Catch Up

It’s been more than a month of Sundays since I last posted anything. I can honestly say, “I’ve been busy”. I have gotten married, bought a house, been promoted, Jeremy has changed jobs, school has started, usual house chores, yard work, birthday parties, wedding reception, baptisms, new church, and now two of our boys are playing football….so there is nothing that leads me to think life will slow down anytime soon, but I love my life, so I take the fast with the slow, and soak in as much as I can. My life has changed so much within the past year, its hard to know where to start with this posting. So much has happened and continues to happen, more good than bad, thanks to the endless blessings from our great God! I am in the process of starting a new position here at work. I am excited yet a little nervous too. This is a new position, so I can’t just follow what someone else did. I have to find out the best way to do this job and make a plan for myself. I am ready for the challenge though. The home life is great. We are settled into the new house for the most part. We still have some painting we want to do, along with building a closet in our bedroom. It will come in time, I am sure. Toby (our beloved dog) is also doing great. He turns 2 this month. It really doesnt seem like its been that long since I got him. If you dont know the story behind Toby, let me give you the short end of it. Toby (aka Tober) was a birthday present to me from Jeremy two years ago. We were trying hard to find a good name for him. So, since he was for my birthday, which is actually in “OctTOBER”, I named him Toby. I tell Jeremy he is like our child together, since we never plan on having one together. School has started back, and so far so good. Cheston’s teacher, Miss Haynes, is a former cheerleading. She has her master’s and seems to have a lot of energy, which she will need for 5th graders. I like her a lot. She responds to email well, and Cheston likes her. He is in a portable this year, which I dont like, but what can you do? Jeremy, Dillon and Cheston were batpized about a month or so ago. That was an amazing blessing to our lives.

I hope all are doing well.

Lots of hugs!

Hitting Play…

The past week has been filled with nothing but back breaking sweat and more excerise than I ever wished for. Jeremy and I finally got moved into our new house. For the past couple of months I felt so much like my life was just sitting on pause. While everyone else around me was going about their own merry lives, mine was sitting in waiting. Waiting to find our new home, waiting to sell the old, just waiting. There was a string of unepected events that came about, and through it all, we wound up in our dream home, a lot earlier than originally thought, and for that, I am truly so thankful, and blessed. To some, a house may not be much, but to me, it is everything. It is not a “house”. It is our HOME. A place where we share laughs, tears, birthday parties, cookouts, holidays. Its where all of the best memories of our lives will be spent. Where comfort is. Where security is. The one place you can go to, to be you, to spend your time how you want it, to do the things you enjoy, with those you love. I am so happy, and so very blessed to be passed this hump in our lives. I finally feel like we have clicked “play” in our lives once again, and we can get back on track to making wonderful memories again. The move has been anything but easy, but it has been more than worth it. There were times I really didnt think my body would allow me to do anymore, but some where you just find the strength to keep going, long after you think you couldnt. I am so proud of our home, to some it may not be much, but to me, its my world.

Morons need warning too…..

Sunday, I made the mistake of running outside without my shoes on, and was bitten by two fire ants. The bites cause my foot to swell…well, just about as far as it would go. My sweet fiance was kind enough to bring home some Benedryl for me to take, in hopes of the getting the swelling to go down. No matter how times I take a medicine or whatever, I always find myself reading all over the labels, looking at warning and directions, if you takin’ this med, and what not…..

My eyes rolled across one warning….that caused me to chuckle..but at the same time, think and be disgusted. The warning read ” Do not give to your kid to make them sleep”. Hhmm…yes, that is what is says. The company actually had to print that on the box. So…back in reality….apparently there are more morons than I realize that do this…enough so, that the company has placed this warning on their box. Now…honesty do you really think the parent that does that is going to actually follow that warning? I mean…they are stupid enough to dope their kid just so they will sleep…..do you think they care about your silly warning??

I told my fiance, Jeremy, about the warning. He said “Well ya’ know….if they didnt put it on there, some moron would  have them in court cause they didnt know any better”. And you know…he is right. There are people are in America, so ridiculous…and careless….(and you know dang well they know better!) that they look for any dumb reason to get a quick settlement….it just blew my mind…..Beware America…there are many morons among us.

