Rain Rain Go Away!....Come Back Next Week Though!

So I am once again spending the few days before Hunter's birthday party scrambling to find an indoor venue in which to hold it! Stupid tropical weather ~ last year it was this pesky little storm named Ike, and this year there is some tropical moisture hanging out ~ the weather people have advised that we pay attention to the weather over the next couple of days since this is the time of year that little things like this "spin up" overnight ~ oh goody! The lesson learned here is that I am DONE with outdoor parties! This is going to be his last big who rah anyway, but I am keeping this in mind for Maisie's! This years party is supposed to be a wild west theme ~ complete with mechanical bull and all ~ this wasn't my redneck idea either by the way, Hunter came up with this one all on his own! Although it is our second time to rent a mechanical bull for our own private party, not real sure what that says about us! I have ordered, yes ordered, the party favors which are on their way ~ 30 cowboy hats, 30 bandannas, and 30 cap guns (each with 864 spare caps) ~ these party favors just aren't going to have affect without the bull! The bull of course can't be set up in the rain, and it requires a 20x20 area in which to set it up ~ do you know how much it costs to rent a 20x20 tent? $235!!!! That would be $235 more dollars than I am willing to part with! When Scott gets home we are going to go peruse the 3 covered pavilions here in the neighborhood and see if possibly any of them will work ~ they all have tables in them, that I am fairly confident are bolted into the concrete so I don't know that there is an open space big enough to accommodate said bull and all 62 party guests, yes, I did just say 62! This is the first year that there wasn't a single decline of the invite ~ usually we only have 18-20 kids, but this year all 30 ~ YIKES! I fear that our best bet of a large enough pavilion is the one at the elementary school ~ guess this scenario rules out the kegerator! Notice I just said the kegerator ~ doesn't mean we will be ruling out the hooch all together, now it will just involve canned beer in coolers that we will have to act like 15 year olds hiding it in plastic cups so we don't get busted by the fuzz! Now if this pavilion things ends up not working out then I will be cancelling the bull and moving on to plan B ~ and no, I don't mean the morning after pill ~ plan B is to have the party at the skating rink ~ best option I can come up with on 3 days notice! The party times are only 30 minutes different than what the current party is scheduled for which works out well. Hunter likes to go roller skating, so that should make his party not totally ruined ~ keeping my fingers crossed!

First Day of School

Last Monday was Hunter's first day in "real" school ~ although he has been preparing for it since he was 21 months old (he started the day after I left Target sweating one day)! He was sooooo excited to get to go to Kindergarten ~ we had been to "KinderCamp" the week before so he knew where his class was, who the teacher was, and where he sat already. Scott took the morning off so that he could be a part of this monumental event ~ Maisie wasn't sure what the hell had happened to her! Normally our mornings around here don't start until 7:30, and then she gets to sit around in her jammies until about 8:30 ~ this morning though she was jerked out of bed about 7:15, dressed, and thrown into the stroller! Scott said she probably thought the house was on fire or something! Hunter, the kids next door and their mom, and Scott all rode their bikes while Maisie and I walked ~ we took Hunter into the class (this was the only day you were allowed to walk then to class ~ what is this, boot camp?), got him all situated, and then took a couple of pictures. Hunter could have cared less that we were leaving him ~ he was just kinda looking at us like "hello? What are you people still doing here"? I didn't shed a tear, my eyes didn't even water ~ this I was very surprised by, but I guess since he wasn't having an issue with me leaving him, why should I have an issue? Maisie was a little less than impressed that she didn't get to stay and sit in those tiny little chairs next to Hunter! My mom says that before I started school, but Bryan had started, I would throw a fit every morning because I didn't get to go! We would be waiting out at the street for the bus to come while Bryan moaned that he didn't want to go and as soon as he would get on the bus mom says I would throw myself into the ditch and roll around throwing a fit ~ can you picture this, I sooooo can! I tell you it's a wonder she didn't smother me at a young age! I feel fairly confident that if humans ate their young I would not be here today! Thank you mommy! The rest of his week went just as well ~ he was so excited about going to school that one morning he was up AND dressed by 5:48 ~ this kids eyes have never cracked open before 7:30! I only had to wake him Monday and Friday morning ~ he got himself up the others and was dressed before ever coming out of his room ~ unheard of! All I can say is I hope that this enthusiasm and love of school keeps up ~ it will certainly make my life easier! He thinks that riding his bike to school is just about the coolest thing ever ~ this morning the neighbors weren't riding so I told Hunter I would drive him if he wanted and he said no way! He was going to ride his bike! Good thing we live close enough to the school for that to happen! After I had him all dropped off a few other mom's and I go together and went to lunch to celebrate our new found financial freedom of free school! Hallelujah!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Literal Videos

So last night as I was laying in bed watching Nightline they did a story on literal videos ~ I have never heard of these until now, but they are really funny! They showed a few clips of them which has since forced me to get on YouTube and find more! The idea is they take old videos and change the lyrics so they are literal to what is happening in the video ~ Total Eclipse of the Heart is an exceptionally good one, as is Penny Lane and Take on Me. Now if you know the real words to the song it makes it all the funnier ~ when you have some time to kill on your hands and are looking for a good laugh go check some out!

My Summer Hiatus

So my summer hiatus is over and I will now attempt to get back on the blogging band wagon! Man, once you take an extended break from the old blog it's really hard to motivate yourself and make the time to get back to it! I will post all about the Colorado trip with pictures soon! I must first go through all of them and pick out the best ones ~ hate to disappoint my audience! It has been a real whirlwind summer and it's really hard to believe it is already over and time for school to start! Hunter's first day is on the 24th and I feel confident that I will be a blubbering idiot ~ can't believe he is going off to school ~ where has the time gone? Scott so kindly pointed out to me the other day that next month Hunter will be 1/3 of the way gone ~ yikes!

Scott's New Calling

If the day should ever come that Scott gets laid off I think he may have possibly found his new calling ~ nail technician! Maisie is such a girly girl ~ with no coaching by anyone I might add, it's just her nature ~ she LOVES LOVES LOVES to have her little piggies painted ~ every time she sees her bottle of polish she grabs it and asks to have her toes done ~ I guess she will start going to the nail joint with me for a mini-pedi about the time she is 3! Anyway, today she grabbed her polish and took off to go find Daddy to tend to her little piggies ~ the next thing I knew they were sitting out on the back porch and she was propped up in a chair like the princess that she is while Scott sat across from her painting those tiny little toes ~ it had to be just about one of the cutest things I have seen! Maisie has teeny tiny little feet too ~ she is just now moving into a size 5 shoe ~ Hunter was in a 5 probably when he turned one, and he to this day still has skis at the end of his legs ~ so with those tiny little feet come tiny little toes ~ I have a difficult time painting them so I can only imagine how difficult it was for Scott. While he was in the process of painting them she definitely had a lot of polish on her skin, but by the time he was done they looked remarkably good ~ she was pleased which is all that matters! When I was pregnant with Hunter ~ like HUGE pregnant ~ and couldn't reach my toes to paint them anymore he painted them for me one day ~ when he was finished he looked at his work and informed me that he hoped I wouldn't pay somebody money to make them look like that, and then suggested that I go have a professional take care of that ~ and that I did! It was the thought that counted and he did try ~ and even with that experience he did as Maisie asked today instead of telling her he didn't know how ~ you did good today Daddy!

Bear! Really!

