On my day off from working out

I did some other form of exercise. Shooting! Ken and I went over to our friends house and we annihilated some targets Comito style ;)










I do love my head shots, lol! My target is on the right and my friends is on the left. Her hubby decided to try some head shots on mine, not too much luck since he left the open shots to the left of the head.



Ken had to break out the 12 gauge so now we owe them some wood, lol!

New workout regimen

is kicking my ass, but as I told Orion it will be well worth it in the end. I'm glad tomorrow is Sunday and I get to take a break from it, lol!

Stephanie went back to school today and I miss her terribly :( It will take me awhile to get used to her being back in Raleigh since she was home for almost a month. I'm sure our cat Lou does not miss her dog Chloe though.



I'm sure Chloe is very thankful Lou no longer has her front claws.


Enjoy your weekend everyone and stay safe and warm :)

I've decided that I may not hate children

I hate their STUPID parents!!!! I really have a problem with this generation of parents and their parenting skills (or lack thereof). Now let me go on the record by saying I DO NOT believe in spanking. I grew up in a household with an alcoholic father who was quite mean at times. I am one of six children so by the time my sister and I (the youngest) came along he had mellowed quite a bit. My 3 older brothers took the brunt of his parenting skills (or lack thereof). My father grew up in an extremely abusive household where his mother escaped in the only way she thought she could, suicide. My father never really learned how to love, not in the way he should anyway. That is why I cannot and will not spank, because I fear turning into my father and going overboard. Now my are older almost 20 and 16 and they are the most well behaved brilliant children. I would like to think I had a tiny bit to do with that and the fact I have much better parenting skills than my father. He managed to teach me one thing in that respect (how NOT to parent). I learned that if I did the complete opposite of what he would have done, I got a much better response. We all grew up fearing my father. I did NOT want my children to fear me.

Having said that, I don't know if this new bunch of parents fear the same or what, but they are a too lax in my opinion. They never want to tell their children the word "no." It's like it's not even in their vocabulary! And they do this at the expense of everyone around them!!! They let their children run around and scream like banshees, tear stuff up, and just act completely crazy all the while saying things like "don't do that honey" in a soft spoken voice no doubt!!! They don't seem to care that they are disrupting everyone around them. Their child is and angel. You're child is a DEMON!!!

Don't get me wrong I do love children. I love MY children. I tolerate everyone elses.

Had to get that off my chest today. I have so many pet peeves, but this is a big one!

New Work out regimen

Okay So I'm starting a new work out regimen tomorrow thanks to my blogger buddy Orion. He's devised a pretty good workout plan that I am going to follow and blog about as I go along. My goal is to lose 13 pounds and tone up my muscle by the first weekend in April. I am going on a trip to Seattle then to meet up with a bunch of people including some from the UK!!! I am super excited about it and I will finally get to meet the infamous O and go to a shooting range with him, something I have been wanting to do for a long time. (Shoot with him, not go to the range, lol)

We are going to keep each other motivated which should be loads of fun. (insert evil grin here)

Wish me luck :)

Also a big warm blog welcome to my friend Diane who lives in the UK. Her name is on my blog list on the side tab. Go check her out and say hello :)

I never get on here anymore!

I am on Facebook all the time (sorry Jude). I guess I'm just not that into blogging anymore. I have been thinking about writing again though. I have two unfinished stories and many more in my head just screaming to be put on paper. I'm also interested in doing a collaboration with someone as well. I just don't know.

In the present, I am busy planning a trip to the UK for next summer. Hubby and I are taking the girls on a trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland. I am sooooo super excited about it I can hardly stand it. Once I get there, it's going to be hard to make me come back to the states.

Seeing Orion's pictures have really made me jealous. I commented on his facebook status the other day and his tour guide friend Diane commented me back. We have been chatting ever since and she is such a great person. I feel like we have known each other our whole lives. She has volunteered herself to us next summer to show us around. Wasn't that sweet? I am looking forward to meeting her and her wonderful family.

Well I will try not to let 6 months go by before I am on here again. Orion has said I could blog on his site anytime I felt the need as well.

