High School Creative Writing Class....

The first half of my senior year I took a Creative Writing Class. It was one of my most memorable classes. One of the things we had to do was keep a journal. I had tried to keep a diary or journal in the past but was not very good at it. I had to do it for this class. Recently I was digging up old photos from back in the day and came across this journal. I had found some other old journals a while back and they were just awful....I'm tellin' ya. But this one...well it is a little better. I will say this - I remember being a little boy crazy but NOT like the journal tells it. Wow. That is mostly what I talked about. But there are a few other things I thought I would share. It is funny because it has been so long I forgot a lot of it but I really haven't changed much at all. And here I thought I had!? Well, enjoy a little "younger" version of Delilah.....

8/29/1990 Well, this is my first journal entry. How exciting. I'm not really sure what to write so - I'll just tell about my first day of being a senior. Well, I wasn't happy to get back. I dread the hard work. We realeased balloons this morning. It was nice but, I'd prefer not to litter. I saw a lot of my firends and I was surprised how different they looked. I had a lot of homework. My sister helped me carry my books. My schedule was missing my independent study. I came home and all heck broke loose. Me & my boyfriend got into a fight. I had to go to work, etc...

8/30/1990 Today went by too fast. I am in yearbook. Mrs. Blackburn is talking. I am the Editor. I am home now and (I'll leave his name out) is standing in my doorway. He bugs me. He has a VHS Frosh Jersey on & grey semi-tight sweats. It's gross. They are tight at the top & it squishes his cellulite to the top and it overflows. I hate to be mean but, he is so dorky at times. He's telling me a story about EHOVE. Sometimes he lies to "impress" me. I hope Mitch calls soon. He was at softball practice. Whe he calls late I always get a nervous feeling inside. I hate it. Sometimes I can't stand it so much that I call him. It's because of stress.


I'll type more tommorow.

Wordless Wednesday...Is this against the law?

Wordless Wednesday

Kamikaze & Freshman Gym Class.

It is strange when I think back to my high school days. There is so much I can't actually remember. The main things I remember about high school are: my older boyfriend (he was around for most all of it so I can't really separate those memories), my youth group (he was there too), my friend Stephanie (partners in crime - LOL) and crazy stuff like this freshman gym class I was in. In our school we had to take gym our freshman and sophmore years. You had to have those two gym credits to graduate. I am not sure why the school scheduled it this way but half of the girls in my class were freshman girls and the other half were sophmore girls who had flunked gym the previous year. Those girls were scary! I can't remember everyone in the class but it is crazy how many I actually do remember ( Stephanie Norris, Debbie Rowe, Brooke Benedict, Heidi Morrow (rip), Dee Speckheart, Stacey Webb, Sandy Mills...) I know there were a bunch of other people I just don't remember who. Either way...it was a cut throat kinda class. I feared for my life. Seriously. When we played basketball I went home with bruises and scratches. It was full body contact basketball. The teacher was this nice lady we called "Winnie". Her husband was a math teacher and she was what you would expect of a woman gym teacher. (I can't believe I just said that). I never saw her as very feminine but thinking back it would be difficult to be girly in a gym suit. Anyhoo....in this class we would play this game called "Kamikazi". Let me explain. They put us in the "wrestling room". It is a smaller room with wrestling mats. I don't know if all schools have a special room for wrestlers but ours did. A friend of mine did dirty things with her boyfriend in that room (that is a story I don't need to share). The mats were rolled up and off to the side. I can't give you even an estimate of what size the room was but it was probably the size of a classroom. So we were put into teams and divided on either side of the room. Then the games began. I forget how many balls we were given - I think 2-4. We played "dodgeball" at close range with multiple balls. Isn't that insane? Do you know how bad it hurt when a ball hit you? I can still feel the sting. I HATED it. Looking back I am not sure why I didn't just try to get out right away but I didn't. I always tried so hard. I wasn't very good at it. The mean girls were great. I think they liked it. They would look at the freshman girls and point at who they were going to hit the hardest. Okay, maybe that is a slight exageration but that is how I want to remember it. There was this bully in the class. She had been a bully back in middle school too. She was always threatening to beat me up. I was so scared of her. I went out of my way to avoid her because she was out to get me. No matter what I did she hated my guts. Well, she was always yelling at someone in that class. Each week she would pick someone new to threaten. One day she was yelling at one of the girls in the class. I remember I was looking at a Sassy magazine with Debbie Rowe and I heard the bully just yelling at this girl while she was getting dressed. My blood was starting to boil. So...I stood up and I yelled at her. I told her I was sick of hearing her pick on someone new every week. I figured my week was coming up soon so I might as well get a head start. I said, "you have been threatening to beat me up since I was in 7th grade and you have never done a thing about it - and you are always threatening someone. So, either do it or shut up!" She was so shocked that anyone (especially me) would stand up to her. I heard someone say, "Winnie - Delilah is going to beat so-in-so up" so I decided to leave the locker room. When I turned the girl hit me in the back - with a girl punch at that.... I was a little stunned and turned but the teacher was already there (at that point I thanked God because I still didn't want the girl to beat me up). She ended up getting suspended. I got nothing. She never bothered me again. I don't even remember her later in High School. She may have moved for all I know. But I have thought of her over the years. I wonder what was going on in her life that made her so angry. Now that I am all grown up - I know she did not have a charmed life. She acted that way - always picking on someone - for a reason. I kinda feel sorry for her.

