Th Return.......... of sorts.

I'm dusting off the cobwebs f'realz..........

Count down starts and the blog will be back up and running by week end ;-)

Dusting off the cobwebs........... :-)

I simply cannot believe that almost a year has gone by with me not updating this blog. When I was a regular updater, I remember how much I looked forwward to checking for comments, how any time something happened or someone said something funny I would think to myself "I HAVE to blog that!". Then Twitter came along and now, in an instant I can send a message directly from my Blackberry and my story is told - in 140 characters or less ;-) (I'm Brittgirl)

I feel like I am short selling myself. There is SOOOOO much more happening in my life, so much that I should be writing down so I can remember all this later on. Maybe get it printed off at some point in the future...... I've heard there are places or apps that let you do this quite easily!

There are so many changes happening in my life right now too, maybe writing here will help calm the madness down! What do you think?

One of the first major changes is yet another house move! As you may or may not know, George has been based in South Carolina for over a year now. He has an apartment and travels up here on a regular basis, I also travel down there a lot too - the horrible Ohio weather ya know!? Well, we knew sooner or later the move would happen but had to wait for Georgia to graduate High School. That time is close - June! So, after a few house hunting trips, we found the most perfect adorably GORGEOUS house and put an offer in immediately!



The offer was accepted and we are moving (hopefully) June 7th! I am beyond excited!

This also means we are closer to North Carolina. Why does that matter you ask? Well, Dan - my middle 'child' - joined the Marine Corps!

He is currently based in Camp Lejeune, NC until he gets deployed. It will be nice having only a 3 hour drive to see him rather than a 12 hour one!

Moving to South Carolina also means that I am moving further away from Nick, my eldest (just turned 21*). He is in the process of buying a house with his girlfriend.

Georgia (just turned 18) will be making the move with us.

Moving also means that I will be starting my photography business up from scratch again! I have been successful in that almost 90% of the business I have had thus far has been word of mouth and referrals! Now I'm going to a brand new place where there already may be an established photographer there! I have all my plans ready though and know that I'll be just as good if not better! I still have a few weddings booked up here in Ohio that I will be returning to shoot so business will still be good!

Since I last blogged, I have also become an Aunt for the 2nd time. Baby Marshall was born on February 11th - coincidentally the same date as Georgia's birthday!

Today, March 13th is my Wedding Anniversary. 11 years! Here is a poem that George wrote for me. He does that. Writes poems for me :-) There are some real belters in there let me tell you! LOL

Those are the major changes and happenings in my life. I am going to aim to update this blog more often - I know, I know, I've said it before.......... but even writing this short piece has been cathartic!

So check back in would you? For me? I'd appreciate it!

Storms-a-Comin'......

As it is the middle of May, you would expect the weather to be quite sunny and lovely crappy here in Ohio - and you'd be correct in that assumption.

As the following photo shows, storms are currently hitting North East Ohio and aside from their strength, the views these storms are bringing are amazing!



Both these photos were taken at the same time - give or take 5 minutes and the camera settings were identical. I went out last night to take photos and as I was uploading them tonight, I looked out of the window and the entire street was a pinky-orange color! So I unplugged the camera again and went back out.

The rain came down hard so I couldn't stay out long, just long enough! :-)

If there is one thing Cleveland Ohio is good for it is basketball, football, baseball, clean lake water, high employment storms!

I want to see this movie SSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!

Mr RDJ couldn't GET any hotter!

My Life.................

As I was looking in the garage for something (something I never found), I came across boxes and boxes of paperwork and memento's from my life back in England. I'm a pack rat and I'll never change!

Anyway, I came across a package of paperwork from July 1998. In this pack, was a "Personal Profile Analysis" one of my employers had done. I read it and had to laugh out loud - literally.

The first paragraph reads;

"Miss Mason (fnar fnar) has a high level of ambition and drive for accomplishment, with and through people. She is impatient/restless and can become discontented, particularly when things are not happening fast enough. She tends to get bored very quickly once the challenge is gone or once the excitement of a job has been lost. She is competitive, very much a self starter and very ambitious."

