20 things you may not know about me

I saw this in Kristina's journal, so I thought I'd try it.  But I'm starting off small..I don't know if I can come up with 100.

1.  My given name is Ann Marie Vanderburg.

2. I have two sisters, one who I do not speak to, and one who committed suicide at 25.

3.  When I turned 25, I thought I was going to go down the same road.

4.  I was at one point in therapy for anxiety...I think it's time to go back.

5.  I have lived in 21 different homes in two states.

6.  I have owned 5 cars, 3 of which ended up in a junk yard in less than 2 years.

7.  At one point in my life, I was high 24 hours a day.

8.  I graduated in the top 1/3 of my class.

9.  I only lasted one year in college.

10.  My mom and dad both died when I was 18.

11.  My dad was married twice, my mom once.

12.  My mom was a lesbian.

13.  I didn't know the above until I was 16.

14.  My mom's lover married my dad.

15.  They were divorced a month later.

16.  I have 3 stepbrothers and 2 stepsisters.

17.  One of those stepbrothers I have never met.

18.  I am very picky eater.

19.  My credit sucks.

20.  I used to have a Jackson's chameleon named Tito.

Maybe I'll think up some more another day.

til next time...=)

a few questions for you

I found this on Brian's journal, and thought it would be cool to do.

What is your favorite word?  2 words...DAY OFF.

What is your least favorite word?  WORK.

What turns you on?   My man...lol

What turns you off?  Discrimination.

What sound or noise do you love?   My kids laughing.

What sound or noise do you hate?  My kids whining.

What is your favorite curse word?  Son of a bitch!!

What profession other than yours would you most like to attempt?  Psychologist.

What profession other than yours would you least like to attempt?  Doctor.

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?  "You sure you're in the right place??"

til next time...=)

one word

Please leave a one word comment (with your journal addy) that you think best describes me.  It can only be one word. No more.

Then copy and paste this into your journal so that I may leave a word about you...(Stolen from Kristina who stole it from Val who stole it from Christina). 

Love, Annie =)

my saturday (and sunday) in the park

We definitely had some fun the past two days...I had the weekend off, and it was beautiful weather.  We had planned Saturday a few days ago...Sunday was purely spontaneous.  But anyway, let me tell you of our adventures.

Saturday, we went to Nay Aug Park.  It's a nice park, especially since our current mayor took the initiative to fix it up.  We went to the Genesis Wildlife Preserve, which is on the park grounds.  We saw some cool animals...when the kids saw the lemurs, all they could say was, "it's Zoboomafoo".  The pics I got weren't that good, since the animals were behind two fences.  After that, we went swimming...and on a day like yesterday, it sure felt good.  They have water slides too, but the kids were too scared to do that.  We were there for about 3 hours, then the kids got to ride on the boats and go-carts.  As you can see from the snapshots, they enjoyed that.  Before we went home, I wanted a sno-cone, and so did everyone else.  We waited in line for what seemed like forever...and I think it was actually about 20 minutes--and the line wasn't that bad.  Anyway, we went home and ordered Domino's for dinner.  Then, to make the day perfect, Mister Softee came driving down the street as we finished eating.  We decided that we had to do something Sunday as well.

Today went almost as smoothly as yesterday.  We started by going to the pool, then we decided to go for a walk on the Davis Trail, a walking/jogging/bike trail that goes by the popular Nay Aug Gorge.  On the way, we stumbled onto the playground some volunteers built last year...that thing is huge and awesome!  It's got a castle theme going on...cool.  We stayed there for a while, then off to the trail we went.  We were looking around at all the different trees, etc.  Then we got to the gorge.  The view is breathtaking--especially close up.  The only thing is, you can only get so close...they have it blockedoff because of people going down there to swim (it's illegal).   After that, we walked along the rest of the trail, sweating the whole way.  Eventually, we ended up back at the pool, and to our surprise, it was still open.  So of course, we had to go back in.  After about an hour, we saidit was time to go home for the day. 

Ok, I know I'm rambling, but this is the most fun I've had in a loooong time, so excuse me this time.  That and I figure if I keep writing, I'll forget about having to back to work tomorrow.  Oh well.

til next time...=)

saturday six #63

Here's my answers to this week's Saturday Six...

