I Could Write a Book

     Today is the first day of school. It’s also the first time I’m sitting in silence since May 14th. It’s a weird feeling and the quietness is making me extremely sleepy. I know I’m way sleep-deprived. Which mom isn’t ?

     I guess I’m glad school has started back. I can honestly say that this summer flew by quicker than any I can remember. And yes, I think I can remember most of them. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel doing all the homework and the crazy afternoons. I’m not going to like those. I spoke to dh again about homeschooling. I still entertain that idea. He will never go for it. He never has. Too concerned about "socialization". Ack. Personally, there are times when I’d like to just keep my kids in a bubble. 

     Instead of sitting here blogging, I should be cleaning up the tornado house. Hmm, maybe not. I think it’s important for my children to see my thoughts. To know how their mom was really feeling. I’m concerned for Juliana. She is so afraid of her teacher and of having homework. She keeps telling me, "I do not know how to do homework."  Poor baby. And then there’s Tob. He got the strictest teacher in 5th grade and he is so worried about his handwriting. She takes off for handwriting. He is so worried about it that last night he was actually crying about it and asked me to hire someone to help teach him how to write better. Last but not least is Gray. Gray. What can I say ? He is going to sail through 2nd grade. He got an awesome, loving teacher and I’m sure he will have a wonderful year. Sometimes when I’m worrying about #1 and #3 I forget that I should worry about #2 (Gray).

     So, those are my thoughts right now. I need to go put on some coffee and music and start tackling the mess. 

Ps: I’ll add the first day photos later. 

My children, friends and husband thinks I’m a good mom. I do not think I am a good mom. An "ok"one yes. A "good" one - no.  Could I do more ? I could do tons more. When ? I do not know. I am so tired today that I could just about drop over right now but here I sit blogging away. LOL. Why blogging ? Because tomorrow is the first day of school and I did it.

Did what ? I got everything ready for tomorrow. I visited with my sister and niece, talked with my mother, talked with friends, took the kids to lunch and dinner, bought shoes, school uniforms, supplies, and typed up 2 book reports due in the morning. Nothing like a quiet day. I even bought groceries and toilet paper. Groceries and toilet paper.  Somebody ought to make a song about them. It’s the two things we are always out of here in the house. I bet it is the same in your house. When you run out of something in your house I bet it is either groceries or toilet paper. Having 3 bathrooms here really helps though. "Hey G, go check your bathroom and see if there is any toilet paper in there. It’s needed in the big bathroom." Don’t tell me you’ve never yelled that. I know you have.

Speaking of the house - it looks like a tornado has come through. I have finally gotten to the point where I warn people , "sure you can come in but know the house is a wreck" and then I let them on in. Yes, I hate it on the inside but I’m pretty sure their house isn’t perfect all the time either. Please tell me it isn’t so.

My throat is still killing me. I’ve got some viral something or other. Glands all swollen out. Throat red as heck. Oh, well. When you’re a mother you don’t stop. You can’t stop. Well, maybe to buy some groceries and toilet paper. hehe. 

So, I’m off to bed to try and sleep. I hate freaking getting up early in the morning but you know after the kiddies are on the bus I’m going to have PEACE AND QUIET around here. Ah, motherhood bliss. Peace and quiet. Along with groceries and toilet paper. (And dangit - it should be spelled toliet peper- cause that’s how my fingers keep typing it).

Peace out and butterfly kisses. 

     This has been the summer of the "Dr of the Day." Tobin has been keeping me very busy in the doctors’ offices.

     Today he got his cast off of his arm. They removed the cast and xrayed it and said that his bone was healed. The Dr made him go through a routine of movements and when none caused him any pain the Dr declared, "no more casts." Woohoo. We were really expecting to get a soft cast for another week or two. The first thing he did when he got home was jump in the swimming pool.

     Tomorrow we are off to see the "dentist specialist person". I have no idea what you even call her. She’s the one who is going to do the root canal on Tob’s tooth. His tooth has obviously died and is causing him a lot of pain. I took him to an emergency dental appointment yesterday morning and our regular dentist confirmed that he was indeed going to have to get a root canal. Tob is not happy about it. He keeps asking me if they could just pull the tooth and put in a "gold" one. Uh, son, I don’t think that’s going to happen in this family. Lol. Still a cute thought, but nope, not going to happen.

