Stop and Smell the Diesel

Where Has The Time Gone?

2010-06-27T17:58:00.004-04:00

I don't know if many of our friends visit our blog anymore or not since it has been so long since I've updated it. I guess life just got busier and I neglected the blog. I have no other excuse. Plus, Facebook has made it easy to stay in touch with friends and family. But, I do miss writing my thoughts here somewhat.

A lot has gone on the past few months since I last posted. Some good, some not so good. I last posted in June 2009. The summer was busy but it was the Fall and start of 2010 that was challenging to say the least.

My oldest brother, Edwin, died in an auto accident on September 5, 2009...coincidentally, that was my birthday. I took the loss of my oldest brother quite hard. And, if that wasn't enough, my Grandmother fell right before Christmas and broke her leg. She never made it out of the hospital. And, she died on New Year's Day. For those of you who know me well, you can imagine how difficult losing her was for me. To this day, life just doesn't seem the same without her. I still find myself wanting to pick up the phone and call her.

I think the rest of 2010 has been spent trying to figure out which end is up and to recover from the losses. I also had to finish up Air Command and Staff College (ACSC); a requirement that I had to complete by April. My Lieutenant Colonel board met mid-June and I needed ACSC to be completed to get a promotion recommendation. It was hard to do on the heels of losing my Grandma but I hunkered down and got through it. In the end, I got a great promotion recommendation and now I'm waiting to hear the results from the promotion board. It'll probably be August before I hear the results.

I'm slowly but surely getting my energy back. Just in time for my 40th birthday!

15 Year Anniversary

2009-06-11T06:33:00.003-04:00

This photo was taken at Sea World over 15 years ago.

Today, on our 15-year wedding anniversary, I thought it was appropriate to share.

Over 15 years later...I still think Jeff is a nerd....but, I still dig him too. :-)

I'm looking forward to the next 15 years!

Rachel's Summer Camp and Girls Day Out

2009-06-09T22:05:00.005-04:00

Rachel was selected through the gifted program that she participates in at school for a summer college program at Mercer University. She is attending a math class in the mornings and a writing class in the afternoons. It is only for 1 week but she is truly enjoying it. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments at school.

I took the day off on Rachel's first day. It was supposed to be a day to get caught up at home since we've been traveling so much. Instead, I chose to spend the day with Anna. We ate lunch at the original Nu-Way hot dog restaurant in downtown Macon. I ate way too much there.

We tried to visit a couple of museums but we learned that they were closed on Mondays. I won't take another day off on a Monday again. I was so bummed about that. But, we salvaged the day by shopping at the mall. I had my camera with me since I had taken a picture of Rachel at her first day of class yesterday. Anna is really into cameras right now and she wanted to take pictures of me. She saw some prom dresses at one of the department stores that she wanted me to try on so she could take pictures. I think Anna has a promising career as a photographer. And, she made her Mommy feel like a princess getting all dressed up!

Summer Trip #1

2009-06-09T21:41:00.012-04:00

Rachel and Anna were asked to be flower girls in a wedding that occurred in Waynesburg, PA. So, we decided to plan a road trip with the girls since they finished the school year at the end of May.

Washington D.C.

Our first stop was in College Park, MD. We stayed at Cherry Hill Park. It was our first time to camp there and I highly recommend this RV park for anyone who is looking for a place to camp close to D.C. You can either take a bus from the RV park or drive yourself to the Metro green line (which is only a few miles away) and conveniently tour D.C. The campground itself offers nice amenities as well.

We visited many of the monuments and the Smithsonian Museums while in D.C. I think we logged well over 10 miles on one day of touring. Anna and Rachel particularly loved touring the Smithsonian because of the recent release of Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian.

Elizabethtown, PA

Our next stop was to Elizabethtown, PA. We stayed at a KOA campground there. It, too, was a nice campground but we thought their rules were a bit too strict. A friend planned to stop by to drop off discounted tickets to Hershey Park. They were going to charge her just for doing that. I could see charging people if they were hanging out at the campground and using their services but we thought the requirement to pay a fee just to meet us to drop off tickets was a bit ridiculous. We met her in town instead.

We toured Hershey's Chocolate World, visited Hershey Park, toured Amish country (visited Lancaster, PA, and Intercourse, PA).

We also visited Lititz, PA, and stopped at the Wilbur Chocolate Co. and the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Co. I have to say that we equally enjoyed the Wilbur chocolate as much as the Hershey chocolate.

Our next stop was in Charleroi, PA. We stayed at the Pine Cove Beach Club while there. I highly recommend this place as well for anyone looking for a place to stop in this area. This campground is extremely family friendly including an awesome pool and tree house for the kids to play in. We chose this place because it was close to Waynesburg, PA: the location of the wedding that Rachel and Anna were going to be flower girls in. Our only complaint was that we didn't have more time at the campground and that the weather was too cold for us to enjoy the pool while visiting. We did take some time to eat at one of the local pizza restaurants; Armando's Pizza. Armando's is located in Charleroi, PA. That was some of the yummiest pizza we've had in a while!

Harold and Gail celebrated their 15-year wedding anniversary on the same day as Lauren's wedding. Happy Anniversary!

Tennessee

2009-05-25T15:46:00.006-04:00

We joined Harold and Gail this past weeekend and camped at the Treemont Resort in Townsend, TN. Luckily, we only had rain part of the day on Sunday.

We arrived in the afternoon on Friday. We ate dinner at the Little River Bar-B-Que restaurant in Townsend which is one of my favorite bar-b-que places to eat. They have a screened back porch so you can dine outside and it borders the water flowing around the mountains. The food is wonderful and it's just a nice, relaxing place to eat.

On Saturday, we did a little bit of hiking during the morning in the Tremont area and then had lunch in Townsend at the Apple Valley Country Store. We returned to the camper for a while and then Jeff brought the girls to play in the water and I took a long nap....something I desperately needed. That night we enjoyed a free concert at the Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop in Townsend. We enjoyed the dulcimer music. It was a perfect compliment to an already enjoyable day. They offer these free dulcimer concerts every Saturday evening throughout the spring and summer months.

On Sunday, we decided to head into Pigeon Forge to the Wonderworks Museum. We had a great time there but it was a bit too crowded for our liking. My favorite part was the rock climbing wall. We had lunch at Tony Roma's and then returned to the camper. It was our first time eating there and the food was O.K. It wasn't really good nor really bad. It was just food. We returned to the campground afterwards. We took the girls to the swimming pool before the rain started coming down. After that, we relaxed at our campers for a while.

Overall, we had a great weekend. I love that area. But, what I enjoy the most are the mountains. I prefer to stay away from the people and enjoy the beauty of nature the most. But, we have to mix in other things for the kiddos.

We are going to watch the new Night at the Museum movie tonight which has been released just in time for our next trip. We are taking another trip leaving this coming Friday. Rachel and Anna are flower girl's in our cousin, Lauren's, wedding. So, we decided to make it a vacation trip for them since the wedding is in West Virginia. We are leaving Friday evening. We'll arrive in College Park, Maryland on Saturday. College Park is very close to Washington D.C. So, we'll be doing some sight seeing in that area including visiting the Smithsonian. And, that is why the release of the new Night at the Museum movie is timely. We loved the first movie and the newly released version is set in the Smithsonian. After spending a few days in D.C., we are then heading to Pennsylvania where we plan to visit Hershey Park. And, then, the final stop will be in West Virginia for the wedding on June 6th before we head back home. It's going to be a busy trip and and an end to many busy weekends throughout the month of May. I think we'll be crashing at home for several weekends to recoup after all of our trips in May. We need a vacation from our vacationing!

High Falls State Park, GA

2009-05-18T06:14:00.008-04:00

Anna and Julianna

(Left-Right) Jeff and Anna, Jonathan, Collete and Kaylee, Me, Rachel and Chloe (top), Naura and Julianna at High Falls State Park

(Left to Right) Rachel, Chloe, Julianna, Kaylee, and Anna at the Enchanted Forest located behind the Village at Indian Springs

Rachel and Chloe at High Falls State Park

We went to High Falls State Park, GA, this past weekend. Originally, we had not planned to travel this weekend but Anna and Rachel really wanted to plan something with friends and this was the only weekend we had to do it before the school year was over. Rachel's friend, Chloe, camped with us over the weekend. And, Anna's friend, Julianna, came with her Mom on Saturday and the spent the day with us.

We were worried that we'd get rain on Saturday but we were spared. We were thankful for that so that everyone could enjoy the plans we had. We met Chloe's parents and sister and Naura and Julianna at one of our favorite restaurants: Pinky's. We would have just planned to have a picnic but we were afraid that we would get rained on. Before everyone arrived, Jeff and I brought Rachel, Anna, and Chloe to Indian Springs State Park and we walked around for a bit. We even enjoyed some of the fresh spring water. Although, I will warn anyone considering trying some that you will smell the sulphur which doesn't exactly enhance the experience. We were told by some people who were collecting the spring water in jugs that the rotten egg sulphur smell evaporates from the water after a few days. The girls had a great time catching tadpoles, frogs, and a turtle before we joined our friends for lunch at Pinky's.

We all had a great lunch at Pinky's and then we walked through the garden area before heading to the Art Gallery for a quick art class. Then, we went to Dauset Trails. All of the children enjoyed seeing the animals there.

We returned back to High Falls and we took a brief walk to the falls area and the kids played along the waters edge.

By that time, it was getting close to dinner time so we all returned to our camper and we grilled hotdogs and hamburgers and then had s'mores for dessert.

We had a full day with our friends. The kids were ready for bed that night with no complaints!

It was really fun having Chloe with us this weekend. She had never been camping before nor spent much time on trails. It was so refreshing to see her excitement at simple things like catching tadpoles in the water. With Chloe, it was like Christmas for the first time but on the trail. She was a bit nervous at first on the trail but then she was jumping on the rocks like our daughters. She found all kinds of animals too: a frog, a turtle, a squirrel, and baby ducks.

Mothers Day Weekend

2009-05-13T06:18:00.009-04:00

We traveled to Skidaway Island, near Savannah, for Mother's Day weekend.

On Saturday, we enjoyed the beach at Tybee Island during the day and then visited Savannah that evening for dinner. We ate dinner at the Pirate's House which was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend that place for those who haven't tried it. We arrived around 5 and we didnt have a reservation and there was no wait. I would recommend making a reservation if planning to go during a peak time. Then, we visited the river front area and browsed the shops.

On Sunday, we went out for breakfast at the Original Pancake House in Savannah. I've never eaten at one before but learned a valuable lesson; one item is enough for at least two people. I ordered the ham and cheese omelette. It was huge; made with five eggs. And, we also ordered pancakes; that came with five pancakes. If you ever go to one, go hungry!

We went to Fort Pulaski to work off some of our breakfast. We watched the film at the visitor's center and then took a guided tour with a ranger. Rachel and Anna earned a Junior Ranger Badge by completing a booklet where they had to perform activities to learn about the Fort. Later, we were ready for lunch and we stopped at the Crab Shack on Tybee Island for lunch before returning to the camper to pack up and head home. We enjoyed this restaurant too. Very casual atmosphere and perfect if you've got kiddos. They also have an enclosure in front with young alligators and Rachel and Anna fed them.

Rachel and Anna gave me the best home made gifts and hugs for Mother's Day. And, I had a wonderful weekend on the GA coast with my family. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

The next few weekends will be spent traveling. I will definitely be ready for a break to just collapse at home when we are done but we are certainly getting our money's worth from our new fifth wheel. This weekend will be a local trip to a state park. The following weekend will be to Townsend, TN. Then, the next weekend will be our roadtrip up the east coast. Rachel and Anna are in a wedding on June 6th so we decided to take the opportunity and do some site seeing. We'll be going to Washington D.C. for a few days and then we are heading to Hershey, PA, for a few days before going to the wedding.

Air Show 2009

2009-05-03T14:52:00.012-04:00

Me and Tora. Tora is an old friend who is a navigator on C-130s. He flew in a C-130 yesterday at the Air Show.

Me, Mick and Jeff at the Air Show

We had a beautiful day of weather in middle Georgia for the Air Show. Mick (Jennifer's Dad) traveled all the way from the U.K. to enjoy the Air Show. We sure do wish Mike and Jen and the kids could've been here too! We spent the day touring the aircraft, watching the aerial performances and eating way too much junk food.

Jeff and I also took the Marine Corps pull up challenge and won t-shirts. I did the female version (flexed arm hang) for 70 seconds. And, Jeff did the 20 pull ups required to earn a t-shirt. We may be knocking on the door or already at the age of 40 but we still can hang with the youngsters. :-)

Anna sitting in the cockpit of a C-130 at the airshow

Rachel at the Air Show

Rachel, Anna and Me standing in front of a C-5. This is the aircraft that I work in support of for the USAF. The C-5 motto is "Size Does Matter." :-)

Jeff knocking out the 20 pull ups to earn his t-shirt from the Marines. The Marines don't have nuthin' on P90X. :-) My husband rocks!

Business Travel and Maiden Voyage in our New Camper

2009-04-26T19:00:00.007-04:00

I've been traveling a lot for business the past few weeks but last week I actually went somewhere besides Marietta, GA. I attended a conference in Salt Lake City, UT. It was absolutely gorgeous there in the Spring. The mountains surrounding the city were still capped with snow and the spring flowers were in bloom. Just beautiful.

My one treat for the week was visiting the Family History Library. It is the largest genealogy library in the world. Unfortunately, I didn't have nearly the enough time I wanted to spend there. And, also, I didn't score any major data that I was hoping for but enjoyed the research nonetheless.

Me outside of the Salt Lake City Temple

After I finished in the library, I took a tour of Temple Square. Of course, I never realized I had Mormons in my family tree until I started doing genealogy research. But, it was still an interesting tour to take even if a person doesn't have familial ties to the Mormon church. I even had my own personal tour guides. They got a laugh when I asked them if they were polygamists. :-) I knew that would get them going. I was glad they had a sense of humor.

Weekend Trip

I flew home last Friday and then drove to Cordele, GA, to meet Jeff, Rachel and Anna at Georgia Veterans State Park. It was our first trip with our new Fifth Wheel camper. We had a great time. The weather was beautiful and I was so happy to be back home with my family. On Saturday, we drove to Albany and visited the Flint River Aquarium. The girls also played at the river walk area in the water and at the playground before we returned back to Cordele.

We enjoyed a great weekend together. I'm happy to report I won't be traveling anywhere for business over the next three weeks. It's good to be back home.

Our New Tenement On Wheels

2009-04-18T18:19:00.005-04:00

Our new 5th wheel camper doesn't have near the amenities that our Class A motorhome did, but it isn't too shabby either. There are four bunks in Rachel and Anna's bedroom. It has a lot of storage.
Jeff was nervous about driving it home but he didn't have any issues and he backed it into our driveway and backyard with no issues either.
I can't wait to go camping next weekend.
Unfortunately, I'm leaving again to go out of town for business again tomorrow. I'm flying to Salt Lake City tomorrow morning and will be gone all week. I'll be ready for a relaxing trip with the family when I get home.

One half of Rachel and Anna's Room

Kitchen area

The table and sofa also become beds if we needed extra sleeping space.

Exterior (has a grill and outside shower). Awning is not out in this picture.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T22:55:00.004-04:00

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

We wish our family and friends a happy and blessed Easter.

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-08T18:22:00.016-04:00

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.~~Alan Cohen

After much thought, we decided to put our RV up for sale. The reasons varied.

We haven't been able to go camping as often as we'd like so the investment was large compared to the utility of it. We've had it for almost 3 years and it was getting to be about time for routine maintenance...new tires, new batteries, etc. On a 40-foot RV, you can imagine that wasn't going to be cheap. And, the bigger reason was the floor plan. Now, that the girls are older, we desired a floor plan that provided some privacy for them. Having said all of that, we decided we loved camping too much to give it up all together but that we preferred to find an option to give us a better floor plan with less investment overall.

So, we put our RV up for sale just to see if we'd get any nibbles. And, we did. We sold it last Wednesday. In it's place, we planned to purchase a tow vehicle and either a fifth wheel or camper. We have already purchased the tow vehicle, a 2008 F-250 crew cab diesel pickup truck (So, we can still use "Stop and Smell the Diesel.") With all of the rebates, etc. we were able to purchase it at a great price. Jeff traded in his jeep at the same time so the truck will be his daily driving vehicle. We already have some ideas of the replacement we'll get for the RV but we've just got to find some time to go look and select it. That's been hard to do with me traveling so much for business as of late.

Jeff's New Truck

The negative about selling the RV when we did was that it almost hosed up our spring break plans. We had camping reservations at Top Sail Hill Preserve, Florida. Without a camper, those reservations weren't doing us much good. We would've just cancelled the trip but Gail and Harold, my mother-in-law and father-in-law, also planned to travel there and camp as well. So, we were left scrambling at the final hour trying to find a place to stay. We lucked out and found the perfect rental home located less than 1 mile from Top Sail. So, Jeff and I were able to ride our bikes to visit with Gail and Harold at the campground. And, the girls stayed with Harold and Gail most nights with Anna sleeping on the sofa in our cottage the final two nights. The cottage we stayed in was called the "Green Gecko." This little cottage was perfect for just two people. However, due to the cold weather, all of us congregated here several evenings to enjoy the hot tub and to cook dinner. I highly recommend renting from Bert, the lady who owns the property, if you're in need of a place convenient to the beach in the Santa Rosa Beach, FL, area.

The Green Gecko

Rachel and Anna holding puppies outside of Yoder's Gift Shop

We stopped for dinner at Yoder's in Montezuma, GA, on the way down to the panhandle. The food was yummy as always! Rachel and Anna enjoyed petting some puppies that they had outside for sale before we hit the road again. We drove back roads going to Florida and we were surprised by the number of roads closed due to flooding. It had been raining quite a bit in GA over the past couple of weeks but we didn't anticipate that. Luckily, it didn't slow our progress too much. Sadly, it appeared several families were flooded out of their homes.

Unfortunately, the weather never really warmed much while we were in Florida so we didn't get to enjoy the beach nearly as much as we'd hoped. We had one really good day, the day after we arrived. The remainder of the time was windy and cold. But, any day away from work is a good day so I'm not going to complain.

We all ate way too much. We especially enjoyed Miss Lucille's Gossip Parlor (coffee, pastries, ice cream, etc.) Although, Rachel and Anna were a bit put off by a sign that they read inside Miss Lucille's. But, that didn't stop them from wanting to go back the next night for ice cream again. It's a good thing we are all well behaved. :-)

It's Report Card Time

2009-03-25T05:56:00.004-04:00

Both Rachel and Anna received their report cards from school.

