My Life's A'Changin!

Me Time

2010-07-27T07:16:00.003-04:00

For the first time in a very, very long time, I've had a vacation on my own. And it's been wonderful. My SIL, Pam, called me a couple of weeks ago and told me that she and Andy's mom, Bet, were going to Arkansas....and would I like to tag along? Of course!

So I've been at Mom and William's since last Wednesday night and am leaving this morning to head back to Indiana. Five whole days of having my parents to myself! What more could a person ask for?

Here's a rundown of our time together.....

Thursday....to Toad Suck and Conway for some shopping. I picked up a really cool stuffed Snoopy and 2 Snoopy coffee mugs (one for me, one for Smells) in Toad Suck. Then we ate lunch at Logan's....pretty good, I must say...followed a stop at Target, where I purchased a sweater jacket and a pair of superbly cute shoes....I later realized that Ashley has the same ones! lol

Friday....Mom and I did some shopping in Russellville. I absolutely love their JC Penney...much bigger than ours in Indiana and tons of clothes. I got 4 skirts, a purse and 2 pairs of sunglasses...one black, one brown. In Cato's I got a really cute pink shirt and a denim skirt. Then we went to Belk's where I got another sweater/jacket. Friday evening we went to Western Sizzlin' for Mom's former boss' retirement party.

Saturday.....we went to Hot Springs. I hadn't been there in years. We strolled around a bit, took a tour of one of the bath houses, drove around for a while and then came home, realizing that we hadn't bought a thing! We did stop at a little shop along the road and I bought Colin some "treasures" for his treasure box....a shark's tooth, a dinosaur made out of soapstone and some marbles. When we got back to Russellville, we ate at Stoby's...one of my all-time favorite places to eat.

Sunday....I spent Sunday lying around the house, watching home improvement shows while Mom and William went to church. Mom and I did run to town so that she could get some bread. Saw an old friend, Helen, at Wal-Mart! I had lost contact with her so it was wonderful to see her again.

Monday....Mom and I went into town so that I could pick up some things to take home to the grandbabies. I got the boys Arkansas t-shirts and got Bradie an Arkansas cheerleader doll. We went to Bath & Body Works and I picked up a few things for myself. Then we went back to Stoby's for lunch, came home and just spent the evening together.

Oh, and we were able to Skype with Bailey a few times during my visit, which was super nice for Mom and William.

Anyway...all good things must come to an end and I am leaving in a couple of hours to head back to Indiana.....to a husband and 2 dogs who, I am sure, have seriously missed me! I would include the cat and kittens in that, but I doubt if they missed me much. lol

Moms in Touch

2008-10-20T05:48:00.004-04:00

Over the years, I've been very active in my church. I've taught Sunday School, Kids POWer Hour, directed multiple children's plays (Christmas, Easter), directed Vacation Bible School....as you can see, I've been very involved in children's ministry.

I've recently felt a shift in my "ministry". A couple of years ago I was asked to oversee our Moms in Touch program, in which the ladies of our church focus prayer on our school. Over the last few months, I can say that I have truly developed a burden for this ministry. We are certainly living in a different day and age.....my experience of working in our public schools allows me to see things from an interesting point of view. It's not the same as when I was in school over....ahem.....25+ years ago.

Perhaps the problems of today are similar to those of yesteryear, but I think they are also more magnified. We are seeing more and more children who are being raised by grandparents. As parents are forced to work longer hours, we see more children left to their own devices.

I feel there is truly a calling for Moms to be "in touch" with God....much prayer is needed for our schools....not only for the children, but also for the teachers, administrators, and staff. From the bus routes to the classrooms to the board meetings.....we need God to protect and direct.

I can tell you from my point of view as the secretary of a high school office....we often deal with children who it would be easier for us if they didn't attend our school. And yes, I have sometimes been guilty of wishing they would just transfer "somewhere else". They are difficult, they are angry, sometimes they are scarey......yet they are only a product of their environment. They are living what they have learned....who really knows what these children go home to every night?

My prayer is "Lord, let me see them through Your eyes". I want to see them as God sees them, for He doesn't seem them as problem children...He sees them as His creation....He loves them unconditionally. I want to have more compassion....I want to reach these children and have a positive impact on their lives. If they only see one smile a day....let it be from me. If they only receive one word of encourage a day...let it be from me.

Oh Where, Oh Where, has my little Kat gone?

2008-09-14T21:26:00.003-04:00

I can't get into KitKat's blog anymore because it says "invited readers" only. Blech. Kitty Katty....where are you? I can get into your food blog, but not yours or the doggies.

Ethan David

2008-07-08T13:57:00.002-04:00

I thought I would do a little blog about our youngest grandson, Ethan.

Ethan is just the happiest baby. He is 7 months old now and always just happy to be invited to the party. All you have to do it look at him and you get a quick grin in return.

He is about to master crawling. I love to watch him get up on those little hands and knees......and then fall over! But he will soon be crawling for real and then watch out.....poor Sidda! He is already obsessed with her...and she seems to be quite taken with him, too. She likes to be right next to him when he's at the house and doesn't seem to mind at all when he yanks on her ears. She just turns and gives him a lick in the face.

By the way.....Ethan looks like mine and Bailey's baby pictures. Yay!

Coot

2008-07-07T12:49:00.003-04:00

When we were going through the "house switch" process, Kim, the lady we bought our house from, told me that her grandfather had a old beagle who would come down every day and eat whatever food scraps Kim would put out. I told her that was fine, since I'm definitely a dog lover.

Sure enough, shortly after moving in, this old beagle showed up. Covered in ticks....absolutely no energy at all. I would scratch him on the top of the head.....the only tickless area on his body....and give him a snack. I asked Kim what the dog's name was and she didn't know.....so we began calling him "Coot" because he just looked like an ol' coot! LOL

I decided I couldn't deal with the ticks, so I got a dose of FrontLine from my vet and put it on Coot. In a couple of the days all of the ticks were gone and he, literally, is a new dog. Full of energy, very loving and plays with Daisy and Sidda (before he would lay around and just watch them).

We then found out that Kim's grandfather had a stroke. After leaving the hospital, he has been placed in a nursing home. One evening Kim's mother stopped by our house. She asked if the beagle had been coming over and she told us to let her know if he were bothering us. She said they were going to try to find Coot a new home. Andy jumped at the chance and said "We'll take him!"

So we now have another new dog.....and he is completely adorable!

Heeeeeeere's Daisy!

2008-06-19T21:46:00.002-04:00

Here she is....our newest family member. She is simply the sweetest dog....well, she and Sidda run a close race! :-) She stays right by the house, never leaves the yard. She and Sidda have become friends after a rough start. Sidda wasn't too sure about having another dog around

Daisy goes back to the vet this Saturday for her last puppy shot and for a rabies vaccination. We are also going to set a date to have her spayed....as cute as she, I still don't want a bunch of miniatures running around! LOL

Flowers galore.....

2008-06-03T17:55:00.002-04:00

I've been busy planting lots of flowers in my new humongous yard! So far I have....

a bed of red, white and purple wave petunias

a bed of marigolds, lavendar, Mexican heather and daisies, but our new dog, Daisy, has pretty much destroyed those marigolds

a bed of white and pink impatiens....which I noticed this morning Daisy has made a bed in

a bed of marigolds around a purple clematis

4 large pots of red and white geraniums

and from seeds which aren't blooming yet: sunflowers, wild flowers, more lavendar, daisies, morning glories, zinnias, alyssum, etc....I'm sure I'm forgetting something

We also sit and watch a deer most evenings come out from the woods to get a drink from the pond. We have lots of finches and birds at our feeders, although only a few hummingbirds. I've seen two coyotes and "heard" what I'm told was probably a wild boar.

I am absolutely loving living in the country. We should have done this years ago!

We are finally moved!

2008-05-22T05:46:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since my last blog post, so here's the update on me.

We finally got moved.....I can't remember the exact date, but it's been a few weeks. Settling in has been a process. I'm having to develop a whole new routine, which is crucial for me. I feel out of sorts when I don't have one.

