Some Vegas pics...yes I know, I'm late in posting! This is the crew with the Temptations at Legends! I have some Elvis pics too...will have to post later!

  

Us with a mime in the Venetian Casino.

  

Standing in front of the waterfall at the condo pool.

  

In front of the Paris Casino!

  


Brian and I at Lake Mead near Hoover Dam!

Gone too long...

I'm sure that not many of you have even checked this link in quite a while, it's been dead for so long...why bother? LOL But I am alive and well...just been taking a much needed break.

Stress has been running rampant and really taking a toll on me. Life is a bit of a roller coaster ride and I'm hoping that my ride is about to end...but the gate isn't in sight just yet.

Finances have been pretty tough, I've been working to try and keep my kids on track in school, at home, and in the way that they treat each other and Brian and I are still working at living together and getting our financial ducks in a row.

The past month has also been filled with more deaths than I even care to think about. Our nurse at work lost her dad and grandma in the same week...so we had to take her shifts and add them onto ours to cover...no big thing and the extra cash came in handy, but it was very sad to watch her struggle through it. But she's back to work and doing well now, so that's definitely a good thing. Still very sad though.

My best-friend also lost someone very near and dear to her, due to the war. That hasn't been easy because she really struggled to deal with it and I was left feeling useless, because I knew that there really wasn't anything I could do to just make it better for her. She's also doing pretty well with it now...still has her moments, but she's better.

Now, a good friend of mine has just lost her brother, (who was only in his 40's), to cancer. He was a wonderful guy, with a great big heart and I'm truly gonna miss him! He was like another big brother to me, and even though we didn't see each other all that often...when we saw each other, it was always like a day never went by without us keeping in touch. I loved that about him. Just always happy and he had a way of making that happy-go-lucky attitude rub off on you...even when you didn't want it to! LOL So tomorrow, I head to the funeral home after work and see Mikey for the last time. Not something I look forward to, but isn't that just the way life goes?

So, now I am trying to get my Christmas shopping out of the way and get the gumption to get the tree up. Terrible, I know...it's almost mid-December! I'm banking on this weekend to get the job done. Pray that my weekend doesn't get too "hectic" with other useless stuff and that I actually get it done!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season!

My foot!

I had foot surgery just under 2 weeks ago! Below, you will see the results...







Though it is healing pretty quickly...I still can't put any pressure on my heel or wear normal shoes, at all!

Lesson learned...never wait to get rid of something like this growing on your foot!

Viva Las Chicken?

Well, we made it without a hitch. Okay, maybe there was one little hitch. You all know by now, that I can't do anything and have it just go perfectly! That would make it way too easy for me, and that just isn't in the cards! LOL

All in all, Vegas was a wonderful experience. I had a ball and was really sad to come home (except that I missed my kids and my feet will probably love the rest they are getting), but to tell you the truth...I would have stayed another week or so, if I had the opportunity. I definitely will be going back in the future!

Everything was just even more grand than I had imagined. My favorite places were...The Luxor with it's huge pyramid and sphinx in front and the beautiful interior, the Paris which really made you feel like you were in Paris...even the bathrooms were just exquisite, and Barbary Coast which wasn't by any means grand, but that's where we had a ton of fun.



We took in a few shows while there. Both were really great, though I'm sure Brian enjoyed the Folies Bergiere more than I did, considering he was staring at titties (from front stage), for over an hour! He had a smile on his face the whole time! But I must say, those almost non-existent boobs just weren't making me feel the slightest bit self conscious! LOL The Legends show was awesome...Elvis, Garth Brooks and The Temptations, couldn't have done a better job.

His mom and dad did pretty well on the slots...his dad was the big winner and won about $2,100 in one day. Not bad, for a few hours of fun!

As for Brian and I, the biggest we hit for was $500 in one of the first nights we were there. The last night, we put $40 on red and $200 on black on the roulette table and just let it ride...we ended up doubling our $200 and walking out of the casino for the last time with $400 in our pockets..that was nice. So, I'm trying to remember all of the casinos that we hit....

1) MGM Grand
2) Rio
3) Palms
4) South Coast
5) Hooters
6) Imperial Palace
7) Circus Circus
8) Luxor
9) Barbary Coast
10) Venetian
11) Paris
12) Red Rock
13) Gold Coast
14) O'Sheas
15) Mirage
16) Tropicana
17) Four Queens
18) Binions
19) Golden Nugget
20) Fitzgeralds
21) Fremont
22) Wynn
23) Excalibur
24) New York New York

We tried to get to 'em all, but there was just no way that we could! I guess we will have to hit the rest next time we go!

As for the one little hitch...we rented a 2007 Suburban for the trip. It was beautiful and people would stop and ask us about it, "how's it drive?"..."do you love it?", etc. On our 5th day there, we stopped at a 7-11 to get a newspaper before heading out for the day. Upon trying to back out of the parking spot, Brian kinda didn't see a 32 foot motor home that was sitting at one of the gas pumps and he backed right into it. His sister and I were in the 3rd row of seats, and had no idea what was happening when there was a huge commotion, and glass started flying everywhere. Yep folks, Brian who's never had an accident in his 36 years, took out the entire back window of a brand new Suburban, while on vacation in Vegas! Nice!

As for the title...Viva Las Chicken? One night (I should say morning, because I believe it was about 3 a.m.), we were heading back to the condo and were all exhausted and a little loopy...out of the blue, his mom (who had been singing 'Viva Las Vegas' for days), says..."I just saw a sign that said Viva Las Chicken!" We thought that she was just a little overtired and were accusing her of seeing things and laughing histerically at her. We told her that we would be looking for that place the next day. And we did! The next day and the next day and the day after that. On the day of the accident...we finally spotted it. That became our favorite place for sweet tea and a ritual before heading out for the day, the rest of the time we stayed in Vegas! Their chicken wasn't bad either! LOL

So, that's the gist of our trip. I had a ball and it was definitely something that I would want to do again! Wish you could have all been there! Now that would have made it even more fun...

The hand in the cookie jar and Vegas...

I had a long heart to heart with Corey the other day. After a few minutes of cajoling him, he did admit to taking the fundraiser money back out of the envelope.

While I was upset with him about doing that, I'm relieved that he at least told me the truth...albeit after having solid proof (and a mad mom) staring him in the face. I'm still glad that he fessed up. I did tell him that I think much more of an honest person, than someone who I know lies all the time, and that how can I believe anything he says to me, if he's only rarely honest??? I hope that got through to hit a wee bit! Probably not, but at least I'm trying.



THE COUNTDOWN TO VEGAS, BABY...

Okay, I think it's safe to say that I have most of my ducks in a row and we are off to Vegas in less than 24 hours! I'm finally getting a little bit excited and am confident that we will have a great time on this vacation!!!

If not, there will be hell to pay! LOL








Have a great week, and will catch up with everyone soon!!!

xoxox

The beasts are back in town...what would you do?

As you probably already guessed....yes, I'm talking about the boys. It's not even that they've been terrible lately. They really haven't. It's just this feeling I have of discontent, when it comes to them anymore. I hate to even allow myself to think along those lines, but it's just always something. Always issues, and lies, and drama with them. Always into something or doing things that they just shouldn't be. It's so frustrating!

So, this weeks fiasco involved fund-raiser candy. I agreed to do a fund-rasier for Corey for his band class. This would cover his fee for using the instrument for the year. Ok, no problem. We are given a box of 52 assorted candies, to be sold at $1 each. That should give me a grand total of $52 dollars...correct? I sit down the other night to count the money and make sure that the correct amount is there. Well, guess what? I'm $7 short. Now I know darn well that I have collected all the cash for everything that I have sold. So, where is the other money missing from? As is the custom, when something like this happens...I call the kids over....

First was Tyler...he comes strolling out of his room, in his usual nonchalant manner...

Ty: "What mom?"

Me: "Well, I'm counting up the candy money and seem to be short. Do you have any idea why?"

Ty: Scratches head and diverts his eyes.....

Me: "Tyler, did you take any of the candy out of the box without paying for it?"

Ty: Weighs his options for a few more seconds...and then finally proclaims..."Yeah, I did!"

Me: "Okay, how many?"

Ty: "Ummmm.....1."

Me: "Just one? Are you sure, because I'm short by about $7!'

Ty: Diverts eyes again...looks over the whole kitchen and livingroom...never stopping to actually look at me..."Well, 3! Yeah, that's right 3." Is pretending to count them off on fingers...like he's remembering the exact moment he had those 3.

