Karen's Kozy Korner

Happy New Year 2009 from Starkville, MS

2009-01-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2009. It has been a while since I have blogged and thought I would attempt to get back in the swing of things this year. There are several blogs I read daily and I have the itch to get back in the swing of things.

I chose the New Years picture from NYC only because it is like one of the best places in the world. I love going there and could talk days and days about the memories I have from our previous visits. I notice the Mamma Mia sign in the picture and it is awesome as I know I have been to the Broadway play and my sweet daughter Anna-Beth got me a copy of the movie for Christmas. Such sweet memories!

I spent New Years Eve here at the house with my sweet hubby, my oldest son and his girlfriend Paige, Anna-Beth and 2 of her friends from school. We stayed up watched the ball drop, drank a bit of champagne, that is some nasty stuff LOL and then headed to bed.

Please visit my blog often! Who knows maybe I might blog about something that interests you always remember that it must interest me or I would not blog about it. Once again Happy 2009 and I pray blessings upon you and yours.

Another Update on Dad

2008-09-10T10:19:00.001-07:00

I have started a website with caring bridge for Dad. The address is www.caringbridge.org/visit/harolddotson. I am heading to KY as soon as a load of clothes gets dried. I will have friends update that site often with what is going on. Please continue to pray!

"Happiest Moment Of The Game"

2008-09-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

While attending our first home football game at MSU this year they announced the promotional event below. I couldn't help but add a "Happiest Moment Of The Game" picture from the 2007 egg bowl. My son and his girlfriend sat and made this poster Thanksgiving night. It was right after Ole Miss got in trouble for some of the players stealing pillows and radios from hotels. Hope you enjoy the picture as much as we enjoyed that game.

Sonic "Happiest Moment Of The Game"

Welcome to the Sonic "Happiest Moment of the Game", brought to you by Sonic.

Each week during the 2008 Mississippi State football season, Sonic wants Bulldog fans to submit their best fan photos from the game (no action shots of the game itself, please), with the winner to receive a gift certificate from Sonic. Here's how it works:

1) Fans are asked to e-mail their "Happiest Moment of the Game" fan photo (limit one photo per person) to marketing@athletics.msstate.edu by 6 p.m. CT each Sunday following an MSU football game. In the e-mail, please include your name and best phone number to contact you (should your fan photo be the voted as the winner). Photos should be sent in standard .jpg format.
2) The top three fan photos will be selected and posted on this page by 6 p.m. CT Monday for voting.
3) Fans can then vote for their favorite photo until 9 a.m. CT Wednesday, with the winner to be posted by Noon that day. Winners will receive a prize courtesy of Sonic and the MSU Athletic Department.

OH BTW how bout them DAWGS winning 34-10!!!

An Update On My Dad

2008-09-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

First off, I am not wanting a pity party. I seriously doubt many people read my blog since I very seldom have feedback LOL. So this post is for people who have inquired about Dad and to help me through the hurting process. The past couple of days have been really hard for me. It all started on Wednesday (my birthday) when I spoke to my Mom. She said, "let me see if Dad is strong enough to wish you a happy birthday." He got on the phone and said something along the line I better wish you a Happy Birthday as I may not be there for your next one. Dad has been in the hospital 27 nights of the last 43 that is more then half. Alright I passed that part of math LOL. So here you go on the update. It will be long and I apologize in advance.
On August 21st Dad was released from the hospital after an 8 day stay. He had been on antibiotics and they felt he was strong enough to go home. When he got home he continued to run fever. On Tuesday August 26th the fever was still hanging on. Mom put a call into the Dr. and they wanted to see him within the hour. Once they got there they decided to start chemo. He did ok through the chemo sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday he had a reaction in which they counteracted it with Benadryl and was able to continue the chemo. After that session he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. So he has been in the hospital since August 28th.
We arrived there on Friday night August 29th and David (my brother) informed me Dad looked real bad and that he would not be surprised if he did not come home. That night they gave him 2 more pints of blood. Saturday the Dr. came in and said we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that there is bacteria in the blood. The good news is that we know which antibiotics to give. When I saw him Saturday his color looked good but he obviously had no energy and looked really weak.
They have decided to do chemo 1 week and he will be off 3 weeks. They did a biopsy of a spot on his lung, they said that was not a concern as the leukemia was there main concern. They will do chest x-rays daily at this point. He is still running fever and they called a disease specialist to come in yesterday. So you can see things are really hectic now. Mom refuses to leave him alone at night and I know she is really tired.
Now is my time to vent on my feelings so you can know how to pray for me. My prayer has been that Dad will live long enough to allow Paul to get stronger so he can be with me. The main prayer to is that he does not suffer and when the time comes he will die peacefully, I would prefer it happen in his sleep. I pray for my children as they have yet to really experience death, and that God will make me strong to help them through this time. As I sit and read this paragraph I noticed my prayer request was that God will let him live long to allow Paul to get stronger and now that Paul is stronger dad is getting weaker. I spoke to Paul about this last night and he reminded me to pray as Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done.” This is hard to say a part of me is stubborn. I pray that when the time comes that I can let go. I know I can let go as I will have to BUT I pray I will be OK. Does that make sense?
Thanks for allowing me to vent and for your continued prayers. Have a great BULLDOG weekend!!!