Rachel's summary read: "Rachel continues to excel in all areas. She is motivated and excited about learning. She is a super reader and loves to tell me about what she is reading. Keep practicing counting coins, bills to $20, and fair trades. Rachel is a wonderful role model. I can count on her to set a good example for others with academics and behavior. It is a joy to have Rachel in the class!"

Anna's summary read: "Anna continues to make good progress in Kindergarten. I am pleased that she is willing to try sounding words out in her reading and writing. She knows all 30 sight words well and reads 1st grade level books. She is very creative and enjoys making things when we have free time. Keep encouraging her at home."

We are so proud of our little ones. Congrats to Rachel and Anna.

Flower Girls

2009-03-21T17:50:00.005-04:00

Lauren, our cousin, is getting married in June. She asked Rachel and Anna to be flower girls in her wedding. We went today to let them try on dresses.

It was an awful day to go. For one, it's Spring....the place was packed with soon-to-be brides prepping for summer weddings. And, even worse....it's prom time around here. The place was packed with teens shopping for their perfect prom dress.

The dress Anna and Rachel have on is the style of dress they'll be wearing except the color will be ivory instead of white and the sash will be green. The girls are so excited.

Of course, Jeff wasn't looking so well after he began to think of his girls shopping for their own wedding dress in the future.

Got My Hair Whacked

2009-03-19T20:28:00.003-04:00

Was in the mood....decided to get it cut short. Rachel and Anna opted for short do this time too.

Work has been hectic and it appears I'll be in Marietta for most of the next 2 weeks.

Albuquerque, NM

2009-03-11T18:57:00.012-04:00

I had a quick business trip to Albuquerque this week. I flew out on Monday and flew home today. I arrived early enough on Monday to do a little bit of site seeing with a coworker who was there with me.

I had printed some information on Jemez Falls and we planned to hike to that. But, I had not looked at the weather forecast and I didn't realize that there was still so much snow around. Also, the trails were poorly marked so we spent a good bit of time driving around trying to find the trail head and then the trail itself was poorly marked. Since it was late in the day, the trail was covered in snow and ice, and it was pretty doggone cold, we didn't make it to Jemez Falls. But, we did find Soda Dam. We happened to drive by it while we were looking for the Jemez Falls trail head.

We finally found a trail head that linked to the Jemez Falls trail and we attempted to hike a short ways on it before determining that it was getting too late to continue. That, coupled with the fact, that the trail was covered in snow and ice made me give up the hunt for the Falls.

We stopped in Jemez Springs for dinner. If you blinked your eyes, you would miss the town. We found a little hole in the wall looking joint called "Los Ojos." We were joking as we walked in about wondering if they would serve "our kind" there. When we walked in, everyone sitting at the bar stopped what they were doing and stared at us. When the waitress walked up to take our order, the first thing she said was, "you aren't from around here are you?" I think what we found most humorous was a guy standing at the bar holding a toddler. I leaned over to my coworker and asked him if he had ever seen the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama." He had because he immediately said the quote from the movie, "Look at you, you have a baby... In a bar." We had both thought the same thing. I will admit that the food and service was excellent. I highly recommend eating here and trying the green chili sauce.

We returned to the hotel and then attended the meeting on Tuesday. We finished with business around 4:15 so that left a little daylight to head to Sandia Peak Tramway. We were able to get to the top before sunset. It was pretty cold on top though....in the low 20s with a wind chill in the teens. We couldn't hike because the snow was pretty heavy still. I made a snow angel and then was ready for a hot drink so we made a pit stop at the High Finance restaurant and got a drink and a appetizer before heading back down to get a full meal somewhere in town.

It was painful getting up this morning. I had a 6:20 flight back to Atlanta. The time zone change and the daylight savings time change pretty much hosed up my internal body clock. I'm about to go to sleep as I type this.

I had a great time on this trip just because it offered something different to do after work was done. I only wish Jeff and the girls could've come with me.

High Falls State Park

2009-03-08T14:58:00.006-04:00

The weather forecast was awesome for the weekend so we planned a quick trip to High Falls State Park.

I think the thing that struck us most about this visit was the water level at the falls. I don't recall it ever being so high ever. It made the falls beautiful but it limited our ability to navigate on the rocks at the waters edge. Rachel took a tumble while hiking but after she stopped her theatrical routine, she got along quite well with a skinned knee. I think hiking is a great way for children to learn to be aware of their surroundings and to learn from it. I think she'll continue to remember to watch where she is walking when on a trail from here on out.

It was a nice and relaxing weekend...something we all needed. I'll be packing tonight for a quick trip to Albuquerque, NM. It's been nice having such a long break from work travel lately. I haven't had to go anywhere since the middle of January.

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Snow Day in Georgia

2009-03-01T16:45:00.004-05:00

Rachel and Christian (our neighbor)

Getting an inch of snow is like winning ten cents in the lottery.~~Bill Watterson

We had our first snow fall in our home town since the girls were born. They were so excited to see the first few flakes fall today. The snow fall became heavier and easily covered the ground. Children from all around the neighborhood were outside enjoying it: building snow men and having snowball fights.

It wasn't long before they were cold and wet and in need of something warm. I made homemade hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies. The kids were warm and cozy in no time at all.

The snow started to stop and it quickly melted but it started snowing again a few hours later. We know it too will be short lived.

Anna's 6-Year Birthday Portraits

2009-02-21T14:34:00.013-05:00

I was a bit late getting these done this year since we were in Orlando the weekend leading up to Anna's birthday. Better late, than never...right? The photos above are her 1-year portraits. I thought everyone would enjoy seeing how much she has changed in five years. Below are the new portraits.

Simba Makes Garfield Look Like An Olympic Athlete

2009-02-18T14:41:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of our lazy cat, Simba, during our recent trip to Orlando. He's so lazy, he won't even sit up to eat. On days when he is feeling really energetic, he lays his head down as well and flicks the food from his dish with his paw into his mouth usually leaving a debris field all around his food dish.

You would think we planned the music in the background but it was actually from the Little Einsteins show that Anna and Rachel were watching on TV. The music was just perfect for the video though.

Disney World

2009-02-17T20:05:00.017-05:00

We had a great trip to Orlando and the weather was gorgeous the entire trip. As usual, we would've loved to spend more time. Unfortunately, the cold crud seemed to linger with us for the trip. Jeff and I both had it. Rachel and Anna now have it. I'll probably be visiting the pediatrician with them tomorrow. It took antibiotics to help Jeff and I get rid of it (and we still aren't over it 100%). And, I suspect Anna and Rachel need the same. But, they pressed on like little troopers as they did not let illness slow them down one iota at Disney.

We arrived Thursday evening late in the day and then woke up early and went to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. Our friend, Roger, joined us at the park on Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday. Either Roger is a glutton for punishment or we simply entertain him. I haven't figured out which it is yet.

We went to EPCOT on Saturday, Valentines Day.

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for all you Disney fans...EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. Jeff said that he thinks it really stands for "Every Person Comes Out Tired." That isn't what Mr. Disney said but I think Jeff's opinion is more appropriate.

Roger also joined us at EPCOT and we met up with Mike, a coworker of Jeff's, and Mike's wife, Wendy. It was Mike and Wendy's first visit to EPCOT so we served as tour guides to help them navigate and to choose how to most efficiently spend their time since they only planned to be there for one day.

I think the best part of our visit to EPCOT was the stop at the World of Coke exhibit. Neither Jeff nor I have ever stopped there out of all of our visits to EPCOT. Actually, we never even noticed it being there. Nor have we ever visited the World of Coke in Atlanta, GA. So, we made it a point to stop there on Saturday. But, Jeff was set up. Roger had been to the World of Coke before. And, he knew which Coke products were good and which weren't. He deceitfully encouraged Jeff to try the Italian Coke product called "Beverly." Of course, the rest of us were in on it too. Roger told Jeff how delicious it was. So, it was the first thing that Jeff went for. And, Jeff was thirsty so he took a big gulp. Jeff took a big swig and quickly said, "Oh God!" I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard. I took a small taste of the Beverly drink myself and I have to admit, it was pretty bad! Poor Jeff....I almost felt sorry for him....almost. Are you kidding? Feel sorry for him? We live for stuff like that! :-)

During our trip around the World Showcase at EPCOT, we visited the American pavilion. We wanted Mike and Wendy to see the show there as it is one of the better ones in the World Showcase so we waited for it to start. And, in usual Disney style, there was entertainment to keep you busy while waiting for the main show to start. Anna was singled out by the singers. Most people would answer the city and state that they are from when asked where they live. Anna gave a different answer which was very appropriate considering where we were in the World Showcase. You'll have to watch the video to see how it turned out. However, I keep trying to add the video here and am not having much luck for some reason. I'll try to do it another day to see if I have any better success.

We spent Sunday at Hollywood Studios. The highlight of that visit was going to the new American Idol Experience show. We never watch TV at home so neither Rachel nor Anna have ever seen the show on TV but they sure did enjoy it at Disney. They enjoyed it so much that we went to two different shows that day. It's pretty realistic too. We got to vote on the people too. The park guests voluntarily audition to be in the show. And, the winner at the end of the day gets a pass to be at the front of the line at a real American Idol audition. They even had judges that were similar to the three on the real show....including a guy that was a bit candid like Simon is in the real show. We had a blast!

We spent Monday at the Animal Kingdom which is my least favorite of the parks. But, we still had a great visit nonetheless. The Everest ride always kicks my bootie.

Tuesday was our final day at Disney and it was also Anna's 6th Birthday. We spent it at the Magic Kingdom. Anna's favorite character is Winnie The Pooh so we got her a stuffed Pooh bear that was as big as her and it was waiting for her when she woke up on her birthday. Jeff and Rachel ventured to the Magic Kingdom the night before Anna's birthday to buy the giant Pooh for Anna.

She also got some Pooh earrings and a Pooh necklace from us. She had the best time at the park too. Since Disney is allowing any guest in for free on their birthday in 2009, we got other perks since we were already Annual pass holders. Anna got a $62 gift card from the park to use while at the Magic Kingdom. She bought toys for herself and Rachel. Anna was sad that we had to leave a bit early to return home to Georgia today. We had to return home today as Jeff has to travel for work to Dayton, OH, tomorrow. It's hard to believe our little girl is 6 already!

On the way home from Orlando, Rachel noticed a billboard as we we driving down the interstate. She asked us, "What are adult toys?" Jeff began explaining..."You know, remote controlled airplanes (I added, "and, battery controlled.") And, Jeff said, "Lots of action packed movies." I know our children have to learn about the real world at some point but some times they aren't quite ready for the real world and then parents are left in trying to figure out how to explain something to a child who is not mentally ready to comprehend the full scope of the subject. Or, in our case, you lie (sort of) a little just to get past the moment. Of course, the "We Bare All" sign was just a few miles up the road too.

Anna's Early Birthday

2009-02-10T19:49:00.003-05:00

We'll be in Orlando for Anna's actual birthday so we (Jeff, Rachel and I) celebrated a bit early so she could enjoy the Winnie the Pooh cake that I made her. It's hard to believe that our "baby" is almost 6 years old! Jeff has the same cold crud that I have and he's got that Barry White voice going for him in the video. Anna reported this morning that her other top middle tooth is loose.

I Don't Care Who You Are; That's Funny

2009-02-10T17:46:00.004-05:00

From an email sent to me today:

Anticipating a sweeping Democratic Party victory in the November elections, animals that were formerly self-sufficient are already modifying their behavior to take advantage of what they expect to be a new set of societal norms in the next four to eight years.
This black bear from Montana has ceased hunting for a living and is sitting outside the US Fish & Wildlife Service office in Kalispell, apparently waiting to be fed and to have his winter den dug by government employees. The residents of Kalispell are calling him "Bearack Obama".

Crap

2009-02-10T17:29:00.006-05:00

"You look like crap." Yes, that is what my loving husband jokingly told me when I entered our home today after visiting with the doctor this afternoon. And, the sad part is I agree. I not only looked like it; I felt like it.

I went to the doctor this afternoon. I have a sinus infection and who knows what else. Evidently, there is a nasty cold bug going around that is hospitalizing some people. The doctor ordered me to stay home for a few days to recover and I have several prescription medications to take as well. I'm hoping I will have improved by Thursday before we leave to go to Orlando.

Now, I'm going to partake in the cough medication that my doctor prescribed with the codeine in it and I'm hoping for a solid night of rest after getting hardly any the past two nights. I coughed my head off the entire night last night. I'm officially exhausted.

It Was A Monday...'Nuff Said

2009-02-09T20:50:00.010-05:00

There have been so many emotions to deal with today that I just think I'm numb now.

Work was good today. I was notified by my supervisor that the team that I led to successfully deliver an aircraft to programmed depot maintenance in December was recognized and we won the team award for the 4th quarter of 2008. The reward for each of us...a day off without charging leave. That was great news! I'll take a free day off from work!

I am still fighting the head cold that I've contracted (along with Anna, Jeff and now it looks like Rachel is coming down with it). It's a nasty little bug. The only reason I'm still awake at this point is that I'm waiting for the Nyquil that I took to take effect so I can hopefully collapse into a drug induced sleep that will hopefully keep my coughing at bay for the next 8 hours.

This evening was full of mixed emotions. After having dinner with the family, I went to a funeral visitation. The 16-year old daughter of one my coworkers passed away last Friday. Her Mom currently works with me. And, I used to work with her Dad several years ago. I don't handle funerals well. I think that goes back to my father's death. I just prefer to remember the person as they were when they were living but I also believe in paying respect to grieving family members. And, death and loss is never easy...no matter the circumstances or age of the person who is deceased. But, there is always something very tragic about seeing parents having to bury their child. It is so sad to see such a young person lying in a casket along with her favorite stuffed animal, books, music and other things that she enjoyed. And, I heard my friend Jerry (her father) say, "I couldn't remember what was the last thing I said to her." I guess none of us know when our final moments will be so it's best to live life to the fullest as if it is our last day. None of us have a guarantee that we'll see another sunrise. It was an emotional ride back home. I grieved for my friends' loss. I grieved for those loved ones that I have lost. My father died February 11, 1985, when I was fourteen years old. Seems like just yesterday at times.

I had one more task to complete when I got home. So ironic that I would be decorating Anna's birthday cake right after attending a funeral visitation. But, I had baked and iced the cake yesterday and I needed to finish up the decorations tonight even though what I really wanted was to collapse in a bed as soon as I got home. But, my effort was greatly rewarded by the look of happiness on my almost 6-year old daughter's face. She loves Pooh Bear. And, she wanted a Winnie the Pooh cake. To see her face light up at the sight of the completed cake made the effort worth it. And, she rewarded me with the best thank you card. Hallmark doesn't have anything on a hand scribbled note on a paper napkin from a loved one. She handed it to me and it said, "I Love You." For that, I'd bake many more cakes. I need an apron that says, "Will Work For Love." Yep, I'm a sap.

Bike Riding and Packing the RV

2009-02-08T14:47:00.003-05:00

I have been doing my best to stick with a workout routine of some sort for the New Year. The weather has been pretty cold as of late here in GA but after a week of freezing temperatures, we were blessed with some really beautiful and warm weather this weekend. It has been weeks since I've been able to ride my bike so I took the opportunity to go out today even though I wasn't feeling up to it. I got in a 7 mile ride which is better than I expected feeling as rotten as I do. I have a head cold that has really kicked my bootie the past couple of days that I'm hoping I'll kick before we leave for Orlando later this week. And, I'm praying the girls don't come down with it before we leave for Disney later this week.

We are busy packing up the RV today. We'll be leaving Thursday after school and heading to Fort Wilderness for part of the school winter break and to celebrate Anna's 6th birthday. Many of our fellow Disney fans probably already know about the free admission offer on your birthday at Disney parks but what we didn't know is that if you are an annual passholder like we are, you get other bennies for going on your birthday. Below is a list of options for those who didn't know:

A birthday FASTPASS® exchange card+ for a certain number attractions at the Theme Park you visit on your birthday; or

A birthday fun card in an amount equal to the price of a 1-day Magic Your Way base ticket* for you to use for certain purchases including select merchandise, recreation or tour experiences, or for Disney's PhotoPass® on-site services at participating locations at Walt Disney World® Resort; or

A 1-day Magic Your Way base ticket for you to use any time until your next birthday.

I think we are going to choose the birthday fun card.

I'm looking forward to the trip. I need a few days away from work.

The Mom Song

2009-02-07T09:01:00.001-05:00

My new theme song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESe-AysF9mw&feature=related

Awards

2009-02-07T08:46:00.004-05:00

Anna and Rachel

Anna got "Student of the Week" last week. Her reading skills have grown significantly in the past few months.

I received feedback from Rachel's teacher a couple of weeks ago regarding her performance to date. She is doing exceptionally well at school. She is in the first grade and is reading and comprehending at a 3rd grade level.

We are grateful that both of our children are doing so well in school.

Angela

I don't think I ever posted here that I was promoted last year. I was hired as a GS-12 back in July 2007. I was promoted to a GS-13 last November. The beauty of it is that I'm in a non-supervisory 13. Usually, those only went to engineers. I interviewed for and was selected for a non-supervisory Program Management GS-13. I am now the focal point for software being utilized on an aircraft.

The other good news is that I was nominated and selected as Civilian of the Year (in the GS-11 thru GS-13) category for 2008. I won at the Group level but not at the Wing level. I was just appreciative that I was nominated at all. I've got to go Monday and get an official portrait done for this.

Lordy! Lordy! Jeff is 40!

2009-02-02T19:42:00.006-05:00

Jeff has a fun-filled day from walking into his well decorated cubicle (I did it after he left work on Friday) to cake with his coworkers and leaving work to a decorated jeep (courtesy of his coworkers). He says that he'll return the favor to me when I turn 40. But, he would've had fun at my expense anyway. So, I figured I'd enjoy it as much as I could today. I would share pictures of his cubicle at work but I couldn't take pictures in his facility.

I asked him if he was going to do something crazy like have a midlife crisis and go out and get his ear pierced. He said if he was going to do something crazy, he'd go out and get another motorcycle.

I've had a lot of fun at his expense today but I think anyone who knows Jeff will say he does not look 40. He certainly doesn't act 40, but then again, I'm not quite sure he acts as if he ever left puberty just yet either. :-)

I told Anna and Rachel to tell their Daddy, "Lordy, Lordy, Daddy is 40!" when he got home today. Anna decided to tell him after dinner tonight. He asked her where she had heard it and she tattled on me.