American Idol, my opinion

Last night, American Idol was pretty darn good. My favorite, Danny, did an amazing job on Jesus Take the Wheel. I cant remember dude’s name, but he sang Garth Brook’s “To Make You Feel My Love”. That is one of my all time favorite songs, and I was very proud and impressed in his rendition of it. This year is going to be a very close race, but at the same time, I am growing somewhat bored with AI. They have started changing things with the show, little things here and there. There’s the extra judge, and new rules, and the way they have broad casted the shows. The way I see it, the show has always received outstanding ratings….why change something that isn’t broken?

There were a few moments in this season so far where I was about ready to call it quits and not watch anymore. The situation with them continuing to keep Tautiana, ( I have no idea how to spell her name, and I doubt she cares). This woman belongs in a padded room. I dont think she is genuinely crazy, just a drama queen starving for attention and spot light. I was so glad to see her leave. I am sick and tired of Idol’s stunts of leaving moron-type singers on the show just for “talk” sake, hoping people will talk and watch for controversy reasons. This is stupid and total changes what the show is about.

I have all intentions to watch all of the season this year, but hope that they do not continue to change the show in the future. If they do, there are plenty of other great shows with great talent on Americans can watch instead.

Another interesting explanation

As Easter lingers around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to share this little artlicle from www.didyouknow.org.

Every year, I hear the same question. Why is the East Bunny and East Eggs? Rabbits don’t have eggs…and so forth….so here is an explanation.

 

Why are there bunnies and eggs at Easter?”

The ancient Anglo-Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a carnival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eostre. The word carnival possibly originated from the Latin ‘carne vale’ meaning “flesh, farewell” or “meat, farewell.” The offerings were rabbits and coloured eggs, bidding an end to winter.

As it happened, the pagan festival of Eostre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ and it didn’t take the Christian missionaries long to convert the Anglo-Saxons when they encountered them in the second century. The offering of rabbits and eggs eventually became the Easter bunny and Easter eggs.

Why do onions make you cry?

I don’t cook with onions very often, one because I don’t enjoy the taste/texture that much, and also because cutting them causes me to cry very heavily. Not only do I cry, but the onions cause my eyes to burn, which can be kind of painful. I was passing through a website, www.didyouknow.org, and found this small article that I thought was interesting, and thought I would share.

Why do onions make you cry?
Onions, like other plants, are made of cells. The cells are divided into two sections separated by a membrane. One side of the membrane contains an enzyme which helps chemical processes occur in your body. The other side of the membrane contains molecules that contain sulfur. When you cut an onion, the contents on each side of the membrane mix and cause a chemical reaction. This reaction produces molecules such as ethylsufine which make your eyes water.

To prevent crying when you cut an onion, cut it under a running tap of cold water. The sulfur compounds dissolve in water and are rinsed down the sink before they reach your eyes. You can also put the onion in the freezer for ten minutes before you cut it. Cold temperatures slow down the reaction between the enzyme and the sulfur compounds so fewer of the burning molecules will reach your eyes.

On the outside looking in

I try my best not to judge things that I am not directly involved in. You never truly know a situation unless you are directly involved. But, with that being said, sometimes you are indirectly involved, or somewhat involved, you are allowed to judge your experience, at least! But sometimes you have a right to get upset, sometimes you earn the right to stand up and say…”This is not right”. I exercise my rights as needed.

I try my very best not to visit the emergency room unless I just absolutely have to. Usually its becuase the reason is urgent and the doc can’t get me in (or urgent and its after hours), or its a life threatenting issue and I do treasure living.

Well, my fiance has about the same view as me on the ER. He was having some foot pain that was continuing to get worse. So, since the doctor was out of town, we decided we needed to go to the ER. We arrived early in the morning, around 8:00 am. The ER was surprisingly EMPTY. I have never seen this before. I was amazed. But I would find out soon, after our experience, I could understand why.

