O.M.G.!!!1

SHE'S GONNA BE HERE TODAY!!!!!!!!

Christmas

I don't think I have been this excited for Christmas since I was 8 years old :)

12 DAYS

That is how many days it is until Jackie is here !!  I am so freakin excited, I think I peed a little in my pants just now thinking about it.

Bringing Mom home for Christmas...

Well, I flew to Ohio on Friday morning and Jackie picked me up at the airport in Cincinnati.  When I called her to see where she was at after I got off the plane, she said she was at the luggage pick up.  I think she was going for the whole Kodak moment by meeting me at the luggage pickup and giving me a big hug.   I followed the signs to the luggage pick up area and....No Jackie.  I call her again and she was insistent that she was at the pick up between 1 & 2, I tell her well that's where I was and she was not there, I finally ask what terminal she's at and ...unfortunately, she was waiting at the luggage pick up in terminal 3 and I, well, I was at the luggage pick up in terminal 2 :(

She has to get her car out of the parking garage and drive around to pick me up :)

So we get on the road and she says there is a traffic back-up on 75 and should we take the by-pass?  I tell her go for it.  I then say that I'm hungry and she is too.

Guess what?  the first exit we come to has a FRISCHES BIG BOY...yummmm my favorite!

She got breakfast and I, of course, had the Junior Big Boy w/fries and salad bar....I wanted a nap BAD after that.

We got back on the road and got to Mom's around 1pm.  We visited for a few minutes.  Mom wanted to watch the rest of her soaps so Jackie and I decided to go to Kroger's so I could get some Skyline Chili to bring home with me.  On our way we decided to stop at Linda Goodpaster's...I have not seen her since before we moved to Louisiana 5 years ago!

She looked really good, we had a great visit but couldn't stay real long.  We left and headed to Krogers for my Chili...(Rob LOVES Skyline).

After we got back to Mom's we loaded her car with just about everything except the kitchen sink!  Really though, she didn't bring all that much considering she's staying for 3 1/2 months.

Jackie left to go home and clean up a little (she claims her house was messy).  Mom and I relaxed a little then called in Marion's pizza to pick up.

We went to Marion's and got the pizza's and then headed to Jackie's (during the 5:00 rush hour) Brilliant plan of mine, NOT.

We finally get to Jackie's and her house is all decorated with lights outside and her tree is in the front window...it was so pretty...My baby girl, all grown up...makes me want to cry a little!

We ate the pizza, visited with Shan, Jackie and Vincent for a while.  Shan gave me a beautiful wooden snowman! and a box of summer sausage & cheese!  She's so nice...I hate that I didn't think to get her anything :(

Mom and I headed back to her house about 7pm.  I called Vanessa to let her know I was at mom's and she should stop by to see me.

Of course she came over, unfortunately, I fell asleep before she got there, so the first 20 minutes or so, I was trying to wake up enough to pay attention :)

We had a really good visit, albeit, a really late visit!  She didn't leave until midnight and Mom & I were getting up at 5am to get ready to leave!  I loved seeing Vanessa and wish I could have had more time with her.

Well, Mom and I put our excited selves to bed.  I woke up around 6:18am (or so I thought due to the clock in the room I was in said it was 6:18am) and freaked out a little!  I went straight into mom's room and laid on her bed..she woke up, patted my face and I said "It's just like Christmas morning!, I'm so excited!"...She called me silly and got up. It was actually 5:18am...she had never set the clock back in the room I was sleeping in.

We both got ready, she checked her list of things to do, checked that list at least 3 more times and we were finally on the road at 6:30am!

It was a good drive, only took 13 1/2 hours, the dogs were awesome, never once barked, had an accident in the car, moved around...they were really good.

I drove the whole way so Mom would not get stressed or upset...

We pulled in my driveway at around 7pm Louisiana time (8pm Ohio time)

We carried all her stuff inside, put our jammies on and finally relaxed...which translates as Me:sleeping on couch, Mom:watching tv.

So far, I love having my mom here!