The house is totally unpacked and I think everything is pretty much in it's place. I have redone the kitchen and dining room. They are sort of together, separated by cabinets. I've painted the dining room and one wall of the kitchen a "golden marsh"....the other two kitchen walls are painted "late tomato". They are really pretty together and much better than the burgundy and odd shade of green that the previous owner had. We also changed the light fixture there. It was a wagon wheel that the previous owner did herself. I bought a really pretty black iron ivy-type fixture which Andy promptly put up for me.

I've taken down the "fishing" border in our bathroom and replaced it with a really pretty "lily" border. The spare bedroom, which is also my office, will remain lavendar with it's bright, flowery border. I kind of like it....it's a whimsical girly room.

We've also been doing a lot of yard work. I've planted geraniums, marigolds, petunias, lavendary, Mexican heather, etc. etc., etc. We are having a patio poured today. We originally were going to build a deck, but the patio seemed cheaper and easier. I can't wait until it's finished.

And we've adopted a new dog. Her name is Daisy and the vet tells me she has no idea what she is! LOL Definitely a "Heinz 57". She's a great dog...stays right by the house. She and Sidda play together pretty well. And yes, Sidda is loving country living. No more leash when she goes outside. Although if I don't keep my my eye on her, she ends up at the pond and comes back a muddy mess!

I'll try to post pictures soon.

Good gravy...what's the hold up?

2008-04-08T20:10:00.002-04:00

Okay....appraisals are done....loans are approved....we are waiting for a closing date. Good grief...how much longer can it take? I am anxious to move!

We have begun packing. Well, let me rephrase that. Andy has begun packing. The basement, the garage and the back porch are done. Bailey's bedroom is also pretty much packed up.

Me? I'm the procrastinator in the bunch. Once I have the definite date for the move, then I'll begin. Luckily I'm not a pack-rat so it really won't take me that long to get packed.

Oh yes, I also already have a new puppy ready to join our family. Well, I don't actually have her yet, but one of our teachers has a stray dog who had pups at her house. She brought in pictures today and, of course, I fell in love with one of the little dolls. I've already named her Daisy...and we have no idea what breed she is. Probably a little bit of everything.

Migraines

2008-03-19T22:05:00.002-04:00

For the last four mornings I have gotten up with a migraine. I take Imitrex and it goes away, but I really wish this was something I just didn't have to deal with. I've developed a pattern. My migraines almost always hit during "that time" and come usually 3 days in a row, this month it has been 4. I'm getting ready to go to bed and can feel another one coming on. I've taken some Advil Migraine to try and save my Imitrex for the really bad ones since I have to pay $30 for 9 pills. Thank goodness for insurance....9 pills are about $200 without insurance.

That's all I wanted to say. I just needed to whine. Andy's working late and Bailey's in bed....and I really don't think Sidda could care less if I have a headache or not, just as long as she can curl up next to me in bed.

The Waiting Game

2008-03-18T22:05:00.002-04:00

I'm an impatient person. I want to know if we are going to be moving NOW. I'm not as impatient as Kim, though, the lady who we are hoping to trade houses with. Kim is completely packed and their family is living out of boxes. Her, her husband and their 3 children....living out of boxes. And every time I talk to her, she asks "Are you packed yet?". While I have complete faith that this is going to work out, I'm also a realist and know that anything can happen. I'm not going to pack up, have everything fall apart, and then have to unpack.

I am also on the prowl for a big dog already. One of the local shelters has a golden retriever that I want, but they won't hold him for me. I told Kim about him and she said "Go ahead and get him and bring him out here.....I'll take care of him for you until we all move." Again.....she's very optimistic.

And then there's the girls. Bailey and Ashley. Both were unhappy when we told them about this. Bailey has come around, but Ashley is just sad. Sad that we are leaving the house that they grew up in. And it is sad.....but this old house is simply too big for us. Especially once Bailey leaves, which she eventually will. And we keep thinking of all the great things we can do with a house in the country......fish in the pond....have weenie roasts on the weekend....take the boys out in the woods. I am so excited.....I just can't wait!

Update on Us

2008-03-08T16:59:00.003-05:00

It's been a while so here goes......

It looks like we may be moving. We have wanted a home in the country for a long time, but have been hesitant about putting ours up for sale. What if ours sold and we couldn't find a place we wanted? Plus, we're mortgage free.....and we don't want to go into debt.

Enter winter weather.......After a recent bout of ice/sleet, a young man's truck slides off the road. Andy is the responding officer. As they sit in Andy's car, waiting for the wrecker to come, they strike up a conversation. We have a house in town and are looking for a house in the country, they have a house in the country and are looking for a house in town.

The paperwork is being processed as I type this for us to do an even "swap". If you read this, please say a prayer for everything to work out.

In other news.....I convinced Andy to let me buy a new car, a 2007 Ford Fusion which I absolutely love. That sounds bad, doesn't it? That he "let" me buy a car? Okay, "let" isn't the word I should use. It was a mutually agreed upon decision which transpired after much whining, harassing and otherwise I'm-not-going-to-shut-up-until-I-am-driving-a-Fusion banter.

This morning we woke up to 7 1/2 inches of snow and by noon it was 11 inches. Yay! I love snow but I'd really rather have it in December. Not March. Not when spring break is only 2 weeks away.

Ah yes, spring break. We are heading to Arkansas to visit my parents for a week......and we are taking Colin with us. He's four now and I know we'll have so much fun with him in tow. Of course, that's easy for me to say. When Andy's around, I don't exist in Colin's world.....it's all ab0ut "Papaw". So it will probably be Andy who will be doing most of the youngster-minding.

2008 is almost here!

2007-12-31T17:18:00.000-05:00

Ethan David & I

So I suppose it's time to make resolutions once again. And probably the same ones. I rejoined SparkPeople.com a few days ago and have done relatively well the last two days. It's an online diet/health program. It lets me track my foods and calories, as well as exercise....well, it will let me track my exercise if any when I decide to start doing any!

Reflecting on 2007, I must say that once again God has richly blessed me and my family. We have a healthy new grandson; we have good health; we have a good home......and we have each other. Andy and I celebrated 25 years of marriage in 2007.....I look forward to the next 25.

That which was lost is found.....

2007-11-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

Bailey came downstairs at 5:30 this morning, eyes swollen from crying and announces she has something she has to tell me. She has lost my engagement ring. The one Andy gave me 26 years ago this month when he asked me to marry him. She had found it in my jewelry box months ago and asked if she could wear it and I told her yes.

We retraced her steps (she had already torn her room and bathroom apart) and she remembered having it at Starbucks last Friday. She was in the bathroom and took it off to wash her hands (who takes off their rings to wash their hands?!). She thinks she left it on the sink.

So I call Starbucks at 6:00 am. Chris tells me they did find a ring, but she can't get into the safe to see if it's the same one. She tells me to call back at 10:00. I call back at 10:00 and talk to Chris again. They get into the safe, I describe the ring, and yes! It's MY ring!

I picked it up after work today and literally broke down in tears when they handed it to me. They have no idea who the honest soul was that turned it in, but I am forever grateful to that person.

Tiring Weekend....

2007-11-26T07:03:00.000-05:00

Weekends are supposed to be for relaxing, right? Well, then I think I should get a do-over.

I got a phone call at 4:00 am on Saturday...Guy was taking Ashley to the ER so could I come over and stay with Ethan? Of course! Colin was his "other" grandpa's in Vincennes. She ended up needing emergency surgery (I won't go into details here) and they didn't get home until later that evening. I spent the night so that I could take care of the boys...Colin had made it home by then....and so that they could both get a good night's sleep.

I came home around noon on Sunday, with Colin in tow. He wanted to see his Papaw. He spent the night last night. Andy is going to take him to pre-school today and then he is going to go spend the day with Ashley to help with the baby.

I did finish reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" on Saturday. It was good. I wouldn't say it's the best book I've ever read, but it was good. I'm glad I read it. Now I'm going to have to watch the movie, according to Andy anyway. LOL

Thanksgiving is over......my feasting is showing up on the scales this morning. Yay.

The Day After Thanksgiving....

2007-11-23T22:37:00.001-05:00

It's Friday, but we just had our traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Andy's family tonight......loud, rambunctious and lots of fun. A house full of kids, including 5 new baby boys born into the family this year.....we all have a lot to be thankful for.

We're still reeling from the death of Andy's brother. The official results still aren't in. We are anxious to see what the toxicology reports state. We just found out he was taking Chantix and, in extremely rare cases, can cause extreme depression, suicidal tendencies and unnatural aggression. The officers at the scene are saying it's likely that alcohol was a factor.....I am praying it wasn't.