Juicy

I mentioned in my post yesterday that we attended several birthday parties this past weekend. At one of the parties, one of the Mom's had on a sweatsuit that had the word "Juicy" written across the back. Jeff noticed it and he had an odd look on his face when he saw it. I asked him what he was up to as I know that look and he nodded his head in the woman's direction that had on that sweatsuit. I guess I didn't think anything about it as I had seen many Hollywood females wearing Juicy Couture clothing when I've read People magazine, etc. I explained to Jeff that it was a popular clothing brand name. He was perplexed by it. He said, 'why not wear something that just says "wet and wild?"' I can see his point....most men don't keep up with women's fashions and I'm sure the majority thought exactly as he had when they saw the print on that woman's sweatsuit.
He said he was going to develop a mens clothing line that had "Throbbing" plastered across the back. He thinks it'll sell like gangbusters.
If you ever wondered where Anna gets her personality from...you need not look far.

Birthday Weekend

2009-02-01T18:31:00.010-05:00

Lunch with Grandma and Papa

Gail and Harold came to visit with us this weekend to celebrate Jeff's and Anna's birthdays a bit early since we planned to be in Orlando during Anna's birthday.

Gail and Harold went to their school on Friday and had lunch with the girls. Anna and Rachel love it when family members have lunch with them at school.

And, the girls can invite up to two friends to eat with them. Rachel picked her best friend Chloe and another classmate, Elizabeth.
Weekend of Birthday Parties

We had a very busy weekend. Rachel was invited to two birthday parties and Anna was invited to one. We had one party 5:00 Friday night, one at 12:30 on Saturday and the last one at 2:00 on Saturday. The last party was at a local place that has putt-putt golf, games, batting cages, go-carts, etc. I spent about 20 minutes in the batting cage. I've always loved to play softball or baseball. However, you'd think I'd have the good sense to not push the limits. My shoulders and back are killing me today.

Lesson learned: We will not accept invitations to that many parties again in one weekend. It was a bit much. We were exhausted from all of the running around.

After all the parties, Gail and Harold took the girls to see a movie and then Jeff and I got a date night out for just the two of us. We went to dinner and then saw a movie. The movie we saw is New in Town. It was a cute movie. The plot was predictable. But, it was something humorous which we both needed.

Jeff's Birthday Cake

I wasn't sure what theme I would choose for Jeff's 40th birthday cake but I found a cute design at the local cake decorating store. In this family, chocolate has to be the predominant flavor of any cake. So, this theme worked well.

It took me a while to do today. I don't think he thought it was nearly as humorous as I did though.

Anna...an American Girl

Gail and Harold gave Anna her birthday presents early. Anna received Ruthie, an American Girl doll, for Christmas. Gail and Harold gave her several more pieces from the American Girl collection for her birthday.

Question of the Week:

Before finishing typing this post, Anna walked up to me asked me, 'Mommy, what does "deep doo-doo" mean?'

I'll close this post on that note. I don't even want to think about in what context she learned that term.

Persuasive Letter Writing Assignment

2009-01-31T10:32:00.003-05:00

Rachel's first grade class recently practiced persuasive letter writing. Her letters were sent home on Friday. They were pretty interesting to read. My favorite was the following to one of her classmates:

Dear Justin,

Please belive in Santa Claus. If you don't I'll give you some proof. Last Christmas morning I found some of his suit. And my Dad saw a great red glowing circle thing. I hope that helps you. If you don't believe in him he won't give you any presents. And even worse he might give you coal this year. I hope this helps you believe in Santa
Claus.

Sincerely,
Rachel

A Healthy Competition

2009-01-25T18:41:00.008-05:00

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is. ~~ Vince Lombardi

We decided to go bowling today; something we haven't done in a while. There is no greater competition for Jeff than me. He loves, no, relishes it when he beats me at any game or competition. You could say, I bring out the best in him. I thought I'd share one of his strikes today. You can see that he does not gloat at all when he does well. Such a sweet, modest soul. One of the many attributes that made me fall in love with him.

January Update

2009-01-24T09:40:00.005-05:00

There hasn't been much to share so I haven't posted anything much as of late. I was on reserve duty the first two weeks of January.

We visited with my Mom last weekend. For those wondering about her status, she is doing about the same. Her speech isn't entirely clear. And, she still has limited use of her right hand. But, she can move about independently. So, for that, we are grateful. I'm thankful that my Aunt and cousins who live nearby to her have been able to keep an eye on her and assist her as needed as I have not been able to be there as much due to the distance we live away from her and due to work.

I spent the majority of last week in Marietta again for business. I won't bore you with the details but it was one of those trips where my hotel accomodations were frustrating. I had one problem after another with my room and got very little sleep. The work days were long too. I was exhausted by the time I got back home late Thursday night.

So, after three full weeks of not being at my civilian job, I returned to my office on Friday to a laundry list of things that had piled up and, of course, everything is either due yesterday or needed right now. I don't think I ever shared here that I was selected for a promotion in my civilian job late last year. While the pay increase and promotion became effective November 23rd, my duties and responsibilities didn't kick in until January 1st...while I've been out of the office. It is a new position and I have a lot of work to do to get some basic processes in place. In the short term, things are going to be busier than ever and stressful. I'm hoping that it will eventually taper off some towards the later part of 2009. That may be me being hopeful though. My new position entails being the fleet software lead for an airplane. For now, I will just be happy to have a little less business related travel. (I'm sure Jeff and the girls would like that too!) I also enrolled in Air Command and Staff College. It is the next level of education required to make my next rank in my military reserve career. It is the only box I haven't checked to be promoted. So, my New Year resolution was to get it done this year. It is a requirement to make the next military rank. It is a nice to have box filler on the civilian side. So, you can say, it "kills two birds with one stone." I'll be doing that work by correspondence. Now, I've just got to find the energy and time to do the tons of reading required.

There are a few events coming up in the near term on the home front....Jeff's 40th birthday and Anna's 6th birthday. I've got to get in gear and get some planning done for those two events. We already bought Anna's birthday gift. She and Rachel both wanted to get an I-touch. Rachel bought her own with her money that she saved from birthdays and Christmas, etc. Anna didn't quite have enough to buy one on her own. So she contributed what she had from her piggy bank and we kicked in the difference explaining that it was an early birthday gift. She wants a Winnie the Pooh cake for her birthday so I've got to figure out an appropriate design for that....as well as Jeff's cake.

We haven't planned any RV trips in the short term except to go to Disney for Anna's birthday in February. Other than that, we are discussing a long trip this summer traveling up the East coast to attend our cousin's wedding in WV. It provided us the opportunity to possibly plan a trip through D.C. and other areas that we've been wanting to visit as a family. So, we are going to begin making plans for that.

Lunch with an Old Friend

2009-01-10T11:05:00.006-05:00

Tora and I attended technical training in 1995 together. Since then we have kept in touch over the years. He recently moved to Georgia after his last assignment in Alaska and we were finally able to schedule lunch together. I've been traveling so much and my work schedule is crazy and he is a navigator and is subject to the flight schedule of his organization so his work day is erratic as well making it hard to schedule a time we can go since he moved to Georgia. We were finally able to sync up this week while I was on reserve duty. Unfortunately, his phone took a blurry photo but you can still see us for the most part. It's great catching up after all of these years.

I took him to a local dive called the Boarding House. It's not exactly the nicest where ambiance is concerned. But, the food is yummy and cheap. It's all southern style food and it's served family style. It's a must do for those visiting the local area.

Anna Moments

2009-01-04T17:05:00.004-05:00

I was in my bathroom braiding my hair when Anna quickly entered announcing the need to poop. We have three bathrooms. Why she felt the need to take a crap in the one that I happened to be in is not something I'll ever understand.

But, if I had not been there I would've missed the interesting conversation that ensued. Anna said, "Mommy, why is it hard to push poop out?" I replied, "Well, maybe you need to eat more fiber; things like fruit as an example." "But, I eat fruit," replied Anna. "Maybe you need to eat more and maybe add some raisins." Then, she changes the conversation to another facet of pooping. "Mommy, part of my poop looks like a snake. The other looks like a snail," she shares with me. At that point, I just stopped talking and smiled. Really, you can't pay for entertainment like this!

We took Rachel and Anna to see Bedtime Stories today. We all enjoyed the movie I think. After we got back home, Anna was having a conversation with our next door neighbor's son, Christian. He was standing in our front yard. Anna was yelling from our open upstairs bonus room window. She yells to him, "We just got back from seeing Bedtime Stories and Bugsy farted."
We watched the whole movie and the one thing she felt noteworthy to share with Christian was that the guinea pig farted after eating marshmallows. Ahhh, that was money well spent.

When I often remind Jeff that Anna is the result of his best and fastest swimmer; he reminds me that she is also the product of my one and only egg produced that month. We have done well contributing to the gene pool, don't ya think? I joke about things like this but honestly, you couldn't spend a minute with Anna and not totally fall in love with her. She keeps me laughing.

Celebrating the New Year in Savannah, GA

2009-01-03T19:11:00.010-05:00

Jeff and I traveled to Savannah on New Years Eve to Skidaway Island State Park in our RV. We stayed there through Saturday.

For the most part, we just relaxed. That is a luxury we don't get often with the girls around. Plus, we were both nursing a head cold so we fully appreciated the ability to just take a nap when needed.

We grilled out at the RV for New Years Eve. And, we hiked around the state park on New Years Day because many places in Savannah were closed so there wasn't much to do. We had attempted to eat a Lady & Sons and found they were also closed on New Years Day.

We also went to the movie theater and watched Marley and Me. I have to admit, we were expecting more of a comedy from that movie. It was a good movie....just not quite what we had in mind.

We were watching the local news at the RV and they covered the Polar Bear Plunge. This is an annual activity where locals take a final plunge in the ocean from the Tybee Island beach on New Years Day. Now, keep in mind, it was in the 40s on New Years day. I couldn't believe these people were running into the ocean with their bathing suits on in 40 degree weather.

On Friday evening, we enjoyed a River Boat cruise. It was very nice and something that I'm glad we were able to do without the children. Although, I would like to come back again to Savannah with the girls.

While waiting for our dinner cruise to embark, we listened to a man playing the trumpet on the river walk area. He was quite humorous....he'd play the Indiana Jones theme song when a man walked by with a hat on that looked like Indiana Jones and other well known songs, matching them to the unsuspecting pedestrians walking by. I think my favorite was when a family with seven children walked by and he began playing the Brady Bunch theme.

And, since the children weren't around, Jeff aggravated Simba for entertainment when we were at the camper (better the cat, than me). He attached a paper clip to Simba's fur...his tail, the top of his head....anywhere to drive the poor cat insane. Finally, Simba just laid on the floor in frustration and quit trying to get it off of his head. Poor cat..... I'd have felt bad for him if he had not awakened me a couple of the nights with a lick-a-thon going on. Am I the only person that can not sleep through the noise that ensues from a cat preening himself?

What Did We Have For Dinner Tonight?

2008-12-29T19:55:00.004-05:00

Parents are not interested in justice, they're interested in peace and quiet. ~~Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby is right. Parents are interested in peace and quiet; we relish it, in fact. It truly is a valuable commodity when you have children.

And, like other parents, we love our children but we also truly appreciate the peace and quiet that temporarily resumes in our lives when the children are away for a few days. While driving home from getting groceries this past weekend, it was very noticeable at how quiet it was in our van with just the two of us. Usually, the girls are in the back with non-stop chatter going at all times.

I arrived home from work tonight and Jeff greeted me at the door with a big hug and a kiss. Of course, my first question was, "What do you want?" To which he replied, "Nothing, just welcoming you home." The normal "welcome home" entails him heading for the nearest peaceful exit when I enter because he's been alone busily entertaining the girls since they got home from school. It's not that he's not happy to see me (at least I don't think that's it); it's just that there is only so much a sane person can take of non-stop activity. And, by the time I walk in, he's ready for a break. Let me just say....my hat is off to the full time stay-at-home parents of little ones. Whatever patience gene you inherited was not passed on to me by my parents. There's only so much I can take of, "She's looking at me." And, "She's breathing too loudly." And, on and on and on........

And, then there was dinner time tonight. There was no debate and no complaints. Jeff and I had pecan crusted tilapia, steamed veggies and cheese grits. And, a slice of homemade bread that I made last night. If Anna were home, she would've eaten the homemade bread and that would've been it. For her, if it's not chicken fingers, pizza, french fries, hot dogs, or chocolate, she's not interested for the most part. And, today's favorite food is tomorrow's hated food. There's just no pleasin' everyone all the time it seems. I used to love to cook and I've found my interest in cooking the past few years to dwindle more and more as it is just so draining to plan a meal that makes everyone happy.

Life is definitely different when you have children. Not necessarily better or worse; just different. I've often forgotten what it was like when it was just the two of us but I do remember it was so much simpler back then. And, while there are some days we both feel like running and screaming into the night; I would not trade our life for anything. Well, maybe a few more days of peace and quiet, a daily massage at a local spa...... Just kidding......we miss our little munchkins. Besides, I'd swear Jeff was "breathing loudly" while we ate dinner tonight and I could've sworn he was "looking at me." :-)

Christmas Cards 2008

2008-12-27T17:30:00.016-05:00

Last year, I started the tradition of sharing the photos we received in Christmas cards here. Here are the photos of family and friends that we received this year.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T13:29:00.019-05:00

It comes every year and will go on forever. And along with Christmas belong the keepsakes and the customs. Those humble, everyday things a mother clings to, and ponders, like Mary in the secret spaces of her heart. ~~ Marjorie Holmes

Like many families, we have a few family traditions each Christmas. I don't recall doing many of the items below as a child. What I remember is going to mass on Christmas Eve and then returning home and being able to pick one gift to open. I remember my Mom and Grandma making Italian cookies for the family prior to Christmas. I guess each family has its idea of what makes Christmas special and below are the things we do to make it special for our children.

1. The making of the gingerbread house.

2. And, for Christmas Eve, there are quite a few items on the agenda. Up first, is making cookies for Santa. Mary Grace and her friends, Paige & Riley, normally join us for this event. Usually, the kids watch Santa's progress from the Norad internet website.3. Throwing their Christmas list into the fire place. It is the final message to Santa of what they want for Christmas.3. Putting reindeer food on the lawn.

4. Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and/or The Christmas Story.

5. Last, but not least, the reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas right before bedtime. Of course, the big change this year was that both girls were helping Daddy read it for the first time. Rachel can pretty much read it independently and Anna is just mastering reading but I suspect she'll be reading at the same level as Rachel this time next year.

Christmas Day

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.~~Erma Bombeck

The big item that both girls asked for were electric scooters this year. I wasn't too worried about Rachel riding on one but I was a bit concerned about Anna getting one. Anna, let's just say, has never developed that "maybe I should not do this" response that humans have for survival. Some day, she would make a great fighter pilot. But, until then, I have to figure out how to help her safely make it to adulthood.

Luckily, there were no accidents and no broken bones after their first day on the scooters. And, as predicted, Rachel was careful with riding her scooter whereas Anna was flying down the cul-de-sac. At one point, she almost ran into my neighbor's mailbox. I suspect we are going to age quite a bit watching her ride. Although, Jeff is already having visions of Anna riding a sport bike on a track. Gee, I wonder where she gets it from?

Gail took Anna and Rachel to see the movie Kit Kittredge; An American Girl this past summer. Gail and Harold gave Rachel the Kit American Girl doll for her birthday in September. And, Anna has been wanting an American Girl doll of her own since. Gail and Harold gave Anna Ruthie for Christmas. I have to say that I enjoy the American Girl things more than the Hannah Montana and High School Musical stuff that seems to be everywhere these days. I'm glad our daughters really aren't interested in either.

Anna, Jeff and I are all nursing some version of a head cold but overall, we had a wonderful Christmas. And, while we are always early in putting decorations up; We are also early in taking them down. Jeff has been hard at work taking care of that. And, I've been busy cleaning the house. The girls left this morning to go to West Virginia with Harold and Gail to visit family. They will return home next Saturday. So, I'm taking the time to go through their rooms and remove some items to make room for their new toys....this is something I can't do with them here as they are both pack rats. And, Rachel claims every item has some significant meaning in her life; even the toy from a McDonalds Happy Meal. Jeff and I will be working Monday and Tuesday and we leave in the RV on Wednesday for Savannah. It'll be the first RV trip that he and I have taken alone in a while. I'm looking forward to the down time and I made reservations for us to take a Riverboat dinner cruise next Friday night. I can't wait.

And, for anyone wondering, our new cat has settled into home life with us just fine. Cocoa (that's what we named him) has fattened up a bit and has had a few tiffs with our neighbor's male cat while establishing his turf. But, other than that, he has become one of the family. He's not going to be happy with us though as we'll be bringing him to the vet soon to get him neutered. We don't want to contribute to the unwanted pet population so it's something that needs to be done. We just haven't time to take him just yet.

I forgot to mention that I was on business travel for the two weeks leading up to Christmas. I was in Marietta one week and then the week before Christmas, I was in Washington D.C. Needless to say, that put us behind with things that needed to be done at home. Before leaving D.C. to return home, I did have time to visit one place that I've been wanting to see; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. What a humbling place to visit. At various times I was moved to tears just thinking of the amount of innocent life taken in the name of genocide. It was troubling to think that mankind has and continues to do such horrific things in the name of religion, claiming land, or whatever the excuse is for the day. It is one thing to conduct war between armed combatants. And, quite the other to murder and torture innocent, unarmed civilians.

From Our Home to Yours....

2008-12-21T10:27:00.004-05:00

Take "Christ" out of Christmas, and December becomes the bleakest and most colorless month of the year.~~A. F. Wells

From our home to yours, "Merry Christmas" and best wishes for a happy and blessed New Year in 2009!

Polar Express Christmas Party

2008-12-14T19:13:00.014-05:00

There's no greater gift than friendship.~~Santa Claus in the movie The Polar Express

We hosted friends on Saturday evening for what now seems to be our annual Polar Express Christmas Party.

There was one major hiccup with the event this year though...I was out of town most of last week leaving us Friday evening and Saturday morning to prepare goodies, clean the house, mow the yard and set up the projector and equipment. Jeff took care of the outdoor stuff and I took care of the indoor preparation and baking. Needless to say, I was ready to collapse by the time that the guests started arriving. For those who don't remember, Jeff sets up our 9 foot inflatable movie screen in our backyard along with the sound system and we play the movie Polar Express.

