end of November?!

I can't believe that is the end of November. It seems like this year has flown by but at the same time I am having a hard time believing that Todd has only been gone for 3 months and 20 days, it seems SO much longer than that. Keeping with the Todd being gone theme, we are still trying to figure out what in the world to do about retirement. He absolutely despises his current situation where he is stationed. I know all assignments can't be good ones, but this is ABSOLUTELY the most screwed up unit he has EVER been in and trust me, he's been in several. I miss Army life more than I thought possible and there are a lot more details we are taking into consideration. Ok, enough of that, when we finally figure this out after many discussions and headaches we will share when we are ready. :)

Chelsea had a great time in Maryland for her birthday, and since she has been home she is working a lot. She gave me a new hairstyle and colored my hair on Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for her talent!! Megan finished first trimester at school followed by the semi-formal dance and had a great time. Of course she had her school play on the 6th and 7th, the whole cast did an amazing job!! Dawn spent Thanksgiving with some family friends in Maryland and enjoyed herself very much. She is looking forward to winter break and her trip home for Christmas.

The animals are all doing well. The kittens are growing too fast and they are into everything. I have been busy working on the house as usual, still trying to reorganize some rooms and make them better (doing very well with that now). I have so much more room and rooms to do and not always the motivation or time to work on them. I have set the goal of having everything completely done before the end of the year, and I am ALMOST there and I still have all of December :) I need to start my Christmas shopping for the girls and finish getting Todd's box around so that it makes it too him before the end of the year. I will TRY to post more and put up more pics, that maybe easier since some things are calming down around here.

19 Years ago...

.... we were blessed with our 2nd daughter!! For her birthday she wanted to go to Maryland to visit her friends and of course eat at Chick-fil-a (not just the one in the mall here) and Cluck U. She is having a great time and will be home on the 16th. I'm glad you are having a wonderful birthday, I love you very much!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE~~~

this is one of my favorite pics of Chels, she was 4 and it was taken in Hawaii

Fall Color

21 Years Ago....

...I married my best friend!! Here we are, married 1 year after he proposed and together for 2 1/2 years, we look very young and that's because we were ;)
The last 21 years have been quite an adventure as we made our family complete with 3 daughters, traveled where ever the Army decided we needed to be, matured as a couple and fell more in love with each other. Now don't get me wrong we have had our share of disagreements, arguments and rough patches. But I wouldn't trade them for anything because all the bad and good brought us closer together and made us appreciate each other even more. I didn't think it was possible to love someone as much as I love Todd. I pray that he will be able to retire next year that so we can spend more time together. I can't wait to see what the next 21 years bring our way!!

This picture of us is almost 10 years old, but it is one of my favorites. I would have posted more of us that I really love, but someone took my scanner to Korea ;)
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Honey!!! I love you more every day!!!

Kitty Saturday

Here are the 2 kitty sisters that were born on Todd's birthday

sleepy little babies sleeping in their Princess bed, that I had to put away until they are older because they decided it would be fun to pee in it!!


This tiny little girl is Ella, she was one of the smallest in the litter and is just a little love bug, except when stalking her sister :)

This is Pepsi, and she is a very brave little girl who is also quite the cuddler.




They love to play on the window seats especially when the sun is shining. They are growing too fast, they also purr very loud and quite often :) and will be 2 months old on the 5th. Deciding on names was very interesting to say the least. Ella is my kitty and I had her name picked out fairly soon. Pepsi is Chelsea's and she went back on forth on 4 names for quite awhile (Pepsi, Meeka, Sophie and Muffin), but Pepsi won out for Chels. We didn't get to help pick her name, if we had we would have chose Meeka (I think). Anyway these are our planned newest additions. We will get some pictures of the unplanned Eden who showed up at our doorstep later. Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday!!

20 years ago today...

...our lives changed more than we imagined possible. Today Todd has been in the Army for 20 years!!! Out of those 20 years we have only been apart for 3 years, 4 months and 2 weeks (approx.). By the time this tour is over it will be about 4 years and 5 months (God willing). I say ONLY, because it could have been MUCH worse as it has been for a lot of other military families. We have lived in Florida, Germany, Hawaii, Georgia, Maryland, Arizona (him), Texas (him), Korea (him) and Indiana (me and the girls). Army life is definitely not for everyone, but it has worked for us for the most part :) I have learned so many different acronyms and terms that will stick in my head for the rest of my life, but our basically useless in the civilian world. I gained the unofficial title of Sergeant Major from one of Todd's former First Sergeants and it has stuck with me and been used by numerous people in his different chains of commands and civilians that he has worked with. I have learned a lot about myself and become more independent on some things then I ever dreamed I could. It has definitely been an adventure that we have enjoyed and I am so proud of my Army Man for all that he has accomplished and given us. He is a wonderful friend, husband, father, soldier, and an excellent example of what a Senior NCO should be!! I love you honey!! HOOAH!!!!

Goodbye September...Hello October

September is gone and I mainly posted on Wednesdays and by doing that I didn't post about some other things, so I will play catch up right now :) September was a pretty good month and we constantly had things to do, which isn't always a bad thing. Todd and I spend A LOT of time talking on the phone and chatting on the computer, Skype and Yahoo Messenger are great :) I babysit 2 days a week and there is always something to do around the house and errands to do. We've had several family dinners/cook outs, which were great. My Uncle turned 75 and we surprised him with balloons and a homemade peanut butter pie!! I must say for the most part I LOVE being home!! We have had several furry additions to the family. 2 were planned, they are kitty sisters who were born on Todd's birthday this year. Their names are Pepsi and Ella and I have PLENTY of pictures to post soon!! The newest addition was a total surprise. Last Saturday night Chels and I were out getting potting soil out of the garage when we heard a meow, and out from under the Equisnot came a skinny, sweet PREGNANT cat!!! Well if you know me, then you know there was no way I was gonna take a chance on her being attacked or ran over on the road. So we got her some food and water, checked her over and put her in a kennel, made a trip to wal mart for several items. Neeedless to say she is safely quarantined from the rest of the furry family in the basement with all the comforts that an expecting kitty should have and then some!! She is so incredibly loving and pretty!! I'll keep you updated on her and the girls did name her Eden. I have saved the best part of September for last and it involves the word RETIREMENT and no we have not figured out if Todd will be able to do that next year. But my Daddy was FINALLY able to retire after almost 46 years!! We are all very happy for him and we are grateful to be home to share this with him, it's going to be an adjustment, especially after working 3rd shift for that long, but I think he is up for it :) I must say it is great to be able to spend more time with him!! YAY for retirement :) Well it's just about time to try to get my brain to slow down so I can sleep. Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!!!

