JAYHAWK FEVER

A TRIBUTE TO STUART TODD MELTZER

2010-09-11T11:50:00.001-05:00

Four years ago, the blogging community got together and each of us took one hero from 9/11 and posted a tribute to them. I want to share this again today on the 9th anniversary. We will never forget.

We all remember that fateful day five years ago. You remember where you were and what you were doing when you either watched the frightening events unfold on your television or heard about it from someone else. I remember watching it on television. It had not been that long since we were at the World Trade Center, which is one of the mandatory stops to get our Dippin' Dots fix when we are New York City. We see the scene replayed constantly now with the statistics being retold. 2,996 died that day from terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the passengers and crew on the four airplanes used as missles. These people are not just numbers. They are individuals who had a father, mother, wife, husband, siblings, and children. Until Tuesday, I am giving up this space and my MSN space to honor one such individual.
His name is Stuart Todd Meltzer, known to his family and friends as Stu.
Stu was born October 11, 1968. He grew up in Massachusetts. He was a lively, spirited, and talented child and man. He played baseball, basketball, and football for his high school team. He won the Andrew N. Navoni Award at graduation for leadership, dedication, and superior sportmanship. He played baseball for two years at the University of Michigan. He completed his college studies and graduated from Trinity College in Harvard.
You all remember the team from back East that won the World Series? Yeah, the Red Sox. You know you were rooting for them to win weren't you? We were screaming here in Kansas as they won the World Series. How do you think they pulled that off? Yep, it was one of their biggest fans, Stu. They had an angel in heaven giving them a little help. Stu was a huge Boston Red Sox and New England Patriot fan. He owned season tickets for both teams. He and his brother Larry would go to all the games together. That is until Stu and his wife Lisa had their first son, Jake. After that, Jake was high priority. He was obviously a fabulous dad who put his family first.
Stu has two wonderful brothers who miss him terribly. Ken and Larry have left messages at a couple of the internet memorials up until one year ago. Stu's parents, Zachary and Joyce, live in Centerville. I know they still mourn their son. Soon after 9/11, they were considering moving closer to Stu's wife and sons to help her out. Those are great parents.
It seems everything and everyone Stu touched was gold. So many friends going back to Junior High have left messages re-telling what a loyal and great friend he was. Stu left an indelible mark on everyone he met. He excelled in any job he undertook. He worked in LA for Creative Arts and then back to New York to work for Miramax. Within a few short years, he took a broker job with Cantor-Fitzgerald. Just the week before the Towers were hit, Stu at the young age of 32, had become the West Coast Power Manager at Trade Spark with Cantor-Fitzgerald. This was a very talented man obviously destined for great things.
Stu worked in World Trade Center 1 on the 105th floor. We all know Cantor-Fitzgerald was hurt the most during this attack. Before Tower 1 collapsed, he was able to get one call out. He called his wife. She was not home, but his voice is forever recorded on the voicemail.
RECORDING: "Honey, something terrible is happening. It's very bad up here. I don't think I'm going to make it. Take care of the children."
I have cried many tears researching and reading about Stu and his family. I miss him and I don't even know him! That's just how special this man was to so many, many people.
Stu left behind his beautiful wife Lisa, two sons Jake who is now 8 and Dylan who is now 5. I can picture Jake playing baseball now, just like his dad. Dylan is probably 'in training' to join his brother on the baseball field in a few years. Stu leaves his parents, Zachary and Joyce. He also leaves two brothers with whom he was extremely close, Larry and Kenneth.
I was unable to reach Stu's family before this was written, but I hope I've done him justice. He deserves so much more. I believe Stu is watching over his boys from heaven and always will. He is with his brothers when they miss him so much at all those family outings and sports events.
The Meltzer Family has an angel and warrior in heaven now. He is not here in body, but he is definitely here in spirit. Don't ever forget that.
Last evening, I was watching the program 20/20 which showed the gathering of all the mothers of victims who were pregnant on 9/11/01. These children are now 4 years old. I remember one mother saying that her boy up until a few months ago would tell her that his daddy was in his bedroom. The little boy said when he was in his crib, daddy was standing there watching me and smiling. Children in their innocence see much more than we do as adults.
I would like to believe that Stu is now able to do more in heaven than he could ever accomplish on Earth and he is there watching his sons, smiling.
Cantor Fitzgerald Memorial site has honored all their employees who perished on 9/11 and are accepting donations to help support their families. Please take a moment and visit.