We had a great turn out but the weather was a bit colder this year than last year. We had a fire going outside in the fire pit and in the fireplace inside. We had home made hot chocolate and egg nog to drink; as well as apple cider. I had a variety of sweets to eat: chocolate dipped pretzels, cookies, fudge, brownies, gingerbread, and gingerbread man cookies.

Some people sat outside and watched part or all of the movie. Others visited inside with us.

Jeff dressed up as Santa this year. He didn't stay in the suit for long though as the kids ganged up on him. It was the first time I ever recall seeing Santa sprinting from a flock of kids. It was hilarious watching that big fake belly flopping up and down as he ran from the children.

I also snapped a few photos of some of our guests and have posted those here.

We had a great time visiting with everyone although I have to admit we were exhausted when it was over. The last person didn't leave until 11:30 pm. I found Rachel and Anna asleep on the sofas in the living room.

One last thought from Santa in the Polar Express: "Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart."

Sunday

Today, I brought Rachel, Anna, and our niece, Mary, to see the Disney on Ice show in Macon. I nearly fell asleep on a couple of occasions during the show which is unlike me. When we arrived at home around 3:30, I told Jeff that I desperately needed a nap. I literally collapsed in the bed and slept for the next 1.5 hours. I could've slept the rest of the day if Jeff had not awakened me.

For added fun, this coming week I will have one last business trip to Washington D.C. I'm tired of travel and being on the road. I've been waiting for things to slow down at work for the holidays but it never happened. Now, I'm burned out and looking forward to Christmas Day. Actually, Jeff and I are both burned out...just for different reasons. I'm burned out from being on the road, the long work hours, and work stress. Jeff is burned out from being a single parent so often the past few months while I've been away for business travel. The girls are going with Harold and Gail to West Virginia after Christmas and Jeff and I will be all alone for a week. We need some time to recover from work and all of the holiday activities.

I received our Christmas cards that I ordered....now I just need to figure out when I'm going to have time to address them and get them in the mail. Christmas cards may go out late this year......

Sophia Turns One

2008-12-14T19:09:00.004-05:00

Some of my readers may recall last year that our friend Long and his wife Quyen welcomed their first child, Sophia, in the world on Christmas Day.

Sophia turns one December 25th but they wanted to celebrate her birthday a bit early since they planned to travel to Ohio to visit with family over Christmas this year. It's hard to believe it's been one year already.

Happy Early 1st Birthday Sophia!

Kitty Litter Surprise

2008-12-14T18:59:00.005-05:00

This is what happens when the wife is away for business travel during the husband's office Christmas party.

I was in Marietta last week and Jeff was left on his own to come up with a contribution for the office Christmas party. He made kitty litter surprise which is actually quite tasty...it just looks disgusting. I have to give him credit for the excellent job that he did on making it look realistic. Something tells me though that if I'm out of town again during an office party, they'll probably ask Jeff to contribute paper plates and napkins.

Indian Springs, GA

2008-12-07T13:42:00.021-05:00

Top Row: Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.

Bottom Row: "Hey, they are spoiling our fun!"

We joined some friends at Indian Springs State Park this past weekend. Cindy, Larry and their two children; Trinity and Hannah. John and Darlene and daughter Alecia.

Darlene, Cindy & Me (L-R)

The weather was cold for most of the weekend but we still had a great trip. The kids had a great time playing in leaf piles and riding their bikes around the campground. Even Jeff joined in the leaf pile fun.

Alecia

This was the first year that the Village at Indian Springs offered a Christmas program. On Saturday morning, Pinky's restaurant had breakfast with Santa. It was $10 per adult and $5 per child for a pancake breakfast. We walked around the shops and garden area after breakfast. I was impressed when I caught Larry carrying Cindy's red purse for her. He truly is a man secure with his masculinity. Although, Jeff did tell him that the purse clashed with his ensemble.

Larry and the Red Purse

Generations Gallery offered free activities throughout the day including making ornaments, horse carriage rides, cotton candy and snacks. A local high school class played Christmas carols using hand bells in the evening. This was the first year that these activities were offered and we really enjoyed it all. Very quaint. And, very simple. The Village at Indian Springs is located right outside of Indian Springs State Park so it was very convenient as well.

It was also Hannah's birthday recently so we celebrated on Saturday. Everyone was high on sugar after eating that cake. And, everyone also had colored tongues from the cake icing.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

We also added another family member this weekend. A cat adopted us at the campground. He knew a sucker family when he saw one. And, I'll give him credit...he picked the family with the 39 foot diesel motorhome. Smart kitty! Evidently, the cat was abandoned there at some point. The camp host said other families had tried to bring the cat home with them as well because the cat is so personable. But, he added that the cat would freak out when they put it in the vehicle to take it away from the park. I put the cat in the jeep with me and he was perfectly content on my lap. He is such a sweet kitty that we felt awful leaving him there. So, I drove home with him in my lap. He'll have to be an outdoor kitty because he is a male and he and Simba, our indoor male cat, would fight if they both were kept indoors. I think he is used to it so I don't anticipate it'll be much of a change for him except he'll now get regular meals and he has a dedicated family. We aren't sure what we are going to name him yet though...and I suppose I'll be bringing him to the vet soon to get him neutered. It'll have to wait until I get back from Marietta though. I'm leaving again on Monday. I'm hoping this will be my last trip for the year. I have to say that the "inn is full" at this point. I had no desire to take on another pet but at the same time none of us could just leave the poor creature.
Of course, he's tiny compared to Simba. I don't think he is half the size of Simba and he appears to be full grown.

Tis The Season....

2008-12-01T06:40:00.010-05:00

Tis the Season...to play practical jokes...

As usual, we ate way more food than any person should in one meal on Thanksgiving Day. Jeff and I braved shopping early on Friday in the hopes of saving a few dollars. Note to self...not worth it. However, Jeff figured if he was going to get up early that he would at least make the trip worthwhile. So, we went to Spencer's and bought fake poop. Yes, you read that right. Fake poop for $5 that was made in China. You know there are some Chinese people in the world thinking that Americans will buy anything. Who else spends $5 on fake poop? But, Jeff likes a good practical joke. And, we had brought our cat, Simba, to Huntsville with us much to Gail's dismay. Jeff thought he'd leave the fake poop on the floor outside of Simba's litter box for Gail and Harold to find. Harold found it first. And, being the nice person that he is, he got cleaner, a scoop, and paper towels and proceeded to clean it. Jeff, on the other hand, got busy with the camera taking photos and laughing hysterically. You would think Harold would just tell Jeff that if he thought it was so funny that he should clean it. But, being the kind hearted person that he is, he proceeded on with the task at hand until he found out it was fake. Of course, by that time, Jeff could barely breathe as he was laughing so hard. Yep, $5 well spent.

Tis the Season...to enjoy some Christmas cheer
We met Gabrielle and her daughters at Santa's Christmas Village again. The weather this year was a lot more pleasant...not nearly as cold. We did the usual visit with Santa, writing the letter to Santa, and icing gingerbread cookies.
The card given to the children to use to write to Santa has boxes as the top to check with they have been naughty or nice. Rachel asked me, "Mom, have I been naughty or nice?" My response was, "if you have to ask....."
Below is a picture taken of me and Gabrielle. She loves it when I post her photo on my blog so it wouldn't be right if I didn't share this photo here now. You're welcome, Gabe. :-)

Tis the Season...for the Iron Bowl

We watched the Alabama vs. Auburn football game at Pete and Gabrielle's house. It had to be one of the worse games we've watched since I can remember. But, it was great to visit with friends if nothing else.
I have to say that this will be the first year I root for the SEC East champion (Florida) for the SEC Championship game. I hope they spank Alabama.

Tis the Season...for holiday Traffic

No, those aren't pretty Christmas lights below. The photo is pretty much what we saw on the interstate the majority of the way home, specifically on I-75. We got home late because of it. There were areas where traffic crawled and it seemed every mile or so that there would be people pulled over for some reason or another. I told Jeff there would be no need for concern where speeding is concerned. The cops were otherwise busy with accidents and other issues and no one was able to get any speed going anyway due to the traffic.

Working the Street Corner

2008-11-24T20:08:00.005-05:00

"Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life's blood. But everyone has something to give."~~Barbara Bush

I rang the bell for the Salvation Army red kettle drive tonight outside of a local Hobby Lobby store. It was quite interesting watching people. You could tell some people felt guilty not giving. The ones I found most humorous were the ones who parked on my side of the entrance but chose to walk across the parking lot to enter the other side where I was not standing. Here is a news flash folks...we aren't going to mug you. Heck, most of us are pleasant people who are your neighbors trying to volunteer during the holiday season to help our fellow man. We aren't keeping a list of whose been naughty or nice so don't feel guilty if you can't give to every red kettle you pass. We know many can't afford to give....especially after you've just spent hundreds in Hobby Lobby getting those decorative candles you just can't live without. :-) But, you can smile, be pleasant, and acknowledge your fellow citizens who are giving their time to ring the bell. Just a thought....

The people who gave more often were people with young children (the kids like dropping the coins in the bucket) and men. Older women who were alone didn't tend to give while I was working. I thought that was interesting. I saw a few of my coworkers and I guilted them into giving. Honestly, I think Salvation Army would get more money if they'd find an attractive woman willing to wear a short skirt and stand outside of Hooters. She would rack up! :-)

I was glad Rachel and Anna were able to participate with me if only for a short while. I actually had fun doing it but I'm afraid I'll hear that darn bell ringing in my ears for hours now.

Veteran's State Park

2008-11-23T15:54:00.005-05:00

We spent this weekend at Georgia Veteran's State Park which is located in Cordele, GA. We had a wonderful, relaxing weekend...something we truly haven't done in a while. Usually, we tour the area where we are visiting but not this weekend. We stayed at our camper pretty much for the duration. It was pretty cold this weekend....down in the 20's at night....which is unusually cool for Georgia temperatures at this point in the year. I guess it must be that global warming. :-)

We talked about the trip in advance and decided that we would pretty much hang around the campground for the most part and just relax. We stopped at Stripling's when we arrived at the park and picked up some meat to grill. They have the best sausage. And, they have some nice steaks for reasonable prices. So, we bought some steaks and grilled them for dinner Friday night. We bought some sausage which we used for sausage biscuits for breakfast on Saturday morning. And, we bought some hotdogs that we cooked over a camp fire for lunch. The only meal that we ate out for this trip was dinner on Saturday night.

Jeff built a nice camp fire which he kept going most of the day on Saturday. The girls played in the woods near our camper or right outside of the camper and Jeff and I relaxed by the fire. We all went for a short walk to the ranger station and back after lunch. I took a nap after we got back. I don't remember the last time I did that but it was nice. Even the cat took it easy on Saturday. And, no I did not pose him. I actually found the worthless feline stretched out across our bed just like this.

We tried Daphne's Lodge for dinner on Saturday night. Daphne's Lodge is located almost directly outside of the park. One of my coworker's recommended it to me last week. I asked him in advance if it was a family restaurant or one more appropriate for couples only and he said it was a family restaurant. I think we were the only people there with children though. But, the girls were well behaved. I think if Jeff and I ever go again, it will be just the two of us though mainly because of the price of the entrees. But, I thought of it as more of a couple's restaurant.

New Year's Plans

Rachel and Anna are going to be traveling with Harold and Gail after Christmas to visit with family in West Virginia. Jeff and I had been tossing around ideas of where we would go in the RV while the girls were gone. We have reservations in Orlando at Fort Wilderness right now. As much as I'd like one trip to Disney for just the two of us, I think I might enjoy a place that's a bit closer and with less people. So, I suggested Savannah. I think that will be the place that we will go. If the weather is nice enough while we are there, I'd really like to visit Cumberland Island. I've wanted to go there for years but never felt like the girls were quite ready for that when we have visited the Georgia coast with them.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. ~Edward Sandford Martin

To our friends and family, we wish you a blessed Thanksgiving. If you're traveling to be with loved ones, we wish you safe travels.

Oh, the humiliation!

2008-11-17T19:11:00.004-05:00

He gets free lodging and gets to travel in a motorhome, he gets all the food he can eat, and a litter box of his own. In return, he provides entertainment for the children. :-)

Anna decided to put her glowing Rudolph nose on our cat, Simba, tonight. Simba tolerated it but he looked so humiliated. Oh well, he earned his keep for the day.

School Pictures 2008

2008-11-16T18:13:00.004-05:00

Below are Rachel's 1st Grade portrait and Anna's Kindergarten portrait.

Anna in Kindergarten (Age 5.5 years old)

Rachel in First Grade (7 Years Old)

FDR State Park, Auburn, and Callaway Gardens

2008-11-16T16:37:00.012-05:00

Originally, we planned to camp at Vogel State Park this weekend. But, I wasn't able to leave work early on Friday so we chose FDR State Park instead as it was closer and it wouldn't require us to drive through the Atlanta area on a Friday afternoon. It was so humid and foggy on Friday evening. The fog was so thick you could slice it with a knife. But, the temperature was comfortable. That was not the case the rest of the weekend as the temperature dropped a lot on Saturday.

We had hoped to have dinner at The Purple Cow restaurant Friday evening which was one of our favorite sandwich shops in Pine Mountain. But, we found that it had closed down. We were so disappointed. We ended up having dinner at Sage's Ice Cream Parlor instead. Then, we walked around the down town area where local children were singing Christmas Carols. I guess it was the first night in town with the Christmas decorations being lit up, etc.

War Eagle!

Auburn was scheduled to play Georgia in Auburn on Saturday. Jeff suggested we drive to Auburn, which is only about an hour from FDR State Park, to enjoy pre-game festivities and see if we could find some tickets at a cheaper price. Face value for a ticket is $60 and needless to say, we hated paying that much for each ticket when the girls don't really watch the game. We arrived several hours before the game started. We browsed some shops and walked around campus for a while and then we had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom. While there, Anna found a man's wallet on the floor when she was coming back from the restroom. We gave it to a waitress and she said a man had been looking for his wallet. A few minutes later, the man walked back to our table and thanked Anna. He also gave her five dollars for her good deed. He was a UGA fan though and we told him that if he wanted to truly express his gratitude that he had to say, "War Eagle!" :-)

We briefly visited my old Air Force ROTC detachment. Unfortunately, the Air Force ROTC detachment didn't have a tent or anything set up outside for alumni prior to the game. But, we did stop for a moment and got a picture at the "spirit rock" before continuing on for the day.

We attempted to purchase tickets several times before the game started but the scalpers were unwilling to sell them for anything less than $40 each...most wanted full face value. So, we waited until after the first quarter began and we were then able to purchase four tickets at $20 each. We got tickets on the upper deck but they were on the 50-yard line. For those who watched the game, you'll know Auburn lost. But, it was a close game....a real nail biter to the very end. That made it a good game to watch even with the loss. And, it has been a very long time since Jeff and I attended a big game such as this at Auburn. For the past few years, we have gone for homecoming and that was it.

We ate dinner in Auburn at Guthrie's and then headed back to Pine Mountain for the evening.

Callaway Gardens

We made our reservations for Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens for Saturday night from 8-9 pm. This was our first year to go. We've talked about going for years but always ended up choosing something else to do on the weekends. We chose to go in the trolley car for the tour of the lights. It was such a cold night...down in the 40s while we were there for the tour. We enjoyed it and would like to go again next year...except we think we'll drive our jeep next time instead of taking the trolley. I would also recommend you bring your own Thermos with hot chocolate on cold nights. We paid $3.00 per cup of hot chocolate. And, if its a cold night, extra blankets are a must!

The tickets we purchased for Saturday night was good for two days. So, we visited the gardens on Sunday before returning home. We attended the Birds of Prey show first. And, then we visited the Butterfly Center. We have attended a Birds of Prey show at Veteran's State Park several months back. While the show at Callaway was nice, it was not nearly as long or as entertaining as the one we attended at Veteran's.

We decided to eat lunch at a restaurant located near the entrance to Callaway Gardens called Cricket's. The food was very yummy and the restaurant was a good choice. They served steak, seafood and even some cajun fare.

All in all... a good weekend; except Auburn losing to Georgia. Now, I'll have to deal with all the UGA fans gloating on Monday morning. Oh, joy! I'll forgive Auburn so long as they spank Alabama at the upcoming Iron Bowl. Bama is undefeated and ranked #1...yep, that would be a great Christmas gift if Auburn can win that game in a couple of weeks.

Happy Birthday Mary and Riley

2008-11-09T08:28:00.004-05:00

Our niece, Mary Grace, turns 12 this week. Riley, who is one of Mary's friends who lives in our neighborhood, turned 10 this past week. They both love my chocolate cakes so I made one for them yesterday in honor of both of their birthdays.

Mary is like a daughter to us in many respects as we've watched her grow up. I can really tell how she is shedding the little girl look and is starting to blossom into a beautiful young woman. It's hard to fathom that in five short years, Rachel will be at the same stage in development. They change so quickly. I have to say that I don't envy their ages other than the physical youth that comes with it. I remember all too well the turbulence of the teenage years. It's not an age I'd want to go back to.

Happy Birthday Mary! Happy belated Birthday Riley! We wish for you the wisdom to safely navigate the years ahead.

Christmas Decorations 2008

2008-11-02T19:18:00.009-05:00

[after Clark fails at lighting all the exterior Christmas lights at the "lighting ceremony" in front of the entire family]
Frances: Talk about pissing your money away. I hope you kids see what a silly waste of resources this was.
Audrey: He worked really hard, Grandma.
Art: So do washing machines.
~~from the movie Christmas Vacation

We put up our Christmas decorations early: right after Halloween to be exact. We figure if we're going to drag out all of this stuff, we are going to enjoy it at least for two months before having to take it all down and put it away again. Plus, it just kind of lifts your spirits seeing all of the lights.

As usual, Jeff curses the lights as he is pulling them out and setting them up because there are always a few that are blown leaving him to check the string. Truly, you can't pay and get better entertainment. It's part of Christmas tradition in our household.

The children in the neighborhood are enjoying our decorations already. And, it does put me in the Christmas spirit seeing everything out. The only thing we haven't set up yet is our indoor Christmas village. We'll probably do that next weekend.

From our well-lit and early decorated home.....we wish everyone an upcoming blessed and wonderful holiday season.