Hope all is well with everyone :)

Gracious it has been a while

I am still absorbing the email from Jude and reading Miss J's post from everything that she has been going through. Just having experienced that scare so recently, I know exactly how she felt. I sooooo wish her outcome would have been the same as mine though, but I know in my heart of hearts everything will be just fine. I am thinking about you girl and wishing you all the best and sending you lots of hugs :)

A few things have happened since my last post so I will update you. We spent spring break in Florida visiting family. It was very hot and we didn't enjoy ourselves very much. It was one of those instances where family invites you to come for a visit when you can, but deep down they are thinking you will never in a million years take them up on it, so when you do, they are a little taken aback. We didn't feel very welcome which is a shame really. We ended up cutting it short and spending the rest of the week here at home chilling.

I had a great 40th birthday this year. A did an 80's themed party and dressed up like Madonna from that era. It was great. I loved my "Sixteen Candles" birthday cake. One of my favorite movies from to 80's :)





My birthday present from hubby was a surprise trip to California! We spent a week there visiting San Fransisco, Yosemite, Napa Valley, San Jose, and Carmel by the Sea. The views are spectacular and I could so be talked into moving to the west coast. We sampled some great wine, saw some wonderful sites and even got "locked up" in Alcatraz. Pictures do not do it justice that's for sure. We took hundreds, but here is random sample.













Stephanie is home from school. It's so hard to believe she finished up her first year of college already. :(

Kim attended her first prom. She looked so pretty and grown up (way older than 15!)


Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, her and Tyler broke up 2 days later after dating over a year. She recovered pretty quickly though and is talking to a new boy named Randall. We haven't met him yet, but we hear that he is nice. Stephanie said that "he was hot!" He's a year older and goes to a different school. He's also like 6'3" which is funny since Kim is only a like 5'1 and a half. Ha ha. She is also going to be celebrating her Sweet 16 next month if you can believe it. I can't :( She didn't want the big party her sister had. She wanted to take a trip so we are going to Tybee Island near Savannah, GA for the 4th of July and staying a week so that should be fun. We are going with a family we used to vacation with a few years ago before they moved to Florida. It will be great to see them again and they have a son Stephanie's age (they used to date actually). Wonder of the sparks will rekindle (lol) Kim also got a new car. It's a 2007 silver Chevy Equinox. She loves it. She looks so tiny driving it. I'll have to get a picture of her in it and post it for you to see. Some people at work think we are spoiling her, but I tell them that's how we reward our children for doing well in school and being such a great kid and not giving us any grief.

Ken is finally doing one of his life long dreams and filming a movie with real actors and a big film crew and everything. We worked on shooting the trailer last weekend so we can generate some money to shoot the full length feature. It was long days, but fun. It is interesting to see how it all comes together. If you remember, Kim was an extra a few years ago so we got to see a little bit then. I will update you on how that progresses.

I am on facebook more than I am on here. I am still addicted, ha ha. Like all fads, I'm sure that will fade as well.

Well, that pretty much sums up what's been going on. Sorry this post was so long, but a lot more happened than I realized. I will try not to be gone so long next time, but no promises ;)

Have a great week everyone and even though I'm not on here much, I still think about you guys all the time and wish you well.

Good news!!!

My biopsy came back a benign fibroadenoma. I am sooooo relieved. The doctor said that she recommends I leave it alone unless it gets bigger or starts bothering me. I just have to go back same time next year for my yearly mammo.

Thank you to everyone who was saying a little prayer or two for me. It is greatly appreciated. I love you guys!

Have a great week :)

Update

The radiologist didn't think it looked like the dreaded "C" word. In fact, it didn't even show up on the mammogram, only the ultrasound. Kinda scary if you ask me. She said the only way to be sure was to do a biopsy, so I go for that this Wednesday morning. I don't know when I will find out the results. It would be nice if they could do a quick stain and tell me while I was there, but I'm thinking it might be 24 hours.

Hubby wasn't too mad for not telling him. He understood why I didn't, but he made me promise to tell him next time something comes up no matter where he is.

I will let you know as soon as I hear something.