Please be sure to visit as many Tribute Sites as possible. Our friends who also volunteered to do a Tribute to one of the 2,996 victims are:
Gunivere
Rebecca
Sherry Sherry
Annie (my lil sis)
Make sure go by and visit them.

The Time Has Come...

2010-03-03T18:36:00.004-06:00

The time has come to end this journey. I have begun a new adventure now! That is good news!

You can now find me at SueAblesPhotography

Over the years, I have met and shared my life with so many of you. I have made good friends! It's been a joy being a part of your lives. It's not over though, just moving ahead.

For those of you that I have met and shared life stories over the past four years, you can also find me on Facebook Many of you I have found already and I am so thrilled! Please, come find us!

Continue to follow the adventure through links above! Looking forward to seeing you!

What the... where did summer go?

2009-09-10T04:47:00.004-05:00

Don't yell at me. Please! It's been a crazy summer! Who knew starting a business was actually work? huh? Pfft. What a lot of busy work! It is fun though!

To get a glimpse of the 2010 Seniors, visit me here. I will be posting family, baby, and kids sessions I have done over the summer soon. The Seniors deserve the stage for now! These girls are awesome! You gotta love 'em.

The image above is the triplets and their bro. They are little people now! Cannot believe they start kindergarten next year. I remember telling all of you when they were born! The gal is their Au Pair from South Africa. She is fabulous! The kids adore her and so do I. After almost two years, she heads back home in November. I am so sad, I may kidnap her and lock her in my closet to keep her here. I know she misses her family and friends, so I suppose it's time. I'm really going to miss her.

Now, for the Blondie update. Sarah is doing great in Chi Town. Working hard and planning her wedding is set for July 24, 2010. I know it sounds far away, but it's not! Wedding dress has already arrived and absolutely beautiful! Cannot post pics for obvious reasons. She wants it to be surprise for everyone. Bridesmaid dresses are a different matter. AHHH!!! She will find the perfect one I'm sure, it's just difficult with bridesmaids all over the country. Save the Dates have been sent for all to plaster on their fridge and prepare to travel. At least it's a big city everyone loves to visit! The church is gorgeous! Old and it actually looks like a church. Amazing in this day and age.

Pat and I have travelled to Indy for the Moto GP races the end of August. What a surprise, I know. It's so sweet having it so close to home now and we do not have to travel to Laguna Seca in Northern California (as much as we love it there) each year.

Pat's music is taking on a life of it's own also. His band is doing well, although economic times have made it very tough for gigs. I still enjoy their music and company each week at practice. He has been playing solo at several venues, which is more acoustic, also.

I'm on Facebook now also! Look me up if you are there also. It's under my name, Sue Ables, so I'm not hard to find. Friend me! Many pics are posted there. So much easier to post images there than on this blog.

DQ is doing well right now. Working very hard. Her daughter Nadia is now 2 1/2! Time is flying by so quickly I can hardly keep up.

Nearly forgot... I have succumbed to Twitter also. So join up and chat with me. Same deal. I'm sueables. I'm so clever I can hardly stand it.

Hope to see you at one of these spots soon! Miss you all and hope all is well with all my blog buddies.

Whew! We're Melting!

2009-06-23T00:41:00.002-05:00

The Dweeb and I made it back from our wonderful little trip to the Northwest for our 25th wedding anniversary. I'd say it was nice for just to the two of us to get away, but it's always just the two of us now! I still reel with how time slips by so quickly. It was a great rest and slipped across the border to Vancouver to visit a fellow photog. I must admit, you better have answers when you hit the border to Canada now. It was NEVER difficult to get into Canada. Now they seem to want blood from your first born to get in. Why? Seriously. It's CANADA! After an intense grilling, they decided we weren't much of a threat and let us proceed to Vancouver.