Now, in walks Corey....he had no idea, he was about to be blinsided as well.

Me: "Hey Corey, you wouldn't happen to know why I'm short on candy money, would you?"

Corey: He looks puzzled and proclaims right away..."NO!"

(Note: Corey is a teenager and nothing is ever his fault, nor does he ever know how anything ever breaks, falls, gets dented, comes up missing, etc. Teenagers don't have to take responsibility for anything.)

I go on to tell him that Tyler has already fessed up to 3 of the missing 7 and Corey says that he has had 3 total, and even paid for one of Tyler's the day before. He even goes and shows me the bills he used, because one had his name on it, (yes I know, that's another lecture), one had red ink on it, etc.

Hey, I'm falling into his little trap...hook, line and sinker. I am his mom! And even though mom's claim to be much smarter than our children, we are still gullible as hell! LOL

After this exchange, Corey runs in his room for a minute and comes back out...he has a bit of an attitude and says..."Well, I guess I WILL JUST PAY FOR THE MISSING CANDY BARS!" He takes 4 dollar bills and shoves them into the envelope. I'm taken back, and say, "wow, that's very nice of you Corey!" He's like, "yeah", and walks off.

So, it ends up that I tell Ty he is going to work off what he owes me. He is ashamed for a few minutes and runs and cleans up his room some, trying to calm the waters, appease me for the moment. By the time this weekend came, it was pretty much pushed to the back burner of my mind...I had other things more pressing to think about..

This weekend, I've been trying to stay on task and get as much done as I can. Vegas is just days away and I don't wanna be scrambling to do everything at the last minute. Which brings me to the near conclusion of this story...

While doing laundry yesterday, I pulled a pair of jeans out of the dryer. They were Corey's jeans and while folding them $4 happen to pop right out of the pocket. I didn't really think a whole lot about it at the time. My kids are always leaving rocks, money, shells, bottle caps in their pockets. No big thing.

Tonight, when the kids got home, Corey and I started doing a jigsaw puzzle on the kitchen table. The fundraiser money is due tomorrow though, so I stop working on the puzzle and start to count this money. In going through it, I'm right back where I started from....$7 short. I never replaced the $3 from Tyler and once again...the $4 that Corey gave me, was gone once again.

I said to Corey..."Geez, I'm short $7 again...how can that be?" He looks at me quizically..."What?" And he goes on to say..."How is it that we keep coming up short?" I tell him that I'd like to know the same thing and he says..."well, I have absolutely no money at all right now. The only thing I have is is half of a $5 bill that I found at dad's this weekend!"

I just found $4 in HIS jeans pocket, he wore them about 3 days ago. Tell me a 13 year-old doesn't remember his last $4???? That sounds like a crock of shit to me!!!

I let it go for now, but am in a predicament where I just don't know what to believe. I know that Corey may feel like it wasn't his responsibility to put his $4 in there in the first place, if he didn't do it. And then he went and took it back. If that's the case, then that would be very hard to tell me. But I would understand that, if given the chance.

Or the other scenario is that Tyler is lying, and actually took all 7 of them and was just standing there letting Corey take half the fall. Which really really upsets me too.

These are the kinds of almost daily struggles that I have with these two. The story almost never adds up and neither claim to have done anything wrong. It's maddening!

So, what would you guys do in this case?? What do you think is right? Who do you think is telling the truth???

Doing well! =)

I posted the other day, that my brother was having a pretty serious surgery. He came out of just fine and is improving each day. He's still in the hospital, and may be for a few more days....but he's certainly on the mend, which is a big relief. It hasn't been without some minor mishaps, but all in all, everything has gone well!

Thanks for all your support and well wishes, it was appreciated!

Wish us luck!~

As I type this, my brother is in surgery to have a bowel resection! I probably won't be able to go up and see him today either...just too much going on. So hey, if anyone would like to send a prayer his way...we'd both be pretty grateful!

Have a great day!

Still walking the line!

Well, I reported that the kids would probably fall off the wagon soon, but they haven't. Things with them, have been relatively calm. They have been doing their chores without question and getting along pretty well. I haven't heard them bickering and fighting, nor have they been doing any yelling and screaming, which has been a great thing. Now that I'm putting all of this in writing, it's sure to backfire on me...but hey, I'll take my chances!

I want so badly to believe that something good has actually come out of this and hopefully, them working together instead of butting heads and trying to get each other in trouble all the time, is all part of the past! (No, I'm not counting on it! Do you think I'm that stupid?)

My sister still isn't really speaking to me, but I'm working at not letting that get to me too much. This too shall pass, I believe!

Otherwise, things are okay...could be better, could be worse!!! I'm possibly looking at a little foot surgery in the near future and the countdown to Vegas trip 2006 is commencing (soon)! It was definitely a struggle to try and find someone to keep my kids for me...but after a small amount of bribing, Bri's sister has agreed! Woo hoo. I'm still not getting my hopes up too high about actually going because you just never know, and I'm my life, I can usually always count on the most whacked shit happening, so I won't actually start the countdown now, but will wait until the week before! That might be a little safer.

Well kids, that's about it for me...this is Jellybean signing off! Have a great night!

And P.S. Happy belated birthday to my good friend Liza!! Love you bunches and hope you had a wonderful day!!!! (oh, and miss you....you little bugger!)

Overcoming...

There has been so many things that have transpired over the course of the past few weeks, so much stress and just plain overload, that I don't even know where to begin.

I may or may not have told you about the arrangements that I had made for my kids, while I was to go on my boat trip. It wasn't easy to coordinate at all, (a big thank you goes out to the ex for that), but I thought that I had everything covered.

I was to leave on a Wednesday and they were gonna be staying with my sister until that Friday. On Friday, they were going to my brother's house and staying there until Sunday. Unfortunately, my brother went into the hospital on Friday night, so my sister got them back after only 1 day. They stayed with my sister until that following Thursday night, and then went to stay with two of their friends from school until Sunday morning, when we got back into town.

For some reason, which I can only conclude is since I didn't threaten them with their lives, they thought it would be okay to destroy everything in their paths. They tore off a cupboard door in my sister's kitchen, they ripped off her railing leading down her basement stairs, they de-magnetized my nieces tv, my oldest busted his brother's lip, got chocolate pudding on her carpet, had a food fight with cheez-its, and also managed to break down the center panel of my brother's couch.

After being gone about 4 days, I had my sister calling me just furious. She was telling me that I needed to call and talk to them and try and put a stop to all of it. She's also telling me that my bro's in the hospital and that he looks very frail and hadn't been able to eat anything in 4 days and that they might be doing surgery to drain an abcess and that he will have to have a colostomy soon, once his diverticulitis heals up some.

I can't even tell you how frustrating it is to look forward to a trip for a year...have to scramble to find someone to watch your kids for that long of a time, only to have it turn out the way that it did and then to learn that you are hundreds of miles away and your brother is really ill. There was nothing that I could really do about any of it and it just sucked.

I did talk to my brother, when I could. Phone calls weren't even an easy task because where we docked the boat, of course we didn't have service. What I had to do every time I wanted to use the phone, was to jump on my jet ski and head out of the cove we were in, to the middle of the lake. That wouldn't be a big deal, if it wasn't raining the past 4 days we were there. So there I sit, in the middle of the lake on a waverunner, in the rain...only to hear news that just kept getting worse!!! Not to mention, hearing that the dog was peeing all over Tina's house....RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER!

There were a few days of total rest and relaxation, and I did try and make the best of the time that I had...but let me tell you, I've certainly had better vacations!

Since coming home, the boys have been doing tons of chores daily in exchange for cash....cash that will be handed right over to my sister, for all the crap that they pulled, I have lit up both their butts (talk about making them feel humiliated), and we have "discussed" at length about how they WILL start behaving! So far, their tails are still tucked between their legs and they are walking on eggshells! I see this lasting about another week or so...

Let the good times roll...

Vacation would have been perfect if:
1) My brother had not been hospitalized for almost a week
2) My kids would not have been total/complete monsters
3) My dog wouldn't have peed all over my best friends house!

Ever feel like somebody is just trying you to see how far they can go before breaking you?

Explanations to follow!

Out of here!

Well, I'm leaving work in about 1/2 hour and won't be back until Tuesday September 5th. Hope everyone has a good couple of weeks!

Dale Hollow here I come...

Can you help those who won't help themselves?