Weight Loss Wednesday and other stuff :)

Well I am getting really good at only posting on Wednesdays!! So the new season of The Biggest Loser started last night the girls and I watched it and sat on our exercise balls and worked our arms, abs and legs while trying to stay balanced on the balls. I'd say we all did pretty well. We had Subway for dinner, which is a tradition on Biggest Loser nights, we started that in Maryland. I must say that the show definitely gives me more inspiration and motivation. I will be checking the scale next week, I've decided for now to only check every 2 weeks. I'm also remembering to take my vitamins and fish oil every day!! I've also decided that once and for all it is time to quit drinking soda!! How will I live without my Pepsi? Well that's a good question, and the only answer I have is so far so good. But I will NOT give up my tea!! Please no suggestions about drinking diet soda, I have a huge issue with artificial sweeteners, not too mention the actual ingredients in most soda that are bad for you, but tastes sooo good! I was so addicted to the throwback Pepsi with the real sugar in it, now that was tasty! My next goal is to try to find a treadmill or recumbent bike that I like and can afford since I actually have the space for it now. I need something extra in the house for when the weather starts getting cold/rainy/snowy. At least I have time to shop around for that. I hope everyone is having a GREAT week, mine has been pretty damn good so far!!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Is it really Wednesday again?? I haven't posted since last week!! Not necessarily a bad thing. I have found since I've been here that I actually spend A LOT less time on the computer, unless I am looking up something specific or being social!! I think that is a great thing by the way, because that means I am spending less time sitting on my butt!! We have been here for almost 2 months, my weight has gone down a little, but my body fat percentage has gone down more!!! That makes me extremely happy!!! Not much more to say tonight, I am really getting sleepy and my eyes are about done for the day.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I have struggled with my weight off and on since I was probably 20 years old or so. The 10 years I spent in Maryland was when I reached my heaviest weight. Of course I had lots of stress there, some of it I left behind me when we left. What I wish society would understand is that not all overweight/obese people are lazy and eat all day. Genetics tends to play a part in it, as well as stress, medical problems, medications and so on. I guess for me stress is a major factor with my weight as well as my eye problems. I know there will always be stress in my life in one form or another, it's unavoidable. I just need to make sure I am dealing with it and that I don't let it consume me or cause me to be depressed. Sometimes that is a very easy thing to say and a very difficult thing to do. I could sit here and tell you about a lot of the things that have caused me severe stress over the years, but that would be pointless and possibly hurtful to other people. I have learned to forgive a lot of things I didn't think I could, but it's healthier for me, and just because I can forgive doesn't mean I forget! I do have several big goals in mind for myself over this journey besides my ultimate weight I would like to see. I would love to get off of my blood pressure meds, but sadly genetics also plays a part in that. I want to be healthy and happy most of all. My biggest challenge over the years has been putting myself first, that's a hard thing for a mother/wife to do (for me anyway). Somewhere along the past 10 years or so, I quit liking myself and I didn't think I was good enough. I have been working on that for the past couple years and my self worth and self esteem are getting better. I know that I am good enough no matter how high that stupid number goes(of course it's not gonna go any higher) and that I deserve to be happy and it's ok to put myself first sometimes. I know that it's going to be a long and frustrating process, but I think I am up for it, and most of all I know I can do it!!!

22 years ago tonight...

this sweet little girl was born!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAWNIE!!!!! We love you very very much. Hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Weight Loss Wednesdays

I have thought about making Wednesdays all about weight loss for quite awhile now, but kinda chickened out! I am going to be working my butt off (literally I hope) for the next year while Todd is away to get to my ultimate goal weight. Of course it's not just about a certain number, but how I feel and to get as healthy as I can be!! Now I don't feel the need to actually share at this moment how much I do weigh, just trust me when I say it is too much! I also am not brave enough to tell you exactly how much I need to lose to get to my goal weight, let's just say I have my work cut out for myself. I will be posting about weight loss, what I'm doing, how it's working, and whatever else pops into my head on any given Wednesday that pertains to my weight loss journey. It may be a bumpy road at times, but I am looking forward to it. Come along if you want!! ;)

random thoughts

I thought I'd share a few random thoughts that have been going through my head lately....

I feel like I am in a little snow globe and someone keeps shaking it up as soon as I get things somewhat settled.

I am SO tired of smelling skunk on a nightly basis, just as I am FINALLY getting the house nice and cool. I so didn't miss that smell while living in Maryland for 10 years!!!

Skunks also make me leery about taking Lily out one last time before bed.

Only 4 months until Christmas!!

I wish I could stop procrastinating so much, but decided to think about that later ;)

I wonder why we don't treat our elderly better in this country and give them the respect and care they deserve.

I wonder why Tostitos scoops and bite size chips taste different, but have the same ingredients.

I think it sucks that some people (like my Daddy) still have to deal with dial up for the internet.

I think it's strange that I haven't taken any pictures (except Meg's first day of school) since I have moved back to Indiana.

I wonder why some people are never happy/thankful for what they have and want more/bigger/better.

I wish I had central air.

I wonder why some people have to be so negative, don't they realize that if all you put out is negative energy, that is all you will get in return?

I wonder how this country will ever overcome a 9 trillion dollar deficit.

I am glad that Indiana University is going to induct Bobby Knight into their hall of fame, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't attend.

I wonder why it is so hard for some people to be honest.

I want my maiden name back because it's mine, not because I don't love the man whose name I took.

I hope they have a barracks room for Todd soon so he can stop living out of suitcases and hotel rooms and finally have all of his stuff.

I hope we can figure out very soon if Todd can retire next year.

Being separated from Todd sucks big time and I miss him terribly.

My eyes are tired and I need to stop reading/typing.

First Day of School

Today Megan rode the bus to school for the first time on her first day at her new high school. She has always been able to walk to school before, so that was a new adventure for her. She is the last one picked up in the morning and the first one of the bus in the afternoon, so at least she isn't on the bus for very long. I asked her how her first day was and the only word she used to describe it was "different". Of course she knew it would be different than being in a high school with over 2100 students, but we have all had so many different things going on lately that she was a little shocked I think. Some parts were better than others, and we agreed that different isn't always a bad thing. I know she will adjust and I am glad that she did meet some nice kids today and that she had someone to eat lunch with, that helped a lot. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier than today, then she will have the weekend to recover and just chill. I did take pictures of her, but she said she didn't want them posted. Here's hoping that everyone has a great Friday!!!