So last night Scott was up putting Hunter to bed when he came down to announce that something was in the trash ~ remember that you leave the windows open since there is no A/C. Mom thought he was talking about something in the trash upstairs in the bathroom and said it was probably one of the tiny little mice that we have seen ~ Scott said no, this is something big in the trash outside! I told him to get a gun and go outside and look ~ figured he is a better sacrificial lamb than I am! He went into the mud room with a flashlight and looked out the window to discover a big bear helping himself to our trash! I also witnessed said bear so I cqn confirm that the great white hunter made a proper bear ID this time! Just about the time I looked out the window he was making his escape up the hill with a sack of trash in his mouth ~ hope there weren't any of Maisie's poopy diapers in that bag ~ ewwwww! This morning there was trash strewn everywhere and bear tracks to go along with it ~ Chuck came up and said by the size of the tracks it appears that it was a nearly full grown 300 pounder! There was also some bear poop in the road this morning ~ Scott said that answers the age old question of "does a bear shit in the woods?"! Chuck also said that since he has discovered we have trash he will be back ~ glad my windows are on the second floor!
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Bear!......maybe

So yesterday morning I woke up and Scott, mom, and Hunter were down feeding the horses and looking at something in the distance ~ then I heard mom yell at Chuck that the bear was out ~ said bear had been identified by my husband, the great white hunter! So I started looking from my vantage point which was the upstairs window and figured if the bear was out there it must be up the mountain somewhere ~ I looked but didn't see said bear anywhere. They were looking down the street so I looked down there and low and behold there in the middle of the street stood a flock of turkeys ~ easily mistaken for a bear I know! I gave the great white hunter plenty of grief for the rest of the day ~ the kids were out later in the day with the horses and Scott went out and hollered at them to watch out for the "bearkeys"!
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Wildlife Galore!

Since our coyote event, which I am happy to say we have not had another of, we have seen a couple of other wild things ~ dad saw the mountain lion crossing the road in front of him and then Bryce saw a bobcat yesterday! As long as they stay in the wild where they are supposed to be we will be okay! We have aquired a dog since we have been here ~ one of Chuck's dogs that is! Sadie is a chocolate lab that has taken up residence with us ~ it's nice to have one around ~ I miss my 4 legged beasts! I took the kids 4 wheeling on some trails this morning ~ didn't take Maisie since I wasn't sure what we were going to encounter! She does enjoy a 4 wheeler outing though ~ every time they crank up she is out there waiting to go too ~ 18 months and already a biker babe! Mom and I are hoping to do some Pagosa Springs shopping today ~ now of course my dad has to throw a wrench into the day and ride in with us to take the kids to the hot springs ~ heaven forbid we go in separate cars! We have to stop at the grocery store on the way back ~ won't that be entertaining, a trip through the grocery store with 3 kids ~ can you think of anything more unpleasant? That old man is working himself closer to a shallow grave in the middle of all of this nothingness with every passing day! Scott should be here on Thursday for our last week and then it's back to reality and scorching temps! Yuck!
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The Honeymoon's Over!

Yesterday Bryce and Hunter started squabbling ~ Ray Charles could have seen that coming! They have squabbled on and off all day today ~ in my usual loving way I told them they needed to get over it! It has rained for the better part of the day today, so most of it has been spent indoors, although I took all 3 of the kids out for a 4 wheeler tour ~ started raining pretty good on the way back ~ allow me to say that rain is cold! I hear it is 103 in Houston today, so I guess I will take the cold rain any day over that! We had some excitement about 1:30 this morning ~ there is no A/C in the house, so you sleep with the windows open ~ we were awoken by some terrible noise obviously being made by some wild animal ~ mom asked if that was the noise a bear made ~ the park ranger had stopped by earlier in the day to let us know a bear had been spotted and had been letting himself into houses, so if we saw him to call. I thought maybe it was a wild turkey being chased by something because they are all over the place too ~ the ranch manager had come out with his spotlight to tend to the situation ~ turns out it was a coyote calling his friends in for the kill ~ I've never heard a coyote make that noise ~ mom says it's because city coyotes don't need to call their friends in, they just grab a cat and go! Chuck ran the coyote off and the rest of the night was peaceful ~ all 6 of the horses were still there and obviously hadn't slept all night because all they did until noon was sleep! We have come into town to eat at the brewery tonight so I must be off!
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We're Here!

Beautiful mountain views

Rio doing what he does best!

Tux doing what he does best!

Best friends!

Alright, so I am attempting to post via email off of my crackberry since we are headed into civilization today! We rolled in on Saturday afternoon to an outside temperature of 53! It was 98 at home when we left ~ talk about a refreshing change! The scenery here is absolutely gorgeous! The weather is phenomenal ~ warm by mid-morning, but as soon as the sun drops behind the mountains the temperature goes with it! Hunter had a terrible bike wreck yesterday ~ the house is at the top of a hill with a gravel road and he was headed down it when he hit a big rock and became airborne! He only quit flying through the air when he crashed into the fence! Thank god he had his helmet on because you should see the scratches on it! He has a terrible case of road rash and lots of black and purple bruises to go along with it! Fortunately he quit crying pretty quick and after he was bandgaged up he got back on his bike and peddled away! Gotta love the lack of drama with little boys ~ hell, Maisie would still be crying! We are definitely out in the middle of nowhere ~ there is satellite TV ~ thank you Jesus! Not as many channels as we have at home, but there is at least Nick and Disney! The ranch manager informed us there are bears on the property ~ oh goody! No leaving food out and all trash must be double bagged! There has also been a mountain lion sighting recently ~ again, oh goody! Maisie is the perfect size appetizer for either of those wild beasts so we have to be careful about letting the kids out without supervision ~ fortunately you have lots of pretty scenery to take in while you're out on bear duty! Tux and Rio are in hog heaven out in the pasture ~ they wouldn't come to us the first day I think from sheer fear that we were going to put them back in the trailer! By last night though they were happy to see us and gladly came in for dinner! I'll post some pictures when I make it in somewhere with Internet access!

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3 Tents, That'll be $35.....

$35 for 3 tents?

Well you see, they're all very nice tents.

I think that's fair Clark, it seems like a nice place, and they have a pool and everything.

If you haven't a clue what I am talking about here, then you really must drop what you are doing and run out and rent National Lampoon's Vacation ~ classic! Just after this is said Rus and Audrey are running to the pool talking about how they can't wait to get in ~ and when they get to the above ground pool it is totally green and slimy and there are swans swimming in it. This was the running joke our first night when we stayed at the truck stop~ all the kids were interested in was swimming in the pool and this particular scene is what came to mind! Fortunately the pool was in-ground and was clear blue just like it should be.

Tonight we are in Moriarty, New Mexico ~ little town pretty much in the middle of nothing ~ that seems to be the theme of this vacation doesn't it? I think we saw more nothing today than I have seen in my life! We got into the hills today ~ not mountains, hills, and they are massive! Pulling a trailer in this is no kinds of fun ~ my left calf muscle hurts after all of the vertical pedal pushing I did today ~ seriously, you have got to get all up on the gas just to make it up these things at a respectable speed! Pretty bad when you see the 18 wheelers putting their hazards on to go up them because they are just crawling ~ it's quite possible that I could get out and run faster than they are going! Mom is having a rougher time than I am since she is hauling 4000 pounds of horse behind her, but we did manage to make it here, even in a decent amount of time. Tomorrow is the last day on the road and we will be pulling into Pagossa Springs ~ really looking forward to getting there and being done with all of this car time! Should only be about 4 1/2 hours tomorrow ~ our shortest day yet! This also means that we will be checking out of technology land tomorrow as well ~ no guarantees that I will be posting before mid July! The scenery is really very pretty here ~ mom told Hunter and Bryce to look out at the scenery, and she said Hunter looked out the window and said "where?" ~ too funny! She informed him that the scenery was all around him and to take his face out of his TV screen long enough to take some of it in! Can't wait to get there tomorrow ~ will give an update when I can!

Haven't Had to Kill Anyone.....Yet!

Maisie was needing a nap so badly before we

left that she unpacked her blanket and laid on the floor!

Isn't she too cute!

Dad is NOT a morning person!