Well yesterday I bit the bullet and did it! I went somewhere I hadn't been in a very long time. It may have seemed like one of the longest hours of my life, I was very uncomfortable, and it kind of gave me an "eeeewww" feeling, but I went there anyhow.

No, it wasn't the gyno's, or to a nasty drug dealers house. It wasn't anything of the sort. Actually where I went was about 5 minutes from my house and somewhere that I know I should go much more often, but just can't! While it really should also be somewhere that I enjoy visiting and hanging out, in all actuality, it's one of the places that I dread the most!

It's my oldest sister's house! Going there usually makes me sad and just plain depressed. She isn't quite the person that I used to know. Of course I love her very much, but her whole aura just irritates the shit out of me. She is ALWAYS, (and I mean that very literally), crying about how bad everything is for her. She is ALWAYS down and depressed. She is ALWAYS drunk, or on something. It just really makes me sick.

On the one hand, I would love to be the one to walk in there and tell her that I love her, that I worry about her, that I know that she can do so much with her life, and that she deserves so much more. To be there for her, to comfort her when she has a bad day, to pick her up off the ground..but on the other hand, it's like I truly believe that she's somehow content with things as they are.

I'm grateful to her for many things; for being the cool sister when I was growing up, someone that I could always turn to when things got really hard or confusing. For taking care of my dad when he was nasty and mean to her every single day, as soon as she stepped foot in that door. For showing up again the next day, to do it all over again. For giving me 2 beautiful nieces and of course for just being my sister. But even after all of that, I still have resentment towards her.

There are many reasons for it, but at the forefront is; for putting herself before her kids, even when they were very little. I babysat more times than I could count, so that her and her husband could go out and party. For always just "settling" for things, when she could have done so much better. For taking trips to visit my dad (before we knew he had cancer) and going out and getting drunk WITH him, basically condoning it! For blowing her exhaled pot smoke in his face, when she knew that he would get irate and call her a loser and shit for it! And my number one reason; is for yelling and screaming back at him, when he'd say the things that he said to her while on his death bed!!!

Now, I know that it took alot for her to drag herself out of bed and head over there to take the abuse that he would dish out to her, but I just can't fathom, EVER EVER EVER talking to my dad in the way that she talked to him, NO MATTER WHAT would come tumbling out of that mouth of his! I didn't live it, so I can't say exactly how it would have felt to be treated the way that she was. Just the opposite held true for me. No matter how bad my dad felt, when I walked into the room, a slow smile would spread across his face and melt my heart each and every time. They, on the other hand, were worse than an old married couple and would just bicker back and forth. My other sister would sometimes walk in the door from work, and just turn around and get back in her car and just drive. She couldn't take it.

I'm kinda getting off topic here, but what I'm getting at is this...
She may sit around crying to this day, about the relationship that her and my dad had, but when I really think about it...it was her own doing. She doesn't like authority (which, I can relate to that, I really don't like it too much either), but she really likes to do things to shake things up. At my niece's graduation she rolls up on a Harley, with Kahlua on her breath and a man 20 years her elder. He's drunk as a skunk and trying to make conversation with each and every one of us as we are all trying to plot our escape route because we don't want to be around the two drunks. It's just pathetic.

Her boyfriend right now, you know, the one that she kicked her 2 girls out because of? Yeah, you heard me right! He's the biggest most obnoxious loser I think I've ever met. He can't hold down a job, or even try to get one. He always seems stoned out of his mind and he has laid his hands on her, on more than one occasion. Yep, she says he's out of there, "in 2 weeks", says that she's just done with him. But she won't be! That's what I'm talking about. She has no love for herself!!! She would rather stay with someone that has no job, no ambition, treats her like shit, doesn't do anything for her, than to just be by herself. There is no way that I can comprehend this!

So, on the one hand, I really feel compelled to step in there and help her change things up a bit. To do things to show her that she is worth something, that things can get better, but I know in my heart of hearts that some people just are what they are, no matter how much you want them to change or to see that there is life out there that is so much better than the one they are allowing themselves to live right now! And I'm pretty positive that she's one of those latter people!

I know that each and every one of you will say that she is still my sister and that I should do everything in my power to stop her from destroying herself, but unfortunately I know that it's a losing battle. That it won't ever work...Ugh!

Off for now! Laundry and a cute boyfriend await!

Stress no more!

I have made a decision! I'm done stressing out. Whatever will be, will just be and I'll deal with it as it happens. Money is very very tight and I'm sure that I will find a way to make it. I've done it before and made it through, and will again. So, that's that!

That's all for now.

My life!

Last week I probably would have written much more, had I not been stressed to the max. It seemed that everything that possibly could go wrong, absolutely did! I was frustrated and stressed to the point that I was starting to have major anxiety attacks. My brain, no-matter how much I told it to, just would not stop, and it was literally making me sick! My ex has lost his girlfriend and his house and is now determined to make my life a living hell, once again. I am leaving for a 10 day vacation in a matter of 9 days from now. Last week, he drops the..."I have nowhere for the kids to stay while your on vaca", bomb. I was furious, and we ended up reverting back to our old ways with much screaming, yelling, and me hanging up on his loser ass! I was mortified that he knew about this for a year, reassuring me this whole time that it was no problem, and now just 2 weeks before the fact, he was doing this shit only because his life sucks and he wants me to be miserable too. I know he COULD have made arrangements if he wanted to. The fact remains, that I am his EX-WIFE and he feels that I should live as miserably as he is at the moment, and that really pisses me off. His life affecting mine at all, pisses me off! I thought him worming his way into my life was all a part of the past. Funny how he will always find a way! So, I had that to contend with. To top it off, money is very tight right now (due to lack of child support and income taxes being due soon). So what that means, is that Brian is gonna have to foot the bill for both of our upcoming vacations, and to help out by way of utilities, the house payment, etc. Now I know that there's nothing wrong with him contributing, while the fact remains that he does live there. What's really bothering me, is having to ask for his help. Of course, he says that he doesn't mind at all...that it's absolutely no problem. But I still feel needy, for some reason. Kinda like a charity case. It takes me back a few years ago, when I was ready to beg, borrow, or steal in order to just get by. (While the divorce was going on). When often, I had to rely on everyone else in order to stay afloat. I DO NOT LIKE THIS FEELING! It really messes with my psyche and my ego. While I realize that it's necessary right now, it still eats away at me. Am I wrong for feeling like this? How would any of you feel?

~~ON THE LIGHTER SIDE~~

Last week I said that I had another funny to tell about the trip. So, without further adieu, here's my story...

I already mentioned that Bri's nephew and his gf came up for a few days. On the first day that they were in, we drove to the little BP that's about 10 minutes away. It has racks of magazines, that are all bundled and sold in packs of 3's for like $4. They are good magazines, but they are a month or so old. We didn't care, it was reading material for the week. We got a few packets of magazines and that was that. There was redbook, cosmo, allure, oprah, etc.

Well, the following day, Brian's mom starts reading Cosmo. You know what kind of articles are in there, don't you? I'm sure that I don't need to draw a picture for you...most of you know that lots of their articles are sexually oriented. So that next afternoon, she's in the cabin reading, we are out on the jet skis. We come in after a few hours and here comes Charley's gf, she's laughing hysterically and saying, "Oh my gosh, you guys just missed it!" I ask her what she's talking about, and she says that Brian's mom has "done it again". Now this woman, while one of the most loving people that I've ever met, she is possibly one of the blondest (if that's even a word) women too! She does some really funny shit on a regular basis!

Apparently, she was reading Cosmo and had the book open on her chest when she fell asleep. They didn't think much of it, but happened to glance over at the article that the book was open to. It happened to be, "Does your relationship need a vibrator?" After seeing that, they were all trying to contain their laughter (and failing miserably) and running around trying to find their cameras, without much luck. She woke up from all the ruckus and was wondering what was going on. When she looked up at the article laying there on her chest, she figured it out pretty quickly and slapped the book shut.

Pic

1-06
Originally uploaded by jlybn1234.

Just a pic of us taken on Superbowl Sunday that I wanted to upload to my profile. I'm having serious issues with trying to do that though...any suggestions?

~~BROWN SNAKE SIGHTING~~

I don't know how it slipped my mind, but while recounting everything that was happening while on vaca, I forgot to mention our brown snake sighting. Talk about scary.

