I’ve noticed in the mornings while getting ready for work, my mom will often look out of the window and say how beautiful the day is. This is on truly beautiful clear days, as well as gloomy and rainy days. Her view on life itself has been completely altered. She now enjoys every single day regardless of anything bad that may be happening, nasty weather, or any of the other small insignificant things that we often let ruin our enjoyment of daily life.
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DALTON — When the stars walk down the red carpet to kick off tonight’s Academy Awards, the plush feeling enjoyed by their feet will be coming to them courtesy of Dalton.
More specifically, American Carpet Wholesalers.
Leslie Unger, director of communications for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told The Daily Citizen that the carpet was obtained through American Carpet Wholesalers in Dalton.
The carpet, which is covered in plastic until the very last minute to protect it from the elements and muddy footprints, is about 500 feet long and 33 feet wide.
Unger said the carpet brand is Weston Hill which is manufactured by Mohawk Industries.
The carpet, over which all of the guests entering the Kodak Theater will travel to enter the awards ceremony, was put down earlier this week.
It took about 120 crew members to lay the carpet down. In addition to all of tonight’s glittery traffic, there will be more than 80 photographers shooting the red carpet and bleacher seating for 700 people to watch the arrivals. Source
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For the record, when I gave Domino’s new pizza recipe a try a month or so ago, I loved it! I’ve read some things where people say it’s the same old pizza, but I noticed a big difference, a good one, as soon as I tried a slice. Like most people, the crust isn’t my favorite part. Why should it be really—it’s just bread. But the added garlic butter on it made it delicious and much more enjoyable. Now they just need to do something similar to Little Caesar’s Hot-N-Ready pizza, so you don’t have to make that call in anymore and have to wait.
The decision to change was no doubt a huge gamble-one that could have potentially been as big of a flop as Coca-Cola changing their ingredients back in the day. But when you read the news with excerpts like the following, it’s hard not to say they won that bet.
Domino’s knew its pizza quality needed some improvement. That’s why the chain spent two years testing its product, and debuted a new recipe on Dec. 27. Tuesday, it unveiled the results of that new recipe: Profits more than doubled in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter.
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Since Chase and I have had the house to ourselves this past week after coming home from Baltimore, we decided shortly after coming home that we’d spend the afternoons after work cleaning it up. Billy came up with the great idea of renting a Rug Doctor, and helped us shampoo all of the carpet in the house. Shampooing took a little longer than we really thought, mostly because you have to move every bit of furniture to an area where it won’t be in the way, and leave it long enough for the carpet to finish drying. The carpet feels amazingly clean now, and it’s really sort of disgusting what the dirty water actually looks like after cleaning a section. We also bought some new collage picture frames that we’re filling with family photos, and are planning on arranging those above the mantel. I did a little bit of drywall work on one of the corners in the house that has cracked from the house settling over the years that should look much better once we get some fresh paint on it. My parents are on their way home right now, so that will give us this afternoon to put the finishing touches on it and make sure it all looks presentable and noticeable. All in all, I hope they are happy and surprised at how we’ve spent the time after work around the house.
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It’s hard to believe that a week ago tomorrow, I was fairly convinced that we were going to lose mom either entirely, or at least how we’ve always known her to be.
Her surgery was at 7:30 on Tuesday morning, and they actually didn’t get started until 9:30 because they were trying to get her knocked out for it and in position. The operation ended up lasting around 6 hours total, and was the longest 6 hours of all of our lives I believe. The doctor, Dr. Quiñones, and 2 of his team came into the waiting room when they were done, all smiling with their hands in the air. He said it was an absolute complete success and it couldn’t have went better than it did. They worked slowly removing every bit of it all the way to the stem from where it originated. It ended up being about the size of a grapefruit and the hardness of one of those little bouncy balls.
About an hour or so after the surgery, we were able to go into NSCCU and see her. She was still heavily medicated, but she was able to call for each of us by name. We took turns sitting with her until time was up for the day. The next day we went to see her she was sitting up in a chair watching the snow flurries, and said she had been sitting there for the past 6 hours waiting on time for us to come and visit. On Thursday we went to see her, and within just a little bit, they said she was doing so well that they were going to release her out of the hospital and to our hotel.