Bailey made it home from National Youth Convention today just in time for the family dinner. She had a great time but I missed her so much while she was gone.

Colin is spending the night with his other grandparents, so he wasn't at dinner. But Ashley, Guy and Ethan were.....Ethan is the spitting image of Ashley when she was a baby. He is so adorable.....and tiny!

God has truly blessed Andy and I.

Tragedy

2007-11-20T18:57:00.001-05:00

Andy's brother was killed last night in a car accident. We found out this afternoon that he hit another vehicle in the side, killing a mother and 4 of her children. The father and another child are in the hospital.

All reports so far indicate he was drunk. Witness say he must have had a "death wish" because he was driving down the wrong side of the road at speeds in excess of 80 mph and had run several other vehicles off the road.

Andy had lost contact with him after their father died (they are actually half brothers, same dad, different moms). Once the estate was closed and his brother received his part of the inheritance, we rarely saw him.

But we did love him. And I've learned through this that we need to stay in touch with our families and tell them we love them every chance we have.

When children disobey their parents, smoke cigarettes, and make war on each other, the seasons change....

2007-11-20T04:47:00.000-05:00

A quote from To Kill a Mockingbird. Good gravy....if that were true, we'd have a new season every week! LOL I'm enjoying the book.....Scout is quite a character. I love the way it's written. I'm up to the part where Jem has to read to Ms. Dubose every day.

Bailey and I stopped by to see the boys yesterday. Colin just wants to pat Ethan on the head all the time (something for which his mother is constantly tell him to stop). But Ethan doesn't seem to mind....he just sleeps through it.

Mother/Daughter Day Out

2007-11-19T06:05:00.000-05:00

Bailey and I went shopping yesterday and had such a great time. She is leaving for National Youth Convention in Nashville, TN, in the morning and wanted to try to find some new things to take with her.

I ended up buying myself a new sweater, a Snoopy fleece jacket (at KMart, no less!), a pair of snow boots, and a new black skirt. I spent way too much on myself, especially with Christmas coming up, but I just couldn't help myself. It was all stuff I needed.....well, except maybe the Snoopy jacket. LOL

I also started up with the sniffles yesterday. Yay me. :-(

To Kill a Mockingbird

2007-11-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

One of Andy's favorite movies is "To Kill a Mockingbird". He was shocked years ago when he found out that I had never seen the move.....or read the book.

So today I have begun reading it. Of course, Andy said, "Why don't you just watch the movie? It won't take as long."

But I have a thing about books made into movies. The books are always better. I realized this the first time I read "Gone With the Wind". I had seen the movie several times and was shocked at how different (and better) the book was. If you just watch the movie, you are missing out.

I've made it through the first 3 chapters so far.

How cute is this?

2007-11-16T20:30:00.000-05:00

Colin spent the night with us last night and we took him to the hospital this evening to see Mommy, Daddy and Ethan. Ethan started crying and Colin said, "I think he's say 'I want Colin!'".......too cute!

BTW - Ethan's feet are humongous....check out his footprints! And he is so adorable.

They are coming home tomorrow afternoon. We dropped Colin off at Nana's (Guy's mom) on our way home. I told Ashley I would make her roast and potatoes tomorrow for supper....her favorite meal.

Ethan David Fisher

2007-11-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

Our newest grandson made his debut at 3:32 this afternoon, weighing in at 6 pounds, 2.7 ounces, and measuring 18.5 inches long. Lots of dark brown hair and absolutely adorable, of course.

Ashley was admitted to the hospital at 6:00 am. They were "insanely chaotic" - apparently lots of babies decided to come today. They broke her water at 8:45, gave her an epidural at 9:15 and started Pitocin at around 9:30.

Guy, Guy's mom Debbie, and I were in the delivery room. It's so amazing. I am truly, truly blessed.

It's Ethan's "Birth Day"

2007-11-15T05:19:00.000-05:00

In a few hours (hopefully it won't take very long) Ethan David Fisher will be here. Ashley is checking into the hospital at 6:00 am.....I told them I would be there by 6:30. They are inducing labor this morning.

Life is about to change yet again. Colin will not be the center of our lives....he is going to have to start sharing that spot with a new baby brother. He's already shown me all of his old toys he is giving to Ethan, he has shown me Ethan's bedroom, and he's told us how he's going to teach Ethan to ride a bike. He's excited to be a big brother.....we'll see how long that lasts! LOL

So anyway, I'm up at the "butt crack of dawn", as Bailey so eloquently calls it, because I couldn't sleep and in a few minutes I'll be leaving to watch my oldest daughter give birth.

Happy birth day, Ethan!

Halloween has come and gone.......

2007-11-05T20:08:00.001-05:00

and I didn't even post any pictures here! Here's Colin & Andy.....Andy just got home from work. BTW....Andy spent all day on the Monday before Halloween getting Colin's costume "just right".

And then, of course, there's the jack-o-lantern that Colin drew the face on and Andy cut it out exactly as it was drawn.....a funny little guy!

Colin Andrew

2007-09-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

Colin is such a joy in our lives....I absolutely love this little man!

Diggin' holes.....

2007-09-03T15:02:00.000-04:00

Have a group of kids you need to keep busy? Give them each a garden tool and tell them the first one to find a worm gets $1.....at least it worked with Colin, his cousins Preston & Kinley, and the neighbor kid Tashz. Plus....no one found a worm so I wasn't even out a buck!

They did find a beetle....who met an untimely death at the hands of Colin....they also found lots of rolie polies, spiders and ants!

Decisions....decisions....decisions.....

2007-09-02T15:55:00.000-04:00

We met with the realtor yesterday. She thinks our house would sell quickly and that we could make about a $40,000 profit from what we bought it for.....which is good since that's about how much we've put into it.

She took us out to look at house she currently has listed. I have to say, if Bailey weren't still living at home, it would be perfect. It's only two bedrooms and one bath.....I would prefer 3 bedrooms. Also, right now we have a dining room, living room and sitting room. The house we looked at only has a big living room, but we could put our dining room table at one end of it and still have plenty of room for "living".

It was a nice house but I didn't fall in love with it. I think I could happy living there though. It's right outside town. She also thought we could buy that house for about $30,000 less than what we can get for our current house.....that would be some nice pocket change.

Of course, then I came home and looked at my big, old house and thought "why would I want to sell this place?".

I hate making decisions.

A realtor is coming! A realtor is coming!

2007-09-01T09:28:00.001-04:00

Don't get me wrong. I love our house. It was built in 1915...it has two original stained glass windows and lots of leaded windows. It's beautiful. It's full of old oak woodwork. It's a beautiful home.

But it's too big. I never clean the upstairs because I simply don't have time. It's a dusty mess up there.

So. A realtor is coming this morning to take a look at it. One potential problem? Location. Location. Location. Not many people want to move to our small town.

The girls are upset with us because we are even considering selling. This is the house they grew up in.

Anyway, she will be here 28 minutes. We are hoping we can sell this house and find something smaller out in the country....maybe 1 or 2 acres with a smaller house. And if we can't sell....that's fine....we'll just stay here and I'll keep ignoring the dusty upstairs.

Times Flies.....

2007-08-27T20:16:00.001-04:00

when you're having fun....or so they say.

I've been back at the school since the beginning of June. I'm so glad to be back...although we're facing a year of tremendous change. The high school principal (my boss) is leaving and our superintendent has been arrested for official misconduct....two things I knew were probably going to happen before I decided to return.

So why did I want to go back? A genuine love for my school and my community. After all...I graduated from MHS, my mother graduated from MHS, my grandmother graduated from MHS.

And just what do we do now in the midst of all this turmoil? We move forward. We embrace the challenges we are facing with a new outlook and with lots and lots and lots of prayer.

It's a......

2007-06-27T15:12:00.001-04:00

BOY! Ashley and Guy are having another little Guy in November - the due date is the 18th. She is 19 weeks along and the baby weighs 11 ounces right now. Bailey and I both got to go in with her for the ultrasound - absolutely amazing!

