My problems are solved!

For the past six months that I have been unemployed I have been worried about finances and where the money I need is going to come from. Imagine my surprise when in my email today I was offered the answer...from a Princess no less. 

Hi,I am Princess Ruby,
I'm diagnosed with esophageal cancer, because it went unnoticed
I had to undergo laryngectomy.I have decided to donate the sum
of 15.5 M USD to you for the good work of the lord.
I am also donating my body after i am gone for research.
I want this last act of mine to be an offering to GOD and humanity.
send a note back to rubiesforruby@gmail.com with this ref. SvaSo so i know you
got this.I know I don't know you, but I have no family to leave my fortune to 

and I know you are a good person.

God bless you abundantly,
Hotarubi

WOW, I could use 1.5 million! 

But wait, there is another interesting email for me today. This one looks

very official. I better contact them right away and get my money.

FROM THE DESK AND OFFICE OF HISASHI OWADA
THE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDING JUDGE,
THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE,
(WORLD - COURT)
PEACE PALACE, CARNEGIEPLEIN-2 2517 KJ,
THE HAGUE, NETHERLAND.
EMAIL:          thomasicj@w.cn
OFFICIAL WEB-SITE:  http://www.icj-cij.org/homepage/index.php

ATTENTION: BENEFICIARY,


                   INTERNATIONAL COURT INTERVENTION ON FOREIGN PAYMENT:

IN CONFORMITY WITH THE DETERMINED INTEREST OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT TO PAY OFF 
ALL OUTSTANDING FOREIGN PAYMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOREIGN PAYMENT POLICY AS 

CONTAINED IN THE FOREIGN  PAYMENT ACT OF 1990, AMENDED TO EXPEDITE THE IMMEDIATE 

SETTLEMENT OF ALL OUTSTANDING APPROVED FOREIGN PAYMENT. 

ALL AFRICAN PRESIDENTS ADDRESSED THE UNITED NATION'S ASSEMBLY BEFORE THIS 
HONORABLE COURT OF INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (WORLD COURT)DURING THE 
OFFICIAL MEETING WITH THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND OTHER 
UNITED NATION"S (U.N) COMMUNITY'S OFFICIALS ON THE 10TH OF OCTOBER,2010 ON THE 
THEME: THE SCAM/FRAUD IN AFRICA AND ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD, FOLLOWING SERIES 

OF REPORT AND PETITIONS AGAINST FRAUD/SCAM.

THIS LETTER IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS WAS FOUND AMONG THE 
LIST OF FOREIGNERS THAT HAVE NOT RECEIVED THEIR PAYMENT.YOU WILL ONLY RECEIVE A 
PART PAYMENT OF ($5.5M) FIVE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES 
DOLLARS IN THIS LAST QUARTER WHILE THE BALANCE SHALL BE PAID TO YOU IN THE FIRST 

PAYMENT QUARTER OF NEXT, YEAR 2011.

THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE, ALL PRESIDENTS/HEADS STATES AND ALL UNITED 
NATION COUNTRIES MEMBERS ARE IN A GLOBAL CRUSADE TO SALVAGE THE IMAGE OF OUR 
GREAT NATIONS WHICH HAS BEEN TARNISHED AND ABUSED INTERNATIONALLY BY FRAUDULENT 
SCAM IMPOSTORS. BY THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THIS HONORABLE COURT,THE AFRICAN 
STATES GOVERNMENTS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, BRITISH 
GOVERNMENT AND ALL UNITED NATION?S COMMUNITIES ARE NOW ON RAMPAGE WAR TO STOP 
THE IMPOSTORS? OPERATIONS SO AS TO ENABLE THE AUTHORIZED OFFICIALS TO DISCHARGE 
THEIR DUTIES DILIGENTLY.

NOW YOU ARE WARNED TO STOP ANY COMMUNICATION AS A CONTRACTOR/INHERITANCE/LOTTERY 

WINNERS WITH ANY OFFICE OR GOVERNMENT AGENT NO MATTER WHATEVER NAME, OFFICE OR 
POSITION HE/SHE MIGHT CLAIM TO BE OR REPRESENT AND STRICTLY ADHERE TO THESE 
DIRECTIVES. THIS MESSAGE IS ON CIRCULATION ON THE WEBSITE, CNN AND BBC. IF YOU 
RECEIVE THIS MESSAGE AND DID NOT DISCONTINUE DEALING WITH THOSE FAKE OFFICES AND 

OFFICIALS, YOU WILL HAVE YOURSELF TO BLAME ON ANY LOSS, NOT ONLY THAT, YOU WILL 
BE PROSECUTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL LAW.