I Deserved It

2008-11-02T08:05:00.004-05:00

"I really want to study this whole thing of drinking, getting drunk and people saying that they're having a good time. Because if you put on a good suit, you put on a good suit or whatever and you say, "I'm going out to have a good time." But some people announce it: "I'm going OUT... because I DESERVE to go out... and I'm going to get DRUNK... because I DESERVE to get drunk... and get out of my way!" ~~Bill Cosby, Himself

For those of you who have seen the video Bill Cosby, Himself, you know that the ending to the story above is that the person goes out, gets trashed and ends up worshiping the porcelain God. And, Bill then says, "Remember, you deserved this."

Well, that is how I'm introducing last night's saga. A friend of ours, Holly, invited us to her home for a Wine and Cheese party. I had a particularly stressful work week and since Jeff was driving, I thought I'd enjoy the wine....because "I deserved it!"

I don't think I drank that much. I don't ever recall feeling drunk per se....maybe a little tipsy. But, we left the party after only being there two hours and then we went to pick up our daughters who were with our babysitter. Jeff went inside to get the girls and that is when the unpleasant feeling hit me. My head started swimming, the van suddenly felt warmer, and my stomach felt queasy. Jeff returned to the van with the girls and they all noticed my lack of color....Jeff knew what was coming.

A few minutes later as we drove down the road, I tossed my cookies (and the photo above is how I found the passenger side of my van this morning). Rachel and Anna couldn't understand why I was so sick and Jeff was laughing at my predicament.
And, after we got home, I tossed my cookies (or should I say my wine and cheese) even more.... alot more.

I don't recall the last time I vomited after drinking alcohol...had to be in college. And, as I sat there worshiping the toilet, I remembered why I don't usually drink much. But, evidently, my tolerance has decreased significantly over the years because it didn't take much to make me sick last night. I'll just limit myself to one drink from here on out when I decide to partake again as I don't want to have the experience I had last night again.

Of course, Jeff was still smirking after I got up this morning and asking me if I'd like an omelet with chili on top for breakfast. :-)

And, all I can keep thinking to myself is..."I deserved it!"

The 2008 Presidential Election

2008-11-01T10:15:00.005-04:00

I find with each election, I get more disenfranchised with our political system where two major parties reign. In my humble opinion, they differ in name only.

As we move closer towards election day, I offer these words of wisdom to consider as you go to the voting booth:

"The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can't get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods."~~H. L. Mencken

"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents "interests, " I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can." ~~Barry Goldwater (And, oh, how I wish that one of the Presidential candidates this year had said this but no such luck!)

"Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money --- only for wanting to keep your own money." ~~Joseph Sobran

"America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to 'the common good,' but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance -- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way." ~~Ayn Rand

And, last but not least, one of my favorites of all time: Thomas Jefferson. The following quotes are from him.

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:42:00.006-04:00

We had a ton of trick-or-treaters tonight. And, lots of cute costumes. I guess more people got out since Halloween fell on a Friday night. The girls wanted something different besides their Star Wars costumes. Anna dug out an old costume and dressed up as Mulan. And, Rachel wore the Incredibles costume that I got for her last year. I dressed up as Elastigirl and stayed home and gave out candy.

I always enjoy Halloween but then as soon as it's all over, I'm already excited about Christmas. We are already planning our Polar Express movie night. Last year we hosted friends and played the Polar Express on our movie screen and had hot chocolate and other Christmas season goodies. I can't wait to do it again! I'm trying to talk Jeff into wearing a Santa costume this year. I think the children would love that!

Ahhhh, Memories....

2008-10-31T06:21:00.010-04:00

A person soon learns how little he knows when a child begins to ask questions.~~Richard L. Evans

On the way home from dinner last night, Rachel asked Jeff and I, "How do police know if a car is speeding?" Jeff and I then proceeded to explain the concept of a radar gun and how it shows the speed a vehicle is traveling. Then Anna jumps in with every silly question that a 5-year-old can think of just to be part of the conversation..."Is there anyone speeding right now?" Jeff's reply: "Oh, I'm sure there is someone speeding some where." "Are you speeding right now Daddy?" Jeff replied, "No, Anna, I am not." Anna retorted, "But you were caught speeding before..." Jeff sighed and in a calm but resigned voice he replied with a smile, "Well, yes, and thank you for reminding me." I, of course, was snickering in the passenger seat and thankful it wasn't me that just got bested by a five year old.

See, a year or so ago, Jeff was pulled over for speeding. And, the girls were in the vehicle with us when it happened. Kids are always good at remembering our mistakes ( so they usually remind Jeff of this at least once or twice a year. :-) Now, if I could just get them to apply that great memory to remembering to hang up their coat and bookbag instead of throwing them on the floor, I'll call my life a success.

The kids also remember that the reason Jeff was speeding that night that he got the ticket and it was because of their whining, fighting and complaining was in high gear making even the most patient of people feel like running and screaming into the night. He let it get to him. Jeff just wanted to get home and get out of our jeep away from the insanity. The kids were going at it.....you know..."She touching me." "She's looking at me." "She's making annoying noises." And, they were getting louder and louder. The only resolution we've found to date is simply to tell them both they aren't allowed to speak (and you must also add "no singing, humming, whistling, thumping the door, etc. " and any other item specifically telling them no sound) until we get to our destination.

We stopped at Walmart before returning home and while shopping I overheard a Mom tell her children, "Could you PLEASE stop talking?" And, I heard myself saying the very same thing at dinner earlier in the evening. Both girls never stop talking but Anna wins the prize as of late. She'll jabber on and on about nothing, anything....she just never shuts up! My Mom used to have a saying about people who talk a lot, "if you were to tape their mouth shut, they would fart themselves to death." Well, that's Anna. I remember when our children were infants. Like other parents, we were absolutely thrilled when they said their first word. We worked so hard at helping them learn to communicate. We even taught our daughters some basic sign language as infants so they could communicate before they were able to verbally. But, now, oh what we would give for just small pockets of peace and quiet. It is constant chatter from the time they wake up until they go to sleep and it usually ends up with some discussion on poo poo and pee pee (because there simply isn't anything funnier to children, and grown men, than bodily functions).

When they bring their petty squabbles to me and punishment is warranted, I discipline them both simply because I'm not going to spend all day playing judge and jury trying to figure out who started it...you simply can't apply sanity where there is none. As Bill Cosby once said, "Parents aren't interested in justice - they want QUIET!" And, by the way, if you're a parent and you've never seen Bill Cosby: Himself, it is a must see video.

Now, it's time to go wake up the little ones. I'm sure they are well rested and ready to begin the day with lots of great conversation on poop and pee. :-)

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-29T19:21:00.012-04:00

I've learned there are three things you don't discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.~~Linus in the movie It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Interestingly enough, the choice to celebrate Halloween (or not) seems to have become a hot topic along with religion and politics. Christian, my neighbor's son, recently informed my daughters that those who celebrate Halloween were celebrating Satan's birthday. Ummm, no, not exactly. But, if that's what they really think we are doing, I'll bake a cake and invite my neighbors over to partake on Friday while we read incantations from Harry Potter. (Yes, I've read Harry Potter books. We've watched Harry Potter movies. And, no, my children aren't now practicing witch craft.) If someone is going to teach their child about why their religious beliefs dictate that they shouldn't celebrate a specific holiday, then at least tell them the truth. The fact is that it's never been about celebrating Satan's birthday. As for why we choose to celebrate Halloween....it's fun, you get to dress up in a costume, and people give you candy for free. Seems like a no-brainer to me...but what do I know? Now, I'll get off my soap box.

We carved our pumpkins this evening in preparation for Halloween on Friday. Anna wanted a Winnie the Pooh pumpkin which I helped her complete. Jeff carved his own pumpkin with Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants. And, Rachel wanted to have a traditional jack-o-lantern this year for hers. Anna also picked a pumpkin that was white in color so that was a bit different.

Here are a few pictures of our 2008 pumpkins (Rachel's is at the top of the post):

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T18:41:00.006-04:00

We visited our church today to pick out pumpkins. Every year, our church sells pumpkins and the proceeds go to charity. And, every year we go with the girls to pick out pumpkins to carve.

Seeing parents taking photos of their infants with the pumpkins brought back lots of memories of when our daughters were that little also. I found some old photos of Rachel and Anna when they were younger and we visited the pumpkin patch. Where does the time go?

We'll carve the pumpkins some time later this week. We are not sure yet how they will be carved. I'll post photos after we are done.

Rheann's Visit

2008-10-26T09:12:00.008-04:00

Our friend, Rheann, visited with us today. Rheann was my sponsor when I first entered the USAF. We were both 2LTs assigned at Robins AFB together. She PCS'd for one additional assignment and then chose to separate after she became pregnant with their first child. They've been in Wisconsin ever since.

Her family drove from Wisconsin to Orlando for a recent Disney trip as well. And, they stayed the night with us on their way back home. It was so nice seeing them again.

The last time we saw Rheann was in December 2006 when they visited briefly while traveling through GA. At that time, she didn't have her fifth child, Addison. We were disappointed that we didn't get to see Kevin, her husband, again but there wasn't room in their vehicle for him so he flew back home. We haven't seen him since they left GA many moons ago. Her mother-in-law and father-in-law were traveling with her back to Wisconsin.

Jeff set up the inflatable movie screen and the children watched Narnia during the evening. We grilled burgers and hotdogs and we also built a fire in the firepit. We roasted marshmallows and had s'mores.

Rachel and Anna had a great time playing with all of the children: Isaac, Andrew, Eric, Alex and Addison. They were so sad to see them leave this morning.

I have a new found respect for parents of large families. I couldn't imagine preparing food for a family of seven at each meal daily. Rheann and I are a lot alike in terms of being Type-A personalities so I know if anyone can handle the organization it takes to keep some semblance of sanity in the home with five children; it's her! She home schools the children too. I miss having her close by so that we can visit with one another more often. One of these days, we'd like to take our RV north and visit her and friends in Ohio as well.

Rheann and her family did find the magnitude of "McCain/Palin" signs to be much more plentiful here than in Wisconsin. I see lots of bumper stickers and signs in support of McCain here as well as bumper stickers that say, "Women for McCain" and "NOBAMA." I always find it interesting how the media slants the news and how the coverage is slanted to Obama.

It was humorous on Friday night when the children asked us which political party we supported. Anna asked, "Are you a Republican or a Democrap?" Please know that we have never referred to the Democratic Party as "Democrap." But, Jeff and I got a good chuckle at her accidental transposing of letters nonetheless.

Disney Drawings

2008-10-22T06:16:00.006-04:00

I scanned two of the drawings we did while we visited the art studio at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
I only scanned mine and Rachel's. Jeff's was a combo of his and Anna's.

I couldn't scan all of mine because I drew mine larger than my scanner. But, what I wanted to contrast was Rachel's against mine. My version is pretty close to the actual artist rendering. I think Rachel did a phenomenal job on her own. Not too shabby for a 7 year old in my opinion!

Jeff Is Going To Be Jealous

2008-10-19T16:59:00.008-04:00

Meet Christian.

He lives next door.

As I was updating the blog, I heard him yell for me...."Miss Angela, I have something for you." Then he walks up the steps and brings me a little rose from his yard.

Jeff calls him "Eddie." For anyone who ever watched "Leave it to Beaver," you'll understand the humor behind that. He is a precocious little boy. Although, people who work with Jeff also call him "Eddie" too because Jeff is the one in the office who looks so innocent yet causes the most mischief. I guess it's easy for Jeff to recognize his fellow bretheren. :-)

I've been blessed with two daughters who love to pick and bring me flowers too. I used to bring flowers to my Mom all the time when I was a little girl. But, I think it's sweet when Christian does it too. I much prefer him to our last neighbor's teenage son who had a crush on me. Their teenage son said he liked older women. His Mom used to get a good laugh from the whole thing. What can I say, the younger men love me! :-)

Once upon a time, the young girls loved Jeff. I distinctly remember some young girls...maybe 12 or 13....flirting with him at the movie theater when we first started dating. He had that really young look about him back then...still does in many respects. However, one of the neighborhood teenage girls who is friends with our niece saw him riding the skateboard down our driveway recently and she said, "Look at the old man on the skateboard." I didn't think Jeff would ever recover from that. Poor fella. That's OK. At least someone didn't think that a person who is as old as me was his child. That happened to me about a year ago! Talk about crushing..........

High Falls State Park, GA

2008-10-19T16:13:00.014-04:00

Shortly after arriving at home last Tuesday afternoon from our Disney trip, I hopped in my van and drove north to Marietta for the remainder of the week for business. It was the first time I drove my own vehicle for business. Usually, I get a rental car. But, there wasn't time for picking one up after traveling from Orlando on the same day. During the second night at the hotel, vandals broke into eight vehicles. Two belonged to my coworkers. I was spared thankfully. The police said it has become common place as the thieves know there are a lot of business people staying at the hotels in the area and they look for lap tops, etc. They also look for suction cup markings on windshields (indicating the owner has a GPS). I was sorry that my coworkers were targeted but so greatful that I didn't have that to deal with; particularly since it was my first trip in my own vehicle. I'll definitely continue to get a rental car from here on out.

Jeff planned a weekend trip to High Falls State Park which is about half way between home and Marietta. So, I drove from Marietta to High Falls and met him there. Harold and Gail also stayed in their camper at High Falls before returning to Huntsville. They visited High Falls years ago with us when Rachel was an infant but had not been back since.

Friday was a very rainy day! But, the remainder of the weekend was beautiful thankfully. The temperatures finally cooled a bit so we also enjoyed some great Fall weather.

My van was a bit slow to start on Saturday morning and Jeff asked if it had been happening prior to then and I said, "yes." I had been meaning to tell him that I thought it was time for my battery to be replaced but like everything else, forgetfulness sets in and you aren't reminded until you experience the problem again. The van performed just fine on Saturday though but we both made a mental note that it was time for another battery when I got back home.

We hiked along the water at High Falls on Saturday morning. The falls were flowing well since it rained so much the day before. Afterwards, we drove to Indian Springs and enjoyed lunch at Pinky's Parlor and Cafe and then walked around at Dauset Trails. There was one goat in particular that had quite the personality. He started sneezing and then he started passing gas. Poor Anna was standing right behind him when it happened. Of course, kids think farting is about the most hilarious thing ever so Rachel was loudly talking about the goat "farting!" This same goat also urinated on the ground and then proceeded to lay in it. And, at another point, he furled his lip like many mammals do when they are trying to pick up the scent of a female in heat. He was such a male!

We returned to the campground late in the afternoon and we grilled out for dinner and I made some home made hot chocolate and we roasted marshmallows over a camp fire.

The girls played in the woods behind our RV and chased grasshoppers on Sunday morning while we prepped the campers to return home. Meanwhile, as I tried to crank the van, the battery gasped its last dying breath. Luckily, other campers were gracious enough to jump the battery off since Harold and Gail had already departed. I guess the cold weather zapped the remaining life from the battery which wasn't long for the world anyway. I was able to then drive to an autoparts store and they replaced my battery. I was greatful it happened at High Falls and not while I was alone in Marietta.

Our friend, Rheann, and her family will be traveling through GA this coming weekend and will be staying with us next Saturday. We can't wait to see them as it has been a couple of years since we saw them last.

Political Humor

2008-10-16T19:28:00.002-04:00

Jeff shared this with me today. I don't usually post about political stuff here but in light of the election season and the fact that I find this photo humorous, I thought it was worthy of sharing. Ought to get my liberal friends fired up! :-)

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween 2008

2008-10-16T18:31:00.023-04:00

We arrived in Orlando on Thursday afternoon. My mother-in-law and father-in-law, Gail and Harold, and our neice, Mary Grace, accompanied us on this trip. Gail and Harold towed their own camper down though.

We relaxed at Fort Wilderness and had dinner at the Trails End restaurant which is located at Fort Wilderness on Thursday evening thinking we'd rest up as we had busy days planned.

Tour Guide Jeff already had the trip planned out along with cracking the whip on us slow moving people each day. Usually, I'm good natured for a couple of days of getting up early and hitting the parks but usually by the third day I'm ready to lynch Jeff. Add to that a blossoming head cold and you get a good idea of how perky I was after a couple of days.

Jeff planned our first park stop to be at Epcot for Friday. We were a bit concerned we'd get rained on quite a bit because the weather forecast had a high chances of showers each day while we were in Orlando but we were fortunate. We had a great visit to Epcot along with a good lunch at Biergarten (German pavillion on the World Showcase).

On Saturday, we went to the Animal Kingdom.

The kids (that includes Jeff) could not wait to get on Everest again. Yes, our children are completely desensitized to the thrill rides. Other children their ages won't even think about getting on something like Everest. With our children, the faster, the higher; the better.

Again, we had great weather with exception of a small shower as we were leaving the park in the early evening. But, with that, we were treated to one of the most beautiful rainbows we've ever seen. You could see the full spectrum of colors and the complete rainbow. Absolutely beautiful! We told the girls that it was a special Disney rainbow.

On Sunday, we we went to Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM). Our friend, Roger, who lives in Orlando, joined us at Hollywood Studios.

We had a great day including seeing the Indiana Jones, Lights-Camera-Action Stunt, and Fantasmic shows.

We attended the Art of Disney pavillion where we all attempted drawings of Minnie Mouse. When I'm back home from my business trip (I'm currently in Marietta again), I'll have to scan those and share them when time allows.
Additionally, both Anna and Rachel were selected for the Jedi Training Academy this time. This was Anna's first time to be chosen and she was fearless against Darth Vader.

The girls also constructed their own light sabers at the Star Tours shop to complete their costumes.

I almost forgot to mention that while we were waiting for the Jedi Training Academy to start, Jeff noticed a guy wearing an Auburn shirt so Jeff told him, "War Eagle!" And, the guy replied back with the same. Then the guy's wife asked Jeff if he was military...many people think he is because of his short hair. It turned out that this woman was the sister of a guy that was a fellow cadet at Auburn with me. His last name is Higgonbotham. It truly is a small world after all.

On Monday, we hung out at the campground during the day while trying to rest up for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that night. Our friends, Mike, Jen and their children Ellis and Cooper, had a delayed flight from the U.K. on Sunday but still made it for the Halloween party. Roger also joined us for the event. Jeff, Rachel and I dressed in our Star Wars costumes. Mary Grace dressed as a maiden.

Harold and Gail usually surprise us with their chosen costume. This time it was Popeye and Olive Oyl. Harold got the most attention that night. Everyone recognized him or wanted a picture of him.

Roger dressed as Stitch.
Cooper dressed as Wall-E.

