Christmas tree crisis!

I woke up Saturday morning and discovered tiny black bugs all over my carpet near my tree. Upon looking at the trunk closer, we discovered bigger ones feeding on the sap. Gross!!! Hubby said they were aphids. We quickly took off all the ornaments and lights and disposed of the tree. So here I was 3 days before Christmas with no Christmas tree. My oldest started freaking out that she wasn't going to have a tree her last Christmas home before she went to college. (That depresses me to think about so I'm not going to get into any details about that)

Her and I went on a hunt to find a tree. We had to visit a few different places, but finally found a 9 foot pre-lit artificial one (not taking any chances!) at Home Depot, and it was half off, score! We brought it home and put the decorations on it. It looks fabulous. Much better than the last one. Crisis averted.

I wrapped all the girls presents last night so now we just have to wait for tomorrow morning for them to open them. I actually have hubby stumped this year. He always manages to figure out what I got him. It's killing him that he can't guess. He he.

Well, I'm off to cook some dinner. The natives are getting restless. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

My Christmas Cards

We finally got around to taking the picture of the girls for the Christmas cards today. It's so hard to find one that they both agree on and we can use. They narrowed it done to these two. I liked the first one better, but they liked the second one so that's the one I ordered. They should be ready to pick up in a couple of days.





I like sending out cards, I just don't like addressing and licking all the envelopes. Ewwww!!! I refuse to lick them. That's just gross to me.

I have all my shopping done except for one gift for my mom. I know what I'm getting, I just have to go to the store and get it. I will probably go one day next week.

Oh, and we heard from NC State yesterday and Stephanie got in!!! She said she was going to accept no matter what Chapel Hill told her. We shall see if that's true next month when Chapel Hill sends out their letters.

We have had the weirdest weather here lately. It's been 80 degrees most of this past week and today it was cold. They are actually calling for snow tonight. That's so strange. I wish it would make up it's mind. Don't get me wrong, I am loving the warmer temps. I don't care if I ever see snow again.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Stay safe and warm.

My tree

Our Tree



This is the job Steph and Will did to the outside of the house. Sorry it's blurry. It was cold and I was in a hurry!!




Also, it was Will's 18th birthday Monday and we had a cake for him.

My busy week went well

We had our wine tasting Thursday night and it was fun. We learned some new things about wine that we didn't know before. We sampled 12 different wines from all around the world. My favorite from the states is still Washington state. They produce some awesome wines. New Zealand is the best for Rieslings so far. I tasted a really good red wine from Argentina as well. All in all, it was a great night.

Our Christmas party was last night and we had some fun. My friends and I danced the night away. It's nice to let loose and act silly every now and then.



Hubby and I. Do you like me new auburn hair? I love it.




My crazy co-workers. Amy, Me, Shannon (she did my hair), and Stacy. These girls keep me laughing every day.

We are going to get our tree today, hopefully. We haven't done the first bit of decorating for Christmas. I am such a slacker this year!!

Have a great week everybody!

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth

Sorry for the absence. I have several things going on right now to keep me away from the computer. My Christmas work party is this Saturday and we give gag gifts to each of the doctors and they have assigned me to write the poems to go with them. It's really fun and they have to stand up and read them in front of everyone.

We also have a wine tasting social for the neighborhood that we are hosting tomorrow night so I have been getting ready for that as well. I am also hosting a purse party next Friday and we have our monthly Bunko the following Friday. Busy, busy.

My sister's birthday is tomorrow so we all went out to eat tonight at PF Changs. I love that place. I saw my younger sister, the one who is having problems with her son and she didn't take my advice. He skipped school today actually. I don't know what to say about that. She asked me if I would trade one of my girls for him for a month. I told her that he would be praying for military school by the end of the month. I'm not willing to give up my kid to find out.

I am going to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend. I am usually done by now. I hate the crowds. Oh, and I am also getting my hair done on Saturday. I haven't had it cut since July. I am in desperate need!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

P.S. Aren't you proud of me Jude? I managed to change my layout all by myself, lol!

Just a little update

Tyler's mom is healing. She broke her bone under her one eye. The guy was her crack head neighbor just trying to start some trouble. He's in jail, thank goodness.

The holidays are creeping up on me. I am going to do some more shopping this weekend. I have decided to get hubby the XBox 360. He loves his video games. Men and their toys, lol!

My sister has come to ask for advice about her 15 year old son. He's failing all of his classes (he's in the 9th grade for a second year), mainly because he's skipping school. She takes him every morning to make sure he goes, but at some point, he leaves the school grounds. Obviously, this is easy to do. His father is out of the picture for some time. She has remarried 7 years ago and new hubby is no help. He has a 16 year old daughter from his first marriage that can do no wrong, and he doesn't discipline her for anything. She wants to send him to military school, but can't afford it. I told her what I would do if this happened to me. I told her to set up tutoring sessions after school that are mandatory for him to go to try to bring his grades up. Then I would take everything out of his room except for his bed and his clothes. No tv, no video games, no guitar until he brought his grades back up. I would also have him do some chores around the house. He doesn't do any now. She thought that was being strict, but I think she is way too lenient with him. What do you guys think? Any suggestions for my sis? She could use all the help she can get.

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far!

Finally some good news!

Stephanie heard back from East Carolina University today and SHE GOT IN!!! I am so proud of her. She is still waiting to hear back from NC State and Chapel Hill. ECU is her 3rd choice. It's 3 hours away, so it's my third choice as well, lol!

Connie left me a not so cryptic message the other day that I am still on cloud nine about. I am anxiously awaiting some details on that girl!!

We have started Christmas shopping. The girls wanted docks for their iPods so we got those and we got them Guitar Hero 3 for the PS2. Kim also wanted the soundtrack to Across the Universe, so I picked that up. She is a huge Beatle's fan. She appreciates music the way I do. She has very eclectic taste like me. She also has a love for reading like me. She's joined a book club at school. She has a love for writing like me and writes short stories too. She really is my mini me.

I am really enjoying my new car. The girls at work call it my British Mobile since I have the union jack on the front. They love to ride in it at lunch time and we blast some 80's music and act silly. I will post some pics. Every time I go to find my digital, one of the girls are using it.

Kim brought home a baby hamster the other day. His name is Todd. He's pretty cute. He has this elaborate cage with a wheel and stuff. One more animal to feed!

Have a great weekend everyone!

What in the heck is the world coming to?