She actually went to church this morning with us (totally didn't expect that!) and then we had lunch at the Olive Garden, came home, decorated the Christmas tree and now her and Rob are watching a movie.

I love my family so much at times it's a little scary.....

Teenage Humor

I took JC to the doctor today and after blood work and xrays, it was determined he has clogged sinuses (duh).

So we leave the doctors and head straight to Walmart to fill the prescription (and do a little grocery shopping which I hate doing alone so I was able to take JC without him realizing what I was doing hehehehe).

I pull into the parking lot and find a "Ronnie" spot (that's a spot really close to the door) and as I am pulling in to the parking space, there in the space next to mine is a Camaro, a new Camaro.

JC sighs, "That is a new Camaro",

To which I pull out a napkin and hand to him to wipe the imaginary drool off his chin.

He takes the napkin, wipes his chin.

Then proceeds to wipe his crotch (use your imagination as to why)

Teen boys are hysterical sometimes :)

October in Bossier

October has been one crazy month. First, the "secret" I posted about, well, Cathy and I drove to Ohio and surprised my mom & Jackie :)  It was great!  We pulled up in my mom's driveway at the time I usually call her in the mornings on my way to work.  We honked the horn. She looked out the window with a very puzzled look on her face, came out on the porch and then did a "happy dance"...it was really cute :)  I was going to wait til Jackie got off work and sit on her porch and surprise her but my excitement in being there I just couldn't wait.  Read Jackie's blog for a rundown of the events of the weekend.  I just want to say that it was one of the best visits I have had in Ohio:)

After I got back from Ohio, I got back into the swing of things, work, to say the least, has been a true explosion of stress and I just didn't know how much longer I would be able to keep from having a meltdown.  This past Wednesday night  I woke up at 1:30am and couldn't go back to sleep because of the stress and situation at work, my mind would not let me sleep.

Wednesday morning before we left for work Rob and I were talking and this is how it went:

Me: Work really sucks, I've been up since 1:30am because I couldn't sleep. I talked with Cathy and she said that GM will be bringing on temps.  I told her to put my name in for a referral.

Rob: Your job is going to kill you, quit.

Me:  What? I can't just quit and not have another job! I can't just sit around the house all day doing nothing!

Rob: You're right, you won't sit around doing nothing. I know you will find another job, we will be ok.

Me:  Well, I'm not going to quit yet.

Rob left for work and I finished getting ready and went in.  Let me tell you, I was soooo less stressed knowing that Rob would support me if I quit that even though I hadn't slept all night, I felt good.

Then "Tornado Thursday" hit.  I left work at 2:45pm to go to a physical therapy appoitment.  The weather was starting to get bad, lots of rain.

After my appointment, I considered stopping at Wal-mart for some groceries, but decided on my way home that I didn't want to carry groceries in the rain.  I got home around 4:10pm.

I was arranging some chicken breasts in a casserole dish to bake since we couldn't grill due to the weather when the power went out.  This is how the next 20 minutes went:

Me: Crap! (I look out the window over the kitchen sink and it's looking really stormy.)

Rob, JC and myself walk out into the sunroom (because it's always safe to stand in a room that is enclosed on three sides with windows during a storm) to watch the storm.

Me: WOW, it's getting really bad out there

Rob:  Look at all the pecans swirling in circles.  Oh my, they are pelting the glass, be careful.

We continue to stand there like idiots.  As I look over at the patio and see the stuff out there start to twirl in circles, Rob yells:  TORNADO! RUN!

We all turn and bolt, shoving each other to get to the hall,  Rob yells, "GET IN THE BATHROOM". I yell back, "THERE'S A WINDOW IN THERE, GET IN THE HALL, CLOSE THE DOORS!".

All of our ears pop due to the pressure and the air being sucked up by the tornado, the sound of a freight train coming through our house, then it was over.  This took about, hmm, 3 minutes.

Could have been 3 days...it was FREAKY!

Here's some pictures:

Our back patio...top of the pecan tree that barely missed our house.

View of next door neighbor's back yard from our roof. That's their patio roof in our yard

Man dates

This morning I told Rob that Cathy had called and said that Shawn wanted to know if we would like to go to a movie this weekend for his birthday.