The wedding. Ah, the wedding. The dress is being ordered now. We waited a month before we put enough money down for it to be ordered to make SURE it's the ONE. And it is! Mission accomplished. Beautiful dress. Sorry, guys, cannot post. The date has been changed though. There was a bit of a glitch at the church, so it has been moved a month later. So... the big day is July 24, 2010. Wow. It's really, really sinking in now. Banquet hall and church confirmed along with their scheduled appointment with the priest. We'll see if they pass the test! Just kidding.

It's difficult with her so far away. I could not see the church or help get glitches remedied. I have no power in Chicago! But, Sarah has handled everything wonderfully. I will get to see the church in August when we trek to Chicago for my sister's 50th birthday bash and Sarah's 'who cares it's my birthday too' day. All the sisters will be attending. All six of us together for a partay! I just hope there is no video. That could cost me.

It is sweltering here. Heat index hit 106 today and will be worse tomorrow. Humidity is stifling and not a breath of wind around. Hopefully it will break by end of the week. It's too early for this weather! This is August weather! Good reason to stay indoors and watch movies, I guess. Maybe Tom will lend me his Wii to keep me from becoming bored.

Anyway, that is all around here. Nothing much else. Everyone stay cool!

My Nephews Graduation!

2009-05-28T18:39:00.001-05:00

25 Years and Counting..

2009-05-23T15:34:00.004-05:00

This is going up early because the next week is going to be so busy! The Dweeb and I are celebrating! It is our 25th Wedding Anniversary people! WOO HOO!! I have never stuck with anything so long in my life! He must be a pretty good guy, eh?

We are headed to the northwest. We have never been there, so we thought "what the heck, sounds good". Seattle is the destination. Hopefully we will make a day trip to Vancouver to visit my favorite Canuck, Sabrina! I met her a year ago in my photography classes. It was a virtual friendship until this past February when I was in Tampa for the workshop. We finally met in person. I still like her! haha. I'm very excited to get away for a few days with my honey and hopefully get to Canada to see Sabrina and see for myself why SO many photographers live there. I keep telling them they need to take a sabbatical in Kansas City to keep me company for awhile, bu they just laugh... out loud!

No more news regarding the wedding other than the engagement pictures have still NOT been taken due to time constraints when they are in town. Good thing we have a year to get this party in gear! They are busy with so many of their own friends getting married right now, it's difficult to work on their own. We shall attempt to plan more after things die down a bit.

The sistas and I have decided to get Bron, the Au Pair extraordinaire, and her cohorts together one evening soon. We shall bribe them with alcohol and food. Then we will force them to teach us girls who only know the '70s dance (the shifting back and forth from one foot to the other kind of thing. Really lame these days) some new moves. New moves within limits though for the wedding reception. I can see by baby girl horrified at her mom and aunts grinding on the dance floor. Just picturing it in my head is frightening actually. But, we need to get more 'hip'... more 'with it' in preparation for this PARTAY!

I am sad because Bron will not be making the wedding next June. She is very homesick, so will be heading back to South Africa next fall. She has become a member of the family and she is going to missed terribly. The kids will miss her most. The just LOVE her!! But, I can understand why she wants to go, she just has to accept to fact that we will all be giving her sh*t from now until she leaves about it!

If you want to see some of the cutie patooties I have been shooting, check out my other blog at Sue Ables Photography.

Seems I have been shooting more toddlers lately which is good! I've lost a few pounds CHASING them! They like to run. But they are so fun! Upcoming, I have several girls who will be Seniors. These girls will be featured on my website. I'm very excited about these girls because they are up for just about anything in the way of location and ideas. I'm sure they will have ideas of their own, which is fantastic! I love their input.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all and have fun!

I'm Gonna Cry... A Lot!

2009-05-10T16:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the full day of bridal gown shopping. It seems times have changed and you must make an appointment to see and try on any bridal gowns these days. The Maid Of Honor did a fantastic job of scheduling our day!