What have I been eating????

As you all know I have had to change some of my eating habits. I thought it was going to be dreadful but it really isn't that bad. I had already given up Fast Food for New Years (well, I did eat a salad at McDonalds on Monday) so I had a few weeks of "lunch planning" under my belt. It is really easy right now since I don't have many appointments during the day. I am not a big bread eater...I am, however, a snacker...most of my "snacks" contain wheat, corn or eggs. I have been eating a lot more fruit, veggies and yogurt (the kind w.out corn syrup). I do miss pizza (already). As I am typing I have a wheat free, corn free, egg free pizza in the oven - made from scratch of course... I'll let you know how it tastes. The dough definitely had a different consistency. For me the sauce is the most important part of a pizza and I make the best sauce so it should be good.

Anyhoo...over at Stop the Ride, Stephanie is doing this "What's For Dinner" thingy (meme? - I don't know what to call it: maybe "weekly event"). I will join in...here is what the Millers ate for dinner this week....



Saturday- Leftovers (I made a big pot of Oatmeal with toppings for Breakfast)
Sunday - Baked Potato Bar (sour cream, salsa, cheese, broccoli, homemade butter...)
Monday - Pan fried, thin pork chops, steamed cabbage w. dill, fried potatoes (leftover from the baked pot. the day before) & glazed carrots.
Tuesday - Pinto Beans & smoked sausage
Wednesday - Chicken breast & Bean Salsa (leftover pintos w/ tomato & cilantro).
Thursday - French Onion Soup (Homemade - I skipped the bread on mine), Salad & Fruit.
Friday - Brie Cheese (softened in the microwave) on Apples. (It was just me & Avery so we mostly snacked....)

Can I just say...French Onion Soup is the easiest thing to make. If you like it I highly suggest trying it at home. My kids even liked it and thought it was cool they got to eat out of coffee mugs.

To see what Steph and others had for Dinner go over to Stop The Ride.....

A Friday Fill-In fer ye...

1. Oh, I am so craving a thin crust, veggie pizza from Donatos!

2. I laugh in the face of changes, big and little.

3. During Grey's Anatomy, I cried, last night.

4. I can't eat WHEAT!!!!; are you kidding me???

5. Right now I'd like to be on a beach in the Virgin Islands (someone please send me there).

6. My pressure cooker is currently my favorite gadget.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching movies, tomorrow my plans include working on Scrapbooks and reading a good book and Sunday, I want to stay warm (it is only going to be 15 degrees)!