IN OTHER TO ENSURE A PROPER CO-ORDINATION BY THE APPOINTED LEGAL BODY SADDLED 
WITH  THIS SANITARY RESPONSIBILITY, A COMMISSION'S OFFICES HAVE  BEEN 
ESTABLISHED 
FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

THEREFORE BY THE DECISION AND DIRECTIVES OF THIS HONORABLE COURT,THE ENTIRE 
UNITED NATIONS COMMUNITIES HAS CONSTITUTED INTERNATIONAL COURT AND APPOINTED THE 

UNITED NATION'S COMPENSATION COMMISSION, UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF HON. IDRIS 
LEGBO KUTIGI, AND APPOINTED SECRETARY IS MRS. CAROLYN JONES (FROM THE UNITED 
STATES OF AMERICA) AND FIVE OTHERS IN THE COMMISSION THIS LEGAL BODY IS THE ONLY 

AUTHORITY IN CHARGE OF FOREIGN PAYMENT FOR NOW BY THE LEGAL AUTHORITY OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE AND IN AGREEMENT WITH ALL UNITED NATION'S 
LEADERS.

THEREFORE, YOU ARE NOW DIRECTED TO CONTRACT THIS BODY FOR YOUR PAYMENT 
ENDORSEMENT AND NORMALIZATION THROUGH THIS BELOW STATED CONTACT INFORMATION 
IMMEDIATELY SO THAT THEY WILL GIVE YOU DETAILS TO ENABLE YOU RECEIVE AND CONFIRM 

YOUR OVERDUE PAYMENT IN YOUR DESIGNATED BANK ACCOUNT WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DELAY.

AUTHORIZED PANEL:     UNITED NATION'S COMPENSATION COMMISSION.
CHAIRMAN:                 HON. IDRIS LEGBO KUTIGI.
SECURITY I.D. NO.:        UN 2O1O COMP/ICJ.
TELEPHONE:                +234 808 180 3895
E-MAIL:                            honidriskutigi@w.cn
OFFICIAL WEB:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idris_Legbo_Kutigi

CALL THE BODY/ OFFICE IMMEDIATELY FOR YOUR PAYMENT INFORM THEM THAT YOU RECEIVE 
A  MESSAGE FROM MR. PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE, INSTRUCTING YOU 
TO CALL THEM FOR AN IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF YOUR COMPENSATION FUND AND ALSO FORWARD 

YOUR INFORMATION (YOUR NAME, ADDRESS,TELEPHONE,OCCUPATION AND AGE ) TO THEM FOR 
AN IMMEDIATE  PART PAYMENT OF FIVE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES 
DOLLARS ONLY.PLEASE TO ENABLE ATTEND TO YOUR PAYMENT VERY QUICK AND SERIOUS,MAKE 

SURE YOU CALL THEM AFTER SENDING AN EMAIL TO THEM.

NOTE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED AS WE HAVE MOUNTED A HIGH SECURITY NETWORK TO 
MONITOR ALL PAYMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS. IF YOU ARE FOUND STILL DEALING WITH ANY 
OTHER GROUP OF PERSONS OR PEOPLE (BANKS OR INDIVIDUALS)THOSE FRAUDSTERS THAT 
HAVE DENTED THIS NATION?S IMAGE GLOBALLY, YOU WILL BE HANDED OVER TO YOUR 
COUNTRY GOVERNMENT FOR PROSECUTION. YOU SHALL BE EXPECTED TO CONFIRM TO US 
IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR FUND  FOR RECORD PURPOSE.

REGARDS,
MR. THOMAS BUERGENTHAL
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE.
http://www.icj-cij.org/homepage/index.php


CC:      SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
CC:      UNITED NATION'S COMPENSATION COMMISSION. 

Another $5.5 million now, 

and more in 2011, my luck is certainly

changing. But wait, that wasn't the 

end there was still one more.  

Dear Friend,
 
Compliments of the day and God's blessings
 
I am glad to inform you that I have successfully concluded the 
transaction,the money transferred to London. It was

 transferred through the assistant of your country man 

Mr.Howard Ferraro who is a London base business man.

 Currently I am in London with him,my husband 

and children.
 
