Accomplishments

Got lots of my "to do" stuff done today. I was actually surprised! Changed bedding, finished a craft... Cleaned the craft room, addressed cards, did nails, dusted... Somewhat... And in bed by 10:00! Now reading time!

A Sneek Peek at my newest Novel

Rand's Story (My untitled Novel in the making)

Chapter 5 – Sparks of a Foreign Emotion

Coming home late, Rand bid his brother good night at the main hall and started up the stairs to the east wing of his home.  Loosening his cravat, he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and tugged it open as he strolled into his room. There, a warm fire was burning in the hearth, caused a soft glow throughout. 

Going to the side table he picked out the liquor of his choice and poured a class.  He walked to his over-sized chair and plopped lazily in it as he stretched his long legs toward the fire.  Deep in thought, he studied the color of the low burning fire through the contents of his glass.  

He yawned. 

It was a long night of dancing and practicing ballroom etiquette.   An activity he hadn’t done in three years.

Raising the class to his lips, he swallowed a much needed drink, reveling in the hot liquid as it crept down his throat to sooth his lust and relax his body.  His thoughts drifted to Presley Hayward and not for the first time this evening since they parted company. 

He had watched her throughout the evening, as she was all smiles and very graceful as she danced with other men.  He had put his name down for one of the dances in the last set and discovered when she wasn’t trying to escape a handsy Earl, she was quite a graceful dancer.  They talked some while they danced, mainly about how the evening was going, and he was glad to hear that the Earl had given up his conquest and found another victim.

Their conversation was easy and flowed very well for them to have just met.  The chemistry was thick between them, he had no doubt she noticed it too.  He wanted steal her away again, but as soon as the dance was over, she was quickly claimed her for her next dance. 

As much as he didn’t want to release her hand or lose her company, he didn’t attempt to go to her again.  He already knew where that would lead.  He felt her eyes upon him a few times, never looking away when their eyes met.  She was bold, and extremely willing to experiment it would seem. 

That alone could lead to trouble.

Who was she really?  Where did she come from?

A frown burred in his brow.  He needed to concentrate on Jessie and her season.  It would be best if he just walked away from Presley Hayward.

However, he was entitled to a little fun himself this season.  It wouldn’t amount to much.  It never did.   With a lazy smile crossing his face, something about this girl caught more than his eye.  It wasn’t just her long black curls and petite, yet curvy frame.  It was something more and it was a bit frightening.

He thought her a beauty with the mask on, but once he slide it off, it proved to be to his undoing.  Her lips where full, pouty, supple, wet...  and extremely inviting.  They almost glistened… Quite kissable lips actually.  And kiss her he did. 

Presley’s voice was like no others he had heard before.  It was soft, but also raspy and slightly husky, causing every word she uttered alluring, and extremely seductive. 

Rand liked the feeling of her in his arms too.  She was small, yet firm.  She felt perfect.  It had been a long time since he had held a woman in his arm for a waltz.  And once they were in the shadows, her kiss set his body on fire.  The rake in him couldn’t help kissing her.  He had tried to resist it, but the attraction he had felt from her was pulling him and it felt so good, he didn’t want to fight it.

He wanted her.  It was almost painful how much.  Looking into her beautiful blue eyes, he had a different reaction to her then with anyone else he had ever known.  He wondered if when he saw her at the next event in Southampton without her mask, and if she would act as bold.

Serious Attention Status

Since when am I the responsible one????  I always thought I was immature and not as grown up acting as my friends.   Not just when I was younger... but even NOW.   I also thought I was an attention whore... meaning I liked being the center of attention....

Then I got facebook!

OMGEEEE....What an eye opener -  for sure!  I have seen more status's and pictures posted that REEK of attention whore-ism...-  and if that isn't a word then.... it should be - since I got facebook.

People break up with a spouse or boyfriend or whatever... and all these "in your face" quotes start showing up!  Or how you are going to party it up with your friends...
Just soooo OBVIOUS people.

So many "one liner" Status's out there just enough to suggest you need someone to DRAG your drama out of you so you can whine.  NEEDY!  I have to crack up.  I am a pretty private person.  I don't put too much personal stuff out there for the world to see, so this concept seems ridiculous to me.

I never really wanted to grow up... but considering the alternate of acting this way... I am glad to be an adult!

Happy Medium?

So many of us can't wait for the weekend to get here.... We haven't even laid our head on the pillow on Sunday night and already wish our week away. Why is that? My work is enjoyable and even fun. It's distracting and I enjoy home so much better while I am there because of it. It gives you not only monitory fulfillment but also interaction with your community. For me... I don't like being tied to a click. I like to go as I please but I am sure that is most people.  Grrrr... I need a happy medium... but I don't think it will happen!

Potty Mouth

I like the "S" word!  I like the "F" word too, but that always seems to offend people, so I stick to the "S" word.
 
I am a cusser! 

There!  I admitted it.  I need to go to a place on the beach where people feed me and make me talk about myself and do my laundry so I can get over this terrible habit!  I need rehab.

I have no idea why I like to use curse words.  My Daddy didn't curse.  My mom didn't curse.  I don't remember growing up  hearing it... except at school... but still I am a cusser!  My husband can barely speak a sentence without saying bad words and when I point them out, he says... I didn't say that word!  He doesn't even realize it! 

I think they are just words.  They add flavor in a sentence... like garlic, only they can get your mouth washed out with soap.

Count down

I downloaded an app for a count down until Christmas break... It's 1 month 26 days, 18 hours, 47 minutes and 28 secs away!

The Price of Beauty

This is me trying to get my hair to curl without being curly... if you know what I mean.  Dennis thinks I look like a wierd Alien.  The price of beauty!

The Life of the Pumkin Pie in the Carter House

Be in the moment

This is my first day of fall break and as I still lay in bed I am dreading Monday! I really like my job but I like not having to do anything better! :) Even though technically I do more work while I off,  I don't have to get dresses for it!   I like lazy mornings and coffee at the computer, and I like wearing comfy clothes all day. I love a ponytail holder... My truest friend, and I like piddling from one thing to another without any rhyme or reasoning. But most of all I like the quiet of a day home. Oh!   and my nice- new- big- over sized- pink- fuzzy- comfy- cozy robe!