Rob: "Just Shawn and ME?? {{mouth hanging open in shock}}

Me: {{{hahahaahaaaa}}} nooo, {{{hahaaahaaahaa}}}, not a man date, a double date.

And this would be why I love my husband :), he makes me laugh.

Baby Pictures

I recently posted some baby pictures of my children on Facebook.  As I was scanning them, it made me get a little teary-eyed knowing that they will never be that little and cute again. :(

My sister, Lyn, has came to Louisiana to visit for the week.  We are having a blast.  We went to New Orleans and walked around the French Quarter, did a lot of shopping.  Rob was a real trooper..but he was getting a little annoyed the next day when we stopped for gas and food and it just happened to be at the Tanger mall.  I thought Lyn was going to stroke out if she didn't get to shop!  So we went and ate at Chili's then he dropped Lyn and I at Dave & Barry's so we could shop a little while he went and got gas and air in the tires.  Well, after we went in Dave & Barry's Lyn had to go to the bathroom and so we hightailed it to the restroom and she spent about 15 minutes in there.  After she was done, we went in Tommy Hilfiger and Lyn just about fainted with joy.  I tell ya, that girl can spend some money!  I went in Aeropostle and bought JC some school pants and school shirt...got a great deal!  We then drove the rest of the way home.

When we got home, I fixed egg rolls and fried rice...Lyn was in heaven :)

This week is going by wayyy to fast.  I wish it would slow down.

Secret :)

I've got a secret....  :)....You will know what it is 10/22/09 :)

E.X.C.I.T.E.M.E.N.T.!!!!1

Just wanted to put it out there....I am SO FREAKIN EXCITED for this Holiday season!  It's gonna be the best one since we moved to Louisiana.  Lyn's coming in a week.  My mom's coming down the beginning of December and staying until the end of March! And last but definitely not least, MY BABY GIRL and her hubby will be here for Christmas and not only that but will be here for a WHOLE 12 DAYS! That's right, 12 WHOLE DAYS!

I don't know if my heart is gonna be able to take it :)

Children

No matter how old they are, as a parent, the number one thing that you do is worry.

You worry when they are young if they are going to fall down and get hurt or run into the street without looking, worry that someone might kidnap them if you let them go to a friend's house alone. It's one of the hardest things a parent does when they let their child do something like going to the park or a friend's alone so they can learn independence.

When they are teens you worry if they are going to resist all the negative peer pressure that goes with junior high and high school, you worry about the drugs and alcohol that will most definitely be widely available to them and if you as a parent have done enough to help them avoid using.  You worry if they are staying abstinent because you know how complicated life will become when you add sex into very new and very immature relationships and if they are having sex they are at least smart enough to use protection. The toughest thing is to begin allowing them to make their own decisions and mistakes even though you know that some of the decisions they are going to make will be wrong.  It is equally tough to try and express your own life's lessons and experiences to them so they may be able to learn from them and help them avoid the same mistakes.  I have found that very few of these lessons/experiences that are shared with teens ever truly impact them until much later in life when they are grown, made the mistake and then remember when they were warned

When they reach adulthood and begin their lives as an adult, you worry about their happiness, their sense of independence, their self-esteem, their spiritual growth and you worry about how to give advise without sounding like you are telling them what to do because it is so very important for them to make their own decisions, right or wrong, so they can learn life's lessons and grow as a person and have those lessons to pass to their own children that most assuredly will not be listened to until much later in their lives.

To my beautiful, wonderful children, each of you are my greatest joy in life.  I know that with each of you, we have gone (or going through) some really tough moments, but in the end, there is absolutely nothing that I love more than having each of you in my life and seeing a part of me grow in each of you.

I wanted to poke the Dr. in the eye

I went to the doctor this morning. It was NOT a good visit.

My insurance is dragging their feet on giving approval for a MRI on my back so I can get the pinched nerve fixed.

My blood work came back and it wasn't very good.

