I Could Write a Book

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.

Dear NYC,

    Here I come. I’m ready to stand by the silver-painted guy who looks like the Statue of Liberty and have my picture taken. I’m ready to walk down Wall St and watch the chaos. I’m ready to go shopping on canal street and walk through Times Square. I’m really ready to see Wicked again.

    However, I am not ready to look like a country bumpkin in a field of fashionistas. Yippee. Joy. What fun. (not) Yes, I’m from the 80’s , too.

    I’ll see you tomorrow NYC. Maybe I’ll still be in my Xanax stupor when I get off the plane.

Love,

Country Kat 

I’m still in Memphis because there is no power where I live. From what I hear there is no food in the grocery stores, either. They are hoping to have power restored by Saturday. I can not wait.

I am bored completely out of my mind in this hotel room. Memphis has been receiving the wonderful Gustav weather. Storms, soggy , blowing wind and tornado watches. It’s a lot of fun being stuck in a hotel room with 3 restless children.

Gustav treated us much better than Katrina did. I am very happy for that. We lost one car and part of my deck on my house. I have no idea if it wiped out my grill or not. I know this is one of the reasons why I’m dying to go home. I also want to check on my little dog. I am so worried about him. My neighbors said they would watch him and that they weren’t going to evacuate and then they did. They left when our city started evacuating my subdivision because the river was rising so fast. sighs. Lesson learned - park cars somewhere else when leaving and bring dog.

I’m in a bit of a funk. I think I’ve seen everything "touristy" there is to see in Memphis and I’ve eaten enough BBQ to feed an army. No telling how much weight I’ve gained. LOL. Of all the things to worry about. See, I’m still pretty normal.

I’m praying for power to come back quickly. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like to clean out my rotting freezer ??? Ewwwwwwww. Nasty. Gas mask material.

I’m so tempted to leave and go home before power but have to remind myself of the 120 degree weather inside my house with the one million mosquitos. I think I’ll stay in my boring little hotel room watching more TV in this week than I have in the past year. Yeehaw.

I am proud that LSU got its head out of its butt and postponed the game this coming weekend. Woohoo. I might be able to catch that one and it should be cooler in November ! See, there are silver linings in the clouds.

Peace out everyone !! I’m glad you all made it through the storm. I’m glad my children made it through this one without any psychological damage.  Don’t forget to say ~I love you~. 

    Hello Elvis,

    Here I come to visit you. I’d rather be staying home but considering Gustav is out there you’re the next best thing. 

    Dear God,

   If you can hear me please don’t let a tree or trees crush my house this time.

   Thanks,

   me - the girl with a pit in her stomach
 

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  

    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 feel completely all grown-up. My baby’s in Kindergarten. There are no more babies. I’m not really sure why but for me this is a huge milestone. Maybe because I have all of my children officially in "school" now. I don’t have any in preschool anymore. Wow. I’ve waited a while for this day. It’s bittersweet like most things in life. I’m glad my baby is growing up, but I’m sad to see the "baby" days behind us. She’s a big girl now. So without a further ado here’s my baby ~~~~> 

 

I hope you all have a great weekend. I’m off to DC to see the American Idol concert and to go sight- seeing with my Bama Buddy !! We’re going to have a great time. Don’t forget to say  ~ I love you~ to the one(s) you love.  

Hello All,

I thought I’d give a current weather report and Michigan update. Presently, it is 72 degrees and it feels like 72 degrees. Actually, it might feel a little cooler considering we’ve go this awesome breeze going on right now. It’s sunny with fluffy, white clouds overhead. If you listen closely you can hear the sound of my children’s laughter playing down on the beach. I do not think there could be a more perfect day.

I have truly enjoyed my time here. Enough time passed that I got over most of my fears. I have survived mice, spiders, and ants. Still haven’t figured out how to shave my legs in the miniature shower though. I’m just doing the “Bohemian” thing right now. I figure I’ll shave on the way home back to humid Louisiana (where it’s 90 and feels like 100).

I just had one of the nicest visits of this trip. Coming to the “strip” is a time for reconnecting. I come here and reconnect with dh’s family. Most of whom he doesn’t have a clue who they are. There’s a neat little group of dh’s cousins who are my age. One of the cousins and I developed a nice friendship when Tob was only 1 year old. He was up here with his 2 small children and it seemed we ended up doing lots together on the beach. I’ll never forget the canoe ride he took us all on. It was nice getting caught up on children, home moves, job promotions, etc. Just a super nice visit.