She has truly amazed everyone with how well she has come out of it so far, and how quickly she is recovering. We were all expecting around 2-4 days in NSCCU and 6-7 more in the hospital. She has to stay in Baltimore until the 1st of March, so they can do a recheck and then take her 70ish staples out, but then she’ll be clear to come home. So right now her, dad, and Alicia are up there, and mom is doing a little speech and physical therapy to get her back in tip-top shape.
The couple of days that we spent up there before coming home after mom was released to the hotel, was the happiest that I have ever seen her. She’s so thankful and happy to be alive.
I appreciate all of the well wishes, prayers and thoughts from everyone during this time. Mark, I really appreciate you and your family—the card and flowers meant so much to us all. And I can’t thank you enough for first mentioning Johns Hopkins to me when I told you about the situation. Whether we would have ran across it on our own or not, we’ll never know. I truly believe going there made all the difference in the world on the outcome. Thank you my friend.
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We made it back to Baltimore today around 3PM. We left yesterday and stopped in the Salem/Roanoke area of Virginia, about half way, instead of doing the entire 10-11 hour trip altogether. It was actually pretty nice to not cram the entire trip in one day and not be in such a hurry. Not to mention it made the trip a lot easier and less stressful on mom.
Tomorrow mom has an appointment for her pre-op stuff at John Hopkins at 1, and again at 4 for a new MRI. Assuming she is cleared for the surgery, her surgery start very early Tuesday morning. The doctor has cleared the entire day soley for her surgery because it is so dangerous, and it’s going to require much more time than this type of surgery normally would since her tumor is so large.
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It’s hard to believe that I’ve been listening to Last.fm for an entire year already. Over this year of using Last.fm, I’ve scrobbled 22,152 songs.
Here’s a look at the 8 artists that I’ve listened to the most.
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Here are 25 things that I’ve learned or realized so far at the age of 25.
- Friends become strangers. And more importantly, vice versa. Prior to leaving middle school for high school, my all time favorite teacher told everyone to remember that some of the friends that you have now won’t even talk to you once you enter high school. It’s just a transition that I suppose changes kids and the groups of people that they normally associate with. His advice is also applicable throughout life completely. The people you are friends with today may just up and disappear as a friend tomorrow. It’s just a part of life that people change. If you find yourself one day friendless, it can very well have nothing to do with yourself, but just how things play out sometimes. You just have to remember that when you least expect it, a total stranger or an acquaintance could fill that friend void.
- Don’t get too comfortable with anything. The moment you think everything is working out or going perfectly can be the moment when everything turns into complete chaos and uncertainty.
- As we’ve all heard before, be careful what you wish for. Don’t set your sights solely on any one thing that you desire, but also remember to consider the finer details and consequences that surround it. Make sure what you’re wishing for you are actually ready for, and have everything in line to be prepared to accept that wish.
- The best thing that can happen will often make the worst thing that can happen seem insignificant. Think of the worst thing that can happen and the best thing that can happen if you’re deciding about anything, compare them, and see which one out-weighs the other. The best thing will make the worst thing seem insignificant, especially on the instance of becoming friends or asking someone out. The worst thing that could happen would be the word “no.” The best thing would be to develop a relationship that could potentially last a lifetime.
- Money can make life easier or more comfortable, but there will come a point in time when you realize that whatever satisfaction or happiness it gives you is only temporary. Some of the best and most happiest moments in your life will be those that don’t cost you a dime.
- Take a chance when the opportunity is given to you. If you don’t, you’ll never know what might have been.
- Take as many pictures and/or videos of loved ones and get-togethers as you can. There will come a day when you are glad you did.
- Find that reason to get out of bed each morning. Otherwise you’ll look back at all the yesterdays and realize they are mostly empty.
- If you are looking hard for something you will often overlook it. We sometimes find what we are looking for when we stop looking.