We entered the ER, I filled out the paperwork, they took my fiance into the triage. Minutes later we were called back, and were placed in a room. As we got seated in the room, a few minutes later, a very nice nurse came in and did the standard vital check and what not. She left, and about ten minutes later the doc was in. He glanced at the foot, told us what the problem was likely to be, and said the nurse would be in shortly to get some blood just  to make sure. About thirty minutes later, the nice nurse is back and takes the blood. about two hours later, my fiance’s pain has increased quite a bit, almost to a point where it’s not bearable. We have no been at the ER around 2 1/2 hours, and NO ONE has offered my fiance anything whatsoever for pain. I, being the lovely person I am, took a walk to the nurses station, and talk to the first warm body I found there. I told them we had been there 2 1/2 hours, and my fiance was in severe pain, and he hadn’t been offered anything for it. The lady sent our nurse in shortly with a shot for the pain, which did help.

An hour later, my fiance and I made a trip to the restroom, which is just past the nurses station. On our way back, I see the doc sitting at the nurses station, laughing it up, chatting it up with some guy. I am so confused as why he hasn’t come back to our room yet, so that we can go home. The nurse had told us when she gave the shot that the blood work was back, that the doc just needed to look at it and he would be in….an hour later…we see him playing chatty-Kathy on his rear end. So…we try to remain cool about it. We go back to our room, where my fiance is still in quite a bit of pain. ANOTHER HOUR later, the doc comes in. So, here we are….we have been here over four hours. I know its an emergency room, and patients are seen by priority. I have NO problem with that at all. I get it. BUT….when our blood work was back TWO HOURS AGO, and I see him sitting on his rear chit-chatting….and another hour passes by before he comes in??? You can’t tell me there isn’t something wrong with that picture? So, when the doc comes in, I express my frustration.. (yeah that’s a good way to put it). In a very rude voice, I ask him what has taken so long…he has the NERVE to tell me that he just got the blood work back and he’s been swamped….**Oh little does he know, I know what he’s been doing, and when the blood was back!**…and I explain that, The blood work was back TWO HOURS ago, and I walked by the nurses station an hr ago and you were sitting there, in a chair, talking to some guy….laughing and what not? Don’t give me your excuses! I didn’t allow for his response, instead I just insisted that my fiance’s prescriptions be written and our paperwork be printed so we could leave.

Before the doc left out room, I also explained that it is doc’s like him that give that ER the reputation they have. They are slow, and they are careless. I dont think he liked me?

You know, you would think that if you have insurance, they know you are paying…that they would take the time to treat you right….but instead, I have concluded that NO, if you have insurance, they will make you sit in a room for as long as they can possibly get away with, with hopes of draining every dime they can out of you and your insurance company. So…I guess that would be the plus side of no insurance, they will be super quick to get you out of there… no money…no long wait. Those beds are reserved for paying patients they can DRAIN.

I am sorry for the venting, it was just a TERRIBLE experience, esp. when you are sick or hurt and already feeling horrible. If at all possible, I will never return to this ER. Of course, I cant promise that, you never know what will happen and I might have to, if life threatening.

I have so say this though….the nurse that treated my fiance was one of the best nurses I have ever met. She was so polite, caring, and very helpful. She understood my frustrations, and even shared some of her own. I wish there were more like her. Maybe ol’ doc could learn something from her…but I doubt it.

A Decade has passed.

Today is my son’s 10th birthday. They say time flies by…boy, they weren’t  kidding. I can still remember, very vividly, the day I brought him home. I can still picture him in his crib, so peaceful. So much happened in the past ten years. So much that has been wonderful and amazing, and then there is the not so wonderful and amazing. Its amazing how fast life can change, and one single thing can change your life forever. My son changed me, forever. He is my life, my everything. He is the reason I work hard. He is the reason I want to be a better person. He is the reason I want to do better, and be better. He is the reason I try to set good examples and be someone he can look up to.

They say being a parent is the only place you can experience both heaven and hell at the same time. I couldn’t agree more. Being a parent is the hardest job you will ever have, but it is also the most rewarding. I want so much for my lil’ man. I want him to learn and see so much. I want him to understand so much. I want him to have so much. I want to wrap him in a protective blanket, so that nothing can ever hurt or disappoint him. He is so sweet and sensitive. I just love him so much. He is so funny and helpful. He is just precious. He is growing up so fast, and I often feel like time is just flying by before I am able to take it all in and enjoy every bit of it. I am a person who does not take her life for granted. I try my best to enjoy every single minute of my life, even when the days turn dark. God has blessed me with so much in so many different ways, my son being one of my biggest blessings.