25 Years of Marriage

2007-06-06T22:23:00.001-04:00

Andy and I celebrated 25 years of marriage on May 29th. I have to say, it's been a pretty easy 25 years......thanks to him mainly. He is the most easy-going person I know. He puts up with me. He stands by me. He supports me. He's my best friend. And I thank God every day for giving me someone so wonderful.

And why do I feel guilty about that?

My sister also recently celebrated 25 years of marriage, this past January. She just left my house after spending the last six days with me. She has left her husband. He cheated on her. An affair. Can you believe that? An affair! After 25 years of marriage!

Their 25 years have been the exact opposite of mine and Andy's. It has been rough-going from the start. I always wondered how they managed to stay together, but gee whiz, after 25 years, I thought they just had it figured out and would be together forever. So 4 kids and 3 grandbabies later, they are calling it quits. He doesn't want to. He wants her to forgive him and stay with him. She told him she can forgive him, but she'll never forget....and she just wants out.

I was surprised by her this weekend. I've always been the strong one of the two sisters, even though I'm the younger one. She's never had much self-confidence......I've always had it spilling out of me. She's the quiet one.....I'm the one who always has something to say. She's the one who always calls me, crying, her heart ripped out by either something her kids or her husband had done......I was the one who always listened, always gave her advice, always encouraged her to hang in there. She has always said I was her hero and she wished she were more like me.

This week I saw a different side of her. Angry? Yes. Broken? No. She said the fact that she finally knew he was having an affair was like having a burden lifted off of her shoulders and she's ready to move on......without him. She is like a different person. Yes, sad by what she's lost.....but excited about a future life where she gets to call the shots, where she gets to finally be herself. Where she gets to be.......happy.

If it were me, and I had found out that Andy had cheated on me, I'd be, well, broken. Devastated. Angry. Vengeful........

But she is none of those things. Oh yes, she cried a few times while she was here. But the strength and dignity with which she is handling this has been mind blowing to me. I am in awe of her. I think I have a new hero.

My Guys

2007-05-26T22:50:00.001-04:00

Andy has always been such a great dad to the girls and now he is a great Papaw to Colin. I absolutely love to watch them together. I snapped this picture today while they played ball in the yard.

A little disappointed (okay...a LOT disappointed!)

2007-05-26T13:44:00.000-04:00

My parents always come up over Memorial Day Weekend from Arkansas and spend the week at our house. It's always hectic week with lots of company, but I love it. I've been incredibly homesick lately to see Mom and was especially looking forward to them coming this weekend.

But.....they've had a family emergency and are unable to come. When I refer to "my parents", it's actually my mom and step-dad, William.....but he has been more of a father to me than my biological one.

Anyway, his sister-in-law has cancer and isn't expected to live. She was married to William's brother, Raymond, who died suddenly a few years ago. Mom and William are very close to her and don't feel that they can leave her at this time. In fact, Mom just called and said she is worse and is not expected to make it through the night.

If you read this, whisper a prayer for Donna.

Weight Watchers

2007-05-19T07:45:00.000-04:00

Some more news! I joined Weight Watchers in March and have lost a total of almost 13 pounds so far - I am so excited!

It's coming off slow. I have good weeks and bad weeks....good days and bad days. One week I'll lose, the next I've gained....but I am still losing overall.

It feels great!

Changing jobs (again)

2007-05-19T07:32:00.000-04:00

After much thought and discussion with Andy (and lots of prayer), I've decided to return to the school where I worked for 11 years. While I love my job at the hospital, the school tugs at my heartstrings. The lady who took my place resigned and I was asked to come back. It was too difficult to say no. And, with gas prices at $3.29/gallon, working only 4 blocks from home again is very appealing!

I've been assured by different individuals that things are different there and it looks like there are some more major changes on the horizon. I can't say much about them here just yet, but a change in administration is probably coming.

I put in my notice at the hospital last Monday, crying the whole time (I'm such a baby). My boss was disappointed, but understood. She asked if there was anything she could do to change my mind and I told her no. But the other lady in our office has been completely strange about the whole thing. She spent Monday crying, but by Tuesday she was completely horrible to me. In fact, she said some pretty ugly things to me in front of a couple of other people and I received a phone call at home that evening from one of those people, asking me just what the heck was going on down in our office.

The next morning my boss talked to me and apologized for the other lady's behavior and promised it would stop. Things were more bearable on Wednesday and Thursday, and by yesterday (Friday), it was much better. Still a little tense, but better. She is at least speaking to me now.

I am taking a week off between jobs - Mom & William will be here that week. I am going to put in a few hours at the school that week, helping to get honor day and graduation pulled together, but other than that, I am looking forward to having a week with Mom.

I haven't posted since January 7th!

2007-03-14T19:15:00.000-04:00

Yikes! Where does the time go? It's already mid-March.

First - excellent news to report.....I'm going to be a grandma again! Ashley and Guy just found out they are expecting their second child. We are so happy and excited!

Second, some sad news. We had adopted a yorkie, named Max, but were unable to keep him because he was so rough with Sidda. This past Saturday they got into a pretty heated fight and we thought he had broken her jaw. So Andy told me he had to go (Andy was not happy about me getting him in the first place.) Anyway, I gave him to my neighbor, but she is unable to keep him either because he did the same thing to her other dog. She told me she has someone who wants him. I'm just worried about him moving so much - I don't want to traumatize him! He's really a sweet dog.....just not around other dogs.

Let's see.......what else.......my job is going great. I am getting added responsibilities all the time and am loving it. This past Tuesday was New Employee Orientation and I did the morning session. It was fun.

That's about it for now.

One week down, 51 to go!

2007-01-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the first week of the new year.

I had a hectic week at work, but am still loving it. There are rumors swirling (gotta love a small town) that I am returning to the school but, at this point, they are only rumors. A huge part of me misses the work and the kids - I still have kids come up and hug me and ask me to come back. Time will tell if this will happen.

Colin is growing and talking.....too much. He's been peeing in his potty for a while now, but always sitting down. Last Saturday, Andy taught him to pee standing up. So last Sunday during church, I took him to the restroom and he peed stand up. The following conversation ensued:

Colin: I'm gonna tell Papaw I peed in the potty 'tandin' up!
Me: No Colin, don' t you dare go out and tell Papaw that. You can tell him that when we get home.
Colin: But I have to tell Papaw I peed 'tandin' up!
Me: Colin Andrew, I'm warning you....don't you dare go out front and tell Papaw that.

We leave the restroom and before we are even halfway to our seat, Colin announces in a very loud voice, "Hey Papaw! I peed in the potty 'tandin' up!"

Good Gravy.

We are also at the end of our first week of our 37 Days of Consecration at church, which I am thoroughly enjoying. We are reading the New Testmament through during this time. I got behind yesterday, but am all caught up this evenings. It's average 6-7 chapters a day.

I also began teaching a new age group in Sunday School this week - the 10-11-12 year olds, which in this case, is a group of all girls and one boy. Today the "one boy" was absent, so it was just us females - and we had the best time! I am so glad that God has allowed me to be a part of this class - they are definitely going to be a blessing to me, as I pray that I will be to them.

Also, had a miracle happen to me today. I woke up with a horrible, nauseous headache that my Imitrex wouldn't even touch. I thought about staying home from church, but decided to go, staying only long enough to teach my class and then come back home and crawl back into bed. After I got there, I begun feeling much worse so I caught my Pastor in the hallway and asked if he would pray for me right then and there. He did and immediately I was healed. I want to give God praise for touching me in such a great way!

If you read my blog, may your second week of the 2007 be blessed!

January 1, 2007 - 37 Days of Consecration

2007-01-01T06:41:00.000-05:00

37 Days of Consecration begins today at our church. I am totally looking foward to taking this opportunity to draw closer to God and find His direction for my life. Today began with prayer and reading Matthew, Chapters 1-9.....it will also be a day of fasting. By the end of these 37 days, we will have read the New Testament in it's entirety. The 37 days signify 10% of the year.

I am also excited because I have been given a new Sunday School class - ages 10, 11 and 12....it's a class that consists of mostly girls and they are excited that I'm going to be their teacher. This makes about 22 years of teaching Sunday School class for me and is something that I continue to hold dear to my heart. I can recall all my Sunday School teachers fondly and always pray that I am making a positive impact in the lives of these children.