So we are 2 days into this little cross country adventure and haven't even made it out of the great state of Texas! Damn this is a BIG state! We managed to make it off without a hitch ~ how unlike this group! We left my house about noon and stopped in Segovia which is just outside of Junction ~ not that you have probably heard of either one of those places! We are doing about 300 miles a day, although yesterday was a little more. Maisie did very well ~ she didn't really make so much as a peep until her diaper was so wet that she had peed all out of it and into her car seat ~ fortunately the place we stayed last night had a laundry so I took her car seat out and washed it and then put it back in this morning ~ not nearly as easy a feat as it should have been! Let me just say I drive a Japanese car and Maisie sits in a British car seat ~ these 2 foreign objects go together like peas and carrots ~ then you go throwing an American car into the mix and it no longer works so well! The seat installs with great ease, like it should, if the LATCH is upside down ~ not exactly safe or feasible since then you can't tighten the thing up ~ so I think you are supposed to use an allen wrench to undo the bar that the LATCH straps are on and flip them over for use in an American made auto ~ what a pain in the ass! So twice now I have fought and wrestled installing the usually easy as pie seat until I was sweating ~ ugh! I told her if she pees in it again she's just gonna have to get used to it! The drive was very uneventful ~ we dropped the horses at their hotel and went just down the street to the truck stop ~ thank god it was very clean and literally about 1 minute from the horses. We got off about 11 today and made it to Lubbock ~ again where the horses have a reservation. As we were unloading them they were walking around having some grass and I had Rio when something spooked the supposedly spook proof horse ~ so Wilson, I call bullshit on that label, and I was of course wearing my usual footwear ~ flip flops ~ not much protection when a 2000 pond horse comes landing down on your foot!!!! OUCH!!!!!! I thought at first that he had broken my toes, but I have decided that they aren't broken, just very swollen and purple! Nice! Damn horse scuffed up my freshly pedi-ed toes too! I think tomorrow when we go back to retrieve them I will be pulling my boots out of my bag and making a real fashion statement with them and shorts! We went through several wind farms today ~ one was HUGE!!! It went on for miles and miles ~ I just couldn't believe the size of it ~ really very impressive ~ and there is certainly enough wind out here to turn those things! I have become a real trailer pullin' mama in the last 2 days ~ I even had to back it up tonight and did it all by myself and only had to pull forward 1 time to start over~ guess all of these times I have watched Scott back ours into the garage has paid off ~thanks babe! Tomorrow we will actually be crossing the state line into New Mexico ~ I might have to pull over and take Hunter's picture by the sign ~ he asked mom if we were going to have to go through Mississippi to get to Colorado ~ ahhh the innocence! Maisie has really traveled well ~ as long as you keep Elmo rolling on the TV and toss her a cup of milk and some snacks every once in a while she's good to go. Speaking of keeping Elmo rolling I would like to thank Apple for the i-Pod ~ I am keeping one bud in and listening to stuff I want to hear, but keeping it so I can still hear what's going on around me. I think if I had to listen "la la la la Elmo's World" for 6 hours a day I might slit my own wrists! We didn't have cell service for the majority of the day today ~ really kind of annoying ~ now that you are all kinds of used to being able to make a call whenever, it is odd when you can't ~ guess I had better get used to it!

The Y Chromosome and Instructions

Okay, so we all know that "real men" wouldn't dare stop and ask for directions, much less actually pick up the instruction manual for a child's toy to figure out how it works ~ I guess they all must think that they are smarter than said toy so instructions aer of no use! For Christmas Hunter got a Creepy Crawler Bug Maker Oven ~ what more could a little boy ask for! Anyway, I came home one day, within a few days of Christmas, and Scott had gotten the oven out, filled the molds up, put it in the oven, and turned it on. When I got there he informed me that the oven didn't appear to be working ~ not realizing at the time that he hadn't dared to pick up the instruction sheet, I took his word for it since the oven indeed did not appear to be working. I returned said bug maker for a new one a few days later and brought it home and put it away ~ figuring Hunter had so many new things already we would just stash that for a little later. Yesterday he wanted to get the bug oven out and cook up a few before we left ~ so I pulled the oven out, plugged it in, and turned it on the make sure that it worked before I filled up the molds ~ guess what, the oven again didn't appear to work. I thought, you've got to be kidding me! This one doesn't work either? So being the double X chromosome that I am, I went and got the instruction sheet and right on the front in HUGE letters there is a picture of a light bulb and the words "how to install the light bulb (not included) and prepare your creepy crawlers maker for use". Damn man eyes! I did just as the instructions said and guess what, the oven now works! So in short, there wasn't a damn thing wrong with the first oven either, other than a man had attempted to set it up!

Departure Update

Well you notice it is Tuesday and I am still posting which much mean we are still here! Dad was cleared by the eye surgeon yesterday to leave, so that is a least no longer an issue. Mom called last night to say that Dad had agreed that Tuesday was really just too lofty a goal, so why not postpone it until Wednesday ~ wise decision old man! So figuring that we truly are leaving tomorrow I have finished packing us up, so now all we have to do is wait for our chariot to arrive tomorrow and load it up! I think I have set this up to be able to post via text and email ~ if I have truly managed to accomplish this then I will post again when we stop in Junction! Wish me luck!

Memorial Weekend ~ Better Late Than Never!

Hunter and his new best friend!

Aren't we a motley crew?

We had a very busy Memorial weekend ~ my sister called on Thursday because Wilson wanted to invite Hunter to come up and hang out ~ I'm really glad I wasn't face to face when she said this because I am fairly confident that I had a completely dumbfounded look on my face which would have probably hurt her feelings ~ I was taken by surprise by the invitation to say the least. In Lee's world little kids are nothing but walking, talking, petri dishes (although I think I may have to agree with her on this one given the number of times I have been sick so far this year) ~ she is also a NEUROTIC picker upper ~ so the fact that little people leave a trail of stuff everywhere they go does her in! Although big people who leave a trail behind them also does her in ~ so I guess you can't say that is a little people prejudice. Wilson doesn't have kids either, so they're just not accustomed to having them around and dealing with them and the noise that comes along with them ~ they live in a lovely quiet world! Hunter thinks Wilson is the cat's meow, so he was quite excited to be invited! Anyway, we had plans to go to a crawfish boil on Saturday, but said that we would get up and come Sunday morning ~ they live on Lake Livingston which is about 2 hours or so from here. We loaded up in the morning and were there before lunch ~ really a very pretty place. I haven't ever been to Lake Livingston before and it is much nicer than Conroe ~ still pretty serene, where Conroe is bumper to bumper boats, jet skis, and houses. The weather was beautiful ~ Wilson got out and mowed the bocce ball court, and then proceeded to paint the lines in the right places so Hunter could play. Keep in mind that he is a landscape architect so nothing is done half ass ~ instead of just spraying the lines by sight, he pulled out the string to ensure they were straight! Only an architect! Across the street from there house is some vacant property that they lease and this is where Wilson's huge garden is and where Rio (the horse) and his horse friend Winston live. Hunter had so much fun getting to go over there and harvest stuff from the garden ~ we had green beans with dinner that night that Hunter picked ~ Their lot is HUGE so there was plenty of room for the kids to run around. There is also a beach ~ so instead of there being just a bulkhead that drops off into the water there is an honest to god beach that the kids had a blast playing on. Well, Maisie didn't so much enjoy the beach when she toppled off the bulkhead and landed on her head on said beach! We were getting ready to go out into the lake and float so I had put her life jacket on her ~ you know they have that weighted thing at the back of the head on infant vests to flip them over the right direction should they fall in ~ well let me just say that life jacket weighs damn near as much as Maisie does ~ anyway, I had put the jacket on her while she stood in the grass near the edge of the bulkhead and then I turned around to grab something and let her go and over the edge she went! Lee was standing right there too ~ Maisie was in the middle of both of us and yet neither one of us could grab her before she hit the sand! When I say she landed on top of her head I'm not kidding ~ there was a spot in the sand where her head had gone into it! Poor kid! Thank god she wasn't hurt! We went out and floated in the lake for a little while and then came back in because a storm was undoubtedly coming across the lake ~ made it back inside and got everything picked up just in time! It rained for the rest of the night ~ fortunately we had the entire day before it rolled in. Wilson cooked the most delicious meat I have ever eaten for dinner ~ he has a water smoker, something I had never heard of, and used it to cook some back strap ~ now normally I don't eat just plain old game, it has to be cut 50/50 with beef or pork for me to get rid of that wild taste ~ Lee soaks it in water until there is no more blood and then marinates it ~ man it was AWESOME! It surpassed the smoked sirloin at Texas Land and Cattle and that is by far my favorite carnivore meal ever! The next day Hunter had about 16 hours worth of activities planned to cram into about 4 hours! We were heading to Liberty for the day to the place Scott hunts to ride 4-wheelers and attend a party there so we had to get moving. Hunter opted to spend what time he had left at the lake on a boat ride ~ Wilson owns one of every big boy toy there is ~ so we put Maisie back into her death suit ~ let me say that she remembered the traumatic events that unfolded the day before because of that thing ~ and off we went. We packed up and headed off for the ranch when we left there ~ hung out for the day ~ Maisie is a real 4-wheeler riding mama ~ and then came back that night to get ready for life back in reality on Tuesday! Had a great weekend ~ Lee has been on me about not posting about our trip to the lake ~ I think Wilson secretly enjoys being the star of my blog ~ so I figured I had better get this posted before we are never invited back! Maybe we can go back later this summer and spend the entire weekend ~ Hunter would be convinced that he had indeed died and gone to heaven! So Lee and Wilson thanks for a great time ~ we'll be watching the mail for our next invite!