Last night Kim's boyfriend's mom was attacked in her own back yard while she was feeding her dogs, then they robbed her house. She is okay, physically anyway. Kim didn't get the full story, but they did find out that the person(s)responsible lives down the street from them. Am I going to have to carry a weapon walking out into my back yard now?!! WTF!!

I am tired of bad news, let me tell you. It's time for a break!!! Hubby went to the doctor today because he felt something in one of his testicles yesterday. He stopped by afterward to tell me that it was just a cyst and everything was fine. I really don't think I could have handled anymore bad news right now. I am at my limit.

Softball is over for another season. It will start back up again with sign ups in February. Kim will have to move up to play with the bigger girls since she is 14. The good thing is she will get to play with her big sister. They haven't played on the same team together in probably 4 or 5 years, so that will be nice.

Nothing else is going on, thank goodness!! Too much drama right now. I feel like I am on a soap opera or some kind of reality tv show. My fellow blogger Dick just came from Hawaii and posted some really great pics on his blog you should check out. It makes me want to go so bad. I know it makes you want to go back Jude, since it is one of your favorite places. Hawaii is definitely on my list of places to see. My other blogger friend Susan posted a blog recently about 50 things that you would like to do before you die. I don't think I could come up with 50. Most of mine would be places to visit, not so much things to do. I have a long list of places to see. For now I will have to live vicariously through fellow bloggers to see pictures until it is my turn.

I thought it would be fun and interesting to see what are some things you want to do?

Another day, another dolllar

That's how I feel sometimes about work. I need to work, but I don't want to work. I think today all the crazy people are coming to our office. There are some days I just can't handle another person and I just want to poke my eyes out! I get sick of all the dumb questions, and I'm not talking about questions that the average non-medical person wouldn't know the answer to in a million years. I am talking about stuff that people should know if you have half a brain cell in your head!!!

This morning I had a patient's mother ask me if ultrasound was safe for her grandchild. That is a perfectly reasonable question. I told her that it has been around for a very long time and there were no known bio-effects from it. She was still very skeptical. I then proceeded to tell her that she was surrounded by sound waves all the time, and they didn't seem to be affecting her. Her response is what gained her a free membership into my stupid question hall of fame. She said and I quote "But I'm not surrounded by water." WTF!!! I ended the conversation because the smart ass in me was dying to come out. That is just one of many dumb questions I get on a daily basis. I am going to start keeping track of them and sharing them with you all. It will give you a chuckle if nothing else.

My co-worker hasn't returned back to work yet. She posted a bulletin on myspace that made me cry. She was very close to her brother and thought of him as her own child in a lot of ways, since she is a few years older. It really breaks my heart. And we got bad news #2 out of the comes in 3 thing. Our neighbor's 26 year old son died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack. He was a brittle diabetic who was not under the care of a physician because he refused to see one. He had been complaining about not feeling well for a few days and came to stay with them. They said he usually would do this. By the time his mom dragged him to the ER it was too late. He died soon after they arrived. The sad thing is they may have been able to help him if he wouldn't have been so stubborn about going. I would have dragged him kicking and screaming when he first felt bad. They are feeling a lot of guilt now because of this. All we can do is be there for them now and comfort them as best as we can. As parents we aren't supposed to bury our children.

On a brighter note, Halloween was uneventful. The kids had fun trick or treating with their friends. We didn't get many kids this year, just a handful. It's dwindling down every year which is a shame. We used to have such a blast growing up on Halloween. Nobody wants to participate in it anymore. So many people think it's evil. It's only evil if you make it that way!!! Okay, I won't stay on that soap box long.

We are enjoying some nice temps in the 70's. Very nice for the fall. I hope everyone is enjoying their week and has a nice relaxing weekend ahead of them.

And I want to wish my dear friend Janna a Happy Birthday. Rock on sista!

We are getting so much rain now

I am so glad. It's a shame though that just when we get all the rain we need, California sure could use some about now to help with all those fires. What an utter tragedy. I would gladly give up some of ours to help them out right now. Since it has been raining so much, I haven't had a chance to take any pics of the new car. I guess I could take some while it's inside my garage, but I don't think you want to see the inside of the garage. It needs some cleaning. We have too much crap in there! Everything and anything is stored in my garage. We are thinking about getting some of those pulley systems to hang the bikes on just to get them off the ground. We are going to give it a good once over now that the weather is getting cooler.

I got some bad news when I got to work today. One of the medical assistants that I work with called in today. Her brother was killed in a car wreck last night. It must have been bad because they were asked to go identify the body. I don't know any details. We have had so many wrecks with all the rain we have been getting. It's been dry for so long that people have forgotten how to drive apparently. My heart really goes out to her and her family. She is such a sweet person. I hate that this had to happen to her.

On a lighter note, we are attending a wedding this Saturday out of town. Well, not too far out of town, less than two hours away. My best friend's son is getting married. It's supposed to stop raining by then, so that should be good. We were supposed to have a softball game tonight, but I don't see that happening with all the rain. It will be the first one we would have to reschedule due to weather. I would much rather go home and relax tonight anyway. We have had a busy week, as usual.

Enjoy your weekend everyone and stay safe!

I actually picked up my new car today!

Finally! I will post some pics soon. Of course the first thing I did was put my union jack license plate on the front. It looks good on it. I love it and On Star rocks!

The fake baby is a pain in the ass. It cries too damn much. I'll be so glad when she turns it back in tomorrow. We are getting our carpets cleaned tomorrow and I am so happy about that. They desperately need it. One of neighbors has a carpet cleaning business so he is giving us a great deal to do the whole house. There are things on my kid's bedroom floors that I have no idea what they are and probably don't want to.

Well, I'm off to read a little and get to bed. I just wanted everyone to know that I got my new ride!

Have a great week!

We finally got some rain!

It started last night and just stopped at lunch time today. We need so much more though. It really needs to rain for a solid week or more to make up for the drought. We are having our neighborhood fall festival tomorrow so I do hope we have some nice weather for it. Since I am the social director for the association, I will be busy, busy tomorrow starting at the butt crack of dawn! I have tents and tables to set up and I am in charge of making the iced tea, an essential for any southern get together. I will have help, so it's not like it's all on me or anything. Also, if I get to pick up the tags for my new car, I will try to pick that up tomorrow morning as well. So much going on!!! That's my life though. Never a dull moment. I guess they will come when the kids leave the nest. For now, I will just enjoy them.

Kim is bringing home a fake baby today for the weekend. Some of you may remember, my oldest brought one home two years ago, right around the time I started this blog. She is going shoppping after school with some friends with baby in tow. That should be interesting. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that.