Seriously, that is one of the best descriptions of me I have ever read. Who knew that I would be that same person 11 years later! The one line later in the report slays me though and I don't even want to show it to George who will just give me that look - the look that says "Uh-huh!" It reads;

"Popularity in the form of social recognition and monetary rewards to cover expensive living are also highly important to her."

Seriously.

If you had asked me - before I read this report whether I thought I had changed as a person, whether I had evolved from the 'Leeds-Lass', I would have given a resounding "Ya-ha!" Apparently, as far as my 'career' goes, I am still the same. Who knew?

However, when I think of my life, the way I have lived it and the way I currently am enjoying it - because I AM enjoying it, I like to think that I am making the most of it. This world and all of it's awesome-ness* is just too big to live in it and not make the most of it. Hence why I travel and ENJOY traveling. Hence why I am always wanting to try new things.

I don't want to be old and infirm and thinking "I wish I'd done this" or "I wish I'd been there". I want to try everything and anything. Life is exciting. I know sometimes I sit and feel bored but I never EVER regret anything I have done. It's all a part of me, who I am, who I am yet to be.

I like that. "Who I am yet to be......"

The only way my life could be given a better description is as follows................ enjoy!






* yeah - I said it

Wolverine of a different sort...........

Wolverine of a different sort...........
Originally uploaded by Photographs by Andrea.

I received this rather fetching image of a 'Wolverine Wannabe' on my cell phone this morning!

NO clue as to who this is! Do you?

Rather embarrassing to send THIS to the wrong number! LOL

There and Back Again........

I recently returned from a trip to Amsterdam. Michael was celebrating his 40th birthday and invited George and I, along with some of his other friends, to join him on a 10 day trip where we would be staying on a houseboat docked right in the heart of Amsterdam.

I have never been to Amsterdam and had no expectations - good or bad - as to what it would be like. I knew only that it would be fun.

The houseboat was GREAT! It berthed 30 people but there were only 8 of us at the start so we all had our own room. It was quiet and comfortable, had a huge kitchen and dining/living area and centrally located. What more could you ask for?

Amsterdam itself is a gorgeous city. Apparently there are only 750,000 inhabitants, yet there are easily 3 trillion bicycles. EASILY. I'm not even exaggerating* You have to watch out for the cyclists as they tend to knock you down then ring the bell to warn you afterwards! That is if you are in the bike path - which I frequently found myself in when not paying attention.

The buildings are old, beautiful and interesting.

We visited the red-light district which was jaw-dropping. To see sex -for-sale so blatantly advertised takes some getting used to. However, during the day this area is a completely different story. They must use the grandmothers of the 'night' ladies. Seriously, at one point we would have sworn that one of the ladies was 70 if she was a day and wearing a fishnet top that wasn't the least bit flattering (though I doubt she could have worn anything to make her look flattering)

We visited the Anne Frank House which while interesting was very sad - especially knowing that the events really happened.

George, Michael and I caught a train and then rented bicycles to ride out to some tulip fields. The fragrance that we rode into was enough that I wanted to bottle it and bring it home...... The tulips were colorful, beautiful and photogenic! :-) I won't explain to you how I caused a bicycle crash of epic proportions and how I have been banned from EVER riding a bicycle in The Netherlands again. Trust me. It wasn't pretty.

The library - biblioteek - was FANTASTIC and we recommended it to everyone we met. Not only is it ultra-modern with art, architecture and at least 40 Macs/PC's on each floor there is a restaurant on the top floor that serves 5-star food at cafe prices! We ate there on two occasions, enjoying salmon fillets, lamb chops, steak, salads, desserts, WITH wine/beer and it was sooooo cheap! Michael and the other guys ate there more than we did, having breakfast and dinner there!

For a break, George and I took the train to Brussels, Belgium. It took approximately 2.5 hours each way and it was a nice break. While we didn't get to see ALL the sights, we did enjoy the parts we saw, however, having been completely blown away by Amsterdam, Brussels had a lot to live up to and it didn't quite get there.

We visited the sex museum which was quite interesting I have to say. We were given a full history of sex in all it's wonder and some of the exhibits - chastity belts etc., made you wonder why people ever had sex at all!