For more Friday Fill-ins Go HERE.

Facebook and me....

Work has been dreadfully boring. As it turns out our new contract does not start until Feb. 1 so......I am sitting around doing nothing. Well, not really. I have been sitting in front of a computer for HOURS this week. God love the people that do this all the time. I'd rather do MANY, MANY other things...including scrape cock roaches off someones kitchen counter than sit in front of this computer for another minute. This morning I did get out and helped someone move some stuff from one shelter to another. That was short. Then I came back to Kent and there was a donation of Christmas gifts here....an odd thing on January 23rd. Regardless, I spend 1/2 hour or so opening gifts. That was fun, while it lasted.

So, last week I decided to hook up with facebook. Sherry signed up and I thought it was time for me to join the rest of the free world too. So, with the extra time on my hands and my new relationship with facebook.............well, it has been out of hand this week. I have looked up and searched and poked around and talked to SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people I haven't heard from in YEARS. It is really cool. In fact, it may be inspiring some new blog posts about the past. My. Crazy. Past. When I have talked about the past I usually talk about the college years but I think it is time to jump back to High School. I may have been wild in college but in High School I was sweet. I was a good kid. I had a few incidents but overall I was good. I will work on some new posts this weekend!

A Love Story....

I have been meaing to write about this....

I have mentioned before that my Dad has 9 brothers & sisters. He is the second youngest. His oldest sister, Carmel, was already married and had children when he was born. I am really sad to say, my Aunt Carmel passed away on January 4th. She had alzeimers. She was married to her husband, Clint, for 68 years. Man, that is a long time. Jake and I would have to live to be 95 to be married that long!!!! Well, if you read her obituary you will see you was survived by her husband. Right after her funeral he became ill and he passed away 6 days later. How horrible for the family but what a sweet love story.

It's the end of the world as you know it.....

A long time ago there was this radio station in Cleveland that was changing formats and they played the song "It's the end of the world as you know it" by REM over and over for 24 hours. For me it hasn't been a full 24 hours yet but last night I got a phone call that will change my life forever. I will start by saying I am not dying or anything....I won't keep you hanging on that. But as many of you know, for quite some time I have had MANY ailments that can't quite be explained. Thinning hair, bad nails, unexplained rashes, extra heart beats, brain fog, tiredness, oh the list can go on and on. I have been going to the doctor for years complaining of this and that. I fired one doctor and moved on to another. I was given diagnosises without adequate testing and when the medications haven't worked it is forgotten about until I feel the symptoms are unbearable and I go back to the doctor. Pretty much I have felt like somewhat of a hypocondriac because of the way I have been treated and looked at strangely. So, in October my doc gave me a paper for some blood work. I am embarassed to say I didn't get it done until recently. Mostly it was for normal cholesterol and such but there was another test for allegies. Back in the day they used to have to do that scratch test but now they can do it with blood. There are hundreds of these blood allergy tests. When I got to the place to get the bloodwork done the woman at the desk had to call the doc to see which allergy test he wanted me to have. He said for Food Allergies. I was disappointed because I felt like it was a waste of a test. Anyhooo..... A couple of weeks have gone by and I haven't gotten the results. In the mean time I was taking this long hot bath and reading a magazine that has an article in it about childhood food allergies. I immediately thought Elise has an allergy to wheat. I called her doc and he said he thought it may be possible and to take her off wheat for the next 10 days. When I started researching the allergy I starting thinking....wait a minute....I think I am allergic to wheat. Wheat is a tough thing to avoid. Well, last night, after dinner I got a phone call from the doc's office and they confirmed I am allergic to wheat. But there is more. I am also allergic to CORN. Do you understand corn is in everything! Oh, and I am allergic to EGGS! Wheat, corn and eggs. What will I eat? Every last one of my symptoms can be explained by these allergies. Amazing. They are bad enough I will give up these foods. I am not sure how I will do this. I can be stubborn and I do have willpower...I just don't like to use it. All I do know it...my life is changed. No pizza. No cake. No brownies. No coffeemate creamer. No chips and salsa. No beer. No cornbread. No doritos. No warm crusty bread or soft buttery yeast rolls. No lasagna. No spaghetti. No cookies. And don't even get me started on health and beauty aids.....everything has corn & wheat in it. I guess that is why certain shampoos have always made my hair fall out.