Stephanie is leaving for Raleigh tonight to spend the night and get up early for NC State's Open House. Then they are off to the state fair. I hope the weather holds out for them as well. I know we need the rain, but I want it to rain at night when we don't have softball games and other things going on.

We won our softball game last night which was great! Last Tuesday they came back from a score of 12-3 to tie it up as well. Two great games in a row. Kim made it all the way to 3rd base on a dropped 3rd strike. They kept over throwing the ball and she kept going. That's my girl!

Hubby and I are visiting with my nephew and his wife tonight. He has every game system imaginable so I know what hubby will be doing. LOL! Boys and their toys.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend wherever you may be on the map.

I still don't have my new car!

Now I have to wait for the company that's handling the sale to send the title to the place we got the loan from. Then I have to pick that up to get the tags. I have no idea how long that is going to take. It's coming from Illinois. Hubby is off work Monday, so hopefully we will be able to do it then. I really wanted it by this weekend, but oh well.

The dinosaur show rocked! It was incredible. The girls loved it. I highly recommend it. It's a show for all ages. Trust me.

I big thank you to Jude who helped me pick out my new blogskin and fixed my haloscan for me. I am sooo computer challenged!

I am coming up on two years on Blogger. It's hard to believe. I have made some new friends as well as kept in touch with others. It's been great talking with everyone and getting a glimpse into their worlds. I have been given great advice and hopefully returned the favor on occasion.

We have Steph's tennis banquet dinner tomorrow night. We are eating at a local steakhouse. That should be good.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their week!

Not too much going on

We went to the post office and officially applied for our passports. They said it should take 6-8 weeks to get them. The only thing I didn't like is they took our birth certificates and we won't get them back until we get our passports. I hope we won't need them in the mean time. I will have to pay to get another copy if we do. That would be just my luck.

The weather here is finally getting a little cooler. We had some hot temps for October. Highs in the 90's! It felt great today. It's dipping down into the 40's at night. Perfect sleeping weather. We still haven't had any rain and have tight water restrictions. Of course there are dumb asses that think that the restrictions don't apply to them. That somehow, miraculously, our water reserve levels will rise on their own without any rain. They are still watering their lawns and washing their cars like it's no big deal. Idiots! We have a well at our house. No city water for us, so we are being especially careful conserving whenever we can. Hopefully, we will have a monsoon or something soon. Even if we do, it will still be awhile before the restrictions are lifted.

We are going to the dinosaur show tomorrow. The girls are really looking forward to it. I am excited just seeing them so excited about it.

Stephanie is visiting one of her college choices next weekend. They are having an open house. Then she is going to the State Fair when they are done. It's been years since I've been to the state fair. Ah, the deep fried food! She is going up with 3 friends so I know they will have a good time. She has officially applied to one of her college choices the other night. This school is 3 hours away, so I'm kinda hoping she goes to her first or second choices since they are less than 2 hours away. The time is slipping by way too fast. Her senior year is definitely going by quicker than her previous years. At least it feels that way.

We got an update about my car. It should be ready Monday or Tuesday! Yeah!! I will keep you posted.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

I don't have my new car yet dammit!

They haven't released it yet, and I am getting frustrated! I want my car. I guess I just have to be more patient, not one of my strong suits!

Stephanie had her tennis conference today. She played doubles and they lost their first match and it was single elimination. They put up a good fight though. I am very proud of them. I took a couple of pics, but they didn't turn out very well since I had to take them through a fence. Not worth posting. Sorry guys. I am just not a very good photographer.

We got a bill today for yearbooks. Yeah, yet more money to spend. Two high school yearbooks cost about $160.

We are going to see a cool show this weekend called Walking with Dinosaurs. I wish they would have had this when Stephanie was little. She has always been an avid lover of them and has most of the Carnegie collection. She was able to tell you their scientific names at around 3 years old.

Check out this youtube link.




Pretty neat, huh?

Ta ta for now.

Another busy week coming up

as usual. Hopefully I will be picking up my new car tomorrow or Tuesday. I can't wait!!! Stephanie has a tennis conference Tuesday. She is playing doubles. I will try to take some pics. Of course we have a softball game and practice. I am hosting Bunko this month on Friday. Of course I am doing a Halloween theme. I have to get out my Halloween decorations still. I am being a slacker.

My glasses broke the other day so I just got contacts. I've worn them before, but it's been a few years. I like getting up in the morning and putting on glasses. It's so much quicker and easier. I am going to get my glasses fixed so I have them for when I get up on the weekends, I can just put them on. I hate having to put contacts in first thing every day just so I can see. I don't like taking a shower with them in either. I guess I just have to get used to them.

Well, I am off to do some shopping for my Bunko prizes. Have a great week everyone!

Homecoming 2007

Here are a couple of pics from Homecoming. We won 31-15!! Stephanie was a Senior Representative for Will, so that's why she is dressed up and is wearing that sash.





Stephanie and Will




Stephanie and Kim




It was College Night at the Coliseum last night and Stephanie and I went to check out perspective colleges. She got information from about 5 or 6. She found out that she more than meets the requirements for UNC-Chapel Hill and that is her first choice, so she was very happy about that. The lady told her that she just has to turn in good essay answers with her application and she should be set. Hopefully I will be buying that bumper sticker next year that says my daughter and my money go to Chapel Hill, lol! We are ordering cap and gowns tomorrow night as well as graduation announcements. Senior year is taking me broke!!!

I am so proud of my girls, as always. They are doing exceptionally well in school and sports and are just great kids. I find myself bragging about them all the time. I am so lucky to have good kids when there are so many teenagers out there drinking and doing drugs. I feel so fortunate and count my blessings for them every day.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. And for those of you getting a lot of rain, send some my way. We are in desperate need!

Just a quick post

to say that I am back home and absolutely loved the game!!!! We had a blast. I forgot how much fun it is to watch my team on their home turf surrounded by 60 some thousand screaming Steeler fans whipping their terrible towels into a frenzy. Like a dumb ass I forgot my camera, but my sister did manage to snag a few pics she will be sharing with me soon so I can share them with you. I managed to get a sunburn on just the right side of my face and neck. Now that looks ridiculous to say the least. It was all worth it though. It was a gorgeous day for a football game. Tailgating was fun. Met some great people and ate some wonderful Pittsburgh food. Yummy!!! I wish I could bring it home with me. I would probably weigh 300 pounds if I did though. LOL!

