Happy New Year...

Thank you all for an interesting year.

WILL IT NEVER END???

I just got an e-mail from my mother.... My cousin who is in he 40s just passed away yesterday. He had throat cancer from smoking. It was expected, but DAMN! Enough with the dying already. I am ready for someone to have a birthday or a baby or something..... positive!!! Please send good Karma my way, looks like we are gonna need just a wee bit more.

This blog is turning in to Debbie Downer's blog and once the first of the year hits all that will change.

TRYING HARD.....

We are trying hard to get back to normal here. I think it will take a while though. Luis-Fer's funeral is today and I just wish I could be up there to lend my love and support. I got an e-mail from his mother yesterday and she thanked me for loving her son. I thought that was strange only for the simple fact that he was so loveable. Everyone adored him. One day when it is not so raw and fresh I will post pictures of him when he was little and pics of him growing up.

I slept last night for a while only to dream that my husband was cleaning a gun and waving it in my face. Not intentionally he was just talking and laughing, cleaning it and just waving it around. Kind of like an old Carol Burnett skit. First of all my husband doesn't even own a gun and second he certainly wouldn't be waving it in my face. Then of course I woke up and have been up ever since.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

I haven't had a very Merry Christmas this year. As you can probably tell. I have tried to smile and keep it strong for my husband and my children but I feel like I am failing miserably. I have never been this sad, ever. My body aches and I just want to sleep. I just can't seem to achieve it. When I close my eyes I see my nephew. I see his big brown eyes and his smiling face. He was always "my boy". I knew him better than anyone and sometimes better than he knew himself. I am profoundly sad and I am trying really hard to work through it. I am going to start a college fund for his son. I feel it is the least I can do for him. I just wish I could tell him one more time just how much I love him. He always knew without a shadow of a doubt that I loved him unconditionally, no strings attached. The last time we chatted on IM I told him to "stay safe and be careful" and his last words to me were,"Don't worry Tia, I'm always careful..." He really was. The night he was murdered he was trying to break up a fight. Always the peace maker. He was like a son to me. I can honestly say that I loved him like I love my own children, with my whole heart.

Please everyone don't wait another minute to tell the person that means the world to you just that. Hold them for all it's worth and let them know how very loved they are. Do it for me, because I can't.

Merry Christmas my friends and thank you so much for your kind words and support, I really need your shoulders right now.

SAD NEWS FOR THE HOLIDAYS...

What you are about to read is from my nephew's hometown paper. The boy that was killed was my nephew. My favorite nephew. He always had big dreams and great hope for the future. I will miss him SO much...

Merry Fucking Christmas!

Windsor shooting victim 'loved being a dad'
'He was just a really good person'

