Is this Weekend over yet?

I have had one of the worst weekends in history.

After a long week at work, we just want to come home and unwind, relax. Around 9 on Friday, Jon's phone starts going off and he spent over an hour dealing with a work issue. As soon as he's done, my phone starts going off. Unfortunately, my issues did not get resolved until 1:30 PM on Saturday. I was up several times during the night with my phone going off and then with Jonnie climbing into our bed, Jon's alarm going off, and then my phone going off. After my phone went off at 7 AM, I got a quick shower because I had to load Jonnie into the car and go into work. Our phone system ended up losing it's messaging system. This was not anything that I could fix so I had to play the waiting game and was on and off the phone with our vendor. Thank goodness for DVDs on my Mac to keep Jonnie occupied. The guys on duty for the day were great, too. With just 3 hours of sleep, one cup of coffee, and a diet coke and a few cheez-its, they were willing to get whatever Jonnie wanted for lunch which was chicken fingers.

When Jon got home from his shooting match, I got to sleep for about an hour and then my phone started going off again. It went off a few more times and this was because we lost power to our colo facility and the UPS did not work properly. This was resolved before the start of the NASCAR Cup race and I barely made it through half the race.

Before I went to bed on Saturday night, I knelt down and prayed that I could sleep through the night and I did. I thought things were looking up even though we heard our good friend Wally (the Parish Grandpa) was in the hospital. We were having a great day over at OSU's RPAC. Jonnie stayed with the child care for an hour while Jon and I worked out. Then we all went to the pool. I stepped out and went to the sauna for a little bit and came back and watched the guys swim. Then we got home and there were phone messages.

The upside is it wasn't work. The downside is that it was my Mom and she had double bad news. Her sister Jean died yesterday after battling kidney and heart problems. This morning, my Dad fell in the basement and busted open his head. He had to have 24 stitches across his forehead and down his nose. Dad was very angry that Mom took him to the ER. He just wanted a band-aid! I'd say that would have to be one big band-aid! He's sore but in good spirits. He wanted to go out for dinner despite being bandaged and he wanted chocolate cake for dessert.

I'm trying to see if I can get one of the other supervisors to cover for me later this week so I can take some vacation time and drive up to Ashland on Thursday afternoon and stay with my folks until Saturday. I want to come home on Saturday because 1) I need to usher at mass on Sunday 2) the NASCAR Cup race is on that night 3) I want to spent part of the weekend with the guys and the cats.

I'd better run. Jonnie is asking for a special treat and he doesn't deserve it. He just finished throwing a fit less than 30 minutes ago with lots of back-talking. I also need to put ingredients in the crock-pot for Monday's dinner and for leftovers later this week.

I hope everyone else has a wonderful week!

I am the color green!

As usual, my friend Sarah always has something way cool on her blog. She had a link to a short quiz on "what color crayon are you" and here are my results!

You Are a Green Crayon

Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Comfort is important to you. You like to feel as relaxed as possible - and you try to make others feel at ease. You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Your color wheel opposite is red. Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Fun Family Weekend

We wrapped up a fun, family weekend yesterday. My father-in-law, our 2 nieces, and a cousin-in-law came in on Friday night. In good Italian fashion, we kicked off the weekend with a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. As usual, I cooked for an army which never showed up but we had food for 3 days. There are still meatballs left because Uncle Jon uses a bit too much spice for the kids. My father-in-law did a sleep over with the younger kids in the family room. Jon and I slept in our room while the teenage niece enjoyed having the spare room all to herself.

Jonnie had a great time playing with the kids. My father-in-law was a huge help as our garage sale expert. We didn't get rich but we got rid of extra stuff which helps with storage. At church yesterday, we saw where a collection was being taken for an Appalachian Mission so the clothes that did not sell and an old oven were donated to that cause. Since Jonnie was so busy with the other kids, I let Bill the Grasshopper return to the wild. The poor guy was not meant to live in a plastic jug for the rest of his life.

The 7-year old cousin tried to climb the stone work on the front of our house. That's the first time anyone has ever tried that before. Every play ball Jonnie had have all been trashed. The kids must have been playing some serious kickball! Uncle Jon made a fire on Saturday night and we sat on the deck roasting marshmallows for s'mores or just general eating. We put every seat in the van so everyone had a spot for the drive to mass. We took up a whole pew!

After mass, Uncle Jon made a big brunch for all of us. If it seems like all we did this weekend is eat, you are probably correct! With full bellies we watched "Happy Feet". I kept getting kicked because I was falling asleep on the floor! Everyone sat down for leftovers late in the afternoon before our guests made the drive home. Jonnie asked to be excused from the table and he ended up going to the couch and falling asleep. Everyone slipped out the door after giving Jonnie gentle kisses on the cheek so he didn't wake up. I guess that's the sign of a good weekend when all of the kids crash out for naps!