Bitch Fest

Gotta love being in a store and listen to the employees complain about thier jobs. 

I was at Walmart today and heard it all.  I was having some film processed and a manager came to the back to get some "warm bodies" as she called them, up to the front to check.  The girl she was talking to DID NOT want to go back and check.  According to her, she had been doing it for 2 hours! (wonder what an 8 hour day would feel like to her.) She said she had turned her light off and still 5 people came to her registor.  She rolled her eyes and said, "Duh people".   Then she went on to say that she hadnt' had her lunch or her break! (After a 2 hour work day?  She already needs a break and a lunch!?!?!?)

I remembering thinking..... You are lucky to have a job when so many don't and if that we're my employee she wouldn't be lucky anymore! lol

AT&T minute is WAY longer then a Mommy minute!!

I spent the entire 4 day weekend waiting for AT&T guys!!! After the big thunder bolt stuck something near our house, we lost:

electricity
phone
Internet
cable
alarm system

... Not to mention our garage door wouldn't work! So the AT&T guy was suppose to be there between 1 and 4... (in AT&T time that is 5:00 or 6:00).

So on DAY 1 of none of thee above working - at 5:30  he finally shows up and he trouble shoots everything and figures out that he did all he could do to fix the issue, but now I need a line man.  However.... because it was so late he couldn't get anyone to pick up the ticket until the next day.

DAY 2 of none of thee above working -  the next morning, which is Friday, we had a line man show up about 11a.m. which was 3 hours later then scheduled, (again AT&T time).  But he got everyone up and running... except one outlet... and of course, the garage door.

Then that same day after he was done at our house,  I had to go to my daughters to wait for the AT&T guy to come to her house. I just wanted to take this guy with me!  I thought I could save time this way.... unfortunately life doesn't work that way and neither does AT&T! 

DAY  3 .....On Saturday one of our cable outlets didn't work so I call at 2:00, they give me the time slot of anywhere between 4 and 8!  We waited and waited and waited..... never did show up!  So I had to call and find out the deal! 

DAY 4 ..... Sunday at 9 in the morning he shows up!

I hope lightning never strikes that close to my house again.... and not for obvious reason.... just for the simple fact that I don't want to have to call AT&T again!

Fall

I love the weather outside when it is sunny, yet when you go outside there is a cool nip in the air and the air smells cold.  When the grass starts to turn and all the spiders disappear.  Cold enough to wear sweaters and drink coffee on the porch.  Color still lines the trees, but you know everything is fixing to fall from them and clutter the streets and the yards.  

Great Answers? Or Smooth Talkers?

I was trying to trap my aid in an uncomfortable situation....One aid at a time.

Here is the conversation I had with one of my aids while the other one was out running errands.

Me:     I am listening to the "Oldie station" and I know all the words!  What does that mean!?"
Chance:     It means you must listen to a lot of different music!

Never know about these two!

So, I am thinking that was a GREAT answer!  But I ask him.  What do you think Clay would say if I asked him the same question.  He laughed cause we both just knew if given the chance, Clay would tell me how old I was.  So when Clay walks in I ask him the same thing....

Me:     I am listening to the "Oldie station" and I know all the words!  What does that mean!?!?"
Clay:    "Well, music ages faster than we do.  I mean, a song from 2002 is old school now.  But you wouldn't say a 10 year old was old....  So I think you are listening to songs that have gotten old.....  But you are not old."

I'm telling you..... he's good!

Everyone should have a personal Shopper!!!

At work today, Katie stopped by on her lunch break.  While she was there Ryan came by to take my order on some Yukon gear.  I always buy XL Unisex, but since Katie was there... she was telling me to buy a different size in a "ladies" instead because I have lost so much weight.  So I ask Ryan to get me a jacket so I can try it on.... He brought the entire rack!

 TO MY OFFICE!

 I might could get use to a personal shopper if this is how ya get treated!!!

Dennis is cutting down my Shit again!!!

My sad little Rose bush looks like a Cactus!!!

Years ago, while I was directing a play, Dennis went to the store and bought a chainsaw.  I didn't think anything about it.  I thought with me being busy and away some days & evenings doing the play... he would enjoy more time alone around the house -

I was wrong.

Coming home from choreography one Sunday afternoon.... Dennis had put his new toy to use and cut down, not one.  Not two.  But THREE trees in our back yard.  I WAS NOT HAPPY!

He also cut down all my favorite vines that grew up my garage and over the door.  I thought it made our house look like a cottage, but he thought they looked messy. 

That was years ago, and you would think that I would have figured him out by now.  BUT NO!

Today I see him pulling weeds... so I go outside to find a rather large pile of '"my flowers" , which he says were 'dying', on the sidewalk.  He then looks right at me and with all seriousness he says...   "Don't go in the back yard."

Of course I went straight to the back yard and saw my Rose bush, or the place where my rose bush once stood just the day before and I might add full of roses, was now... GONE......He tells me he did that last year and it makes it come back even bigger the next year.

There isn't much more he can do this season... but I think I might hide his cutting thingys anyway!

I got Stuff to do today!

OMG!  I look forward to having long weekends because I want to relax and play catch up.  But I seem to stay much busier at home then I do at work!  This weekend I was able to work on my Christmas gifts, catching up on reading, scrapbooking, doctor visits, helping my kids with different things, rearranging the living room to include wall decor.  I brought out Fall decorations and cleaned the house (some).  I enjoyed the 4 day weekend.... but now I need a 2 day weekend to rest!

Closed Eyelids

I have no thoughts and nothing holds my interest on TV!  What is my life coming to?!?  Usually I have tons of pure crap to blog about, and I always have something to watch on DVR... but now my mind is mush and this season has crappy shows!  Bed sound so good at 7....   that by 8 I am in bed, and asleep by 9.  How can I watch anything through closed eyelids?  Wisdom I should have sought from my dad, WHO, by the way, could always seem to watch westerns through his eyelids! 

A Little Mexican in my Crock Pot

I have to share this with you guys!  It is the best, most easiest recipe and will make your house smell wonderful after a long day at work!