Instead of dwelling on what I can't eat or use, I will cling to the hopes of finally having thick, lush hair, clear skin and a skinny arse. Oh, and this my bring Make it from scratch up to a new level for me.

I will keep you updated but please keep me and (especially) Elise in your prayers.

666

This is my 666th post. I am not that superstitious but I am going to skip this post. Stay tuned for 667....I am working on it.

Now you can get hooked too.......

Junkies always want other people to be junkies too! As you know, I am a talk radio junkie. I listen to WNIR all the time. I don't always agree with everything they say but I think they are great! But don't let me convince you....now you can listen on your own! After months of saying they are going to be streaming....they finally got all the bugs worked out and you can listen from your computer!

This is NOT a paid advertisement....I really am this big of a nerd. Check it out for yourself!

Under Pressure.....

No, I am not talking about stress. I am practically stress free this week! I am speaking about cooking. A couple of years ago I got a fantastic deal on a pressure cooker. I snatched it up and brought it home. I didn't use if for a long time. Then I tried cabbage rolls. It was awesome....they took about 1/2 hour! Isn't that just crazy? Well, again I didn't use it for the longest time until recently. I have been using it all the time. It is great. I cooked chicken breast on the bone in 10 minutes. A roast with veggies only took Jake 40 minutes. I am so in love with this gadget! I have great intentions with planning my meals...it is the execution of the plan that troubles me. The pressure cooker is my answer! The crock pot is great but it takes time in the mornings, which is always chaotic for me.

For those of you worried about the thing exploding - I will admit I was a little nervous at first - they are practically fool proof these days! All the latest pressure cookers come with safety devices that won't allow them to explode. Seriously I encourage everyone to try cooking this way!

For those of you concerned....

I have just completed my notes. I have been extrememely behind and although it has been causing me a large amount of distress.........I have been procrastinating like CRAZY. My desk is clean, I've posted how many times in the last three days, I've talked, I've made phone calls, I've organized and cleaned out.................finally I just finished my last one!!! Yippy!

Lost Friends....

I have been thinking lately about friends. I have been blessed throughout my life with great friends. No matter what stage I was going through or where I was I always got to know intersting and fabulous people. I could sit and tell you stories all day long. I have shared a few with you along the way....so you already know a little. Anyhoo. There is a reason for this post. Although I have had many people touch my life I have lost many friends through the years. Many times when my circumstance changed or when I moved I lost contact with friends. A great example of that is work. I have worked jobs and befriended a many coworker. I have taken a few friendships with me when I was no longer employed but many times people I saw on a daily basis and even spent time outside of work with just got lost. That is really the only way I can explain it. Sometimes you just take for granted a person will always be there and then you loose touch. I do have friends that even if we don't talk for a very long time - when we do it is like time never passed between us. I love that. A few months ago Jake and I were out to eat and I saw this girl who I thought looked familiar. I asked if she used to work at Allstate. She was so shocked and said "Yes, like forever ago." She was pregnant at the time. She had a young teen girl sitting with her. I said, I am Delilah. She was suprised to see me and she laughed and told the people she was with....I was just telling you a story about her! Funny. We exchanged cards but haven't spoken since. I'm not sure why.