Helen joined us with her son Kevin from France for a couple of days and we had a great dinner on the boat for our last night and basically laughed non-stop from beginning to end of the trip.

Overall, the trip was everything I knew it would be but MUCH MUCH more.

The only problem was deciding where the next trip would take us all!

*might be

History of my Blog!

Many many changes have been made in my life lately and this blog has suffered immensely which drives me mad - Other people can maintain blogs so why can't I? *wonders to herself*

I am currently in South Carolina for a week and upon my return I will shortly thereafter be traveling to Amsterdam for 10 days!

However, This blog will - WILL - be updated and on a regular basis upon my return.

Trust me. Have faith in me. Check back with me.

OK? :-)

.............and off she goes again!

Tomorrow I leave for yet ANOTHER trip! I'm heading off Down Under to the glorious land of New Zea :-)

Even though I have had plenty of time to prepare for this trip do you think I'm anywhere near ready? I'm packed but have lots to do around the house to make it livable for the people I'm leaving behind even though it will be a complete tip when I get back.

Yesterday while out at dinner I broke a tooth. It hurts.

I tried to call my dentist and when I got voice-mail that told me to "hit 5 if this is an emergency" I HIT 5 and was THEN told that I had pressed an incorrect number. You can clearly see how my pain level increased!

I searched the internet for emergency dentists but it turns out that you will only be seen on an emergency basis if you are already a client. Thus I have been in complete pain, agony, misery, torment and tenderness the whole weekend.

I am leaving for the airport tomorrow morning at 10:30 am and will be at the dentist as soon as they open to get this mess fixed.

I am excited for this trip. I will be amongst the first in the world to celebrate New Years Eve, I will get to meet my niece for the first time, I will be traveling around and sightseeing and taking pictures and I will get to see my brothers again.

Oh, and did I mention that it is Summer over there? Oh yes!

I may post before I return but until then.......

Ta-raaaaaaaaaaaa !

From my last trip to see them, July 2006

Yet Another Reason I'm Glad I Don't Live in the UK

All these faces? All 70+ of them?



Teenagers that were stabbed in the UK last year.

70+

Stabbed

LAST YEAR

*shakes head* I am just so glad that I don't live there anymore and have to worry about my kids being attacked on top of all the other things there are to worry about!

They Will Always Be Our Babies......

Tomorrow my middle child Daniel turns 18. I say ‘child’ but shake my head at what that means in this day and age.

Once he turns 18 he no longer – legally – has to listen to me any more, or pay attention to my rules and can move out if he wants. He is able to enlist in the armed forces and has! He has just under 6 months of school left and for him they are the longest 6 months of his life. I find myself being strict with him about his curfew, his attitude and just general day to day things and he always shakes his head and smiles at me in a condescending manner…….

I worry about him on a day to day basis as I do ALL the kids – even Nick who is almost 20 and I know that this won’t change even if they were years older. I guess that’s a mother’s lot in life!

Then I think about what I was doing at his age – and then my hair really starts to turn grey! In fact it shouldn’t even be allowed, this comparing lark.
At 17 I was working overseas, and had been drinking for a couple of years (on a social basis only you understand) and didn’t have a curfew. I had left school at 16 and had been working in a boring office for a boring company and needed a change hence the ‘overseas’ work.

What a difference. American teens and UK teens. Life here is so different and I will NEVER regret moving to the States and bringing the kids with me. I read the UK news on BBC and Daily Mail websites and every other story is about teenagers causing trouble, stabbings, fighting, attacks, drugs, ASBOS (whatever they are) and it frightens the living crap out of me! I know not every child in the UK is like this but as a single parent, mine probably had more chance of heading down that path……*
The towns that I have lived in here in America may have had the same problems but they weren’t in the news and we never heard anything of them….. I think two big differences that may help teens make better choices and live better lives are the fact that they stay in school until they are 18/19. High school! Also, they are allowed to drive at an earlier age. (Georgia got her temps at 15 and a half and is now a fully fledged driver.) This gives them some advantage to being more responsible. Again, not every kid is a good kid and many make mistakes but for those that DO make mistakes there are certainly lots of programs out there to help get them back on the right path.