1. Yesterday, I linked to the journal "Mall Of America," a collection of photos from shopping malls of the 1960s and 1970s.  What store do you associate most with your childhood in terms of happy memories and why?  Is the store still around?

My fondest memories of a certain store in my childhood involve Kmart...my aunt used to work there, and when I would go shopping with Mom, she would give me free Icees and popcorn.  Another thing about that store was around Easter, my aunt would dress me up in one of those frilly dresses and take me down there to see the bunny.

2. What song makes you the most emotional and why?

Lemme see..."Release Me" by Wilson Phillips.  It came out right around the same time as my sis committed suicide, and she liked that song.

3. Take the quiz:  What year were you born under, and what year should you have been born under?

I was born under the year of the snake, but I should have been born under the year of the ox.

4. What time do you typically wake up each day?  What is the latest you're normally able to sleep?  How many hours of sleep do you get in an average night?

Typically, I wake up around 8 or 9am, since Alexis is off for the summer.   The latest I'm able to sleep is about 10 or 11am.  I get about 6 or 7 good hours of sleep on average.

5. What frightens you the most about getting older?

I dunno...I think it's getting sick and having to depend on my kids, since that's what happened to my mom.  I was food shopping and running errands when I was 14, because my mom couldn't.

6. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #56 from Debi:  If you found the house of your dreams, right price, then discovered that a murder or suicide had taken place in the house, would you still consider buying the house?

Yes I would.

til next time...=)

i did it -- you should too

I became a statistic today, as I took the MIT weblog survey.  It's easy...just go here and take the survey.  It took me about 15 minutes, and I got this little sign as my badge of honor.

til next time...=)

summer dedication assignment

Weekend Assignment #65: Dedicate a "summer song" to someone in your life. Could be a happy song for someone you like, a "kiss-off" song for someone you don't, or a romantic song for someone you want to know better. Point is, it has to be summery, and you have to intend it for someone.

Extra Credit: Ever have a song dedicated to you? What was it?

My song would be "Saturday In The Park" by Chicago, and I would dedicate it to the people who read this.  I know it sounds corny, but all you readers are part of my life...you see into to my life everytime you visit.  Why this song?  Well, it's got a nice sound to it, and it captures what an awesome day at the park would be like.  If you've never heard it, listen and you'll understand.

I actually didn't have to think about the extra credit this week...it was a piece of cake.  Not only did I have a song dedicated to me, it was sung by the same person.  It was "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart, and it was sung by a 7-year-old boy.  I was a counselor at a day camp, and the kid was in my group.  It was the camp talent show, and he just got up there, dedicated the song to me, and sang...I was crying by the end of the song.  I was sooooo touched.

til next time...=)

we've created a monster

Alexis is officially an obsessed Motley Crue fan.  We bought this DVD of a concert on Ebay the other day, and since we got it in the mail today, she hasn't stopped watching it.  Well, except to go to bed...she even watched it while eating dinner.  I heard about this from Joey when I got home from work.  When he said, "we've created a monster", I abruptly corrected him...WHO fueled this obsession???  Keep in mind, if it wasn't for him playing the band's CDs about 3 years ago, we wouldn't be in this situation.  I mean, I don't mind.  It's funny hearing a 7-year-old singing "White Punks On Dope".  She wants to go to their concert this year...who knows.  Maybe I'll be posting a pic of her with the band.

til next time...=)

yummy yummy

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...cheesesteaks.

Actually, this wasn't my dinner.  This was Joey's--no cheese for me.  It's the cheap steak-umms (the other ones don't crumble like these), american and mozzarella cheese, onions, and green, red, and yellow peppers.   So big, the stuff overflows the bun.  YUM.   And to think, I MADE THEM.  I don't really cook, especially since Joey, well, you know.  They were so good, his mom and dad wanted some too.  It was a last minute thing, since we were at the store, saw the peppers on sale, and thought...steak and cheese for dinner?  Ok.  Just thought I'd share some dinner with you.

til next time...=) 

photo hunt #29

Here's this week's entry for Krissy's photo scavenger hunt!

In honor of the official start of summer, this week's category will be SUMMER. 