Dave Battagello and Sonja Puzic
The Windsor Star
Saturday, December 22, 2007
CREDIT: Facebook
Luis Acosta-Escobar, 20, was shot in the chest around 4:30 a.m. outside the Box Office Sports Bar on Pelissier Street Saturday. He was rushed to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where he died around 5:10 a.m., according to police. In this undated Facebook photo, he is pictured with his 19-month old son Jaevian.
CREDIT: Facebook
Luis Acosta-Escobar, 20, was shot in the chest around 4:30 a.m. outside the Box Office Sports Bar on Pelissier Street. He was rushed to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where he died around 5:10 a.m., according to police. His shooter is still at large.
CREDIT: Photo courtesy of Cierra Ingram
Luis Acosta-Escobar, 20, was shot in the chest around 4:30 a.m. outside the Box Office Sports Bar on Pelissier Street Saturday. He was rushed to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where he died around 5:10 a.m., according to police. In this undated photo, he is pictured with his 19-month old son Jaevian.
CREDIT: Photo courtesy of Cierra Ingram
Luis Acosta-Escobar, 20, was shot in the chest around 4:30 a.m. outside the Box Office Sports Bar on Pelissier Street Saturday. He was rushed to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where he died around 5:10 a.m., according to police.
CREDIT: Photo courtesy of Cierra Ingram
Luis Acosta-Escobar, 20, was shot in the chest around 4:30 a.m. outside the Box Office Sports Bar on Pelissier Street Saturday. He was rushed to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where he died around 5:10 a.m., according to police.
A Windsor father of a young child was shot and killed early Saturday morning outside a downtown bar in an area known for after-hours violence.
Luis Acosta-Escobar, 20, was shot in the chest around 4:30 a.m. outside the Box Office Sports Bar on Pelissier Street. He was rushed to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where he died around 5:10 a.m., according to police.
The shooter remains at large and police have not yet been able to release a suspect description. Detectives worked around the clock Saturday, collecting evidence from the scene, interviewing witnesses and looking at surveillance camera images that may have captured the incident. A handgun, believed to have been used in the shooting, was recovered from the roof of a nearby building.
Det. Mark Denonville said it's possible more than one person was involved in the incident. Police hope to have more information Sunday.
Acosta-Escobar's devastated family members were scrambling to return to Windsor this weekend and make funeral arrangements, said Cierra Ingram, 20, the godmother of Acosta-Escobar's 19-month old son Jaevian and a close friend.
Acosta-Escobar's mother and stepfather were visiting relatives in Panama and his sister was in France at the time of the shooting, Ingram said. His father was also out of the country.
"He loved being with his friends and his family. He took that really seriously," said Ingram, who has known Acosta-Escobar since grade school. Acosta-Escobar is also the godfather of her child.
"He loved being a dad," she said. "He was just a really good person. He was always so happy...You always got big hugs and big kisses when you saw Louie. He was like a teddy bear."
Ingram said she was at the Box Office with Acosta-Escobar and some other friends Friday night and left "about five minutes" before he was shot in the wee hours Saturday.
After getting a phone call about the commotion outside the bar, Ingram said she returned to find out her friend was shot. She rushed to Hotel-Dieu, where Acosta-Escobar succumbed to his injuries.
He also leaves behind his girlfriend Talea, Jaevian's mother, and two step-sisters.
Ingram said she didn't know what led to the shooting.
"I don't know if he tried to break up a fight or if it was an accident," she said. "I don't know if (the shooter) was an enemy for a long time, but maybe for a moment ... so I really can't comment on that."
The shooting occurred in front of the residence of well-known hairstylist Dani Bobb at 551 Pelissier, next-door to the bar. A large pool of blood was visible on his front sidewalk.
Bobb linked the after-hours operations at the Box Office bar -- often open until 5 a.m. -- to the violence.
"The later the bars stay open, the more the hassle," said Bobb, whose hair salon is down the street. "Business is business, but you have to look at public safety. When it's right in front of your house, it's time to do something."
Acosta-Escobar's death is the fourth shooting incident within a block of the area in recent years.
A plaque on the wall of the Box Office -- just metres away from where Acosta-Escobar was shot -- honours the memory of Brian Bolyantu who was shot dead nearby on March 24, 2003. This summer, a 25-year-old Michigan man was shot during an altercation at the southwest corner of Wyandotte and Pelissier streets. He survived.
Local artist Christian Aldo who resides close to the bar in the former YMCA building said he was lying in bed watching a DVD when the shooting started.
"I heard about four shots. It was bang, bang, bang, bang -- spread equally apart. It was loud, incredibly loud."
Aldo said he went to his first-floor window, which fronts on Pelissier and saw three males "walking away at a mellow pace."
He yelled at them, but was ignored: "It could have been them. Police reacted right away after that. They were instantly on it."
Long-time hair studio owner Alice McBlane, located for 20 years on Pelissier across the street from the Box Office, was not surprised by the shooting, but said she has no fears herself since violence is limited to early morning hours among bar crowds.
"I'm not walking downtown at that time of night -- are you?" she said.
"As I'm standing here talking to you, I look at the (Bolyantu) plaque. I look at that every day and I say 'who would want to go to that bar?' Nothing happens at the stores. I would ask people to close down that bar.
"I don't see any reason for this kind of thing. This is sad."
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario bans liquor sales after 2 a.m. and requires drinks be cleared from tables by 2:45 a.m. AGCO does not prevent bars from staying open if they do not serve alcohol.
The issue of downtown after-hours clubs, such as the Box Office, created controversy just last Monday at city council which was being asked to impose a 3 a.m. mandatory closing time by the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association.
Councillors after a heated debate instead asked for a report from police and others on the idea of mandatory closing times.
"This issue (of after-hours bars) is in front of council," said Bobb. "Wake up and come on people. We need to close the bars at 3.
"Nothing (dangerous) happens to my clientele, but they take this back with them and tell everyone. Then you wonder why the reputation of downtown gets across the city."
Paul Twigg, owner of nearby Lazare's Fine Coats and Jackets, said the shooting death should be the final straw that puts an end to after-hours clubs.
"For anyone, who doesn't think (an after-hours ban) is right, they should go to the morgue and visit this kid.
"Once bars close, they can't serve alcohol. How much money can they make on fruit juice? Is it really worth it? If they are serving something outside that, then they are breaking the law.
"We need to send a message this isn't acceptable. It's time to address this."
Larry Horwitz, downtown business association president, immediately went to the scene early Saturday after merchants called him about the shooting.
"I'm very angry. very frustrated. I just went to council and asked them to close at 3 a.m.," he said. "I was told there are no problems and I was being a bit sensational.
"Where is the vision of a safe, secure family-friendly downtown where there are steps taken to make that happen? Why am I having to talk to you a day after another murder or shooting?
"There have been no proactive steps taken to make this not happen. The amount of business we just lost for every daytime merchant or good bar owner is immense.
"I expected the worst and obviously the worst happened. But I expected that a few weeks ago, months or years ago. If nothing changes I can predict it will happen again."
© The Windsor Star 2007

