Stupid Voting!!!

Okay.......................

So I gotta tell you that I did my patriotic duty and VOTED on Tuesday...........yes I am well aware that the election is now old news, but this has been the first opportunity I have had to tell anyone my little story about election day.

At my ripe old age of 34......I have NEVER voted in my entire life....I know.... I should be ashamed.....oh well. I decided that with the Presidential Election being so significant this year, and the fact that I was registered, I was going to vote!!!

The day started off easy enough.....

Che'lia and I found out we'd be voting at the same location so we wouldn't have to go solo!!! YEAH US!!! She had never voted before either (and she's older than me!!) I didn't feel so horribly bad......

We left the branch to go to our appointed voting location at about 10:45 a.m. We were both excited and had spent the morning debating on the candidates and their various stands on the issues facing us. We were both kind of undecided about whom to vote for.........

By the time we arrived, we had made up our individual minds....

We walked into our polling place...........THIS is where things got a bit sketchy.

First of all...

One lesson that I learned about Jefferson County...specifically the High Ridge area...is that apparently every one's last name begins the letters L - Z. For those of you that went and voted, you saw the lines where they broke the alphabet down into four lines. You were supposed to get in the line that contained the first letter of your last name (confused yet??)......THERE WAS NO ONE....ABSOLUTELY NO ONE in the lines marked A - H and I - K.......there were probably 10 people in my line ( the L - R line) and 15 or so in Che'lia's (the S - Z line).....so we got in line and waited........I guess we really shouldn't complain, there were people in some places that waited hours to vote...our measly 20 minutes was nothing.

Fortunately for me....MY line was moving faster than hers!!!

I finally get my turn at the table.....

I hand the nice elderly election worker my ID....

She takes it and ever so S-L-O-W-L-Y starts to search for my name....

I am searching with her....She finally gets to where my name....SHOULD BE...but it's not there...not anywhere on the page!!!! I start to sweat....

I hate confrontation of any kind.......

The nice lady passes me off to another very nice lady that proceeded to make a call to her "headquarters" in Hillsboro....They search for me......No luck. I was there for 25 minutes while they "looked" for me. Apparently I was lost. Meanwhile Che'lia has already voted and is waiting patiently for me....After my 25 minute wait, it was decided that "they didn't know what to tell me".....THAT was their answer.... I, being the non-confrontational person that I am, said OK.

Che'lia and I even went back to the house to try and find my registration card where they send you your polling place....no luck...couldn't find it. So back to the branch we went.....I was very upset about the whole "Not being able to vote" thing.....I felt kind of like a loser =( ...

I thought about it for awhile when we got back......

Did any of you know that I am a Notary Public?? Yep, I sure am......let me also tell you that to be come one.....YOU HAVE TO BE REGISTERED TO VOTE!!!! It's requirement...you gotta do it......I remembered this fact as I sat at my little desk stewing.....So right then and there....I decided to go back to that little polling place and FIGHT for my right to vote =) and that's EXACTLY what I did.

At 4:30 p.m.....I marched my butt back to that line and demanded to vote. As I approached the table I saw the look on the little old lady's face....the "oh no, here we go" look. I said to her:

I am a notary...that means by law I have to be registered to vote to be ONE!!! Please call your office and ask them to search yet again......

She did as I asked and called their little "help" number....for 45 minutes I sat there and listened to the election judge argue with the invisible person on the other end of the phone line:

Yes, they see I'm a notary....

Yes, that means I had to register to vote.....

No, they still can't locate my voter registration....

No, they don't know know what to tell me...

ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH!!!!

I ever so nicely informed them that I was NOT leaving until I got my chance to vote......

FINALLY - the invisible helper on the other end of the phone told my election judge to write me in and give me the damn ballot....

I GOT TO VOTE!!!!

I fought for it and I won!!! That felt better than the voting itself =)!! Too bad Missouri's votes didn't even make a difference, I'd do it all over again though!!!

A good laugh.....

OKAY, since I'm not wearing the purple nightmare costume tomorrow night, I thought maybe you would like to have a good laugh at my expense!!!

This had to be the worst idea I have ever had!!

Be sure to come up for air between laughing sessions!!! I know it's bad and I promise to NEVER wear this again!!

PS: This thing made me look like a purple whale......NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!

Weekend fun!!

This weekend was a blast!!! I haven't had that much fun in a really long time =)!!

Saturday night was Monica & Jeff's Halloween party. I do have pics from there but due to the fact that I'm a cheap ass and am wearing the same costume to Mark and Cassie's, I will not be posting them!!!.......YET!!!

What I will post is my fabulous Sunday!!!

It started off with my FAVORITE breakfast spot. Waffle House......don't ask me why, but I absolutely love that place.....I know it's greasy, but man it's good!! Not to mention, it's great for a hang over.........more about that later!!

After breakfast we went and got pumpkins. Mine was like 26 lbs!!!It's kind of funny the amount of money we pay just to destroy it!