I think it's the most fun weekend we had in a really long time. My house wasn't as clean as I would have liked when everyone got in but it wasn't disgusting. I did three loads of laundry yesterday just to wash all of the blankets, sheets, and towels used this weekend. I lost count of how many times we ran the dishwasher but it was all worth it. I was exhausted by the time everyone left but I think my husband and I would do it all over again in a heart beat!

Have a great week!

Joe is no longer with us but Bill has a new home.

The other day, I posted that we had 2 additional family members. Unfortunately, Joe the caterpillar has passed on. Jon said he was very active in the cage last night so I don't know if he overworked himself or what. He was limper than overcooked pasta.

Bill the Grasshopper has been moved to a new, larger home. The bug cage wasn't very roomy plus it was getting a bit nasty. Bill's new digs are a large parm cheese container with holes poked in it for ventilation. When Santini's buy parm cheese, we get it by the pound so we can fill shakers as we tend to use a lot of parm. Anyhow, back to Bill. He has a new home with fresh grass, some sticks, and a shallow dish with water (I've got use that Pampered Chef stuff for something, don't I?). He did take a little run this morning which Tiger did not like as Bill hopped toward him. I was able to nab him and get him into his new digs.

I didn't have time to take pictures of Bill in his new place. If I have time, I'll try to get some shots and post them. Since I am working 9 AM to 6 PM today and heading to church for Vigil mass tonight, Jon gets to explain to Jonnie that Joe died. Given that Bill's new house is sitting on the island, it will be pretty hard to miss that he has a new home.

Have a great week!

Welcome Joe & Bill to the family!

We have a couple of new family members who will likely only be with us temporarily. Jonnie and I were outside this afternoon and we used his bug cage to get Bill the Grasshopper and Joe the Caterpillar. Joe's photo did not come out really well because of the white screen on the bug cage. He's a black & yellow stripe caterpillar that I got off a plant with orange flowers in my front flower bed. Jonnie found Bill hanging out on one of my cedar planters on our front stoop. He thought it was a cricket. We saw a ton of crickets earlier today when Jonnie and I finished my stone edging along my wooded flower bed.

Jonnie chose the names for our new family so I cannot take any credit for that. Bill already told us that he doesn't like NASCAR driver Tony Stewart so I like him already!

Jonnie, Bill, and Joe are watching "Little Audrey". I think I'll go join them!

A Saturday full of Classics

I'm not sure where Jon found it but he came across a 2 disc DVD set a while back of Classic cartoons. Each disc is two sided so we have 4 discs worth of Woody Woodpecker, Little Audrey, Betty Boop, Superman, Mutt & Jeff and, my favorites, Mighty Mouse & Popeye. Some of these classic cartoons, I hadn't even watched as a kid such as Mutt & Jeff or Little Audrey. Jonnie started watching some of these last night and it completely surprised me this morning when he wanted to bypass the usual Saturday morning Disney Channel line-up to watch the Classics!

I've been amazed by what I've seen in these Classics. Clark Kent was very humble as Superman. Lois Lane did some pretty stupid things just to get a story and she should be grateful for Superman! Little Audrey was happy with a lollipop. I should really eat more spinach to help increase my muscle strength like Popeye. Does Betty Boop own anything other than spike heels? Overall, wolves seem greedy wanting to feast on innocent piggies and sheep.

I was reminded of how times have changed. Children and/or pets were disciplined by spanking and scolding not time outs or grounding. Superman was a strong but not over-inflated like the remake of the Incredible Hulk. Women wore corsets and covered themselves; even Betty Boop's attire that might have seemed racy at back in the day is more than what is often seen on TV today. Little Audrey's dresses and hair bows are unheard of today; little girls are trying to so hard to dress like little ladies these days. Although Popeye eats spinach and can save Olive Oyl, he'd be frowned upon in current times for his pipe.

Today's trip "back in time" has been fun although I did not sit with Jonnie all day and watch cartoons I saw enough while I was cleaning and mopping and washing dishes or when I did sit down to take a break. It was a refreshing change from shows like "Suite Life of Zack & Cody" or "Hannah Montana" which feature spoiled children living a life full of material things.

Does Adultery Have to Involve a Person?

While my son watches "Little Audrey" and "Betty Boop" on the big screen, I wanted to explore definitions of adultery on the Internet. The majority of the definitions indicate adultery involves sexual acts with a person other than his/her spouse. I went through more links from my "Google" search and found a website called www.divorceinfo.com which explore clues that your spouse is having an affair aka committing adultery.