However,I did not forget you because you are the source of 

my success,you made me what I am now though you are not there

 to complet this project with me but I gave all the credit and 

thanks to you. I know it was not your fault or rather
your wish to back up on me and the transaction.

I understand it is simply because of what you must have heard 

about my continent and her business opportunities.

 Actually there are still good ones for example myself.
In appreciate of your assistance I have mapped out as a 

compensation and wrote on your favor an International 

Certified Bank Draft worth of US$2,500,000.00.

(Two Million,Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars
 Only) I left the Draft with my attorney  Dr Philip Martin, on my 
departure to London. I would like you therefore,to
 contact him on the below info so that he can mail it to you.
 
Dr Philip Martin
Email:(philip.martins92@yahoo.fr)
PLEASE SEND TO HIM WITH YOUR PERSONAL CONTACT
1,FULL NAME.................
2,DELIVERY ADDRESS........
3,PHONE NUMBER...........
4. AGE:........................
 
Contact
 My attorney in Benin-Republic so that he can release your Draft 

to you. While contacting him you have to mention 

this code 999 to him for identification.
 
Regards,
Mrs. Joyce Gimba   

I guess I should stop looking for a job 

now, looks like I am all set.

 $9.5 Million dollars 

just for opening my email. 

 Let me know if you need a loan.  

This is the story of a girl...

Let's see how should this story begin?

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

No that's not right!

Once upon a time in a magical kingdom...

Hmmm.......nope.


One cold dark night....

in a unfamiliar room I hear the beeps of machinery, the chatter of people outside. I am uncomfortable. I can't seem to find a position where the pain subsides. I am scared and excited and tired and unsure. I have been here for more than a day and I just want to go home. I realize that there is no turning back now, I must make a decision. I look to familiar faces for help, for comfort. I am told that the decision has to be mine but that time is running out. It is nearly 9:00pm. I tell them my choice and am whisked away. Bright lights, funny smells, whispers of , " Think Pink". It all happened so quickly.

At 9:01pm on October 22, 1987 

this changed my life forever.

  

Ashleigh Rene' Dudley - 7lbs 7oz  - 19 inches

This tiny perfect pink bundle is mine. It is the best thing I have ever done. Hmmm, I wonder what happened to the instruction manual?

I watch her grow and learn and develop. There are lots of firsts. 

First smile, first laugh, first foods, first teeth, first words, first steps.

  She grows so quickly and before know it a year has passed, then two, then five.

 Now, she's wrapped around my finger

She's the center of my whole world

And my heart belongs to that sweet,

little, beautiful, wonderful, perfect

All American girl

Time goes so quickly now. I need to pause, to rewind. I wish I had a remote control.

What happened to my little girl? School days, homework, sleepovers, girly giggles.

 Growing up so fast...
                           Middle School...
                                              BOYS...
                                                        trip to England...

High School...
                      Driving...
                                      Proms...
                                                    College Applications...
                                                                                      Graduation...

Leaving home for the first time

Butterfly fly away, 

butterfly fly away,

Flap your wings 

now you can't stay,

Take those dreams and make them all come true.

 College days...

                        fun..

                                friends...

                       independence

Personal Growth

Meeting an eternal friend,

who shares the same birthday. 

I could not be more proud of the young woman she has become.

 This is the story of MY girl,

And I absolutely love her when she smiles. 

Happy 23rd Birthday Ashleigh...and Gabby too!

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island. ~ Walt Disney ~

First a quick follow up to my last post. Operation body clock reset has been at least partially successful. I got up around 10:30 am on Monday and stayed up all through Monday night. I was planning to meet a friend to do some crafts on Tuesday so I knew that I would be busy and it would be easier to stay awake all day if someone else was there. Thanks Vicki for keeping me occupied and awake. I made it until 9:00pm and then went to bed and fell asleep immediately. I did wake up for a couple of hours at around 2:00am but then went back to sleep until around 9:00. I felt better than I had in months and had a pretty productive day on Wednesday. I was in bed before midnight and only read for a little while. On Thursday morning I woke up around 8:30 and reached over to my nightstand  and grabbed my book for a few minutes of reading before I got out of bed. 

I had just started The Hunger Games the night before and only read a few pages before falling asleep. Upon picking it up again in the morning I was sucked in. I spent the day reading then forcing myself to put it down and get something else done only to come back to it again and again. I finally finished the book at around 5:00am (so much for that reset) but it was worth it.