After pumpkins......was a few hours of relaxation.....laying on the couch.....cozy and warm, watching scary movies. I absolutely love scary movies!!! My all time favorite thing to do is bundle up in a blanket, with a bowl of popcorn and a scary flick. Turn all the lights out, maybe light a candle....

Later in the afternoon.........

I got to do my most FAVORITE thing in the world!!! I love riding on the back of this bike!!!

See the pretty pink helmet =) That's all me!!!

We went to to a park that had this really HUGE tower!!

I really climbed ALL the way to the top!!! it was windy and it only freaked me out a little =)!!

The view was amazing!!

All the leaves were changing........

It was beautiful!!!


Below is a couple pics of our pumpkins!! Mine's the scaredy one and Joe's is the scary one!!! Go figure.........









I can't wait for this weekend!!! It promises to be better that the last =)

Costume update......

Okay........

Last night, I got the tulle nightmare out of it's bag and gave it a hefty steaming in the shower.......

I am happy to report that I am no longer 5 feet around. It's still rather puffy and I think I look more like a ballerina than a fairy.....but oh well....so be it...problem 1 solved. I'm not gonna complain =) !!! I have brought in the cute little ribbons and flowers to girl at work who is going to sew them on for me =)......that would be problem 2 solved......Yippee!!! Problem 3 - my shoes matching- ended up a perfect match!!!! I was all freaked out for nada!!!! Seems everything is FINALLY working out for a change!!!

I don't think there is anything in the world that can bring me down any time soon........... =) =) =)

I'll be sure to post pics from the party so you can all envy my fancy little costume :).............

HELP!!!

Okay.....so today I got the Halloween costume that I ordered..........

Ummm.........

To the LEFT is what it's supposed to look like...cute enough, huh??

What I got resembles this cute little outfit, but not entirely.......Let me tell you what the few little issues I have are:


First of all.....the sweet little skirt picture here looks clean and straight.

Mine - looks like crap. I put it on and it makes a five foot round poof. Not so cute. Any ideas on how to make the balloon of tulle a little not so huge would be greatly appreciated.

Secondly.....the lovely ribbon and flower attached so neatly at the waist......

Mine - Shoved in a bag, flat as can be and did I mention "not attached"...problem...I can't sew.....Any ideas???

Thirdly....Let's talk about the wings....perfect match in the picture, huh???

Mine - I have never seen so many different shades of purple all shoved together before....my little ballet slippers I bought to match....well....THEY DON'T!!!

It really looks like a big pink, blue, and purple nightmare
=( !!!

I have exactly 3 days to make this pile of crap they sent me look like a costume......ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

I am just a tad upset because this happens to be a night that I want to look good......it's important to me.

Sorry this is so short, I'm actually working today!!! Sheila - please don't have a heart attack, I know it's hard for you to believe!!!

WOW........

This pretty much covers me for today!!!

Enjoy everyday like it's your last =)!!!

Didn't know that!!!

In the spirit of upcoming Halloween, I did a little research on what our good old city has to offer as far as good old fashioned hauntings........

No, I don't mean the cheesy but fun, cost ya an arm and a leg haunted houses, I mean REAL ghostly encounters and places that are said to be "disturbed". A few of the ones I found weren't surprising but a couple....well let's just say....I wouldn't have thought.....hmmmm...Let's start with what we know:

St. Louis --- Lemp Brewery, Grand Hall, and caverns.

The area in and around S. Broadway, Cherokee Street, and Lemp Avenue There is a definite feeling in the air around this entire complex. The entire city of St. Louis has miles and miles of underground caves, and some of them are under this complex. The Pointer family are the current owners of the entire complex including the mansion. The underground caverns used to be the site of a yearly haunted house. Due to their association to the Lemp family, the entire area is said to show a lot of paranormal activity.

St. Louis --- Lemp Mansion - 3322 DeMenil Place

Life Magazine designated Lemp Mansion "One of America's Most Haunted Places" in 1980, and with good reason. The Adam Lemp Family moved to St. Louis in 1838 and began brewing beer in 1840. Adam died in 1862, and his son William Lemp took over the family brewery, building a new facility in 1864. The 33 room stately mansion was built by Jacob Feickert in 1868. William and his wife moved into the mansion in 1876. The mansion overlooked their huge brewery complex to the south. Frederick Lemp, who was said to be William's favorite son, died in 1901 from a long-fought illness. On the morning of February 13, 1904 William Sr shot himself in the head with a .38 revolver in his upstairs bedroom of the mansion. William Lemp Jr and his wife Lillian take over the brewery. Bad luck continues to plague the family and the two are divorced in 1909. In 1911 the mansion also becomes the office for the brewery. The Lemp Brewery falls further into hard times and ceases beer production in 1918. Elsa Lemp, the daughter of William Sr, followed in her father's footsteps by committing suicide in her St Louis home in 1920 by shooting herself near the heart. Also in 1920, the famed Griesedieck family, another St Louis brewing empire, purchases the Lemp shield logo to begin bottling Falstaff. The familiar shield logo is still used today. The Lemp Brewery did not recover well from the times of prohibition and was sold at auction in 1922. William Jr also follows his father's footsteps and shoots himself in the heart with a 38 revolver in the office of the mansion. His son William Lemp III attempts to revive the family brewing empire but fails. On the morning of May 10, 1949 yet another suicide occurs in the mansion. Charles, brother to William Jr, shoots himself in the head with a .38 revolver in his bedroom. Four family suicides, three occurring in the Lemp Mansion lead many to believe that the family suffered from mental illness. The dark history still hangs ominously over the mansion to this day. In 1977 the mansion was opened to the public as a restaurant/bed and breakfast. Owners and employees today speak of strange cold spots, candles mysteriously lighting themselves, and even occasionally, ghostly apparitions. Today you can dine or if you dare, sleep in the stately mansion. Much of the brewery complex still stands as it did during the best of times for the Lemp family.