     Gray still has his rash and if it doesn’t clear by tomorrow I’m taking him in to the pediatrician. Juliana is still having pottying issues and I’m about to lose my mind over that one. I’ve got a headache that could kill a horse and I’m concerned because I keep getting this head pain in the exact same spot. All I keep wondering is "do I have a brain tumor like my grandfather did?" That’s a happy thought, eh ? 

     Tonight was the longest board meeting ever. Not that I have anything else in my life to do. UGH. Yes, that was sarcastic. Between hitting the different doctors’ offices I’m trying to hit the shoe store, school uniform store and the school supply store. I also need to hit the Jr League meeting store since I’ve got a lot of shitake to do before Monday morning. And oh yes, the luggage is still sitting in the foyer. Rest of the house is clean. The luggage just needs unpacking and laundered. Any takers ? Didn’t think so. 

Peace out and lots of butterfly kisses.

Wow ! Summer for us is essentially gone. Gone ? Yes, gone. My children start school in 3 days. Where did this summer go ?

I’m going to give a condensed version since I have 1 million things to accomplish in the next 3 days.

May 22nd - the kids finish with school. We spent those first 2 weeks mainly at Francos, on the water slides, lounging by the pool their and then coming home to the pool here. Those were 2 nice and lazy weeks.

June 7th - I get everything prepared for the children and myself to spend the week in the woods at Cub Scout Camp. I was dreading this week and it ended up being the best week for Cub Scouts and for the year-to-date(that date) it was the best week ever. I worked "water front". That meant that I spent an entire week on the beach, by the canoes, on the rope swings, water slides and zip lines. It was sunny the entire week. The water front group had a fabulous time together. It was just awesome. I really enjoyed being completely outside the entire week. The kids had a blast, too. This was Tobin’s last year as a Cub Scout at Camp. He will go to Boy Scout Camp next year.

June 15th - I spent this week getting everything of Tobin’s bought and packed to go to Camp Laney. He and I left on Thursday of this week and spent a couple of days in Birmingham, AL and then drove on up to Mentone, AL. That was such an exciting and nerve-wracking day. I was dropping off my "first baby" for his 1st away camp. 2 weeks of away camp. He wrote me one letter that was 2 sentences long. LOL. Just like a 10 year old boy. He had a blast at Camp Laney. He turned into a "fisherman". He went fishing everyday in his free time. He told me he caught something everyday, too. Since coming home he has seemed quiter and a little bit more mature. A shame he can’t go to camp quarterly. Yeah, yeah. Bad mommy.

I was only home for 1 1/2 weeks before I had to turn around and go pick him up. I took J and Gray with me and we also left a couple days early so that we could go to Huntsville and visit my friend there. I was so happy that she was able to meet my two little ones. We had a nice time with Tiff and her family and J was super excited that she and R got to sleep together.

That brings us to — July 3rd: We pick Tobin up from camp. He was smiling from ear-to-ear. Oh, he broke his arm while at camp. 1 night before I was going to pick him up. They put his arm in a hard splint and wrapped it in an ace bandage for him. He wasn’t in pain when we picked him up. Instead of driving home (9 hours) we drove to Fairhope and spent the 4th of July weekend at the Grand Resort. I love it there and we had a lovely weekend. Dh drove up and met us there. He actually beat us there by about 10 minutes. We drove home the night of the 5th and that was a nerve-wracking drive. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper. Everyone coming home from their holiday weekend getaways. Dh’s truck kept overheating because we couldn’t drive fast, etc. It took us 7 hours to get home from there and it’s supposed to take maybe 3.

July 6th week: Whew. I finally have a normal week. Throw in a nephew’s birthday party and shopping for the Alaska trip and it was a pretty normal week. Oh, wait. No, it wasn’t. I was dealing with Tobin’s broken arm this week. Having it set and casted. Twice. Overall, it was an okay week. I was happy to see some of my extended family that week. OH Crap - how did I forget about that weekend ?? That was the Jr League Board Retreat weekend. LOL. I wasn’t home again. 4 weekends in a row at this point. Not home. I can’t say I thought this weekend was nearly as good as the last two. I felt that the members weren’t nearly as committed. They all just wanted to leave. I feel that that the board is very divided. Very. I think I’ve truly made up my mind to go "sustainer" and not run for president.

July 12th. Sunday afternoon and I am home from the board retreat. I slept on the couch for an hour or two thatafternoon. My busyness is catching up with me. We are leaving on Wednesday headed to Alaska for almost 3 weeks. I was busy the entire time finishing packing, getting the animals taken care of and buying the last minute stuff.