Dick- I was happy to see your Seahawks win as well this past weekend. Congrats!

Well, I am off to catch up on some tv shows that I have in the DVR. I will post some pics soon. We have Homecoming Friday night as well and Stephanie will be dressed up since her boyfriend is on the team so they will be having a big ceremony and such. So I will post some pics of that as well, probably this weekend.

So long for now!

Since some of you were dying to see this

Here is the pic of my daughter Kim feeding me baby food.



She was really shoveling it in.

I am so looking forward to this weekend. My sister and my mom and I are heading up to Pittsburgh for the Steeler game!!! I can't wait. We are driving up Saturday and having dinner with hubby's family, then the game is on Sunday then we will drive back home on Monday. Seems a lot for two days, but it's well worth it.

Karen- I am breaking out my terrible towel girl!!!

I will post some pics later.

We are taking a girl at my work out tomorrow night for her bachelorette party. She thinks we are only going out to dinner, but we are taking her to the local comedy club as well as maybe to a dance club after that. I can't stay up too late since I have to leave early the next day for Pittsburgh, but I am sure I will have a great time.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Finally some pics from the winery

that we visited for hubby's bday.



Entrance into Shelton Winery



The main building that houses the gift shop and where you start your tour




An antique way of making wine



Shelton's insignia. The two owners (brothers) have 5 children between them and the insignia is made up of 5 S's.



This is from the Ragapple Lassie Winery. It's another much smaller scaled operation, so we got a private, personal tour from the owner's wife. These containers were very cold to the touch.



This a authentic Bavarian styled Bakery on the way back to the Bed and Breakfast that was recommended to us. Very good stuff in here!!

I will post some of Mt Airy (AKA Mayberry next)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Opening Day for ball is this weekend

I can't believe it's almost here. It feels like we just finished spring ball. We had a scrimage game the other day and won. YEAH!! The girls are doing a great job of coming together as a team and they are having fun as well. I had them doing some fun drills the other day that left them laughing. It's always fun to see them enjoying themselves and learning something in the mean time.

My awful summer cold is winding down. I can breathe out of my nose again thank goodness. The weekend of activities went great. The baby shower was fun. Kim and I won a game where she had to feed me baby food. I may post a pic of that later. Not very flattering, but funny. The wedding was nice. It took place on the rooftop of a building downtown. Very pretty. My mother in laws surprise party went great. Tons of fun and good food were had by all, and we did manage to surprise her. Not an easy thing to do.

The new fall season is almost upon us for tv shows. I am getting tired of watching reruns. I am bummed about having to wait til January to watch Lost again. By then, I have forgotten most of what happened last season.

Well, I better get back to work. Have a great week everyone!

Busy weekend ahead

This weekend is going to be very busy from the time I get off work today until Sunday night. As soon as I get off work I am meeting up with hubby's mom and sister so we can shop for a baby shower for tomorrow and I have to pick up a wedding gift as well. Then we are meeting up with the rest of hubby's family to go out to eat. Tomorrow morning we have softball practice at 10:30, a baby shower at 2, then a wedding to go to at 5. Sunday is more softball practice and a surprise 80th birthday party for my mother in law. Geesh!!! Do I over extend myself much??!! I thought the weekend was supposed to be for relaxing after a long week at work. Apparently not this weekend. Most of my weekends are crazy. I would like to say it's my kids who do it to me, but it's me. That is usually the only time I can get anything done.

Oh well, I guess I should look on the bright side. I won't be doing any cooking this weekend. Score!!

Have a great weekend everyone and be safe.

Personality test

My niece sent me this link in an email and I took the test. Normally, I disregard these things, but this one was dead on to my answers. It was kind of cool. I don't buy into the whole send this to so many people and you will get your wish crap, but try it for fun.

Personality Quiz

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far.

We had our first softball practice yesterday

and the head coach didn't show up. First let me preface this by saying that I got a call from one of the players dads whom I coached last season and he asked when our first practice was because no one had called him yet. Now Tracey, the head coach, got our practice schedule last Monday, so he had all that time to call people and tell them about yesterday. I didn't have any of the girls numbers except 3, and I only had those because they were on my team in the spring, so I couldn't call anyone about yesterday's practice. I had tried to call Tracey on his home and cell phone with no avail. I called the commissioner and luckily he had them, so I began calling at 12:30 yesterday for a 3:00 practice. Not the ideal thing to do. I did manage to get 8 out of the 11 girls to show up, thankfully. Tracey called me at 2:00 and said he wasn't going to call a practice since it was Labor Day weekend. Opening Day is in mid October and he wants to procrastinate on getting these girls ready to play as a team. Thankfully one of the dad's helped me out. I was just glad that I had ran many a practices before yesterday, or I would have been lost.

I think overall we have a good team this season, a great group of girls. We have another one today at 2. Hopefully Tracey shows up for this one. I took on assistant coach so I would have less stress. It's not working out that way so far.

**UPDATE** He actually showed up and we had a great practice. YEAH!

A quiz I got from Tracey's blog

"FIRST REACTIONS QUIZ".

You have to type the 1ST thing that comes to mind whenever you hear these 40 words. You can't think and go back and change your answers. Here we go:

1. Beer: tastes great with pizza
2. Anorexic: low self esteem
3. Super Hero: Spiderman
4. Your Last Ex: too long ago to care
5. Power Rangers: can't believe they are still around
6. Plastic Surgery: no thanks
7. Steroids: pathetic
8. Cartoons: are not just for kids
9. The President: is it 2008 yet?!!
10. Tupperware: have too much of it
11. Florida: Disney World
12. Santa Claus: childhood
13. Halloween: costumes
14. Bon Jovi: still looking good
15. Grammar: yes please
16. Myspace: becoming annoying
17. Worst fear: spiders
18. Marriage: give and take
19. Paris Hilton: go play in traffic
20. Brunettes: have more fun ;)
21. Redheads: feisty
22. Blondes: stereotyped
23. Pass the time: reading a good book
24. One night stands: dangerous
25. Donald Trump: icky
26. Neverland: Peter Pan
27. Pixie Stix: not good when they get wet
28. Vanilla ice cream: not as good as chocolate
29. Port-a-Potties: germ pools
30. High school: was a long time ago
31. Pajamas: comfy
32. Wood: fireplace
33. Wet Sock: sweaty feet
34. Alcohol: socially
35. Love: can be the best feeling
36. The Bible: stories
37. Heartache: hurts
38. Time: precious
39. Life: live it to the fullest
40. Blood: red

Thanks Tracey!