Happy Birthday ..... To Me

2008-09-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well as you guessed today is my birthday. Let me take you back a few years to the setting and a cute story. My parents were living in the moutains of Eastern, KY. They were married for 3 years when they had their first child and she was stillborn. They were devastated and dad swore he did not want anymore after the loss. I am glad that 3 years later they decided to have another one. Of course I was that other one. When I was born I weighed 10 lbs and 7 ounces a big - little girl. Mom had big babies and it passed on to me as all 3 of mine weighed more then I weighed. Well anyways during the birthing process I was smashed in the chest and had to be placed in a special area in the nursery. There are two thoughts that come to mind. Imagine the fear my parents went through during this time (after losing their first child) and looking at things now my chest definitely did not have any damage LOL. Well the cute story since Mom stayed in the hospital for almost a week Dad would go work in the coal mines during the day and come visit her at night. YES I was born a Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn must have had me in mind when she wrote that song). One night he came to visit and he ask well did anything happen etc... She said, "they came by today for the name on the birth certificate" and Dad said, "well what did you say." She said I named her, "Dender Lynn." Dad said, "you named her Dender Lynn?" I can see him thinking now he said, "Chris (my Mom)I will be back I need to step out for a second." He walked down to the nurses station and said, "I have no idea what my wife was thinking when she gave you the name Dender Lynn but our little girl's name is Karen Elizabeth." I wonder if that is why I stay so confused today? With my Dad being in the hospital today with pneumonia and leukemia I wonder if his mind goes back to many years (HA HA thought I was gonna tell you huh?) ago when he was there for the birth of his little girl. I know my parents will never read this BUT I am so thankful that God blessed them and gave them me and that he has blessed me with them!

An Elsie Funny

2008-08-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

Elsie is one of my best friends. We drive to school together 4 days a week. When it gets cooler we hope to start walking to school, from her house of course. Well yesterday after school I dropped by to see her and as we were sitting there the electricity went off. I said,"Elsie I think your electricity just went off". She said, "no joke, you have to be the brightest crayon in the box". No sooner then she said that she turned around to open a can of refried beans and both of us started laughing at the same time BECAUSE without electricity she could not use her electric can opener. There's no hope for the two of us together so we have come to the conclusion since there are not many people like us that we no doubt have to be from the 4 pack of crayons that they give out to kids at Applebees. You all have a great one afterall, TGIF!!!!!!!!

You've come along way baby...............

2008-08-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

to get to where you are today! These are pictures of my daughter Anna-Beth. The one with pigtails, holding a lunch box and getting out of a car was taking her first day of Kindergarden. The second one was taken this past Monday (8-11) her first day of 10th grade. Where have the years gone?? I am so proud of you AB and love you so much!

Forrest Gump and Karen Mock ...............