He reminds me so much of myself, the way he thinks, the way he acts, or reacts. He, like I use to when I was younger, thinks the world should just stop on his birthday, and all should stand and acknowledge it is his special day. Thats real cute. But realisticly, all have other things to do too. My son was quite dissapointed this morning at 6:30 am, when his cell phone wasn’t being flooded by happy birthday phone calls or text…..I explained….”Son….its 6:30 in the morning!, Half the people you want to hear from are still fast asleep”. It was sad, because it brought tears to his eyes. Nothing kills me more than to see my child cry…and its even worse when they know it.

I know life isnt going to slow down, so better get to enjoying every second, while you have it. It’s great to watch him grow into the man he will become, but sad to loose the little one I carried under my wing for so long. Just the cycle of life. Never take a day for granted…once its gone, you will never get it back. Love & cherish every day. Enjoy the moment. Take in the fresh air, and enjoy the company of those you love.

To add insult to injury…

Well….as you know I am dragging around a boot. Well, Friday evening I was involved in yet another ordeal. This one is quite comical, so I am pleased to entertain you with my pain :).

On Friday, I left work and headed to my mom’s house to pick up my son. They (mom, brother, nephew & my son) were all outside digging around in the garden, getting ready to plan onions and cabbage. I stood around for a few minutes chatting and what not. My nephew, he is three, had a kid’s fishing pole he was playing with in the yard. It didn’t have a hook on it (thanks God!), but  a bobber and weight. He was showing me how far he could cast the line out into the yard. Amazingly, he is pretty good at this. I needed to get the grocery store, so I didn’t have much time to chit chat. I told Cheston that we needed to go. Before we could leave, he wanted to show me how far he could cast this line into the yard. So, I am standing about six or seven feet away from him. I am half talking to my mom, and half watching him as he cast this pole one last time before we leave. He brings the pole way back, and with all his might…he clicks the little botton and throws the pole forward with all that he has. Well are you visioning what happened next??? The line came around, and that weight and bobber hit me right in the forehead!! I grab my face with both hands, and bend over in overwelming pain! Instantly the situation reminded me of a video I would see on America’s Funniest Videos. My mom, who is standing near, is laughing so hard, I guess she forgot to ask me if I was ok…..:)

My son feels horrible. I think he must have told me he was sorry about a thousand times. I, myself, also thought it was quite funny, even though I felt like King Kong just kicked my with high heels on. I was laughing so hard I was crying, and I think my son must of have thought I was crying out of pain…which maybe it was both. This was a priceless moment in life. I told my son on the way home that there was nothing to be sorry for, and that is was an innocent accident, and one day when he gets older, we will bring this story up and we will all laugh about it.

So….now I have a bum foot, and a goose egg/big red spot on my forehead….I think I might invest in some bubble wrap…I was always an accident prone kid.

Everything was going good, till I got the boot.

Well, my foot had been bothering me for about a week now. It started off as a soreness that turned into a burning, aching pain with swelling. I thought if I just took it easy, all would just heal up and go away. Well, not so much. The swelling increased, so I decided to visit the Dr. I tend to be a slight Hypochondriac. For some reason, I get this fear that if I have something wrong with me, that isn’t going away soon enough, that I will turn into one of those freak accidents on Fox News. So, I went to see the doc, and got X-rays and such. Turns out, it’s a stress fracture. This is a first to me. I have had sprains and such. So, now I am lugging around this boot. But….it could always be worse. I could be dragging a cast, which I can not take off whenever I want, so I won’t complain too much. It is however, heavy, and not well ventilated, but I will live. Crazy thing is, I have no idea how this happened, as its cold and nasty out and I have been getting pretty much NO exercise lately. I haven’t done any walking, or jogging or jumping. I couldn’t think of any reason I would now have a fractured foot…so….I guess….It Happens. (Sugarland has a new song about this, and its too cool).

Moral to my story is……yes, people preach about this and that being a hazard to your health, and that you should just become a hermit if you want to stay healthy. The air is dirty, this and that causes cancer and what not….but in my realistic world…sitting on your butt is also…a hazard :). So what is one to do? Get over it and LIVE!!! Do what makes you happy, live your life people.