Hubby put the downpayment on my car today

YEAH!!!!

I am supposed to get a new car

Hubby's work sells their sales cars every year and gets new ones, and they offer them to their employees first at really good prices. We bought hubby one 2 years ago and it's been a great car. Here's what we are looking at:



2006 Chevy HHR

It doesn't hold as much as my van, but it is nice. The kids never want to go camping anymore so I guess we don't need as much room. I am excited about the prospect of getting a new car. they won't be ready for delivery until the first week of October, but I can wait. I've waited this long.

I am headed off to the softball field today to meet with the head coach and pick the rest of our team. It's such a long drawn out process. It's all so political. The same coaches always end up with the best players, miraculously. I dread going in a way. Kim is coming with me to help with the selection. She has a pretty good eye for these things.

We lost our football game Friday night 13-10. Our team put up a good fight. It was scary watching Will play. Some of you may remember he had back surgery last year and couldn't play all last season. Every time he makes a tackle, I cringe. I am so worried that he is going to hurt his back. I'm glad he's not my son. That would make it ten times worse. Stephanie and I sat next to his parents and you could tell his mom was very nervous. One of the highlights of the night came after the game. The marching band does this thing called "Blacktop." Basically, they head over to the basketball courts and have a little drum off. All the kids circle them and really get into it. I recorded some of it on my phone, but the sound quality is horrible. I may try to take the video camera next time so I can post it on here. These kids are pretty talented.

School starts back this Tuesday. Bummer for the kids. It's back to signing tons of papers that are brought home, writing notes, packing lunches or giving out lunch money, and all the other crap. We have open house tomorrow night where Kim will be able to do a walk through of her new school. She will be low man on the totem pole this year where her sister will be on the top. It will be a new challenge for her. They do this stupid thing called Freshman Academy at our high school. Basically, they separate the freshman into a different hallway and everything. Steph and Kim will never see each other during the school day. I don't know how they expect them to adjust to high school while being segregated. This is the second year they are doing it. I was hoping they would see how stupid it was after the first year and never do it again. I didn't get my wish.

Well, I'm off to the softball field. Take care.

I am soooo glad it's Friday!

I had the week from hell after getting back from a nice vacation. Why does that always have to happen???!!! It's like I didn't get a vacation at all when that happens. First my schedule is slammed and they keep wanting to add more patients to it. One person here people with one set of hands!!! Then yesterday one of the doctors was trying to hook up a printer to my machine to print the reports on and he screwed something up. I had to call tech support, but first I had to go through the automated line which has to be in India or something since everyone I talked to sounded like that kind of accent. The connection was horrible and they couldn't understand me well and vice versa. Finally someone from the States called, an actual American, thank the gods. He managed to walk me through fixing it. The printer is still not hooked up and I could care less if it ever gets hooked up. I put it back in the damn box it came in and said "Good riddance!" I should just bring it home since it is a whole lot better than the one I have and it's a scanner and copier and fax machine too. Fancy piece of shit is what it is. Oh, I almost forgot the lovely comment the aforementioned doctor said to me when I couldn't put the damn paper trays into the printer. He said "Women are so incompetent when it comes to computer stuff." Of course the smart ass that I am answered "I can shoot you between the eyes at 100 feet with one shot. I think that skill will come in more handy than being able to put a stupid tray in a printer, don't you?" Needless to say, he had no answer to that.

Okay, I'm done ranting about my week. Hubby is speaking to me again. I knew he wouldn't last the week. I'm glad though. I do hate it when we are fighting.

I don't know how many of you watch the series "Dexter" on Showtime, but Season 1 just came out on DVD and I went to Best Buy last night and purchased it. Hubby and I got hooked on it when we had a free weekend of Showtime a while back, but could never finish the episodes because we won't pay for Showtime for just that one show. We watched two episodes last night and will finish the rest over the next week or so. I'm trying to make it last since it will be awhile before Season 2 comes out on DVD since it hasn't even started on Showtime yet. I also bought Photoshop for us so we can mess around with our pictures. It's a really neat program. Now I just have to get the kids to teach me how to use it. (Remember, I'm Annie Oakley, not Bill Gates).

We have our first home football game tonight and we are all going to cheer Stephanie's boyfriend Will on. Steph won her tennis match yesterday. She is ranked number 2 on the team. Not bad for only playing a year. That's my girl!

Well, I need to go get ready to leave for the game. Have a great weekend everyone!

Hubby is still giving me the silent treatment

What he doesn't seem to realize is that I am okay with it. It's like a vacation of some sorts. He is acting so childish. Grow up already!

Def Leppard was in Raleigh last night, and I didn't go. It was tempting though. They did do an interview with Sav on the radio on my way home. I thought about you Jude when I heard it.

We finally got some rain yesterday. Not a lot, but a good bit. My grass and flowers were screaming for joy I'm sure. I think I lost most of my azaleas. I don't think they will be back next spring. I just don't have a green thumb at all. Don't give me a plant unless you want it to die.

Softball starts back this weekend. We are picking our teams. I am playing the role of assistant coach this season. My IBS and GERD will be better off without the stress of head coach. These kids get to me sometimes.

I can't wait for Friday to come. Work this week has been crazy. Busy, busy, busy. I guess I can't complain too much. It's paying my mortgage. Well, my lunch is over over, so I better head off for now.

Happy Hump Day!


**UPDATE** I just found out that the DL show last night was canceled due to bad weather. Bummer!

Eva called

and she is safely back on French soil. My oldest talked with her on MSN today. She wants to come back. I told her to hop back on a plane right now missy!! I would adopt that kid right now, no questions asked. I hope we all get to see her again. My youngest wants me to buy the perfume that she wears. I would, but it costs way too much moolah. An ounce is like $70.

We are no further in solving the bike problem in the neighborhood. We may set out a bike as bait to try and catch who is doing it. Too bad we couldn't rig something on it that would shock the hell out of whoever nabs it.

Bike- $50
electrical wiring- $30
watching the butt hole taking a kids bike scream like a girl- priceless

Kim and I went to see "No Reservations" tonight. It was cute. A little tear jerky though, just to warn you.

We had a bridal shower for a girl at work today. Another sucker is born. Just kidding. Hubby and I are not speaking to each other right now, so I had to throw that in. He's mad at me because I told him he was driving like a maniac on the way to the airport yesterday. Then it was my fault he made a wrong turn and blah, blah, blah. He is so childish. When I am mad, I want to discuss it and get over it. He wants to be stubborn and not speak to me for days. Whatever. Get over it!