Have a great week everyone ;)

I found a lump

in my right breast Thursday night while I was taking a shower. I had one of the doctors feel it yesterday at work and she scanned it with the ultrasound machine. The whole time I am hoping it's going to be a cyst, but it wasn't. It looks solid, and one view she got looked like it had irregular borders. Of course the ultrasound tech in me is screaming out in my head, SHIT SHIT SHIT!!! This is when I wish I was the clueless , naive patient that didn't know the difference.

I have to go Monday morning and get an official ultrasound and probably some diagnostic views with the mammogram. I was scheduled to get a mammogram this May for my 40th birthday. My last mammogram looked good, but it was done a year and a half ago.

Hubby is in Los Angeles visiting his nephew until Tuesday. I haven't told him anything yet. I figured there was no use in ruining his trip when I didn't know anything. He's going to get mad at me for that, but he'll get over it. I know him and he will fly home today if I tell him. He never does anything just for himself, so he deserves to have a good time.

So keep your fingers crossed for me and say a little prayer or two if that's your inclination. I'll let you know what they say. In the meantime I am going to enjoy my weekend with my beautiful girls since Stephanie is home from school.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Let it snow.....

We got a heck of a snow storm this past Monday. We got about 6 inches, the most we've had since about 2001.

Then by Friday we were seeing temps in the 70's and we were close to 80 today. Crazy NC weather. We had snow thunder Sunday night before the big storm, so supposedly that's means more snow in 10 days. I really hope that doesn't happen. The thunder was weird too. The lightning woke me up from a dead sleep. I don't think I've ever experienced snow thunder.

Our office wasn't closed so I drove in all the mess. Only 2 other people showed up and 2 doctors. It was a fun day let me tell you. So we had a lab tech, the check in lady and me, the ultrasound tech. All to answer the phones, check the patients in (because yes some were crazy enough to keep their appointments), work the patients up, chaperone the doctors in the rooms, and I still had to do my scheduled scans. Fun fun!!!

I just hope we are done with snow for a long time. I wouldn't care if it never snowed again.

Have a great week everyone!










Of course this is what my cat was doing during the snow day, the same thing she does any other day, be lazy, lol!

Okay, so it's been more than a week

Since I've been on here. Where the hell does all the time go? I've become addicted to too much tv lately. They go forever without any decent shows on, then they put some new ones one and force me to watch, okay so maybe I'm not forced, but now I'm addicted and have to watch again. Damn!!!

I can't blame myspace since I'm hardly on there anymore, and I'm seriously thinking about deleting it, but facebook is a different story. I do get on there way too much. Oh well. What can I do? :)

Ken and I went to our all day class this past Saturday for our concealed permits. Now we just have to make an appointment down at the county sheriffs for our background check and finger printing. Then there is at least a 90 day wait til we actually have the permit in hand. Apparently there is a long list of applicants right now and I can't imagine why, insert sarcastic look here.

My baby turned 19 last week. Growing up way too fast. My youngest will be sweet 16 this June. Depressing.

Well, I'm off to check on your blogs. Have a great week everyone!

I'm baaaaaccckkkk

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I just haven't been on blogger in a long time. I got an email from Miss Janna the other day saying she got back on here and I needed to as well. So here I am.

Not too much has happened since I've been on. Nothing earth shattering anyway. We had a great Christmas and a good new year so far. Stephanie is enjoying college. She survived her first semester. Kim is doing great in high school. We are starting to dress hunt for her very first prom. Ahhh.

We have had some unusually cold weather lately and I hate it. I like the warmer weather better. We are already planning a trip to Florida for Spring Break. I can't wait.

My team is going to the Super Bowl so I'm pretty stoked about that. We are having a big party and everything.

I guess that's all the updating for now. I promise to return at least once a week.

A pic my friend posted on facebook.

My friend Suzanne posted this pic of Joe on her facebook. Her son goes to NC State with Stephanie and she is a huge DL fan as well. I can't believe he is wearing a NC State hat. How funny! It was taken with Billy Bob Thornton in Grand Rapids, MI when they went bowling together. I guess she cut him out of the pic. Sorry Billy. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. Stephanie came home Friday so it was great to see her. She had a great first week at school and is adjusting well.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

We moved my baby into her college room today

and I am depressed. Actually, I am better than I thought I would be. She is going to have such a great experience. She is so excited. Another milestone slipping by....