Anyway, getting back to the point, I am finding it VERY hard to let Dan be himself and go off and be an 18 year old without freaking out and thinking of him as my baby. *sighs* I have Georgia to go through with this next. But then again, she will always be the baby of the family! :-)





*Not that single parents make BAD parents – I certainly didn’t and I know many that are great parents….

I Was Welcomed Home.........

This morning I became an American citizen!

So today was my Naturalization Ceremony! It was AWESOME. It took us an HOUR to get downtown from Mentor on the Lake what with the snow and we were running like idiots to get to the court house on time for 8:00 am......

Luckily lots of other people were running late so that was good.

There were roughly 250+ people in the room and the people who were there for me took over a full row! The people who were being sworn in were asked to go to the front and sign paperwork and we received a nice letter from the President, the Governor and the Senators. Then the judge came in at about 9:15 and gave a nice speech about how America isn't a 'melting pot' but more of a 'stew'........ You had to have been there! LOL

A friend of mine had told me that at a ceremony he had been to the judge gave people the opportunity to come to the front and give some kind of speech about what the whole ceremony meant to them. I didn't have anything prepared really, but everyone who was there for me urged me to say something. I went to the front of the room, thanked everyone for being there for me (cried a bit) and gave a short speech. Then I sat down. I was the only person who got up to say anything.

Then we were sworn in "Raise your right hand ........" etc., and Bob's your Uncle it was over and done with! We were handed our certificates and it was over. It was a really REALLY nice ceremony and I'm so happy that I had people there for me - and I wish the ones that couldn't get there for weather/work reasons could have been there but I understand completely. Michelle took LOADS of photographs and one person made a video of the whole thing so I'm sure Michelle will make that available as and when.....

What a great great day! Someone came up to me afterward and thanked me for saying what I said and that it mean A LOT to them.......

When I was handed my certificate I was told "Welcome Home....."

As if the day so far wasn't good enough, I came home to find a video that was sent by my best friend Michael and a few other friends!

It made me cry! Thank you EVERYONE! Really, THANK YOU!

Hhhhmmmm I'm THAT old?

Yesterday afternoon as I was tidying the house for my party this weekend, I came across a bunch of old VHS videos. Not THOSE kind of videos - I don't have any of those lying around for just anyone to see at all. One of those videos was labeled "Brenda's 40th birthday" - Brenda being my mum. This video was made 17 years ago!

I gathered the kids around, shoved the cassette into the recorder and we settled in.

Hhhhhmmmmmm.

About that.

Here are a few notes I made to myself while watching it;

1. OH GOD - What was I thinking at 22 years old?
2. Eeeewww - my parents are about to make out!
3. Someone is deliberately asking for Womack and Womack?.
4. LMAO of at my younger brother Richard trying to dance and chat up the laydeees...
5. I miss going to the pub and having a good old party and dance and drinking and laughing and chilling with my mates and my parents.
6. I'm glad my kids are seeing this (both my parents have passed away and they got to see my dad who died 17 years ago who they never got to know).

But the two most interesting things I came away with after watching this video?

Well, first of all, I remember the party and I mostly remember thinking my mum was old. There. I said it. I thought she was old. Then a bolt of lightening bit me in the arse as I realised that "Hang on a minute, I'm going to be THAT old next year! HOLY CRAP!!!!!" I am the kind of person that jokes about getting older but I could care less how old I am really. I mean, worrying isn't going to make me any younger is it? No, so why stress? I don't. But I immediately started comparing myself to my mum and wondered if she felt the same as I do at my age? Did she think that age is just a number? Did she think that deep down inside she was a spring chicken? Luckily my kids told me that I don't act THAT old..........*

The second interesting thing that hit me didn't really spring to mind until this afternoon. Yesterday would have been her 57th birthday. How strange that I found the video the DAY of her birthday. Once I told the kids that they both laughed and thought she must have had something to do with it......


*Yeah - they actually said that!

In No Particular Order......