Still Here

Thought I would post a few things that needed to be caught up on before the big road trip! In theory, we were supposed to have departed by now ~ last week actually, but my Dad had cataract surgery about a month ago that did not go as planned, so we have been waiting on him to recover before taking off. Certainly don't want to get out in the middle of nowhere and decide that he needs serious medical attention! He has another appointment today and if it looks good then we are planning on heading out tomorrow ~ mom said that is an awful lofty goal, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that! Yesterday I got Hunter all packed up ~ all of his crap took up an ENTIRE bag! That's what happens when you are going to a climate that requires different dress throughout the day ~ I can already tell you I could NEVER live there! I like to know that what I put on in the morning is going to be sufficient for the ENTIRE day until I crawl into bed! Phooey on that cold in the morning only to warm up to shorts weather by lunch and then go back to being cold as soon as the big ball of fire in the sky slips below the horizon! So we all have to pack both summer and winter gear (luckily I found 4 pair of pants that still have the knees) ~ still about 38 in the mornings (yikes!) ~ and I also packed him some 4-wheeler clothes so he doesn't ruin his good stuff while he's out being a boy! Scott took Hunter and my dad's 4 wheelers over there yesterday and got them all packed up in the trailer ~ more like stuffed them all into the trailer he said ~ good thing they fit! When we are truly leaving my parent's will drive over here to get us and all of our stuff and then off on the open road we go. We are going as far a Junction the first night ~ our stops have been determined by where there is a horse hotel ~ I had no idea there was such a thing until now, and then day 2 of this adventure ends in Amarillo ~ after that I haven't a clue where we go. We are taking 4 days to get there ~ yes, you read that right, 4 days! The theory being that you can't go as fast while pulling a trailer, the horses need to get out, and the kids are only going to make so many hours a day being pinned in the car. Will probably work out best for all of our sanity ~ at least once you are no longer behind the wheel you can drink heavily to forget about the day you've just had and prepare yourself for what lies ahead! Scott informed me that we would not be taking 4 days to get back home ~ I told him I had no intentions of taking more than a day to get back! The plan for our return is to head out around 5:00 in the afternoon and just keep on going ~ let the little people slip into a coma in the car and keep on rolling. I will try and post some while we are gone ~ I am going to set my phone up, I think, so that I can post via text. Maybe by doing that I can post a little something should I accidentally find some cell service! No promises, you may just have to wait until July!

I'm Baaaaack......

Alright, so once again I have not fallen off the face of the earth ~ or maybe I did since I seem to be having some issues accounting for my whereabouts these last couple of weeks! It's really all just one big blur at this point in time! I figure I had better get back to blogging before I do make a run from civilization in about 3 weeks! We are going to a place that DOESN'T have Internet access or cell phone service, and the TV is very limited!!!!! Seriously????? Who knew such a place existed????? I am either going to be relaxed to the point of drooling by the end of this trip or dealing with a major case of the shakes from technology withdrawal! Where exactly is this elusive place I speak of? The home of the Rocky Mountains, The Miners' Banquet Beer, Asssspen (from Dumb and Dumber for those of you not up to par on your movie lines) ~ Colorado my friend. Okay, so obviously the entire state does not live in the technological dark ages ~ geez I have 2 friends on Facebook who reside there so obviously they have access ~ but the place where we will be does not boast these amenities ~ the town itself does, but of course we will be out in deliverance country where there is nothing! Why Colorado you ask? Well, it goes a little something like this ~ the summer heat around these parts is getting to be too much for my dad, so I guess this is their version of becoming "snowbirds". My parent's have rented a house in Colorado for the summer, so the kids and I are packing up and moving to Colorado with them for a month! In all honesty, I think we were really only invited to drive the 2nd car that will be pulling the 2nd trailer that is going! The house is on something like 50 acres and has stables and all of that jazz so my mom is going to pull her horse and possibly take Wilson's horse as well ~ when asked why she was going to bring Rio she said so that I would have a horse to ride ~ ummmm hello? Have you met me? And seriously, what am I going to do with Maisie while I am out riding said horse? Put her in the backpack and saddle up? I have ridden a horse 2 times in my life ~ once through the rain forest in Costa Rica (during college), and once a couple of years ago while Hunter was at riding lessons because there was an extra horse to ride. Cowgirl I am not! I far prefer my mode of transport to have shocks and A/C! The 2nd trailer that is going will contain the 4 wheelers for my dad and the kids (my niece is going as well) so they can spend their days riding the trails and all of these 50 acres. So if this really plays out that the kids and my dad spend their days out 4 wheeling that will certainly make for a quiet house ~ if they instead spend their every waking minute around this technologically desolate house I think I will instead take up drinking heavily and then check myself into The Betty Ford Clinic when we get back! Did I mention that after about 3 days together Hunter and my niece do nothing but fight? Should make for a pleasant stay ~ I was unaware of these arrangements when I agreed to go. I was also going to have to bring my niece back in the car with me when we leave ~ I have since been informed that she will be flying back home ~ good thing ~ otherwise I feel I would be forced to tie one of them to the luggage rack on the way back ~ and since we know you love your own children better than anyone else's that means my niece loses and had better dress warmly for her ride home! Can you imagine anything more unpleasant than putting 3 kids in the car who have been together for a solid month to drive across 3 states? Oh good god! Makes me need a drink just thinking about it! So what am I going to do for a month in solitude while my boy is off riding the trails with my dad, and my mom is out riding her horse? Well, I do still have another child to care for ~ but when I find myself with some time on my hands I think I just may catch up on my scrapbooking and possibly even read a book ~ I have borrowed a copy of My Sister's Keeper that I hope to actually have time to read. Scott is going to come join us our last week there and then we will pack up and head home with him to continue our busy summer! It's either going to be a lot of fun or a month of pure misery ~ I'm hoping for the first! My parent's and I get along just fine ~ if my dad gets out of line we can always dispose of him in a shallow grave somewhere in all of that nothingness ~ I'm far more concerned about Hunter and my niece fighting. Wish me luck!