Need:
Frozen Chicken (Tyson in a package) 4 to 6 breasts
Two cans of Rotel
One package of Taco Seasoning
Onion (optional)
Bell Pepper (optional)
Small can of chopped green chili

Lay FROZEN chicken in the bottom of crock pot.  Pour cans of Rotel and green chili, ad seasoning, slice up peppers and onions... Bake on low for 8 hours.  Serve over Rice and add a tossed salad.  YUMMY!

You're welcome in advance!!!

It's ON!

I can't believe Dennis thought it was funny to turn the wind shield wipers on WITH the cleaner, right when I was going to get in the car!  Nothing like a face full of windshield wiper cleaner and water!  AND..... he did it on purpose!  I might have been laughing with him on the outside.... but inside ... I am plotting!

                                                         To be continued.......

Not a BEACHED WHALE joke

I told Dennis, who has dark circles under his eyes..... that I was really sleeping well .... he told me he knew I was sleeping well because he sleeps with me, and he is NOT sleeping well because I am! 

Since I have lost all this weight, I wake up in some wierd positions!  Before, anytime I wanted to roll over, I would have to walk up to move!  Rolling over a section of my body at a time, because I couldn't left it all at once.  Now, I wake up all kinds of twisted and never wake up during my sleep to move.  And apparently I move alot! 

How to loose wieght?

1.     Get sick.
2.     Stay sick for a really long time.


That will do it for you.

That Extra Day I had with my Daddy

It has been a year since I have seen my Daddy and that is the longest... by far... I have ever gone in my whole life without seeing him.  It feels like yesterday, yet a life time ago, if that is even possible. 

He had been put in the hospital and I was going so I could not only see my dad, but also help my mom with him or give her a break once we got him home.  Tanner went with me and we sat in his hospital room as he joked and visited with us.  The hospital is across from the college football stadium and looking out the window, I could see the bright lights where my old high school was playing the big game of the season LHS vs IKE.  Daddy teased me about when I was in high school and he would pick me up from the game, ironically in the hospital parking lot... as me and my friend would get into the car he would ask me who won...to which I would reply.. "I don't know!"  He would then laugh and accuse me of "boy watching" instead of watching the game!


The next day (saturday)  he was waiting to be released.  He was adamant about the OU game being on and he wanted to be out before it started or he wanted them to wait until it was over!  It took forever for them to release him and as usual.. he didn't complain.. just watched the ball game with Tanner and a friend... Bill, that had come to see him.  Once we left he wanted to go by Sonic and get a vanilla shake and then we followed them to Cyril. 

I  had thought about going home after we got him back from the hospital and settled in.  I had helped my mom and everything was in order.  I asked Tanner what he wanted to do, and as usual he was supportive in whatever I wanted to do.  Because they took so long to release him, and we got home later in the evening, I decided to stay another night. 

That precious last night I spent with my daddy was something ... I will never forget.  Tanner tried to talk him into playing aggravation, but he didn't feel like playing.  So, I gave him a foot massage.  I had printed out a Chinese foot chart and I massaged both his feet and worked extra hard on the part of his foot that is connected to his lungs.  He relaxed with his eyes closed and told me how wonderful it felt.  I bet I messaged him for well over an hour as we just talked and teased each other.  I got his coffee ready for the next morning and cleaned his tray where he liked to have his snacks.  I made sure he was covered when he went to sleep and I gave him a kiss. 

The next day I made breakfast, and we visited at the table and laughed just like always.  As noon approached, I gave both of them a hug & kiss goodbye, but when Tanner an I were sitting in the truck, I got teary eyed and I told Tanner... this might be the last time I see him.  Tanner, of course was like... "Oh Mom!  It is not!"  But I think I knew in my heart that it was.  It took everything I had to back out of the drive way.  It was the last time I saw him.

Who says "0" is not a size!

Oh man!  I like shopping at Maurice's!  I am a size 0 there!  And THAT is too big!  How cool is it to shop at a store and be too big for a size 0?!?!  It might be my new hang out.  I am not joking.  This was a total boost of instant confidence for me.  I bought 3 shirts and I am not even sure I like them! 

I have beef jerky in my night stand

My daughter brought be beef jerky from Guymon a month ago.  I haven't been able to eat it yet cause of my whole GERD situation.  Which sucks cause I really... really... REALLY like No Mans Land Beef Jerky -  and to know it is there, unopened  kills me!  I also think my dogs know it's there.  They stand on my side of the bed with their nose twitching, and anytime I go in there, they run and follow like I might just open it and drop some, or better yet, SHARE it with them... yeah like that will happen! 

So I tell my husband that if he would like some, since I can't eat it now, he can take some to work.... and he eats the WHOLE bag!  smh....

Sleeping Beauty vs The Blood Hound

I could not find Katie on Sunday.  She did not answer her house phone or her cell.  She did not reply to texts or facebook either.  So after an hour of no reply on any electronics, I decided to go to her house.  She would not answer her door.  But her car was there and her purse was in the front seat.  So I pound on the door harder and manage to set off a nice sound of dog harmony in the surrounding apartments.  Still no answer.  So I go to the office... but wait it doesn't open for 2 hours.  I was not going to wait!  So I get a hold of the security people, who get a hold of the cops.  Long story short.  If your mom is looking for you, you better let her find you! 

She was sleeping.  I was not leaving until I knew she was safe!  We spent the day together.... shopping, eating and laughing! 

Sleeping beauty 0 The Blood Hound 1

I am here... but just barely!

While I was gone and not really blogging like I use to, some stuff went down!  Now you know it is something major cause I LOVE to write and blog, if for no other reason then to print it out and keep it for my journal.  When I am dead, my great grands will think "SEXY" was a cool grandma! (that is what I want my grands to call me, and I can't for the LIFE of me understand why my children are refusing to let them refer to me that way! LOL

First of all I have been sick.  And not the cold, runny nose, achy kind of sick.  But the OMG I am going to die cause I have a disease kind of sick, called LPR They say stress causes my illness... and I was thinking, I am not under stress!  I sold my daycare 2 years ago.  Everything else is a piece of cake! Right? 