We had a bit of rain that night but it was clear for the remainder of the evening. I was in complete awe that Jen, Mike and the kids were able to stay up as long as they did after flying in from the U.K. that morning. Ellis and Cooper finally collapsed right before we left at 11:30 p.m. Rachel was so happy to be reunited with Ellis again and she was so sad when we had to leave on Tuesday morning.

This was Ellis and Cooper's first trip to Disney World. In previous visits to Orlando, they always visited Sea World. The boys had a blast while they had the energy to enjoy it.

And, this is a picture of Mike above with part of Cooper's costume. This is what someone looks like who is sleep deprived and dealing with severe jet lag. :-)
Overall, it was a great trip but tiring to some extent....it always is. We enjoyed seeing all of our friends and miss them all again.

The Weekend

2008-10-05T18:10:00.006-04:00

My Mom

I left early on Saturday morning and returned home this morning. I visited with my Mom. I spent most of my time running a few errands and cooking. I made plenty of soup so that they could freeze it and then thaw it later.

My Mom is doing well but still needs assistance. She can move her right arm but has no use of her right hand which makes it pretty difficult to do many things that we two handed people get used to. I cut her finger nails which is something she can't do obviously with only one hand. And, she is right-handed (which is the paralyzed side) which requires adjustments for her as well. She is talking slightly better although she still gets frustrated when she can't quite get everything out that she wants to say. She has a lot of difficulty with saying the months of the year in her therapy sessions. She still gets upset when she tells me about the day she had the stroke. I can only imagine how long she was lying on the floor, unable to speak or get assistance, after she had the stroke. I've been meaning to check into that Lifeline service and I need to do that soon. That way, if she ever had another problem, it will be easier for her to get assistance.

While leaving her apartment complex to make a grocery store run, a woman (her name I later learned was Cynthia) stopped me as I was walking down the sidewalk. She asked, "Young lady, can I ask your assistance?" It was obvious that she had a disability of some sort. She needed someone to get a package of bottled water out of the back seat of her car and to put it in her wheeled cart. I offered to get the remainder of her groceries out and to bring it to her apartment as well. She was very grateful for the assistance and offered me $5. I declined and told her to keep it for herself or to give it to someone else who could use it. She said she would give the money to her church on Sunday. We talked as I walked with her to her apartment and found that she had a massive stroke 11 years ago which caused her paralysis. The doctors told her it was a miracle that she was alive after the stroke that she suffered. I guess it gave me hope that my Mom may still have some quality of life after she continues to recover from her stroke as well and that she may still have some number of years left to live. Cynthia and my Mom both reminded me how blessed we are when we have healthy bodies. I don't think I ever take my health for granted but I know there are days that I feel tired and I should think about how much more difficult it is for people like my Mom and Cynthia just to do simple, mundane tasks. It kind of puts my trivial aches and fatigue in perspective.

Metaphor for my Life

Meet Mount Cotton. Mount Cotton is the pile of clean, folded laundry that usually resides on the dresser in our bedroom.

While slightly embarrassing to share the photo, I thought it was the perfect representation of my life. You know....crap piled high with no end in sight, teetering on the edge of reason, and no organization to speak of. Yep, pretty much is a metaphor for my life.

Lane Peach Orchard

I got home around 3:30 this afternoon. I needed to make a quick stop at the Lane Peach Orchard to pick up some things for our friends who we will see next weekend. Anna went with me. We enjoyed some peach cobbler and a hay ride while there this afternoon. It was a nice break after the long drive this morning.

We leave for Orlando on Thursday. I can't wait to see Mickey and our friends from the UK!

September Potpourri

2008-09-30T18:10:00.006-04:00

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The topic of the sermon at church this past Sunday was authority. The children's sermon was centered around this too. When the children were asked who they knew that had authority, one responded, "God." Another responded, "Jesus." When asked who had authority in the home, Rachel replied, "our parents." When asked if anyone else could name someone with authority, Anna blurted out, "the banks." With that, the entire congregation laughed. Who knows why she came up with that one....you never know what she'll say.

One Hundred and Twenty-Eight

What is the significance of that number? That is my current weight. I have lost 11 pounds since August. Do you want to know the last time I saw a weight in the 120s? That would be prior to my first pregnancy. I weighed 124 pounds when I became pregnant with Rachel. Since that time, I have not seen anything in the 120-130 range. I finally decided to shed the "pregnancy weight." It has taken being a bit more disciplined with what I eat (minimize the bad carbs) and exercising more. You know, the things we are supposed to do...exercise and eat a balanced, healthy diet. Yes, I've cheated. I've had my share of junk. I just don't over do it anymore. Plus, I have found that I really enjoy riding my bike. So, I do that a few nights a week for about 7 miles per ride. My goal was to get to 125 lbs. I'm quite happy where I'm at though and really think toning up more is my next goal. I don't know that my stomach will ever be the way it was pre-pregnancy after two c-sections, two laproscopys, and two pregnancies where my belly was HUGE back to back. And, things have shifted after pregnancies and due to old age but my primary goal is to be a bit healthier. And, I think I've achieved that much.

People that I see daily don't seem to notice much but people I haven't seen in a while can tell and usually ask if I have lost weight. Although, one of my coworkers was offering me cake to "fatten me up a bit." I think people have gotten used to me having a little bit more meat on me so some think I look too skinny now. I am by no way too skinny but compared to what people are used to seeing, I could see how some might think I look different now. I'm just thrilled to actually fit in a size 4 again. I never thought I'd ever see that day again. Of course, I need new clothes now. Jeff loves that! Of course, he gets a wife who is in better shape than she has been physically in quite some time and he has his pricey hobbies so I don't expect any complaints from him when I shop. :-)

Brisingr

Brisingr is the title of the book I'm currently reading when time allows. It is the third installment in Paolini's books. Some of you may have seen the movie Eragon. It is the third book following Eragon which was the first book.

There are so many things in Paolini's books that remind me of Tolkien's books (Lord of the Rings). But, I find them mildly entertaining so I was looking forward to reading Brisingr which was released earlier this month.

It'll take me a while to read it though. It's not like I have hours to sit around and read a book.

Heading to Alabama

I plan to go to Alabama this coming weekend to visit with my Mom. I figured I'd better do it while I can since we'll be gone or have visitors in our home for the next few weekends after in the month of October. I'll post an update on my Mom when I get back for those wondering about her.

Got Contacts

I've been wearing glasses for years and I finally grew sick of dealing with them. I tried contacts years ago; eight years ago to be exact. They seemed to bother me at that time. But, the ones I have now don't seem to bother me at all. I got them yesterday and have a follow up appointment with my optometrist next week. So far, so good. I love them actually! And, I'm grateful to not have to deal with glasses. Of course, I wanted to smack the optometrist yesterday when we discussed the need to change my prescription since I was "approaching middle age." Well, thanks doc! Like I need to be reminded. GEEEESSH! Oh, and did I mention that someone in church on Sunday mentioned they liked my "Sarah glasses?" I didn't understand what he meant. Then he said, "your glasses look like Sarah Palin's." I guess even beyond the glasses, I do favor her a bit. Kind of funny really when I started thinking about it. That's not the reason I wanted to shed the glasses though. Just thought it was a humorous point to share.

Rachel's 7 Year Portraits

2008-09-27T19:36:00.009-04:00

(Lucy has buried Linus' blanket.)
Charlie Brown: Why don't you don't let me try to find some sort of substitute for your blanket? Maybe I could get you a dishtowel or something.
Linus: Would you give a starving dog a rubber bone?

I think the quote above from a Peanuts cartoon pretty much sums up Rachel's feelings on the matter where the blue blanket is concerned. She has had "the Blue" since she was a newborn. To this day, she still sleeps with it. And, if she is lying on the sofa watching T.V., she will many times be snuggled up with "the Blue" (as she calls it).

"The Blue" is looking a bit more ragged with each passing year but she loves it as much today as when she was an infant. I guess some people would say she's old enough to get along without a comfort object. But, I just don't see the harm in a child at the age of seven snuggling up with her blanket. It's not like she's sucking her thumb or a pacifier; something that could damage her bite or teeth. And, it's also not like she carries it everywhere she goes although I have to agree with Anna, images of Linus are conjured up in my mind from time to time when I see her with her blue blanket. I don't know how many more years she will hold onto "the blue" as her comfort object but I wanted a photo to keep that would remind us of her and her blanket as it is one of the last connections to her early childhood that still remains. I think The Picture People captured what I was looking for quite nicely (shown above). They even added the text, "I'll never be too old for my blanket..." to the portrait.

I think they also did a great job with her photos below. I still find it hard to believe that this child that almost spans the length of our sofa when she is laying down was such a tiny little munchkin not so very long ago.

And, her appetite kicked in today! I don't think she stopped eating for the better part of the afternoon. It must be a growth spurt. I just bought her new tennis shoes a couple of months ago and she is already complaining that those shoes are getting too small. I keep jokingly telling her that, "I'm going to stop feeding her so she'll stop growing!" It is true what everyone says, they do grow up too fast it seems.

Rachel's Birthday Celebration

2008-09-27T07:45:00.014-04:00

We ate breakfast at the local Waffle House yesterday morning, which we usually do at least once per week. So it's kind of like the show Cheers, everybody knows our name. Rachel announced that it was her birthday so the staff played birthday music and gave her a waffle with birthday candles in honor her special day.

I made cupcakes and brought in ice cream to be served in Rachel's class during snack time yesterday. Local schools do not allow birthday celebrations or for birthday invitations to be distributed at school. But, you can bring cupcakes for their class snack time and it just happened that it fell on her birthday. :-)

With the baking of cupcakes for school, brownies for a work fund raiser, and a cake for Rachel, you can guess that I was up late on Thursday and up early on Friday. But, I got the Tinkerbell themed cake made as Rachel requested. And, of course, it was chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

Rachel received cards and phone calls from friends and family near and far. And, we had a party last night at home. Jeff set up the inflatable movie screen outside and we played Meet the Robinsons; a Disney movie. The temperature is cooling off in the South but the mosquitoes were still biting.

We had a fire in our fire pit and the kids had s'mores. Of course, we had the traditional cake and ice cream as well. And, some popcorn to wash all the healthy stuff down.

I even dressed up as Mrs. Incredible (Elastigirl) to liven up the party some. I bought the costume last year when Disney put them on clearance after Halloween. I had to wear it some time and since I wasn't doing it for our Disney trip this year, I figured I'd have some fun with the kids. I think the older children enjoyed it more than the younger ones did.

They asked me to put on my new Star Wars costume and I did. So, everyone gets a sneak preview of what mine will look like for Disney this year. But, I'll have on makeup for Disney and Halloween. I even had a couple of lightsaber battles with the kiddos.

Happy 7th Birthday Rachel

2008-09-25T20:50:00.015-04:00

I knew tomorrow would be busy with the birthday party celebration so I wanted to go ahead and make a post to our birthday girl who will turn seven on September 26th.

It is so hard to believe that our first child is going to be seven tomorrow. Time surely does fly. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was teetering as close to 200 pounds as I ever hope to be while awaiting the birth of our first child.

And, even though Rachel is seven tomorrow, she still loves her blue blanket....her comfort object. Of course, Anna never misses an opportunity to get a good pot shot in so she some times jokingly calls Rachel "Linus" (as in the character from Charlie Brown).

Rachel's favorite color is still pink and she still says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She loves animals. We can't even let her watch shows on T.V. where it may show a lion hunting antelope because it upsets her to see any animal harmed even if it is for the great circle of life. She truly has a compassionate soul except for where her younger sister is concerned. The more misery she can create for Anna, the happier she is (and vice versa); such is sibling rivalry.

I asked her if she wanted to get her ears pierced. She declined. She says she wants to wait. I wondered if she would want to since Anna did this past summer. But, she really has no interest and we are in no hurry for her to grow up so that suits us just fine.

She's very particular about her clothes now. They have to fit just right and be comfortable or she isn't interested. Looks are important but function, comfort and fit are more important.

She is still thriving with her school work. Her ability to read is remarkable. She grabbed my copy of Reader's Digest and was reading a story out of it a week or so ago. She saw the cover which mentioned a shark attack. And, since animals grab her attention, she found the story on her own, began reading it and then proceeded to tell me about it.

I've posted a picture from each year of her life above. The last one was taken a few months back when she went to a photography studio with our babysitter. I didn't buy the photo but downloaded an image of it (hence the watermark "zazzle" is still on it). But, all photos give everyone an idea of how much she has changed over the years. I'll post her new seven year portraits and birthday party pictures later. The one below was taken this month of her after she got her hair cut.

We are so proud to call Rachel our daughter. Thank you, Rachel, for making us parents. You truly are a blessing to us.

Happy 7th Birthday!

We love you!

From Mom and Dad

Anakin Skywalker

2008-09-21T19:23:00.002-04:00

Jeff made his selection for his costume: Anakin Skywalker.

Sorry that he didn't choose Jar Jar Binks since someone voted on that costume in my prior post.

Poor Kiddo....

2008-09-21T12:07:00.007-04:00

"There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep." ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Around 3:30 a.m. last night, we heard a familiar sound....Anna's door opening along with the pitter patter of feet heading towards our bedroom. I'm sure Jeff and I both lay there hoping the other would respond first but alas, it was my night as I heard Anna cry out, "Mommy!"

She cried, "my tummy hurts." Now, with Anna, it is always a crap shoot as to whether you should take her seriously or not as she is known to cry wolf from time to time. She visited our bathroom and then I went back to her room and laid down with her while rubbing her stomach. She started to doze off and then hopped up about 30 minutes later. She ran to the bathroom where the diarrhea commenced. I was able to get her settled back down after that for a short period. We dozed off together until I thought she appeared to be settled and I slipped out of her bed and into my own around 6:15 a.m. I was in bed maybe 15 minutes when Anna appeared in our bedroom again saying her "tummy hurts." And, Rachel was along this time as she was mad because Anna's crying had awakened her. We sent Rachel back to her bedroom and this time, Jeff pulled Anna into our bed where she maybe rested for five minutes before stating that she needed to vomit. That got a quick response from Jeff as he raced her to the bathroom.

Since that point, she has been vomiting off and on throughout the day and running a low grade temperature. She has slept some in between the unpleasantries.

I don't know if there is any sickness that people would choose but nausea is one of those things that makes a person miserable. You can't help but feel compassion for anyone suffering through it as we all know how miserable of a feeling that is. And, it's always terrible when you see your child sick regardless of what they are suffering from.

Around this house, Jeff is the adult that is always more susceptible to stomach bugs so he's loading up on fattening foods today preparing for the worst in the next few days. He plans to go to McDonalds for a Big Mac, super sized fry and large milkshake for an afternoon snack. And, wash that all day with as much chocolate as he can handle. He figures it's all coming back up so he's going to live for the day.

At least it's hitting us early this year. Last year, it happened while we were in Orlando on our Disney trip. Jeff was sick and so was Gail. Hopefully, we'll be past the illness by the time we go in October so that we can enjoy our trip to Disney this year with battling illness too.

You know, I can't help but wonder, why is it that stomach flu problems always hit in the middle of the night? At least that always seems the case with my family.

Got most of the costumes ordered....

2008-09-20T17:15:00.012-04:00

I sense something; a presence I've not felt since...~~Darth Vader

I've decorated the house with Fall and Halloween stuff. It does add some life to the place. Anna was so excited.

I ordered the Halloween costumes today for Rachel, Anna, and myself today. Jeff has not yet decided on which character he wants to be so he'll have to order his later.

I changed my mind completely on my costume. To date, I've always worn villain costumes. It just didn't seem right picking someone from the good side of the Force. So, I went for a costume for a female on the Dark Side....Asajj Ventress. Here is a photo below.

I found my photo when I dressed as Maleficent (Villain in Disney's Sleeping Beauty) a few years back. See, I just fit right in with the villains. I think they have more fun! I don't know if many people will recognize Asajj Ventress unless they are a true Star Wars fan....which may be a good thing. I was practically mobbed at the Magic Kingdom last year because people thought I was the real Disney cast member dressed as Cruella Deville.

Edited to add this photo of me dressed as The White Witch (Narnia) a couple of years ago.

Mom Update Part III

2008-09-18T10:42:00.007-04:00

Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles. ~~George Bernard Shaw

I have been out of town most of the week to Marietta again. You know you've been traveling way too much when the lady at the rental car counter recognizes you by by name when you enter the facility. I'm hoping that business travel slows down in the upcoming months. The next trip I plan on taking will either be to AL to visit with my Mom again and/or to Orlando next month during the school Fall break.

I received a call from my Aunt Josephine last night with an update on my Mom. It appears they are releasing her early from the hospital but with her requiring to go to therapy at least two days per week. They are basing this on the fact that she is able to now walk independently, is swallowing better and her speech has improved.

Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about her going home so soon. But, I know she'll be happier back in her own apartment. For anyone who saw her a little over a week ago, none would believe she would be walking again so soon...much less returning home. If you don't believe in miracles, you need not look far as the fact that she is still alive at this point is a miracle unto itself. And, the fact that she is mobile again is more than I ever could've hoped for.

So, the prayers did work! It just goes to show you, with God all things are possible.

This and That

2008-09-18T10:42:00.006-04:00

School Work

I was going through Rachel's bookbag and found something she had written in Writer's Workshop at school. It says the following:

"My birthday is in September. I might get a fish tank that is less than $200 or a Nintendo DS. 8 days until my birthday. I'm so excited."

Gee! I wonder who might've given the idea about a fish tank or a Nintendo DS (cough, cough....JEFF!)

Tooth Fairy Visits

In the midst of the saga with my Mom I forgot to mention that Rachel lost her sixth tooth while we were in Alabama last weekend. It's time for the tooth fairy to take out a loan.

Anna

While watching Anna in gymnastics today, I saw her sitting on the floor with some of the other girls and encouraging them to sniff their toes. Of course, I had to call her on it. That is just gross! I love her; I do. But, I swear that kid is going to age me.

On the way home from gymnastics she was talking about a boy that Rachel keeps telling her is her boyfriend and she was emphatic when she said that he was not. The reason...."he farts a lot." I have to admit I died laughing when I heard this conversation.

Mommy Is Home

I made brownies for the girls and when they got home today the whole house smelled like them. They knew Mom was home again. It's good to be back home, finally. I hope to be able to enjoy it for a while.

And, they say women are fickle....