I’ve got the radio playing right now, listening to the waves, and the kids on the beach. This has to be one of the nicest moments of my stay so far. I’ll be back in wonderful Louisiana in 8 days. There are definitely things that I miss (SUSHI) that I can’t wait to get back to and there are definitely moments like this one that I will miss from here.

Have a wonderful weekend and next week everyone. I’m sure I’m going to be doing lots of touristy things this coming week.

Peace out,
Babycakes and yeah - I love you !

Dear J,

    Today is your "gotcha day". I can’t believe four years have passed since you were placed in my hands. I can still see that moment very vividly. I was in the van and the interpreter went inside the "baby house" to get you. She walked briskly back to the van and placed you inside in my arms. She told the driver to get us to the airport. I know I’ve said this before but I felt as if I was kidnapping you. I wasn’t, but that was the urgerncy that was placed on getting us out of St. Petersburg. Right when we were about to drive off, an elderly woman came running out and placed a little envelope of sorts in my hand. In it was a picture of you when you were around 9 months old and a cross necklace. I asked what the necklace was and the interpreter told us that it was given to you in the hospital when you were just a tiny baby. I’ve got it in my jewelry box for you one day. I’m sure at some point it will be very important to you.

   You know that you are adopted. You know that you were born in Russia. You know that you grew in another lady’s tummy but you also know that I am "mom". I’m not sure how much of the other that you comprehend right now. I pray that you know you are loved. I know that you love me. Yes, there are times when I truly want to beat my head in the wall with some of your antics, but know what ? That would happen whether you had grown in my tummy or in my heart.

   I do believe that God knew that you were going to be my daughter one day. I do not know exactly what He had for you and I in His plans. I know that you are a very special little girl and a very beautiful one to boot. Wow, you’re going to be so beautiful when you grow up. I’m going to have a shot gun loaded at all times to keep the boys away.

   I pray that I’m able to be the best mom that you could have. I know that I do not do everything right with you. I hope that one day you can say that you’re friends with your mom and have a special bond with me. I would know then that I had succeded in my relationship with you.

   I love you Dear J. Thanks for being my daughter and I hope you have a fun "gotcha day" with me here in Michigan.

Love you more than know,

Mommy

(PS: Mommy will add a photo once we are back home) 

 

 

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.  

Tomorrow I’m off to Alabama. Going to go see my wonderful "Bama" friend.  I’m hoping to have a very "chill" weekend. I hope I come back a little more whole. I’m a tad nervous about the trip, but I think it will do me a ton of good. I really need to get away from here. I really need to be there. I plan on coming back with a little bit of Bama in me. 

Tonight was the continuation of T’s baseball tournament. They lost by one run and boy were there some crying little boys. Yes, 9 & 10 year old boys still cry when they lose a game. Personally, I think losing the games teaches a much better life lesson than if they had won the game. They came in 3rd place , which I think is awesome, and they will have their picture in the paper. Woohoo. Good job A’s.

I’ve got more bug bites and zits on me than a teenager whose been making out in the woods for a month. Good grief. Oh, the joys of being in the woods with the Cub Scouts this week. Even though I now look like "big foot" (and I have the actual feet to match) I think they will still let me in the state of Alabama. Roll Tide !  If my LSU friends could hear me say that right now they would probably tar me. LOL.
 

I’ll be back home on Sunday evening, maybe. If for some reason you never hear back from me again - you know I’ve stayed. Lol.   I’m truly looking forward to my time in Bama. I hope you all have a great weekend ! Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s out there. Remember - everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives. Make all your days count.

Peace out. Tell the one(s) you love that you love them.

 

    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.
 

The majority of the time the only way you can see a "rainbow" is to experience the rain first. Sometimes we don’t really want the rain. We only the sunshine in our lives.

I’ve always loved rainbows. When I was 15 I asked to have my room decorated in rainbows as my birthday gift. If I had a picture scanned in here I’d show you my completely rainbow room. It makes me laugh to think of it. My walls were completely covered in rainbows, clouds, and butterflies. I had rainbow bedding and pillows. It was a rainbow overload.