I am now on cholesteral/triglycerite meds, thyroid med, stronger allergy med, "don't smoke" med....

I'm gonna have to get one of those "old people pill dispensers" just to keep track of what I need to take and when!

As I was leaving the doctor said "oh yea, try to work on losing some weight"...if I hadn't been so tired and sick, I would have poked him in the eye.

Sometimes....I wonder

Well let me tell ya, things never are boring around my house.

Yesterday my husband went back to work after being off for 10 months. I truly expected to come home from work and find him napping, but he was up, I was delighted.

The delighted part quickly left though after I asked him how his day was. He proceeded to launch into a 15 minute "bitch" session about what job he had been assigned to. Now, to be clear, he was only assigned to the job yesterday, he didn't actually DO the job as the production line is not running this week, everyone is just there to get job assignments and I suppose complain about it.

He then said that it made him realize how much he hated it at GM. I finally broke my silence and told him that I didn't want to hear him complain and he needs to get up every morning and be absolutely grateful that he has a job to go to. He had 10 months to find another job and he chose not to, so get over it and be frickin happy!

I then went in to start dinner (yea, I had to cook even though every single person I live with was home by 3pm). While I was cooking, Jules had the gall to ask if he could go "spar" with his friend Jake. I told him no. He then began to launch into the whole why?? He can't do anything during the day because he has to go work at the recycling plant...Let me tell you, I just about stroked out...

I told him he better be thankful he's not locked up 24/7 like he was supposed to be and no one took his freedom away from him but himself and if he didn't stop with the whining, I would personally talk to the jailer and make sure he would be locked up.

I then went to JC's room to see if he was home and when he opened his door he wouldn't let me in and acted like I was intruding.....that did NOT go over very well with me.

I finally just gave up and went to bed at 7:15pm....I tell ya, they better all be a little more appreciative of what they have or they just may lose it all.

Penal Daycare System

My oldest son has been going through what I can only describe as a wild, rebellious, zero brain function stage in his life.

He has been in legal trouble now for 2 years (mostly probation and a 6 1/2 month stay at a rehab).

About a month ago, his zero-brain function disability led him to try and shoplift a $70 shirt from Dillards. He was caught before he even made it out of the store. He was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting.

He went to court this past Monday for what I thought was an arraignment where he would just enter his plea and then go back for sentencing which is why I went to work and sent my husband with him. I thought wrong. The judge (the same judge he had for juvenile court) decided to give the sentencing that day, but, he wanted to see my son and husband in chambers before doing so.

My husband decided at that precise time to let out all his frustrations and anger about our son to the judge.

So, instead of my son getting what the other 7 boys that went before him for the same charge, he got 30 days mandatory, $564 fine or 40 days if unable to pay, 100 hrs community service and 1 yr probation.

In Bossier, where we live, they have a "two for one" special on jail time. Isn't that sweet? Just like at the bars.

So, he was taken directly to jail from court on Monday for what I had assumed would be a 35 day stay.

Here's where it gets interesting....I get home from work on Wednesday, I have a raging headache, no one is home, so I put my jammies on and crawl into bed for a nap before bedtime.

At 6:30pm, I am awaken by my son with a kiss and hug...the son that is supposed to be locked up.

They decided to release him and he has to go Monday through Friday from 7am-3pm with weekends off.

Thursday morning he was up before me, made coffee and was packing his lunch when I came out of my room....really??? THIS is what finally motivates him??? REALLY???

My son is in the Penal Day Care system....

Will wonders never cease???

Family....gotta love em.....

Well, what a couple of days it's been! My SIL & BIL found out on Monday that their house (which they have not paid a mortgage on for over a year) was going to auction on Wednesday morning...They acted like it was a big surprise...go figure, how dare the bank kick them out after a year or more of not paying the mortgage without any notice.

Yesterday was Rob and mine 20th Anniversary...yeah, 20 years, 20 long fricking years....and guess what??? We were doing almost the same thing 20 years ago...The place were were living was going to re-do our kitchen and we had to move everything out of there and pack the truck to go to Canada.....