Well.... then I got to thinking about my last six months.  And here it is in a nut shell.  Still new to the town, not many friends, so some depression had set in... then my Dad passed away in November, so I worry for my mom all the time.
I worry for all my kids.  All the time. And that will never end.
I was going to open another Daycare, then I wasn't, then I was, then I wasn't.... well you get the gist of THAT scenario.  While at the table making plans to open a center the phone rings, it is YHS asking me to come for an interview.  I go, get the job (JOB OF MY DREAMS btw) and of course I am nervous for the entire month after he hires me before I start.
Then I have one sister that couldnt'sell her house and she has had health issues for years and so has her husband.  Then my other sisters husband had to have heart surgery.
Then my mom started  having mini strokes... which I took her to the doctor and over a course of the summer, actually 5 months, we got her a home health nurse and got her blood pressure down, but I was trying to go up there for 2 days a week to take care of her and help her with shopping and laundry. 
Then she just had a pace maker put in. I just worry for her all the time!! 
THEN,  Matthew had a wreck, and it wasn't a kind wreck.  It was a mean- in your face- type of wreck that totalled his car in the parking lot of his school!  And he had a nice car.  Body shop stopped the estimate at $13,000!  Yes in the parking lot where he was doing the normal speed, but the driver of the other car was clocked at doing 45mph.  It was on tape and the cops and the insurance guy told me the estimated speed.  Can you say T-BONE?  Then say Hospital, and minor concussion!  So I guess I can see why I might have gotten sick.  And I sure hope I am on the road to recovery cause I almost had to put myself out of misery a couple of times!  Oi vay! 

But I do have to put in a side note that my husband has been with me through all of this and loves me very much and for him.... I am so lucky and greatful! 

I have a chicken bone in my throat!

Well, having GERD has always been a part of my life, but this chicken bone stuck sideways is a new twist and it SUCKS!  Let me say that if you are on any PPI's please watch for signs of LPR.  I think I might be healing some, besides the chicken bone of course, and for that I am grateful.  I know I like to eat some crazy stuff... but after not being able to eat anything that I know how to cook for 2 months and losing about 16 lbs... I am starting to develop some love for new types of food.  It has forced me to eat different things that I haven't tried before and I have to say.... there are some good stuff out there!!!  At any rate, I have my good days and my bad days.  Bad days consist of the chicken bone in  my throat.  Okay so the whole chicken bone thing might be a little dramatic, but LPR does suck until you get it under control.  And getting it under control takes a long time... I am on month 3.  I still have some issues to over come... but I am determined!

The Nonsense that I Can't Live Without

 Okay! So I have no idea why I wanted this Rooster. I was shopping with Katie and saw this on the shelf and for some reason, which I still can't explain, I could not get it in my shopping cart fast enough!  I just knew that lady behind me was ogling it and it was the only one!  I wasn't taking any chances that she would get it. 
Dennis isn't sure why I needed it or why I insist on calling it Henry, but I did and I do! So ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to my new kitchen decor, Henry!

T- Boned Car

 

Matthew totalled his car! :(  He was going to go out for lunch and he and a friend were going to drive over to her car to get a notebook out of her car.  The whole wreck is on tape.  He is traveling down the driving part of the parking lot and turns to go to her car with another car slams into his car... TBONE style.  The insurance company said her speed was 45mph.  The passenger in the other car went by ambulance to the hospital and I took Matthew.  We met Dennis up there and got him fixed up.  He had a MRI and made sure there was no bleeding or swelling to go with his head ache.  He throw up in the parking lot and that only confirmed what the doctor told us.  He had a minor concussion and we had to just watch him for 24 hours. 

Feeling Pewny SUCKS!

Man!  I have not been feeling good at all since July 1.  I have been to 4 doctors, a chiropractor, an ENT and a gastroenterologist.  I have had a rubber hose up my nose, and down my throat.... I have had an endoscope.  I have had an ultra sound and I have been on rounds of antibotics, steriods, and PPI's.  I have had a diagnoses of PLR and then told I did not have that by the Dr that did and read my scope. I am scheduled for a CT scan on Monday to check for stones. And I have been told to get a second opinion with another ENT.  Prayers are appreciated!  I am just ready to get back to normal... or my normal anyway. 

I'm a Rebel

I started my new job this week and so far... it's working out! lol  I am always afraid of working for someone else because when you work for yourself for 20 plus years you don't answer to anyone but yourself, so if you screw up... you just shake your head and fix it!  But working for someone else, someone else might slap me on the hand, and how will I handle that?  I am a rebel!!



This is my office...

I am pretty independent... but working for myself has taught me that.  Getting it done without anyone over your shoulder.  I don't like being watched or told what to do.  I think that will come in handy on this job cause I don't have anyone in the office with me and I still have to get my stuff done, so being able to work without someone breathing down my neck is a job requirement for this one!

However, the staff that I have, so far, been able to work with are a great group of ladies.  School starts this coming week and I wonder how I will handle all the people needing something NOW from one of the counselors.  I hope I am able to keep a handle on everything.  I am ready.... or as ready as I can be.

My GPS is on Crack!

I am not a traveler.  I would like to be, but sadly, not the case.  I did have a plan though.  An idea so crazy and wild that I can't believe I actually did it.... I bought a Garmin! 

I was so excited to get one because it would give me some freedom to travel in the big city in which I live without depending on my loving husband to get off his ass and take me places... Plus he never seemed to want to take me to Hobby Lobby or Places where "I spend money"!

As good as this plan was however, my Garmin got old.  As fast as our town was growing in the last 2 years since I purchased her, she became outdated. She became CA-ranky and stubborn. She couldn't even find her way home anymore, damn thing! Personally, I think she is menopausal!

Because she was a whopping $50.00 on Black Friday where I snagged her at 6:00 am......  We looked into possibly getting a "map update". It would cost roughly $99 to update her... basically the cost of a new one and let's face it.... Why fix it when you can get a BRAND NEW ONE!!!!!  One that has a bigger screen, better graphics, more options!  But Dennis, being the frugal man that he is... didn't see the point!  Why do you always burst my bubble DC!