My Lil Man

Well Reggie is still having some stress issues with the move and with Todd being gone. He has a history of urinary problems, as most of you know. Well he started having more problems as soon as we got to Indiana, they seem to come and go and they are back again. Of course Todd is one of his favorite people in the house, so I am positive he is missing Todd as much as the rest of us. So we are doing everything we can to help make Lil Man feel better, but I need more patience cause we never know when or where he is gonna try to pee :( So this afternoon I am off to buy a few more things to try to help keep him calm and relax him. Some good kitty thoughts would be appreciated :) We had to have Miss Gabby put down because her urinary problems wouldn't respond to any kind of treatment and I don't want to lose another kitty to this!!

1 week done

We have one week done and only 51 more to go, give or take, depending on if the retirement thing works out. We are all slowly adjusting to the numerous changes going on. Todd will be heading to his final destination sometime in the next few days. So by the end of next week (sooner would be great) he should be able to have his unaccompanied baggage delivered. Then we can chat via the internet and use the web cams we bought!!!
Oh, and may I just say that living without central air is a royal pain in the ass! Especially when the temps and heat index are in the 90's, then throw in some humidity just for fun!! I need central air before next summer starts or we may all melt into puddles of goo, including my poor furbabies.
There are other things going on, but my eyes are telling me that they need to rest, so that is what I shall do. Hope everyone stayed cool this weekend!!

Today Sucks

The title sums it up, today just sucks. Todd is on his way to Korea and I am an emotional mess. For as long as I can remember I have never dealt well with any major change, and boy have we had several in the past few months!! I hate the ups and downs that come with change and trying to find a "new normal". We had a new normal, now it has changed yet again and next week Meg will go back to school. Yes I know that I am complaining, but it's my blog, and I will do what makes me feel better ;) There are a lot of things about Army life that are very difficult, but the worst of all is definitely having to say goodbye. I know it will get easier once we get into a routine and find our new normal, but right now it is just breaking my heart that my other half is not here. That lonely feeling seems to set in real freaking fast and I hate how it makes me feel. Not too mention I really hate puffy eyes and a red, stuffy nose from crying :( I just pray that once our pay stabilizes that we will be able to determine if he can put in his retirement paperwork, so that we can FINALLY say thank you to the Army for all the blessings we have had, and bite me for all the heartaches and crap!! Todd I know you won't see this for a few days, and that I will have talked to you several times by then, but I love you so much!!!

2 Weeks

Wow, we have been home for 2 weeks now, some days it seems like it's been much longer than that and others it just doesn't seem possible that it has been 2 weeks. We are settling in nicely, they delivered our household goods on the 16th (that went fairly well) and we have been working on organizing everything since then. Chelsea's room has been painted, our bedroom carpet has been ripped out to reveal the hardwood floor, paint has been bought to redo the shutters, front door and side door. My biggest obstacle so far has been the kitchen, I went from a big kitchen in Maryland with plenty of counter and cupboard space, to one with not so much. As of today most of the inside work is done, we mainly have some things to work out in the basement. Tomorrow we are spending some time with family, then we shall start on the yard and garage and hopefully get the basement finished. Things are taking a little longer than we had hoped, but that's not really a big surprise :) Next week we will take all of Meg's paperwork into the high school and get her enrolled so we can figure out what classes she will be taking and get her registered. Other than not having any friends here yet, the girls are doing pretty well. Todd is focused on making sure everything is settled and taken care of before he has to leave. I am actually missing Maryland and trying not to focus on the fact that he is leaving us much to soon to head to Korea. The animals are getting more used to quiet country living. Reggie had the most health problems associated with the move, and Lily is now having some separation anxiety, but they are both doing better, thank God. There's probably more to tell, but I am tired and I think my brain is ready to quit for the night. I'll be back later this week, hopefully ;)

uh oh...

Well Todd and I did too good of a job getting things out of this house and to the one in Indiana, so I will be losing my computer today, soon actually. They will have almost the whole house packed up today, just a few odds and ends left for tomorrow plus all the inventory stickers that I love :) Everyone have a great next week or so and I will be back when I can. I am leaving you with a few random pictures :)

When It's Time To Change...

Then it's time to change :) I have that Brady Bunch song stuck in my head tonight and it won't go away, so what's a girl to do?? Well you go to youtube so you can hear the whole thing and irritate your husband!! ;) The reason the song is stuck in my head is because we are having some MAJOR changes this week and there is a song for everything. Sometime between 8-10 the movers will be here to start packing things up, that will take 2 days, then they load it up and they will deliver it in Indiana next week. So I will either lose my Internet later today or Wednesday and I won't have it back until late next week or possibly the week after!! I will however be checking email from other places once I get home. Starting Thursday night or maybe Friday we will be doing the cleaning that needs to be done so Picerne will be happy and then they can sign Todd's paperwork so we can leave next week.

As we were walking through the PX today I realized that Army life as I know it is pretty much over :( That makes me sad...all these acronyms running around in my head that most people don't know (among other things) After almost 20 years of this lifestyle I am disappointed that it is all changing so suddenly. Army life definitely isn't for everyone and I haven't always enjoyed it, but I can't imagine our life any other way and I really don't want to. Life in the civilian world will be quite different for the girls and I, the hardest part will be that Todd isn't there. But hey, we have done this before and God willing this will be the last time we do it. It's all really bittersweet. But today while we were in the PX I saw the coolest thing I have seen in awhile...the red M&M guy in ACU's!! I love it and had to have a picture to share!! Isn't he cute???

Well if I still have internet later I shall post some random pics from the last few weeks. If not, I will do that when the house is all set up and I have internet back. See you ASAP!!!

:o)

Well it's July, so there is A LOT going on. But there are 2 big things going on today...My baby is 16, which just blows me away. She was surprised by a friend and her mother coming to take her out for lunch and she is having a party starting at 5 this evening. Meggie you are a true blessing to this family and we all love you VERY much!! The other big event for the day is that Dawn is now a licensed driver!!! We are very proud of her :) We will be picking her up tomorrow so that the whole family can have a nice weekend together before everything is turned upside down. I'll be back later with some pics or who knows that may not happen until tomorrow!! Everyone have a great Thursday!!

thoughts on thursday

This week has been kinda busy, but pretty good so far. Monday they came and packed up Todd's stuff for Korea. I forgot how much I hate the smell of moving, it all smells bad together-the boxes, packing paper, the tape (nasty) and the freakin markers!! Here in about 11 days that's what my whole house will smell like!! EWWWW....but I'll survive :) Tuesday we had are pre-move out inspection with Picerne, that went well (I was shocked too). Wednesday Todd had his chiropractor appt. then off to Fridays we went for his going away luncheon. It was wonderful to see and hear how many people enjoy working with and for my honey. So many people had so many nice things to say and believe it or not I didn't cry!! He works with a lot of wonderful people and it's sad to have to say goodbye. I am very proud of him and all that he has accomplished, he is a wonderful husband and soldier and I don't think I could have asked for a better husband!! Today was his last day of work (haha) he actually hasn't been doing much for the last week and a half. Of course when you are at work and your supervisor says to you "what in the hell are you still doin here?" you don't stick around long :) Tomorrow he will start his outprocessing, which involves a lot of running around to different places on post and getting people to sign off on things. I am having a hard time believing how close we are to actually leaving. I am happy, but sad at the same time. I may not like a lot of things about this place, but it has been our home for almost 10 years. Well I still have things to do and lists to check...and plans to make for this weekend.

