A shopping cart, a toe, and a boy

While I have been debating on whether to blog about this story or not, I have decided it is just too funny to go untold.

Can we stop by the grocery? I need to pick up a few things, Brooke asks, as they near the red light. Sure, but I will stay in the car, Wes replies.

She reaches for the 2-liter Coke Zero, turns in a haste as to not keep him waiting too long, and feels the pressure of some type of conflict with the shopping cart wheel and her big toe, curses, and looks down only to see the big toenail on her right foot turning dark purple. Before her brain can even process the color, it happens.... BLOOD!! Blood that is pouring seeping out from under her toenail getting on her silver sandal, getting on the grocery store floor. She feels their heat, the burning in her eyes. She searches frantically for a napkin, a tissue, anything. She spots napkins on the deli counter at the same time she feels the wet warmth of a tear roll down her check.

I am not crying in the grocery store. I AM NOT CRYING IN THE GROCERY STORE! Okay, it hurts BAD, I am crying in the grocery store. Just get the groceries and get OUT! 

Of course, she could not leave without her needed groceries, now that would be a tragedy. She limps her way up and down the necessary isles trying to control the tears. Everyone looks at her like she is crazy, but much to her delight, no one asks if she is okay.  She flings open the truck door, slings the groceries into the back, opens up the flood gates, and sobs, Babe, I got hurt REAL BAD!!! He comes around to her side, assesses the damage, and patiently and lovingly agrees she is hurt but maybe not REAL BAD. He agrees to get the groceries out of the truck while she tends to the toe.

 Oh my gosh!! The milk spilled in the back seat of my truck!! Seriously!!

8 day later....

She is sick with a cold. She explains to her class that because she cannot breath they will watch a movie on snakes. One loving child wants her to feel better so he walks up, arms spread, gets a little too close, and steps on the BIG toe! She gasps, my toe!! Leans forward still in his embrace, feels the heat, the burning in her eyes; it hurts BAD! The class gasps. She tries to recover, but her voice is shaky. Oh, it's okay! My toe was already hurt. It is not your fault. She quickly puts the students to a task, runs behind the desk, rips off her shoe, and sees it. BLOOD! She limps through the day and is pretty sure she is going to loose the toenail on her big toe on her right foot.

And just when she thought she was going to be able to get a 10 toe pedicure. You see, the toenail on her big toe on her left foot just grew back in from an unknown injury a year ago. Oh, the toe trauma.

Until next time...

XOXOXOXOXO

Prayer for a Dear Friend

A friend who I spent many days drinking cherry Dr. Pepper with and laughing my head off with is in need of your prayers. She was recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia and is undergoing intensive treatment.

Her sweet sister is keeping a blog to update us all with specific prayer requests. Follow her at www.jennifer-sample.blogspot.com and take a moment to lift her, her husband, and her family up to God.

Until next time...

XOXOXO

September 11, 2001... We remember!

Kosciusko, MS, Brooke. September 11, 2001, I woke up before the blazing sun which was quit unusual for my 20 year old self with a part-time job that didn't start until 1pm. Never the less, there were muscadines to be picked and sold to the local grocery store in an effort to pad my savings account for the apartment/house I was determined to rent and furnish by the end of the year. As the sun came up and began to beat down on my body, I had 2 five gallon buckets of berries and headed inside to cool off and possibly take a nap.

As I pulled my boots off at the back door, I heard my phone ringing but didn't get in a hurry to answer it. A quick glance at my phone showed 6 or 7 missed calls from my boyfriend, Frankie. Knowing that was extremely strange because he should have been at work, I called him back, immediately. There was no hello, only, "Turn the TV on, something bad has happened!" I did as I was instructed in a blur of confusion. He said, "They are reporting we have been attacked by terrorist."

The first thing I saw when the TV came on was a lady running as fast as she could down a New York street and ducking behind a car. She was covered in ashes. Frankie nor I spoke, but I continued to hold the phone to my ear as my brain began to comprehend what had happened. Planes had hit the North and South towers in New York, one plane crashed into the Pentagon, and one went down on a field in Pennsylvania because a group of courageous people fought back. By this time, the first tower had already fallen, and you could hear urgency and hysteria in all the reporters voices. At some point Frankie and I must have hung up with one another because I called my mom at work to make sure she knew what was going on. I had not moved from standing in front the TV in my parents living room. I remember her saying, "Oh, it is so sad, Brooke." I responded with, "Oh my God, the second tower just fell; I am watching a live news feed!" Tears filled my eyes, as I explained, "Momma, all those people just died." She tried to reassure me and herself by saying,  "Oh no, I am sure it was just a replay of the first tower falling." I assured her; it was not.

The rest of the morning was spent staring at that TV and sorting out what had happened. I finally rushed through a shower not wanting to miss a second of the news before I had to leave to go work at the public library. Between the hours of 1pm-6pm, not a single soul entered the library. We (the employees) took turns going  upstairs to watch the news. We, like the rest of the world, found ourselves in state of shock that has yet to wear off.

AAE bulletin board 2011

 New York, NY, Wes. 1, 159 miles away in New York City, I received a phone call from my girlfriend, Rebecca. She cried in hysterics as she explained that while riding the ferry to work she watched two planes fly into both of the towers that made up the World Trade Center. I lived in West New York/New Jersey and could see Manhattan Island from my apartment balcony. Not yet comprehending what was happening, I  looked out my window and saw smoke billowing from the towers. I woke up my roommates, immediately, and turned on the TV. The TV screen and the view from my window were mostly identical.