2008-08-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

have something in common. Before I even go there let me explain that this post is truly for fun and don't think I am gripping. Since Paul's bypass surgery we have been so health conscious. Paul has lost a total of 20 pounds and I have lost 4. The kids are not very happy with the eating choices but what's the old saying deal with it! We have been so blessed with the outpouring of the community whether it is the athletic department on campus, neighbors or friends. So please don't look at this post as a complaint it just reminds me of how much Bubba Blue from the movie Forrest Gump and I have in common. The meals people have brought over are delicious. I have always enjoyed a good burger and a steak would put a smile on my face anyday. NOW it is chicken, fish and Chicken and chicken. Did I mention chicken? When I think of repeated meals of chicken I think of Bubba Blue when he quoted, " Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it." Well when I think of our past meals for the week there is stir fry chicken, honey baked chicken, drunken chicken, chicken salad, and awesome baked chicken from an assistant Trainer and his wife. Dinner tomorrow night is smoked chicken and Tuesday night it is Roasted Chicken. So you see the similarities? Just as Bubba knew how to prepare shrimp before long I will know everyway to prepare chicken LOL. I am not complaining it just amazes me of different ways you can cook chicken. So when I hear someone talk of chicken I can't help but smile, as I know we maybe having that soon. If you have any good chicken recipes sent them my way. Cluck Cluck catch ya later!

Update on "our" lives....

2008-08-06T05:49:00.001-07:00

I am sure that alot of you know that Friday July, 25, 2008 started the beginning of an unplanned roller coaster ride. To start it off, yet hopefully be brief I will attempt to fill you in on "our" lives. Friday July, 25, 2008 my Dad was admitted in the hospital with what we thought was pneumonia. That very same night Paul had indigestion and heart pains. The indigestion seemed to go away but the chest pains remained. So at 12:00 am Saturday morning I took him to the Emergency room. He was admitted at 3:30 am and at 4:54 am I received a phone call that they were taking him to Tupelo. When I made it to Tupelo that morning he was in icu and had already had a heart catherization and they placed 2 stents in. Later we found out from the Dr. he would have to have quadruple bypass surgery. In the meantime my Dad's leukemia decides to kick in so I leave Paul in the hospital with the kids at the house and I head to Illinois/Kentucky to be with him and Mom. Dad was scheduled to undergo four pints of blood transfusion. He made it through 3 and 1/2 and had a reaction and the Dr. stopped the procedure. It was amazing to watch the color and personality come back through the procedure. I am just so thankful that he made it through 3 and 1/2 versus 1. This was a very risky procedure, one in which they ask the family to come in and later I was told if he would not have had it he would have died in 2 weeks. He is home resting now. Mom says he has no energy and request prayer as they meet with the cancer Doctor tomorrow (8-7). One of my friends has sorta prepared me that we maybe on borrowed time BUT to be thankful nothing took place while I had Paul in the hospital waiting for surgery. Well anyways Paul had his surgery on 8-1 and came home yesterday (8-5). My heart goes out to him as I know this whole procedure and recovery is tough on him (and me). I know with football going on and two a days this was tough on him not being there BUT this is one of those times he has to take care of himself for once. We have been so touched by the phone calls, cards, flowers, plants and just people asking us how things are going. I thought it was neat that he received flowers from some sec schools such as the University of Florida, University of Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State University. Anyone who knows Paul knows he is the best! Why he puts up with me heaven only knows. Please continue to pray for him and pray for strength for me. His parents will be with us until Saturday and they have been so helpful. So sorry for the depressing blog but I wanted you to know where we've been and what is going on in "our" lives.

Mamma Mia, ....................

2008-07-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

here I go again. A couple years back Paul and I went to NYC to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. One of the first things I want to say is WE LOVE NYC. As we are looking at the billboards and such on time square we kept noticing the broadway play Mamma Mia being advertised. Well needless to say we did not go and see it and I regretted it for two years. This past March we made another trip to NYC and guess what I SAW MAMMA MIA. When the play started I turned to Paul and said I know I'm going to love it and you know what I LOVED IT!!! When I heard it was coming out in the movie theaters I could bearly wait.