Amazing....

Well here we are half way through June, and time still won't slow down for me. :( What is amazing you ask?? Well it's amazing that I haven't hurt someone, it's amazing that I still have SOME sanity left, it's also amazing how many idiots there are in this world. We have been having some issues with one of the moving companies not getting us information, not to mention the agent they sent out last week to do a pre inventory had his defibrillator go off in our house (an experience I don't need again anytime soon). So tired of no answers, Todd called the transportation office today, and we were told we were on our own?? Ok since they have changed the entire system and way of doing moves, apparently the transportation office doesn't care how any of it goes once they have submitted paperwork. Now it used to be that if we had any issues with packers/moving office we were told by transportation to contact them...well not anymore I guess. This is so fun!!! Especially since the Army/government is paying for this freakin move!!! Ok anyway, supposedly we got the pack up and pack out dates we wanted. So now I have a few other phone calls to make about the phone, directv and Internet service. Oh and I suppose it would be a GREAT idea to notify everyone about our change of address. So far the easiest part of this move has been dealing with the high school here and Lakeland back home!!!
Graduation went very well, we are so proud of Miss Chelsea! It was nice to have all 5 of us together for the weekend, that will only happen 2 more times before we leave, then it won't happen again for quite awhile :( The graduation itself was actually pretty quick for having over 300 graduates (don't remember the exact number right now). The open house was fun too, lots of good food and people :) Chels is enjoying her summer so far and sleeping in as much as possible.
Megan started her summer off with a trip to Boston with her friend Danielle and her family. She left Thursday night and got back late last night, now I am just waiting on her to actually get home today! :)
Todd is "enjoying" his last full week of work!! We have been busy gathering up what he will need to take to Korea. They will be packing his stuff up next Monday. We have a few work orders that Picerne will be taking care of tomorrow sometime between 1-5. This weekend we will need to paint Chels's walls back to white before our pre-inspection next Tuesday. I have several things I still need to take care of too. We also need to plan Meggie's sweet 16 party for the 2nd of July!!
I hope some of you are having a calm Monday, because we aren't and somebody somewhere deserves one :)

Still Waiting...

The last time I posted we didn't have any pack out dates...Well, that afternoon we received a phone call from the company who will be doing Todd's shipment to Korea! Of course we still haven't heard anything about our shipment to IN. We do know for sure that the paperwork has gone through and we are waiting to hear from whatever carrier picks it up. We did get some other info today, but it is info I didn't really want, we now have his flight details for August :(
This week and weekend will be an adventure. Today from 1-5 I will be waiting on the Picerne people to come out and see if they can fix my dishwasher. Yesterday the bug man was here to spray for all the tiny ants that want to visit without an invitation (that they won't get from me)! Tomorrow Todd has drown proofing, then we take Lily to the vet for her heartworm test and distemper shot (poor baby). Then in the afternoon we take Chels for her eye doctor appointment. So far Thursday is clear :) Friday is final graduation rehearsal and Meg will be getting out 2 hours early for her last 4 days of school. Plus we should have company coming in for graduation that day. So Thursday isn't clear, I will be cleaning and finishing up some things around the house. Saturday is graduation and the open house/party that night. Sunday we can relax and maybe go to the pool, watch the race and just chill. I'll let you know how that goes :)

Where did it go??

Only 3 full days left in May, where did this month go?? We had one week that went REALLY slow, but damn if the rest of the month hasn't been in fast forward! We will be meeting my goal of having every room/closet cleaned and sorted and things we don't want/need taken either to the garbage/recycling/thrift shop or listed for sale, by the end of May!!! I wish we were allowed to have freakin yard sales in our own yards/courts (thanks Picerne for screwing up so many things over the past several years). I think I am driving the poor animals insane with all this moving of things and tearing the house apart, then putting it back together in a slightly different way. Oh and by the way, the Army (or whoever decided) has changed how they do moves through the transportation office. Everything is now done online and takes a heck of a lot longer than it used to get even get the freakin pack out dates!!! We submitted our paperwork on the 15th and still don't know if the pack out dates we wanted will work with any of their carriers!!! A lady from our transportation office called yesterday, but that was because she had made a mistake, then figured out what it was while we were on the phone. I asked her how long until we hear anything about our dates, and she said "well I just submitted the paperwork for the shipment to Korea and in about 2 minutes I will submit the other one so keep an eye on your EMAIL you should be hearing from a carrier but I can't tell you how long it will take." WTF??????? Now they won't even CALL we have to watch our email, this is crazy. I pray that other than Todd leaving Korea that this is the LAST FREAKIN time we have to deal with this crap. On to other topics :)

Chelsea's last day of school is tomorrow, most of the day will be spent doing graduation rehearsal. Meg isn't finished until the 10th of June. So next week will start the prep for graduation and the party to follow. I need to stock up on tissues too :) I am sure I will be doing A LOT of crying, (nothing new for me). Dawn was home from the 15th until Memorial day, she is back on campus doing her summer job. It was nice to have everyone home together for a week. We played some games, talked, and actually got to eat several meals with all 5 of us at the table!! Plus we got a lot of stuff done. May has definitely been a very productive month. Oh, I almost forgot, the oral surgeon said Chels's wisdom teeth can definitely wait for about 4-6 months!!! Thank you God!!!!

I get the feeling these last couple of posts I have been repeating myself :) Oh well, my brain has way too much going on right now, so you'll have to forgive me if I am rambling or repeating things. Oh and I have had a couple of suggestions for new blog titles, but I haven't decided yet, I've been to busy wondering where in the world May went? ;)

2 months, REALLY???!!

Wow, we actually get to say goodbye to Fort Hades in 2 months!! May is flying by! Senior Prom is over, Chelsea has taken her state board exam (results in 10 business days from the 11th), she has her consult on Monday with the oral surgeon (wisdom teeth), we have an awards ceremony to go to the evening of the 26th, her last day of school is the 29th and graduation in a little over 3 weeks!!! We mailed all the announcements and invitations today. Todd will pick Dawn up tomorrow and she will spend about a week with us before she heads back for her summer job at the college. Tomorrow we will also go over to transportation and HOPEFULLY have our pack out dates :) We still have a lot of work left to do around the house, I think I may need to light a fire under the girls to get them moving. Maybe sometime in June we can find a little time to relax, but I won't hold my breath :) Meg is out of school on the 10th of June, so hmmm...maybe it is a possibility!