Reporters were just beginning to speculate that America had been the victim of a terrorist attack. I saw the first tower begin falling on the TV and watched it crumble to the ground out of my apartment window. I, then,  called my sister who lives in NY to make sure she was okay. While leaving a message for my mom to let her know I was safe, I watched the second tower collapse outside the window.

The thing I remember most about that day was how beautiful it was... no clouds in the sky, cool temperatures, and the bluest skies. I remember how quiet it was, no planes in the sky, no traffic, no one talking as they returned from the city either by ferry or by foot as all traffic was closed in and out of the city. You could finally hear the birds singing. Around mid-day, the scent of an electrical fire made its way to my apartment. My skyline view of the twin towers was replaced with pillars of smoke. When asked what it was like that day, I can only respond with the word, shock.

Until next time...

OXOXOXXOX

A special thanks to Wes for sharing his story with me.

Top Eight events, I didn't write about in August

Well, I haven't blogged in a while. I am not really sure why. I suppose I didn't consider anything publish worthy at the times they were taking place. But reminiscing on it a few note worthy events did occur.

1.  School started.... need I say more.
2.  Mississippi State killed Memphis in the opening game. Expected, but so fun!
3.  Jess and Paul bought and moved into a house.
4.  Tropical storm Lee rained out our Labor Day plans and
5.  caused us to close our pool a little earlier than planned, but hey, I don't have to deal with a single acorn, now!
6.  began getting up at 5:15 three days a week to run.. OMG!
7. had a fun night of Boo-ray and ice cream sundaes with my friends.
8. Wes is seriously considering getting a dog, which is pretty much a miracle! 


Yeah, it was a pretty boring relaxing month.

Until next time...

XOXOXOXO

I swim in that water?!?!

In July, Wes' mom and step dad came for a visit. For our entertainment one day, we fished for shark in the same water that I had just been swimming in four days before. Makes you think!

Until next time....

XOXOXOXOX

My Mississippi

Increasingly over time, I have begun to notice that people who weren't born and raised in Mississippi, even if they have visited, have a distorted view of our glorious state. The extent to which they are willing to believe certain things astonishes me. Things such as the idea that people don't wear shoes when grocery shopping, that all  hospitals only have one doctor, and he/she lives hours away from the facility, and that Mississippi is only good for producing racism and rednecks.

My Mississippi is nothing like that! My Mississippi is a place whose namesake was anointed to a mighty river, the largest river in North America as a matter of fact. A place were riverboats churn and trains whistle. This is a place where a story teller with a slow southern drawl lures you in and holds you for awhile with a tale so outrageous it must be true. It's the place that birthed Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Willie Morris, Shelby Foote, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, Stephen Ambrose, Walter Anderson, and John Grisham. People whose works are not only considered masterpieces, but whose words stood for and affected social change. My Mississippi cuddled Jim Henson as he dreamed of Miss Piggy and Kermit. In my Mississippi, the blues of B.B King rolls into our ears, warms our souls, and spreads smiles onto our faces. It's a place where our hips still shake to the beat of an Elvis song.Our eyes gaze upon fields of snow white cotton fields, not forgetting the past, but grateful for the present. It's a place were pine trees reaching for the heavens replace skyscrapers, magnolia's burst into bloom, and mockingbird's sweetly sing. My Mississippi is a place were fried chicken and mashed potatoes, shrimp and grits, tomatoes sandwiches, and sweet tea are on the menu at restaurants and at your best friend's house. It is a place were we brew our own booze and call it Lazy Magnolia. It boast outstanding plantation homes that hold an aura of mystery as to the skeletons in their closets. After all, what fun would it be for a southerner to live in a place with no secrets. In this place, hospitality and gossip abound with hugs and kisses and "ya'll come on in." My Mississippi is an innovative leader in Polymer Science, and tests rockets for NASA at Stennis Space Center. Fun can be found in catching lighting bugs, jumping into a creek, or stomping through a mud puddle. In my Mississippi, Eagles, Bulldawgs, and Rebels fight for a touchdown on Saturdays. Sandy white beaches glitter beneath my feet and draw me into the Mississippi Sound where bottle-nose dolphins play, fishing abounds, and the sun turns us a toasty brown. My Mississippi wraps me in a blanket of warmth and sings me to sleep with the song of a cicada. So come on in, ya'll, to my Mississippi.  

I loved to hear about your Mississippi.

Until next time...

XOXOXOXOX

Scenario Ideas and CVS

The CVS ad is very light this week. However, it is a good week to stock up on things if you are just beginning to coupon.

Remember at CVS, you must have a card. Be sure to check the item sizes to ensure you are getting the product that is on sale. It is important to remember that stocking up doesn't mean leaving the store with a buggy full of stuff. It means leaving with the stuff you need when items are at their lowest prices and using coupons if/when you have them.

If I were just beginning, my scenario would look like this:

Transaction #1 (Because there are not BIG ECB deals, I will get them all in one transaction.)

1 Oral B Indicator toothbrush$1.99
1 12.6 oz Pantene Pro-V Shampoo $3.48
1 12.6 oz Pantene Pro-V Condition $3.48
1 11.6-12.8oz Colgate Advance whitening toothpaste, twin pack $2.99

Use:
$2.00 Oral-B Indicator PG 7/03
$3.00/2 Pantene SS 6/19
$.50/1 Colgate SS7/10

Total due (w/tax): $7.29
Get back ECB's: $5.00 ($1, $2, $2)

Transaction #2

1 Cottonelle Ultra tissue 18pk $8.99

Use:
$.75/1 Cottonelle 12+  SS 7/17
$1.00 ECB
$2.00 ECB
$2.00 ECB

Total due (w/tax): $3.87

Total for all transactions: $11.16

Leave a comment or message me, if you have questions.

Until next time..

XOXOXO