WHAT a great week!!

I hope that all of you has had as nice of a week, as I have!! I say "week", not starting as of the day before yesterday, but since my last post!! It has been busy, but LOVELY!!! Of course, I was off for FIVE days last week, and although we're ALWAYS off 2 days each week, those EXTRA ones just are the BOMB!! You remember my YOGA from Wednesday night, well... you don't need a calendar to know that I go back TOMORROW!! I am going to try and do better about not opening my eyes, while they are supposed to be closed, seeing if everyone else thinks that they are looking like a big dork. It could certainly be relaxing if you can get past the silliness you feel from doing it. The part where you sniff up one side of your nose, then let the air out the other while holding the side you just sniffed from, made me as dizzy as a cat!! I guess I am not used to being "oxygenated"!! (is that a word? maybe I should go into one of those O2 bars the next time I'm at Opry Mills!!) I WAS sore for days, but I am looking very forward to going back tomorrow! Wednesday, I washed clothes, got a lot of stitching done, and seemed to have cooked one thing or another, all day long... That day was so so, but it was still marvy because I was HOME!!! Thursday was a GREAT day!! I have so very many things to be thankful for and about! We ate at Shane's moms, and had T'giving at my mom's on Saturday morning with breakfast!! Isn't that a great idea? You can only eat turkey so many times...

While at Shane's folks, his dad broke out his MeMaw's old "TENS" unit. You know, it is one of those things that you hook to yourself (like with those heart monitor looking pads), and turn it on. Well, I always seem to have a neck ache, so I was ready to try it out!! He hooked it up to my neck, and turned it on. OK, no big deal, how can it help? It just felt a little like the prickly needles when your foot goes to sleep, and they are poking you until the feeling comes back. Since it wasn't that bad, I guess he thought he'd let me see it a little higher... HELLO? I am a newbie at this... be gentle... He cranked it up to I am not sure what, but my neck started twitching, I was hollering, and it had it bent all over, with my ear to my shoulder, and I couldn't straighten it up. It WAS a good hurt though, but I had NO control!! We turned it down a bit, and I will tell you, I would LOVE to have one of these machines myself!!! After I took it off, my neck was SOOOOO much better, I couldn't BELIEVE it!! I even went back the next day and hooked it up voluntarily!!

Friday, I don't remember anything specifically that stuck out. Saturday, however, was EXCELLENT!! Shane and I went to the Melting Pot for our 16th anniversary!! YES, SIXTEEN years!! Am I old enough to have been married that long? I really don't think so. He must have had to get permission from my parents to marry me at the age of 10, but I'm not sure!! Before dinner, we went to Opry Mills and did some shopping. The GREATEST thing about going shopping with Shane, is that he VOLUNTEERS to carry the bags!! What a guy!! So, after making our rounds at the mall, we went to the restaurant. While we are sitting at our booth, the manager comes over and asks us if we enjoyed it. We assured him we had, as we were moaning from being so full, and he asked us which anniversary it was and blah blah blah. (they ask you if it is a special occasion when you call for the reservations) He came back a few minutes later, with a gift sack and said, "I looked at your reservations (you make them by phone number), and I see you've come here for the last 3 anniversaries. Since you've been so loyal, I wanted to give you a bottle of one of the dressings you ate tonight, and a bottle of the garlic and wine seasoning!!" OMG!! People NEVER just randomly give you stuff!! How super!!! We leave there to head towards home, and decide to stop in at Circuit City. We have been saving for a tv, and got Christmas money from the folks instead of a gift this year, so I thought we were just stopping to get an idea of what we'd get. We LEFT with a 52" flat screen!! I had no IDEA that Shane was such a "barterer". (I called him something else, but don't want to offend anyone!!)