It began at 8 am when we met up to drop off Russel at my sisters. He wanted to play with his cousins (Mimi, Princess, and Izzy) all day while we were busy. That little dog was so excited! Holy cow! I thought he was going to mow me down running inside/outside, one yard to the next.

Anyway, I digress. We went to several bridal gown shops as Sarah tried on probably five dresses at each place. My niece Lindsay, who is a bridesmaid, met up with us at the second stop when she arrived in town from college. Every dress my little girl put on... it just all became so real. She looked so beautiful. Some dresses were better suited for her than others, but all were so beautiful.

By 3 pm, we were standing in a parking lot. We had an hour until the last appointment. Sarah just looked at me. "Mom, I know which dress it is. Why bother?" I knew which dress it was also. It was the fourth dress she tried on AT THE FIRST STOP! Of course. It's always one of the first ones you try that you fall in love with. Lindsay had not seen this dress, since she was late arriving, so we trekked back to the first place. They were great. They allowed Sarah to try that dress again.

She walked out of the dressing room and the floodgates opened. That was it. I knew that was the dress. She was stunning. Lindsay and Monica both agreed that was the dress. Well, at the point, Sarah didn't want to take it off. She wanted to dance around in it. Fine with me.

I'm watching my little girl in this beautiful dress and imagining her wedding day... in the church. Her dad is going to cry like a baby (in 25 years I have seen him cry TWICE!). Hubby to be is going to see her walk down the aisle and he is going to go weak at the knees and HE will probably cry, but try not to show it. Then all bets all are off. I will lose it. I must prepare. I must get the tear ducts disciplined. Crap. My baby girl is really getting married.

I wish I could show you the dress, but.... lots of eyes out there in the internet world, but it was bought at The Gown Gallery in Kansas City Missouri.

Next up will be the bridesmaid dresses. We did not have such good luck yesterday with that, but I will keep you posted. Since I cannot show you the dress, I will show you Russel Wallice, my granddog. (some consolation, eh?)

You Know It's Spring When...

2009-04-28T18:13:00.004-05:00

Yes, the tornado sirens have begun another season! That is good! WINTER IS OVER! We had a weekend of crazy weather which included tornadic activity, but we are good. Once again, it went towards the airport which is northeast. What a lightening show though! If it wasn't raining buckets, I would have been out there trying to catch it for you. Maybe next time.

The homestead has been buzzin'. Of course, the hubs and I have been busy with our own thing (the picture is of his rock band 'FLUX'), but more importantly we have a wedding being planned. C'mon, we have our priorities! Princess comes first. We know that. We love that. Date has been set. June 26, 2010. Whew! Gives us a little time. Banquet hall has been booked and it's a beauty! Sarah is so excited about this place. She and her honey visited The Belvedere in Elk Grove Village (north of the city) and she knew this was the place. We will have the reception here, their bridal suite, hotel connected, and sports connected (for afterwards). This worked perfectly since our entire family will travel to Chicago and we were concerned about young crowd drinking and then trying to get back to hotel for the night. This solved our problem. AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!! The menu looks delicious! We can all take a deep breath now. One of the most difficult decisions is done...

Now for the dress... dress shopping is in two weeks. I'll let you know how that goes.

Sarah is in town this weekend for one of her girlfriends weddings and I'm so excited to see her. It seems like forever, yet it's only been 2 1/2 months. I will probably be seeing quite a bit of her over the next several months as we try to get as much done as possible before winter. Her maid of honor is moving to Dallas in July, so this could be quite the juggling act. What did we do before texting, facebook, cell phones? I don't see how we survived!

So far so good. Nothing real juicy yet. I'm sure it's going to get fun once we get to the nitty gritty things. Save The Date magnets will be going out hopefully by July 1st. When that is decided, I'll post it for you to see. Both Sarah and her honey are in town in a couple of weeks and we hope to get their engagement photos done at that time. If successful, you can bet you will see a few. Probably is a good thing she doesn't allow me to take too many pics of her. That would be all you people would see here and get so sick of her, you would scream. But, we are all like that with our daughters... right? Yeah, that's what I thought.