R.I.P. Luis Fernando, Te Quiero Mucho~!

CHRISTMAS *HEEHEE*...

I just received these in an e-mail this morning and I just HAD to share.

HOLIDAY STUFF....

A MeMe from a very awesome chick A.K.A Tysgirl

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Wrapping paper/Gift bags, it matters not...

2. Real tree or artificial? Totally fake...

3. When do you put up your tree? Sometime during the first week of December...

4. When do you take down your tree? New Years Day...

5. Do you like eggnog? No, yuck!!!

6. Favorite gift as a kid? The Flying Saucer!!!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No...

8. Hardest person to buy for? My husband...

9. Easiest person to buy for? My daughter...

10. The worst Christmas present you ever got? A brick. My grandmother (may she rest in peace) was able to afford roller skates for my brothers but couldn't afford mine, but she wanted me to have something heavy to feel like their skates... so I got the brick with an I.O.U. Oh and just for the record I never did get the skates...

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Totally snail mail...

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer...

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever the mood strikes, usually in October...

14. Recycled a Christmas present? No, but I have given some away as in,"here you may like this, I got it for Christmas and it just isn't for me..."

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's home made coffee cake...

16. White or colored lights? White non-blinking...

17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yep!

19. Travelling or staying home? There's no place like home...

20. Angel or star on top of the tree? A star with a pic of my 2 kids (angels) on it...

21. What do you love most about the holidays? Seeing the children's faces when they see the tree first thing in the morning...

I MADE IT BACK, SAFE AND IN ONE PIECE.....

I wish I could say the same for Fred. Poor, poor Fred may he rest in peace. Fred one of the five Guppies that I so proudly placed in my new aquarium... missed me so much when I went away this weekend, he ended his life... Well, that's what I like to think, but reality shows that the person responsible for taking care of my animals and feeding my fish fed them about 1/2 a can of fish food.

*insert heavy sigh here*

Poor little thing was laying on the bottom of the tank, the nasty, cloudy, scummy looking, fish-food-filled tank. So after driving 1/2 the day and night, we had to come home take care of our immediate needs, then vacuum the tank. Oh yeah that's what I want to do after spending a weekend with my family (joy). This morning the tank was clear and the fish appeared to be happy.

Oh and my dog wet her bed sometime in the middle of the night. That was so out of character for her, I hope she's O.K.

I will update further when I am not at work....

HAVE A HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE...

QUICK UPDATE...