I figured since once I get to Indiana I will need to change the name of this blog, I would share with you the inspiration behind the name of it :) Shortly after getting here I already felt trapped and overwhelmed by the entire area. At the PX they sell magnets, key chains and various other little trinkets with the name of the state you are stationed in. One day we decided to check them out and this is what I found....

I thought they were perfect for how I felt at the time. The last picture is actually perfect for now, it's me on the outside of the cage getting ready to RUN!!! :) Anyway thought you might like to see where the name of my blog came from. At least I have time to come up with a new name for it...that could take awhile :) (any suggestions??) Enjoy your Thursday!!!

Senior Prom 2009

On Friday the 8th of May Chelsea had her Senior Prom in Annapolis. Here are a few pictures of Chelsea and Tray :)

End of April

Well it's the end of April and I have been M.I.A. for most of it :) We have had lots to do and we are basically right on schedule. Todd and I made a trip home this month, we weren't home for very long, but we did get A LOT done!! We had to have some work done in the basement so that it was safe to put furniture in the family/dining room (we thought that would be helpful). So now instead of one BIG room we have a hallway and 2 rooms. Supporting walls are very important!! :) Don't ask me why they weren't there in the first place, I just know the header was damaged and the floor had a sway to it. But all that work is completed and my house is happy!! :) Sorry we didn't have the chance to do any socializing while we were there, but we were very limited on time.
I found out in April that my blood pressure, cholesterol and thyroid are all doing amazing. Unfortunately my Vitamin D level is "way to low". So I am now on a vitamin D supplement and trying to get as much sun as possible. I have also started to lose weight since taking it. Who knew that Vitamin D had anything to do with metabolism?? Well if you did, you should have told me! :) I am feeling much better than I was and at least it was a fairly easy fix.
Todd is doing well. He survived his first anthrax shot with flying colors, thank you God. That one had me scared. He is seeing the chiropractor on a regular basis for his back issues and thank God that is still helping. They said if it gets to the point the chiro. can no longer help, he may need surgery! He can't wait to leave Fort Hades, but is not looking forward to being gone for year :(
Dawn will be finishing up her junior year of college on the 15th of May. She was inducted into the Trumpeters (an honor society for leadership) this week. We are very proud!! She will be working on campus this summer and has room and board taken care of. She will be home for a little over a week in May, she'll be here in June for Chels's graduation and in July for Meg's birthday and for a weekend before we leave. She is doing amazing things at school and we are VERY proud of her!!!
Chelsea decided that she will be coming to Indiana with us, at least for awhile :) Right now she is preparing for Senior Prom on the 8th, her state board exam for cosmetology on the 11th and her last day of school on the 29th not to mention graduation in June!! She is a very busy young lady!! She will also be receiving the best graduation gift, sometime in June she will be having her wisdom teeth removed ;)
Megan is...well she's Megan :) She is spending time with friends that she will be missing when we leave. She is also busy studying for her AP European History exam next Friday. Of course she is planning her 16th birthday party in July, before we leave. She will be getting a new cell phone as an early b-day present since hers is "a piece of crap" and she hasn't been able to text for over a month now, and it is just killing her. The sophomores also received order forms for their class rings, so she is picking that out.
There seems to be a big theme here lately, and it all includes big m o n e y!! At least some things are spread out, a little. We have a lot of things to finish going through in the house, we have accumulated a lot of stuff over the last (almost) 10 years here. I already have several lists made of things to do, and I am sure I will be making many more!! Lists are my friends :) I hope everyone had an enjoyable April and I hope there are lots of May Flowers for us to enjoy!!!

Cherry Blossom Festival

Meggie got to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. today with one of her friends and thanks to her I have some new pictures to share. It was a beautiful day for it too, we got up to 71 and had lots of sun and a nice breeze!! Enjoy the pics Meggie took :)

'Bout freakin time!!!!

YES!!!!!!! I am so freakin happy!! Jeff Gordon FINALLY won a race after going for 47 races without a win, plus it's his first win at Texas Motor Speedway!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Jeff!!!!!

end of March

Wow, today is the last day of March!! YAY :) We've been pretty busy around here. Dawn was home for a week for spring break, we have been sorting through things to keep, donate, throw away and pack up for IN. There are a lot of things the movers won't pack up, so I need to make sure that we get those things home so that when we do our final trip home we actually have room for us and the animals! :) Chelsea had her state competition for SkillsUSA, she did excellent work but did not place in the top 3. We are very proud of her and all of her hard work. Todd got the first anthrax vaccine in the series yesterday. I have been working VERY hard to be healthier, and lose some weight! I found muscles I forgot I had :) it's rather exhilarating (even with the pain)!!! Megan has been spending a lot of time with her friends and being a little social butterfly, plus some babysitting for extra cash. We also found a new, loving home for the birds that were part of the mini zoo. I learned that I am just not a bird person, not inside the house anyway!! They are just too messy and too loud for me to deal with indoors!! Other than several different appointments in April and a trip home, April should be a fairly calm month compared to the ones coming up. True to form, March came in like a lion for us and is leaving like a lamb! Maybe I can get back to regular posting soon, but don't count on it :)

Thankful Thursday

First of all I am glad that all my friends and family back home didn't have to build an ark to survive all the rain they've had this past week! I am very thankful that our basement didn't flood, it had some water, but it could have been much worse. I'm also thankful for the internet and different social sites that have allowed me to keep in touch with family and friends, not too mention find some old friends that I have missed, it's great to catch up with them. I'm also glad to hear that so many people in various areas have seen robins (we had a big one in the yard today too) and other signs of Spring FINALLY coming!! So here are a couple of pictures to help make us feel like winter is leaving :) Think Spring!!! Hope everyone had something to be thankful for this week and Happy Birthday to Theresa out in Arizona!!

Spring-like Saturday

What a beautiful day we had, high of 73 and we even had a heat index for awhile!!! Just last weekend we were getting around 7 inches of snow. Crazy, crazy weather!! We are supposed to be in the 70's again tomorrow, 60's on Monday and then 50's and below the rest of the week. I opened windows today and aired out the house, it was wonderful and very refreshing. Now early in the morning we get to do that lovely spring forward junk with the time. That was one of the hardest things I had to get used to when I moved away from Indiana, then they had to go and join in the stupidity. I really think it is time to do away with this changing of time twice a year, I know A LOT of people who agree :) Let's just figure out what time it should be (and what time zone we should be in, cause IN is in the wrong one) and leave it that way ALL year long. OHHH WAIT, that would make sense and there seems to be a huge deficit of common sense lately. Ok, done with that complaint now :) I skipped Favorites on Friday this week, cause I had such a great week that I really didn't feel like doing it. If that doesn't make sense, that's ok, see above ;) hehehe Hope everyone had a great Saturday!!