Have fun this week, enjoying the sun and snapping a photo or two!

They say a picture's worth a thousand words..'nuff said.

til next time...=)

saturday six #62

Here's my answers to this week's Saturday Six...

1. Do you do a yearly "spring cleaning" in your home?  If so, have you done this year's version, yet?

Sometimes we do, but not every year.  This year's version was done only because people were looking at the house with the intention of buying...you wouldn't be able to tell it was done by the way it looks now.

2. Have you ever been blindfolded and asked to identify which of two drinks is Pepsi or Coke?  If you haven't, do you think you could tell the difference?

That's one thing I didn't get to participate in...the Pepsi Challenge.  But if given the test today, I would definitely know the difference...Pepsi all the way, baby!!!

3. You find out that you're going to have a child:  what baby names will you choose?

Girl--Carene (pronounced Care-eene), to honor my mom (Carol) and m-i-l (Irene).  Boy--I dunno, but Joey's saying either Milagro or Aloysius...I'm smacking him while I'm typing this.  Or maybe Skylar.

4. You must become one of the Brady Bunch kids for a single day:  which one would you choose to become and why?

Cindy--I'm always acting like a little kid, why not be one?

5. Where are you going for summer vacation this year?

Summer vacation???  What's that?!?

6. What is the most religious thing you do on a day-to-day basis?

I would have to say pray to God that I make it through the day without worrying about something.

til next time...=)

dad's day assignment

Weekend Assignment #64: Tell us about a moment with your dad that serves as an example of one of his best qualities. That would be a personal moment between you and dad.

Extra Credit: Pictures, naturally -- perhaps from right about the time you were born.

I've been literally racking my brain for this assignment, and I haven't been coming up with much.  You see, my parents separated when I was 6, divorced when I was 8.  Dad wasn't there much when he lived with us, and it just got worse after he left.  I could probably write a book about how much he pissed me off, but that's not what this entry's about, now is it?  On with the assignment.

The only thing I can remember doing with him was driving out to his house in the country when I would go there for the weekends in the summer.  I mean, that was the only thing we did together.  Listening to country songs (which I hated), and hearing him sing them.  When we would get to the house on Friday, it was time for bed (he worked late).  In the morning, he would go about his outdoor work, while I would watch TV, play in the nearby woods, or go swimming in the neighbor's pool.  Then he would drive me home on Sunday.  That was about it, maybe with a church picnic thrown in sometimes. 

As for the extra credit, no can do.  Like I've said in previous entries,  no scanner...bummer.  He was a goofball when it came to getting his picture taken...maybe that's where I get it from.  Who knows.

P.S.--To all the dads out there...

Happy Dad's Day!!!

til next time...=)

boredom, rain, and work...oh my

It's quiet here on the KKMom homefront..it's sheer boredom.  There's really nothing to do...it sucks.  It figures the one day I have off this week, and it's cold and raining outside.  It's been hot and humid for about a week here, but now that Arlene came, it's nothing like it was...it's about 65 now.  So much for summer, for now, anyway.

Work's been the same thing--hell with fluorescent lighting.  Yesterday was the worst day so far this week...it's like the customers doubled up on the stupid medication.  Either that, or all the weirdos got posession of someone's cell phone.Here's an example of what was going on last night...

ME: Thank you, what city and state?

CALLER: Do what now?

ME: I'm sorry, what city and state?

CALLER: Oh...Soandso City, State.

ME: Thanks, for what listing?

CALLER: <unintelligible garble>

ME: I'm sorry, for what listing?

CALLER: HUH?

ME: What are you looking for???

CALLER: Oh...SoAndSo.

And so it went...not knowing what the name of the restaurant was, not knowing the spelling of Grandma's last name, putting their mouth too close to the phone so it sounded like they had something in their mouth, etc.  I guess I'm a glutton for punishment though, being that I knew what I was getting into when I took the job.  I dunno. 

til next time...=)

photo scavenger hunt #28

Here's my entry for this week's Photo Hunt from Krissy...

Show us something that we don't already know about you.  Do you have pink fuzzy slippers?  A teddy bear collection?  A boyfriend or spouse we don't know about?  Snap a shot! 

Show us something that represents you that we don't already know.