Well yesterday was a fun one... I had a looong day at work. But not nearly as long as the hubby. One Wednesday a month he is required to work late, well last night was his "late night". I usually leave a light on for him. I also have a really bad habit of leaving on my bedroom light. I have fallen asleep with my light on since way back in the day when he was in the Army and deployed.

When he comes to bed he turns it off....

Well, last night I had the outside Christmas lights on and my bedroom light on. I figured he would be home around 10:30-11:00. Well, I fell asleep, had a very disturbing dream only to wake up (with a start) a little after 4:00 and my light was still on. His side of the bed was still made and I FREAKED! All I could think of was he was in an accident or something. I felt like I was going to vomit. I quickly dialed his cell and

THANK GOD!

He is O.K.

One of the systems they were working on at the hospital (where he works)....crashed. Poor guy didn't get home from work until 10:30 this morning. One of my biggest fears is losing him. I love him so much, he is my rock. I almost lost him about 4 years ago and the thought of really losing him almost sends me over the edge.

SO NOT TO FEAR MR. BIG MAMA IS A.O.K.

Of course I am exausted but oh so very happy that all is right with my world.

JUST A QUICKIE...

Yes, I said quickie... As in a quick note to say hey! I received the list that I have been waiting for. Remember I said something about adopting a woman and her children from the Safe Shelter. Well I got the list yesterday and I just HAD to go to the mall. She needs basic stuff like a bath mat and towels. Her kids are 5 & 6 and they need underwear and winter coats, etc. So I went and picked up 2 little coats, 2 little shirts and a pair of jammies. I'm not done yet, but that's a start. I am at a loss as to what to get my children. They don't ask for much and are so very good. I only wish I could give them the world.

If anyone out there has any suggestions as to what to give a 13 year old boy and a 12 year old girl, please let me know.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday!

SATURDAY...

Yep, it's Saturday.... The hubby went to Orlando to pick up some random car part for his sports car that I highly doubt he needs. I am here at the house with the kids and Babygirl's friend that spent the night. Thank goodness she is a sweet kid.

I am working on making Christmas ornaments for people for Christmas gifts. It's kind of nice not having to go anywhere or do anything for once. I am going to enjoy today.

Have I mentioned that we have 8 (EIGHT!!!) new baby Guppies in our new fishtank. We stocked it a week ago with 7 Neon Tetras and 5 female Guppies. Well someone was preggers when we got them.... I love the babies, they are so tiny. I was going to post the pic of the baby here but of course Blogger is being a little poopy...

So click HERE instead.

*UPDATE: There are NOW 16 baby Guppies*

NIFTY FIFTY PICS....

O.K. these are the few, the proud...the only ones fit to post....LOL!

O.K. here is the box that the lens came in...

Here is Mina looking like she could care less...

Here is Chomba acting really interested...

You know, it's JUST an act....

Oh and here is a new addition to my menagerie...
We now are the proud parents of 7 Neon Tetras and 5 female Guppies. This is Louise and the Tetras (we only named the Guppies because the Tetras all look alike and we can't tell them apart).

O.K. I know I am not a photographer and I am having a hard time figuring out how to really USE this lens. Any thoughts? Any ideas??? Please???

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I just had to share. I have been wanting to volunteer this Christmas doing something worthwhile. Well, on the news last night there was a piece about the women's safe shelter. They need everything! This is the place where battered women and children go to seek help and survive. SOooooo I called today and adopted a family. They are going to get back with me to give me my family so I can have a list of what they need and want.

I am so excited!!!

I (thank God) have never been in a situation like theirs. The thought of these kids getting something/anything Christmas morning just makes me all giggly. As a mom, I know that seeing your child open a gift with a huge smile on their face is the BEST GIFT EVER. O.K. I know I am making it all about me, but it makes ME happy.

I think this will be a great experience for the kids to give instead of get this year.

(Yes, not to worry they are getting alot of stuff....)

Just so all of you know, I have been testing out the new lens that Tysgirl got for me but I have not been able to get on my computer at home. My son has a huge project due the end of this week and I don't DARE even go in to the computer room. So, as soon as I can, I will post my lame attempts at the new lens.

PICTURES.....

I know that most of you have already seen some of these, but if you haven't, please click here;

*yes, click the pic*