One day while on the lake, Brian and I take off to beach the skis and check out what's on the other side. There was a sandy area, where no houses were on either side for a ways, so we decided to go there. We were walking around; pondering over how large the deer probably were cuz of the tracks we were seeing, checking out the shells and marveling over how large the sandbar was. When all of the sudden Brian says to me, "Oh my gosh, I'm in pain!" I was a little scared for a second, until it dawned on me...earlier in the day, he had told me that he hadn't been to the bathroom in days and that he was really starting to feel its effects. I ask if he can make it back across the lake to the cabin, he says that he can't. Great! I start looking around the beach and see this huge log and tell him that he can go perch there. He walks over, sees that it's literally covered in carpenter ants, and decides to come up with another plan. He tells me to start walking the other way, which I do. I really want no part of any of this and didn't even really care how he was gonna take care of business, I was really grossed out!

So, I'm walking along the shore for a while and decide that I'm gonna take a peek at what he is up to. When I turn around, I am appalled to see that he is perched on the ledge of the back of MY MACHINE! I start screaming..."get off of my machine!" I could see, even from a distance, he's cracking up. He says, "this is perfect!" So yes, I'm standing there watching the man I love and adore, pooping in the lake. Just the vision, makes me shudder! So, I turn around and keep walking, still with nightmarish visions of him putting his bare hiney on MY MACHINE, and a few minutes later I hear him calling my name and saying something about a snake. I turn around and he's motioning me over, so I start running through the water over to him. I get about 5-6 feet from the scene and he's standing there with a huge satisfied grin. I ask what he was saying about the snake and he turns, right arm extended outward and says..."look". I turn to look (like a dumb ass), and see something floating on top of the water. I was freaked out that a snake was swimming around in the same water that we had been playing around in for days, and then it hits me..that's no snake, that's his poop! OMG! How gross is that? Not only do I know that he was using my machine as a perch for his butt, but I get to see the end results too?

I really don't think that I want our relationship to be this close!

Ok that's it for now, but I have another up north funny for tomorrow. Stay tuned...

~~LAKE MILAKOKIA~~

Well I know that it has taken me forever, but I haven't had too much time to get on here lately. As I said before, vacation was wonderful and just what we all needed. We stayed with Brian's sister and bil at their cabin on Lake Milakokia. I was a little hesitant about going at first, because there were supposed to be a ton of people headed up there and I just didn't think it would be too relaxing with too many people stuffed into one cabin, but it actually worked out great!

We left on a Sunday morning and arrived about 3:30 that afternoon. The weather was beautiful and we immediately got the jet skis in the water and went out on the lake. The lake isn't huge, as you can see if you checked the link...but it's big enough that you can ride around all day and not get bored with your surroundings. I have some beautiful pics, which I may try and download at work. But my camera has been having serious issues and I don't know if it will work or not.

The cabin is all log and surrounded by a huge wrap-around porch. There are floor to ceiling windows that look right out onto the lake and it has a nice sized loft upstairs, that also gives you a great view of the lake. Brian, the kids and I, all slept up in the loft all week, which was perfect. Sitting up in bed in the morning to look out at the lake, was one of my favorite things about the whole trip. It's just so peaceful being out there on the water.

The days were filled with jet-skiing, tubing, lots of sun, great food and company. His mom and dad came up, along with his nephew and girlfriend. Most of our nights were spent playing euchre late into the night and on one night we actually made it to the Kewadin Casino. His nephew recently turned 21 and had never been before. So, that was kind of exciting. None of us left there with any type of profit, but we had a great time playing roulette for the first time ever. I had a ball.

There was one "incident" that I will not soon forget. One day in-between swimming and tubing and all of that, we were letting the drive around on the 4-wheeler. (This is a small kid sized 4-wheeler, at that). There really isn't much to it...you push the throttle to excel and hit the hand brake to stop...no big thing. Well, Tyler jumps on this thing and decides that he's not gonna slow up very much to go around the curve...in doing so, he just missed running right into a tree. I run over there, give him the dangerous "talk", and send him on his way, hopefully a little more careful this time. He makes it about twice around the loop and does the very same thing again (only with a different tree). At this point, I'm grateful that nothing happened to him, but quite perturbed at the same time. So I get him off the thing and say that I'm going for a ride. Keep in mind, the kids are only allowed to basically do circles on the driveway.

So, I take off down the dirt road, which leads to a little side street. I figure that will give me lots more room to turn around (and I wasn't about to just do a circle in the driveway). So, I'm making my way down the road, make a right turn onto the side street head down a little ways and decide that I'm gonna turn around. I cut it as hard as I can to the right and then start making my left turn. I look across the street and see there are probably waist high weeds and figure that I can turn a little ways into them, it won't hurt anything. YEAH, AND THAT'S WHAT I GET FOR THINKING!!!

While turning into the "weeds", I wasn't aware that under those weeds, was actually a 3-4 foot ditch. Before I can do anything about it, I was too far over and the 4-wheeler was falling right on top of me. My leg is hurt, I am 5' tall and up to about my boobs standing in a ditch IN A FRICKIN' BIKINI WITH NO SHOES ON!!! OMG!!!! My head was racing. My leg is pinned and there's absolutely nobody around. I heave the 4-wheeler off my leg and then am left with the dilemma of how to climb out of this thing. I look around for a log, a thick root...nothing. Duh, I need to stand on the 4-wheeler. I stand on the sideways 4-wheeler and climb right out. As I'm hobbling down the path to the cabin, I'm thinking..."man is he gonna be pissed off". Instead, I come hobbling up and he is freaking..."where's the 4-wheeler?" "Are you okay?" "What happened???" I tell him what happened, we check out my leg, him and his nephew grab the video camera and head down to what they call the 'scene of the crime'. They are laughing all the way. I show them where it is and it takes all 3 of us to pull it out. We catch it all on video and I get right back up on the horse and drive it back to the cabin without incident. LOL

My dear sons words when I first pull up..."I thought you told me to be careful mom, and look what you did!" Out of the mouths of babes! I think we all learned a little lesson that day. The last few days of the trip...I was way more careful of that little "kids" machine and Tyler banned himself from it completely, stating that he's a 'bad driver'. LOL

So, that's the gist of my little vaca. It's been just shy of 2 weeks and I still have a slight bruise on the inside of my left calf and a red burn on the opposite side. Daily reminders of my 4-wheeling stint. Will keep you posted as to just how long a bruise can actually last. (I'm thinking maybe another week or so.)

~~HOME SWEET HOME, BABY!~~

Just got home a few hours ago...took a hot shower and now don't feel like doing much of anything. Vacation was wonderful and I have the bruises to prove it!! Will fill you all in later, when I have a little more energy.

~~HEAVEN~~

That describes my past few days! Work has been busy, but at home, I have taken the time to chill. My sister and nephew have been over the past few days and Tyler and I have swam until our hands and toes are all wrinkled and we just can't swim anymore. It's definitely a great way to relax and I am truly loving it. I do have tons of things to do before leaving on Sunday, and probably won't have another day this week to just hang out at the pool, but these past 3 days have sure made me feel much better! (Tyler has been a very happy camper to boot!) Wish I could share some pics/videos of the dog trying his hand at swimming, can't though...it's all on my phone.

Hope that you all have been getting some down time too!!!

xoxox

~~DUNNO WHY I WANNA CRY!~~

It’s been a fairly busy and productive day here at work. It hasn’t been too bad, crabby people wise (though there have been a few of those too). Lunch was great…Jet's Greek Salad. (Peanutt and I are so addicted). So, why am I sitting here feeling kinda sappy and blue all the sudden??? I got pretty good sleep last night, my man and I are doing just fine, I’m down one kid all week (the other is at camp), my pool is finally up and running, and I have the urge to sit here and bawl! Isn’t that always nice? I so love being a woman!!!!

Things have been really hectic for weeks now; I think I’m getting quite burned out from it all. Maybe that is what’s making me feel kinda blue. I miss my weekends where I could just hang out for one of the 2 days and watch movies or nap and just watch Lifetime girlie movies all day. I miss just having some down time before going to bed every night. Now, things are so busy that I fall into bed, only after doing a million things that just ‘have’ to be done!

Tonight (and all week), Brian is working late and I am changing my pace. I promised Ty that we would go swimming as soon as I get home from work. It’s smoking hot out and he is so excited, he is literally counting the minutes. I’m talking to him as I type this and he just sounds miserable. Says that 2 hours is way too long to wait for me to get home! LOL I do have laundry and packing to do, we’re leaving this weekend for a week, but you know what???? Do ya??? All of that crap will eventually get done and I’m just finished worrying about it!