YAY!!

I got the best birthday gift yesterday and didn't even know it!! Todd was off from his regular Army job yesterday because he had overnight duty from Tues. at 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Well we have been waiting on his PCS orders outta here and they came in yesterday!!!! So what does that mean?? Well tomorrow we will go to transportation to set up the packing dates for his stuff that will go to Korea and for the rest of our Household Goods (HHG) to go where?? Everyone scream INDIANA BABY!!!! We will also get his actual flight date in August to head to Korea tomorrow or next week, depending on how things go tomorrow AND we can also print up are notice to vacate housing here, excuse me while I do a very, very Happy Dance!!! I can't wait to take that paperwork to the Picerne people!!!!! YAY!!!!! My favorite part of his orders are the following: family separation allowance, shipment of HHG and family travel to a designated location is authorized. What does that mean??? Well...it means we get paid for being apart while he is in Korea, and that the Army will pay to move my stuff to our designated location, and I can FINALLY go HOME!!!!! They also approved his 30 days of leave, YAY, plus he has 10 business days to out process here at Fort Hades and with the 4th of July holiday thrown in, that means his last day of work will be 25 June!!! So we will actually get lots of time together before he has to fly!!! What a glorious day this is, God is good!!!

Thankful Thursday

Well this week Thankful Thursday is very, very easy to do :) I would like to thank ALL of my family and friends who sent birthday wishes for my 39th birthday yesterday!! I am thankful for each and everyone of you. I had a great birthday! One of my dear friends said that she hoped my birthday was the beginning of my best year ever, and that got me to thinking, which can be dangerous as most of you know :) Since this is my last year in my 30's I have decided to do everything I can to make this my best year ever. Of course there will be some challenges with that since Todd will be gone for 7 months of my 39th year. Of course challenges can also make me more determined :) I have been working on getting healthier (also thinner), by exercising more and eating better and trying to find healthy ways to deal with stress and the negativity some people seem to want to throw my way. But I am determined to be healthier and happier and make this my best year!! I think my favorite prayer will be a wonderful guideline to help with that:

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change:

The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that he will make all things right if I surrender to his will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen

My special post for the day ended up being posted before the other one because I started it first today, saved it, then went back tonight and changed it, and it got posted by the time I originally started it. Just wanted to let you know what happened and make sure if you want to see it that you know where it is. Sooo there you have it.

Snow Day

Well the girls have their 2nd snow day of the year. It's hard to tell just exactly how much snow we did get because the wind has been blowing and drifting it since early this morning. We are guessing that there is at least 6 inches out there, and it has quit snowing for now. Todd also got a day off work. They cleaned out the court we live in around 8:30ish and they did a good job, we have to shovel the sidewalk and in front of our carport so we can get out if we need to, hopefully we won't need to :) It looks like the snow won't start melting until Wednesday when we are back above freezing. I'm happy we didn't get nearly as much snow as they thought we would. Sorry if this seems to be a little off, but I have a million things running through my head right now. I will be back on here later with a special post about today as soon as I figure out just how I want to do it.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Today is my Grandpa's Birthday, he has been in Heaven for 13 years later this month. There are some things I wish I could have shared with him before he was gone and some things that have happened recently that I wish I could share with him. All day today I have been trying to figure out how I wanted this post to go and exactly what I wanted to say and I have cried a lot. So this is letter I would send my Grandpa W.

Dear Grandpa,
I can't believe it has been so long since I have been able to sit and listen to the wonderful stories you loved to share about your life in Kentucky as a boy, and then your life after you moved to Indiana. I loved hearing about all your adventures and learning about our family. I bet you are still telling your stories up there, and I bet you have a very captive audience. I hope you have told Grandma some stories about me and my family as well. Give her a hug for me. Megan is very honored to be named after you and she loves listening to me tell her stories about you and your farm, and how I used to love to pet the cattle and how much I loved playing in the barns, Dawn and Chelsea also enjoy hearing the stories. I always thought it was so cool that my birthday was just 2 days after yours, it made me feel closer to you. It still seems weird to go home and not see your house or the barns, but they live on in my heart and my stories. I love it when people tell me that some of the things I do, say and just how I am remind them of you. That is the best compliment :) I didn't get the chance to go on a trip to Kentucky with you like so many others in the family did, so I am hoping that soon I will be able to go their with my Dad and he can tell me some stories about you. He is a pretty good story teller too :) I hope you are having a wonderful Birthday in Heaven and I just wanted to let you know that I love you and I miss you.
Love,
Christy

Sunday Catch Up

I managed to miss Favorites on Friday, anyone surprised??? I'm not :) Todd and I had the whole night (til midnight) after he got home from work by ourselves!! We had Chinese, talked and watched some TV, it was my favorite part of the week, plus we played with Chelsea's Wii Fit. We did some shopping yesterday, the girls both needed clothes for the state DECA competition, they will be in Annapolis from Thursday morning until Friday evening. Todd got the oil changed in the truck (which took 2 freakin hours) at our favorite Chevy place, NOT! Hopefully that is the last time we will have to go in there. We had some wonderful family time last night, and poor Chelsea kept having coughing fits :( This stupid cold just won't leave her alone. Of course Friday we got up to 64, and yesterday it was cold (around 38ish). Last night we had some snow, now today starting at 2 p.m. we are under a winter storm warning until 2 p.m. tomorrow. We are expected to get between 9-14 inches of snow!! I hope they are WRONG!! But it would be nice to have Todd and the girls home tomorrow! :) So March is definitely coming in like a lion this year around here. Now hopefully this is it for us (of course we have hardly had any snow) and spring will show up sooner than later and actually stick around!! So today I shall do laundry, watch the NASCAR race and watch the snow fall. Everyone have a great Sunday and Happy March!!!

Wow...and Thankful Thursday (late)

This week actually got away from me, didn't even realize what day it was, so I missed thankful Thursday on Thursday again :) What I am actually thankful for has to do with how this week went. I had a mild (thank God) headache that started Sunday and FINALLY went away to stay (I hope) last night. Chels was home Mon, Wed, Thurs and half of today. What we thought was going to turn into the flu, did NOT, YAY!!!! She had a fever, aches, a mild cough and congestion and of course was dizzy. Thank God the symptoms ended there. She is feeling better and did make it to cosmetology today. She will have lots of work to make up though. But just thankful it wasn't the flu and that everyone else is still feeling well so far :) We also planned a trip home in April to finish up some things in the house before all of our stuff is delivered. We have to put another coat of paint in Meg's room, put up some border, shampoo carpets, and take out some landscaping plants we don't want and a few other odds and ends. Oh and we will be getting some new, energy effecient appliances for the kitchen, because I think the fridge, stove and dishwasher are at the very least as old as we are if not older!! Anyway, I'll be back later, hopefully to do favorites on Friday. Hope everyone is healthy!!