Got Older

Passed Immigration interview/test

Bought a fish

Named aforementioned fish "Frank 'Hercules' Spencer"

Got annoyed

Got happy again

Watched two deer chasing a woman down the street

Watched America embrace change

Got Drunk

Sobered up

Worked a shift

Laughed hard

Slept with 3 dogs

Escaped costumed characters

Got fat-ter

Enjoyed flowers

Cried

Cut hair

Donated

Relaxed

Slept

But really, not much happened to blog about! :-)

Worthy of a book I'm sure......

Do you ever sometimes look at the folk you work with and think "God, I could write a book about these people and what goes on here?"

I'm so sodding tempted!

The Grudge........

and no, not the Japanese movie!

I've been thinking a lot recently about my life and the people in it. The people I like, the people I love and the people that I have a STRONG dislikation* for. This got me thinking about grudges that I hold and it wasn't until I started thinking about these people that I realized just how many grudges there are! There are loads it turns out.

I used my amazing superhuman skills Googled 'grudge' and ooh, holding grudges is pretty bad for you apparently. In fact, I think the definition "Grudge : Holding a grudge for someone shows emotional imbalance" pretty much nails it.

A grudge is defined as "resentment strong enough to justify retaliation". Everyone has, at some time or other, been hurt deeply by someone close. Bitterness about the person or situation leads to a grudge. Personal injustice ignites resentment in heart, which turns into a grudge. Since grudge is a form of resentment, a person who bears grudge may become revengeful. Instead of focusing on what he needs to solve a problem, for instance, he may spend most of his time thinking of ways to get back at whom he resents. This can be dangerous for there is a possibility of injuries.

Why is that I some people choose to spend time on holding a grudge rather than just getting on with their own lives? What happened in my life that made me such a mean person? A person that will just "never let it lie"? I KNOW that this is one thing that people notice about me. George often laughs at how I refuse to give in, how I just always have to win, how I'm never going to forget. How did I become this person? How did I go from being the Andrea that didn't give a shit and was just a care-free person to the 'vengeful-grudge-holding bitch' I am today?

I thought about it, while researching again, Googling, and I came across the 12 step program that people suffering from addiction use as their 'mantra' I suppose. I guess my grudge-holding is a form of addiction depending on how you look at it.

I'm not a religious person so all the God related steps went right out of the window (Ooooh, do I hold a grudge against God? Don't think so......) and then I got to steps 8 and 9.

Step 8.

Make a list of all persons we have harmed, and become willing to make amends to them all.

OK. I can do the list thingy, that's a piece of piss, but just how far back do I go? All the way back to when Philippa Edwards stole the main part in the nativity play at primary school (Yes, I am that much of a grudge holder) or just back to when my boyfriend cheated on me? Then, once that loooooong list is made, I have to think about whether I am willing to make amends. But how do you do that? Is an apology for holding a grudge enough? Half of the people probably don't even know I HOLD a grudge never mind think badly of them.....


Step 9

Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

See, I think this is my 'get out of jail free' card in this one. 'except when to do so would injure them or others'. There are some people that I hold such HUGE grudges for that the mere sight of them makes me want to throttle the living crap out of them.

Really. I know. That's bad.

So, once I've made this loooooong list, I should go through it and strike out the names of those who belong on another list. A list to be hidden in case the police come a-lookin' (just kidding.....).

So, thus far, I have a list and beside each name, is the reason I hold a grudge. Then I have to find a way of contacting these people to right the wrong.

This is where my internal struggles start. You see, I am holding a grudge for a reason. If an ex cheated on me several times, why should I call him to 'let go....' ? I guess because it makes me a better person? It makes me a bigger person ? Forgiving? I read somewhere that "Releasing this grudge through forgiveness will result in a brand new surge of emotional and physical energy. It is difficult, if not impossible, to forgive an offense. Therefore, when we cannot forget an offense, we can choose not to dwell on it. We cannot fully erase the memory banks of our mind but we do have the power to refuse to think on past injustices, once forgiven."

I guess then, that over the next few days, in preparation of this grudge-purge, I should free my mind, not dwell and just LET IT GO.

LET.

IT.

GO.