So last week I go to Midwest City for an appointment... I type in the address of my destination and head out on the highway.  I get about 3/4 way there.. crusin down I40 listening to '50 Shades of Grey' on my kindle and BAM!... I run into construction..  I can not turn where she is telling me too.. because there is NO ROAD and the GPS freaks out!!!  I look down at the screen in a panic and my car looks like it is flying over gray nothingness!!!  She starts yelling at me: RECALCULATING...RECALCULATING And then wanted me to make a U turn!  IN THE MIDDLE OF I40!  She is so old and outdated, could not figure an alternative route!  She had no idea there was construction there and was flustered!  Finally she told me to sod off and I was on my own!  Why does she hate me???  So, I got out my IPhone, which I hate to use for this purpose bacause it is ass backwards...  and found my destination with little time to spare. 

When I was done with my appointment, I went straight to walmart and bought a brand new GPS.  One that was not menopausal.  My new one was calm, cool and collected... knew where all the construction was, helped me avoid it and knew exactly where we lived!  Money well spent!

Don't. Feel. Good. UGH!

Comic Relief? Or Divorce Court...

How many people does it take to hide the cords behind the TV?

Three! 

And apparently it also requires the assistance of two growling dogs that have the run of a 2000 sq ft house and a doggie door that takes them to the great outdoors whenever they choose... yet they that pick that moment and that room, and better yet under that ladder I am standing on..... to fight over a stick!

I dropped the Wii and the DVD player... Yep!  They both hit the floor, crushing a candle into millions of pieces, on a floor that I had just swept!  Apparently, or according to the... know-it-all Dennis, the cords which I wrapped, where too tight and couldn't reach the proper plug-ins!!  Suck my big toe Dennis!

Through it all - Dennis only holds the front of the TV with both hands saying, "It's gotta sit flat!  It's gotta sit flat!" (talking about the cable box).  Matthew kept leaving the room and we would have to say... "MATTHEW!  Come here! We're not done!"  And he would whine about how he was trying to "clean his room"!  *Side note... I told him to clean it YESTERDAY and he didn't... now when I need his help his excuse was... "You told me to clean my room!"  OMG!!!

Finally, after Dennis redos my 'screwed-up-wrapped-up-cord-job'... we get the TV back up, and as Matthew and I are trying to plug the 40,000 cords back where they go to make sure everything is working..... Dennis says, "It' isnt' in the middle!  It's gotta go to the left!"  We say okay just a minute we are still plugging stuff in... But ignoring us he repeats it like 5 times!!!  Then he didnt' like the DVD player where it was.  (it has always been right there....)  "That looks hillbilly!"  he says.  At the breaking point and not at my best moment I say "Your MOM's a hillbilly!"  and he is like ... "Don't talk about my momma!"  :)

So, I start to clean up all the mess we have made during this adventure and I have cut wire, cut zip ties, a screw (?), okay, I honestly have no idea where that came from.... and candle shavings that got crushed when I dropped the Will on it... and as I am going to the trash with my hand full of this shhhh....er....stuff, -  Dennis wants to make sure I am not throwing anything good away that he can possible use again!  So... feeling aggravated because I obviously know the difference between trash and not trash items, I dumped it all on the island. He picked through it and said... yeah.. it's all trash and then walked away without putting it in the trash! UGH!!!

I haven't watched TV the rest of the night!

Someone understands me!!

I was so excited when I read this.  I dont' know how they knew this stuff and I am not even sure if others are as 'right on' as my sign is, but this is scary on point for me!   It makes me feel like it is okay to be how I am.  The emotional part was right on and I HATE to be tied down.  I am a free agent.  So weird that nothing that was written contradicts my personality!
http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs/aquarius.htm

Cranky Old Man.....

 

What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.

Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!

Where is the Limit?

This is a true statement.  But when does reality kick in.  You want your children to succeed in all that they try.  In all that they want to do,  dream to do, ATTEMPT to do... but at some point it has nothing to do with ability, education or self-esteem... but with reality. 

How do you allow anyone that you love to place themselves on a destructive path just for the sake of a dream.  How do you allow anyone you love to make choices that will end with regret and with discontentment.  As a parent, I was always my kids biggest fan.  I wanted my children to be in everything and to to enjoy it all.  I remember telling my oldest son that his life couldnt' be all about football and sports, so I made him (and yes I use the word MADE correctly) be in a play.  I also bought him a quitar and encourage music.  Point is, I didn't want my kids to put it all in one basket!  Self Esteem is important, but so is teaching reality.  So is teaching them that they can do anything they want, but because of powers beyond their control they might not achieve those goals and need to have a back up plan.... or make new goals. 

I am reminded of all the awards that kids get in sports today.  Everyone gets an award cause no one needs to feel left out. Am I wrong in thinking that we as parents need to keep it real so our kids aren't looking at thier future like it is owed to them?  I worry about that. 

Butterfly

My heart is heavy for a family I know tonight.  Such saddeness should not have to be endured from a mother, a father, brothers and sisters or grandparents. Parents should not have to lose a child.  The order of life should be in stone. 

A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam
And for a brief moment its glory
and beauty belong to our world
But then it flies again
And though we wish it could have stayed . . .
We feel lucky to have seen it.

Many Faces of Me

Running into People you know....

Use to,  I couldn't go anywhere without running into 20 people I knew.  Sometimes it would take me hours to run errands because of this. Not that I didn't love to run into my friends or chat it up... cause I love to chat it up! But it caused me to forget stuff and it took me for ever to catch up to my day.

When we moved to OKC, I didn't have that problem.  At first it was nice to go somewhere and get my stuff done without the distractions. And I saved time and rarely forgot to get something cause my mind was on task. 

In the last week I have ran into one person who I never thought I would run into again in my life... Like literally of all the people to run into... that was freaky!  I ran walked into Hobby Lobby and saw a fried from Guymon at the check out. Then I ran into 2 different people I knew from Yukon at Target and another person at 7-11.

Friday, we went to see the Baseball game in Bricktown.  *side note* Not as exciting as watching NBA action or nowhere near the noise level in the OKC THUNDER arena, but still lots of fun in the great outdoors! 

We sat on the lawn at first where I devoured a hot dog (no baseball game is complete without a dog) and saw a cool firework show behind right field after the game.  As we leave, I hear my name... which is odd... not my name -  just hearing it in a crowd in OKC.. so I turn around to see a Shelly... a friend from Guymon!  We visit for a minute and then after we say our goodbyes, I hear my name again... which is even MORE odd, because this is twice now... it was one of my co workers from YHS!  We gave a hug, introduced spouses, talked shop and then went about our way. 