8 Years and 2 Kids Later......

Today Scott and I have been married for 8 solid years! Unfortunately, I can't figure out for the life of me how to make my new all in one printer work (damn wireless technology!) which means I can't scan any of our wedding photos in to share ~ too bad, you wouldn't believe how much SMALLER Scott's forehead was back then! I was a child bride ~ had just turned 25 and he was 28. We were married at my parent's house on the beach and after the ceremony partied like we had never seen booze before! My brother had picked me up for breakfast early that morning ~at said breakfast he informed me that although he liked Scott, he would still kick his ass if he ever made me cry ~ he has ALWAYS been my protector! After breakfast we went to get my nails done, or should I say re-done ~ I had them done the day before, but ruined them at our crawfish rehearsal dinner ~ lesson learned! After that it was back to the house where my hairdresser was waiting for me and all of my bridesmaids ~ let the booze flow begin! I had cut myself off before the ceremony figuring it was best that I was actually able to walk down the aisle ~ however when I was waiting to go out and started pacing like a caged animal one of my bridesmaids and college friend ran out to get me another beer ~ now that's a friend! The groom and all of his groomsmen had been out taking shots of Blanton's to calm him! One of the groomsmen ~ who shall remain nameless ~ who normally doesn't drink was also taking part in this nonsense ~ there is photographic evidence of him crawling out of the oleanders later that night where he had been barfing in the bushes! It really just went downhill from there ~ although I am fairly confident that a good time was had by all who attended ~ it was anything but a stuffy affair! I have many favorite pictures from this night, but I think one of the VERY best is one of me as we were leaving in my dad's 1927 Mercedes replica and I was holding my beer in my teeth as I hiked my dress up to get in the back ~ talk about lady! The next day I had one of the WORST hangovers of my life ~ shocking I know! I was at least smart enough not to book our flight for the day after the wedding ~ instead I had booked us on a Monday flight ~ smarter than the average bear I am! Once I managed to get my head out of the toilet and keep it out, we called someone to come pick us up from Scott's house, drive us through Whataburger for some much needed hangover curing greasy food, and went to my parent's to help clean up. The next day we headed to the airport for our honeymoon at Disney and other Orlando attractions. Last year we spent our 7th anniversary at Disney with our 2 beautiful kids ~ this year while we aren't there on the "official" day, we are there close enough to it ~ maybe we should wear some of those bride and groom mouse ears?

Scott and I have been together for 10 1/2 years now ~ I knew 6 months after we started dating that he was the one I was going to marry ~ I remember telling my dad that one day while we walked on the beach. My parent's couldn't be more pleased with my selection ~ after all, he got me out of their hair didn't he? When Scott decided to stop working offshore after 8 years and move into the office he asked me one day what I thought about it ~ I told him that I guessed it was okay ~ after all once upon a time we used to like each other so surely somewhere deep down we still did! He came back with "yeah, somewhere deep, deep, deep down!" ~ it's reasons like this that I love him ~ he can always make me laugh! He has been in the office for 2 years now and we're still married ~ guess somewhere deep down we did still like each other! I love you Scott and I look forward to many more years of memories with you!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Okay so I am FINALLY getting around to posting about Easter ~ I've been busy, what can I say! My sister called me the other day to tell me I needed to change the wallpaper on my blog, that Easter was over ~ shows how long it has been since my last post!

The kids and I went to my parent's house on Saturday to color eggs ~ we have yet to actually color eggs at our own house ~ I'm not an egg eater and neither are the kids, so I guess I don't see the point of having real eggs here ~ I'd far rather have the delicious candy filled type! Anyway, Scott did not join us on the adventure as he stayed here to assemble the new playhouse the Easter Bunny was delivering! Now mind you, this assembly was not without bitching to go along with it ~ that started when he had to go go Toys R Us to pick up said playhouse because the box was sooooo big it wouldn't fit in my car (I drive a Sequoia) ~ it was a damn big box! The next comment was "since when does the Easter Bunny deliver something the size of a f 'ing kitchen cabinet?" ~ okay he had me on that one. My theory was since Maisie really didn't get much for her birthday or Christmas (might as well be one in the same) because she didn't need anything that I would get this now. It was something I was going to buy, so I figured there might as well be a holiday associated with it rather than just going out and buying them an expensive toy just because. So while the kids and I were gone, Scott went and claimed the house from my friend Maxine's garage where it was being stashed and brought it back to his bunny lair to assemble it ~ needless to say the kids and I didn't come home until well after dark!

The egg coloring went well ~ Maisie had a great time coloring the eggs by holding onto one while dipping it in the dye ~ she was rainbow colored when it was all said and done. My dad had bought more elaborate dye for Hunter and my niece to use ~ some that you tie dyed, some that you stamped, and some the you rolled paint on ~ I can assure you that when we were little and coloring eggs there was only 1 type of dye that was purchased and we were told to share it! We put old t-shirts on them so they wouldn't ruin their clothes ~ makes clean up pretty easy too!

Sunday morning when Hunter woke up he came running into our bedroom so excited that the bunny had stopped by ~ we asked him how he knew and he said because he had left baskets for he and Maisie ~ he hadn't yet noticed to rather large playhouse sitting in the backyard. When he came out of our bedroom though he saw it and I heard his hands hit the windows and he screamed "oh my gosh, he brought us a house!". We went and got Maisie up and the adventure began. She knew just what to do with her bucket ~ threw it over her arm like a purse and headed outside ~ after she ate a piece of Laffy Taffy mind you (this was about 8 A.M.). Hunter was off like a flash collecting eggs and we told him he needed to collect the ones that were high up and leave the low ones for Maisie ~ he ended up getting most of them though because she was far more interested in eating the candy she found in the eggs rather than going to get another one ~ did I mention she had 3 pieces of Laffy Taffy before breakfast (I guess that was breakfast!)?! We hung out around the house for a little while and they played in their new house and then it was time to head across town.

At my parent's house there was another egg hunt ~ I was the acting E.B. and FORGOT to hide the eggs they had colored the day before ~ told you I don't like eggs, I was looking out for the delicious candy filled ones! However, nobody noticed my little slip up until we were leaving that afternoon and I realized I hadn't done it ~ I went back in the house and scored a dozen for Scott since he is an egg eater ~ figured my dad really didn't want 3 dozen eggs all to himself! After all of the egg hunting was complete we boiled crawfish and feasted until we could feast no more! All in all it was a lovely day and such a great treat to watch the kids hunt the eggs ~ I remember Bryan and I used to be rolling around in the yard over the Cadbury Cream eggs ~ we would go for those first and then go back for the rest of the haul ~ I told my dad I was VERY disappointed in the E.B. on that side of town as there was not a Cream Egg to be had ~ damn it man! Guess there's always next year ~ wonder of the E.B. takes requests?

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Make a Smilebox greeting

Another Year, Another Candle

I officially add another candle to my birthday cake today ~ grrrrr! It has really kind of snuck up on me this year ~ although I new it was lurking in the shadows since the grass is greening up and the springtime birds have returned ~ that always tips me off that is is approaching. I once again find my self spending my birthday as a swinging single ~ okay maybe not swinging since I have 2 kids ~ but single none the less. If you were to look back on last year's birthday post I believe you would find that I was spending it single as well ~ talk about a low blow to get out of having to buy me a present! This year Scott is in Louisiana for a 3 day meeting ~ although since I do look forward to him travelling maybe this is the best gift ever! It's kind of like the gift that keeps on giving ~ I don't have to cook, the house will stay clean and picked up, my laundry pile won't quadruple in size, and as soon as the kids aer in bed I will have silence ~ talk about a FANTASTIC gift! It's almost like when he worked offshore, just on a smaller scale ~ I'll take what I can get! I awoke this morning (I got to sleep in until 7:45) to Hunter and Scott hopping up on the bed to sing "happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey, aaaand you smell like one too!" ~ Maisie was in having some cereal, so she didn't participate. I will even give my parent's snaps as they remembered that TODAY was my birthday, not yesterday and not tomorrow, but TODAY ~ they called to serenade me about 9:05. I haven't heard from my sister as of yet ~ normally she is the first one to call howling through the phone at me ~ maybe I will be spared this year ~ not counting my chickens on that one though! I also haven't heard from my brother, but he's a boy so that's not so unusual ~ he might get around to remembering in July! My friend Avis is going to venture up today from Tiny Town so I don't spend my birthday alone ~ we are going to head out to Cafe Adobe for a birthday feast ~ YUMMY! The weather is BEAUTIFUL so we will get to sit out on the deck and enjoy the sunshine ~ the kids can feed the ducks chips which will keep them entertained so we can enjoy our food and actually have an adult conversation ~ what a novel idea! Thank you Avis ~ can't wait until tonight! When my sweet little mouse gets up from her sleepy we are off to take a birthday walk and enjoy the beautiful weather ~ my gift to myself.