Stephanie had her first tennis match today for school and school hasn't even started yet. She said two girls passed out on the courts. I guess so since it was like 100 freakin' degrees outside. She won her match, so I am proud of her.

My first day back at work today was a nightmare. It was so busy. They tried to fit more patients on my schedule than there was room for. I had to get a little attitude with them and say "what part of no don't you understand?" They will never learn. That is what made me leave my last job, so they need to wakey wakey. I plan on winning the Powerball for 285 million, so I won't have to worry about working because let me tell you I won't be one of those people they interview on tv that says "I'm not going to quit work just because I won millions of dollars." I just have one word for those people, "DUMBASS!" You keep right on working while I sit on some remote island with a fruity drink in my hand thinking of ways to spend my millions on frivolous things.

Okay, I guess I have ranted enough for one night. I am getting pretty good at posting frequently. Aren't you proud of me?

Eva is gone

and I am sad. :( I never thought it would be so hard to say goodbye to her. My house feels so different now. I know I will get over it eventually. As I am typing this, she is on her way to Germany, then to France. Because of the time change, she will be wide awake when her parents are wanting to go to bed. I would definitely host again though. It was a great experience, one that I will never forget and cherish always. I have my desktop back now so I am going to try and post some pics from the mountains, then I will finish up my winery pics some time this week. I haven't forgotten about them.







We took more, but Blogger takes so long to upload them. Well, I guess I am back to work tomorrow. Sucky!!!

Have a great week everyone. Au revoir!

Weird stuff going on in the neighborhood

Our neighborhood has been experiencing a rash of bike thefts. Although, I guess the correct term would be "borrowing" as we have recovered all of them in ditches around the neighborhood. We think it might be kids, but we can't be sure. We are hoping it is and they are just demonstrating some type of stupid teenage behavior. I would hate to think adults were doing it. First bikes, then they move on to something bigger and better in our garages like our cars!

Hubby is the president of the neighborhood association so we are trying to keep on top of the situation. So far about 8 bikes have been discarded, all kids bikes. The bad thing is they are mostly little kids bikes, some with training wheels for pete's sake. We got an email from a neighbor that both his kids bikes were missing since this past Wednesday. We recovered both of them and returned them to their rightful owners. The kids were happy.

These kids have some balls just walking into people's garages in the middle of the night and taking things. It does bring up the issue of leaving your garage door open all night. Yes, we should be able to, but it's not a smart thing to do in today's world. We wouldn't be able to sleep a wink if ours was open, but we have noticed that several people do it. I guess we are just not as trusting as some people. We would like to be, but can't.

We are going to enjoy our last full day with Eva today. She is at the mall with the girls doing some last minute shopping. She had to buy another suitcase to take all of her new stuff home. Ken is cooking us a wonderful dinner. It smells heavenly.

Til' next time.

Back from the beach

and missing it already! I am catching up on some blogs that I haven't visited in a while. I figured I can't complain about the number of comments I receive if I am not giving them out very well. (Smacks self on hand!) I have made some new friends though, so my efforts haven't gone unnoticed. I will continue to visit more blogs to make more friends. I am taking the suggestion I was given and posting more. Sometimes I guess I feel like if I don't have anything exciting to post about, I shouldn't post. I guess I have lost sight of the meaning of a blog. It's an online diary, which can be whatever I make of it. Some days it's an online confessional, some days it's a way to brag about my kids, some days I just need to get something off my chest. It's also a great way to meet some new and exciting people, which I have done over the last 2 years. I get some great ideas from other bloggers and I enjoy reading about other people's lives.

So bare with me while I adjust and maybe make some changes. I have changed the title to my blog. I may change it to something else after I have thought about it some more. My creative side needs to come out and think of something. Something that incorporates the different aspects of my life. I may try out some different titles over the next few weeks.

I have also realized that I need to get back to writing. Especially since I have my lap top back up and running. (All my stories are on it) I also have another idea for a story that I have been messing with on paper. I need to finish the one I started first though. I will probably never publish any of them, and I am okay with that. I enjoy writing just for the sake of writing. If others read it and enjoy it, that's enough for me.

Stephanie's boyfriend Will got some free tickets to a show tomorrow night. Quiet Riot, Vince Neil, and Slaughter. 80's music here we come! I don't know whether we will go or not. It's our last night with Eva before she leaves on Sunday. :( We ate at Red Robbin on the way home today and we told the waiter it was Eva's birthday so they would bring her a sundae and balloons and sing to her. She got a big kick out of it. Her birthday isn't until December, but since she won't be here then, we celebrated it early. I just hope we keep in touch and see each other again in the future.

Well, I'm off to do some laundry. Have a great weekend everyone!

I actually went into the ocean yesterday!

Now, anyone that knows me well enough knows that I am deathly afraid of sharks, hence I stay out of the ocean. The water felt so good yesterday that I couldn't resist. I haven't done that in years. Probably since I was a teenager. I was still nervous and the waves knocked me over more than once. My family thought that was hilarious. Laugh at mom's expense, hah hah.

We had a great time. Then we went to the pier after dinner and saw three stingrays very close to the shore. One was very big. Huge in fact. Of course they were about the same distance from shore as we were earlier that day, so I probably won't go back in that deep today. I tried to get some pics of them, but they were too deep in the water to see through the camera.

My mom and my sisters are almost here. They are spending the rest of the week with us. We haven't all gone away together in a year, so it will be nice.

Well, I am off to greet my family. Talk with you soon!

Did anyone see the meteor showers last night?

They were amazing. It was particularly great getting to watch them from the beach. The sky was so clear. It was so relaxing to sit out on the deck and watch them. Even the kids got into it which surprised me a little since they are teenagers and so busy with their lives. Kim even said she wanted to be a scientist. Her career choice changes on a daily basis. It's kind of fun to see what she comes up with next.

Well, I am off to sunscreen it up and head to the beach.

Have a great Monday everyone!

P.S. Jude, you would have loved the sunset here yesterday. Absolutely gorgeous!

Yeah!!! It's finally raining!!!

I just looked out my window at work and it is pouring down rain. We soooo desperately needed it. It is still 101 degrees though. My plants will be happy. We have been watering them so they won't die. Pa and Ohio got too much rain it seems. My sister in law sent me some pics from the tornadoes and flooding. What a mess. I am posting the link. The pic of the microburst/tornadoes is particularly scary.