Why I love softball

I just had to share a Nike commercial that I saw when I was watching Team USA defeat Venezuela 11-0 in their first game. Go ladies!! I am upset with the Olympic committee for taking softball out of the 2012 Olympic games in London just because USA dominates the sport. That is not fair to these great athletes. When you watch this commercial, you realize that the ladies of this team used to be the young girls in this commercial. They play with their hearts and they truly love this game.

Check it out.



I am on vacation this week so I can spend time with Stephanie before we take her to school this weekend. :(

Have a great week everyone!

Guess what I got to ride in at lunch today?

Yeah, that's right. A Lamborghini. It was the coolest ride I've ever had.

First let me say

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I have been on here. I thought my life would wind down after my oldest one's graduation, but it didn't. We just got back from NC State today after a 2 day Parent Orientation. Lots of info was thrown at us.

We survived prom and graduation. The cruise was fantastic. I have some pics, but I am having trouble downloading them right now, so I will try to get those posted soon. I am actually proud of some scenery shots I got in St John. I am so ready to go on another one. The kids had a blast, and of course they had their entourage of boys following them around like lovesick puppies. LOL! We did some snorkeling in St John, yes I actually did some as well. I put aside my huge fear of sharks and went out into the deep water and everything. It was worth it. The water was gorgeous and you could see all the way down to the bottom.

I have been doing very well with my diet and exercise since May 1st and dropped 12 pounds! I am actually fitting into some clothes I haven't seen in a while. I feel better and have much more energy.

Well, I am off to get some stuff done around the house.

Sorry for the long absence. I will be checking some blogs here soon!

Happy Birthday Jude!

I want to wish my dear Canadian friend Jude a very Happy Birthday. This video is just for you. Enjoy!

Kitchen pics

Before


Sanding down the original stain


On the left, before I cleaned the original hardware, then on the right, after a good scrubbing


The finished product!


Hubby's mom standing next to her new cabinets. She is so happy!

We have been very busy around here as usual. My oldest has the lead role in "Our Town" which we are excited about. The show is May 29. I will post some pics of course. Prom is May 10th and graduation is June 8th. So many events coming up. Then we leave for our cruise June 14th. I am very stoked about that!!

Many of you may recall we had a foreign exchange student last summer from France. Her name is Eva. Well, we have been keeping in touch since and she called the other day and asked if she could come back and visit us again this summer. We told her of course!! She is coming in July for 3 weeks and we are extremely excited about that. She is flying in from Guadaloupe, a French west indies island that her and her family have been living on since last August. She is originally from Toulouse France. She is not going through the exchange program this time. It's great that she wants to come see us again. We are invited to come down and spend the holidays with them this December. I really hope we can afford to go.

Hubby and I went to see Wicked a couple of weekends ago. It was one of my Christmas presents. I loved it. The book was better, but I still enjoyed it very much. It was my first Broadway musical, so that was exciting.

Well, I'm off to catch up on some blogs. Sorry for my absence, btw. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm back and ready to show some pics

This post I will show some pics from the concert. Remember I said I am a terrible photographer so be forewarned. Plus the band was moving like crazy so a lot of my pics blurred. I am showing you the best ones. I had to sneak in the camera since they had big signs posted "No Cameras or Audio Equipment." That's a first for a DL show, but whatever. I didn't take any of Styx. Long story short I had gargantuan

man in front of me when they were on. Needless to say I moved to get a better view. So I am starting with a couple that I took of Reo Speedwagon.


Bruce Hall (bass guitar) and lead singer Kevin Cronin



close up of Kevin Cronin


The boys doing an acoustic set


This is my favorite of Sav


A little blurry, but it shows off Phil's physique so well!


Sav in black



Viv


This pic is dark, but true fans will recognize the little Welsh man that walked up beside us to check out the sound. None other than Malvin Mortimer, tour band manager

Well, that's all for now. I will post some before and after pics of the kitchen next. Have a great weekend everyone. And I will catch up on some blogs this weekend as well.