Jeff was not happy with the finicky nature of the Ducati so he listed it on Ebay to see if he'd get a buyer. He did. The buyer is driving from the Northeast to pick it up on Saturday. This doesn't mean Jeff is out of the motorcycle business. He is just trying to decide what he'll get next that doesn't require so much special handling. It'll probably be a Japanese bike as they tend to be more refined. I keep telling him to get a CBR 1000 or a YamahaR1. It'll be interesting to see what he picks.

20-Year High School Reunion

2008-09-14T17:01:00.017-04:00

Real nice party, Hapsburg. I see a lot of familiar face-lifts.~~Lieutenant Frank Drebin in the movie Naked Gun 2-1/2

Jeff and I attended my 20-year high school reunion on Saturday evening. I have to say I was overall disappointed at the lack of attendance. Particularly, since a good many of my fellow alumni still live in the Birmingham area. I saw more people there from out of town than who were local. But, I guess we appreciate being able to gather with old friends a bit more since we don't bump into them around town. I think the cost turned some off as well--$70 per person. I thought this price was a bit ridiculous considering what was included which wasn't much. We didn't even get non-alcholic drinks with that price. There were some people who didn't like the location and refused to attend for that reason. My opinion on that is if someone else is doing the planning and all I have to do is show up, I'm not going to complain about something so trivial. What was most important was simply connecting with old friends again.

Some people had not changed one bit where looks are concerned. One of my classmates commented that I had not changed and she added "you weighed 5 lbs in high school and now you must weigh all of 10 lbs." I love her! I don't miss being as skinny as I was in high school. I was rail thin but not from lack of eating. Now, I wish I had that problem....eat all I want and not gain a pound!

I was able to recognize those who attended with no problems. I remember there were a few at our 10-year reunion that really eluded me. There were so many more people who attended our 10-year reunion. I hate that this reunion produced so little attendees. The group photo above is everyone who attended and this a pretty paltry attendance rate.

I had a good time anyway. It was certainly a nice break from the craziness of life as of late. It was nice simply reconnecting with those who I had not seen in a very long time.

Mom Update Part II

2008-09-14T16:50:00.006-04:00

Where there is great love there are always miracles. ~~Willa Cather

We visited with my Mom this weekend while in AL. She is continuing to improve daily. However, she is nowhere near able to go home. She gets very emotional at times and she started crying when she saw Rachel and Anna. She was able to independently walk slowly a few feet from her bed to her wheelchair yesterday. And, she is able to sit up on her own. She is also able to move both her right arm and leg now. She is still having problems swallowing. All liquids have to be thickened and her food must be pureed to be able to swallow it without choking. She was able to speak some words clearly but for the most part, she is still unable to annunciate very well. They also removed the catheter yesterday. She was practicing writing the alphabet this morning and she is able to write some words. All in all, she is 110% better than what she was last Sunday but she still has an up hill climb both cognitively and physically.

Her room was kind of depressing so I had the girls draw some photos and we posted those around the room to liven it up a bit. We also plan to mail her a digital picture frame this week so she'll have photos around as well. Below is a picture of her with Anna and Rachel taken this morning.

Please continue to keep the prayers coming for her. They are working and she still needs them.

Mom Update Part I

2008-09-11T17:43:00.005-04:00

I have better news to share today.

My Mom was moved from the ICU to a regular room earlier today. Later in the afternoon, they transported her to another hospital that is closer to her apartment and will be a closer location for family members traveling to visit with her.

She is talking a bit more now. Her speech is not very clear but she is at least forming words and not simply groaning and grunting which is a huge leap in a few days time. However, she is still suffering from paralysis on her right side. She will continue her physical therapy in the new hospital.

Thank you again to all who have inquired about her and for everyone saying prayers for her. The prayers are helping so keep them coming.

My Mom

2008-09-09T18:37:00.007-04:00

We only have One Mom, One Mommy, One Mother in this World, One life. Don't wait for the Tomorrow's to tell Mom, you love her.- Author Unknown

For those who do not know, my Mom suffered a major stroke this past Sunday. I've been in Alabama the past two days with my family.

Her cartoid artery on the right side is 100% blocked and therefore, inoperable. She wasn't able to speak at all the past two days but she was able to slowly annunciate a couple of words this morning. She was finally able to also swallow on her own this morning. Her right side was completely paralyzed but she is has now regained some small movement in her right leg as of today. She is still in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU) for now in a Birmingham hospital.

I returned home today because there wasn't much I could do and visitation is limited while she is in the ICU. Plus, family and friends were all trying to visit and they only allow two people in the room at a time. Also, since I have limited leave I figured I'd save the leave from work for when she does go home as she'll probably need me more then. She has more than enough attention for now.

I have to admit it was extremely hard to see her like that. It's hard to accept that she'll never be the same again. She was so frustrated not being able to communicate with us or to be able to move the right side of her body. And, I know this is just the beginning where the strokes are concerned. My Aunt Rosie, who died years ago, suffered from a series of strokes over a period of years before a brain stroke killed her. I just don't want my Mom to suffer. Her health has been tentative at best for a number of years and if the good Lord wants to take her, I wish he'd do so without prolonging her misery and before she loses all quality of life. And, being the independent woman that she is, I know the loss of mobility and speech is going to drive her crazy. But, she did seem determined to get moving and to speak the past few days. She is a stubborn woman and I know as long as there is an ounce of strength left, she'll fight to recover.

Also, she was the primary caretaker of my 91 year old grandmother. So, the family is going to have to adjust for that as well.

I'm hoping she can return to her home some time in the near future with some independent mobility. We are fortunate that she already lives in an assisted living facility so she won't have to move. That way, she can remain amongst familiar faces when she returns home which will lessen the stress of all of this to some extent for her.

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have called and inquired on how she is doing. Unfortunately, it's a day-by-day thing and none of us know what the long term prognosis will be. I will be returning to Alabama this coming weekend to check on her and to attend my high school reunion (assuming my Mom remains in a stable condition). Please continue to keep my Mom in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery through her upcoming rehabilitation therapy.

Weddings

2008-09-06T18:38:00.012-04:00

"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry." ~~Rita Rudner

We've attended two weddings recently.

Our friends Pam and Bill were married in late August. I used to work with Pam and Bill at my former employer.

And, today, our friends, John and Darlene were married and they are the ones that I made the wedding cake for. A picture of John and Darlene cutting the cake I made is shown below.

We had a great time at both weddings, particularly the one today because Rachel and Anna had friends there; Hannah, Trinity and Alecia.

Of course, as always, the girls always fight over Jeff. He has that effect that leaves women fighting over him. It's just his lot in life to be forever surrounded by beautiful women. :-)

Below are a few pictures of us before the wedding today.

We wish our friends much happiness and long lives together! Thanks for sharing your special day with us.

It's That Time of the Year...

2008-09-06T12:25:00.010-04:00

It's that time of the year where a critical decision must be made....what ever will we wear for Halloween? I love Halloween. I think it is my favorite holiday time of the year.

The girls have picked Star Wars characters this year which is putting the pressure on for me to pick a Star Wars costume I suppose. Originally, I thought I might either go as Elastigirl (Mrs. Incredible) or the Evil Queen from Snow White (below).

But, if the girls go with the Star Wars theme, I'll have to join in.

Anna wants to go as Padme (below).

Rachel wants to go as Ahsoka (below).

I'm considering either Princess Leia or Queen Amidala.

Jeff is still undecided too. I think he should either go as Darth Vader, Darth Maul or Jar Jar Binks. Tough decisions.....

Thirty-Eight and Counting

2008-09-04T23:18:00.009-04:00

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”~~Author Unknown

Since it's close to midnight and I was born some time shortly after midnight 38 years ago, I figured I'd go ahead and wish myself a "Happy Birthday" as I'm certainly not going to have the energy to do much else besides have a nice dinner at home (prepared by the loving husband, of course), followed by a nice drink with alcohol in it, and an early bed time Friday night. I've earned it! I can't believe it's been 38 years already! Lordy, where does the time go?

Yep, that little chubster at the top of this post is me as an infant. Why, oh why, can't fat rolls be just as adorable at 38 years of age too? :-)

I haven't lost my touch...

2008-09-04T23:02:00.010-04:00

A friend of mine is getting married this coming Saturday, September 6th. She asked me to make her wedding cake on Monday. Yes, that is this past Monday, September 1st. And, since I have nothing else to do with my time (yeah, right!), I agreed to do it. My birthday is tomorrow and I really didn't want to be baking a cake on that day so I worked hard to get it done this evening. It's been quite some time since I've made a cake for a special occasion such as a wedding. Usually, Jeff and the girls want a chocolate cake with chocolate icing for their birthday which doesn't give me much to be creative with from a decorating stand point.

Since my friend told me so late in the game, she said it was up to me as to how it would look. Her maid of honor met with me on Wednesday and educated me a bit better on wedding colors, theme, etc. My friend's wedding on Saturday will have Fall colors. Evidently, she fell in love with some butterflies that were Fall colored at a local craft store and they became the center piece in which she planned the colors for her wedding. I made the cake this evening. I picked a very simple theme for the cake as time was not on my side. It is a yellow cake with buttercream icing. I also chose to use a cake stand instead of some type of stackable configuration. It's much easier for transporting and for serving in my opinion if a stand is used.

I haven't attached the butterflies and decorative leaves yet permanently to the cake. I'll wait and do that Saturday after I get it to the reception location but at least everyone viewing this can get an idea of what the cake will look like.

I'm exhausted now and I have a huge mess to clean up in the kitchen. But, at least I can enjoy my birthday tomorrow!

Power Rangers Strike!

2008-09-02T20:48:00.005-04:00

Jeff does kind of look like a Power Ranger, doesn't he? Being the good sport that he is, he even posed for me as I told him that he reminded me of a Power Ranger in his new leathers, helmet and gloves. I guess he sort of reminds me of a storm trooper too. I think I'll nickname him "Casper" as in the Friendly Ghost. Ha!

I'm guessing track days are not too much further ahead on the horizon. Rachel, Anna, and I need to practice up on being motorcycle track groupies. We'll sit by the sidelines and cheer him on! Actually, if he keeps this up I may have to suit up myself. I have yet to ride the new Ducati; with or without Jeff. There simply hasn't been time for either of us to ride it.

The Tooth Fairy Is Going Broke

2008-09-01T19:54:00.004-04:00

Anna has had a loose tooth on the bottom for a few weeks now but she would not let us pull it. I noticed last week prior to leaving for my business trip that her new tooth was coming in so I figured it would push the old tooth out soon enough. It loosed the old tooth enough that she allowed Jeff to pull it this evening and her tooth came right out. She is all excited now that the tooth fairy is coming to see her again; but this time it's for a tooth that came out naturally vice having to get it pulled like she did with her top tooth earlier this year. The tooth fairy needs a pay raise. These girls are going to break the bank!

The Rat Race

2008-09-01T14:30:00.021-04:00

"Drive thy business or it will drive thee." -- Ben Franklin

As I've mentioned in prior posts, life has been pretty busy as of late. School started back along with all associated activities for the girls. My job has been relentless with tons of travel mixed in with a very busy job to begin with. And, we've still managed to squeeze in a few weekend RV trips just to unwind from it all.

Business Travel (Marietta and Washington D.C.)

I spent the week before last in Marietta all week. Then, I left again on Monday for Marietta once more with a flight planned on Tuesday to go to Washington D.C. for the remainder of last week. The week was entertaining to say the least.

I have to share this story because it is almost so riddled with issues that it's almost too hilarious to believe.

It all began on Monday evening when I came back from dinner and left the headlights on in my jeep. A coworker from Dayton noticed the lights on when he was outside the hotel smoking about 45 minutes later and he called me to tell me about it. So, I went outside and turned off the headlights but the battery was dead. Since it was raining, dark, and late, I decided I'd attempt cranking it again in the morning. I awakened early in the morning and decided I'd go ahead and pack up the jeep in preparation for our early flight from the Atlanta airport. It was raining very hard when I went outside. So, when I got to the jeep, I left my suitcase sitting beside my jeep while I hopped inside, quickly closed the door, and closed my umbrella. I decided to attempt to crank it up again which it did do after sputtering a bit. I was so happy that it cranked up that I forgot about my suitcase outside in the parking lot. I backed up and moved my jeep closer to my supervisor's truck just in case the jeep's battery was still weak when we got ready to leave. I went back inside the hotel, had breakfast and we all prepared to leave about an hour later. My cell phone was having issues so I didn't get the message when the hotel called to tell me that someone had found my luggage in the parking lot and that it was at the front desk. I got the message as I was traveling to the airport in pouring rain in rush hour traffic in Atlanta. So, I got off on the next exit to turn around and return to the hotel. Only, the traffic lights were not working so it took some time to navigate through that mess as well. I finally made it back to the hotel and loaded up my suitcase (it was hard sided luggage so my belongings were thankfully dry). As soon as I closed the door, a tornado siren went off. I couldn't believe it. I remained at the hotel long enough for the weather to clear up a bit and then I tried a different route recommended by the hotel receptionist. It may have been quicker any other day; but, not today. The road to the I-285 ramp was flooded from the non-stop rain. So, once again, I made a u-turn and attempted to drive to the airport via I-75. I eventually did make it to the airport with only minutes to spare before my flight began boarding. My coworkers gave me non-stop grief over the morning events (and continued to do so during the remainder of the week). I am thrilled to say that my flight to Washington D.C. went well. We even had some time in the afternoon to tour some areas of D.C. It's been at least 10 years since I last visited Washington D.C. At that point, the WW II Memorial had not been constructed so this was my first opportunity to visit it. I had registered family members in the WW II database and I was able to see their names/photos at the kiosk. We also visited the Korean Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Natural History Museum (Smithsonian).

I have to admit that there are some things I enjoy about bigger cities; mainly the never ending array of places to eat. What I don't like is the rat race. Heaven forbid that you stand on the wrong side of a escalator leaving the Metro. People will mow you over walking up. You learn really quick to stand on the right side out of the way. Everyone has some type of head phones or wireless device. Lots of suits. I could people watch all day. I like visiting big cities...wouldn't want to live in one though.

I didn't sleep well at my hotel. There was lots of noise from the streets below. It is one of the main reasons I love our RV. I hate hotels for the most part. People talk loudly in the hallways at night and slam their doors in hotels as well which just adds to my dislike.

My business meetings went extremely well though so the week wasn't a total nightmare. It was my first time to visit the Pentagon (either for business or a tour). I think I would shrivel on the vine if I worked there full time though. I've got to have windows are at least be close to an exit where I can see sunshine. It amazes me when I meet people who have worked there for years. I just couldn't do it....the relentless pace, the vaulted work spaces, the traffic, etc.

I passed on the social events that my coworkers participated in and hung out at the hotel in the evenings. I did have dinner with an old friend, Melanie, while in town. She and her husband moved to D.C. from Georgia several years ago and I had not seen them since. It was great catching up with her again.

I did learn about one new aspect of D.C.; slugging. I had never heard of the slug lines before a coworker explained it to me. Essentially, it's hitch hiking. Drivers pick up people so they can use the HOV lanes and travel more quickly to their destinations. Evidently, there is quite the elaborate system along with slug etiquette.

We flew back to Atlanta on Friday with our flight landing in Atlanta around 5, the worst possible time. I should've known my evening was not going to go well when I tried to pay my park-and-ride fee and my automated payment kiosk locked up. I was there for 20 minutes just trying to leave the airport. Then, there was an accident on I-75 that slowed me up. A few minutes later, the low fuel light came on in my jeep so I exited to get fuel and I figured I'd grab a bite to eat while I was off the interstate. It was after this that my evening continued down hill. The traffic was awful on I-85 when I tried to get back on the interstate. Evidently, there was an accident on I-85 (I never saw it but I sure dealt with the effects of it). Traffic was bumper to bumper and extremely, painfully, slow. I wish I was making this up but I'm not....it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to travel ten miles. I finally made it to Dillard, GA, (which should've only taken me 2 hours from the airport) around 10:30 pm. Jeff had driven there earlier in the day in the RV with the girls. The plan was for me to meet them there after returning from D.C. If I could've exited the interstate again (impossible with traffic), I would've just gotten a hotel and called it a night as I was exhausted.

Dillard, GA

Luckily, the rest of the weekend went much better. Except, the jeep was still sputtering on Saturday. The battery needed to be replaced. It was old anyway and me leaving it on had not helped increase its life. Every time Jeff applied the brakes on Saturday, the jeep would stop running. I guess I was extremely fortunate that it didn't do that on Friday evening. I don't know what I would've done had that happened with me when I was stuck in traffic on I-85. I was cursing the manual transmission already in stop and go traffic. I don't even want to think about dealing with it stalling every time I applied the brakes. I guess I had an angel looking out for me as I couldn't reach Jeff by phone either. He wasn't picking up a cell phone signal in Dillard so I couldn't have called him for assistance if I had needed help. So, as bad as my evening had been on Friday....it could've been worse; a lot worse. It's all about perspective I suppose.

We camped at River Vista Mountain Village in Dillard. The campground and amenities were nice and the sites provide full hook-up. The one aspect I didn't like is that there was very little room in between camp sites so there was no privacy at all. It was a bit too close for my liking. If you get a site close to the road, you will hear traffic noise from the road if you're in a pop-up, etc. We were in an RV and we did hear some when our air conditioner wasn't running.

After getting a new battery on Saturday, we decided to drive to Gatlinburg as it had been a while since we visited. We ate lunch and then the girls wanted to go to the Ripley's Aquarium. They loved petting the horseshoe crabs and the stingrays. Later, Anna wanted to ride on the chair lift in Gatlinburg. Rachel didn't want any part of it. She doesn't like heights so we browsed some shops while Jeff and Anna rode the chair lift. We all ate dinner at the Park Grill and then returned to Dillard for the evening. I would've loved to hike in the Smokies while we were in Tennessee but there wasn't time and I don't think the girls were up for it either. They slept the majority of the way home.