  

"Outside a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Inside a dog, it's too dark to read.~Groucho Marx

 This is my nightstand.

Can you tell that I love books and reading?  Since I have been unemployed it has been my books and my crafts that have kept me sane. I love to escape to another world where I can be magical, supernatural, or explore another time and place. Books let me live out dreams that I could never have imagined on my own. They teach valuable lessons on life, relationships, history, and what is possible if only you have the determination and courage to follow your dreams.

I recently subbed in a third, fourth and firth grade classroom where I took in a creative project. We made book marks using famous quotes about books and reading. I am including a few of my favorites in this post.

"I often feel sorry for people who don't read good books; they are missing a chance to lead an extra life." ~ Scott Corbett ~

A closer look at the books currently on my nightstand. 

 

Here is a list of some of my recent favorites and what I thought about them just in case you're a bookaholic too.


1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I loved this book but I will be the first to say it is probably not for everyone. It is about a future world where a controlling Capitol requires teens from 12 districts to fight to the death in a yearly televised game. It is captivating and I could not put it down. There are some great lessons to be learned here but you have to be in the right state of mind for it and I would not recommend it for anyone under 13. 
2. Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen -This was a great story that I have had on my bookshelf for over a year and never gotten to. It is a about a traveling circus in the 1930s. The characters are memorable and the story is a little taste of history with some adventure mixed in. 

There is no friend as loyal as a book. ~Ernest Hemingway

3. The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger - I had read this one when it first came out a few years ago and enjoyed it. Then I saw the movie and couldn't remember how it differed from the book but I knew it did. I picked this up again and liked it even better the second time around. After seeing the movie some of the time lines were easier to follow and the story made more sense.
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - This is a wonderful story about a time not so long ago. It gave great insight into the lives of the black maids and "help" in the 1950's. I have a much better understanding of what was going on in the south during that time and an even greater appreciation for all the progress we have made since then. I am so happy I live in a time when I do not have to choose my friends based on the color of their skin.

So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall. ~Roald Dahl

5. The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorcerer and The Necromancer by Michael Scott- If you like Harry Potter then you should pick up this series. It is about the immortal Nicholas Flamel who is mentioned in the first harry Potter book as the creator of the sorcerer's stone. Nicholas Flamel was a real person and he and his wife Pernelle lived in England. Their home still stands as one of the oldest in London and now houses a restaurant. What I love about this series is the extensive research Michael Scott has done to create this series. Only the main characters Sophie and Josh Newman are fictional. All the other characters are real historical or mythological figures. The stories are fast paced and exciting and left me wanting to find out more about history and mythology.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling - What can I say about this one. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Harry Potter freak. This one is my favorite of the series by far. I have read it at least five times so far and will probably read it again before the movie comes out in November.


 "Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him."   ~ Maya Angelou~
 
7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert- I read this one because of all of the hype. Everyone said it was great. I liked it but can't say it was one of my favorites. I loved the eat part in Italy, struggled with India's pray portion and ended up enjoying Bali and the love sound there.
8. Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortensen - These books were real eye openers, great examples of how one person can make a difference.
9. Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris - This series is the one that HBO show True Blood is based on. While I have only watched a couple of episodes I found it much to risque for my tastes. The books are much more PG-13. Vampires, werewolves and fairies..oh my!  

Life happened because I turned the pages. ~ Alberto Manguel 

~

10. The Percy and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan - Another great young adult series. Lots of Greek mythology, suspense and action. The books are WAY better than the movie.
11. Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer- Since I am a Mormon and Stephenie Meyer is a Mormon author I was reading these books long before they weer so popular. I have read the entire series multiple times. Team Edward...nuff said!
12. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - I enjoy Nicholas Sparks books but I know I need to be ready to cry when I pick one up. This one was no exception. I finished this one literally within minutes of meeting a friend to see the movie. What was interesting was that at the end of the book the author explains how the story came about. It was actually written for Myley Cyrus who wanted a story similar to A Walk to Remember. He actually wrote the screenplay first and went back and wrote the book later. I found this very interesting when comparing the two. I almost always like the book better but in this case there were parts of both the book and the movie that I loved.  


I could keep going but this is enough for one post. Leave me a comment and tell me what you've been reading.

