Thanks for the reminder, Becca! I almost forgot to recap my Wal-Mart experience.
As you may or may not know, I spent 5 ½ days living at the Wal-Mart over on W. Riverside. I was there collecting donations for an incredible ministry, Habitat for Humanity.

The night prior, I ran off to Hollywood Video to rent a bunch of flicks to keep me company during the 5 day excursion. Little did I know, I wasn’t going to have anytime to watch them.

I arrived at Wal-Mart around 10:00AM on the first day to finish setting everything up. By 11AM, Rockford’s NBC Affiliate showed up to do broadcast live during their noon newscast. I was so nervous to be on TV. Sure, I’m on the radio everyday…but no one gets to see me. For all you know, I’m sitting in my pink underwear and picking my news while I play your song request. But TV…yes, everyone gets to see me and hear me. No more picking my nose. Little did I know that every other TV station in town was going to come out and want to interview me (CBS, NBC, ABC, and even CNN!! Ok, well CNN on Insight Cable, hehe).

Darren liked to make fun of me because I was occupying much of my time by listening to the Wal-Mart 2-way radio. I was sitting there intently listening for emergency calls (fights, shoplifters, etc.). Of course, nothing big happened while I was there in the store.

I also had a lot of fun watching people attempt to use the self checkout line. Man oh man…most people have absolutely no clue how to use those things. I watched one guy attempt to ring up a bouquet of flowers. He scanned them and the machine beeped. For whatever reason, he thought he had to scan it again. So it beeped once again. He did it again and again and again. To his dismay, the machine overcharged him. To this day I have no clue why the guy thought he had to keep scanning the bouquet.

Highlight of the trip…running out of propane heat on the final night of my stay at Wal-Mart. I couldn’t get the RV to heat up over 30 degrees. Man, that was rough!

Did you come out and join us? Thank you so much. Habitat for Humanity received a hefty check well over $7,000. Thanks for donating!

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Okay…Kristin tagged me.

The ground rules for this game are as follows:
The first player of the game starts with the topic “5 weird habits about yourself” and people who are tagged need to write a xanga entry about 5 weird habits as well as state the rules clearly. In the end you need to choose the next 5 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment on their site telling them that they have been tagged and also to check your site!

1. More than likely, you’ll never catch me not wearing an undershirt. But here’s where that gets weird…I only like to wear the Strafford brand from JC Penny.

2. I never carry cash…but I carry a big wallet.

3. Because I run a business on the side, I’m always looking for expenses to write off. When I sign a credit card receipt, I circle the restaurant name and write the occasion of the meal for taxes. But that habit has carried over to my personal life. Sarah likes to tease me for that!

4. I like wearing jewelry like rings and watches. But because I’m so ADD, I play with it and more than likely I’ll loose the piece in about 3 weeks after I bought it. I’m positive that I’ll loose my wedding band several times.

5. I use fancy body products

I tag: Kara, Dino, Becca, Jake, and Melissa…muhahaha!

3 1/2 Days until I move into Wal-Mart!!!

1. Five years from now, we’re going to find out that Coke One is infested with calories and sugar. I tried it for the first time tonight and just too good to have zero grams of sugar and zero calories.

2. As much as I hate driving in the snow, I love looking at it. See, right now, it’s 9:30 at night. Normally, if I were to look out my front window at this time, I would see a dark street. However, with snow, the same street is full of light. I love how the snow brightens up the night!

3. Darren Marlar is my hero of the week. He’s volunteered to stay with me at night during Home for Christmas. I shall no longer fear the wild nights that the corner of Riverside and Owens Center Road is known for (hehe).

3. Darren told me that he will kill whomever wakes him up @ 2:30 in the morning while he’s sleeping in the RV.

4. I went to Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping and pick up a few things for Home for Christmas. No one was there! Snow weather is perfect shopping weather!

5. Number 3 is a lie. He never said that. But I will shout loud profanities at whomever wakes me up while sleeping in the RV.

6. I miss Christmas with mom, dad, and Jyl. My lonely Christmas tree, which looks similar to the one above, just isn’t the same as when my mom and dad put it together.

7. Number 5 is a half truth. Although I won’t scream profanities, I will get sweet revenge on whomever wakes me up.

Man, look at what I got myself into! For five days, you can find me living @ the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Riverside Blvd and Owens Center Road. I’m taking over the store in an effort to raise $5,000 for Habitat for Humanity…

Mary Gallagher is a 25-year-old single mother is raising three children, one of whom is disabled, and her 16-year-old sister.

Gallagher works her shift job putting together circuit boards and lived in a cramped home that didn’t adequately house her and her four family members. To afford rent, she had taken on three roommates, and roaches also occupied the home. All eight people shared a two-bedroom apartment.

Now Mary and her family live in a new Habitat house in a Habitat community that college students helped build.

“Habitat has truly healed my family, as it has so many others,” says Gallagher. “Not only has Habitat helped me gain a beautiful new home, but also a brighter, healthier future for my children. Thank you so much for your kind and loving hearts. Without people like you, my family would still be lost in the crowd.”

Mary Gallagher isn’t much older than I am. I can’t imagine living the lif e that she lived. Each night, I come home to a warm, inviting home. I plop on the couch, turn on my satellite, and relax. Whenever I want, I can walk down the hall and do some laundry or clean the dishes in the dish washer. The only bugs that invade my home are the occasional tiny spiders.

Habitat for Humanity is improving lives. They’re giving young children a better upbringing. If you’re close to me, you know that I’m a strong opponent to public housing and government social welfare projects. In some ways, Habitat for Humanity is in agreement with me. It’s their desire to abolish the whole “housing projects” system in our nation.

Will you support families right here in the Rock River Valley? There’s great need here in Rockford. Work with 101QFL and support Habitat for Humanity. 5 Days for $5,000. December 15th – 20th @ the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Owens Center Road and Riverside. I’ll be there. Will you?