I like starting to run into friends again.

The Stick - Belsons Dream come true...

Belson, aka Belly, loves his sticks!  We usually get him a package and they last about a month and he wants one every day.  We know when it is time... not only does he start "Jonesin'" but he gets up in your face and starts whining... we can tell the signs and probably should seek a rehab for him and this addiction, yet we, being the suppliers that we are... go to the cabinet where he closely watches us pull out a stick and just before his tail falls completely off from the excitement... we throw it and he is in heaven... or under the couch growling... same place when a stick is involved.

ANYWAY... Dennis and I thought it would be funny to get him a really BIG stick...One he couldnt' possibly ever be able to eat... and it has proven to be a great source of entertainment for us for a week now.  He can't pick it up... so he drags it everywhere... in his bed, under our bed, on top of our bed, in our closet, under the table,  at the doggie door... (he can't seem to figure out how to drag it out that dang thing) and in the middle of the living room floor where I trip over it.  STUPID STICK! 

At any rate here is pictures of Belson and his new friend... "The Stick"!

Best of Both Worlds

My builder called me today with an exciting proposel.  He has offered to buy the land, build the building that I want and let me lease it for at least 2 years.  This would mean all I have to do is buy the equipment!  WOW!  In two years I could buy the daycare and only have to pay 10% down... If we decide to go this route, I will still work for the school and offer my daughter the directors job and have her run the center.  She has done it for 6 years... she can totally do it!  I could have the best of both worlds!

Thunder Rolls

I ran to Homeland to pick up a few things for dinner tonight and while I was there the song "Thunder Rolls" was playing.  I found it ironic for some reason.  Maybe the fact that as I was picking out fresh vegetables and the sprinkler system that sits over the produce section started thundering warning the shopper that it was fixing to spray the produce,  or the fact that Garth Brooks was singing the song and I was in Yukon, his home town... the fact that  we are OKC thunder... or the fact that it actually is thundering outside!

Settling In

In the words of Annie Warbucks:  "I think I'm going to like it here!" 

Yukon is always where I wanted to hang my hat.  In 1979 at the tender, yet impressionable age of 14,  I came for a Czech festival with my dad and his band and while here, I saw boys!  Lots of them!  I remember thinking even the fat boys were cute!  Since then I knew I was destined to live here. 

However, even though I wanted to move here, and have never regretted the decision to move here... it has been a little disconcerting to give up one way of life, in search of another.  And although many do it... it is more difficult to do while you are coming to terms with other changes in your live such as an 'empty nest'.  However, in that regard I am learning to love the idea of Dennis and I being a couple. Having never really had to time to "date" before we blended families and became parents together.  We know are dating, and I find that refreshing and fun.  I kinda like him!

With the start of my new job... a job that I wanted since before I moved here, I think I am finally settling in and growing some roots.  I think I'm going to like it here.   

Retiring from owning and operating a daycare at such an early age has given me the opportunity to recycle myself.  I am looking forward to seeing what else I can excel at!

I am a turtle.... on steroids

Ahhhhh my last day of steroids.... Happy dance...

Outside, my shell is sleepy and slow.  It wants to rest in a quiet place and cuddle with soft blankets and sleep with the distant humming of a fan set on high.

Inside, my body is full of bursting energy!  I have thoughts that string from one topic to another in a way that it couldn't possibly make sense to a normal person.  For instance,

"Where is my little green ipod, I haven't seen that in a while. It has crappy songs on it anyway.. . Oh I have brownies I bought them yesterday!  So excited to eat one later....  where is my book, I have to get that for my work out, but I will have to find my shoes.   I forgot to use my coupon.  Maybe I can go get some new pants..." 

This is how my brain flows.... EVERYDAY... and this is the stuff that I hear at 4 a.m while I am trying to go to sleep!! 

Yep... so glad this was my last day of steroids!..... Happy dance!

Believe it or Not....

So I write... I know you can't tell by my babbling on here, but there.. I said it.. I write. 
To prove it, I will share the poem I have published.

Sprinkles of Gray

Sprinkles of gray that cover over me,

won't lay to rest the black of darkness

won't come to pass.

Dark circkles in my mind,

the light that flashes bright,

Can't hid the fog of disaster...

in the words that love might.

Phases of laughter that's loud and painful

sees the gray on my soul

touches me gently

turning it to gold.

Moist tears that fall from my eyes

to be replace by happy times

and gray filled days shall come to pass

with no bitter lies.

Copywrite © 2001 An Eternity of Bliss
The international Library of Poetry

At any rate, I have a romance book written and ready. (I actually have several) My problem is how to get it to a publisher.  It is 363 pages and has over 80,000 words.  I had a publisher tell me she was interested in it and told me some changes to make... she told me to take it seriously and take my time with it even if that took months... so about 3 months later after I made all the changes - that made it more juicy -  I took it back to her, but she had left the agency and I can't find her.  So I know SOMEONE was interested in it.  So that leaves me with.... TOO MUCH RED TAPE...Which is why I have thought to just print it myself.  Seeing it in print might just be exciting enough... however, I might pound the pavement for a bit..

Introducing

"Love by Choice"

     ~  Sometimes love is not a choice.  In fact, it oftentimes is messy, complicated, and very inconvenient or even, unexpected.  Lord John Sallanger never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams laughing in the middle of a mud puddle during one of the most prominent balls in Southampton. 

     Struggling with a tumultuous past relationship and his responsibilities to his family business, Lord Sallanger is a hardworking, self-made man. He has never had any trouble with finding escorts for himself, but when Aubrey Harrison, an independent farm girl from Wyoming, drops into the world of Southampton high society, Lord Sallanger can’t seem to take his eyes off of the American beauty.  He is enamored and intrigued by her, for she is unique in looks, attitude, and spirit than the snobbish women he has been surrounded with for his lifetime—and she is completely off limits, making her all the more desirable to him.