On a personal note, what would New Year's be without a resolution to lose weight and get into shape? I have a couple of incentives this year....my 25th wedding anniversary and 25-year class reunion are both coming up in May. Twenty-five years?! Where has the time gone?

I wish everyone who reads my blog a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2007!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T09:51:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my family & friends! May you have a wonderful day!

Time to play catch up

2006-12-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, I haven't blogged for a while, so here goes.

Life is going along pretty well for us right now. I am truly looking forward to celebrating Christmas. We had our play at church last night and will be having an encore performance at 1:30 this afternoon. The kids did a great job last night and the man from our church who plays "Uncle Yule" really made the play - southern accent and all! I was impressed!

I'm almost finished with my shopping - still need to pick up a couple of things for Ashley, Bailey and Andy. I haven't wrapped anything though - I may assign that job to Andy! LOL He's a much better wrapper than me.

I am so in love with our newest family member, Sidda. She is absolutely a perfect fit for our family. I took her the groomer last week though and asked for her hair to be cut "shorter"....he shaved her! Except for her head and legs - she kind of has this poodle cut thing going on. I'll be so glad when it grows out!

My new job continues to be really good. It's nice to not be so stressed all the time. I can definitely tell that I'm my old self again.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Fall and Little Boys

2006-11-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

Andy spent part of his morning yesterday raking and re-raking the leaves in the yard so that Colin and the neighbor boys could play in them. I went out to check on them at one point and Colin yelled "Gamma - jump in da weaves!"..........so I did. Sorry, no picture of that one, but I did snap one of Colin!

Bailey

2006-11-05T08:09:00.000-05:00

Bailey has decided to quit school. This is an issue we've been dealing with over the last few weeks. She is constantly in tears and over-stressed. She came to my office this past Monday to talk....well, to talk between sobs. She seems to be having a really difficult time transitioning from high school life to college life. I won't go into details here.

I told her this is the time in her life to discover what it is she really wants to do....and if she needs time off from school, then just do it. Of course, I've had a couple of people tell me that I should have made her tough out at least this first semester, but I just didn't have the heart. I do hate the fact that she will be losing $5800 in scholarship money, but bottom line, it's her decision.

So, she is working and keeping my house clean (hey, this may not be so bad after all!). And, I have to say, she seems much more like her old self, which is always a good thing. She seems much more relaxed and told me it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

No real news here....

2006-10-18T06:02:00.000-04:00

Nothing really to report, just thought I'd come in and type a little bit.

My parents are in from Arkansas - they'll be here through next Monday. They always stay at our house while they're here - although yesterday they left to spend two nights at Mom's sister's house in Seymour. They'll be back here tomorrow.

Work is going great. Our manager is going on vacation and won't be back until next Wednesday. Makes me a little nervous, knowing she won't be there, but I know we'll be fine. That will leave me and the other lady to cover our office. Hopefully nothing over-the-top will happen while she's gone.

Moms in Touch is feeding the teachers at school today because it is Parent/Teacher Conferences. We've been doing this for years. Mom made ham salad for me to take and I baked cookies shaped like pumpkins last night....even used orange icing for the pumpkin and green icing for the stems. They are so pretty - almost hate to eat them!

I was reminded yesterday of how thankful I am to have a husband like Andy. When I listen to other women vent about their spouses, it always makes me more appreciative. Although, Andy is on vacation this week so is getting to sleep in every morning....which I think is totally unfair! LOL

My Parents Are Coming! My Parents Are Coming!

2006-10-13T05:57:00.000-04:00

My parents will be here this afternoon. They are spending a week and a half with us - I am so excited! I miss them so much. It's hard not being able to see them every day.

I spent part of last night getting my house ready. Of course, it's just my parents, so they don't expect it to be spotless. And it was already pretty much picked up - it just need a little lift. I did scrub the bathroom that they'll be using and washed the bed linens for them.

Also, last night Bailey and I watched "The Break-Up" with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn....total waste of time! Blech. Horrible. Ick. Did I mention I didn't like it? What a freaky ending.

Tomorrow is our family reunion - Mom's side of the family, which I am totally looking forward to. They are such a beautiful extended family. So.......normal. As compared to my dad's side of the family, which is so........dysfunctional. I like to think that Andy and I have taken after Mom's side....although there may be people who would disagree! LOL

We're having absolutely gorgeous weather. Cool, crisp and clear. Beautiful.

I got a phone call.....

2006-10-12T02:45:00.000-04:00

at 6:45 am on Tuesday morning. It was the lady who took my place at the school. She was upset and said she needed to meet with me, that she "can't handle all of this".

So I went there after I got off work. Things are bad there. There's been a climate control study conducted on our principal - which came back terribly negative. She said he's about to have a breakdown. She said the kids are out of control and there's no discipline, basically the animals are running the zoo.

Then we moved on to the accounting part. She has a stack of bills she hasn't paid yet because she "doesn't have time". Hello? You have to make time to do that - the extra-curricular bills have to be paid. She has bills that she doesn't have receipts for because either the teachers haven't given them to her or she has lost them. She's been keying in the checks/deposits into the computer system wrong. She hasn't been filling out the proper paperwork to pay refs for the games. Yikes. I told her I would come in and help her get organized, but they will have to pay me to do it....which I doubt the superintendent would be willing to do.

My main concern is the accounting part. She really just doesn't know what she's doing and I feel really bad for her. She was placed in a job that she simply isn't qualified to do.

She told me the library aide is quitting and if she does, she would like to take her job and thinks I need to come back and take my job back over. Yeah. Right. I'll be sure and do that right away. I don't think it's totally out of the question, but they would have to ask me to come back and make it worth my while financially. Which won't happen.

I told her to call the corporation treasurer, who works out of the superintendent's office, and meet with her. I told her to show her everything she has shown me and tell her everything she has told me, and that together they would get it straightened out.

Nightmare

2006-10-09T20:18:00.000-04:00

I rarely have nightmares....maybe one every few years. Last night was one of those rare occasions. I woke myself up screaming - Andy said he had been trying to get me to wake up but couldn't.

I was being held in a house by some guy I didn't know, but he would allow me to go out into the yard. I was planning my escape when his "insane" brother came out with a club and two other guys. I knew they were going to try to kill me so I was trying to get around them to get back in the house - I knew I would be safe if I could just get back inside.

Instead, as I tried to slip past them, they attacked - one of them grabbed me and brought the club down onto my head.....that's when I woke up screaming.

Of course, I had a hard time going back to sleep after that. Andy was sweet and held me until I drifted back off.

It just seemed so real. Ugh. I felt creepy all day today.

I wonder if it meant anything?

New job, No regrets

2006-09-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in a while, so thought maybe I'd better put something in here.

I love my new job....did you all hear that? Love it, love it, love it! It's such a perfect fit for me. I've already implemented a couple of new ideas that my supervisor has approved and seems to be happy with. I'm working my butt off to impress everyone - my goal is to move up. Actually, my goal is be on the 4th floor - where the "initials" all work....CEO, CCO, CFO, COO, etc.

I love the two ladies I work with. They have gone out of the way to make me feel welcome and to spend lots of time training me. I have to say, it seems like I'm picking things up pretty quickly and my old self-confidence is coming back.

I had been warned by a couple of different people about one of those ladies (to watch my back), but, for now, I see nothing of what they were talking about it. I'm not going to let others opinions influence me. After coming out of the situation I just did at my other job, I want nothing but peace and harmony here and that's what I'm striving for.

About my "old" job. Phone calls, e-mails, etc.....you name it...I'm getting them weekly from friends and former co-workers , although it has slowed down a bit. Sounds like things are a bit in turmoil over there. Someone even told me yesterday that my former boss said he would give me part of his salary to come back. Yeah. Right. I've also been told there's kind of a battle of words going on about "who's fault" it is that I left.

Bottom line...it's nobody's fault. I chose to leave because I didn't like the person I was becoming....negative, grouchy, always stressed out. And, quite frankly, I didn't feel appreciated. Yes, there were people who helped my decision along, but to say it was any one person's fault is not fair to anyone who is still there.

The person I talked to last night said "Ever since you left, it's like all the goodness and sweetness is gone from the office and all that's left is lying and back-stabbing."

And I almost feel guilty that I feel so content in my new job. Almost.

New Job Update

2006-08-21T21:59:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been at my new job for 6 days now. Last week was wonderful. It felt so good to come home stress free every evening. I love the drive - about 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back.