You're probably wondering why on earth is Jodi broaching this topic. Allow me to explain. My husband is in love with his guns and the sport of shooting. Nothing stands in the way of Jon spending time with his guns and/or a shooting match. Jon has only missed one match and that was in May because we had to cater Jonnie's birthday party out of town at his Dad's house in Leetonia. The only reason why Jon went to Leetonia is because he knew I would not drive to Leetonia to take the party to Jon's family because I was bitter about the whole arrangement to begin with.

My husband Jon is actively having an affair but it's not with another woman (at least for now unless things heat up between he & Kate). Instead of a busty bleached blonde, he cheats on me with pistols named Springfield and long guns named Mossberg, Beretta, and Remington. He spends hours on the computer researching and creating scenarios or finding new guns or parts to buy. Jon fusses over what meals to serve for match attendees for his matches at Big Darby. I pray for leftovers from the match so I can get a break from cooking since Jon won't cook a meal at home for Jonnie and I.

The divorceinfo.com web site I mentioned previously has clues to look for if you think your spouse is having an affair. Although my husband's love affair is with guns, many clues are there such as:

"Supposedly works a lot of overtime, but it never shows up on the pay stub."

"Spends an excessive amount of time on the computer, especially after you have gone to bed."

"Your spouse is away from home, either nights or on trips, more than previously." - Jon has shooting matches every single weekend in September including 2 out of state trips with one being 5 days long. Jon saves his vacation to go shooting so family trips are Jonnie & I alone.

"Your spouse seems less comfortable around you and is "touchy" and easily moved to anger."

"He/she loses attention in the activities in the home." - Do you know how hard it is to have Jonnie say with a sad face and tears "I want my Daddy" when you know his Dad doesn't give a rat's tushie about him?

"Your intuition (gut feeling) tells you that something is not right."

"He/she has a definite change in attitude towards everyone in the home."

It hurts sharing this but sharing this helps me cope with this reality. I clicked a link on the web site called "Stop the Divorce!" and it took me to a page where I could order a book that would help me learn how to be irresistible and have him hanging on my every word. Sorry, but I'm not ordering the book. That's not to say that I wouldn't like to find a way to have Jon be a part of our family again. Last weekend, Jon & Jonnie went to Leetonia for my the Italian Fest. On Sunday, Jon got up and left the house with his guns and met his brother somewhere so they could go shooting. My father-in-law and sister-in-law ended up with Jonnie for the day. I had emailed my sister-in-law a couple weeks back to ask her if she would give Jon a hand with Jonnie during the Italian fest so that my husband could have something to eat or go to the bathroom since I would not be there to take care of Jonnie. I never meant for my sister-in-law to take care of my son the next day so Jon could run off with his guns. I guess seeing that Jon ran out on Jonnie and left relatives other than me holding the bag really made it clear how obsessed Jon is with shooting & guns.

As if the affair with his guns weren't enough now Jon's friend Kate from back home is in the picture. Kate recently divorced her husband Rob. Although she lives in Cleveland, she travels to Columbus frequently for the law firm where she works. She called the other night saying she was in town. I'm not sure how long she was planning to be in town but Jon had several hours to kill between work and a shooting class he's teaching on campus tonight. Generally, Jon has come home for dinner with us and then headed back to campus. Jon refused to come home tonight saying that gas is so expensive and he didn't want to spend the money to drive home since he has to drive to Circleville tomorrow for a match. Did he and Kate have a little get together before Jon went a teaching? I'll probably never know since Jon and Kate talk to each other on their cell phones unless I hack into Jon's cell phone account and read his bill and I don't want to be that way. Gas prices have dropped slightly and driving to Leetonia last weekend never phased Jon and neither did driving to who knows where on God's green earth to shoot last weekend.

I went in the Cathedral yesterday after I ate lunch to pray because I need strength and guidance. Starting next week, I will have a temporary work schedule of 7:30 AM to 4 PM on Mondays & Fridays and 9 AM to 6 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Is Jon going to screw me over during the month I have to work this schedule and force me to take an hour vacation to leave at 5 PM so I can pick up Jonnie by 6 PM so that he can go to the range? Is Jonnie going to have to wait until I get home for something to eat and drink watching a movie because Jon ran off to meet Kate somewhere?

I could probably go on for hours but I really should get back to Jonnie although he seems to be enjoying his movie. Jonnie and I only have each other since Jon wants nothing to do with us. Jonnie and I will only have each other if I bite the bullet and file for divorce. I have lost track of how many times I've threatened to leave Jon only for him to change temporarily. Maybe Jon really needs to be on his own in a little shanty with he and his beloved firearms.

Thanks for "listening". God be with you.

Downtown Columbus - Nice to visit

I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week at a training class in downtown Columbus. Map-point directed me to chug down Route 4 aka National Road aka West Broad Street. My commute was 50 miles a day round trip but, overall, the drive was not too bad.