    Even though Aubrey will only be there for one season, a friendship that is created out of guilt draws them into a romance that even an ocean between them can’t destroy.  Jealousy, deceitfulness, and unknown family secrets meant to destroy them only knit them closer together, changing them both in the process.  In the end, they must make a choice to accept fate or create their own… and along the way, the advice of a few drunken friends never hurts! ~

Just wanted to put that out there.

Look Ma! No Hands!!!!!

In the words of Kris Keller, "Well..., well..., well!" 

I think my life might unfold a little more neatly now.  I was worried there for a minute! Long story short... I will not be opening a center (as of now anyway).  I got hired on at Yukon High School as the counselor's secretary and I am ESTACITIC about it.  I feel like the kid that wants everyone to see what I can do!!!

Before we moved here, I researched the schools in the area and it didn't take me long to realize where I wanted my son to go to school.  I started subbing so I could somewhat have the same schedule as Matthew.  I know he is older, but that is when the supervision SHOULD NOT STOP! lol I have always been very hands on with my kids, (Duh... daycare...) and I wasn't going to stop now. 

We had first talked about me not working at all until he graduated.  But I tried that.... I CAN NOT not work!  I have discovered that apparently I get very depressed and need to keep busy and feed my mind and my body lots of busy thoughts and energy, or I get into trouble! 

So now, I am blessed to get to work at the High School where my son will be at every day....with really great people that I worked with all last year and with a bunch of kids!!!  I love kids!!!!  Plus.... wait for it.... I get summers off, a spring break... Christmas break... weekends... and days in between!  My kind of job!!  Oh and I will be home by 4 every day!  WOOT WOOT!

Rainy Days and Mondays.... Hits home doesn't it?

"Talking to myself and feeling old.... Sometimes I'd like to quit, nothing ever seems to fit.  Hanging around nothing to do but frown... Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

What I got they use to call the blues; nothing is really wrong, feeling like I don't belong. Walking around some kind of lonely cloud... Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

What I feel as come and gone before, no need to talk it out, we know what it's all about.  Hanging around nothing to do but frown, rainy days and Monday always get me down."

This song pretty much described my well being over the last couple of months.  I think it is important that we all realize we all go through times of stress, depression, and feeling unsure about ourselves, our choices, and our future. 

But with facebook we also feel inadequate about ourselves in the face of others that seem to have their lives so well put together.  Truth is, none of us do.  We post pictures of a moment in one of our days, but it is not our life.  We can't judge our lives and our purpose of life on someone’s picture snapped in a moment.  

Someone might need a friend or a shoulder to lean on and know that they are not alone in how they feel, and that it is okay to let their guard down and allow themselves that time of healing without feeling inadequate or that they don't measure up! 

Remember to count your blessing... recounts are okay, and always keep it real.

Mid Life Crisis

Well... is this it?  Is this a mid life crisis?  I'm not digging it if it is.   I have been a little stressed about what it is I am suppose to be doing with my life now that my kids are grown up.  Empty nest or not... my life has forever changed. 

My career choice, even with doing daycare has been to be a mom.  However, with the move of my family and the location of my daycare, it was nesseccary to sell my business. 

Now I sit with a problem of what to do with my days while everyone else is working.  It is an adjustment to say the least to have nothing to do, and my A.D.D personality will have none of it.  I miss the daycare.  I miss the kids and the business of it.  I miss the stress if you can believe that and I miss being needed.

I have had advice on this matter from friends and I realize it isn't just me going through this sucky stage... it is all people who are facing adult children moving away from home.   Doesn't make it any easier.

What Moment Would You Touch Again

'Its been said that we just don’t recognize the significant moments of our lives while there happening…we grow up complacent with ideas or things or people and we take them for granted an its usually not until that thing is about to be taken away from you that you realize how wrong you’ve been…that you realize how much you really need it…how much you love it.'

Where does it go....
a moment?

Seconds are fast and fleeting and years can hold beginnings, middle and endings.  But what is in a moment? 

When you're in that one moment, it often feels as if that is the only moment that matters... but it's not.   One moment leads to the next and before long you are looking at 10 years of moments gone by.

You don't even realize that you are happy with that moment until your at the another moment in your life that you find yourself unhappy.You look over your life and wish for certain moments back so you can bask in them and enjoy what you already had, but didn't realize it at the time.

My life is full of moments I want to touch again.

A trip to the Vet

My poor dog Alex had surgery for bladder stones!  He was in the hospital for 3 days and two nights.  This was during the NBA playoffs so the Doc put him in Blue wrapping for his IV!  Alex was not interested in being a team player ...or a team supporter! 

He wasn't behaving in the hospital, and doing all types of out-of-he-ordinary things.... not like his personality.  First... he was very vocal... and loud... and consistant about it!  Second... he wouldn't eat, but he would gather his food and hid in under a towel they had in his kennel.  Third... he poured stuff over his face!

When I went to feed him the day after his surgery, because they said he wouldn't eat for them.. he cried and cried when he saw me.  I have never heard him so vocal.  I feed him one pepple at a time... and he ate a lot!  I thought... well since he is hungry I will just put some in the bowl.. so I put some in the bowl, sit it in his kennel and he picks up the opposite side of the bowl with his mouth and lifts it up high and poors it over his face!!  He tried to do the same thing with his water bowl and I had to catch it real quick!  I have never seen him act that way!  I think he was trying to make a point! 

I worried over him that day and was so glad when the next day he got to come home.  Belson was really happy to ee him, but we kept them apart for a day or so so Alex could get is barrings.  He slept alot, and ofcourse Belson snuggled with him.  I think that helped Alex heal faster because the doctor told me a week to 14 days he would be slow, and within 5 days Alex was acting happy! 

Now he can pee a steady stream and sometimes several!  I am sure we are not the only ones that are "relieved" by that!

Planting Gardens

Front Garden

This is Melanie our new Frog!

 I sit on my back patio and think about all the things I want to plant.  How I want each section of my yard to look.  I realize it will take 10 years to get this yard the way I want it and I also think I might move before I am finished!  We did a garden in the back last year, and we did the garden in the front this year.  I am trying to plant mostly perennials so they come back every year.  Sure will save time and money if I can plant things that will come back year after year.

Progress LOST!

