I Hear Bells Ringing

Last weekend was quite earth shattering for me. Blondie is a smart girl. Blondie has a good head on her shoulders (common sense). Last February, she broke up with her boyfriend of four years for good reasons. She made a committment to herself to stay single and enjoy the rest of her college years.

I guess my baby had good intentions. But she drives into town last Sunday with her posse. I was quite excited to see the girls and have them here.

By the end of the evening, Blondie had had a few beers when she announces "Mom.... I'm in love! Mom... I'm getting married". She then gives 'that' look. "Seriously mom. You don't understand. I'm going to marry him. He turns 18 in a few months. His name is Chris... Chris Brown!" She suddenly swoons. This guy came into town last weekend, but something tells me it wasn't see my baby girl.

Who is he? A guy she doesn't know very well. He is a cutie and this boy can certainly dance.... what's a mom to do?

Bring it on!

The very first person I began reading, which made me decide to do this blogging thing we do is our dear and beloved IT Catholic Mom. I love this woman! She has helped me all along the way answering any questions I may have readily and kindly.

Then I found out she was big fan of this team!

This has been difficult news to swallow. No, I haven't lost respect for her, but c'mon... these people are crazy. You would think they knew colors other than RED existed! This Friday, my team meets her team. Now, I know she posted the picture from last November when our teams met. But do I really need to remind her of this???

Kansas 40, Nebraska 15

Nov. 2, 2005 · Memorial Stadium · Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas' Win Over Nebraska...

Yeah... that's what I thought! Bring it on, girlfriend!

Expanded 101: #14,#15 Three sisters married Toms and I have tons of nieces/nephews!

This piece of my 101 expansion will tackle the issues of several of my sisters.  I'm sure there is a medical name for this symptom, but I have no idea what it is.  I'm sure it's mental.  You see, four of five of my sisters are married.  Three of those married sisters married men named 'Tom'.  I don't know if this is some sort of sibling rivalry and I just failed to get the memo or what.   All I know is the two sons-in-law who are NOT named Tom, have considered having their name change in order to 'fit in'.  

These three grown men constantly argue about who is the #1 Tom, who is the #2 Tom, and who is on sh*t list because they have been relegated to #3 Tom.   The #1 spot was usually determined by my dad (meaning they showed for happy hour at 3 pm to have a drink with him or helped in some home improvement project our dear mother was determined to have done).  Now that dad is gone, it is pure mayhem when everyone is together.  Arguing back and forth on who is "#1".   Personally, Baby Sis's 'Tom' is the #1 Tom in our family.  C'mon... he stayed home all last weekend with the triplets and Jack so we could escape on a two day vacation!  Did the other Toms come and help??  NO!  So, there you have it. 

Baby Sis's Tom will always be #1.  That is it.  No more to be said. Period.

Now, for the #15.  Actually I just put that number 29 there.  It's been awhile since I counted and probably counted my kids in there.  So, to be completely accurate and avoid Blondie correcting me in the 'comment' section, I shall just list names.  There will be a quiz so pay attention... got it?

I think going by families will be easier.  No way by ages.  Too many to remember.  

Maryanne, Mike, Paul, Marie, Clare, Elizabeth, Louise, John, Lindsay, Krista, Erin, Natalie, Danny, Frankie, Elise, Joe, Luke, Chris, Rachel, Josh, Brian, Jack, Lauren, Abby, Conor.  Can't leave out Kapoe and Princess (one sisters doggies who are her kiddies!) 

Okay, I must have included Jaden, Reece, Isaiah, and Lucy (my grandkids) in the mix when I wrote my 101, but there you have it.  All but two of these kids are 18 or under.  Now do you understand my migraines at family functions?  I thought so.  

One more thing... this number is subject to change at any given time.  We are good Catholics... but I'll cover that in the next installment.