Then this morning, I was sitting at my desk, and had this horrible feeling of "homesickness" for the school. I could have cried if I had allowed myself. No feeling of regret or anything like that, just missing everyone. I think it finally hit me that I don't really work there anymore.

Anyway, the job is really going great. I feel like I'm catching onto things pretty quick. One of the department managers has already talked to my boss and told her that she was impressed with me - that I seem to "really be on top of things". ~~~can't you just hear my head growing~~~

Tomorrow we have four new hires coming in for their pre-hire paperwork, then two more on Wednesday. I'm going to watch the other girl in the office do the four tomorrow, then on Wednesday she's going to let me do them while she watches me. I know that I can do it but I would be a lot more comfortable if I knew she wasn't going to be standing over my shoulder. Don't get me wrong, I understand why she's doing it, but I know I'd do a better job without an audience.....stage fright, I guess.

Anyway, my "goal" is definitely to move up in the ranks.....I want to be on the 4th floor with the "initials"....the CEO, CFO, COO, CCO....as administrative assistant to one of them, I don't care which one. :-)

Bailey started her classes today, too. After a couple of room mix-ups (one which caused her to miss an entire class), she had a really good day and has already made some friends.

Back from Vacation

2006-08-05T08:23:00.000-04:00

We just spent a week in Arkansas with my parents and had such a great time. I really wish we could talk Andy into moving back down there, but I'm afraid it's just not going to happen. He really loves his job here. ~~~sigh~~~

Mom and I had a talk about what I'm supposed to do if anything happens to her and William, heaven forbid....but it's something everyone needs to be aware of....bank accounts, life insurances, etc. They don't have a will yet so I told her that they really need to get that done.

So now we're home and I'm faced with a yard full of flowers that need weeding and plucked....and I haven't unpacked yet. I did laundry before we left so everything is clean and just needs to be put away.

Oh yes, my new boss called me to "touch base". She said they have my office all ready for me and have put "a few pretty things in there" for me. I can't wait to see it. I have orientation on Tuesday and then start on Monday, the 14th.

A party for moi?!

2006-07-25T23:38:00.000-04:00

The maintenance staff (okay, better known as janitors) threw me a little going away party today. They had pizza, a cake, and a little gift for me. During the summers, we are the only ones there so we have gotten quite close. It was so sweet of them....also bittersweet. I just wanted to cry - the cake had an angel on it...very sweet! I'll really miss them - they feed me all summer! LOL

We are leaving for Arkansas on Friday after we get home from work. We're going to be staying with my parents for a week. Mom is retiring, so the water company is throwing her a big bash Saturday night that she doesn't know about. She knows that Andy, Bailey and I are coming down, but she doesn't know that both of my brothers, their spouses, and my sister and her husband are coming as well. We are going to suggest "Western Sizzlin" for supper Saturday evening and when we get there, everyone else will already be there waiting. I think there are supposed to be about 65 people there in total. I can't wait to see the look on her face - she will be shocked when she sees my siblings there. I hope we pull this off without letting anything slip and ruining the surprise!

Hectic Week!

2006-07-22T07:58:00.000-04:00

It's been a hectic week for me. Our annual Vacation Bible School was this week and I'm the director, so every day was spent at work and then every evening was spent at church. I have to say it was a great success. We had our "finale" last night, the VBS choirs performed, as did our church drama team. It really, really came off well. :-)

I've begun training my replacement at the school. I think she will do a great job and am enjoying working with her. She is quite overwhelmed right now but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it.

We'll be leaving next Friday evening to spend a week in Arkansas with my parents; then I'll come back and do my last week at the school before starting my new job. I'm nervous, but excited. I think I'm up for some new challenges.

Our new family member is fitting in great. She's just so darn cute!

A day of decision making!

2006-07-07T18:57:00.000-04:00

I got the job! Well, I haven't actually accepted yet. Darci called and offered it to me and then told me to take the weekend to think about it. It's not quite the money I wanted, but still almost $1/hour more than I'm making now. And the benefits are excellent. I'll be calling her first thing Monday morning to accept. I probably should have gone ahead and accepted while we were on the phone, but once she said "think it over" I decided to run it by Andy first - just to make sure he thought I was making the right decision.

And then.....we bought a new car. Driving to Bedford is going to be about 50 miles a day round trip, so we had already decided to get a new vehicle. We found a 2005 Ford Focus, 2-door, 5-speed manual transmission, 17000 miles, leather seats, heated front seats, 6-CD player/changer, sunroof and a few other niceties. Plus it gets 32/34 miles per gallon. Their asking price was $14,000...by the time we left Andy had gotten them down to $11,400. At one point I even said, "Let's look around a little more" and we walked out. The guy literally ran out after us and said he thought he could make us a better deal. Amazing. It was my first experience of buying a car from a dealership - I was pretty amazed at all the wheeling/dealing that goes on. Andy even got them to pay a bulk of the sales tax!

So, I have had a pretty exciting day. Bailey's happy because she now officially has her own car....along with her own car payment. We are letting her have my Ford Escort Sport for what we owe on it - she has about a year of payments on it.

Anyway, that's my day in a nutshell.

Job Update....

2006-07-04T12:07:00.000-04:00

which really isn't an update at all. I got a call on Friday - she is checking references on the candidates and will make a decision mid-week this week. I'm hoping to hear something at least by Thursday. But I do know that none of my references have been called yet. Blech.

In the meantime, the superintendent has decided that if I leave he will not be replacing me. He is going to "break up" my duties and assign them to other people. He already has it in his brain that the school only needs one secretary. So here's the catch.....if I decide to stay, I'm sure he'll let me keep my position - but I can almost guarantee that he'll dissolve the elementary secretary's job and offer her an aide position instead. She's a really good friend of mine and it would be really crappy for him to do that to her. But he'll do it in a heartbeat. Plus - he'll give me part of her duties...can we say "added stress" to an already stressful position? I really wish word hadn't gotten out about me interviewing at the hospital, but we can't go back and undo what's already been done.

Ashley and Guy are both on vacation this week - I haven't seen Colin since Saturday evening....I think I'm having withdrawals! LOL I'm used to seeing him almost every day....guess I'll have to call and see if I can have him for a few hours.

Not much else to report. It's the 4th of July - Andy's at work and Bailey's getting ready to go to work, so I'll have the house to myself for a couple of hours. I don't think we have any plans for tonight. Our church had a cook-out last night and watched some pretty awesome fireworks. So tonight we may just stay in.

I hate waiting :-(

2006-06-28T19:37:00.000-04:00

Okay, so the 2nd interview was today. Another manager sat in on this one and asked some of the same questions from the first interview. I think it went pretty well. They are going to make a decision on Friday and call me then. Ugh. I hate waiting (please refer to the title of this post if that wasn't clear enough. LOL)

The superintendent tried to call me about 30 minutes ago. We have caller ID and I really didn't want to talk to him. I'm sure he was calling to see what I found out. I wish he would just go ahead and make me an offer to stay if he's going to, instead of waiting to see if they offer me the job or not. I would stay if the money were right and if he would give me holidays off with pay without having to use my vacation days - but it would have to be pretty substantial raise. And I really can't see that happening.

And I really think I would like this new job. Oh well, I just have to wait and see (and I hate waiting!).

In the meantime, we went to Ivy Tech yesterday and Bailey is now officially enrolled as a college student. She has decided to pursue a business degree and an interior design degree at the same time. They told her she could earn both in 3 years if she goes during the summer, too. We are going to set up a CLEP exam and hopefully she will test out of math and her high school credits will transfer....we may try for English and Science, as well. They are pretty impressed with her SAT scores. One gentleman referred to them as "impressive" and the lady in admissions said they were "excellent". She doesn't have to take any pre-admission testing since they are so high. Can we say "proud mother" or what?! She gets that from me! LOL

I have a 2nd interview on Wednesday!

2006-06-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

I got a call today from the hospital asking me to come in for a second interview on Wednesday. My friend, Kim, who works there, called me and said the director of Human Resources asked her if she thought I was still interested in the job. She told Kim that I was by far her best interview and she loved my professionalism and sense of humor! I'm so excited!

What a week....

2006-06-23T22:32:00.000-04:00

and not in a good way.

