Update And Change In Direction!

Hi Everyone! I know it's been quite some time since we've updated here! This is just a quick run down on whats been going on with us!

We moved into a fifth wheel camper this past December and have been living in it full-time! It was quite a change and required a lot of downsizing, purging, and re-organization. The Camo Frog almost didn't make it! I actually thought I'd accidentally given her away but I found her last week safe and sound under my bed.

We lived in an RV park in South Daytona until April and then re-located to Georgia for work. We love it here! The RV Park we are in is beautiful with a huge lake for fishing (catch and release only), a wild bird sanctuary (the Canadian Geese are preparing to migrate home) and SWANS! We've been out and about exploring a bit and over the next week I'll blog about that and post some pictures.

May all your adventures be EPIC!
The Princess &The Camo Frog

The Ormond Bridge Puzzle with the Camo Frog

The frog and I woke early Saturday morning to the sounds of cats fighting outside the bedroom window. I had hoped since it was a rare weekend off to have the opportunity to sleep in ... no such luck ... After an hour I gave in and got up. I had been playing a game on  Facebook and when I went back to my wall, I saw the post about the Puzzle. Sounded like fun so we got ready to go .... 

We biked up to US1 (Camo Frog likes to ride in the handlebar basket). I noticed I had a text from our friend Joe so we invited him to join us at Java Junction for sustenance before we went on to the bridge. After a sammich, Joe joined us for the puzzle solving.

We loaded my bike in the back of Joe's truck and arrived at the bridge with fifteen minutes to spare. I couldn't remember which side of the bridge we were to start on so we checked the west side and found we should be on the east side. We opted to leave the truck and walk over the bridge. The frog likes to ride in my backpack ....

The puzzle required crossing the bridge four times and visiting all four parks collecting clues. The first stopped had a couple who kinda tried to dress for the period they were representing ...

At the last stop for clue collecting, you cut out the pieces of the puzzle and taped them together. Then you were instructed to go to the "rich old guys house" for the final bit of puzzle solving. This consisted of folding the puzzle in different ways to "find" things hidden there ... first you needed "tickets" to get in, then you had to to find the boat sailing north under the bridge, the words Ormond Beach, and finally the words puzzle solver 2012 (which turned out to actually read 2011)

We had SOOOO much fun! I would definitely attend again. then was the final trek across the bridge to the truck ...

We decided to make a quick stop at the farmers market and then back home for a delicious treat ... pecan waffles!

What Happened To Customer Service?

Thursday morning I stopped at 7 Eleven for the fruit I didn't get the night before. I selected an apple, two bananas, a bit of cheese, a chocolate milk and a cherry coke. My order came to 9.66 which I payed with my debit card. I got to work and realized my apple was missing. I called the store and inquired and they informed me that it was very time consuming to look up my debit purchase and probably not worth it because I didn't bring an apple to the checkout.


That evening I found my receipt and realized that not only did I not get the apple I paid for but they also charged me 2.99 for something I didn't buy. I made plans to return to the store Friday morning.


 I was under a bit of pressure this morning to get out of the house twenty minutes early so that I could deal with the 7 Eleven problem from yesterday. So I jumped right up at 5:00am and my right leg immediately had a spasm. I sat back down waited a moment and got up again. More spasms. It took me a half hour to decide it wasn't going away and I took a shower hoping to sooth it into behaving. No such luck. I made it out the door, got to the 7 Eleven by ten to seven. The clerk listened to the problem then made me wait til the manager got there at 7:10 to have the issue resolved. The manager (who was the one who waited on me the day before AND answered the phone when I called) acted as if I was the one at fault. She did replace the apple and refunded the 2.99 charge but acted as if she were doing me a favor. She commented that I LOOKED trustworthy so she was going to take my word for it. I am not the least satisfied with the way I was treated. I will be calling and reporting the incident to the district manager and I refuse to shop there anymore. My leg kept having spasms during the 25 minute ordeal. 


The leg spasms continued throughout my hectic day at work. I asked one of the nurses what she thought might help and she had no idea. I then approached the therapy departments D.O.N. She feels my electrolytes are out of balance and suggested drinking more water. If that doesn't work within the week I'm to consult her again. The spasms are scary because I know they lead to screaming leg cramps that put me literally on the floor. 

I remind myself how very blessed I am. I beat all the odds against me and not only lived but walked. A little discomfort and pain are a small price to pay for the gifts I've been given. I remember that these are a reminder that God loved me so much He refused to let me go when alcoholism had me in it's grip and I thank Him everyday.

A Princess By Any Other Name ...

I've had several people ask me about my name recently. Since I think it's a funny story and because I love my name, I'm going to answer those questions.

My mama and daddy had 3 girls together, I'm the oldest. I was born in April of 1968. My daddy decided he wanted his children to have unusual names. So, he named me Sarita Lyn. My name, as I grew up, wasn't any fun. I hated it. All the other children picked on it and made up mean little rhymes, because chidren are mean little boogers. It was different and children are taught to not like different. When I got a little older I found out that my name is Spanish, so, I did a little research and found out that it translates to Sarah. Now those of you the read your bible know that Sarah is hebrew for princess.

Most daddies call their little girls princess, my Daddy named me Princess. When I discovered this my attitude towards my name changed. Now, I wouldn't change it for the world.

About 11 years ago I was engaged to a man who called me Princess all the time. He even had me a belt made that said Princess on the back. This caused other people to start calling me that, too. Pretty soon alot of people at the club I hang out in didn't know me by any other name. My favorite bartender even made up a drink for me and called it the Princess Special.

One night I'd gone up to the bar to get a refill, and some guy commented on the name. He said, "Well I ain't never heard of a redneck Princess before." And I said, "That's cause I'm the only one." Thats where I got the screen name I use in chat.

Now for the truly funny part of the story.

About 5 years ago, my family had gathered for a dinner and we were all talking about names. My sisters are bothed named for grandmothers. Well I was jokingly giving my mama a hard time because I'm the oldest and not named after anyone. My mama looked up and said, "But you are named after someone." Well I got really excited and started pestering her bout who it was ...

She told me I was named after a girl my daddy dated before he married her. She hadn't told me because she thought I'd be upset. I said, "Hell no, I'm not upset. That's just funny." And I proceeded to tell everyone I know the story.

My Forever Learning Class At Church

I've been taking these classes for about a year now. We learn crafts, have cooking demonstrations, and get to know each other. I started taking the class as a way to reconnect with the church. I was inactive for a long time and now that I've returned I can only attend church every third Sunday due to my work schedule.

Tonight we learned how to make a bracelet.  It looked really complicated but was actually quite easy. I can't wait to make another!