This past Sunday one of my friends Elsie, her sister, step mother and I went to see it. I was like a kid walking into the theatre. As I walk in singing Dancing Queen, Elsie kept reminding me that I was embarassing her. The man sitting behind us jokingly ask "am I gonna have a problem here with you girls?" I told him at this point I may have to come sit with him as my friend says I am embarrassing her. Well to make a long story short I calmed down for a tad bit (till the movie started). It is hard to sit still when you have memories flooding back to your broadway play and when your enjoying a great flick. Now grant it this is a great chick flick but I saw men in there as well. I have read a few reviews and one person said well there were too many songs. I am thinking DUD it is a broadway musical what do you expect. I am thinking maybe they should have gone to that Batman movie. Now that I mentioned that Batman movie, as I was leaving the theatre I heard 2 young girls in front of me talking as they left the Mamma Mia show. One of them said you know that was so uplifting. The other one said I think I liked it mroe then I did the Batman movie. Of course my thoughts were WOO HOO you girls know your stuff!

I will close with a review I read on the internet concerning Mamma Mia. I would highly recommend you guys go see it! It is a very upbeat, fun great summer flick! Enjoy the review!

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Meryl Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)--from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from Dancing Queen and S.O.S. to Money, Money, Money and Take a Chance on Me, 'Mamma Mia!' is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

Just wanted to pass information on .........

2008-07-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

to new bloggers (sorta like myself). Not to long ago my son jokingly called me a facebook stalker. Before we even go there I have 3 children, I joined facebook a little over 2 years ago when my youngest son had a dear friend to die in a car crash. This is sorta when the stalking came in I used it as a means to see how he was doing. Anyways not to babble occassionally I will say something to one of the kids and that is when they joke with me about reading such and such on facebook. I have had a blog for a couple of years and you can probably count my posts on one hand. I started reading (stalking) different blogs from friends and thought man I can do this. I would love to look at the designs that they had as the backdrop and I could never find out where to get those. Well needless to say I found one through a blog and wanted to pass the site on to others like me. The website is www.pyzam.com. So check it out and tell them Karen sent you (LOL there is not a place to tell them that). Have a good one!

I'm so excited ..............

2008-07-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

I got a new washing machine. Paul and Andrew just went and got it for me from Lowe's. Now I know your saying why does that excite you? Our washing machine has been on the brink for weeks. It would wash clothes and all BUT when it would hit the spin cycle it would spill water onto the floor. Now this is no big deal as I would grab beach towels and allow it to soak up the water. The towels would dry out on the clothes line and then I would start all over again. On top of that Lowe's was offering 10% off YEAH. Well we plugged it in and of course I started a load and it is so quiet you can bearly hear it running. I have informed Paul I can do laundry all night long and he should be able to sleep through it. So for the beach towels they are retired hummmmm wonder when I can retire?

Through life we run across

2008-06-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

things we just don't understand. I know that no one will read this blog so I am basically going to use it as a diary of my feelings. I went home to Benton, KY this past weekend to surprise my parents especially my Dad for Father's Day. When I left there house I broke down and cried. It took me back to 1981 when I left their house as a newlywed. Part of me then had mixed emotions someone told my Mom at my wedding that she was losing her best friend. That I was moving so far away and things would never be the same. Well that was 27 years ago and things have never changed. When I left this past time I had the same feelings that I was leaving them and going so far away and things would never be the same. Times have changed in 27 years. I look at my parents health and it breaks my heart. My mom use to love to go shopping with me and this time she was not able to. Dad is losing weight he now weighs 150 lbs and stays so tired. His bout with lung cancer surgery and leukemia is taking his toll on him. It breaks my heart to see them go downhill and know I am so far away from them. My brother has not spoke to me in a year, sure wish I could make him grow up and realize now is the time to pull together versus drift further apart. Life does not seem fair! How does one cope with a situation like this? It hurts and does not seem fair! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

My very first 5K..............