Monday - storms that included very strong winds, rain, and hail. We lost a limb out of one of our trees, but rescued two doves who flew away the next day.

Tuesday - found out my sister has some sort of cystic lesion on her brain - absolutely no idea what that means - we are still awaiting word from the doctor.

Wednesday - trip to Chicago for a check-up on Bailey's spine (scoliosis). The doctor told us that since she has "so many" fused vertebrae in the cervical spine, that eventually the discs will begin to deteriorate. Ugh. They gave her exercises to keep her neck and shoulders loose....now if I can only get her to do them twice a day.

Thursday - received a phone call telling me that Peggy's dad (Peggy being my best friend in the whole world) was taken to the hospital, dying. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease about 10 weeks ago and went downhill fast. I spent all of the afternoon and most of the evening in the waiting room of the ICU with her and her family.

Friday - Peggy's dad passed away. Got a phone call from my mom telling me that my most favorite uncle, Donn, has cancer of the lymph nodes.

Still no word yet on my job interview....I'm assuming there's a letter in the mail on it's way to me, thanking me for interviewing and telling me that the position has now been filled. Andy and I haven't had any "us" time in over a week and both of our weekends are filled up - but with different activities so I won't see him much then either. I think we're due for a "date night" pretty soon.

Ugh. Must close this post on a positive note........hmmmmmm......

Colin is the most adorable grandson anyone could ever ask for. Okay - that puts a smile on my face.

My Husband

2006-06-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

I just felt the need to post about Andy today. We were married for 24 years on May 29th. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't whisper (sometimes even yell) a thank you to God for giving him to me.

He is even-tempered, easy-going, and too funny. He is handsome. He has a great butt (I threw that in for Brenda). And we have a great time together. His sister once told us she couldn't believe we ever had kids because she couldn't imagine us ever being serious long enough to conceive. We just enjoy being together.

He loves his job and takes it very seriously, but the girls and I have always come first in his life. And it's a nice little life that we've created together. A lot of people would call it "boring", but it's not to us. What could be more wonderful that sitting on the front porch, having a cup of coffee together and talking about our day's events together? Okay, him listening to me talk about my day's events...that's really what it's more like....but at least he listens! LOL

Don't get me wrong, we've had our rough patches. But they really have been few and far between. And now, after 24 years, we're at that place where we are truly comfortable with each other.

He adores his family - especially his two girls. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for them - and he is ferociously protective of them. The first time he had to drop Ashley off at daycare he came home that day and said "I don't see how you do that everyday" because he couldn't stand leaving her there. I remember him being heartbroken when we found out about Bailey's birth defects. I think that was probably the first time I saw him cry.

I used to love watching him play with the girls....and now I thoroughly enjoy watching him play with our grandson. They seem to have some sort of kindred spirit.

Through the years he has been my strength, my confidante, and truly my friend....and for that I think he deserves a post on my blog that is all about him!

Why I Love a Small Town

2006-06-14T21:02:00.000-04:00

I love living in a small town. Sometimes it's frustrating because everyone knows everybody's business. For instance - I had a job interview last Thursday....by Saturday I had received a phone call from someone wanting my job at the school.....by Monday it was all over town that I was leaving the school (I have to keep telling people it was just an interview!) Tell one person something and within a few days, it's all over! LOL

But tonight Andy and I spent our evening on a bike ride. We stopped by our church to watch the little kids having a bike-a-thon to raise money for camp. While there I "babysat" one of the girl's new pet turtle that she just found yesterday.

Then we rode to the ballpark and watched the 6, 7 and 8 year-olds play t-ball....it's more fun watching the parents! Half of the town was there cheering those kids on.

Then we rode our bikes home, watered our flowers, and are enjoying a quiet evening.

I love living in a small town.

A Vent - Just need to get it off my chest.

2006-06-12T18:08:00.000-04:00

I love my husband's family. I love his mother; I love his brothers; and I love his three sisters. We all get along really well.

But I have an issue with them. They all - at one time- attended church. None of them do now. That is their business, not mine. I almost never discuss church with them unless one of them brings it up.

There are several grandchildren and neices/nephews in the family. Several of them have participated in sports over the years in school. "The Family" never misses a ballgame. One of the great-grandchildren is now playing T-ball...everyone goes to the ballgame.

In the 12 years that we have lived back in Indiana, my girls have been very involved in church activities and no sports. They have been in Christmas plays and Easter plays every year. How many times do you think Andy's family has come to see them in their church programs? I think one of Andy's sisters came once.

It's always bothered me, but I've always let it go. I figure they don't want to go to church activities because it makes them feel guilty about not attending.

I don't know when Bailey came to this realization - maybe it's because there's a t-ball game tonight and we just got the "reminder" phone call to go watch. But, with tears in her eyes, she just said "Why does everyone drop what they're doing when there's a game, but no one ever comes to watch me when my drama team performs at church?"

I wish I had an answer for her.

I think I may be insulted!

2006-06-12T17:40:00.000-04:00

A little history....last Tuesday I stayed home with a really bad migraine. Thursday afternoon was my job interview.

Today I decided to go ahead and tell my boss about the interview because word was getting out and I didn't want him to feel like he was the "last to know" - he's very funny about stuff like that. He seemed disappointed and asked a few questions and then "well, okay". Then before I left his office he said "So, by the way, when you were 'home with a headache' last Tuesday, is this when you had the interview?". I said, "No, I was home with a headache on Tuesday - my interview was Thursday - the day I told you I needed to leave early."

I can't believe it! He practically accused me of lying about being sick - which I find really insulting. Maybe I'm making too much out of it.

The Interview

2006-06-09T15:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I think it went really, really well. I had to answer two pages of those crazy interview questions, but I think I handled it okay. The interviewer took me to the cafeteria for coffee - we had the place to ourselves - and we chatted for a long time, doing a lot of laughing. She walked me all the way to the front door of the hospital when I left - wonder if that's a good sign?

They have great benefits - and I really think I would enjoy working there. I also found out there's an opening in the payroll department and they have already pulled my resume and application for that position, too. My friend who works there said that would actually pay a little more.

And about the pay....it is projected to start at a little less than I make now. So she says "let's say we hire you and you get to name your price - how much would you ask for?" I told her $12/hour, which is almost $2/hour more than what they have "projected". She said that my office experience would definitely be taken into consideration and, if hired, I would probably start at closer to the $12/hour.

Now - I had told Brad (our elementary principal) about the interview because he is one of my references and I knew that he wouldn't breathe a word to anyone. But as I was leaving work early yesterday, one of the janitors said "Where ya goin' Teresa? Got a big job interview or something?" Being the horrible liar that I am, as well as being caught off guard, I said "Yes, but it's just an interview - probably nothing will come of it."

Well, Brad tells me today that the superintendent found out about it (gotta love a small town) and asked Brad if he knew about it. He's upset and is planning to talk to me next week to convince me to stay....which is crazy because I don't even have the job yet and may not get it. Plus, now I feel like I'd better go ahead and tell my boss - if he doesn't already know - which he probably does. So I guess I'll tell him first thing Monday morning and just get everything out in the open.

Of course, now if I don't get the job, I'll feel like a slug. I really wish it hadn't been found out, but oh well, what can you do?

Interviewing Tomorrow

2006-06-07T19:58:00.000-04:00

I have an interview tomorrow at 2:30 for a position in the Human Resources department of a local hospital....something I'm sure I'd love to do. I've worked at the school for almost 11 years and it's a huge decision to leave, but I feel like I'm ready for a change. It's especially easier now that Bailey has graduated. Of course, just because I'm interviewing doesn't mean I have the job, does it?

Bailey had an interview today at Movie Gallery. She has got to get a job! The lady who interviewed her today seemed to really like her (according to Bailey) and wants her to interview with another manager. She (the lady who interviewed Bailey) tried to call the other manager today, but couldn't get a hold of her. She told Bailey she will call her with the time and date of the next interview as soon as she talks to the other manager. Very promising, I think.

Of course, since I have an interview tomorrow that is about 20 miles away, my car has decided to start acting up - something with the transmission. So my car is in the shop and Andy borrowed his mom's car for me to drive to the interview. It's always something!

I have my house back! Yayyy!