That brings me to August 2nd - yippee yeah, I’m finally back home from the Alaska trip. Where’s the report on Alaska ? That will be a post all by itself. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Beautiful, beautiful country. I loved seeing all the animals, mountains, icebergs, etc. Will I be moving there ? Heck no. LOL. Would I move to Seattle if I could ? Heck yes.

So, there’s my summer in a nutshell. I wasn’t home hardly at all and what time I was home - I did not have a computer. Mine fried. This is the first thing I’m typing on my new laptop. 

It’s good to be home. There’s truly no place like it.

    Hello All,

    It’s been a while since I’ve written anything. May is just mayhem every year. Things are piling up, coming to an end or just beginning. I’ve had plenty of those this month. 

    I think I’ll start with T: T finished 4th grade with flying colors. All A’s and one B. He maintained A/B Honor Roll for the entire year and had A conduct for the entire year. He was voted best "book report presentor" which is just wonderful for me. He doesn’t mind talking in front of others and he knows his books when he reads them. T played basketball this year and finally got aggressive. Thank goodness considering he is going to be one tall kid. He’s currently playing baseball and it is what I call "bamboo shoot torture". I have no idea why he is doing this other than his dad is trying to live through his kids but that’s a whole ‘nother blog. Oh, T is going off this summer for his first ever "away camp". He’s excited and nervous and I am hoping that it helps mature him a bit.

    Then there’s G: G passed 1st grade with brillant colors. Straight A’s. A’s for the entire year and for conduct. He’s the little golden boy at school and the girls just love him. He is going to have no trouble getting dates one day. He played basketball for the first time ever and they stuck him on the wrong team. He never made a basket the entire season except for the "free throws" at half time. We were proud that he tried as hard as he did. He’s in baseball right now and absolutely hates it. I think that’s a lack of confidence and not really a dislike for the game. The last 2 games he has actually hit the ball and in the last game he scored a run. I cried. 

    Last but not least is J: J finished Kindergarden with a bang. She was the wildest dancer in her graduation performance and had everyone laughing. She is reading already. Shocked me like crazy the first time she read something to me. I had no idea she could even read. She did "Daisies" this year and has really enjoyed it. Can’t say that I made any close friends with the other moms. Maybe I should get involved more, eh ? J’s dance recital was this past weekend and she did the best she’s ever done. She had no fear on stage and was so excited. She truly knew the dance, too.  I was worried mid-year on how she was going to do academically, but I have no fears now. She blossomed these last couple of months.

    Me: I finally made it back to tennis and pilates. I’ve got a headache at this very moment from playing in the heat today. Yay for sunshine. I’ve got a new position on the board for Jr League. Sometimes, I really wonder why I continue to stay on. I’m doing a lot of reading right now. Spending a lot of time at the pool - one at the gym and in my backyard. It is so nice having a pool. Can’t say the house gets cleaned a lot because we seem to be staying outside all the time now. This is one of the reasons why I haven’t blogged lately.  I finally feel as if I’m to a point in my life where I can move forward and decide what I really want to do/be when I’m completely grown up. Life is real good right now. Other than my complaining about my body shape and weight everything is good.

   Here’s to a wonderful summer. I feel like the kids and I really started ours today out in the sun, sliding down the waterslides. Had a blast. I hope your summer is just as wonderful as mine.

At this moment, I’m smiling. That’s amazing considering that one hour ago I came home from a meeting in a rank mood. Really rank mood. Why am I smiling ? Well, I’m smiling because someone asked me about my true love. My true love does not equal dh. Hmm, to be fair, I should say, "I’m speaking of that young true love." For all I know if I was around this person today I might think he was a complete ass.

Memories sure are a funny thing. There are places I’ve been I can’t even remember the name of but I can remember almost every detail of the first night I told this person that I loved him. I wonder if he remembers it ? It’s probably for the best that I do not ask him that because I know I’d be disappointed with the answer. I remember standing in the kitchen and telling his mother the names that we had picked out if we had sons. Good grief.

Speaking of his mother, she deserves a special star for putting up with me. I wasn’t mean to her or anything but she sure spoiled me. I went through this one stage where I wouldn’t eat fish. (Ironic now that all I want is raw fish.) She would always cook me some other meat. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it ? Well, not till I tell you that she did all this other meat cooking for me at their fishing camp. LOL. I think I’d beat my daughter if she did that to her boyfriend’s mother.