This is my Snuggle Bear...one of the originals made back in the 80's.  Actually, this used to belong to my oldest sister, Phyllis.  This was one of her prized possessions.  She was found holding it when she committed suicide 15 years ago.  There's a little bit of her blood on the left ear, so I think that in a way, she's here with me.  I dunno.

til next time...=)

my b'day and pics too

This is my new great-nephew, JJ.  I can't remember his actual name...I know it starts with a J.  I'll have to ask Stephanie when I talk to her again.  He was born on June 3, 2005.  Yesterday was the first time I had seen him, and I thought it would be nice to share with the world.  His older sister, Mariah (below), is very protective of him...when I was holding him, she kept looking at me as if to say, Who are you, and what are you doing with him?  Eventually, she warmed up to me enough to let me take her pic...or maybe it was the camera.  I dunno. =)

Actually, that was the end of my day.  Things started out like any normal Sunday--coffee, a smoke, and the Sunday paper.  Then the kids came home from Grandma's house, and soon after we went to the pool.  That's another story in itself, but anyway.  Then after we went home and got changed, we did a little food shopping, and without my knowing, Joey got an ice cream cake for me.  When we got home, he started making my b'day dinner...ham and cabbage (my choice--it's awesome).  I was messing around on the puter when he and the kids called me into the kitchen, where they had the cake complete with candles...and they sang to me.  It was so sweet!!!  After that, the kids went back to Grandma's..then I went up to Steph's house.  And that was my birthday...it was pretty cool.

til next time...=)

my personal holiday

Happy birthday to me

Happy birthday to me

Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeee

Happy birthday to me!

 

til next time...=)

this sucks

Yesterday was Bum's last day of school...and it looks like I'll be calling them before next year starts.  From what I read on her report card, she'll be having the same teacher next year as she did this year.  Now I knew she was being held back, that was partially our idea.  I don't like the idea of her having this teacher again, only because it seems as if she wanted her to fail or something.  Why, you ask?  Well, take this into consideration--during the last quarter, when there was a student teacher in the class, Bum's grades went up.  When student teacher left, said grades plummeted back down.  Also in the last quarter, Bum's grades were passing, but she still got "F"s.  I can't understand it.

What's worse is that the class bully got a hold of Bum's report card, and saw that she's not advancing to 3rd grade...I don't have to tell you what happened.  Hopefully when we move, we can change schools, and put all of this behind us. Who knows...

til next time...=)

saturday six #61

Here are my answers to this week's Saturday Six from Patrick's Place...you should go visit and play along too!

1. When was the last time you looked your significant other in the eye and told him or her how much they mean to you?

Hmmm...I haven't done that in a while.  There's been too much stress in our lives to actually sit down and discuss our thoughts about each other.  I can't remember the last time.

2. Which business do you have the longest continuous relationship with:  your bank, your auto insurance provider, your home telephone provider, your cellular phone provider, or your cable company?  How long have you been with them?

This is easy...no bank account, no car insurance, no cell phone, no cable, and the phone's been on for a month, and that commitment will go on as long as I'm working for Verizon...I get the employee discount. :)

3. What is the most embarrassing question you've ever been asked?

"Are you pregnant?"  That happened when I was 17 at a award ceremony at school...my tummy stuck out and made me look that way.  It still does.  I wasn't then, and I'm not now.

4. You have the ability to snap your fingers and be instantly transported to one of three places whenever you wish to go there.  Which three places would you select as your destinations?

Home (for when I don't want to be at work), work (for when I don't want to be home), and a dark place where no one can find me (when I don't want to be in either place).

5. Last week, the Reader's Choice question asked you to identify your favorite movie line.  Later this month, the American Film Institute will list the 100 Greatest Movie Lines of all time.  Which one do you expect to win?

I didn't answer the question last week because I couldn't think of one, and I think I'm going to pass on it this week as well, for the same reason... :(

6. You are given the gift of an original oil painting by any famous artist.  What painting would you choose and why?

I would have to agree with Patrick on this one..."The Scream" would be nice to have...that's what I picture myself to be doing inside at this point.

til next time...=)

this is cool

Thanks to Brandi (I would link her journal, but it's pvt) for putting this on her journal today... Here's what the Sloganizer came up with for my name...