Favorites on Friday

Well it's the end of the week again, so it's time for Favorites on Friday! So here is a picture of my house in IN surrounded by snow :) Now normally I love snow, but let's face it, back home has had more than enough snow this season. Now according to weatherbug, our county back home is under a winter storm warning with 6-8 inches of snow expected tomorrow, with possibly 1-2 inches per hour!!! I know everyone back home is sick of the snow and for good reason. We have hardly had any snow here in our part of Maryland this season. We just keep going back and forth with the temps. Enjoy the picture of my favorite house looking very peaceful and pretty surrounded by snow. Everyone back home please stay safe and warm, and just maybe since I will be home next winter and enjoy the snow, maybe there won't be as much :) It's a nice thought anyway. Have the best weekend possible! Thanks to my Daddy for the pic. :)

Thankful Thursday

Well I was having a difficult time trying to figure out what to be thankful for today and Todd had a great idea. This week I am very thankful for the opportunity to take naps!! Yes naps :) I think this world might be a better place if we all had the chance to take naps as needed. I know when the girls were little and even now, that they are more enjoyable and less cranky after a nap. Heck I am the same way ;) Naps are great, they can help with stress, they are great when you aren't feeling well, they can energize you, all in all good for our health. So I say YES to naps!! If you get a chance enjoy a great nap ASAP, you'll be glad you did ;)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

glitter-graphics.com

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday Dave!!!

Favorites on Friday (on Saturday)

Todd has been in the Army for 19 years, 4 months, and 12 days. The majority of that time he has been on rotating shifts (usually all 3 shifts), working weekends and holidays. Not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes weekends in the middle of the week are great :) but when he had to work on the actual weekend and everyone was out having cookouts and having fun he would sometimes be sleeping to go in for a mid (3rd shift) and that sucked. Well since he has been back from Korea in 2004 he has been what a lot of us refer to as a "day ho". Which simply means he works days with holidays and weekends off. It did take some time to get used to that. But my FAVORITE part about him being a "day ho" has got to be the 3 (sometimes 4) day weekends he ends up with!! They are simply wonderful. We get to spend a lot of time together and actually relax. This weekends just happens to be one of those weekends, so I am very happy :)

Thankful Thursday

It's thankful Thursday again and this week has been a pretty good one! I am thankful that after Lily's follow up electrocardiagram that her heart block WAS caused by the anesthesia and it is no longer there!! :o) and the gum where her tooth was pulled is almost completely healed and she has just a few stitches left that will dissolve. Todd's smallpox injection is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing, and he isn't too uncomfortable with some of the side effects. He did decide to put off the start of the anthrax vaccinations until the swelling and pain in his lymph nodes go away. We had a couple of beautiful spring like days this week which put me into a great mood and I cleaned the house with the extra energy. Now I am waiting for the wind to go away, gusts up to 55 mph are just not fun. Poor Lily walking out of the vet's office with the wind blowing right in her face caused her to sneeze about 5 times! Oh and today Jeff Gordon won the first Gatorade duel, so he will be starting the race in the 2nd row!!! Way to go Jeff!!! I hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Lily Update

Miss Lily Belle is feeling better after a week of pain from the extracted tooth, the swelling and itching from the allergic reaction to the antibiotic, the vomiting and losing chunks of hair from the allergic reaction and the stress from all of the above she was actually able to eat her regular food tonight instead of chicken and rice with enzymes. She was actually a little playful today and acting more like her silly little self. It was just like having a sick baby in the house, and boy was I a mess! We take her in Thursday to recheck her heart and hopefully it will be fine.

All of my animals in my mini zoo are sending prayers and strength to my friend, her family and mini zoo in Arizona. They lost one of their zoo members early this morning, a very sweet, loving, little black and white cat. God speed Eclipse and say "Hello" to Gabby for us.

Favorites on Friday

It's time for Favorites on Friday again, after a long break. I absolutely love music boxes!! Well most of mine are actually packed up in boxes already and some are at home in Indiana. This is my newest music box and I'd say one of my favorites. She plays "Everything Is Beautiful" and she is :) Now I think for my birthday I shall order myself one similiar to her, but it is a sea turtle!!! I hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend.

thankful thursday

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday in quite awhile and I really don't feel like doing one tonight after the week we have had. The stress of Lily's surgery on Monday to remove a broken tooth, then hearing about a possible heart problem with her, to today when her muzzle and face were so swollen because she is allergic to the antibiotic they gave her. So I was going to be thankful for benadryl, but it isn't helping for a very long period of time. We may have to go in tomorrow for a steroid shot for her if it isn't much better. Then throw in the fact that Todd got his smallpox injection and we have to be careful with that and wash all of his laundry/towels/bedding in hot water to prevent the vaccine crap from causing problems for any of us, until the blister forms, dries up and heals!! So I guess I am thankful for the benadryl (just hope it works overnight), I am thankful that I haven't had a complete breakdown with all of this (plus other things I really don't think I should post), but I think most of all I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday and I am praying for a calm one, plus a better week next week. I hope everyone is having less stress then there is in my house this week.

Army Stuff

I've decided not to go into detail about some of the Army stuff we have to do when we PCS (switch duty stations). But I thoughts I'd share some :) In preparation for Todd to go to Korea there are certain shots he needs this time that he didn't have to have when he went in 2003. Well today he went in to get his smallpox injection, which by the way scares the heck out of me. But next week is worse because he will start the Anthrax series. The short version of the smallpox is that hopefully within 2-3 weeks he will get a blister, it will come off and heal and he will be done with it. Until the blister is off and it's healed we need to keep it completely covered and his laundry needs to be done seperately. In the meantime some good thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated that he doesn't get sick and that this injection works the way it is supposed to. Thanks!!!