When I first went to Kent I worked at Toys R Us. I met this girl named Lisa. She was from Struthers or Poland Ohio. She went to the University of Akron. We immediately clicked and started hanging out all the time. We dated guys that were best friends. LOL. She went to Columbus with me to visit another friend. I still have pictures of her. Well, after hanging out with me for one semester she, unfortunately, flunked her fisrt semester of college and didn't make it back for a second. We kept in contact for a while but I have no idea where she is now. I can't even remember her last name.

So, many of you know my story of my "best friend" who basically dumped me after I got married and then got pregnant. I haven't ever blogged about it because I honestly, don't even really understand what happened. Funny, thinking about it many of you were dumped too. Regardless....I tried to talk to her about it a couple of years later and she told me she wasn't interesting in my "negativity". Still....a little in shock about that, since I still don't know why she went from being a friend to a foe overnight. Maybe it was coming for a while and I just didn't see it. So....she and I work in the same field. A couple of years ago my sister ran into her dad and come to find out - she lived only a few short blocks from me. Later Jake was looking at the property transfers in the newspaper and saw she bought a house not quite as close but in the same city....on the same side of the tracks! I have never run into her anywhere. I had just said a couple of weeks ago, that if she saw me she probably wouldn't talk to me or she would avoid me. Well, a couple of Sunday's ago I got to put that very theory to test. Jake and I went to the grocery store after church. He dropped me off at the door so he could get gas, then he was going to meet me inside. I got out and went on my way. When we were leaving the store, Jake said..."Did you see Tiffany?" I said, What???? He said she was right behind you when you got out of the car! Are you kidding me? Sure enough right then we walked past her car. He said there was absolutely NO WAY she could not have seen you. Maybe she didn't. I can't know for sure because I didn't see her - she was behind me. I am really at a loss...... I guess it isn't meant for me to ever understand. I used to think, "Someday when I talk to Tiffany again I will tell her I ran into this person or about this happening." I don't think that anymore. If she had talked to me in the store I would have been friendly, smiled, asked her how she was...... I don't think we will ever be friends again. Too much...too long... Ya know?

Well, lucky for me occassionally I will run into an old friend and reunite....although at times it is brief. I love when that happens. Myspace, my blog, Facebook, Classmates....I love 'em. Maybe next time I will post "Lost Friends Found"!

Free Hugs...

I just found this on Youtube. I was at Toys for Tots when this guy was there. It is a great video. I am not fond of the full on body hug but I think it is a great message.

Kids Say the Silliest Things.....

Last night the kids were coloring with these markers on this shiny cardstock paper. It was making this high pitched squeaking noise - sorta like nails on a chalk board.

I said, "Will you stop that sound is making me crazy!"

Elise said, "Crazier?"

I know, Christmas is Over!

Well, it has been some time hasn't it???? As always I have been in fast forward buzzing through the holidays. The Miller family is always on the go. I won't bore you with all the details but we've made trips, had company, shopped, baked, delivered, created, ate, played and even relaxed a little. Whew....now I think I need a vactaion. Too bad for me - I am back to work today and should be working on my notes. Yikes! I had court first thing this morning and despite a lengthy delay in the proceedings the case made a turn around and everyone was given a Monday morning suprise when my clients baby was returned to her. I love those joyous moments. On the other hand on the way to the office three hours later I got a call that- another client started disclosing stuff that will honestly probably end up on the evening news. What I am trying to say is.....no rest for me. We haven't even taken our tree down yet. We had planned to do that yesterday but never got around to it. Maybe tonight. If I am not here doing notes too late. LOL.

So, I made a New Years Resolution. Last year I wanted to be more healthy - and I think I started out real strong but after going back to work I really fell off that wagon. So, this year I want to make it something a little more "concrete". I have decided to give up fast food. With my job it is so easy to run by a drive though and get something to eat. And honestly, I can do it for pretty cheap. But....it is so unhealthy. Yuck yuck yuck. So, I am going to do my best. Today I packed leftovers and they were delish.

I am going to attempt to get back on track with daily blogging. Lord only knows I have a lot to tell ya about........