So hopefully after relaxing tonight, I will be in great spirits tomorrow! Cross your fingers for me!~

xoxo

~~VACATION RECAP~~

As is the trend for the summer I guess, the craziness has pretty much been relentless. I did take Tuesday through Friday off last week and had lots of fun! But at the same time, it's really catching up with me too. Going back to work Monday, I kind of felt like I needed more time off, just to chill a little bit.

On Tuesday the 4th, the kids and I went with my sister and a few other friends to the wave pool. It wasn't the prettiest day, but very very hot. We then met Brian and his family for a pool party.
Corey ended up getting really burnt. Ugh, talk about feeling like the worstest mommy in the world!

Wednesday, we took all the kids, (meaning mine and his twins) to the zoo. It was a perfect day for it, about 74 and sunny. I don't know how we did it, but we ended up missing a few of my favorite exhibits, (the polar bears, and the aquarium), and by the time we realized it, we were almost to the exit and we were just too tired to turn back.

Thursday, we all packed up and went to the lake. We laid in the sun and did some waverunning and took the kids tubing for the first time. They had a blast and absolutely loved the tube.

On Friday, Brian took his kids home and mine went with their dad for the night. I can't even remember what we did that day, but we did go to the Taylor Fireworks that night. Afterwards, he had to take his mom and niece to their condo 8 tenths of a mile from my house....took him almost an hour! Traffic was terrible and lots of streets were closed. While I love the festival and fireworks, the traffic is chaos. When he got back, we attempted to make our way to Meijer for some electrical tape...let's just say, even after midnight, it just wasn't happening! They still had way too many roads blocked off and there was just no way of getting there, ugh!

Saturday, we headed to the lake with 2 of his sisters. We went waverunning again, had a picnic lunch and also all tried our hands at tubing. His sister got thrown off backwards, almost immediately. She wasn't hurt at all, and it was hilarious. She's very tall, and to see her long lanky legs fly straight up in the air was definitely a sight to see! When I took Brian out, he actually got the choppiest water of the day...it was like a wavepool and it beat him up good. His sister Cindy rode without incident. Now, I've saved the best for last...my ride. At first he was really gentle with me...then I guess he decided that I could take a little more! Yikes! He started going pretty fast at one point and then took a turn a little too tightly...at first, my body flew off of the tube and then as it came back down, the tube starting flipping...I didn't see this coming at all, and it took a minute to orient myself...all I kept thinking was, 'just hang on'. The tube did flip completely over, all of the sudden I was taking water in my lungs, I felt my bathing suit bottoms slipping down into the water, and I was still holding on to those damn straps. It finally dawned on me that if I let go, I would be able to get a hold of my bathing suit and would pop back up out of the water and be able to breathe again. After gasping for air and yanking up my bathing suit, the first thought in my head was, "ouch!" My right thigh and the bottoms of my legs felt like I had run into a brick wall! After getting back on the tube, he drove me into shore and I didn't dare ask for another ride. I think I might be done tubing for a while. Waking up with new bruises every day for a week, really doesn't do much for me! LOL

Sunday I must admit, was somewhat relaxing. Brian and I went out to lunch (all alone), and to see the movie RV (all alone too). We came home and watched another movie and just cuddled and spent the day chilling out. It was one of the best days I can remember in a long time.

So yes, vacation (except for one day), wasn't all that relaxing and I'm tired as hell but I admit, I did have some fun!

I'm packing Corey for a week up north with the scouts, he's leaving on Saturday. The day he comes back, we are leaving to go to a cabin in the Upper Peninsula for a week. There are supposed to be many people going (plus our 4 kids), I don't know how relaxing this will be, but I'm gonna try and make the best of it and make it a point to have at least a few, "do nothing" kinda days.

Might try and post a little next week, not sure. Until then, have a great weekend and hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

xoxo


Edit: Okay, for anyone who saw that there was typing below my closing line before...please forget you saw that...I'm having lots of blonde moments lately! LOL

~~THE WEEK THAT I THOUGHT WOULD NEVER END...~~

As the title suggests, this has been an endless week. I think I've had about 2 hours to relax in the past 6-7 days. Today is Sunday, and as it stands right now, my house is still a wreck...my kitchen table is in the middle of the livingroom, my stove is also in the livingroom, my microwave cart is sitting in the middle of my hallway and everything is just a mess. I've picked up as much as I possibly can, but it's still driving me crazy! It will be pure bliss to have everything back to normal around here!! As I type this, he is finishing up the last of the grouting, which after allowing it to dry for a few hours, will allow me to put things back where they belong. Yay! I so can't wait!

On Tuesday our clinic closed at noon, due to some possibly harmful fumes coming from the roofers working there. We started smelling some pretty powerful stuff on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday, it was making most people light-headed at the very least and some people were having some problems with their asthma. They told us that we had to call all of our patient's for that day and just head home! Bonus! Peanutt and I headed to lunch and then I headed to home to try and catch a few winks...couldn't, wouldn't, didn't happen! Instead, I ended up doing a bunch of stuff around the house and worked on the pool.

Wednesday was my birthday and I worked and then went out to dinner with Brian and the boys. We also did some running to get everything we needed for the floor the following day. His parents came over for some cake and then we called it a day.

On Thursday and Friday, Dennis came over to work on the flooring and my sister, Brian and I worked on the pool. We got the pool to change colors from deep sludgy brown, to a light greenish. Woo hoo. LOL We have shocked and vacuumed the crap out of it with days of this left to go. I'm hoping to have it finally ready in the next 4 days or so.

I did have a little time yesterday to take the kids to the pool at Brian's mom and dads house. We then ate dinner and came home, I was done. Today, I haven't had much energy or motivation, but I did still manage to wash all the walls in the kitchen and to help Dennis with the final buffing of half of the floor in there, along with a little laundry and running once again to Home Depot. Yikes. I'm tired and still need to get out and attend to the pool.

After working tomorrow, I will then be off for the rest of the week. We don't have big plans really, just going to the wave pool one day and maybe to the lake a few times. Corey's birthday is also coming soon, with Brian's the day after and then Tyler's 2 weeks after that. Oh yeah, and Corey's going to camp in a week and a half and then we are on vacation in the Upper Peninsula the week after that!

My oh my, these days are flying by....while it's a little hectic and stressful, I know that it will all be worth it in the end!

Don't know when I will be able to update again. I hope that all of you have had a wonderful weekend, and if I don't get the chance to check back in here...a beautiful 4th, as well.





xoxox

Very icky! That describes how my sinuses are making me feel today. All day I have had horrible sinus pain and pressure, and even with meds, it just isn't helping. It usually rains when I feel this way, and it has. It usually goes away with Advil Cold & Sinus, and it hasn't. This isn't nice!

On to bigger and better topics...

The weekend was very busy, but it was very nice too! I had no time to relax and the days were virtually a blur, but I still had a good time all and all.

On Saturday, we did end up going to the lake. It was an adventure, for sure. It was my sister and niece's first time on the wave runners. Can we say hilarious???

I decided that I was taking my sister out first. My machine is a 1997, and a little topsy turvy to say the least. My sister is about double my weight. It was far from easy staying righted and my upper arms are still a little sore from compensating for the extra weight and trying to keep this thing right side up. I managed to get us around the lake without falling over, we pull up to shore to jump off, what does she do??? Instead of backing off of it, no...she decides that she will just jump off from the side. Well, she kind of takes the machine with her as she goes, and we both go falling into the water, the waverunner almost flipping completely over on top of us. I have never seen it do that!!! We were flailing and laughing, she was spewing water that she swallowed on the way down. I could have beat her! My niece, she was whining and moaning the entire day. She's very ungrateful! (Though she talked to my other sister yesterday, and told her that she had a blast!) She never once thanked us for taking her, she never acted like she was even enjoying herself. It was whining and complaining the whole day. 'It's hot, I'm baking'...etc. etc. Regardless of what a whiner she was, I still managed to have a good day!