- Consider things from another’s point of view rather than your own all the time. This will open your eyes to things you would normally never imagine. An entirely different world perhaps.
- Accept blame if it’s deserved. This is the only way to fully recognize your mistakes and improve from them.
- Nothing heals wounds like time. Sure some things will always hurt when you reminisce on them, but with every passing day, time will help lessen that pain.
- Don’t be so quick to judge. Get to know someone before deciding what type of person they are.
- People will surprise you. Sometimes it’s the people that we least expect that will pull through when no one else will.
- Don’t hold grudges. Grudges kill relationships, whether they are with friends or family.
- Bottling up your feelings slowly kills you on the inside. Find someone you can talk to.
- Give people the time of day. None of us are any better than the next.
- Stop and smell the roses as often as you can. It’s too easy to get caught up in everyday life that you forget about the little things that truly matter most.
- Bad things can happen to good people. And the opposite is true as well. It’s just another one of life’s ironies.
- Don’t ignore issues that need to be addressed or tended to. It allows them time to compound and become much worse.
- Honesty truly is the best policy. Being dishonest leads to even more being dishonest. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to try to remember what you’ve told so that you tell it correctly the next time you are dishonest.
- Smile at strangers. It could be enough to brighten even the darkest day for someone.
- Some things just aren’t meant to be. And if they aren’t, move on to what is waiting to be.
- Sometimes you should take the path less traveled. The easiest path is experienced by most, while the difficult less traveled path is enjoyed by few.
- Goodbyes are always sad. Especially when you know that it will most likely be the last time you see that person ever again.
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Yesterday I officially became a quarter of a century old. I now get a slight bit of a break on auto insurance and can now rent rental cars without paying those ridiculous fees for being under 25.
Twenty-Four was an okay year. Almost identical to the previous few, but hopefully Twenty-Five will prove to be much better. It’s already starting off with a horrible beginning, but hopefully that just means it has no where to go but up from there. Although I must acknowledge that when you think things cannot possibly get any worse, they can. As well as when you think things can’t get any better, they can.
I have been dreading this birthday rolling around for quite some time, mostly because I am disappointed with myself for not being where I thought I would be in life at this age. I would have expected to be married and own my own place by now, but things just haven’t worked out like I had planned out in my head so many years ago. The day came and went, almost as if it was just another day and the age change just hasn’t bothered me like I thought it once would. And I know this is completely because of the circumstances that surround my mom.
We got up early to go to the hospital and managed to make it there about 45 minutes late. Due entirely to the accumulated snowfall from the blizzard in Baltimore and the poorly cleared streets in downtown. We nearly got stuck one time when we were still a few miles away, but ended up backing down a street for about a quarter of a mile before we could turn around. We left Baltimore around 1PM and made it home last night at 2AM. Sometime this week we will go out and eat somewhere probably in Chattanooga for our birthdays. It was definitely a birthday I’ll never forget.
I never really regard my birthday as anything special, but I do very much appreciate the wishes from my family and friends. Thank you all!
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We’re leaving tomorrow morning sometime for John Hopkins in Baltimore. The trip is only 650 miles, but we’re going to cut the driving in half over two days to hopefully make it easier on mom. Right now, it looks like the weather couldn’t be much worse for this trip and needing to be there without a doubt. They are calling for winter storm warnings up there, and quite a bit of snow.
It’s going to be neat to be in a few states that I’ve never been, but honestly, at this point I have no interest at all in seeing anything that any of them have to offer along the way. I’ve been talking for the past couple of years about checking out Washington D.C., and even though we’re going to be right there at it, I am just not in the right frame of mind or mood to even want to go there. The only place I want to see at this point is John Hopkins Hospital, and getting mom well. My camera will be with me in case I change my mind. I don’t expect to, but the snow may persuade me otherwise.
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True friends are friends that will be with you no matter what; no matter how many times you screw up or how many times you succeed, true friends are the hardest to find but once you find them don’t let them go.
— Unknown