We had some great days at that camp. I loved going crabbing, running trout lines, gigging and especially riding the jet ski. Taking the big boat out alone was a lot of fun, too. Ah, to be young again. It would be so neat to look into a crystal ball that could show me what my life would have been like if I had taken that road. I know I’d be digging in a garden a lot.

Happy Spring, Y’all. I hope you have fun thinking back on your young loves.  

    Yes, here I sit at 11:05pm and I just finished checking my "checklist". What for ? For dance recital tickets. Yes, you read that correctly. I have a list of things that I was reminded twice to "not forget".

My list:

2 Flashlights (in case one of them quits working)

1 blanket

1 folding chair

1 reading light (it’s going to be pitch dark and there are no street lights around)

1 book

1 ipod - fully charged

1 cell phone (for 911 when the whacko tries to take me)

3 drinks (coffee, water, oj)

3 breakfast / snack options (donut holes, 2 cookies, 1 banana).

    I think that is it. Am I forgetting anything ? It’s going to be cool and damp at 4:30am, well, closer to 5 by the time I get there. I’m wearing bluejeans, tshirt and hoodie jacket. Not putting in contacts or makeup. I think I’ve truly lost my mind. Why am I doing this ?

    I’m doing this for my daughter. So that hopefully I can be in front this year and she can actually know that her mother/family was at the recital to see her. I’m doing this because the dance academy has a really whacked way of selling tickets. I had a friend get there at 5am last year and she said the line was already wrapped around the building. The tickets go on sale at 8am and it is "first come, first serve." So, if you want decent seats - you set your alarm to get up before the roosters and you go.

    Have I ever mentioned that Saturday is my one day to semi-sleep in ? Have I ever mentioned that I am not, without a doubt, a morning person ? Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely love my daughter ? I guess that sums it up. I wonder how many years I will set my alarm at 4:30am to go buy tickets for one of my childrens’ performances/atheletic games ? My answer is: For as long as I have children to show up for.

    I think I’m officially a mom now.  

I came here tonight truly expecting my blog to be wiped out. I’m very glad it is not. I’m sure you’re wondering "why the disappearance?" Well, pull up a chair and take a listen. It goes something like this:

December 2008 was just hell. I’d say it was probably 2nd in the "hell line" right after Katrina. I pray that nothing ever tops Katrina. What made December such hell ? Let me list the ways. 1) my surgery. My body is too old for that. 2) Tob’s surgery. Are there any antibiotics left that he can take ? 3) Car wreck. State Farm is a cheap, cheap insurance company. They should have totalled out my car. 3) Christmas. Good grief. This one alone stresses people to the max. 4) Tob’s tooth. Hey, why not break out all of your permanent teeth ? 5) Knee didn’t want to heal. Subsaquent weight gain followed. 6) Dh was overwhelmed by my being bed-ridden with knee. Great lack of food till friends stepped in.  Etc. Etc. Etc.

So, how did January go if December was so bad ? January went very well. Most all of the little things resolved themselves and I became afraid of the "January Jinx." I’m not lying. I became afraid if I mentioned that January was going well that I would screw everything up. I even thought of coming and doing a post called "January Jinx" but I honestly was afraid. I’ve lived near New Orleans way too long. All the "voo doo" and "hexes" and "shit".

I’m sure you know that February rolls around right after January and wouldn’t you know - February was good too ! I thought, "there is no way I can mess up my lucky streak." So, I didn’t. Can’t say I did anything romantic for Valentine’s Day but I got a really nice coffee pot and a bonus water cooler. You know you’re rating way high on the romance scale when you’re excited about a coffee pot and water cooler. I’m obviously getting old. Oh, wait. I think that happened in February too. Yep, it did. I turned a year older. Uh, we need to reverse this trend. My body is really beginning to protest.

However, with the exciting coffee pot and the extra candle , things were still going very well. I still couldn’t bring myself to come and break the "spell’. Somebody could really write a book about me and my neurosis. Spelling on that word, anyone ?

So, here it is March and here I am writing. What happened? you say. This is what happened. March brought about some stress. March brought about some awakenings and I’m not talking about the Kate Chopin style Awakenings. There is an old saying about "hold your friends close and your enemies closer." In my humble opinion that little quote really needs to be changed. It needs to be read like this: "Hold your enemies close - you already know who those are and hold your friends closer so you can see which one is about to stab you in the back." Nothing like a little sunshine on this bright and cheery night, eh ? Lol. 