Oh, I didn't tell you about the best part of the day! My sister decided that she was brave enough to drive, but of course, wanted me on back. OMG!!! This had to have been how my face looked for that ride! It sure isn't easy to give up control of a machine that big, to someone that doesn't know how to drive it...AT ALL! Brian suggested that we take his, it's bigger and easier to control. We climb on, she's asking a hundred questions, I'm explaining how to excel and how to stop, what to watch out for, who has the right of way, etc. She goes to take off and is doing about 13 miles per hour. At that speed, the waverunner likes to rock back and forth. I'm telling her to give it some gas, so that it won't shake so much, she floors it and scares the crap out of herself, so then she stops. This is how we rode around the entire lake. Sudden bursts of speed, and then her getting scared and stopping. Finally, when we get close to shore, she speeds up to almost 40mph and then we coast in. She claimed today, that she was scaring the shit out of herself while driving too. Nice! Put your sister's life in danger and don't even have the balls to tell me that she was afraid she was gonna kill us until 2 days after the fact! LOL

The weekend was non-stop from there, one thing after the other. I won't bore you with the details of all of that. What I will tell you about, is that I got my oldest son's report card Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had straight A's for the second card marking in a row. I'm very proud of him for that. Even though he has been such a booger to me recently, he is still doing excellent in school and I'm so so grateful for that!

My puppy has still been having issues with more seizures and I don't think that the meds are going to ever control them. I just have a feeling that he is going to decline pretty quickly. I see him walking kind of funny, like his back legs just don't want to work all of the time and I just know in my heart that whatever is causing these seizures, isn't a good thing. I'm also very scared to add any more meds than what he is already taking, I've heard such horror stories about mixing meds and things like that. I guess I really need to do some research and see what I can find out on my own, before I just give up on that possibility. We shall see. All I know, is that it will truly break my children's little hearts, if something bad happens to their puppy! That will kill me as much as it does them! Ugh...

Well, that's about it. Hope everyone has had, or is having a great Monday! (Well, as great as a Monday can be!)

Good morning everyone! Hope that your Friday has gotten off to a good start. Mine has been nice so far, (it's only 8:45). LOL I'm very glad that this week is coming to an end, it has seemed like an exceptionally long one. The weekend is totally booked already as well, but at least I can get up at a reasonable hour and I won't have to come into work. That's always a bonus.

As everyone has already noticed, I did change my layout. I've already gotten comments that it isn't showing up very well for some of you, and I'm sorry, but I really like it and spent lots of time on it yesterday. I'm giving it some time before getting rid of it!

We are planning on getting up around 8 tomorrow and heading out to the lake with my sister and niece. This should be fun, since neither my sister or niece have ever been on a waverunner before! At 6 tomorrow, we have plans to meet his family for a birthday dinner for his dad. (His dad and mine were born 4 days apart, same year and everything.) I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with something that we can get for him....not an easy task, when the man seems to have everything that he could possibly ever want or need! We are doing all that and then have a boat-trip meeting on Sunday evening. We go on this trip with 5 other couples and just found out that one of the couples dropped out. Should be fun, trying to come up with more people on such short notice.

The kids are alive and well, but the oldest is certainly giving me some grief. We had a knock down drag out last week that almost sent me over the edge. He lied to my face, and then had the nerve to tell me that I need to give him more respect! Oh, was I furious! What also really got me, was that he was lying to me, for his dad! Nothing like putting the knife in and turning it. His dad has changed jobs, he no longer works for $6 an hour anymore, and he doesn't want me to know it. I was trying to get in touch with him, so that instead of him coming and getting the boys at 4 last Friday, I would take them to the lake with us and then bring them to his house after. I couldn't get in touch with him and Corey wouldn't give me his work number. He said that he 'forgot' it. I could tell by looking at him, that he was flat out lying to me. Not to mention, that I just know better....Corey knows his dad's work number by heart! It was just a big fiasco. Now, he has been trying to make amends and things are pretty much back on track, but I still can't help but feel hurt knowing where his loyalty lies. It's pretty sad actually, considering all that I went through during the divorce, trying to protect and shield both the kids from all the heartache and grief that their dad was putting them through. But I do realize that my children will eventually see who had their best interest at heart. I'll just try and be patient and wait for that time to come.

Finally got the last of the parts for my pool last night. This has been no fun, at all. We started off at the pool store that is just 4 minutes or so from my house...they are useless. I'm considering calling there and lodging a complaint with a district manager or something. I've been to that store at least 4 times these past few weeks and have come out empty handed each and every time! They carry the pool filter that I have, but never have the parts in stock, and don't want to order them for us either. They tell us that it will take from 2-3 weeks to get them, and that we should probably check other stores before having them put the order in. We go right down the road, (about a 10 minute drive), where they don't even really sell my brand of filter, and they have the part sitting right there on the shelf and they are always very helpful with anything we ask about! Needless to say, I won't be going back to that other place, I refuse to give them any of my money or my business. So, I'm hoping that next week I will have my pool in order and we will be able to get a few weeks out of it, before the summer ends! LOL

Well, I hope ya'll have a great day and weekend!

~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!~~

Today would have been my dad's 72nd birthday! I certainly wish that I had the chance to talk to him, but that isn't in the cards for me. It's been a year and 2 months since he passed away and days like today, are certainly still a little tough.

Father's day wasn't very easy either. While I tried to keep myself busy all day, idle time still came eventually, and I was left feeling pretty upset. I know my sister is having a rough time as well, and I can relate to exactly what she's going through. Time does heal some, but it can't possibly make the emptiness go away completely. It's still a challenge sometimes!

Yesterday I went into my backyard and cut some roses to take to the cemetary. When I got there, I saw that my dad still didn't have any grass on his site and my mom's stone that I got for her, was broken right in half. I then went to pour some water into a vase that is in-between their two head stones and all the water poured right back out. I was none too happy, but it was nice to visit them.

I tried to post a letter to him and Blogger ate my post! Do I have great luck, or what? I also tried to get a pic of him in there and that didn't work either! I give up.

So anyhow, this goes out to my dad...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY...LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU BUNCHES!!

Tinker

~~IT'S BEEN FOREVER!~~

I know that it has seemed like I have forgotten about my blogging responsibilities, and I'm so sorry! I just haven't had the time or the incentive to write lately. There hasn't been too much going on to report, other than the same ol' stuff, only on different days! Such is my life.

Tyler has been back to school for a few weeks now, without incident. That's a good thing. We did meet with the dean and the principal before his return and we were warned that if anything like this should happen again, there is no more chances, he will be expelled. They aren't just talking about this year or next either, this is throughout his graduation! So yes, I have some stress and trepidation over all of that. Tyler isn't really the type of kid who weighs the pros and cons of things before he does them. Unfortunately, it just isn't a part of his genetic make-up! I'm sure that I will be on pins and needles for the next 7 years or so...until he walks down that aisle, donning a cap and gown!!!!

I'm on the hunt for a pool filter right now. Not having much luck so far, but I'm bound and determined that I will have the pool up and running soon. It's even kinda late to open it up, but I don't really care. As long as it's going in the next few weeks, I'll be pretty happy! (Not to mention how happy the kids will be.)

See there, two paragraphs in and I'm already racking my brain, trying to come up with something to type. That's pretty bad. Is my life that boring??? I think it apparently must be!

Work has been bearable, the kids have been into a little minor mischief (not doing their chores, stuff like that), my sister just kicked out her loser boyfriend. That's really about it!

I guess I will report back when I got more goods!!! Have a great day all!

~~LET THE DRAMA BEGIN...~~

Well, I knew that it wouldn't be long before craziness would ensue in my life. My stomach is churning and in knots right now, I will probably have a killer headache before the day is through and it's a good thing the ex is picking my son up from school because I might have had to beat the shit out of him!

I got a call from Tyler's principal about an hour ago stating that he had Tyler in the office because he had apparently sent a pencil whizzing by one of the teacher's heads. Of course this was witnessed by several people and Tyler admitted to doing it, because....(you ready for this one?)...."I don't like her! She always gets me in trouble!"

I haven't talked to Tyler yet, but my first question will certainly be, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING????" Of course, they are talking about taking this to the dean and the principal says that it is completely out of his hands. I believe that there may be a hearing with the school superintendant and the dean. Still waiting to find out for sure.

Talk about frustration...

Edit: I have since found out, that we will not have to go through a hearing, but instead he will be suspended for 10 days and will have to meet with the dean before re-entry to school!

Things around here have been pretty busy. Even though summer is over a month away, it seems like it is already in full swing. Work and home have kept my engines running full steam ahead and has left very little time to relax at all.

I have a long list of things to accomplish, in and around the house. Getting the pool up and running, laying a new kitchen floor, working on various parts of my bathroom, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. To add to the mayhem, we have several trips planned within the next six months.