To this day, rainbows make me smile. I see them as "happy". When I was in Hawaii last year I saw more rainbows on that 2 week trip than I think I have in my entire life. I also fell in love with "Iz" while I was there. I hope you enjoy the video. May you smile everytime you see a rainbow. Don’t forget to tell the one you love “I love you”.

A: Age - today is my last day to be 40 ! Must say that I’m very happy to be 40 today. lol. Tomorrow is (ack, gasp) 41. A = not the grade I’m going to make in neuroanatomy. (I’ll live - I think).

B: Birthdays, basketball, and basket case. Three birthdays are coming right up in my nuclear family - mine, J’s, and T’s. whew. Basketball - T is playing for his school team and loving it. Basket case - what I am. Way too Busy. B = the grade I better end up with in neuroanatomy.

C:  Church and Crazy.  For lent this year, I said I was not going to miss a single Sunday of Church. So far, so good. (sad, huh?) Crazy = that just pretty much sums up me and my life. I keep repeating "this too shall pass." 

D: Dumb and Disney. Good grief, I’ve never felt so dumb in all my life. Being out of school and jumping back in has shown me that I lost quiet a few brain cells with marriage, kids, and their craziness. Disney World rocked this last trip. The kids are at such great ages to really enjoy it. We had a very nice time with only minimal stress.

E:  Energy or lack thereof, and Excited.Energy =  I have none. Even though I’m not making an A in my class, I’m really Excited about being back at school. I do love the energy on campus and I love learning. I do not necessarily love studying, but I love learning.

F: Family and Fat. My nuclear family seems to be doing okay right now. We have our good days and our bad days. I think we are too busy to notice all the little things that would generally get on our nerves. A quote from my eldest son the other day "mom, I used to think you were fat, but I don’t anymore."  Uh, gee thanks, son. lol.

G:  G can only stand for G my middle son. I know I brag on him a lot, but he is the most sensitive little thing and so loving. A suck-up, some people call him. My little "golden boy" - for his hair. He really makes me smile. He is still little enough that he wants you to hold him and love on him and give him kisses. My 3rd grader is now embarassed by the display of motherly love.

H: Home - my childhood home. The house I grew up in just got sold. I went and spent a while there last weekend so I could take pictures, talk about memories, show my children the tree my father planted for me, etc. It is very bittersweet telling it goodbye. I’m happy for my sis to be moving to bigger and better, but I’m very sad to know that I’ll never go back "home".

I: Interesting. Is this "February fill-in" interesting to you ? Probably not, but it’s a way for me to recap a month that just flew by in my life. Whew. Time truly flies.

J: Jealousy, Jr League, and Jenny Craig. Eeek, every now and then we’ve got some jealousy issues going on with the siblings. I think the eldest gets a little jealous when he sees his sister getting attention. He accidentally uttered the words one day - "that’s not your mom" to J. He got a lot of tough love that day. I bet he thinks twice before saying something like that again, though. Parenting is hard. OMG, Jr League takes up so much of my time. I’m sure I’ve pissed some people off, but I’ve started saying "no". Sorry, I have a life. I can’t come to 4 meetings in one week no matter how much of a hissy fit you throw. Jenny Craig - I’m determined to lose "Montana" - my ass for those of you who do not know what I call my big ole bum. I’m doing okay on the program. I could do better.

K: K is all about me. me. me. me. Tomorrow is my birthday. I’ve asked for a "grill" and for lobsters for my dinner. Dh asked me "do you really want a grill for your birthday ?" Well, unless you really want to go buy me the watch of my dreams - a grill will do. Opps, some of the princess just came out. grins.

L: Love and Laughter. I love my life. I love my children. I love my friends - even the ones who really get on my nerves. I love my family - even the ones who really get on my nerves.  I love to laugh. I really do. I can’t wait for "Dan in Real Life" to come out so I can buy it and laugh and laugh and laugh. Laughter is the best medicine.

M:  Michigan. Michigan - here I come. I can’t believe that I’m actually looking forward to going to Michigan this year. I’ll either be up there for 4 or 5 weeks. I can’t wait till there isn’t "jack shit" to do except start a fire and roast marshmellows on the beach. I think it is going to be wonderful to get the kids away from the crazy schedule we have here. My sis and her children are coming up for 2 weeks and I can’t wait to make more memories with them. We had the absolute best time together the last time. It’s going to be grand.