 It changes with every refresh...cool, huh??

til next time...=)

the amusement park assignment

Weekend Assignment #63: Recount a noteable amusement park experience. No, it doesn't have to be about getting sick on that rollercoaster... although (heh) those usually are pretty good. It can be any sort of memorable moment: cute, scary, funny, nice, whatever.

Extra Credit: What's the scariest amusement park ride you've ever been on?

Oh my, what a coincidence...me and my friend* Nicky were just mentioning this the other day.  She was telling me about how she's taking her kids to Dorney this summer.  She said she hasn't been down there since "The Weekend From Hell". 

That refers to the time me and a bunch of friends went to Dorney Park in Allentown, PA for the weekend.  We decided to do this because we just graduated, and we all had different plans for the near future.  We drove down on Friday night...we almost got lost, but our human GPS (me) got us there ok.  We got a hotel room for the night, and everything went as planned up to that point.  Oh, what the next day had in store...

We were driving to the park the next morning, and the one car's muffler was hanging off.  We were already at the park, so we decided we would deal with that later.  Not too long after we went into the park, everyone started arguing with each other...over petty things.  I dunno--it made the day not so good.  That went on for most of the day.  When the park closed, we went to the cars...what a mess.  The one had the whole exhaust hanging off, and the other's transmission was down for the count.  That left us with no way to get home.  We eventually ended up getting a ride home from park security.  You'd think that's where the story ends, but no.

A few days later, there was news that a case of meningitis was found at the park over the weekend.  My employer, a summer camp, told me to get tested, so I did.  The hospital did a spinal tap, and failed to tell me to lay down for the rest of the day.  I didn't, and I had a headache for the next three days!!  Anyway, that's the tale of  "The WeekendFrom Hell".

As for the extra credit, I would have to say the scariest ride I've been on was a carousel.  I know what you're thinking, but the reason I was terrified was because the damn thing was creaking the whole time--I was just waiting for the thing to break or something.  It was at one of those really cheap carnivals...they only had about three rides, and they were all VERY old.  We were there only about 20 minutes, and had to go...it was sooo pathetic.

*see my old journal entries-- "some friend" parts 1 and 2

til next time...=)

it's official

It's officially summer here in Scranton...school's out!!!  Well, almost.  Bum has to go back on Friday for 25 minutes--basically just to pick up her report card.  But other than that, summer's here.  It's about 90 outside, and HUMID.  I've been inside most of the day, it's so sticky.  I think the only time I went outside was to pick up the car (again), go food shopping, and to pick Bum up from school.  I can imagine what her day was like...inside the school with no a/c.  I know what you're thinking--"when I went to school, we didn't have a/c either!"--we didn't have it either.  But now that I'm a parent, I guess I feel bad for her.  I dunno.  And to think--it's supposed to be like this until at least next week.  Ewww.

new social security plan?

Wow..I hope I don't have to do this when I get to retirement age...

Police Nab 80-Year-Old Madam In Prostitution Case

This actually came from Joey, who wondered if this was Bush had in mind for Social Security...lol

til next time...=)

A-CHOO!!! ewwwww...

This is driving me nuts...I can't stop sneezing!  I have allergies all of a sudden, to what, I have no idea.  It's been pretty much nonstop since earlier today at work.  I'm trying to talk to customers, sniffling the whole time.  It was crazy...when I was outside on break, I was fine, but when I went back in, it started right up again.  The place has no windows, so I was thinking that was the problem.  But now I'm still sniffling at home, and I've been here for over an hour--this sucks!! *sniff sniff*  Thank God I'm off tomorrow...maybe I won't be like this and I'll get a little allergy break--yeah right. ACHOOOOO!!

til next time...=)

this is better...

I have no idea as to what to put in the first entry...so I'll just say this--welcome to my new journal.  For those who don't know me, my name's Annie, I'm 27 (28 on Sunday), and I live in the semi-boonies, otherwise known as Scranton, PA.  I had a journal on AOL, but since it cancelled, I made another one here.  But then AOL came up with AIM Blogs, so I thought I'd give it a try...so far, so good.  I might still update the other one, but who knows.  Let's see where this takes us, shall we?

til next time...=)