Another 'Uh Oh' Ebay moment

With this title today, I'm sure most of you who know me know what this means! Yep, the Dweeb is at it again. It's usually not a complete surprise when my man purchases something on Ebay since he lives on that web site if not playing music or taking a nap on the chair.

Last night as I was coming up with a 'Law' for the Tuesday Blog Walk on my other space, I hear from the other room a very distinct "Uh oh!" For a moment I just sat there hoping he had just fumbled around on the computer too much and lost what he was working on. But, then I hear "Uh oh, I wasn't expecting this." coming from the other room. I know this my cue to investigate and quick. I don't even reach the room with the desktop when he meets me halfway. Dweeb looks at me and says, "I didn't expect to win the bidding! I thought someone would outbid me for sure." I reply, "what did you win?" not really wanting to know the answer considering a new furnace was going to have to purchased in the next few days. Dweeb tells me, "a guitar". My mouth falls open in disbelief.

You must realize that Dweeb's guitars are not cheap. They are great 'investments' as he puts it. In reality, they are, but only if you RESELL them! Which, of course, he NEVER does. My first response to him using my evil eye is, "how much?" He shoots back that it is a good deal and it's a Rainsong (a guitar built with graphite so as to withstand being beat, dropped, and change in humidity). Dweeb already owns one Rainsong guitar that he bought when we were in Maui. This company was located only on Maui at the time. Since then, they moved to Seattle. It has a built in amp and perfect for open mike so he won't have to drag an extra amp with him... blah, blah, blah. I repeat, "how much??" He tells me, I cringe a bit. He hugs me and says he really didn't think he would get it, but he was the highest bidder. Crap. At least it was well under the usual amount for his type of guitar.

Without further ado, meet the new member of the family:


As Kelly knows, all important items must be named. I will have to take a personal up close look at this baby before I can come up with an appropriate name.

The Sea of Galillee

My niece visited Israel this summer. This is my favorite photo of her looking out on the Sea of Galillee.

Open Letter To My Daughter (Not for the faint of heart)

Dear Drama Queen,

What the hell were you thinking leaving that place? Do you realize what you have done? You have blown the chance we've been waiting for for THIRTEEN YEARS! Everything you told me at your supposed graduation was nothing but bullshit. The first chance you had you jumped ship and ran back to Reece's dad. I don't care if he's the father of your child yet born. I don't care if he says he's done with the other girl. I DON'T CARE! You left a program that would have integrated back into the world at your pace. You left a program that would have provided tutors so you could finally finish your GED. You left a program that was located in another city so you were no where near the 'old people' or triggers. You left a program we have been praying for for so many years. Instead, you decide to walk right back into the fire. You are an idiot! I hate you for doing that. I want to shake you. I want to consult a neurosurgeon to have your brain rewired.

You took the last thirteen years of my life for what? FOR NOTHING! I even scoured the streets of one of the most dangerous cities in the nation, in areas the police won't even go to try to find you and get you out. For what? For you to walk back into it? BULLSHIT girl. You are not taking another day of my life. You want to die, do it. You want to live like that, do it. I'm done. You do nothing but feed me bullshit and lies and I refuse to listen to you anymore. I wash my hands of you girl.

Don't get me wrong. I hope I'm proven wrong and you are happy the rest of your life with your family. But, I will not waste another breath or another minute of my time trying to help or save you. So far all you have done is kick me in the teeth every time I've tried. You have absolutely no idea what you have lost by pulling this stunt of yours. You have lost a family that loved you no matter what you did. But we have our breaking point. I hope it's worth it.

Have a nice life girl.

Excuse me, I need a drink.

C'Mon Down... Throw Your Money Away!

That is the theme when on a sisters outing. My sister right under me by two years is in town from Chicago this weekend with her hubby and son. This, of course, means we must all race down to the 'boats' (casinos located on the edge of the Mighty Mo) to throw our money away and have a great time. We don't ALL get together at one time very often, so tonight was special. All six sisters are in attendence. Just had to post the picture quickly before we proceeded on with our festivities.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.