N: Nerves, neurons, neuroanatomy. I’m so sick of learning about nevers, neurons, blah blah blah - I will celebrate when I finish this class. smiles. I still love it, though. Yeah, yeah. That’s a bit of a contradiction. Hey, I’d be boring, otherwise.

O: Ohhhhhhhhhhh, Lord. My mind just went completely in the gutter when I typed out "O". Lol. I think that has to do with my friends on my board. Let’s just say, I’ve invested in "fish oil" - for my skin. Yeah, right. LOL.

P: Princess J. Princess J or Princess Mini-me is my daughter. It is amazing how one minute she can completely get on my nerves for doing whatever she shouldn’t be doing and the next minute she will be singing like there is no tomorrow. She loves to sing. She loves her mommy. She is so dang stubborn. She is going to be 5 next week. I can’t believe it. We’re going to have her first "big girl" birthday party for her. Inviting the whole class. Did I lose my mind ?

Q: Queen of the Jungle. That’s what it says on the Disney hat that dh got me for Valentine’s Day. I think that’s pretty appropiate considering I call our house "the jungle". It’s wild and loud in here. The kids are everywhere. But you know what ? I really own a home. Not a museum like some houses I know. My home is definitely lived in and definitely looks and sounds like a jungle.

R: Rest - or lack thereof. I never get enough rest. I was excited the other morning when I realized that I slept for 6 1/2 hours. There isn’t enough time in the day (or night) to do everything. There are times when I’m up at 3:30am studying for a test because I’m too anxious to sleep. I just figure if I’m awake I might as well be doing something productive.

S: School. Whose bright idea was it for me to go back to school ? Also, what about these school projects that the kids have to do ? As dh said last night "it’s a myth that these projects (school projects) are for kids". All 3 of us were working on a project of T’s that was due today. We’ve been working on it for 3 weeks. I just pray that T was smart enough today to not say, "well, my mom did this and my dad did this and I did this." Eeek. Oh, well. I know more about Eli Whitney than I ever have in my life before. Eli Whitney and neuro - what more could a girl ask for ?

T: Tennis. Yippee yeah. Joy oh joy. My sons have caught the tennis bug and they are loving it. My youngest one seems to be a natural. He’s got this really lean body and he does really well already considering he’s never played before. I’m still in love with tennis. I want to move up in lines. I’m sure I could beat the next line. Maybe not, though. I was sure I’d get an A in neuro and I’m having a very humbling experience with that class.

U: U. How are u doing ? Let me hear from you. Yes, I’m crazy busy as a lunatic woman. I still want to hear from you. I might not email or call you back, but I’ll definitely read the email and listen to the voicemail. Just know that I’m thinking of all of you and I do pray for you all. I’m very thankful for everyone in my life. I know I say that often. I truly mean it.

V: Violin. Have you been listening to the world’s tinest violin playing in the background everytime I whine, complain and moan about how busy I am ? If you listen closely - you can hear it. Sorry about that and thanks for listening to me whine. It keeps me from snapping a lot of the time.

W: Weekends and Working Out. Weekends ? What weekends? I used to look forward to weekends. Now, they are just a blur. If you can believe it, they are busier than my weeks and that’s saying a lot. Working out ? What’s that ? If it includes picking up a tennis raquet, then hey, I’m good. Otherwise, who has the time ? Not me. I really need to do better.  

X: Xray.  The Xray of my knee revealed absolutely nothing back in December. Am I still having the pain ? Yep, you bet. What am I going to do about it ? Oh, I figure I’ll just keep playing tennis on it and one day, I’ll get a whole brand new knee in the "knee replacement" pack. Yippe. I’m trying to lose some weight to see if that helps. I’m sure something is torn in there. Oh, well.

Y: Yellow Bus. I’m going on my son’s field trip to Baton Rouge and we get to ride on the "yellow bus". Got any spare valium you don’t need ? It’s going to be a blast. I’m not sure I’m going to have on makeup at 7am. Geepers. The instructions say "make sure you wear a baseball hat." I read that and thought , "thank goodness I don’t have to try and fix this mop that day." Oh, oh, oh, I will wear my "Queen of the Jungle" hat. I’m sure it will be perfect for that day.