The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.~Dr. Seuss

It's been a hard day's night

image found here

I am an admitted NIGHT OWL. I have been ever since I can remember. I love staying up late and usually I am very productive in the wee hours. When I was young I remember writing many reports and papers and studying for tests long after everyone else was in bed. 

As a young parent my late nights were ME time. After Ashleigh was in bed I could watch something "adult" (not that kind of adult... but I was a sucker for Melrose Place and the original 90210). I could clean without someone messing it up immediately or sew, or do crafts or eat cookie dough, you get the idea. 

As she grew up it became harder to get my late night ME time. It seemed I was raising another night owl who was all to willing to stay up with me. So during her school years on weeknights I would fight to get her in bed at a reasonable hour and on the weekends we would enjoy late night movie watching, game playing, etc. We still enjoy late nights together when she is home and when she is not home it us not unusual for her to call me at 1:00-2:00am to catch up because she knows I will most likely be up.

While I have NEVER been a natural morning person, there have been times in my life that early mornings have been a necessary evil. I did what I needed to do to get Ashleigh to school and myself to work on time on a fairly regular basis. I may not have enjoyed it, but I did it. Even when I was getting up early it was rare that I went to bed before midnight, and I did just fine on an average of six hours of sleep a night.

What I have noticed though is that as I get older my night owl tendencies are not serving me well. I started having sleep issues a couple of years ago. I have a hard time falling asleep before 2:00am and once I am finally asleep I don't always stay asleep. I have tried all kinds of natural remedies and even some prescription meds all of which failed to provide the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ's I need on a regular basis. 

When I was laid off I thought, great now I don't have to fight it for a while. I can stay up as late as I want and sleep in and it won't really matter. At least that is what I thought. But as the months have rolled on I have been staying up later and later. I thought nothing of reading or scrapbooking or watching movies until 3:00, 4:00 or even 5:00am, no big deal...right???  WRONG!!!

Now I can't even get to sleep then. I find myself staying up all night several times a week and I have totally messed up my internal body clock. I feel like a newborn who has their nights and days mixed up. I have no energy, I eat at strange times and am starting to feel depressed. I know it is all related to my sleep or lack there of but I can't seem to find the reset button  (it is 3:14am as I am typing this).  

A friend of mine suggested that I try staying up for 24 hours and then go to bed at 10:00pm and then force myself to go to bed at a more normal time for a week to reset my body clock. I am going to give it a try this week...wish me luck. 

If this doesn't work I may be looking into moving to Australia, France, Germany, Hungary or Korea. I know people living in all of those places right now so at least I'd have friends.

Would you likey some ear bling?

My friend Reb is having a fantastic giveaway for some sweet earrings. All you have to do is leave a comment on her post here. Good luck!

And hey if you don't win those you can go to http://www.diamondearrings.org/ and get some for yourself.Now tell me what girl wouldn't like a little extra sparkle.

There is no FUN in unemployment

If you are reading this blog because you actually know me you probably know that I have been unemployed since April 1st. I never thought I would become a statistic or a victim of the crappy economy but alas here I am. I was fortunate enough to get some severance when my company decided to close the Denver office and I had an awesome summer being magical at Hogwarts for 144 young witches and wizards. All of this (and some help from family) has enabled me to go without collecting unemployment benefits until now. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for unemployment, but I am also very frustrated by the entire process.

I filed for unemployment the week after I was laid off but because of my severance package and working over the summer my claim was postponed. Did I mention that unemployment benefits comes at a price, there are lots of hoops to jump through and rules to follow. In order for me to reinstate my claim I needed to call in and talk to someone...yeah right!

cartoon image found here

After two and a half week of calling in every time I thought about it throughout the day every day (avg 6-8 tries per day) I still had not spoken to anyone and had only gotten though once only to be cut off after 35 minutes on hold. The money was running out and I was getting desperate.

Finally I decided one day that I was getting through if it killed me and I got nothing else done that day. I woke up at about 7:00 and got all of my paperwork in front of me and started dialing at 7:30 on the nose. Each time I got the recorded message that all agents were busy and to try again later I hung up and hit redial. I did this for three and a half hours straight (I lost count but I think it was somewhere in the range 150 calls)!

So I had finally gotten through and thought I was making progress only to have my hopes dashed when I heard, "Due to the high volume of calls your expected wait time may be up to 120 minutes."...Seriously!!! A mere 110 minutes later I finally got to talk to someone. Who took all of my information and reinstated my claim in under five minutes. UUUGGHHHHH!!!!