I now have 5 extra people, a cat and dog all living temporarily with me, all of their worldly possessions in my front yard and thinking that if this doesn't get me in heaven, nothing will :)

Surprise 16

My youngest son, JC, turned 16 on July 29th. I planned a surprise party for him since I could not get him a car for his birthday. I ended up getting an ear ache the day before the party and it really sucked. My ear is still hurting but the party was a success. I am going to attempt to upload some pics from the party..

Wow, what an emotional day it's been. My baby turned 16 yrs old today. I had him at the DMV bright and early at 8am, by 9:45am we were on our way and he was legally allowed to drive by himself. I did better this time than the first time I took my child to get a license...sorry Jackie:)

My mom at the same time was having a heart cath done. She ended up having to have a stint put in and then (like the first time) almost bled out when they took the cath out....This did not make me very happy, but I think that Lyn did a wonderful job helping mom, for that I love her dearly.

I decided to scrub the bathroom to get my mind off of everything (I know, weird way to get stuff off of one's mind) and I called mom (apparently I wasn't ready to get it off my mind). She started crying and I just about dropped the cleaning supplies and got in my truck to go to Ohio and bring her back here...

I have had a headache for 3 days now, haven't slept more than maybe 10 hours in the last 3 days and I am just a little grumpy.

I sure hope that the weather system causing my sinus headache goes away, I get more than 4 hours sleep at one time and my mood drastically changes or else I feel really sorry for the people I live and work with because I can not be held responsible for what may happen...

Time's moving a little fast for me!

Time seems to be moving by faster than normal. Time is the only thing that you can't take back and when it slips by un-noticed or worse, not remembered....it really sucks.

My oldest child is turning 27 yrs old, where in the world has time gone???? I want my baby girl back so I can dress her up and play dolls.....Well, I know I won't get that back, but hopefully, one day, I can play dolls and dress up a grandbaby...(if it's a boy, we can read books and play with race cars:)

My youngest child is turning 16 yrs old, I swear to god it was just last week that he, his brother and I would sit and I would read Dr. Suess books to them and they would belly laugh so hard that I would think they were going to pee on themselves.

I really miss those days now that I have the chance to look back.

So, I vow to slow down and really listen when they talk to me, appreciate everything little thing they do for me and love every minute I have with them.

When you have been married as long as I have..(20 yrs next month!)....a woman learns to anticipate the ups and downs of married life...like...I can foresee large fights in the making long before they ever happen. My husband has been laid off for 9 months now. He has had ZERO motivation to do anything. For nine months, I have foreseen a large fight about this. I was right. He finally got motivated....to exercise...because a nice toned body will pay the bills....NOT. So it came to a head this weekend. I told him I was glad he decided to get in shape, I think it's wonderful, but...it should only consume an hour a day...not all freaking day...I told him he could make exercise out of mopping, vacuuming and making the beds for instance and oh yeah, WATCHING fit.tv won't actually DO anything for you if you are not DOING the exercising with the show....So, if he turns it on when I am home, he better be feeling the burn or I will take the remote and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

HP6

JC and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie yesterday. I was very excited...I love Harry Potter!!



To say the least I was very disappointed in the movie. It did not even come close to the intensity the book had.



I really hope that when they make HP7...they get it right...

I got my husband an IPod Nano for his birthday last October. I did not really think through this idea. I assumed that since he loves music (music that I do not like)...he would put his ear plugs in and he would enjoy his music without irritating the hell out of me....I did not,I repeat...DID NOT, count on him not only singing along at the top of his lungs, but months later, find the wonders of google....He is googling lyrics to songs so he sings them correctly...what in the world have I done???

Giving it a try because my daughter said I should.

OK, I am going to try this blogging thing. I don't think I have that much to write about, but we will see.

Here's a recap of the last 5 years. We moved to Louisiana in July of 2004, bought a house here in May of 2005. Went to Florida in 2006 for my daughter's wedding. Started down the turbulent path that my oldest son has chosen to take while simultaneously going down the complete opposite path with my youngest son.

Life isn't always easy here, but it's the best we can do.