I got to go through our old neighborhood where we bought a house shortly after we were married. I took a detour and went by our old house and it pretty much looks the same. The new owner redid the flower beds and they look nice. Unfortunately, the neighborhood is getting really run down. They started building up one section and the older section goes to pot (I'm sure pot has something to do with it, too!).

The formerly empty Big Bear became a nice new Giant Eagle with a gas station which was good to see. The old Long John Silvers became a combo Long John Silvers and A&W. It's probably good that wasn't there when we lived there. The old Pizza Hut is a car dealership. The old golf store became a sexual novelty store; I can't explain that transition but let's just say that Callaway golf clubs are no longer displayed in the windows!

Just when I thought detouring around our 42-bypass was annoying, I quickly learned that a downtown full of one-way streets and constructions is a million times worse! Not to mention, can they cram anymore cars in a paid parking lot? I am glad that I have a mid-size car because I don't know how vans and trucks navigate the close spaces.

Although I enjoyed the break from eating packed lunches, buying lunch for 3 days was a bit expensive. We got hour and 15 minute lunch breaks. I was able to go outside, walk around to stretch my legs, and pick up a meal. I was able to sit down and savor my food without dropping things on a keyboard. I did tear up my left foot walking around in dress shoes on Wednesday. I had a hang nail and it got aggravated. I was amazed while watching people the number of women that walk around and even run across the streets of downtown in spike heels! Figures that I tear up my foot in a pair of comfort sandals!

I went into St. Joseph Cathedral one day after lunch. I guess they don't have the same "open door policy" that we have at St. Joseph Church in Plain City. I just wanted to go in and spend some time in prayer. I felt really uncomfortable so I left after about 10 minutes. When I was walking out, a man scoffed at me. I think he was offended because I was carrying a bottle of Coke Zero left from lunch. I was NOT sitting in the Cathedral guzzling soda; I was carrying the bottle because I was going to finish the soda during the next hour or so. OH well.

You see a lot of sights that you just have to see. I saw a rally driving home today but I'm not sure what it was for. Masses of people in purple t-shirts marching across Broad Street with a couple people beating on drums. We only have drum beating during parades here in Plain City!

Downtown Columbus was a nice place to visit but I don't think I'd want to work there on a regular basis. I'll be glad to go back to OSU West Campus on Monday with my packed lunch.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Updates

I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted to my blog. Now if I can remember what all we have been up to!

Jon continues his regular shooting matches in addition to helping teach classes at OSU.

Both of us have been working and working a lot. With some of the upheaval at my office I've worked some extra long days. Jon has been dealing with on-call and server issues. Jonnie has had some tummy-aches and throw-ups. With all of this, neither of us have gotten much sleep this week. I've been running around picking up birthday gifts for the guys to take with them to the birthday party on Saturday. I offered to get some food for Jon to take since the party is potluck but he said he'd figure it out when he gets up there.

I got Jonnie this cute sleeping bag with inflatable bed so he has something to sleep on this weekend. He seems to like it but it's really noisy when he is thrashing around before he falls asleep! I've been very careful not to talk about sleeping this weekend since I get to sleep in a bed this weekend since Jon gets a couch or floor. Of course, when he's tired, he can pretty much sleep anywhere but it's when he gets up that he's stiff and sore.

I have two big projects for my long weekend. I am going to be building a stone border around my wooded garden area. The garden has a slope and my mulch keeps sliding gradually into the grass. Depending on how this border goes, I might look at building similar borders around the rest of my flower beds and around the tree in our front yard. It bugs me that Lowe's and Home Depot have the same stone (I compared pictures side by side) but the stone costs twice as much at Lowe's. I despise Tony Stewart who drives the Home Depot car but when I can get my supplies for a fraction of the cost, even I will step foot into Home Depot.

My second project is organizing clothes for an upcoming yard sale. I have heaps of clothes in my closet that I plan to sell at our yard sale later this month. I need to get them out of my way because the heaps are taking over the closet floor. I'm going to price tag and fold stuff and put it in bins for the sale from my closet and from Jonnie's.

Other than these two projects, I know I have some errands to run and mass to attend on Saturday night. I might try to watch some TV to chill out a little bit. I'm going to enjoy some grilled zucchini as my friend Sandy gave me a large zucchini on Sunday when she came to our party. I'm being kind enough to wait until the guys are gone since zucchini grosses them out.

I've done some shopping to replace clothes I've pulled out to sell. Jon says this doesn't make any sense to him but it makes perfect sense to me and other ladies I've spoke with!

I'd better get back to work. I'm battling with trying not to go on vacation mentally until I get off shift today but it's been hard!

Blessings for a wonderful weekend!