The Devil Wears Pampers

My sweet, fabulous little mouse appears to have gotten to the stage that I had completely blocked from my mind ~ the stage that I had forgotten just how much I don't like ~ the ever dreaded "toddler" stage! Quick, run for your lives! Okay, so I am somewhat exaggerating here ~ her behavior is still far superior to Hunter's at this age ~ but it's still unpleasant none the less! And yes, the sign to the left does hang on her bedroom door. She has 2 major problems here ~ number one being that she now has an opinion about things and an all out agenda that she intends to carry out ~ number two is that she doesn't speak any English to let you in on just what her agenda or intentions might be ~ mix the two together and voila, you've got tantrums ~ grrrrrr! I now remember WHY I blocked this from my memory ~ I really should have already carried out my baby fever desires when she was still helpless and cute all of the time ~ in her current state she is putting out my baby fever flames! Scott asked if this meant he was off the hook for number 3 ~ I informed him no, as I know this is a stage that will pass ~ sucker! Now Maisie is a major drama mama ~ but one of her tantrums doesn't hold a candle to what Hunter used to pull. He was a VERY theatrical tantrum thrower ~ starting about the day he turned 1 ~ at least she held off a few months! I vividly remember him throwing himself on the floor and rolling around and kicking the wall ~ I would just walk off and ignore him ~ unfortunately as soon as he realized that he no longer had a captive audience he would get himself up and go to wherever I had gone to escape him and then throw himself on the floor and start all over again ~ kid you not. This was happening on a daily basis, probably 5-7 times a day ~ did I mention Scott was in Korea at the time for a month during all of this? This went on for 2 solid months and I was ready to kill the boy ~ so we packed up and headed off to Mexico for a week ~ the first time I had ever left him ~ needless to say he had done me in to the point that we walked into my parent's house, deposited him, and turned around and walked right back out ~ I was MORE than ready to escape him! We went to Mexico the next day and I never called to check on him the entire week we were gone ~ I was far too busy sitting at the pool bar wondering just what I had really gotten myself into? As soon as we got home I was of course THRILLED to see my boy again ~ and it was amazing ~ the sweet little boy I had know (up until his 1st birthday) was back ~ and boy I had missed him! Maisie's tantrums are nothing like this ~ she doesn't follow you around, instead she stays in the same place you left her and just screams ~ also tends to flair her little arms about too. She will stay in that same spot until she decides you aren't coming back, or something else catches her eye and then she is over it ~ now this could be a solid 30 minutes, but I figure EVENTUALLY she will realize it isn't getting her anywhere and she will knock it off ~ at least I hope this is how it is going to play out! So too bad Scott, I do recall that this is just an unpleasant stage in their little world that will pass with time ~ and in time when my sweet baby girl comes back from the devil's clutches she will be fanning my baby fever flames once again!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture from Lee's wedding ~

she looks like a little angel kneeling down to pray ~

I look forward to her return!

Here Comes the Bride ~ Part II

Okay, okay, okay so the wedding was 2 weeks ago and I am just getting around to blogging about it ~ so sorry! I have been so incredibly busy the last 2 weeks that I haven't had a chance to sit down and do anything ~ and let me just say that Scott is less than impressed that I am currently sitting in here blogging instead of working on my business taxes! But, I bet he will get over it!

So on to the wedding! The trip over was pretty uneventful ~ the kids did really well ~ not that I was the least bit concerned about Hunter, but I was a little about the wee princess! She did very well ~ I think we blew out of here about 9:30 and drove into the plantation on 2 wheels at 5:00. It was a long drive, but like I said pretty uneventful. Friday night we had a "meet the family" dinner to attend that Wilson's family was hosting ~ it was down on the river above a tavern that is also part of Dunleith Plantation ~ we had a lovely time ~ all of Wilson's family are very nice ~ not to mention the food was FANTASTIC! We rode in carriages from the plantation down to the riverfront which was a really nice was to go ~ the carriage driver gave us a tour as we went along which made it all the better ~ I LOVE historic homes! One of these days I will get my own historic home on the Island to renovate ~ I may be 75, but one of these days!

On Saturday all of the menfolk went for a game of golf at the nicest golf course in Natchez ~ they all came back sporting stunning raccoon eyes from their sunglasses ~ we really should have suggested that they wear sunblock! The women headed off to a private home tour of Melrose ~ one of Wilson's sisters is the head of the National Parks Service so she arranged and guided this tour for us ~ VERY NICE! Then we went off for lunch and margaritas at Fat Mama's Tamales ~ home of the "knock you naked margarita" ~ now everyone who knows my history with the margarita also knows that I did not partake in the margarita consumption! Actually, the bride also did not take much part in the margaritas as she was still a little green around her bridal gills from the night before! Maisie had fallen asleep on the way from Melrose to Fat Mama's and I was not about to wake her ~ it was a lovely day and very breezy so I rolled down the windows, locked the doors, and let her sleep. Now before you start screaming child abuser let me say that we were sitting on the deck all of 5 feet from my car ~ nobody was going to get that baby unbuckled from her seat, much less out of the car before I, and everybody else there, could jump over the railing and tackle them! When I saw her start to stir I went to go get her ~ didn't bother to take my keys with me since the windows were down ~ reached through the window and unlocked the door ~ first trying with the automatic opener which wouldn't work (should have been my first tip off something was amiss), so then I just flipped the lock itself ~ well when I did the alarm started going off, the horn honking, the works! OMG! I raced back to the deck to get the keys only I couldn't immediately locate them! Once I found them and got to car to shut up I received a standing ovation from the other patrons! I figure I should receive some points back towards my "mother of the year" award since the alarm also prevented a person from stealing the baby from the car! After this we loaded up and headed off for the spa ~ Maisie went back to the plantation with my mom. I got a "desert heat" body wrap ~ I was a little concerned that I might get claustrophobic during this wrap, but it was actually very relaxing ~ I highly recommend one!

The ceremony itself was very nice ~ it was on the front porch of Dunleith ~ I think there were about 100 people who came for the weekend. Hunter, my niece, and Maisie came out of the front door hollering "the bride is coming, the bride is coming" ~ okay so Maisie didn't holler anything she just followed like a little puppy! About that time a carriage carrying Lee and my dad came around the corner and made the big circle drive up to the front where they disembarked. Some friends of Lee and Wilson's sang and spoke about them at the start of the ceremony, and then Wilson's brother-in-law actually performed the ceremony. It was short, sweet, and to the point, and the kids managed to stand still and do exactly as they were supposed to ~ hallelujah! After they said "I Do" they loaded up into the carriage with the kids and rode off into the sunset ~ okay around to the other side of the plantation, but you have to admit it was very romantic picturing it in your mind!

The reception was held inside the main house of Dunleith ~ beautiful! Again the food was FANTASTIC! When the dinner was over a large group of us gathered out in the courtyard and hung out ~ the guy who sang at the ceremony brought his guitar out and entertained while we drank beer and had a good time.