I Haven't Forgotten!

2009-04-19T14:40:00.003-05:00

Man, has this past month or two been busy! I have been working full steam ahead and trying to get my photography business going. I have been doing it for friends and family for awhile, but it's time to stretch my wings, jump of the cliff, and try to soar. We'll see if that actually happens though. haha.

So, this week I had the immense pleasure of taking Jackson's pictures! This little two year old was a hoot! He is a master at feeding geese and jumping! I am going to post a couple of the pics here, but I have a new place also for you to keep up on the photography side. I have decided to start a second blog for the photography since I talk to so freely about my family on this one. For those who don't know us, could be scary. hehe.

So, if you go to sueablesphotography.blogspot.com, you will find a video of Jackson's shoot. I will post images in the next day or so. I am also on Facebook, which is mandatory with a business these days. (I must say Blondie (Sarah) was horrified at first, but I've managed to be good and not humiliate her... yet.) If you are on Facebook, look me up and be my friend. I have a photography group there also trying to get the senior high kids. They are THE MOST FUN TO SHOOT!!!!!!! I swear, if I can make money at this, I will be heaven!

Now, onto more important things... the wedding!!! Date has been set! June 26, 2010. Whew! Gives me over a year. Things are moving very smoothly! The banquet hall has been reserved and I have to say here that Sarah (let's use her real name now... she is an adult now!) is doing a fabulous job at finding discounts and still getting her dream! Not only that, she is working her butt off and will be more than doing her fair share in footing this bill!! A mom couldn't be more proud! I have a winner people! I knew before, but this... the only thing better will be seeing her as a mom. I.cannot.wait!

Anyway! Banquet hall has been booked (more on that later... lots of time). She will be in town in a few weeks. Her maid of honor (okay, might as well use her name too!), Monica have been friends since about 6th grade. So Monica made the appointments and we are spending an entire day at wedding boutiques. We are going to force Sarah to try on every single dress in her size that day. I know she has one in mind that she is stuck on, but you know girls how that goes. Sometimes, you put it on and your body completely rejects it!

So that is the update. Check out the other blog if you feel like tearing up. Jackson's mom is also one of Sarah's oldest friends and is a single mom now. She is a GREAT mom and has quite the little man. Oh, these kids grow up TOO fast!

ENJOY!

CHECK. IT. OUT.

2009-02-25T17:37:00.007-06:00

Two posts in one month! Can you believe it? I have not accomplished this in such a long time. I am so proud of myself. Such discipline, I tell you. Who would believe I used to post every single day?

It seems this blog is going to become two things. It will contain photography and family. How can leave my family out of this blog? They are so bizarre. There is ALWAYS something happening.

Which brings me to today's topic. Today we shall focus on family. Surprisingly it is not Drama Queen! We shall save her for a later update. Today it is all about Blondie.

To recap: December, 2007 Blondie graduated from the University of Kansas and abandoned her loving mother for the Windy City and her boyfriend whom she loves very much. She found a good job with a national company within short order. After over a year, she continues to work and live in downtown Chicago with 'the boyfriend' and LOVES it! (too bad for me)

Today: We must find a new name for 'the boyfriend'. He became empowered on February 12th. After they had dinner and quietly in their apartment (Blondie hates a fuss), he got down on one knee and asked "the question". He's always pulling pranks so she thought he was joking until... the box came out of his pocket and he opened it up. He tells us she her mouthed dropped and the first words out of her mouth were "SHUT UP". Yeah, that's my little girl. Always knows what to say at the right time. Of course, she said yes, cried, and gave us a call.

We are all very excited for them. Blondie is so happy. But now 'the boyfriend' is being renamed 'the fiancee' for the next year. The wedding is going to be in Chicago and not in Kansas City, so this is going to be very interesting planning. My connections are all in Kansas City. The next year could bring some very interesting stories as this progresses and we attempt to put on a Chicago wedding on a Kansas City budget.

