Casey and Leslie are friends who live in Nashville. They are both songwriters and singers. Casey has played with and written songs for over 100 artists.

Casey’s Number One songs include:

• “Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight” (Grammy Nominated) by Kenny Rogers and Dottie West,
• “Soon” by Tanya Tucker (Grammy Nominated),
• “Somewhere Down the Line” by T G Shepherd,
• “The Cowboy Rides Away” by George Strai

I love going to sporting events, even though I’m not really active in very many. I do however enjoy playing a game of golf every now and then. My folks brought us up playing golf and I’m grateful for that. It is a nice easy going game that just about anyone can play and they have golf courses and tee times just about everywhere.

My folks just got back from their annual Myrtle Beach vacation last week. They wanted me to come but I couldn’t really take the time off of work and I all ready have a long weekend planned for the last part of September. My mom was telling me last night that they had a good time, the weather was a bit wacky but all in all it was a success. My dad found a website at www.48hourteetimes.com that they had to utilized during their stay in Myrtle Beach. They are a full service hospitality group that helps people with their accommodations and their 48 hour tee times. Since so many people are flocking to Myrtle Beach S.C. this year due to BP ruining so many of the other beaches on the east coast a lot of the hotels and golf courses have been slammed with customers that need some help finding their way around and finding what is available and for who.

I’m glad that my folks are computer literate. Many people their age are a bit timid when it comes to maneuvering around on the Internet, but they have mastered it quite well and use it to their best advantage when possible. And I’m glad that they are spontaneous, that must be where I got it from, a double dose of it, to be sure.

Well, I’m the last one to take a lunch/dinner break, so during my break I went to Domino’s Pizza across the street and bought four pizzas and brought them back to the store. I offered pizza to everyone there, declaring it was my treat in honor of A’s last day. I just couldn’t see letting him go off to college feeling unappreciated by the crew at the store! One of the young ladies that works there DID bring in a couple of cakes, and we all signed a good-bye card. I also gave him a duct tape wallet that I made as a good-bye gift. He’s a sweetie-pie and I’m going to miss his smiling face at work! I wish him the best of luck and hope he stays in touch.

To say that my aunt likes the movie “Wizard of Oz” would be a gross understatement. She’s actually obsessed and will do anything to buy items in any way related to the movie.

That makes it the easiest, yet the hardest task to buy presents for her birthday, which just happens to be soon. She has almost every kind of memorabilia that exists and that’s what people know to buy her for gifts. Some of her collections include all kinds of figurines, snow globes, afghans and T-shirts. Most of it is in the living room and it’s crazy to see how she’s positioned all of it in there perfectly. It almost makes you afraid to sit down or touch anything.

So after I got my new satellite internet packages I decided to just do my entire gift hunt online instead of going to the mall like I have in the past. I found a set of coasters and I knew she didn’t have movie-themed coasters so I bought them on wildblue internet and had them shipped to my house.

I can remember how stressful it was four years ago when we moved down here, trying to find the most economical services.  The Internet sure is a great source to help people to compare prices and services on just about everything anyone needs in this day and age!  And I really like the fact that it can take you beyond your local neighborhood when need be.  I think that being able to comparison shop on a wider scope helps keep  your neighborhood businesses competitively priced.

So when I go shopping, I often go to the Menswear department to see what kind of nice looking clothes I can find there that I can wear to work. I don’t want to look too masculine, so it is a narrow line that I have to walk. But one of the interesting things is that my son and I wear the same size, so we often go shopping together. I depend on his fashion sense to keep me up to date on what the latest in men’s fashions so I don’t look too ridiculous!

I recently located a cousin of mine that lives only a couple of hours away from where we live.  He used to play in my father’s band back in the ’70s and 80′s.  I found out that he is stll playing in a band, and his sons play too.  I was glad to know that the music is still alive in our family, and if I ever need to find musicians for a party, I know who to call!  It’s in the blood, and we are keeping the music alive!

I love the Geico website because it allows me to do everything I need to do online. There are times when I need to pay my bill a day or two late and all I have to do is use my wireless internet bundle to get online and push back my automatic payment. I don’t think I’ve ever called the customer service number because the website is set up so well.

I am able to change my policy and what state I am in instantly. I review my new policy online and have paper billing so all I have to do is print what I need and save paper where necessary. One of the best parts of having my insurance with Geico is being able to choose which payment plan and insurance needs I have at any time.

Last month, I switched my payments to quarterly instead of monthly because it was a more convenient way for my family to pay. I actually saved money because I was making a bigger lump sum payment. Usually they charge a small fee if monthly payments are made, so I was able to eliminate this amount.

My bills are almost all online, which makes it easy to get everything paid on time and when ever I am able to. I usually pay them after all of my kids go to bed and it is quiet. I wouldn’t have this luxury if I had to make phone calls or mail payments.

I guess maybe I’m a little bit more sensitive to the dilemmas of substance abuse because I have had several close friends and family members who have had to go through some kind of alcohol rehab in their lives.  One very discouraging fact is that for most people, they have to go to an alcohol treatment center more than once to get their addiction under control.  I think that there is a need for more alcohol treatment options for low-income people.  Addiction strikes people regardless of income levels!