Disgusting.

You know how it is when you are in middle school and the teacher has a strict NO PASSING NOTES policy but because you are in middle school, you 1) Do the opposite of what the teacher says, and 2) Must pass notes because you absolutely HAVE to tell your BFF that your crush might have looked your way that morning (OMG!)?  Well, that's kind of how blogging has been for me this week.  I have so much other stuff going on and am really trying to squeeze it in when the teacher isn't looking...

I was called for jury duty on Tuesday.  Unlike most people, I was pretty excited!  I had never been called for duty before and was interested in everything about it.  I've watched enough Law & Order and have read enough Jodi Picoult to understand that sometimes people are wrongly convicted.  I was excited for the decision to potentially be in my hands!  I was going to go in with a clear mind and hear both sides of the story and no matter what, I would decide if the defendant was guilty or not guilty based solely on the facts...

...Until I saw that man and I heard the charges that were brought against him.  I walked into the courtroom with about 50 other potential jurors and sat while the judge read that this 45-year-old man was charged with three Class A felony charges of child molesting and a single Class C felony charge of child molesting. He was arrested on the charges in November.  While the charges were being read (in much more detail than you read in the papers, mind you), I watched that man.  I watched his face and I watched his reactions to the charges.  Before even knowing whether or not I was going to be on that jury, I knew in my heart that the man before me was guilty.  I listened as the judge and both attorneys questioned my peers.  I was never questioned.  I was not chosen to be a juror.  I was dismissed.  As I was walking out of the courtroom, I saw the now 13-year-old girl that suffered the abuse.  I was grateful to not have had to hear that sick man lie on the stand.  I was grateful to not have to witness the girl break down as she recalled what he did to her.  Later that day, that is what happened.  It makes me sick to think of grown adults taking the innocence away from a child.  A little girl.  Somebody's daughter.  I could not stop thinking about it.  I only hoped that the panel of jurors saw the obvious and convicted that man.  Turns out, they did.  He will go to prison and he will get everything he deserves for what he did to that CHILD.  Thank you, jury.

Thanks for making me a better person!

I received this email last week and had to share it with all of you all!  I'm sure you have someone to thank as well!

As we approach the beginning of another year, I want to thank all of you for your educational emails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a bathroom door without using a paper towel, or have the waitress put lemon slices in my ice water,without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed ...hmmmm

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one's nose.

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST ALSO SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about rat crap in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special email program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I can't have a drink in a bar because I'll wake up in a bathtub full of ice with my kidneys gone.

I can't eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes, feet or feathers.

I can't use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer buy gas without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer doesn't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Fanta since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Cling Wrap in the microwave because it causes seven different types of cancer.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use any toilet but mine because a big black snake could be lurking under the seat and cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pickup a penny dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting to grab me as I bend over.

I no longer drive my car because buying gas from some companies supports Al Qaeda, and buying gas from all the others supports South American dictators.

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the Violin Spider and my hand will fall off.

If you don't forward this message to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 pm tomorrow afternoon, and the fleas from 120 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's best friend's beautician.

Oh, by the way ... A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their messages with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

PS: I now keep my toothbrush in the living room, because I was told by email that water splashes over 6 ft. out of the toilet.

Have a great last weekend before Christmas! 
I leave you with my favorite Christmas song from Indiana's own Straight No Chaser...

Thank you.

I am a very lucky person.  There are many things in my life that make me do a double-take and question, "Is this really, truly MY life?"  I have my family, my health, an income, a home, food, the list goes on and on.  On Monday when I got home from work, there was a package on my doorstep.  As soon as I saw the return address, I had tears... happiness, relief, understanding... she knew exactly what I needed.  After reading that post, she mailed me a hug.  I never knew that you could actually send a hug in the mail, but she did!  Now, in addition to the sign on my desk, I get to look at this daily and feel her hugs all the way from Nashville...

That little green sign make me smile everyday!

This little book, Live Happy, is filled with inspirational thoughts on life, love, and laughter.  It reminds me to keep on truckin'! 

While you live, love.
While you breathe, sing.
While you walk, dance.
While you work, shine.
While you see, dream.

Thank you, Amanda!  You don't know how much I really do appreciate our friendship!