Sunday morning after another FANTASTIC breakfast at Dunleith ~ there was whipping cream in the grits, normally I wouldn't touch a grit to save my life, but I was told that I must try these and let me say these ROCKED ~ we loaded up the car and headed out for our treacherous journey back to Texas. Maisie was so wiped from her weekend that she was asleep 5 minutes out of the joint and didn't wake up until we were about 30 miles outside of Lake Charles! It was a VERY peaceful journey home!

So now it is all said and done ~ my dad has issued the "no return policy" that goes along with each one us of, and they are living happily ever after. Congratulations Lee & Wilson ~ may your new life together be one of eternal newlywed bliss!

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Everything But the Kitchen Sink.....I Think!

So today we are packed up and headed off to the big state of Mississippi......I refer to it as this because in the not too distant past the state only had 1 area code (601) ~ from what I hear now though, they have added a second! I find it amazing that an entire state could have only 1 area code ~ there are 3 in Houston alone! I always seem to block out the amount of garb that one must haul with them when travelling with a baby! My title says Everything But the Kitchen Sink, but I bet if you look closely you just might find it tucked away under something! It is crystal clear to me once again why exactly I drive a land yacht ~ if I didn't, we would have to strap one of the kids to the luggage rack ~ anyone else getting a National Lampoon's Vacation visual here? Our reason for jetting off this weekend is to witness my sister's nuptials ~ yes, she did just get engaged at Christmas ~ nothing like a short engagement! It's a shotgun wedding of sorts ~ only the bride isn't knocked up ~ thank god! We are actually pretty excited about our weekend getaway ~ the kids are in the wedding and there will be all kinds of fun stuff to do ~ I will be getting a "desert heat" wrap at the spa on Saturday before the ceremony ~ let's just hope I don't get all kinds of claustrophobic as soon as they wrap me up! We are also getting a private tour of one of the historic homes, and the wedding as well as where we are staying is at a beautiful plantation in Natchez. It is pilgrimage weekend, unfortunately since my children are in the wedding that means they will be in Natchez with us, so I don't get to go tour all of the beautiful homes that I would like to ~ oh well, maybe we will make it back another year to check it all out. Instead of the usual cheesy ring bearer pillow I managed to score Hunter a really cool ring bowl from a little Etsy shop called Paloma's Nest ~ the bowl is AWESOME! If you are ever looking for something of this type, or an anniversary gift, baby gift, etc. you really must check her out! She was really very nice and got me a bowl even thought the usual turnaround time is 14 days (I just ordered it on Sunday and had it by Wednesday). So thank you Caroline with Paloma's Nest ~ I know my sister will LOVE the dish! Hopefully our drive will be uneventful ~ we'll see how well Maisie fares in the car for this extended time ~ although it took us 8 1/2 or 9 hours to make it to Dallas when we evacuated for Ike and she did pretty well. Now that she gets to face forward and can see out of the windows and watch TV I figure it should be alright ~ keeping my fingers crossed though just in case! I will post pictures of my fabulous little kids in their wedding finery when we return as well as all of the wedding details for those who didn't get to attend.

Mr. Liver's 15th Anniversary

15 years ago today my dad got a new liver ~ sadly this also means that another family lost their loved one on this day in order for this to happen. I remember it like it was yesterday ~ I was a senior in high school and my brother was in college in between quarters and had literally just driven into the driveway in a fully packed GIGANTIC U-Haul. He had come home in a U-Haul because he was changing campuses, but couldn't get into his new apartment until the new quarter started ~ so here we were out in the driveway unloading the GIGANTIC U-Haul when we got the call. Dad was actually in the hospital, and had been for about a week, getting IV antibiotics for an infection ~ at the time he was # 1 on the transplant list, but they had taken him off of the list while he was in there ~ a real emotional blow to all of us. Luckily he was being discharged the next day and when they got the call that they had a match, they decided that this was probably a pretty good time to give him that liver ~ I guess they figured any germs he could have possibly had were dead! When mom called, Bryan and I stopped what we were doing, loaded up, and headed off to the hospital. On the way there we had to go by my dad's plant to pick up some paperwork, and after that we were off to the hospital once again ~ now of course I was speeding and got pulled over on the way in the big city of Pasa-get-down-dena ~ the cop asked why I was speeding, and when I told him that my dad was about to have a liver transplant he looked at me like I was crazy! He informed me that he was sure the liver would still be there when I got there if I were to be driving the speed limit ~ apparently he thinks they just let the harvested organs sit around in coolers for an unlimited amount of time. Whatever! So he let me off with a warning and off we went again! When they were preparing to wheel him off for the surgery it was a real emotional roller coaster ~ we didn't know if we were ever going to see him again ~ to make matters worse the week before all of this he had gone completely deaf over night and so the only way we could communicate with him was to write notes. It was an incredibly long surgery ~ over 14 hours ~ during which he tried to die on the table on them a couple of times! Being that he is a stubborn old bird though, he pulled through and hasn't looked back ~ the liver is the best part of him at this point in time! I remember my first trip into the ICU to see him ~ mom had tried to prepare me for how bad he was going to look because of all of the tubes and things coming out of him. When we walked in all I could say was he looked FANTASTIC! Despite all of the tubes and wires he looked phenomenal! He was actually white again instead of yellow! His new lived had started doing its job as soon as it got in there ~ normally they will reject their new organ in the first week, dad never rejected his. He was home not many days after the transplant and was like a whole new person. If it weren't for the generosity of the family who donated their loved ones organs my dad wouldn't be here today. He would have never seen me graduate from high school or college, or walked me down the aisle, and he would have never had the opportunity to meet his 4 grandchildren. We have never met the family who gave my dad the gift of life, they wished to remain anonymous, but I would still so love to meet them and be able to thank them in person for the 15 additional years they have given us. My dad is an "old timer" in the transplant world ~ I thank god for every additional day I have with him, and pray for many more to come. I love you daddy!

My Name is Shannon & I Will Be Your Magical Tour Guide!

So our upcoming Disney visit has grown by 8 feet ~ our friends Chris, Avis, and their kids have decided to join us! Yes, this is the same Chris and Avis that we insist on punishing our livers with! Scott has already laid down the ground rules of NO staying up until 4:00 AM! He feels quite confident that one full day in the park will do Avis in and she will be the first one in bed ~ we average about 8 miles a day walking while there! We're very excited that they have decided to go with us ~ Avis hasn't been since she was a kid, and their kids have never been ~ Hunter is soooo excited that there will be another little person his age there! We were supposed to stay at Animal Kingdom when we went, but unfortunately there was no availability for a 2 bedroom there during our trip, so we will now be staying at Old Key West instead. I'm still quite excited about this, as we have yet to stay here and it looks awesome! Maybe we will catch Animal Kingdom on our next stay ~ we will still have enough points leftover for another short trip this year should we so desire! Scott and I have apparently lost our minds ~ we are thinking that we will be driving to Orlando this time ~ the airfares just aren't coming down ~ but we will make that final decision after our drive to Natchez in 2 weeks for my sister's wedding! If Maisie is hideous during that drive we are flying to Orlando, no matter what the cost! We plan on hitting the road around 6:00 and driving through the night ~ at least this way Maisie should sleep the bulk of the trip and hopefully it will be okay ~ I'm not concerned about Hunter in the least, he will be perfectly fine ~ he will watch movies and listen to his I-Pod and sleep. I guess if it is truly hideous getting there Maisie and I can always fly back and have my parent's pick us up at the airport! It should be a great trip and I can't wait!!!! Fun, fun, fun!

A Whole Year Already?