2006-06-03T11:22:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday morning - I finally have my house back after a week of non-stop company. Mom and William came up for Bailey's graduation and have been here all week.....which I love, I absolutely love having them here. But when they are here, my house turns into Grand Central Station because "everyone" comes here to see them. Nevermind that my two brothers and their wives have perfectly lovely homes in the area - they never say "hey, everyone come to our house tonight".....no, it's easier to converge on my house every night. ~~~sigh~~~

Anyway, the week is over......they are on their way back to Arkansas......I've spent the morning getting my house back in order...and now it's time to get back into our routine....and enjoy the peace and quiet that are lives usually are.

In the meantime, excellent news is mine to share - I have a job interview this coming Thursday for a position in the Human Resources department of a local hospital. I am so excited and just hope I don't blow it!

A cold in hot weather

2006-05-30T06:49:00.000-04:00

I hate having a head cold when it's 90 degrees outside. I've been fighting a sore throat, stopped up nose and pressure in my ears since Sunday...bottom line, I feel pretty darn yucky. Blech. And my parents are here from Arkansas - I hate being sick while they're staying with us. I know I've been grouchy and no fun at all.

I have to go back to work this morning. It will just be me, the elementary secretary, the guidance counselor and two principals today. I have to get report cards out. Then summer school begins tomorrow, so there will be more people around.

I'm still looking for another job. I just really don't think I want to do another year at the school, unless something major were to change. I just don't feel happy there any more.

Wow....what a whiney blog today. Let me end on something positive. Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. 24 wonderful years with a wonderful guy. Can't beat that! :-)

Graduation

2006-05-28T08:26:00.000-04:00

It's been a hectic weekend. Graduation was beautiful and, of course, I cried like a baby. It's still so hard to believe that our baby is done with high school!

We had a party afterwards and the house was packed - and loud! So far she has gotten around $1300 - I can't believe it! She is planning to buy a laptap for school and save the rest. She is definitely Andy's child - I'd be going on a shopping spree if it were me! LOL

I work well under pressure.....

2006-05-25T20:42:00.000-04:00

It's 8:42 PM, the night before graduation and I'm still not ready. But I'm "almost" ready. I just finished scrubbing down the bathroom. My sister is coming tomorrow to pick up the rest of the house. Basically I just need to straighten up the kitchen and type up the baccalaureate program (the parents are hosting it).

I also need to get a few more things together to have on "display" at her open house tomorrow night. But that shouldn't take too long, either. Ugh...I'm such a procrastinator!

My day started with coffee with Andy, when out of the blue he says "So, this is Bailey's last day, huh?". What?! I immediately started crying. She walks through the kitchen and goes into the bathroom. I follow. I gave her a hug and told her I loved her. She goes back to the kitchen and I hear her tell Andy "Mom's in there crying"....you could practically hear her eyes rolling!

Then another cry right after lunch when someone asks me how I'm handling this. And then, of course, another cry at graduation rehearsal.

Oh well, this time tomorrow night it will be over and we will be celebrating. :-)

Yet another Bailey article.....

2006-05-23T18:53:00.000-04:00

Our senior class went to Hawaii last week, but Bailey (along with 4 other seniors) didn't go. We kept telling her she could, but she just had no interest. Anyway, she and the other 4 seniors took advantage of the absence of their fellow classmates and stayed home most of those days. It just so happened, that on Thursday Bailey was there, as was one other senior....a young man who is making his second attempt at his senior year.....

Anyway, the local newspaper called and wanted to interview one of our seniors...so guess who got picked! Yep, ol' Bailey Boo! Here's a link to the article in case anyone is interested!
http://www.tribtown.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=186&ArticleID=19133

Also, here's the link to the last article in the Bedford Times-Mail, where they did all the features on her Shriner's surgery.
http://www.tmnews.com/articles/2006/03/17/sections/lifestyles/lifestyles81.txt

Two very proud parents!

2006-05-22T17:33:00.000-04:00

Today was honor day at school. We already knew that Bailey was getting $2000 in scholarships - but she ended up getting $2300 more that we didn't know about, for a total of $4300.

The Ivy Tech rep met with us after the program. It is going to cost appx $1000 per semester, not including books, so her first year is definitely covered and then some. He also wanted to see her SAT scores. He said that with her math scores being so high (580), she will probably qualify to have her math credits transferred to college credits, all she has to do is take a CLEP test and pass it, which he said she should do very easily.

She also received several other awards, including Goverment, English, French, Art, Senior Math, Science, Academic Excellence, and she received her Beta cords to wear at graduation....which is.....gulp....only 4 days away!

Needless to say, Andy and I are very proud of her!

I'm getting ready to take her to the doctor here in a few minutes. She has pink eye and needs a prescription eye drop to clear it up. A lady at work had some that she let us use in order for her to be able to attend the honor program this morning. I asked Andy to take her, but then she asked if I would take her instead. I asked her why, what made the difference? And she said "I don't know, I'd just rather have you take me." This from the queen of "I'm Daddy's Little Girl"!

Whew! What a day!

2006-05-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

We are having a different theme each Sunday morning this month and today was my day to "be in charge". We had Spirit Day and people came dressed in their favorite sports team's gear. It was really neat to see all the different teams represented. I was even able to borrow the pompons and some of the athletic uniforms from school. My class did a skit and then the children's choir did a song we had practiced.

Then it was back home to get the program ready for pre-school graduation tonight and to try to put the kitchen back together. We just finished painting the walls last weekend and have spent the week painting the cabinets. It was a lot of work but it looks so good! I'm going to decorate in a Snoopy theme, since I already have tons of Snoopy stuff.

The youth choir was singing at the pre-school graduation and right before we left Bailey started complaining that her right eye was bothering her. By the time the program was over it was obvious she has a case of pinkeye. Of course, there's no way to get her into the doctor this evening unless we went to the emergency room. Tomorrow is honor day at school and she is being presented with 3 scholarships (that we know of) so she definitely doesn't want to miss in the morning. I called the pharmacy and they told me there is an OTC med that would get her through until after the honor program. So we ran to the pharmacy and picked it up. I also read on the internet to place a damp/cool chamomile teabag over the eye, so we've done that, too. It was really bothering her when she went to bed...I hope it's not worse in the morning.

We did have a beautiful day weather-wise. My flowers are looking really good, except for my marigolds. Something is eating part of them and I can't figure out what. I had replace about 6 of them yesterday. I gave them a good drink of Miracle Grow - hopefully that will help.

So anyway, after my very busy day today, I finally had a moment to relax on the couch with the dog after Andy and Bailey were in bed asleep when all of a sudden.....swoosh! A bat flies right by my head. I scream. I run for Andy. And he comes to my rescue, again. He was able to catch the bat and let it go outside. Stupid bat.

A New Stage in Life is About to begin

2006-05-20T05:07:00.000-04:00

Wow. Our youngest graduates from high school in less than a week. Unbelievable. I'm 42, a grandmother, and now I'm not going to have kids in the public school system anymore. It's amazing how life changes so fast.

I'm looking forward to this next stage though. Of course, this was always Andy's argument for not having more kids. "Just think, Teresa, we'll be 43 and 42 when Bailey graduates. We'll still be young. We're going to really start living." Huh? What have we been doing for the last 24 years together? LOL

She'll still live at home while she goes to college - Ivy Tech is about a 45 minute drive from here. But she's going to be so much more independent. And since I work at the school she attends now, it's going to be different not knowing exactly what's going on with her every single day. Her life is going to really become her own. And as a mom, and especially with her being the baby, it's a little scarey.

I am almost ready for the graduation itself. Invitations have been sent...she's already received two cards with money inside - very exciting for her! The food is ordered for the get-together afterwards. We are having ham salad, a meat tray, a fruit tray, a veggie tray, cheeseballs, chips and dip, and, of course, the obligatory cake with her picture plastered across it - something she's not happy about but I insisted on ordering. She has a "thing" about people eating her face! LOL

I'm just not ready to see her walk out in that white gown, cap on her head with the little tassel dangling, Beta cords around her neck. ~~~sigh~~~ And then to hear her name called, see her turn that tassel to the other side....then the annual toss of the caps into the air to celebrate a new stage in the seniors' lives.

So for those of you who are just starting out with your families....cradle those little ones in your arms....because before you know it, it's going to be you who is ordering meat trays, veggie trays, graduation invitations.....and you'll too wonder where the time has gone.