Z: ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Have I put you completely to sleep ? See, you don’t need any sleep meds. Just come here and read. Sleep is something I’m definitely lacking in. I think that’s pretty evident in this post. Grins. I promise to do much better with my blogging efforts. I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still alive and kicking, just crazy busy. Talk to you soon. Now, go get some ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That’s an order! 

ps: If I missed a letter of the alphabet- just blame it on my public school education and lack of sleep.  

    Cowboys. When you think of the word "cowboy" what do you think of ? Where do you picture them in your mind ?

    When I think of cowboys I think instantly of "wrangler jeans, cowboy boots and hats". Oh yeah, good looking bums, too. Where I picture them is in the country, maybe out West, but definitely not in Vienna, Austria. Yes, I said Vienna, Austria. 

    Six years ago, my eldest son celebrated his 2nd birthday in Vienna. It was freezing cold as his birthday is in March. One of the places we went to on his special day was to the Vienna City Park. I pushed him around in his stroller a bit and let him look at some of the statues and such. Well, on this trip with it being a bit warmer, I decided I wanted to go see what the Vienna City Park looked like "green". It was beautiful with some unexpected surprises.

What a surprise, huh ?

     This picture was taken in Vienna, Austria. Do you see what he has sitting besides him ? His hot sauce. When I first saw him sitting on the bench I thought that maybe he was a tourist, but he started speaking fluent German to a couple who asked him a question. I honestly do not know that many cowboys from this neck of the woods who can speak fluent German. Everyone else in the park was dressed in traditional clothes. Long black pants, leather shoes, nice top, etc. They definitely weren’t carrying around their "Coke and hot sauce." It still cracks me up. He was completely out of place.

    I didn’t ask his permission to take the photo and I did my best to not seem like a dork when I did take it. Lol. I just couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. Just goes to show, you can find a cowboy anywhere.

    Here is another cute photo I took in Vienna. This one was taken at a "Thanksgiving" festival. The minute I went to the take the photo the guy whipped up a picture frame and I started laughing uncontrollably. I’m glad he was so nice about having his picture taken.

"Say Cheese".
 

    
 

    Sometimes, I think it might be best if we couldn’t call home when we are away from our children. My eldest son is having a very difficult time with me away. sighs. It broke my heart when he started crying on the phone with me. He said he is sad. ugh. He is having a difficult week at school. Thankfully, he only has 2 more days of school this week and then he hits the weekend. I think he will do better then.

     Our poor nanny was about to have a breakdown yesterday. It is not funny, but I can’t help laughing. She told me, "mothering is a full-time job". Yes, it is.

     I’m off to an "organ concert" tonight. I’ve already seen the "Exhibition of the Body" today. Wow. So educational and neat.

     I’m counting the days till I am home. I miss it greatly.

     I’m on a borrowed computer, so I have very little time to write, but wanted to say Prague or Praha, as it is called here, is absolutely the most beautiful city I’ve ever been in. I feel as if I could take one million photos everywhere I turn.  The Czech food is just delicious. I think I will probably be sad to tell this great city goodbye when I go, but I know I will bring my children here one day. I can not wait till I can show them.  Czech has some wonderful history. ack. I could go on and on, but my time is very limited.

     Have I mentioned that I’m freezing ?

I can’t believe it ! I made it here safely. I’m exhausted. It is soooooooo busy.

When I have more time I have a million things to tell.

I’m flying out in less than 9 hours. Wow. It seems so surreal that this time has come. It seems as if I’ve been thinking about this trip forever. 

The nanny made it in safely today. I was afraid with the bad weather that her flight might have been delayed. It wasn’t  I’m sure I have overwhelmed her this afternoon. She got a lot of information to process.

I"m done with everything except packing. Can you believe I haven’t packed yet ? Sure you can. I absolutely hate packing. I don’t have a clue which shoes I am going to wear. Ugh. I hate when I am packing for the opposite climate that I am living in at the time. However, I figure if I get there and I need something I’ll go buy it. Right ? Simple solution to an anxiety-filled event.

I’m going on a "Franz Kafka and Jewish Community" walk. I’m looking foward to it. Oh, I bought some neat things to read on the plane. Go me.

Well, this blog is going on vacation for a while. If I get a chance to post while in Prague believe me I will. Stay safe. 

Peace out, Babycakes and Dudes and Cowboys and girls.