Pittsburgh Storm

I have been officially inducted into the mammogram society today. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had a great tech and she was very nice. If everything goes well, I won't have to have another one for 2 years when I hit the big 4-0. Then it's once a year.

I am on a mission to find some new bloggers on here. I don't get a lot of traffic through here and I would like to change that. I want to meet some new interesting people. After all, that's what I am here for. We'll see what happens.

Well, I am off to the beach in the morning. I will chat with everyone when I get back or sooner if I take my laptop.

Have a great week everyone!

This was just too good not to share

A fellow Lep fan, Rebecca, posted this as a bulletin on Myspace. I laughed so hard, I just had to share it with my fellow Lep fans on here:



We went to the mountains for a picnic yesterday and had a great time. It was hot as hell, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. I will post some pics later.

Have a great week everyone!

Not too much going on

Just chilling out and getting to know our exchange student better. She is such a delight. We got so lucky picking her. She fits into our family so nicely. Ken wants her to come back for the school year to stay longer. I wish she could as well, but I'm sure her parents are anxious to get her back. She wanted to go to an American beach so we are taking off for Topsail for a week for some fun in the sun. We weren't planning on taking any more vacation this year, but we couldn't tell her no and we love Topsail. It's so relaxing. My two sisters and their children are coming with us as well as my mom. We got a big house to fit everyone. I am so excited about going and getting away from work even though I just did a few weeks ago, but who's counting??? LOL!

I still have some pics to post from our winert trip, but they are on the computer in the bedroom Eva is staying in so I will post them after she goes home. I don't feel right about going in there now that she is staying in there with all of her stuff. I want to give her privacy.

I bought some cd's to teach us French while we are driving in the car. I must look a sight "talking" to myself as I'm driving. Oh well. Whatever works. I want to get fluent in it again before we go to Europe in 2009.

Eva and her family are moving from France back to Guadeloupe next August. She has invited us to come and stay with them. I hope we get to do that sometime. It is a beautiful island in the Carribean.

Oh well, I guess I will get back to work. Bummer! I will just keep daydreaming about sipping margaritas on the beach :)

Our exchange student has arrived!

Eva is here and I have discovered that my French is appalling!! I haven't had to use it in years. Hubby and I used to talk to each other all the time in French and we have even played scrabble using only French before. We should have kept it up. Now I am resorting to using a French-English dictionary. Her English is pretty good though. She only gets hung up on a few words. She is a sweet girl. I won't be posting any pics of her as I don't know exactly how to ask permission from her to do that and I haven't spoken to her parents either, so I don't feel comfortable doing it. She went to an amusement park with my girls today so they could get to know each other better.

My squirrel problem is getting worse. They have figured out how to get into the rabbit cage to eat her food and they are chasing her. While Kim is away today, hubby and I are going to take care of them once and for all. It's getting ridiculous.

Well I am going to leave everyone with something a friend of mine in Australia sent to me. I thought it was nice.

Natural Highs
Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one. It Does Make You Feel Good, especially the thought at the end of #44.

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry ).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to
sleep.
26. Your first kiss (the very first).
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28. Playing with a new puppy.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31. Hot chocolate.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good
or bad) never change.
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much
desired present from you.
40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another
beautiful day.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other
people think.

Have a great week everyone!!

Some pics

I am going to break this up into more than one posting. I will start with some winery shots.

This first set is at Round Peak Winery. We loved all their wines.






These are the Merlot grapes:



These are Cabernet Franc:





Each of these barrels actually produce 300 bottles of wine, believe it or not



It was so pretty up there. It's hard to imagine that this is only a little over an hour away from me.

I will post some from another winery in my next post.

Until then.....

We are getting our foreign exchange student

She arrives this Saturday from France. We are very excited about it. She will be staying with us for a month. She is 16 and her name is Eva. Ken and Kim will be picking her up at the Charlotte airport because Stephanie and I already reservations at a spa for massages. I am really looking forward to that. I haven't had a massage in ages.

I have some pics to share from my romantic weekend getaway to the B&B and wineries. We had a very relaxing time and it was neat to visit Mt Airy, home of Andy Griffith so I guess I should call it Mayberry, lol!

I will share the photos as soon as I download them from my camera. You know it takes me a while sometimes. :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their week and that my Canadian friend Jude is feeling much better.

Talk with you soon.

A few pics from my trip to the burgh

My sister in law works for US Steel so she got us up to the 61st floor for a view from way up high.

PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates play:



Heinz Field (Home of the Steelers!!)



If you look really close you can see some big white boats. They are part of a clipper fleet that you can get on to tour the rivers.



Of course, no Pittsburgh trip would be complete without a little shopping, right ladies? My girls went right to the Prada purses that cost a couple of thousand dollars. Stephanie took her picture with one. I told the sales lady that was the closest she was getting to one, lol!



We went to the quaint town of Harmony for dinner one evening and had dinner at The Harmony Inn, which was built in 1856. The original owners sold it and it was turned into a saloon/hotel for a while. Eventually it became a restaurant. There are stories that it is haunted.




This was an example of one of the many original, small homes that are still there.



We had a great trip. I love visiting my hometown, but I love getting back to NC where we belong.

Off to Pittsburgh

tomorrow for a week to visit family. I was supposed to see DL this Saturday, but my niece couldn't get tickets, so I am bummed. It would have been nice to meet Connie since she is going to that show. Oh well, maybe another time. There are still tickets left, but I can't justify spending the money right now.

My backyard is being taken over by squirrels. We have managed to coexist pretty nicely since we moved in 9 years ago, but they are becoming a pain in the ass. They are eating the dog food, trying to chew their way into our shed, and they are terrorizing my dachshund and rabbit. Hubby was going to take some out with the .22 rifle, but my youngest went berserk and insisted he couldn't kill any of them. We settled on using the BB gun for now to see if they can be frightened off. I swear these squirrels are on steroids. They are the biggest damn things I have ever seen. I guess we will work on it more when we get back.

Well, I am off to get some work done. I hope everyone has a fun filled safe 4th and Connie, get some good pics for us to drool over, lol!

My weather pixie is a tramp...

I couldn't help notice that my pixie on my sidebar is dressing more scantily these days. She is such a harlot, lol! Our temps have been in the 90's and I have yet to step into a pool this year. I haven't had time to really. My oldest had her wisdom teeth out Friday and has recovered quite nicely. It appears she is a lightweight like her mom when it comes to being put under. He said he only had to give her a baby dose. She was crying when she came out of the anesthesia, which broke my heart. She slept most of the day Friday thanks to some lovely pain pills. She didn't have any swelling or any of the other nasty side effects.

