So much runs through my head each morning on my drive to work. My morning commute is approximately an hour and 25 minutes but that includes the 30 minute “stop” to attend morning Mass on the way to work. I wish there were a way I could tap some of those thoughts directly into my blog.

Tuesday night (bowling night) I signed up for the Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Classic Pro-Am Saturday, Jan 28 at Vestavia Bowl. I’ve wanted to bowl in a Pro-Am for a very long time – I figure this will be my last season to bowl due to the deteriorating joint in one of my bowling fingers – so I might as well go for it. The lady I bowl with asked me if I considered bowling left handed – it possible but would require a LOT of practice. I don’t have time for ANY practice so it’s hypothetically out of the question. Let alone the cost of the new equipment…

Had the cervical x-rays done yesterday – as I figure arthritis there too. That explains why my neck sounds like a bag of potato chips every time I turn my head. I was kidding with my doctor – told her old age decided to hit me this year.

I have turned into quite a “cat person”. We’ve been discussing the idea of getting a dog – the idea does thrill me because I like the independence that a cat offers. You can take off for the weekend, leave out enough chow and a clean litterbox and not need anyone to kittysit.

The cat we have has such a great personality – he stays off the furniture (for the most part), doesn’t like to sleep on the bed, won’t eat table food, doesn’t get into the garbage and makes for a great 5AM wakeup call. I’m a little concerned that some of this wonderful personality would go away with the introduction of a dog or even another cat.

Did I mention the cat is spoiled?

For years and years I never drank coffee. I’ve always had a love for coffee ice cream (got that from my mom) but never liked coffee. Guess you can blame Starbucks for my change. It started with the Frappachino – the frozen coffee drinks that are so close to coffee ice cream. Then I crossed over into the hot “coffee” realm – not the straight up stuff (I still can’t drink that) – the “Mocha’s”. My favorite is the peppermint that is only available around Christmas.

Being someone who likes spending time in the kitchen making things – I started trying to create my own mocha’s. Got myself a little 4 cup coffee maker and a bean grinder. Using a diet hot cocoa mix as the “base” I experimented with different flavored coffees – chocolates, almond, I even found a mint chocolate coffee, although I prefer to add a few drops of peppermint extract instead. On the weekend a nice dollop of light whipped cream will top off the concoction. The only time the little coffee pot makes straight up coffee is if we have a “normal” coffee drinker visiting.

Speaking of “concoctions” – it’s that time of year for me to bake. It’s my favorite time of year because I can get in the kitchen and bake all the goodies I love making and share them with others. Kiss Cookies, Cry Baby Cookies, Pumpkin and Apple pies, “the” Pecan Pound Cake, Cinnamon rolls – time to start putting the recipes online.

It’s difficult to understand why my ex wants to maintain a good relationship with my family but yet does not encourage two of my daughters to do the same with me. I am very happy that all of my girls continue to visit with my dad and my sister. When Megan mentions that she is coming to visit me, daughter #2 basically tells her it’s stupid. That puts Megan in a painful position because she knows I would like her to have a good relationship with her sisters too. But the relationship my ex has with my family just eats away at me.

He kept things of my mom’s that my dad had given to me when my mom passed away. If Megan even mentions the idea of him returning them to me he goes off on her. I’ve asked my dad to speak to him but that gets forgotten. Maybe I should ask my sister to remind him.

This is probably going to be the last year I bowl – I’ve inherited my father’s degenerative joint disease and the joint in my middle finger is pretty messed up. But I guess I’ll go out with a bang – missed a 600 by 4 pins this past Tuesday night.

I want to sign up for the upcoming Pro-Am – Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Classic – Pro-Ams in January. I’ve always wanted to bowl in one. I took Vanessa to three of them. I even was a scorekeeper for one of them. Oh the lost art of hand scoring.

Somehow I let myself be talked into bowling in the USBC Women’s Championships to be held in Reno, NV. Entry fee was $100 – but that’s the cheapest part of the trip. Then there is airline fare, hotel, food and then the group is planning on going to San Francisco. Maybe that’s why I reluctantly signed up – I want to go to San Francisco. Hopefully, I can save up enough for this trip next June.