Pictures posted are of Blondie, 'the fiancee', and a new member of my blog 'maid of honor'. It just grows and grows. This could get out of control people. Be prepared for the roller coaster ride.

One added note: Happy 3rd Birthday to Baby Reece, our little angel in heaven. Many of you remember.

Time Out!

2009-02-11T12:16:00.006-06:00

I deserve it! Although, I have been peeping in on most of you from time to time. Still, it is no excuse for completely falling off the face of the face of the earth for months! There is a good reason. I am officially addicted. Addicted to photography. I can't stop. No matter where I hide my camera, it finds me. No matter how I try to distract my thoughts, it creeps in... 'that would be a cool shot!' I cannot help it. That's not to say I have accomplished it, but the thought is there and I attempt it anyway. Someday, I may have a few more saves than deletes at the computer and that will sweet.

I have been taking classes at an online photography school. The Perfect Picture School of Photography. Can't go wrong with a name like that! I guarantee you, you cannot! As each 4 week or 8 week course ends, I'm searching for another to begin. The classes are for anyone at all. If you are just wanting to take better pics of your fam or want to get there and crawl on the ground, they have a class for you. The instructors are FANTASTIC! Every one of them! They can explain everything to you, even myself and I'm an idiot! They bring it down to the most basic level for you and no one feels stupid. Once again, not even me! (well, sometimes. Then I have to email a certain classmate for diagrams) You submit your shots for the week and the instructors critique what you've done. Scary right? Yep. Good thing the instructors are so kind when they tell you that your shot stinks. They always find something very nice to say about the picture. Sometimes they even tell you that you have a 'perfect picture'! That makes your week!

I just returned from Tampa, Florida where I attended a photography workshop with one of my instructors and a few of my classmates and some new faces. What a blast! I was able to meet them face to face after knowing them virtually all these months and made some terrific new friends. Our instructor, Robert Lafollete was great. He took us all around Tampa to his spots and gave us invaluable tips on shooting. Check out his website and blog. I know you will thoroughly enjoy it even if you are not a photographer. When I get some of my photos edited, I shall put them up here for you to admire ; )

So that's occupied my 'me' time for the past 8 months. It takes time taking pictures with bad shoulders (which are continuing to get better). Dweeb is in another band (Flux) and I have added a song of theirs in the music player for your continued enjoyment. Maybe they will record a Tom Petty song for me soon! There is pic of little Nadia in the slideshow. Squirt turns 2 in March already. She's cute as a button. DQ continues to try to get it together. This may be lifetime pursuit at this rate. But she plods along... step by step... stumbles... and up again. Reece's 3rd birthday is in a week, so we will be taking a cupcake and balloons to the cemetary for him. Blondie and 'the boyfriend' are fab in Chi Town. Lovin' living downtown. She is still employed! She survived the layoffs. Miss her like crazy still, but I'm slowly coming to terms that she will never move back here since he is in the family business there. I will just have to visit Chicago a lot... in the summer.

I don't know how many of you have been checking in on Miranda, but she is ready to welcome her new addition soon! Give her some lovin'!

What In The World?

2008-06-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

Living in the Land of Oz this year, I've been waiting for a tornado to drop out of the sky and swoop us away. So far, so good. Although the sirens have had quite a work out this spring! We are just very, very soggy at this time.

The past few months have been interesting... to me anyway. The empty nest 'thing' is pretty sweet! We can come and go when we want with no 'Mom!' from the distance. Well, it is from a distance. It is from Chicago. Blondie and Boyfriend are doing great in Chi Town and lovin' living downtown. Too expensive though on their salaries! Blondie did find a job in her field (finance) which is VERY GOOD NEWS!!! In fact, she and Boyfriend are coming in town this weekend to see us! I'M SO EXCITED I MIGHT WET MY PANTS! I miss her sooooo much!

The arms are better! I can type and photograph (taking workshops and out all the time). No handstands yet. Although, for the past two weeks I can do my own hair for the first time in a year!!! Dweeb is very excited, but I must say he can always fall back on hair styling if the doctor thing doesn't work out.