The kids are doing well...both got great report cards. The oldest, straight A's. Tyler doesn't get grades yet, but he either stayed the same or improved in everything. I'm a happy camper in that respect. Corey's hormones seem to be relenting just a bit and I'm seeing maybe a smidge more of the kid that I know and love. (That's not to say that he and his brother get along, AT ALL!) but you get my drift! LOL

Brian and I are doing very well! We've had our share of ups and downs over the past few months but I think that we are actually growing and our relationship is stronger, as a result. He just bought a new motorcycle, so we have been going out riding whenever we get the chance, that's been lots of fun. (Though, I was very opposed to him getting a bike at first!)

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you....I went and saw Tim McGraw and Faith Hill over the weekend. They put on a spectacular show and I had a ton of fun! Going to see Rascall Flatts in a few weeks...can't wait for that one either!!

Well, I hope everyone is well and I will try to make my rounds and check in on everyone as soon as this posts!!! =)

~~I GOT NOTHING~~

There hasn't been much of anything to really talk about, these past few weeks. Everything is pretty much status quo, thankfully.

The weather has been very nice and I've been enjoying it immensely. We have taken up tennis and try and get out there at least 4 days a week. I love it, love it, love it. I'm not very sports inclined, and to actually find a sport that I'm pretty good at, makes me very happy! LOL We dropped the boys at scouts last night and spent the full 1 1/2 hours on the courts. Since we had no kids with us we did really great and were dripping with sweat by the time we finished. (Was almost as exhilarating as a great sex session!) LOL
Wink wink...not quite!

The boys have pretty much been staying out of trouble. Though, now that I go and publish this, they are bound to get into some big bad stuff! Always happens like that. It's hard to believe that my little boys are gonna be 13 and 11, in a few short months. Also hard to believe that the school year is almost over and they will soon be on vacation. Ugh!

Easter was very nice, spent it with Brian's family and then mine. The time I spent at my sister's was great quality time...we played a few games and then all napped. LOL Was a nice break from the constant running though.

We've taken the 4-wheelers out a few times now, and that has been lots of fun. Brian and I went by ourselves last week and I ended up getting covered in mud from my feet to my knees and also covering the 4-wheeler. I pulled into the marshiest area around...I have that knack. See there, not athletically inclined, but it did make us break out into a fit of laughter.

So, that's really about it. My life in a nutshell. Not too much happening! I hope that everyone is well.

~~Happy Easter!~~

Hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday!!!

~~GREAT WEEKEND~~

Other than the passing of Peanutt's grandma, this has been a pretty nice weekend. It feels like I have all my ducks in a row right now, and that really leaves me feeling at peace. It's not about every little thing being perfect either. My house isn't perfectly clean, my kids aren't the biggest angels, etc. It's just a relaxed, calm feeling from within.

Don't know where it came from, or how long it will stay, but I'm sure making it a point to just sit back and let it just be. Not going to spend the rest of my Sunday afternoon making the beds, or griping at the kids that there are things they need to do, I'm not going to sweep the kitchen floor, or dust. I'm just going to do what mommy wants. Yep, that's definitely my plan.

Anyone wanna join me????

~~Referee~~

As you may be able to see from my lack of posting, nothing much going on around here. These days, my primary roles have been...employee, referee, and maid. That's about it and mama's not too happy about it...

Dats all folks!

~~HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!~~

I know that many of you are probably already sipping on some green beer, as I type this. Hope that there is no upchucking in color this evening! LOL As for myself, I don't have a whole lot planned for the evening...we are headed to Canada to have some all-you-can-eat Perch with a bunch of friends and family and then I think just heading home. I'm really not in the mood to get wasted or anything and don't feel like stepping foot in the bar, on a night like tonight. So instead, I will just eat til I gain a few more pounds and then go and sit my arse on the couch and veg. Yes, that sounds mahvelous!

~~HELL WEEK~~

As you know, (from reading my last post), the week didn't start off too well for me. That trend has continued, it's really been a stressful, exhausting week.

I have been running really late for work, every single day. Today was no exception. I fell asleep on the couch last night and Brian woke me up to head to bed. In my haste to get into bed, I hurriedly brushed my teeth and fell right into the bed, forgetting to set the alarm. I normally get up at 6 a.m., and this morning it was 6:22. I decided that I'd let my son take a shower before me, so that I wouldn't get him running behind too. I guess I should have told him that mom was running late and he should hurry, but was so out of it, I neglected to do that. I wound up taking a quick shower and making it in to work only 5 minutes later than usual, which wasn't so bad considering everything. However, the morning at work, was pretty bad. Lots of people calling with major issues and problems, the nurse had the day off and the one doc we had working, was completely stressed out from all the problems and demands that were being placed on her shoulders. We've tackled all the problems that have come up, thus far and things are running much smoother now. (It's also nice that big mouth has left early...woo hoo!) So hopefully, the rest of the day will be pretty uneventful and we can just chill out! I think we are deserving!

~~CASINO OR NO CASINO?~~

My aunt and sister are headed to the casino tomorrow night! Still wondering if I should go, or not. I'm kind of getting the itch...what to do????

Okay, that's about all I have for now! Have a great night and weekend!

~~WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?~~

So, when you start your morning off with one kid missing the bus and the other plugging up your toilet and making you late for work. What do you think your chances are of having a great day?

~~UNDER MY SKIN~~

Yes, I am about to rant a little bit. The loud mouth at work is stressing me out beyond belief. I have talked about this before, and things have only progressively gotten worse since. Not only is she loud to the point that you simply cannot think ANY thoughts while she is talking, but she also has this way of acting "busy" whenever she sees a patient of hers coming her way. It's making all of us nuts. I am stressed to the point where I need a good masseuse to sit behind me at all times so that I may get through the day without the need for a Motrin 600! My neck and shoulders are so tense while at work, that I feel like my head is just going to explode, (either that or my temper), neither of which will be pretty!

I am honestly getting to the point where I might turn into this! Actually, the look on his face describes the way that I feel in her presence every single day. Something has to give before I start taking screwdrivers and jamming them into my eardrums, just so that I don't have to listen to her big mouth anymore!

(By the way, we are also logging how many of her patient's that we check in on a daily basis. Yeah, today she had a total of 28 patient's and we checked in/or out a total of 23 of those!) If that's not totally taking advantage of a situation, then I truly don't know what is.

What would all of you do, if you found yourselves in the shoes of Peanutt and I?

MONSTERS, CARS, AND MALLS OH MY!

This has been an eventful weekend, to say the least. For starters, we went to the Autorama yesterday and saw a bunch of these...........















We walked around there for a few hours and then headed to the Monster Jam at Ford Field. Where we saw lots of these...........
















Last but certainly not least, was my favorite of the night....














Today, we had to head to a birthday/anniversary party and then to the mall to get these.....













So maybe they aren't exactly like these shown, but it was as close as I could find to them. I have actually been searching for shoes for weeks and ended up just settling on these because I'm way too frustrated to shoe shop anymore. They are just for work and will mostly be hidden under long scrubs, so why do I care anyhow??? All a part of being female, I suppose! LOL

To sum it up, this has truly been a very busy weekend full of adventure...I'm glad that we did everything that we did (even though I did whine about it a little), and I'll also be very glad to chill after I get done with this last load of laundry for the day!

Hope everyone also had a wonderful weekend!!!

Please visit Poop and Boogies. They are in need of information and would appreciate all the help that they can get!

~~THE GAMES WE PLAY~~

While it's hard to understand why there are little games that have to be played in a relationship....I'm certainly learning how to play them. Men are vastly different from us (the emotional beings that we are), and I think part of it, is just understanding that they are NOT going to respond to things the same way that we will.

So, I have come to the conclusion that I don't want to be a sappy, emotional being anymore. I don't want to have a heart that breaks and bleeds because some harsh words are said, or I'm not thought of in the way that I think I should be. I have found the perfect solution, I'm gonna become a man! LOL

~~BLAH~~

The day started out good, I slept until I felt like waking up, right around 9:15. It was amazing that there were no phone calls, the dog was being good, etc. After having such a rough time sleeping last weekend, this was just what I needed.

My morning has been pretty productive, getting up and doing a few loads of laundry, cleaning and showering long before noon. This is all a miracle in itself, as usually I'm am not the most motivated person in the mornings.

So, after sleeping in today (which I rarely get to do), and then getting quite a bit accomplished this morning....why am I so blah right now???? Normally all of the above would have me in a great mood....not right now. Nope, not so much.

~~WHERE OH WHERE ARE MY MOLARS?~~

Question of the day from Tyler.....

"Mom?"

"Yes, Tyler."

"If I'm almost 11, why haven't my 10 year molars grown in yet?"