On Saturday, we swam for a while at the pool in the morning and then drove to Tallulah Gorge to do some hiking. Given the choice of the hustle and bustle of D.C. (cities) or the quietness of nature, I'll take nature any day of the week. I'd like slightly cooler temperatures but I'd prefer to be on a trail than walking through city streets any time. The girls did well hiking the steps into the gorge but Anna started getting a bit whiny towards the end after we hiked back up and we were walking to the other overlooks. I have to admit that I laughed when I heard her crying and she said, "You're using up all my play energy!" Poor thing. I don't know how she made it; but she did. She always survives some how despite the drama that she throws our way for consideration.
Rachel even braved the suspended bridge over the gorge. She wasn't too thrilled but she made it across and back without too much fretting over the height and the movement of the bridge.
We ate lunch at the Dillard House. There was so much food that we couldn't even eat half of it. We had never eaten here before but have eaten at similiar establishments. The food was great and there was certainly plenty of it; all southern style cooking of course. But, if you ever eat there, you want to go hungry and with money in hand as there is tons of food but it's not cheap for a family of four. We paid $78 for all four of us to eat. Of course, we took what we didn't eat home and had dinner on Sunday evening as well. But, it's still not the most reasonably priced meal. We returned back to the camper afterwards and the girls swam some more and then later played with their new friend, Victoria, at the playground. We hope to meet up with Victoria's family later this year on another camping trip.
We drove back home on Monday. I'm thankful that the trip back home was uneventful. Now, it's time to tackle the house work and the many work e-mails that I'm sure have backed up while I was out of the office last week. It'll be nice to not have to travel again soon. We do have a trip to Alabama planned in a couple of weeks for my 20-year high school reunion but I don't know of anything else that will require me to be away from home for business which I'm grateful for at this point. I will be back in Marietta again after my reunion but at least I'll have a couple of weeks to rest up before traveling again. I need some time to catch up on things here at the homestead. Plus, I think Jeff will lynch me if I leave him at home again so soon to manage our two little women all alone. He can certainly handle it all himself...it's just not a fun thing to do with no breaks or back up support.

I hope everyone had a restful Labor Day weekend. I sure needed some down time after last week and after the rat race.

Rachel's New Hair Cut

2008-08-17T15:49:00.007-04:00

Anna is in the process of growing her hair long. It only makes sense that Rachel would now want her hair short. Rachel's hair has always been long. And, I don't know what possessed her today to want it to get cut short but she asked and I obliged. There are some things that I'm a stickler about but hair isn't one of them. It'll always grow back and it's a way a child can choose to express themselves that isn't permanent. I must admit I was a bit sad seeing her beautiful locks being cut but she was very happy with the end result. And, as long as she's happy, I'm happy!

High Falls State Park

2008-08-17T15:24:00.012-04:00

We did not have any plans to travel this month. But, as usual, we were bitten with the bug to get out of the house for the weekend. High Falls State Park is close by so it's usually a good choice for a short weekend trip.

I drove separately from Jeff and the girls as I had some things to finish up at work on Friday and I didn't want to hold them up. But, I made it in plenty of time for dinner. We drove to Buckner's in Jackson, GA, for dinner because the campsite didn't have water available. We ended up having to move to another campsite because there was no water available in the loop due to maintenance being done in the area. Later, after moving our RV, we joined one of the park rangers after dinner for a night hike at the park. I think we all enjoyed the walk after eating so much for dinner at Buckner's.

The girls were anxious to go swimming so we planned to bring them to the High Falls State Park pool on Saturday. But, we were up a bit earlier than they had opened so we took a short hike by the Falls prior to going swimming.

At the base of the Falls, Rachel noticed a dragonfly nearby who then flew into a spider's web only to become the spider's next meal. Rachel was so sad that the pretty dragonfly was now a meal for the spider. She eventually got over it but not after a bit of crying about the whole matter. I didn't take a picture of the dragonfly but below is the spider. He was pretty cool to look at.

We had our run of the pool. There really weren't many others there. We were all amused at a sign outside of the baby pool though. Pay close attention to rule #3 that Anna is pointing to in the picture below. Now, we all know that they had to put this on a sign because some idiot put an infant in the pool that had diarrhea at some point. Am I the only one that thinks that it's a pretty sad state of affairs when people have to be told not to do this?

After spending a couple of hours at the pool, we were all ready for lunch. We decided to visit the local outlet mall in the afternoon to kill some time. The funny part was that Jeff was the one who suggested it. I wanted to take his temperature to see if he was feeling o.k. He never volunteers to go shopping.

After killing a few hours walking around the outlet mall, we ate dinner at O.B.'s before returning to the RV. By the way, if you stop at O.B.'s Bar-B-Que in McDonough, GA, you have to try their baby back ribs. Yummy!!!!

This weekend trip was short and sweet but something we all needed. I know I needed it. Work has been relentless as of late. And, I'm going to be on the road for the next couple of weeks for business travel so it was good to get some family time in.

Pat the Husband

2008-08-11T06:19:00.004-04:00

I was reading my August copy of Readers Digest and found this small article on page 26.

An author has written a parody on the children's book, "Pat the Bunny." The new book is called "Pat the husband."

The funny part about this is that right after I read the article above about this book, Jeff came into the kitchen and packed his lunch in a plastic grocery bag and then sat it on the floor right in his path directly in front of the refrigerator. He went to brush his teeth and then I noticed him circling the hallway and looking in the kitchen as if he was looking for something so I asked him, "What are you looking for?" He replied, "my lunch." It was then that I laughed while pointing to the bag on the floor directly in front of him. I then showed him this Readers Digest article about this book. I'm not sure that he found it nearly as humorous as I did. I think Jeff was happier thinking there is a conspiracy under foot.

The Rooms Are Mostly Complete

2008-08-10T18:14:00.005-04:00

Rachel's Room
Anna's Room

The rooms are pretty much done. If I wait until their rooms are perfectly clean, I may never share a picture so everyone will just have to excuse any obvious clutter. Anna's room required the most work with replacing the ceiling fan and painting. Her space themed room is complete with glow in the dark stars on the walls and glow in the dark miniature planets hanging from the ceiling. My only dislike with her ceiling fan is that you'll notice there are no light globes. It has some cool space ships that she loves but it doesn't provide much light. She picked out a lamp (in the corner) to provide some additional light.

We kept the colors that Rachel's room had but we got her a new bedspread, etc. She is happy with her Tinkerbell themed room but she still kept her Enchanted poster above her bed.

Clearly, you can see the difference in our children's personality simply by looking at how they choose to decorate their room.

My 20-Year High School Reunion Is Coming Up in September

2008-08-10T16:25:00.010-04:00

There's a big world out there. Bigger than prom, bigger than high school, and it won't matter if you were the prom queen or the quarterback of the football team or the biggest nerd. Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it. - Author Unknown

I can't believe it's been 20 years since I graduated from high school in 1988. Yep, that's me above with the big hair and blue eye shadow for my senior photo. Oh, there were bigger hair pictures that I might feel brave enough to share some time. But, this photo will have to do for now.

I'm sure anyone who reaches such a milestone as their 20-year high school reunion can't help but reflect on what their life has been like and make some determination of whether they have been successful or not. I guess we all have different things that we use as our yard stick of what makes us a success. For me, it's not about the fancy house or the nice car. It's about being secure with who you are and simply being happy.

But, from the standard yard stick, I guess I've done O.K. too. I've been blessed in many ways in the past 2o years. I've enjoyed good health, the love and support of family and friends, successful military and civilian careers, and even some adventure. I earned both a bachelors and masters degrees. Plus, I've tolerated all of the professional military education that the military thrust upon me. I have two healthy children and a husband that loves me despite my many imperfections and who has done so for 14 years plus (that man deserves a medal!). So, I guess looking back....things have gone quite well overall.

My Mom, Me and Jeff (1994)

I think the biggest surprise for me after all of these years is my profession. I never would've guessed my life would be so closely entertwined with the military. I guess I've always been some what of a tomboy but I never had any desire to be in the military in high school. But, here I am ready for my 20 year high school reunion with only 6 years left to retire from the USAFR. No one that I knew in high school would've ever guessed that one. I don't think I ever planned my career in any fashion. Truly, it just happened. My military career led to my civilian career and then things continued to build from there. I can't say that I've had any regrets professionally. While it would be nice to be retiring with an active duty retirement, I was greatful for the work flexibility that I had with my civilian career. That made it much easier in my children's infancy years. It seems that things in my life seemed to fall into place at the right times for the right reasons. So, as I said before, I've been very blessed in many ways.

Jeff (holding Anna) and Me (holding Rachel) in 2004

I'll take lots of photos at my reunion and share those. I can't wait to see all of my old friends again. As you saw in earlier posts, I visited with some friends last month. It'll be so nice to catch up with the rest at the reunion.

Macon, GA

2008-08-09T15:26:00.008-04:00

We haven't been camping in a while and we all just felt the need to get out of the house today.

Like most people, the areas that we tend to explore the least are the ones closest to us. And, Macon is like that for us. Partly because it is so accessible and partly because some areas of the city are a bit run down and crime ridden and therefore, not so enticing.

Although, the historic area is quite beautiful...particularly in the Spring when the Cherry Blossom trees are blooming.

I have wanted to take the trolley tour for quite some time and thought today was as good as any day to try it out. Of course, if I read local news or watched the local news channel, I would've known they stopped them last week due to the fuel costs. Evidently, the trolleys weren't very fuel efficient so the city stopped the trolley tours.

We decided to drive to the areas that interested us. Our first stop was the Hay House which was built in the late 1850s. There were only three other people in the tour group with us so that made the tour pleasant since we didn't have to deal with crowds. The house was absolutely beautiful on the inside. Homes today just don't have the same character and quality as houses built a long time ago.

We were all ready for lunch by the time we finished our tour so we stopped at the Market City Cafe located at the corner of Cherry Street and Third Street. I definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone visiting the area. They serve deli sandwiches, soups, pasta dishes and other items. They even have a nice dining area outside as well.

Afterwards, we drove the Ocmulgee River Heritage Trail. This is a nice area to stroll when the weather is pleasant. The children played at the play ground for a while and then we drove through the historic area of Macon once more before returning home.

First Day of School

2008-08-04T18:51:00.004-04:00

The girls were excited to start back to school today.

Latest on the Home Front

2008-08-03T13:36:00.004-04:00

The girls start back to school on Monday. Anna has the same teacher for kindergarten that Rachel had last year. Rachel met her new teacher last Thursday night.

Also, next week, their gymnastics classes resume. And, we've also included dance for the Fall only. After that, we'd like for them to pick one or the other activity. We wanted them to try out dance to see if they liked it. We are both hoping that they will stick with gymnastics. But, we'll leave that to them to pick. Also, some time early next year, we'd like to enroll them in piano lessons. They are both interested in that as well.

We haven't made any trips in our RV lately. Nor do we have any plans in the very near future. We've just been too busy and, quite frankly, it's just too hot. And, we don't want to deal with the summer crowds. Now, that school has started back, we may have to plan a weekend trip to the beach. But, we are looking forward to the Fall so we can start traveling again. It's also nice to see fuel prices dropping a bit too.

We hope everyone had a fun and safe summer!

How do you know.....

2008-08-03T13:05:00.006-04:00

How do you know when your husband has been alone with the kids for too long while you've been gone away for business travel?

While having dinner, Rachel asked Jeff, "Daddy, how do you stay under water for a long time?" In the sweetest (but joking) manner possible Jeff replied, "Well, you tie a string around a brick and then tie it to your ankle....." It was at this point that I interrupted him. I have to admit, though, I laughed quite a bit at that one.

How do you know how quickly children pick things up?

On the way home from shopping today, I put in my Marc Anthony CD and cranked up the "I Need to Know" Song. After we were home, Anna was walking around the house singing, "I need to know. I need to know. Tell me, baby girl, cause I need to know."

How do you know when your family needs to leave someone's home?

We were invited to a pot luck dinner in honor of a friend's son who graduated from the high school and who has recently enlisted in the Navy. After dinner, Anna began to entertain the family dog. I thought he was playing with her when I saw her running around and giggling while the dog chased her. As it turned out, the dog was only interested in sniffing her butt and hunching her leg. Yep. That's how you tell it's time to pack up and head home.

How do you know that the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree?

Rachel got a chocolate chip cookie for dessert with her lunch today. Jeff asked Rachel if she would "share a small piece." Rachel pinched off the smallest piece she could and handed it to him. I'd like to take all of the credit for her response to his request. But, I believe Mr. Jeff has taunted them enough on that particular aspect that this was simply a case of "what goes around.....come around." But, I have to say I was particularly proud of my oldest daughter today. While no words were spoken, it brought up memories of the movie Steel Magnolias when Clairee stated, "Very good, Annelle (substitute Rachel)! You've spoken like a true smart-ass!" Almost brings a tear to her Mom's eye. I had to high-five her on that one.

How do you know how different each of your children really are?

Up until recently, Anna and Rachel shared a bedroom and used the other for toys and such. About a month ago, Anna asked to have her own room again. Now, they each want to decorate their room unique to their taste. Rachel settled on a Tinkerbell theme which I expected. She is my "princess" type of girl. Anna, on the other hand, wanted a space room complete with a ceiling fan with space rockets and a Wall-E pillow for her bed. Not exactly what I would've chosen but then again, she's always marched to the beat of her own little drum.

I'll post pictures after we are done with the renovation.

How do you know when you've pushed your spouse too far?

While walking through the toy section at Walmart, Jeff suggested that the girls should "take a look at this drum set." Of course, I gave him a look that could kill.

Jeff's New Bling

2008-07-23T20:56:00.006-04:00

While I was in Huntsville, our friend Thomas had a tough time getting Jeff out of the house to hang out with the guys. Because of this, Thomas dubbed Jeff as "Cameron" (i.e., Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off). Jeff was even kind enough to pose in his hockey jersey that is the same jersey that the character Cameron wears in the movie. Gotta love a man with a sense of humor.

But, to prove that he is a rebel despite the humor we have been enjoying at his expense, he purchased himself a new toy today. He has been wanting a Ducati for years and he finally took the plunge today.

Please ignore the messy garage. But, it was raining today when he brought it home so this was the best shot I could get today. He was a bit put off by me showing this horrible shot of his new toy. I think he was wishing Pete was here to get the perfect shot of it shining in the sun light. Some might say this is a midlife crisis since he will be 40 next year. I'll let the readers decide. :-)

Trip Back Home

2008-07-20T15:11:00.012-04:00

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature. ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Aunt Ethelene lives in Gardendale, AL. Since I was driving through that area on the way to visit with some friends and my Mom and Grandma, I make a quick pit stop to visit with her.

Anna, Kyle, Aunt Ethelene and Rachel

I was glad I stopped. I was able to meet her great-grandson, Kyle. Kyle's Dad is serving in the Army and is currently deployed to the Middle East. His son, my cousin, is just a little doll. I took some photos of Kyle and of the family and will be mailing those to Joey.

Me, Kim, Tracy and Maggie

Me, Kim, Tracy, Maggie and our children

Me, Kim, Maggie and Karen

*Note to self....must work on a tan!

I try to see my friends from home when time allows. Unfortunately, there usually isn't that much free time. Or, we all have such busy lives, that it is simply hard to coordinate a time where we are all free at the same time. I was able to schedule a visit with Maggie, Tracy, Kim and Karen on this visit. We all met at Maggie's house along with our children. We spent a nice afternoon catching up on life while the kids played. I have not seen Tracy since we graduated from high school; 20 years ago. I have, however, kept up a bit more regularly with Maggie, Kim and Karen through the years. Maggie has a beautiful home. She started a home decorating business a year or so ago and I say she definitely has the talent to do it.

I really wish I had more time to visit with my friends and family. I do miss them all so much. However, I seem to have even less time for friends than for family. It was so great seeing all of them; as well as Pete and Gabrielle while I was in Huntsville.

After visiting with my friends, we visited with my Aunt Josephine and her family; as well as my Mom and Grandma. The girls went swimming with their cousins while I visited with my Mom and Grandma for a while.

My Mom, Rachel, Anna and Grandma

After a lot of driving and a very long day, we retired to the hotel for a well deserved night of rest. Against my better judgement, I reserved a single king-sized bed room. I slept in between Rachel and Anna. I may has well have offered myself as a punching bag for the evening. They kicked. They punched. In a nutshell, I didn't get hardly any sleep last night. I won't be doing that again.

We made it back to Georgia safe and sound. I couldn't get back home quickly enough. I feel like I've been gone forever. It's good to be back home!

Bridge Street Town Center

2008-07-18T20:06:00.012-04:00

I was done with my class by noon today. Gabrielle and I made plans earlier this week that we would meet in the afternoon at the Monaco Theater at the Bridge Street Town Center. Pete joined us, along with Gail. The movie of choice was released today; Space Chimps.

I was a bit disappointed by the Monaco Theater. They provide kiosks as an option to purchase tickets. However, it appeared only one of the six kiosks was actually operational. Then, the cost of tickets were a premium price. The sound went out intermittently during the course of the movie. I guess Disney has spoiled me. I don't mind paying a higher price if higher quality service comes along with it. I didn't see that one iota at this theater. In a nutshell, I won't be back. And, Space Chimps left a lot to be desired as well. It just wasn't very good. Wait until it is released on DVD if you still feel inclined to watch it.

Pete, Gabe, and Me

Rachel Playing in the Water at Bridge Street

A Tired Rachel

Krista and Rachel

Gabe and Me

Lia

Anna

Noone was hungry for dinner after popcorn at the theater so we opted for ice cream and letting the girls play in the water in the middle of the shopping center. They had a blast and definitely loved having ice cream for dinner!

My Class is Almost Over

2008-07-18T06:44:00.003-04:00

Today is the last day of my class. I'm so glad that it is almost done.

There are 30 people in my class and they represent organizations from across the military. We were each assigned to a group of six people and you become a family in a two-week time period because you are hitched to these people all day, each day for the duration of the class. I have to say that my group was by far the liveliest and most fun of all of the groups. I was fortunate to have been assigned with these smart and funny people. If people take this stuff too seriously, it can make a tough course even harder. Truly, you have to have a sense of humor in our line of work.

We all earned (or were given) nicknames this week. Here is a picture of my team and our nicknames (from left to right):

John "The Commish," Angela "Miss Daisy," Mark "De la Pastrami," Wayne "The Body Ventura," Rodney "The Rodent," and Michael "Iron Mike Tyson."

I went to dinner last night with one of our instructors and about 12 other students from the class. It was nice getting out of the classroom and getting to know some of these amazing people. Other than the people in your group, there isn't much time to get to know the other people during class.

It's been an educational two weeks but I'm so ready to get back home.

I plan to stop in Bessemer on Saturday to visit with family and friends and then return to Georgia on Sunday.

It's Time For The Tooth Fairy To Visit Huntsville

2008-07-16T18:47:00.003-04:00

Rachel lost her fifth tooth today. She's been wiggling that tooth for weeks now. And, she is very happy that the tooth fairy is coming to visit her tonight.

Jeff's Photo-Shoot

2008-07-14T18:36:00.003-04:00

Not to be out done by Angela's photo shoot...sorry about the expression on my face...that breeze was making my tenders chilly.