2007-04-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Kara and I walked this past Saturday in our first 5K together. She had walked in one before but it was the first for me. This weekend 5K run was created to increase awareness of ovarian cancer. We preregistered and qualified for a free shirt Yeah. I heard my cousin speak of these perks and thought cool I have my first 5k shirt. Kara and I walked the event their were 3 different times that we did run a few steps, then I had to stop and catch my breath LOL. Our time was a little over 45 minutes. I bet it could have been faster if I would not ahve stopped twice to pick up the pennies I found OR to stop and pick up my water bottle which dropped. Kara did allow me to cross the line first I guess age before beauty LOL. I told her we needed to do this about every 6 weeks travel places and try to increase our time. We finished - not in the top ranks, there were no medals or recognition only the thrill of saying we finished! Oh by the way today was weigh in at the school and I have lost 33 pounds YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 Big accomplishments since Saturday what does the rest of the week hold for me??????

Guess What..............

2007-04-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

I have dropped a dress size? I know it's no big deal for you to read this and go whipdedoo Karens dropped a dress size BUT this is such an accomplishment for me! Back in February I tried on a dress to buy for my cousin Janet's wedding and really liked it! I found another outfit I liked better and bought it instead, I felt I would get more wear out of it at the school and all. Well the Saturday before Easter my husband, daughter and I went shopping for her an Easter dress. We found a coupon that entitled us to $30.00 off if we bought x amount of clothes. So we started looking around and I found the exact same dress on sale this time more then 1/2 off. So I took it the larger size which I tried on for the wedding and then I took in the size smaller. I immediately tried on the size smaller and it fit perfectly and thought this cant be right so I tried on the larger size and it hung real low under the arms so that one could see my bra if I raised my hand. So the smaller size it was and boy do I feel good about it. OK I will share with you my weight loss up to this point, please do not share with my parents! I will see them at my sons graduation from college on May 11th and I want them to be totally surprised! Mom has always come down hard on me about my weight and its nothing for her to make some sarcastic remark. So my goal is to lose a few more pounds before graduation and blow their socks off. OK heres another drum roll. As of April 2nd I have lost 23 pounds! I am at the point I can tell it and it is so exciting!

Can you believe ................

2007-03-27T03:45:00.000-07:00

that I walked 6 miles yesterday? Yesterday I woke up early and did the Leslie Sansone 1 mile walk. Then during planning period at school we walked around the building 3 times making it another mile. After school my ww friend called and said lets go walking again. So we preceded to walk 2 more miles for a total of 4. After supper another friend called and said I just ate pizza and I need to exercise wanna walk? Of course I agreed and we walked 2 more miles. I take great pride in this big accomplishment. I use to power walked when I was thinner but had not been doing it recently. When I started walking once I joined ww it was the hardest thing for me to do. I was so short winded and hills killed me, I can remember asking my friend if we could stop for a breather. Thank goodness she said no, which only made me stronger. I was so sore last night from walking 6 miles! I believe every part of my body ached LOL. Thank goodness for Motrin, I had a painless night. Today I will pass up my morning visit with Leslie and she and I will have to visit later tonight. I am very proud of my accomplishments so far so if I tend to brag, that's OK, I work hard for those bragging rights! Well guess I need to run (oops not yet literally let me get this walking downpacked) have a great day!

One Month and Counting ......

2007-03-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well it has been almost one month and I am still going strong with this weight watchers program. Today was a weigh in day and I dreaded it being we were on Spring Break! Well anyways I was quite pleased I had dropped another 5 pounds. I have lost a total of 17 pounds to date! I think if I exercised more I would lose more, but I am content at this pace. I will gradually add more excercise. I walk every am before I go to work thank goodness for a dvd player and Leslie Sansone (hope I spelled that right). I have also started walking outside when I get off work. This is such a big step for me, and I have to admit I am sooooooo proud of myself. PS a couple of people made this comment to me when I had lost 12 pounds and I thought it was worth passing on. If you think you cant tell you have lost 12 pounds try carrying around 2 five pound bags of sugar. Good point!