Softball is over for my team. We didn't do too bad. My oldest is still playing though and we have a game Thursday night. I have been going to see a lot of movies in the last couple of weeks. It's been the time for trilogies I suppose. We saw Spidey 3, Pirates 3, and Shrek the 3rd. They were all okay. I liked their other installments better. Spidey 3 was cheesy in some parts.

We are just preparing for our vacation up north for a few days then hubby and I have our weekend getaway. He thinks we are going to NY city. That was his guess anyway. My response was "only if the Yankees are playing." That would be one thing I would definitely have to do if we visited NY.

Well, I better get back to work. Have a great week everyone!

I got a post card in the mail yesterday

from the UK looking for sonographers. They said I could have 25 days of holiday. I want to work somewhere where they call vacation holiday and say quirky things like "godsmacked" Hubby says I should reply to it. He thinks they will send me over for an interview. I told them they probably have representatives here in the states. It would be cool though. It's very tempting. I wouldn't have to learn a new language and I am pretty familiar with most of the slang. I know I wouldn't get tired of hearing that accent. Never in a million years. If the kids were grown and out of the house, I would be sorely tempted to email them. We will move eventually, but it will be out west, probably Oregon. That's where hubby wants to go. It won't be for a long while though. Not until we retire or win the lottery, whichever comes first.

It looks like we will be spending the 4th in Pittsburgh to see family and my boys on the 7th!! I figured since I was going to be up there anyway, why not? I am hoping to meet up with Connie since she will be going to that show. We will have to exchange mobile numbers (see I am talking brit already, lol!)

I have also planned a romantic weekend getaway for hubby's birthday to a nice B&B in the Yadkin Valley region of NC. We will be touring about 6 wineries. His birthday is June 21st, but we are not going away until July 13. We have softball going until then. It's a surprise too!!! I hope he likes it.

We were supposed to go shooting today, but it rained all day. We needed it desperately. My lawn looks all brown. I was going to teach one of the docs I work with how to shoot. She was bummed that we didn't go, but I told her we would reschedule for another day.

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Finally posting some Prom pics of Stephanie and Will

It took me a week, but I'm finally getting around to loading up these pics on my computer to share them with you. I am still getting used to my new digital, so some of them may be a little blurry. Too many buttons!!!

I will start with Steph getting ready for the prom.

Before they did her hair:



After:







Before her make-up:



After:



The lovely couple!



All the couples that went together:



Just the ladies: (and yes two of them are twins!)



Just the guys:



They had a great time. Many wonderful memories to last a life time. I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend and didn't have to work. I took tomorrow off as well. Hubby and I have a date day. We are going to lunch and to see Spidey 3. I am looking forward to it. We have had some hot weather lately and not enough rain. My grass is dying, and my yard looks awful. I don't think we have any rain in the forecast until this coming weekend either.

Oh well, have a great week everyone!!

8th grade prom

was last Friday. Kim had a good time. She looked so pretty, didn't she? She went with an ex-boyfriend as "just friends" since neither one of them is dating anyone. They looked so cute together.

Stephanie's prom is this Saturday. She exchanged her dress for a different one. It's about 100 dollars cheaper, so I'm not complaining. I will post some pics that I will take with my new digital camera that I got for my birthday!!! I didn't get the Mini Cooper, but that's okay. I'm still going to keep my eyes open in case I see one for a good price.

My sisters and I are planning a surprise birthday party for our mom for her 70th next month. My brother is supposed to come down from Pittsburgh as well for it. Everyone else lives here. I think she will love it. I hope so anyway.

Well, I am going to enjoy some brownies that my daughter made me for my birthday. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Ken booked our cruise

for Stephanie's graduation present. We will be going to the Carribean for 7 days aboard this ship:



I am very excited about it. We will leave out of Miami next June. I have a whole year to wait, but it will be worth it. My anniversary is in 5 days. 19 years!! I am making hubby a mixed cd of music that reflects over the years we have been together. Sounds sappy I know, but he will like it. Sometimes the gifts that don't cost anything are the best ones.

Have a great weekend!

Good News X 3

today. First Kimberly won her school softball game, yeah Kim!! She made a triple off of a bunt. It was a pretty bunt too. Then we went over to the high school because Steph was being inducted into the National Honor Society. My smart girl. Here are some pics from it.




Stephanie holding her certificate and wearing her gold tassle around her neck that she will eventually wear over her cap and gown this time next year.



Steph and Will.

Then the third thing was that we won our rec softball game 8-6!!! I was sooo proud of my girls. They did so well.

Oh, and Steph found a prom dress. It is gorgeous. I will wait to post pics of it when she is wearing it on prom night. Kim has 8th grade prom so we are continuing our search for a dress for her this weekend.

On Saturday we are going to a college softball game, a double header. It will be UNC-Chapel Hill against Florida State I think. Go Heels!!!

Hope everyone is having a great week and I want to wish my dear friend Jude a very Happy Birthday!! Many more to you dear. Muah!

Softball season has started once again

yesterday and we lost our first game, but won the second one!! Not too bad of a start. We had opening ceremonies Friday night and I worked the pitching station where they tell you how fast you can pitch a ball. It was so much fun watching all the little ones do this. They looked so cute in their little uniforms. Stephanie dressed up in the San Diego chicken costume. She had so much fun wearing it and entertaining the little kids. I will try and post a pic of it. Will took some on his phone, but he hasn't emailed them to me yet.

I have recently registered myself on a high school alumni site. It is specifically for my high school, so I don't have to pay to get other people's emails and stuff. It's been great catching up with people I haven't talked to in a long time. I am trying to arrange lunch with some of the girls. That should be fun. We have our 20 year reunion this fall. I don't know if I am going or not. Time will tell.

It's a rainy, cold day here. I told the girls I would take them shopping and maybe a movie. My other option is to clean and do laundry. Hmmm... I think I'll opt for shopping.

Have a great week everyone!

I'm putting together my birthday wish list

a little early. Well just a month early. I usually don't have a clue as to what I want, but this year I know exactly what I want. Naturally, I will list these from most wanted to least wanted.

1. Mini Cooper (just like this one)



2. A new digital camera (this one would be good)




3. And last, but not least this:




Oh, I guess I should add a "fantasy wish" right? Something along the lines of this maybe:



A girl can dream, right? LOL!