I made my first entry a year ago today ~ the traditional first anniversary gift for those of you feeling the need to send me something is paper ~ let me know if you need my mailing address! I might ought to read back over the last years worth of post to see just where the year has gone! My original intention with the blog was that I would post pictures of my growing kids instead of bombarding people's inboxes with pictures that they may or may not want to see (although I don't know how you couldn't want to see pictures of my kids! There's that bias part of me surfacing again!) ~ this way if you wanted to see what my kids were looking like or the things they were up to you could check it out at your leisure. I thought I might, occasionally, actually write something too ~ wasn't really counting too much on that happening though ~ guess I was way wrong on that front! I quickly found that I really enjoy blogging ~ sometimes I sit here typing things and laughing out loud as I relive the topic at hand events! Since I don't leave the house to go to a job where I would get to have adult interaction and conversation this is like my my adult interaction ~ my dad says if I have time to blog then I have too much time on my hands. The truth of the matter is I don't have spare time on my hands ~ in order to sit down long enough to make an entry I have to carve time out for myself to do it ~ typically I find the time after the kids are in bed and I have finished all of my daily items ~ I do on occasion sit down in the daylight hours to post an entry, but I can almost guarantee you that it took me several hours to compile the one entry because of how many times I had to stop and take care of something else. I love my job ~ although it is undoubtedly the hardest job I have ever had in my life, it is also the most rewarding and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm thrilled to get to share a piece of our lives with you through this blog and even more thrilled that you care enough and choose to make us a part of your life ~ thank you!

Corporal Punishment

Apparently Scott and my livers have been misbehaving ~ I have come to this conclusion based on the fact that last night we decided to severely punish them! What were we thinking???? Obviously we weren't is all I can think of to answer that question! We have a group of friends ~ mostly college friends ~ that we try to get together with once a month to do some sort of a cookout. All of our kids are in the same age range so they all play together while the adults drink beer, cook, and catch up. We rotate houses and whoever is hosting picks what's on the menu ~ last month we hosted and cooked burgers and dogs and broke in the kegerator with "the family". Last night was a fish fry ~ YUMMY! When we left our house we had a virgin 18 pack in the cooler ~ thinking of course that we would be returning with some beer in said cooler ~ let me just say that today the ice that is left in that cooler is awfully lonely! Not only did we drink the 18 pack we arrived with, but then we moved on to other beer from the host ~ good god what were we thinking???? We set up the pack and play and put Maisie to bed ~ this is standard operating procedure since she goes to bed so early ~ this way we get to stay and play a little longer and typically pack up and leave about 9:30 or 10:00. So Maisie was sleeping and the boys were watching a movie when Avis said you might as well just spend the night ~ fortunately they have a very large and lovely home and plenty of room to sleep extras ~ we decided that was probably a pretty good idea and so the mass beer consumption began. Scott was finally smart enough to get up and head off to bed at 1:30 this morning ~ can't say Avis and I were nearly as smart ~ no, we stupidly stayed up until 4:00!!!! Have I asked what were we thinking? Needless to say my kids were up bright eyed and bushy tailed at their usual 7:30 ~ I was anything but bright eyed at that point, and I certainly wasn't bushy tailed ~ I feel fairly confident that my liver did indeed jump out in protest and was laying on the bed next to me! Sorry about that Mr. Liver! Now getting snockered isn't something we typically engage in ~ not that we don't drink, obviously we do or we wouldn't have a kegerator ~ but it is typically just a couple of beers and that's that. I unfortunately don't just suffer from a hangover ~ I am a barfer ~ and I don't mean I barf once, I typically barf from around 7:00 - noon! Always have been one, always will be one ~ that is my deterrent right there from getting snockered ~ wasn't a deterrent in college, but now that I don't have the luxury of laying around and feeling like warmed over dog doodie all day it is a wonderful deterrent. I suffered my first hangover in Hunter's life New Years Day 2007 ~ oh my god I was sick! Scott was working offshore at the time and needed to leave to go back to work, but I couldn't keep my head out of the toilet long enough for him to feel confident that I was able to take care of Hunter. At one point Hunter asked what was wrong with me ~ as my head was undoubtedly in the toilet ~ and Scott informed him that I was "choking on my own stupidity" ~ have I mentioned that I sometimes hate my husband ~ this would have been one of those times! I finally quit barfing and Scott headed off for work never to have another hangover again ~ until today that is! I can proudly report that I did not bow to the porcelain god this morning ~ contemplated it, but didn't do it ~ however I feel like crap! I think it has more to do with the fact that sleep is lacking in my world than any other factor. While I did consume a large quantity of beer, it was over a long period of time and I wasn't stumbling drunk when I finally poured myself into bed, just buzzed. Whatever the case may be I have come to the conclusion that Chris and Avis are EVIL and must be stopped! I have apologized profusely to my liver and promised not to do it again ~ until the next time that I have a momentary lapse of reason I guess!

Happy Birthday Mom & Dad

Today is my parent's birthday ~ not just one of them, both of them. They were born the same day, one year apart ~ how crazy is that? This has always fascinated me ~ I don't know why, it just has ~ maybe because it makes it virtually impossible to forget one or the others birthday ~ if you forget one of them you've just screwed the pooch all together on the subject matter! They are also from the same town in East Texas and both went to UT where they met ~ although they are only a year apart in age my dad is some kind of boy genius and graduated a couple of years before he should have, so while my mom knew who he was, he was way too cool for her in high school! Given all of the health issues my dad has had, I never thought I would see the day I got to wish him a happy 67th birthday ~ thank god for advanced medical technology ~ without it, this day certainly wouldn't be possible! It's hard thinking about my parent's growing another year older (who am I kidding it's hard to think about me growing another year older!) ~ although I guess this is just how the circle of life plays out ~ it's still hard. A friend of mine commented about her mother getting older and said "it just really pisses me off" ~ I must agree with that commentary ~ she was referring to the fact that her mom can't do all of the things that she used to ~ I see that as my parent's get older ~ it's not like they sit in their lazy boys knitting all day or anything like that, but I can definitely see the slow down happening. My mom tells me "it's hell getting old!" ~ I'm just thankful that they are both still young enough to enjoy doing things with my kids and certainly still young enough to make lots of memories that they will never forget. My mom's parent's were the greatest grandparent's in the whole world! I used to go to their house and spend the entire summer with them ~ we lived far away from them so we didn't get to see much of them throughout the year ~ those summer memories are still with me even though they have been gone for 15 years now.

Happy Birthday mom and dad ~ I look forward to wishing you many more! I'll call you later to sing Happy Birthday to you in a terribly off pitch, screeching tone ~ since you're a year older I won't wake you ~ you need your rest!

I Think I Have Seen it All.....

Okay, 2 brand new grocery stores opened in my neck of the woods within a week of each other ~ one of them is located at the entrance to my neighborhood and the other one is about a mile from the entrance. Both are very nice stores ~ probably the nicest grocery stores I have ever seen to be exact. To make their big grand opening impressions (which have been going on for several weeks now) on the neighborhood they have had all kinds of lovely free items ~ coupons were mailed out for all types of different things ~ thank you very much by the way, I have enjoyed all of my free goods! Anyway, back to the point of this entry. I typically hit the store at the entrance as I prefer this one over the other ~ today however the sale ad at the other store was more in tune with the items on my shopping list so it was off to this location that I headed. After I had finished my shopping and was making my way to the front of the store I heard singing ~ not singing like on the radio singing, but singing like a live person singing ~ sure enough when I made it to the very front of the store there was a lady singing and a man playing the keyboard ~ no shit! I had heard that Elvis was spotted in the same location last week! I just have to wonder what is it costing the store to have live entertainment for our listening pleasure while we fill our baskets with goods ~ is the cost of the live entertainment being cancelled out by more shoppers being drawn in? I am really kind of doubting it, but what the hell do I know! What I do know is that it is quite lovely to have 2 such very nice stores in such close proximity to my front door ~ but in all honesty live entertainment isn't going to make me shop in your store ~ the prices of the items in your store are what will bring me in and keep me coming back!