It’s all good. I’m still being very respectful. I’m doing my part of "heaping coals on heads". (It’s in Proverbs. Yes, in the Bible) I know that I am accountable for my actions not for others’ actions.

Overall, March is still very good. Yes, there was a little blip on the radar but maybe God put it there so I’d get back to writing. I do miss writing.

Have a great night, Y’all. Peace out and lots of butterfly kisses.  

Today is the the day. Funny how when you don’t really want a day to get here it’s here in the blink of a an eye. If this was the day I was collecting money from some long, lost Uncle I’d still be waiting on this day. Anways, it’s here. Not much I can do now but go do what I was told.

Sleeping before surgery is a joke. I was remembering all sorts of things that I forgot to do last night and in a mad dash before going to bed I was attempting to get them done. I did my darnest not to write out letters to my children telling them how much mommy loved them in case something bad happened today. I didn’t do it - in case you’re wondering, but you can see where my mind has been.

The last time I woke up during the night I was having an amazing dream about me going to London by myself and it was a spur of the moment adventure. Who knows ? Maybe after my knee is fixed today I’ll go on to lead an adverntourous life. That’d be nice.

Remember me in your thoughts and prayers. I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay. The thing I’m worried the most about is : "how am I supposed to sleep after this surgery?" I typically flip from side-to-side and that is so not going to happen after this surgery. For the first time in my life I wished I owned a recliner. Lol.

Have a great Friday and weekend. Always tell the one(s) you love ~I love you~.

    Happy Veterans Day to all the Veterans who have secured our freedom. I thank you all for everything you’ve done for me and for my country. I’m proud of everyone of you.

    Please remember that freedom isn’t free and that it is always someone’s son, father, husband, uncle, nephew, brother, best friend etc who is putting their life on the line to keep American free. God Bless them all.

Chunky Dunking: when you’re too fat for it to be considered "skinny dipping."

I was telling my lovely, wonderful sister today about us putting in a pool and she asks "so, are you  going to go chunky dunking?" Family, what would you do without them ? Yes, I still love her. Yes, we were both dying laughing. Yes, there’s some truth in it. Unfortunately, there’s too much truth in there.

Today is the 3rd anniversary of Katrina and probably the least talked about anniversary so far. Why ? Because of Hurricane Gustav. It seems that one hour the weathermen have it predicted to hit very near New Orleans and the next hour it’s headed more West. What is one supposed to do ?

Well, in my case, it’s a no brainer. You pack up 5 days worth of clothes and you get the hell out of dodge. Why ? Well, after riding Katrina out and having a wonderful tree split my house in half with all of us inside of it - I think I’ll pass on this one. My eldest son is still very traumatized from that experience and being a responsible parent means doing what is best for him. When he got off the bus today he asked, "where are we going?" I told him, "Memphis." All was fine after that. He was perfectly calm. Whew.

Guess what else Gustav means besides no school, no work and hotel reservations in another state ? It means that I’m going to miss the opening LSU game. sighs. I do love my Tigers but heck, they moved the kickoff time to 10am and I’m much too lazy and amotivated to drive to Baton Rouge that early in the morning. Besides, tomorrow will be busy boarding up the house and all the other fun things that comes with a hurricane. In all seriousness, I think it is a true shame that they didn’t reschedule the game. Shame on whoever made that call. Yes, I know Gustav may end up going somewhere else but after Katrina you really can’t take the gamble and wait it out.

Mentally, this is draining. I honestly can’t believe that on the 3rd anniversary of Katrina that I’m packing up to leave because of another hurricane. Please stay safe everyone. Don’t forget to tell the one(s) you love ~I love you~. Oh, and Geaux Tigers !!!!

Peace out,

Babycakes  

    Go away - Gustav. Go away - rash. Enough said. I don’t need to deal with either of you in my life right now.

    Gustav is causing so much hype and anxiety around here right now. I’ve already got hotel reservations in Memphis just in case Gustav decides to come towards New Orleans. I’m not going through another Katrina. There has already been an "address" by the Governor listing all the plans of action the state is taking. Is this a bit overboard or just be really prepared ? Whatever it is - it is stressful.