Totally Amazing And Inspiring - Way To Go Janet

2007-03-04T05:35:00.000-08:00

My cousin Janet and I are related due to the fact My Mom and Her Dad are siblings. We did not see a whole lot of each other growing up nor were we really close due to the 15 year difference in our age. About 12 years ago we started attending family reunions together and became closer at that point.
I found out during many of those visits that Janet and I were alot alike. We loved to laugh, tell jokes, enjoyed a few good drinks or jello shots together, we were of the same religious faith and more then anything we had the same figure we were both overweight. Let me remind you of something that was not an issue to me as some overweight genes run in our family.
I remember in 2005 Mom called me and said Karen I have heard through the grapevine (obviously someone in our family) that Janet has joined weight watchers and has lost alot of weight . I kept thinking Oh I have done weight watchers in the past and lets see how long this lasts I truly wish her well. When I saw her in July you could definitely tell she had lost the pounds and the thing about it she was not through.
Our next visit was in October for her Dad's surprise 60th birthday party and one could definitely tell that she had lost more weight and was still attending weight watchers. You would have thought dud Karen look at your cousin this does work, why not join BUT instead I gathered up her old clothes and took them home to celebrate my new wardrobe!
Our next visit was in June for our Stacy Family and Friends Cruise. Janet looked awesome by this point she was within pounds of meeting her life long goal and she had lost over 100 pounds. At this point I was also introduced to her new boyfriend and thought oh how cute they look together. They would wake up early work out and run around on the ship while I always slept in. As the old saying goes they complement each other what a cute couple.
In September Janet met her goal and had lost over 120 pounds. On top of that her BF proposed and wedding plans were in high gear. I would occassionally get emails and a couple of phone calls from Janet and I could bearly wait until February would get here so I could attend their wedding. In the meantime Janet hits the big news literally in the town she was living in and then on foxnews Atlanta. I have the link of the fox news Atlanta which I will post a the bottom.
Well February 15th finally arrived and I could not wait to leave school to head to Atlanta. Afterall, Janets wedding would be in just 2 days and I wanted to get to Atlanta early to visit with a few members of our family and friends. When I went to ask if I could sneak out a hour earlier from work I was talking about this wedding and this being my cousin who had lost all the weight and had made foxnews and was showing the secretary the news segment at the computer when the principal walks out.
She was totally blown away and before the segment could finish she said we are doing this. Karen would you be interested in atttending a weight watchers meeting even if we start our own? That day 3 of us the principal, myself and a teacher across the hall from me discussed having our own confession (ww) meetings. She said "Karen when will you be back?" and I told her I "on Monday". She said "she would be back on Tuesday and we would meet then". I thought yeah right she will forget and I am still OK eating the way I am use to eating and living like I want to live. Let me remind you something I had a desire to one day lose weight but like anything else you have to want to do it to do it! Well Tuesday rolls around and the principal calls us in UH OH. We decide which days will be weigh in days, which days will we meet and we make a commitment at that point we are in this together and we will lose weight. That night I went home and thought Karen you cant play around this is your boss you have made a commitment now take this serious! So I thought if Janet can do this and with all this support I can do it. So on Ash Wednesday (not that I am Catholic) Wednesday, February 21st I knew I had to take this seriously and at that point I decided to join this little group. On our first weigh in just 5 days later (decided to have meetings on Wednesday and weigh in on Monday) I had lost 7 pounds.
I am sooooooooooo into this new way of life. I eat what I what smaller portions and eat basically when I want. Last night I enjoyed my first coke it had been 11 days. I have started exercising and love it! So I will keep you posted and let you know how this works for me. Here is the link to my cousins television show LOL. Who knows maybe someday I will be able to send you a link to my television show.So cheer me on and wish me luck!!!!!!!!!! Oh and Janet thank you for being such an amazing person and for being such an inspiriation to myself and others here in Mississippi. http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=2320407&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

I have Curves.................

2006-02-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

Well acutally I hope to have curves again someday. In the meantime I have been attending a weeks free membership at Curves and it is awesome. I am currently out of shape and it is amazing that scales can lie and say numbers one would never thought they would see. My measurements sounded like a great lottery win. I am in the first steps and they are slow one's. I have felt pains that I have not felt in years! I love working out and switching stations and moving parts of my body other then my fingers typing on this computer. My cousin Janet and Diana are my inspirations. They both work out (of course they watch the things they eat) but they look good. Hopefully someday I too will look as good as I know they feel!