Sunday was a great nap day, and I got some more embroidering done (you know the Christmas season is upon us, so between my gifts, and everyone else that wants things done for people, I stay pretty covered up). So Monday, is BACK to the grindstone. Graceson and I are on our way to school. (Garrett had the stomach bug again, so he stayed home in the bed). We were listening to "The Beaver". (I listen to several different stations every morning. When Shane worked at the police dept, I got in the habit of listening to WHOP, the local radio station, because I knew that if I didn't hear his name on it, then he had made it safely and uneventfully through the night, because he used to get off of work AFTER we left for school. Now, I just listen to it for the weather, and out of habit. THEN, when I get in the car, it is on the Beaver. I usually listen to WAY FM, a Christian Station, but I can only pick it up until I get about 5 miles from home, so I switch it over to the Beaver, and it stays on that, until I am headed back to town and get its service. Well, the "Beaver Brain Buster" came on, and everyone was answering and no one was getting it right, or getting the answer that I knew that it was. The question was, "What are people doing less of now, than they did 20 years ago?" My answer was "recycling", but I wasn't getting through, so it didn't matter. Well, I finally get through, and it rings and rings and rings. I keep saying, "recycle, recycle, recycle" in my head, so I wouldn't forget it. I guess I am next in line to be answered, because I hear them talking on the radio while it is ringing in my ear. All of these guesses, and no one is answering it correctly. Then, the guy says that you see something about this every time you turn the tv on, and the woman said that people may be doing it less because it's so expensive. (I'm still repeating the word "recycle" in my head like Rainman, and they PICK UP!!) The say, "Beaver, do you have a guess?" I then shout out, "DIET!!" WHAT?!?! Where did that come from? I was going to say RECYCLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Fletch says, "YOU're the WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I won 2 tickets to the Grand Ole Opry for this Saturday night, and a certificate to get my oil changed from a place here in town. Shane was SOOO much happier about the oil, by the way... So, they tape our conversation, and put me on hold to play it on the radio, and will come back to me to get my information. Well, evidently the "Beaver" is all they listen to when they are loading trucks at UPS, because while I was on hold for the Beaver, Shane called FIVE times!!! I did call him back after I got off the phone, and his buddies had all heard me on the radio. HOW FUN!!! I guess I should have bought a lottery ticket yesterday!!

Today, was a super busy day at school, but THEN, we had our Christmas party!! It was SOOO much fun!! First, we went to Mary Jane's, one of our teacher's homes for appetizers-it was LOVELY, and then we went to the Carriage House for our meal. We played the Left/Right game, and just had a great time socializing. The talking was probably the best part!!

When I returned home, THIS is what was waiting for me!! You knew about the TV, but the part I hadn't told yet, was about this entertainment center!! The Pottery Barn people called and said that they'd be here between 5 and 8, and when I got home, they'd been here!! YES, I LOVE their stuff, and would love to be able to just open the catalog and get what I want, but that is really not an option because of their price. BUT... for whatever reason, I thought I'd call and check on my "points" from my credit card. I mean, I signed up YEARS ago for this "point" thing, but never really thought I'd use it. When I found out how many I had collected, I couldn't BELIEVE it!! There were a BUNCH!!! They sent me a catalog to see what I wanted, and I chose a gift card to PB!!! How great is THAT? Now, it certainly didn't cover it ALL, but it made it LOTS better!! In the catalog, the shelves were filled with baskets, but I couldn't bear to pay an extra $250 for 5 baskets, so I am just going to have to hope for the best that I can find some in the measurements I need!

Chickens go out over the next 2 days, so I am getting ready to go and set up one of the houses for catch. They are catching at 1 a.m., so I will go up at 12-12:15, and raise all of the water and feed lines, unlock doors, etc., so that they can be caught. The next catch is at 5 a.m., so Shane will get that one ready right before he goes to work... They always catch at night, but the hours this time are about to kill us both!! It's ok though! I can sleep when I'm dead, and that's what Red Bull is for!!

Well, I hope you all have a WONDERFUL night, and thanks for sharing a WEEK in the life of the chicken farmer's wife!! love to all!! Jerri