    I haven’t heard back from the MRI. How long is "long enough" before I become a pest and call the Dr’s office to find out the results ?

Tomorrow I’m finally getting an MRI done on my knee. I’m afraid that they are going to find something that requires surgery. If it does require surgery it will be put off till December when I’m done with tennis for a bit. Lol. My knee has hurt me this long I figure it can wait a few more months.

I had to take off all of my jewelry for this MRI. Ack. You’d think with today’s techonological advances they could figure something out that didn’t require a person to remove all of their jewelry. I’m upset over my toes rings. Those babies were completely molded to my toes. I hope that I am able to get them back on and that they reshape themselves.

Lost in tennis today. Yippiiee. It was so flipping hot I just wanted to be cool. The game doesn’t count. It’s stupid to make us play it anyways. Right ? The only good thing - well, the only two good things - I did burn a couple of calories (20 maybe ?) and I now know how these particular women play. When I play them for real I know I’ve got to be prepared.

I’m bushed. I’m beat. I’m bed bound. Peace out All. Share the love, not the germs.  

    I’m home safe and sound from DC and again I had one of the most wonderful girl trips. I love going with my girl friends. I love meeting up with girl friends who live there. I love meeting friends of friends. Great, awesome trip all around.

    Let me just tell you skeptics about Xanax that they really do work. I should add that they truly work for anxiety when flying when they are taken properly. I learned with my first flight that I needed to take it a good hour before boarding the plane. The flight out to DC was tough until basically I passed out midflight. Lol. The return flight back to New Orleans was a complete breeze. By the time we were actually in the air was about 1 1/2 hours from the time I took the little blue, happy pill. The very gregarious "happy" man sitting next to me really helped passed the time, too.  He honestly never shut up but I had to pay enough attention to him to answer his questions in the right places. I will never fly without my new little buddy "Xanax" again.

    My "dawgs" are killing me. Tiff walked me into the ground yesterday OR was it me who walked her into the ground yesterday? LOL. Either way I have blisters on my feet and a head full of wonderful memories.  OH, the American Idol concert was the bomb. Had a blast. I plan on uploading photos and giving everything its proper space here.

    Peace out from the future 2nd …… to Michael Johns. hehe I’ll explain in another post. Don’t forget to spread the love around ~ I love you ~ 

    I’m back in the land of humidity and I’m loving it. I went out for a bike ride last night and was dripping sweat in just a few minutes. The kids keep asking me "why is it so hot?" I tell them, "it’s because we are in Louisiana." It feels so dang good to be home. It’s going to take me a few days to get back on a normal schedule and to learn how to breathe in the humidity, but otherwise, it’s wonderful.

    I grilled last night. I think I got really lucky because my pork chops were divine. The children kept telling me, "mom, this chicken is good." LOL. If I had told them it was pork they wouldn’t have eaten it.  

    Here’s a new’s headline: I shaved my legs !!! Bigfoot doesn’t like me anymore. I think I lost at least a pound just from shaving. Like I said - I’m back in civilization. I’m off to get my hair done and hopefully after that I will be ready to face my friends, again. Dang I’ve missed everyone.

    Have a great day, ya’ll. 

Nine years ago today I held my father’s hand while he died. I watched one of the strongest men I ever knew wither away to almost nothing. One of the last things he told me was "you’re a good daughter, Kat. Anyone would be proud to have you as their daughter."  I’ll never forget him saying that to me. He always told me "I bye little Kat". Oh, how I miss hearing that.

I miss you, Poppa. I hope you’re enjoying heaven and I can’t wait till I get to see you there one day.

Always tell the one(s) you love ~~I love you~~.  

Hello All,

    Here I am in Michigan. Things are going very well so far. Well, other than the bug bites, howling wind, cold toes and sleepless nights. lol. Those are all normal things. I don’t mind them. The view here is absolutely gorgeous. When I complain about the lack of amenities I have here I make myself look out the window down at the beach and then I shut my trap and go about my business. Here’s a link to winery that’s less than 5 minutes from my cabin - www.chateauchantal.com  If I had some way of uploading my photos right now I would and I’d just show you my own pics. That will have to wait till I’m back home in civilization.