St. Louis --- Alexian Brothers Hospital

This site is where an exorcism took place on a young boy, which later served as the basis for the movie "The Exorcist".

St. Louis --- Old City Hospital

There are reported sightings of apparitions appearing in the windows of the abandoned building. Sounds of screaming and feelings of being watched have also been reported. The hospital was built in 1906 and has been closed since 1985.

Webster Groves --- Plant Avenue House (Gehm House)
Several people who have lived in the home have reported very similar experiences with the ghosts of this house. An apparition of an old woman, dressed in black has frightened children that have lived in the home, by trying to hit them with a broom. The apparition of Henry Gehm appeared to a former resident for the purpose of leading her to a hidden space in the attic. The ghost of a little blond girl has been sighted in the attic and an almost transparent white entity has been seen in an upstairs bedroom. Other activity in the home includes sounds of things hitting the windows, hammering on headboards, sounds of children running on the staircase, shaking of beds, footsteps in the attic, etc. Some people believe that the home also contains an evil inhuman presence.

History: The 2 story brick and wood frame house was built in the 1890's by Henry Gehm. Mr. Gehm was said to be somewhat of a reclusive individual and reportedly worked with the circus. Henry died in the house sometime in the early 1950's.
In 1956 the home was purchased by the Fury family, then in 1965 the Walsh family moved into the home. The house is still a private residence.
Location: 300 block of Plant Ave.

There's lots lots more.....here's some that I didn't know.....

Eureka --- Six Flags Ramada Inn
An employee reported seeing strange shadows while working in the laundry at night. The building is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a little girl named Aggie, who died on the property. The story says that while playing in a barn on the property, some time ago, the girl fell from a window and died. The little girl is said to be playful and likes to peek around corners at people. There are reports of Aggie’s apparition seen running the halls and she sometimes appears in the banquet hall mirror. Supposedly there is a painting of Aggie hanging in the hallway that she visits most often.

A room located in the 300's is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man who committed suicide in the room. Customers have reported seeing the apparition of a man lying dead in the room bathtub.

History: The motel was built over the site of another building. The previous building dated back to the 1800's. The chimney of the old building still sits at the location of the motel. Reportedly the construction workers refused to remove the chimney after several failed attempts had yielded some bad accidents.

St. Louis --- Pinehurst Apartments Near Jefferson Barracks, just off of Telegraph Rd.

A resident, Heather, reports a television set turning itself on on more than one occasion and VCR setting its clock by itself. Also other paranormal instances, such as lights flickering, smoke alarms without batteries sounding their alarms, and even mouse cursors slowly tracing across the screen by themselves.

Festus --- Haunted Railroad Tracks
Legend says that at midnight the apparitions of a man and woman can be seen walking hand in hand across the railroad crossing at the old Hwy. The couple was supposedly killed when a train at this crossing struck their car.
Location: From I- 55 take Old Hwy. A west for approx. 2 miles to the railroad crossing.

The Town Of Barnhart
Rumor has it that many years ago most if not the entire town was wiped out by a horrible epidemic. It is reported that the souls of the towns’ people never moved on. Witnesses say that you can still here the sounds of ghostly children at play here.

St. Louis --- Fort Bellefontaine N. end of Bellefontaine Rd. where it meets Fountainhead Lane.

This area is reported to be very active. Visitors to this site report seeing, hearing, and feeling odd things. Most pictures taken of a stair case at the site have been found to have a dark reddish smoke anomaly appear in them. The site was established as the 1st US, military post in the Louisiana Territory in 1805. It was used as a Native American trading post.

Again there are lots more, but I don't have the room!!! So do your own freaking research!!! XOXO .......but....I do have one last one to share with you.....when I first saw this I had to do a double take.............

READY????

WAIT FOR IT!!!

WAIT FOR IT!!!

OKAY..........

HERE YOU GO!!!!

St. Louis --- Wal-Mart

Telegraph at I-270

This store was supposedly built on a site that once was a mental hospital. If you go in late at night, it feels odd, and employees there say poltergeist-like activity happens after midnight. Lights going on and off, banging and objects being moved are the most reported incidents. There's a pet store at the opposite end of the center from Wal-Mart, and people have reported seeing odd lights in the back, hearing people walking, etc.

Must be haunted by disgruntled union member ghosts!!! =)