Sandra's Sunshine

As many of you have seen in the news the last few days and by Facebook posts, my hometown of Olive Hill, Kentucky was devastated by flood waters on Sunday, May 3, 2010. My father works for the city as their maintenance manager and is out on calls many days and nights insuring the restoration of service, but nothing could have prepared him for Sunday, May 3rd. The worst flood since the 1930's, the waters were over 5 feet high in the downtown area. Churches, businesses, and homes are a total loss in the community. Many of the town's elderly population will be starting over and that is a hard reality to fathom. It is going to take years for the town to build back what they have lost, but the one thing not lost on this horrible tragedy is the spirit of the people. Many of the "kids" have moved away and have parents still living in Olive Hill. Without telephone and limited cell phone service, it has been difficult to stay in touch with family and friends back home ove...

My friend Sherry and I took off a week in 1999 to meet our friends Kat and Dale at Leitchfield Beach, South Carolina. I had laproscopic surgery the week prior and I REALLY needed some R&R. We stayed in this beautiful beach house with a screened in porch with rocking chairs, a boardwalk to the beach, lots of blue skies, and one vast ocean. Every vacation has got to involve something historical and this trip was no exception. Sherry and I visited Brookgreen Gardens -- lots of sculpture and the grounds were perfectly landscaped and this is where I found the beauty of azaleas and rhododendrons. They now adorn our landscaping at home. After a couple hours of touring, Sherry and I decide to stop off at the "Old Kitchen" for some tea for her and a big honkin' Diet Coke for me. Sherry gets her tea and goes back to sit down at a open air table outside the kitchen. I finally make my way to the table and start to sit down and plop, plop, plop.......this clear, warm s...

I found this e-mail sent in January 2008 to my "Family, Friends, and Outlaws"...Enjoy! Dear Family, Friends, and Outlaws, Well......it's been quite some time since I've written a note, but what happened to me this morning was most definitely "story worthy". I take great pride in my job and this includes projecting a professional appearance at all times. Today, several coworkers from different Cardinal Hill centers across the state were coming to a training class that I was conducting on our database development. This included our legal counsel and several director level coworkers. This was the day for me to be "sharp"! I began my day by putting in my "eyes" (contact lenses), brushing my teeth, and hopping into the shower. Upon exiting the shower, I decide it's best if I floss my teeth since I've spent a fortune on them the last three years and it is just good dental hygiene. I am one of those dental patients who brushes, t...