up with another restaurant. Nothing came to mind. As we neared the Ohio River, I just couldn't think of another restaurant. He had said that I hadn't been there before. Then we turned into a hotel parking lot.

The Radisson!! If you've ever been down 75 south through Cincinnati and over the river, you can see the Radisson right beside the highway. It is a circular building. The top floor is a revolving restaurant. I was quite excited. We found our seats without falling. It's rather interesting to realize you are walking on a moving floor. We requested a table on the outside near the window. After being there for an hour and a half, we had rotated back to our original position, facing south, but the city on the north was beautiful during sunset. In the picture, Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals) is on the left and the Great American Ball Park (Reds) is on the right. Yes, I would have to say I do have a rather wonderful, romantic fiance. Sometimes I feel like I have to keep up with him in the romantic idea department but that's okay. If you ever get a chance, it is a very neat place. You don't actually have to order anything from the restaurant. They have a lounge area with couches and chairs to just sit and watch the cities (or states) go by. What can I say? God must have known I needed someone with a few romantic bones in his body, because I seem to have trouble in that area. That's not to say I don't like being romantic, I am just not as creative as he is. I love you, Jason David Baker.