So I'm a slacker...

I don't know where to begin when you're so behind. So, I guess I'll simply start at last Sunday, that would be...No, that wouldn't even be good enough b/c I have to tell you about my friend Shannon. She is soooo awesome.

We have made it a tradition to hang out after Roundtable, so at least once a month we get to catch up. I love her so much. We went to dinner at Shari's and we were both so tired we were like slouching in the booth and the waitress was like, um, should I bring you some pillows? We laughed and laughed but stayed up wayyy too late. Like midnight just giggling our brains out. So, that was Thursday.

Saturday I hung out with Jade and Staci and her friend Michelle. We had game night and again, stayed up way too late but laughed my brains out. It was so hilarious. there is a game about the pickle or something and then we played apples to apples and just laughed. Ok, truth be told, I was probably laughing the most, but that's because anything can be funny to me. It's a good self-defense mechanism. :)

Sunday, January 13th - went to church and sat with Dan. He's trying to come back to church, or discover it for the first time perhaps. Man, if you have ever thought your life sucked or was hard, just listen to his synopsis. Mom had been married 4 times, Dan ended up in a physical brawl with his 3rd step dad before a foster home. His older brothers stole him out of the foster home and shipped him up to Alaska where he met his dad for the first time that he could remember. He was 13 years old.

Because his real dad had broken law, he had moved into a shanty in the Alaskan outback to avoid capture where Dan spent the next 5 years getting high and drunk on stuff his dad gave him. No indoor plumbing or electricity. Finally his dad was arrested for attempted murder and spent the next 10 years in prison. Dan moved from Alaska to Seattle where he simply continued to use and abuse although he had a successful contracting business. His dad got out of prison and stopped for several mos to see Dan before heading up to Alaska where he committed suicide. Dan lost it and let his business fail, started traveling from Seattle to Mexico and got stuck several places before he ended up back with his mom, whom he hadn't seen in about 10 years in OR. That's just the beginning but that is enough to realize that everything that I have, is amazing. I have struggled through whatever stuff, but this, this is his reality.

Dan is a truly sweet guy. He's articulate, funny and a hard worker. He's so funny b/c he still smokes and drinks and is learning to face the consequences. He has a recent DUI and was telling me, hey, you and I know the truth but the court isn't going to know. And then he got to court and the guy who called him in is like director of transportation for the county and he was like, dang, I'm screwed! It was funny. He had this lie all ready to tell too. Ah...Dan.

He hung out with me on Sunday. We drove to Newberg to look for an apartment and I thought I'd rent out my house and move into something less expensive to save money and pay off my debt more quickly but after thinking about it and doing the math - and risk factor - I decided against it.

Tuesday, January 15th. I went to Salem for my usual meeting. I hit the gym early that day but it was super duper icy and of course i got stuck behind a State patrol officer. I already have a court date for my speeding ticket so I shouldn't press fate and get another one before i clear that one up! Anyway, as far as the meeting in Salem, it was fine. I needed to pick up my training supplies and Amy said she didn't even have the request and I knew that it was her fault, not Doug's. For sure he's on top of things like that. And he's not a liar. Later I was faxing some stuff, looked down and there was his requeset sitting right there next to the fax machine. Dated: Last Thursday. She still claimed that she didn't have the supplies I needed and so I would have to go to Portland. Fine, the finance department messed up my FOS stuff anyway. Although, truth be told, it would cost the council significantly less if they freakin' learned how to use the USPS! Seriously. But whatever. I drive the 65 miles and almost 1.5 hrs in traffic to learn from the training secretary that she had stuff delivered to Salem last Friday. Amy was striking out. She was now on my SH*T list! FOR SURE.

Thursady, had Roundtable in Tillamook. We had 16 people there, 4 packs represented and it was fun to give away the Pinewood derby cars and the above and beyond check for selling tons of Popcorn. That check was for $809! Yep, this above their normal commission. Who whooo.

Also, a little bit of a negative from yesterday. I've been im'ing with an old friend and things got kind of weird. I'm a little bummed but hope that we can work through it.

Today - ah, met up with Jody and we went visited John Larsen. We asked him to be our district chairman. The meeting went well and we think he wants to say yes, given his options. This man has served on many, many boards and has connections all over the place. He is one we NEED to know, even if it's not as a chairman, it's going to be as an FOS chairman. We'll get him somehow.

Also recruited Ken Bunn as a commissioner for the west county units - all 3 of those rascally units. I also have an appt with the Executive officer of the Rotary club of Sheridan and hopefully that appt will prove fruitful in getting new leadership recruited.

Ah, that's my life in a nutshell. I am sooo tired and am on my way to a 4 hr training in Newberg. They are up to 25 though and we're so excited about that. Then tomorrow I'm meeting Shannon in the Lowe's parking lot to head out to the Day Camp Retreat at Meriwether for the day. I should get home sometime between 7 and 9 PM. YIKES! Then I will want to sleep and prepare my lesson, that I'm not sure i have to teach b/c I asked Rhonda to do it for me. This was back when my brother was flying in tonight but that has been postponed till Tuesday. He's able to fly dang cheap due to his employment with an airline co. But still, Tues-Thurs? I have a job dude!

Anyway...I did have some pretty funny moments this week despite it all. Humor is so important to me.

Hang tough,

Sharon