I'm told that the best way to forget is to improve our behavior and circumstances until we feel safe enough to let go of bitter memories. If someone has upset us in the past, we should try to work out some kind of agreement with the person so you can feel reasonably sure it will not happen again. Easier said than done.

I have thought long and hard about this over the past few days and I am willing to take baby steps with this. There are still people who I wouldn't spit on if they were on fire say hello to, but other people I have deep vengeful feelings for**, well, I should try to fix that. I'll let you know how it goes.

*yep. Made up word.
**Yes, I am aware that people probably feel the same about me too.

My Friends, this is what I will be doing tonight....

Tonight, George and I will be enjoying a short* drinking game.

Basically, the rules are simple and as follows:

Tonight, during the Republican National Convention, every time John McCain utters that patronizing** phrase "My friends..............." take a shot of whatever liquor you like.



That's it. You think you won't get drunk within the first 20 minutes?







Hic!

p.s. I shall be raising my shot-glass to Obama with each and every "My friends....." that comes along! :-)



*short because he says it so often.
** can you tell I don't like him?

60lbs

After being told that having my hair cut short "won't make the 60lbs I had gained during my marriage disappear" I still went for it.

I like it.

Fingerprints, schmingerprints.......

On Friday afternoon I received a letter in the mail from the INS (who are now known as USCIS - United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and I thought to myself "Is this IT?" My letter of acceptance? My interview and test date? The thing I've been waiting for now for a couple of years?

My heart was a-flutter and my palms began to sweat.......

Nervously, I trembled as I tore open the letter, my eyes catching the now well-known look of the green heavily-watermarked Immigration letter.....

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and started to read.

"Your fingerprint card (FD-258) on file with the USCIS has expired. In order for the USCIS to continue processing your application, it will be necessary to have your fingerprints re-taken"

Fuck it. I'm just going to cut off all my fingers and mail them so that the next time the card expires, they can save the postage and hassle and just go into my file and do it right there and then. You know, so as not to WASTE ANYMORE GOD-DAMNED TIME!!!!!!! You know what Mr Fingerprint expert at the USCIS? Try SPEEDING UP MY APPLICATION PROCESS and maybe my fingerprints won't expire!!!!!!

I ask you, have you ever heard anything more fucking ridiculous? Fingerprints expiring! *shakes head and rolls eyes all dramatic-like*

This will now be the third time in two years I have had to go downtown and be fingerprinted. SIX times since I moved to the US.

George was so incensed he wrote a letter to two Senators and a Governor! (on the advice of my Immigration lawyer). THAT was awesome.

But hey ho............ it's not like I have a life to live, a job to work wherein I can pay taxes to a Government that doesn't seem to want me as it's citizen but is more than happy to accept my money, or other stuff that can't be put on hold so I can take all sodding day to go downtown, wait hours in line and be RE-fingerprinted!

So, anything made you mad lately? Like, Immigration-style mad? Take a seat and tell me all about it.............................


Oh, and apologies for the swearing, but really, I'm THAT mad! Here is a picture you may be familiar with in which I complain again..........

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy................?

It's been a bit crazy here in the Knapp household what with injuries and work and photography etc., so I decided to take the night off and have some fun. A friend and I got tickets to see Rod Stewart ~ I know, I know, Rod Stewart.

Turns out that Bryan Adams was warming up for him so that made it doubly delicious! The concert was at the Blossom Arena which for those of you that don't know, is an outdoor pavillion. Half the arena is under cover, the other half is open air and on a hill. Well, the weather has been nice lately so we bought the outdoor tickets ~ considerably cheaper too!

Anyway, just as Bryan Adams was finishing his awesome set (totally buying his new album btw), the skies opened and we were hit with a torrential downpour that didn't stop until we headed home! It was lots of fun though and we danced and we sang and we fell in love with Rod all over again.... I HAVE to say though that even though he is knocking on in years, Rod gives good concert! Here is a snippet of the fun we had (the laughter comes as we are ironically standing in the cold rain):



Other than that, bugger all is going on ~ either that or I'm too busy to notice. We are getting a new roof today if that is of any interest to anyone!

Back at ya later......

Oh, here is one of my favorite pictures that I took recently!