Karen's Kozy Korner: My Hero.................................

2006-02-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Karen's Kozy Korner: My Hero.................................

My Hero.................................

2006-01-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

It truly is amazing to go through life and discover you finally know who your hero is. Now I am not talking of a Super Hero comic figure such as spiderman. My hero is none other then my Dad. Of course we have read stories and as kids declared that our Dad is our hero, well mine is. Right before Christmas my Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia, it is a slow moving type. Then the first of January he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. This crushed all of us as we quickly learned to rely on each other and to turn to the Lord. I quickly learned that the things we pray for are not the things that God always has in store for us. I would never have wished two cancers on one person much less my Dad. I quickly learned I had tons of friends, the phone calls, people stopping by my classroom meant more to me then words can say. The power of prayer is what pulled us through to be honest with you. Dad hesitated on having the surgery to hopefully remove the lung cancer. They were to remove 1/3 of his right lung and if it was not in the lymph nodes he had a 95% chance, if it was he had a 50-50%. If he did not have the surgery he would die a very slow and painful death. With much prayer and convincing Doctors he decided to have the surgery. We were called home this past Wednesday to be ready as the surgery was the next day. He was the first surgery done that day the Dr. told us to expect him to go into ICU and for surgery to last 3 hours or longer. Surgery lasted a little over 2 and 1/2 hours and he was allowed to go right into a private room. We felt everything was going our way. Dad came out joking and making us laugh, which sure helped our spirits. I was convinced since everything was going so well something would go wrong. I was right on Friday morning Mom called and said the Dr. told us he thought that there was a 99% chance it was in the lymph nodes, it was crushing!! Later that afternoon the preacher came in and he prayed wit us and his prayer focused on we need a miracle. Saturday morning I had one of those good to heart talks with God, not focusing on what I wanted but strength and courage to accept what he placed before us. Within 2 hours Mom called and said the reports were in that it was not in the Lymph Nodes. He will not need radiation or chemo and just needs to be rechecked in 3 months. My new phrase is "Aint God Good". Dad is still in the hospital but making progress, sure he will be strong but he is a strong man, indeed!!!!!!!!!!!! Dad came up to me the night before his surgery and said Karen I am doing this for you kids and my grandkids. Anyone who would do that for me and my kids only deserves to be my Hero!! I know my Dad will never read this, but I want the world to know I love him and that I thank him. Love ya lots DAD!

MSU VS. UGA FOOTBALL GAME

2005-09-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that my birthday is over the Labor Day Weekend (usually). To me that is a sure sign, other then the absence of my husband that it's time to play football Mississippi State Style. My best friends Kara starts counting December 31st as to how many days until our first game. She is one of the biggest fans that I have run across rooting for our "Bulldawgs". It's amazing that I have been involved with football for 20+ years and there are things she is still teaching me as I sit in the stands. The best one yet is the play that I have taught her called The Statue Of Liberty. She has no idea what I am talking about as I have no idea what I was explaining. Well anyways, we have traveled to many away games, dealt with many rude restaurants yet we support our "dawgs". Our family has some good friends that we meet every year at the beach in Sarasota. I know Ron was coming in for the MSU vs. UGA game this weekend so I invited him to ride with us as we have special parking. He informed me he was bring 5 of his friends. So we are planning a big tailgate party with food catered in from Little Dooey's BBQ place here in Starkville, which ESPN frequents often. The first thing I want to mention is that Ron and his friends do support the Bulldogs but unfortuantely it is not our Bulldawgs! I am sure the fellowship will be fun and sweet up until game time. Thank goodness Paul did their tickets away from "our dawgs". It will be a good game and trust me on this one that one set of Daw/og's will win. I have already told him that the winner cannot rub it in the losers face on the way home. All I have to say about this, as my friend Kara sits by my side is go "BULLDAWGGGGGGGGGGGGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!"
PS This is my first blog topic please give me feedback!!!!!!!!!!!