Miss Lily Belle

Well apparently Miss Lily decided we needed a little more excitement/stress to deal with, or she decided it was time for her to be the main center of attention. We discovered last week that she had a fractured tooth. So we make a couple of phone calls, get her into a certain Vet's office (we have been there before) they told us they could do the extraction when we called, then after we were there said "oh no, we will give you a referral to a specialist". Well we all know that anything that ends in IST and has to do with anything medical is going to be expensive. So we get home, I call the number of the ist they gave us and they quoted an estimate at $1200-$1300, but it could be higher!!! I almost passed out from that news, I said I needed to talk to my husband and I'd call back. So we called another trusty vet's office and they said "Wow, that is just way too much", I said no kidding :) So they asked me all kinds of ?'s and gave me a rough estimate of $500-$600!! What a huge difference! So today we dropped Lily Belle off at 7 a.m. and I spent the day missing my baby girl and worrying (my specialty). We were able to pick her up at 4:30 along with an oral rinse, pain meds, and antibiotics. Plus we were told that while she was under her heart was skipping beats. So next week after all the effects of the anesthesia have worn off she goes in for an electrocardiogram to see if it was caused by the surgery. I pray that's all it was, and that she is fine. She is doing ok tonight and she is very happy to be home. We still aren't sure how she fractured the tooth, but we are guessing that it was Hannah's nylabone (it's too big for Lily to chew) that did it. Needless to say all hard nylabones have been disposed of. Well it's very late, and I am very tired so off to sleep I go. Goodnight!!!

Happy Birthday Lil' Man!

Today is Reggie's 6th Birthday. He went from this darling little kitty here that Chels brought home from a friends neighbor... to this Lil' Man here! We've had him since he was about 8 weeks old and he has brought so much joy and love to us. He is quite a character, from hiding in an empty trash can or trying to fit into ANY size cardboard box, to crawling into a rolled up rug or burrowing his way into a very warm, fresh from the dryer mattress pad! He likes to play with the dogs and watch the outside world. We still aren't quite sure how he feels about Holly, but they do get along most of the time :) It is the perfect day for him too, we have lots of sun, so he will be on the kitty tower by the window until the sun isn't there, then he will come downstairs to find some more sun to soak up!!

HAPPY FEBRUARY!!

Yay, one month of this year is gone!!! Now maybe some things around here will FINALLY calm down and I can get back to semi-regular posting :) We spent all day yesterday at Chels's vocational school for the SkillsUSA regional competition. It was a very long day but well worth it, Chels came in 2nd for cosmetology!!! Now she will compete in the state competition in March!!! We are so proud of her :) This is also excellent practice for her when she takes the state board to get her license. Last week they had a class competition for nail art that was judged by local cosmetologists and she got first place for that!! It's obvious that she loves what she does and that makes me a very happy Mom.
Well it is Super Bowl Sunday, sadly no Colts this year. But I will be cheering for the Arizona Cardinals for a couple of reasons, I really like Edgerin James (former Colt), and I have never been a Steelers fan (sorry D. in Hawaii). There are only certain times I can root for them, like when they played the Ravens :) We will watch the game and hopefully there will be some good commercials. I will finish up laundry and tomorrow there will be 2 posts, one for Miss Lily Belle, and one for Lil Man!! Everyone have a wonderful rest of the day!!

what a week

This has not been the best week to say the least. Hopefully Monday morning the last of the work orders that had to be done after the pipe burst will be finished. Chels is finished with her semester exams and goes back to school on Thursday. Meg has one more day of exams left. The 2nd semester starts Thursday. So this school year is almost half over!! Thank God. I don't want this year to go fast because that means Chels will be graduating and Todd will be leaving. But at the same time I want this year to go fast because I seriously need to get out of here so that my stress level can go down. I also want people to keep their word when they say they will do something and if they can't/don't I think there should at least be an explanation and an apology. Maybe I am asking for too much? If I am then I will apologize. I really do get tired of being let down without an explanation or apology. It's stressful, hurtful and very irritating when it happens over and over. Ok, I'm done for now. Hopefully next week will be a better week and then thankful thursday and favorites on friday can return. But right now I just don't feel like doing them. I hope everyone has the kind of weekend you want and that makes you happy!!!

Why Am I Awake???

You all may be sorry I asked that question!! Oh man what a freaking night/early morning. I am convinced that the people running Picerne and our neighborhood office have no common sense let alone a whole functioning brain!!!! We had just finished watching a movie and we were getting ready to head up to bed around 11:57. Well the pipes in our uninsulated outside wall had other ideas yet again. Now I grew up in Indiana and I have a pretty good amount of common sense (usually) so I know about disconnecting waterhoses, shutting off the inside valves for the water hoses, I also know to leave faucets dripping so the lines don't freeze. All of which were done in this lovely house (heavy sarcasm) we live in. But I also know if you won't insulate the walls where the pipes are located let alone the freaking pipes, they are GOING to freeze!!! Now this is the 3rd time this has happened since we moved into this particular house in August of 2005. We asked yet again when the "maintenance man" showed up and finally got the damn main water valve shut off (it was supposed to be replaced before now) if they would insulate the pipes or the walls at the very least and guess what he said?? Guess, I dare you, I bet you get it right!! He said "no we can't do that". Before Todd or I could say I word, Chelsea said "Why not?" and he wouldn't give us an answer. Now about that main water valve shut off that is in the utility room...from the last week of November til the 4th of December we had 3 different "maintenance men" out here to make sure all the valves for water hoses were shut off and that hoses were disconnected. We have little doors that open in the inside walls with shut off valves for the water hoses. Well the one for out front just spins in circles and you can't shut it off. So all 3 of these Picerne "workers" tried to shut off the main water valve so they could replace the one for the hose that won't shut off, none of them could get the main valve shut off. So they decide we need the main water shut off valve replaced (DUH) "cause that's not safe" (double duh!) and so they can replace the valve to shut the water off to the hose. Well in order for all of this to happen, they apparently need to get a private contractor to order the part and apparently that part is coming from China (like everything else) on a VERY SLOW boat. I have called the office several times since Dec. 4th to check on said part, and big surprise it is never in and they still don't know anything!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! Back to tonight, well the girls gathered up every freakin towel we have and made one heck of a pile to help keep the water from flooding the whole dining/living room area. Todd got the main valve to move some more but then it wouldn't budge, well after dealing with stupid people on the phone and being told that the closest on call loser was 45 minutes away, I got super ticked and managed to get it to turn some more, then it wouldn't move. The loser finally after trying a few times managed to turn it off without breaking it!!!! SHOCK! He made a few nasty comments, which me being who I am will report the crap he said and make a complaint against the rude jerk. I almost threw something at him, but decided I shouldn't. So he cut the pipe off, put a shut off valve on it, had the carpet people suck the water out of the carpet. Now Monday someone will be here to finish fixing the damn pipe, redo the drywall and shampoo my carpet. Or will they??? We shall see. So now I have to stay up and do at least one load of towels so Chelsea can take a shower before she goes to work in the morning and because they were in 2 buckets, the washing machine and my kitchen sink dripping wet!!! The good thing about this whole situation??? Well that would be that it happened here and not at my house in Indiana, and thank you God for that blessing. Well if you made it this far, WOW :) I hope no one else has to deal with frozen, bursting pipes.