I got a call from the builder today after he spoke to the architect and he felt like my center with the parking lot would be about $100,000.00 MORE than what my budget is.  So I said... NO NO and can you say HELL NO!  So they are both at the drawing board again trying to get it right!  I explained that I handed him a drawing of the center with everything I needed, and that he could tweak it... but it was proof it could be done!  So... now I am waiting... AGAIN!  Lord help me!

Progress Made

1st draft... before changes
made...more to come
with final plans!

Got to finally meet with the architect on Friday and got some things cleared off the table.  Fun to sit in a coffee shop and sip on coffee while looking at some amazing drawings of what could be my future.  I have a better idea of my plans now, even with him adding things I will have to take off... I am sure.  I flip flopped his drawing to make more sense for me and I will get to met with the builder tomorrow.  All and all its moving ahead with some steam... although not fast enough for me really.  We have 15% down, if they keep in my budget... the architect is getting "excited" with his creativity lol, and I might have to hit him on the head.  Hoping to have final floor plans tomorrow and some idea of the cost.  I am sure I will have to make some adjustments so I can afford it, but still ready for some end results.

No Tolerance for Stupidity

People need to learn to love...
not tolerate,
not negotiate...
but love one another.  You can not have a christian heart and not love.
If you judge, ridicule or in anyway discriminate against someone because they do no believe in what you do...
then you are a sad...
hypercritical..
pathetic
excuse for a human being. 
Just saying!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/08/ellen-degeneres-one-million-moms-jc-penney_n_1262623.html

Strange Thing This Grief

I lost my father in November.  Strange thing, this grief... Where did it come from?  Where does it go?  It shows up out of the blue and then lays doormet for weeks.  I don't doubt my love for him or how much he meant to me... or even the fact that I miss him all the time.  But I do feel weird that I am not struck by constant numbing grief that binds me to the point of incapacity.  I feel guilty for not feeling that way, yet I feel sane for it.  I knew what type of man he was and how he would want us to behave.  Maybe that is what I move to.  Maybe knowing that he would want us to all continue to live successful lives and enjoy our time with our family and friends is what has me motivated to move forward every day.  Maybe the thought of staying still scares me more.  Strang thing this this grief.

So today was a total waste of makeup!

I got up earlier than I wanted too... hitting that good ole snooze button 4 times and then extending my wake up to 30 minutes later by resetting my alarm.  Finally I get up and I get ready to go to my appointment.  Face washed, make up on... hair done, and looking good I might add.  Clothes on... WITH jewelry and off I go.  I get to the light where I turn to reach my destination and that is when I receive a text that says..."I need to reschedule."  Not a phone call but a text!   WHO DOES THAT!?!?  I mean if you know you are not prepared, call the day before, don't wait and do it 20 minutes before the appointment.  Now, I have a wasted day ahead of me, and I could have stayed out of town longer!  Rescheduling needs to be done and the rest of the week I will have company! So pissed. 

Too Much to know what to do with myself

UGH!  I lost my password to my blog account and then they changed everything thing and it is complicated!  I thought about changing my blog to a different place, but "ain't nobody got time for bronchitis"!  Sorry couldn't resist!

So much as happened and all if it note worthy, but I have no idea where to begin!  The thunder game?  My mother being sick?  Getting a new storm cellar?  Moving my daughter, trying to figure out both my boys!.... Oh well I can write about all of that in due time... but for now, I will be toying with the new settings of this blog and see if I get a handle for it.  If not, I might switch... who knows!

Also, I have decided to say the word that pops into my mind even if it is wrong!  I wonder how many people will look at me wierd.  (Like you are now)...

As for now, I have to hit the hay!  Tomorrow is a big day for me...  I am going to see if the plans for my daycare look anything like what I would like to have.  I am sure it won't, since in reality, I have no idea what I really want it to look like from the outside.  So until I can sit down with a complaint or a story... adios!

Seriously...

Whitney Houston died.  She was a sad pathetic slither of who she used to be.  She has been hard at it for 10 years with drugs, alcohol and partying.  She has missed gigs and got fired from gigs for singing the wrong songs at practice. She picks fights at clubs and she got booed off the stage during her last tour because she couldn't hit the high notes, claiming 'her soprano voice was not wanting to show up'. Some of them actually left during her show. Why do I keep reading about how wonderful she was.  She was a has been and died as a has been.  I am over it!  Let's focus on more important people that actually do important things with thier lives... thier ENTIRE lives!

Ready ..... Set......

Now we are discussing the daycare options.  We are signing another contract tomorrow for the land, and the final proposal for the loan is going to the bank this week.  Everything hinges on that.  I still toy with NOT opening a center, but that feeling seems to fly in and out and only appear once or twice a week, mostly when I am so tired!   If everything goes to MY timeline... with two weeks I should have my blue prints!

When you say good-bye



The Kid during their first
 summer at the house



We sold our house in Guymon and WHAT A RELIEF!  Such a weight off the shoulders of us poor people!   It was weird to walk through the house for the last time.  I did it in silence and I swear I could hear so many memories of the kids growing up there.  I heard the kids doing the dishes while speaking in french and singing the theme song from China Beach.  I remember them sitting at the table and helping each other pick out their next years school courses so they could be in each others classes.  I especially remember the food fight the boys had in the dinning room with mashed potato and gravy plus ketchup!  I can see the house full of the youth group and screaming kids while watching a scary movie at one of their MANY movie parties.  A stain in the den floor reminded me of when Ryan split the entire bowl of hot sauce and looked at me as if he thought his life was over.  I remember having the large family Christmas tree up in the formal living room and watching and listening to Tanner & Kye, 14 and 15 at the time... singing "Could this be Santa" from the veggie tales, while waiting for Kyes dad to pick him up.  I remember all the times Katie had all the cheerleaders over at our house for 6 years straight practicing the tryout routine using the big window off the patio for the reflection.  I remember the big parties the kids would always seem to have in our backyard and how no matter how many pizza's I ordered, it was never enough! I remember Matthew running all around the house, making it impossible to catch him when he was in trouble, and all the birthday parties he had there.   So weird how the house speaks to you when you say goodbye. 

It was a great house to raise my family in.  We were all blessed to have had that house, those neighbors and that town for that time in our lives!