    The kids are having a great time. They’ve set up little "sea shell stores" on the beach. Tob thinks it is fun to sling shot rocks at the geese. We’ve had a talking or two about that. argh. Boys will be boys, right ? And oh my goodness, he’d kill me if he knew I actually typed this stuff out, but he told me the other day that he would like to have a "walrus penis". LOL. I guess he saw one in the museum in Chicago. The Field Museum. We had a nice time there, too. Chicago is my favorite city in the US. Just search "Chicago" here if you don’t remember that.

    The night of the Cubs baseball game in Chicago there was a "double rainbow". How nice was that ? J and I had a wonderful mommy/daughter day, too. She fell in love with American Girl Place. I think dh wants to move there now. Not the store, but the city. It seems everytime we go somewhere one of us wants to move there.

    I wish you could see the view I have right now. It’s perfect "Americana". I’ve got a little flower window box right outside my window.  I always fill it with flowers when I get here. The other day, I placed two little American flags in either end of it. We have a constant breeze from the beach and I love watching the sun on them while they are flapping around. Also, the little chipmunks are just adorable. One keeps climbing on my window screen and peering in at me. They aren’t afraid of humans here. They don’t see us enough to know to be afraid. The other day, one was climbing all over my camera. If I had pressed the button all you would have seen would be a little chipmunk nose.

    Thank goodness for dial up. I actually feel like I’m not completely cut-off from civilization this year. I’ll try and post more while I sit and stare out at the beautiful beach, sunsets, flapping flags, chipmunks, etc. Now if I could just stop scratching from all the critter bites. grins.  As always, make sure you tell the ones you love ~~I love you~~

Peace out ,

Babycakes 

It’s that time of the year again. I’m headed to Michigan. Whew. I can’t believe that 4 weeks of our summer has already flown by. I’ll be in Michigan for 4+ weeks and then there are only 2 weeks left after that. When did summer time get so short ?

I can’t really say how I feel about going to Michigan right now. Part of me is completely dreading it, but the other part keeps thinking that once I adjust I’ll be just fine. I pray that dh and I are able to make the trip up without contemplating divorce this time. ugh. As you know, when one is driving and there is a passenger in the car, the passenger is a captive audience. Oh what fun ! I’m going with a positive outlook (or at least trying to), an ipod filled with lots of music, and a backpack full of books. I think that should do it. LOL. "No, honey, I’m not ignoring you I’m ………… " (pick one).  Ahh, you do what you have to do.

Tomorrow is a very odd day. Part happy, part sad, part anxiety-inducing. I get to watch my little one do a "cheer" for me. That will be fun. I get to see what the boys have made for me in VBS this week.  I get to hold my dog while she is put down. ughh. That’s the sad part. Lupi is 11 years old and she’s on her last few days. She has congestive heart failure, her kidneys have stopped working, she is seizuring, can’t hold the potty ……… etc. The vet told me since I’m about to leave for a month the best thing I could do for her was put her down. I’ve never done this before and I hope I’m able to hold it together without falling apart too badly. It is so weird to look at her right now and know that after tomorrow I won’t ever see her again. ugh.

So, I’m not sure how much I’ll be blogging this next month. All depends if I’m able to get any internet there. I know I’ll take my puter into town occasionally. So, if for some reason I don’t see you all for the next month, I hope you all have a sunny summer filled with lots of love and very few rainbows.

I love you all.

Peace out,

Babycakes  

PS: I had an aboslutely wonderful time in Huntsville. I think it is beautiful. I loved the "mountains". hehe. I loved spending time with my Bama friend and I’m tickled maroon over my beautiful Bama shirt.  

    Today is my wedding anniversary. Legally married 10 years now. Together for 16+.  I’m just going to copy something I posted to some friends. This day mentally drains me in a way. So many conflicting emotions.

    Honestly, I’m very surprised we have survived this year. He did write me a very nice card today (and got me a gorgeous watch). I’m hoping once I go to Michigan and have some time to be away from him that I’m able to heal some things in my heart and hopefully, next year, we will be doing much better. I know I need to forgive him for lots of things and let him "back in". If that makes sense. And for the record - I haven’t been perfect, either.

    We went out as a family tonight. Sushi and the movie - Kung Fu Panda. We had a really nice time. I told the kids all about our wedding and what we did on that day, etc.

   Just thought I would say that the first week of June has been much nicer than the entire month of May. It’s been a little quiet, a little fun, a little busy. I know this isn’t "New Years" but I do hope this next year is a good one in my life.

   Here’s my tidbit of the day: Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives. Don’t forget to tell the ones you love ~I love you~ even when you argue.