"Well buddy, everyone grows at different rates. Not everyone is the same."

"Hmmm...I still don't understand."

LOL

~~MEET MY MOM~~

This weekend I spent some time with my sister and Aunt, and we started going through some old pictures. I have been busy since, trying to scan all of them and make some copies for my brothers, sisters, and I to share. We found some really old black and whites of my mom during a time, when obviously she didn't mind having her picture taken. We don't really know the story behind these, but we think she may have been looking into modeling. Something that takes all of us by surprise.

So here she is, my mom....





















































These pics just literally amaze me, as my mom was never one the least bit interested in getting her picture taken. She was always the first to hide her face or run out of the shot. I guess there's a part of her that I just never knew. Well, enjoy!

Happy Monday all!

~~THE SLEEP GODS JUST DON'T LIKE ME~~

Yesterday at work, all I could think about was how much I couldn't wait to get home and just chill. I didn't feel like making any plans, I didn't even feel like going out of the house, I just wanted to relax. About 2 o'clock Brian calls to see what we were gonna be doing later...I said I didn't know, 'we'll talk about it later'. The last few hours of work I'm preparing for him to say that he wants to go to the casino or out to dinner, something like that. I call Brian when I leave the office, he's getting his hair cut, says he will be home in a while. Wow, he's not home, this is my opportunity, I rush home and throw on my terry capri pajama pants and a big ol' tee shirt, grab my biggest blanket, my pillow, and a book and to the couch I run. He calls to say that he is on his way home and asks what I'm doing...I tell him that I'm pooped and in my pj's already. He broke out into fits of laughter. He says he's by the video store and will run in and get some movies, we can order a pizza and just hang out at home tonight. 'That sounds GREAT!' I'm amazed that my plans for the evening haven't somehow been disturbed. Now I can just relax.

We watched a few movies, one was Flightplan with Jodie Foster. The beginning was a little bit slow, but I didn't want to stop watching. About half way through there is this twist, that you just never expect and then I COULDN'T stop watching. We got our pizza and then put in the next one. This was one with Cameron Diaz called, In Her Shoes. I made it through about 3/4 of it and was out like a light. Brian woke me around 11 and said, 'let's go to bed'. Great! I really am gonna get some good sleep tonight! That didn't happen...

Around 11:30, just as I was falling into a deep sleep again...his phone rings. It's work, they want him to come in to run a Vector machine. This is a machine that he hasn't run in about 10 years, and it's used for sewer back-ups. Brian tells them, 'no thanks' and that's that. I fall back asleep after a few minutes and was having a great night of rest when Brian's phone starts going off again. I look at the clock, yeah it's 5:40 a.m. It was work calling again, this time for a main break. Now that's his cup of tea. He's out of bed in about 2 minutes flat and is kissing me goodbye and out the door by 5:57. I figure, I can probably fall back asleep until at least 8 a.m. when 2 minutes later, Max is outside the bedroom door barking his freakin' head off. I get up and brush my teeth, let the dog out and figure this will do the trick. I'll go back to bed for a while. (I guess I'm a glutton for punishment).

I let the dog in, crawl back in bed, pull the covers up and realize, I'M WIDE AWAKE! I turn the tv on and watch for a little bit, there were so many choices at 6 am on a Saturday morning. I settle on a program, (World's Worst Drivers--3), and start getting drowsy again. I shut the tv off and actually fall back to sleep. I start having this crazy dream....my son (who's 12) is little again, maybe about 5. We are near my aunt's house about an hour and a half away. We are at some place where there are millions of lizards running around and you can get right in there and walk around with 'em. We leave this place to head home and when I get home my brother and my mom (who passed away years ago), are at home waiting for me. When I get in the door, we are all talking and my mom and brother are telling me that I shouldn't be so choosy, I should have accepted Brian's ring. (Brief history of me and my mom needed here...she used to refer to me as her blister on her side, because I was always either right next to her, or laying on her lap.) In the dream, I had just laid down on her lap and was talking to her when, my cell phone (in real life) started blaring. WTF?

So yes, that is when I decided that it's not in the cards for me to sleep anymore. I've done a bit of laundry, ran the dishwasher, headed out in the frigid temps for a cappuccino and am now gonna finish watching, the probably crappy movie that I couldn't hold my eyes open for last night.

Maybe tonight will be the night that I get some real sleep...or maybe I'm just destined to be tired forever. Who knows?! All I know right now, is that even when the conditions seem to be perfect for rest and relaxation, the sleep gods don't seem to like me very much!

Have a great day everyone!!!

~~MOVING ON UP!~~

I finally broke down and made the switch from dial-up! I love my modem! LOL Thank goodness that dial-up is gone forever. It was extremely frustrating trying to blog, download pictures or just read e-mail from home. In order to post a pic on this, I would have to start it and literally just walk away and do something else. There was no way that I could go on to something else online, that would just hold up the process even more. Grrrr! Not to mention, when someone would try calling the home phone and it would slow it down even more or just boot me off. How did I live with dial-up for all this time???Another great thing about all of this, is that I have bundled the internet, phone and cable into one nice neat little bill for the month. I have 12 windows up right now and am still moving with the speed of a cheetah...it just doesn't get any better than this!

~~MY DOG IS ON DRUGS~~



Yep, I made the decision to put my dog on seizure meds. He started having them around Thanksgiving and they only seem to be progressing in severity each time. It was really something that I wanted to avoid, but after seeing this last one from start to finish, there was no other option. What scared me most about the meds were 1) the vet said that once we start, he takes them forever and 2) some people were scaring the crap out of me about it.

I've been talking to other dog owners and some say that it's probably the best thing to do, while others, claim that their dog was "never the same again", or that they felt "she would still be with us today, if we hadn't done it!" That's scary shit! I'll tell you what though, looking into his eyes while he was posturing and shaking and half paralyzed, was something that I really don't wanna have to go through again! He's taking the meds and I will just pray that he does fine!

~~VALENTINE'S DAY~~

I'm really not one to get too into the celebration of Valentine's Day, anymore. It really is just another day to me. Yes, I feel that you should tell those that you love, just how much you love them. But honestly, I do that every single day. I think that is one of the most important lessons that I have learned from the loss of my parents. You just never know what is meant to happen and shouldn't take your loved ones for granted. Evah! So, here are some random pics of a few of my fav people.....



This first has to be one of my favorite pics of the boys. It was taken last spring, with me telling them to pretend that they like each other. They really pulled it off, it almost resembles two children who might not fight like cats and dogs 24/7! LOL









Posting this one of Brian might piss him off a bit but I really like it and this is my space, so bummer. It's just one of him first thing on Christmas morning. His hair is messy and he's in his pj's, hence the reason for him possibly getting pissed off at me. Sowwy hun!









This last one, is Peanutt @ http://thepeanuttgallery.blogspot.com

She has been there through thick and thin for almost 27 years now and it goes without saying just how much I love her.

So there you have it, those are my most loved and cherished peeps!

Have a great day everyone...and don't forget to say, "I love you", even though today is just another day!

Love you all!!!!!!

Fits me like a glove...

~~FITS ME LIKE A GLOVE...~~


Now with that title, many of you might think that I might be showing some pics of me scantily clad in a tight pair of jeans, or maybe some hot nightie. But sorry folks, that isn't something that I would share here, and isn't at all what I'm referring to.

What I'm talking about, is the man that I love. Sure, we've all thought that we've met Mr. Right, probably a time or two. (Some more, some less.) But I honestly think that I have nailed it this time around. We don't get along perfectly, in fact, we fight like cats and dogs sometimes. Arguments may turn into harsh words, days of not speaking to each other, wondering if this could even be the end, but then one of us relents and we make up because we just can't stand it anymore!

He certainly has his faults (as all of us do), but those are easily overlooked, due to the numerous ways that he makes me feel more loved than I ever have felt before. While going through my divorce, I honestly didn't think that I would even want something serious with anyone, EVER! He instantly changed that feeling for me. While being at my lowest point, he brought me to highs that I never thought were even possible. Two years later, I still can't get enough of this man. I think he is funny, wildly sexy and that he just fits me like a glove. Looking into the future, I can't see a day without him and I hope that's exactly how it stays.

So, there you have it. The thing that fits me like a glove, is Brian. Sweetie, you are my sunshine and the love of my life! Don't you ever go doubting that even for a minute! I love you hun!

King Max laying on my leather couch, like he owns the place! LOL

 

Just me....