I don't get to 'play' with the triplets as much right now. Baby sis got a job with Little sis and they brought in an Au Pair from South Africa. She is really great and takes the kids everywhere! Just need to get used to her 'lingo'. Much of the time I'm asking "What does that mean?"

Dweeb is doing fab. The band is going to be renamed soon and they are better than ever. He is also in ANOTHER band named 'Abigail Murphy'. Obviously, the lead singer is Abigail and she writes her own music. Another direction with this band, but so fun.

Keeping SO busy with everything and hopefully will get back into the blogging on a more regular basis. Must bore you all with the pictures.

Catholic Mom, I hope you haven't floated away! It's a mess up there where you are! Worse than here. The worst of the weather has stayed just west of us.

OH YEAH! How 'bout those JAYHAWKS people!! I know you were thinking of me when they kicked a** in March! What a blast! I was so busy celebrating and dancing jigs, I failed to blog. Blondie and Boyfriend were in town for the big North Carolina game (kicking a** again!!!). Lawrence was insane! Sad part, our team is basically going to the NBA in a week or so. It was sweet winning with Danny Manning as assistant coach since he was the reason we won it 20 years ago.

ROCK-CHALK! I'll be back soon. I've added a slide show to give a taste of where I am all the time. I really need to blog more so I'm not always updating. Sheesh! how boring.

Miss all of you!

Where Did Everyone Go??

2008-01-21T12:06:00.001-06:00

I look around this home of ours and it seems so empty. It certainly is NOT easy becoming empty nesters. Where did everyone go all of a sudden? Seems like just yesterday the girls were running around the house on the hardwood floors in their tap shoes and jumping on the couches pretending to be Olympic gymnasts. 'sigh'

It's freezing here which traps me in the house with these damn shoulders. The right shoulder is doing great now, but the left is now frozen. The cold weather makes them more painful, so I am cleaning out 17 years of junk in this place. Our poor garbage guy. I know he dreads coming down the street every Thursday wondering just how huge the pile of bags will be this week!

Blondie loves Chi Town. She would love it more if she found employment. I'm sure she will soon. She doesn't 'do' poor well.

As some of you know, DQ has been removed from our family now. She made her choice and after 14 years I am tired. I can't take anymore... this family cannot take anymore. I hope she makes it, but it will have to be on her own.

I guess after 24 years it is now time for Dweeb and I to start enjoying ourselves. It has never been just the two of us. Excuse me... I have to go play.

And Here They Are...

2007-12-13T00:22:00.001-06:00

Still officially banned from computer, but shoulders are finally beginning to show improvement! Good News! I don't have to shoot myself! Christmas is fast approaching, so thought I would take a moment to share.

My, hasn't the munchkin grown! She is almost nine months now. She is now mobile and so are we. She is doing great and so is Drama Queen.

As you can see from the second photo, Blondie has done it! The day has finally arrived! We are finally finisihed paying tuition and she is an unemployed college graduate!!! Yipppee! Now she is headed off to the Windy City with 'the boyfriend' and officially begin an adult life. Imagine, her leaving me for that guy. Good thing we like him! Pretty nice ice sculpture too, if I do say so myself. I know you will all agree... right?

I have also included a little clip of "the band" on a bit of an off morning during the summer. It was 10am on a Saturday. Dweeb can be heard, but not really seen. He is on the keyboards. The second video is of a blues band he played with for a short time. Their schedule was colliding with the rock bands, so one had to be dropped. But, once again Dweeb is better heard than seen. I hope to have much better video this week when they play a Christmas Party. Music has become Dweeb's life now. Keeps it interesting here!

Holy Cow! I nearly forgot! Dweeb and I paid a visit to the Texas Tornado. He has that name for a good reason. He is a little mad man on a mission to become a GREAT skateboarder. So of course, Grandma and Grandpa had to get the nearly 5 year old a Spongebob Skateboard, right? Right. They tell me he rides it everyday. Keep your eye on the X games...

I hope all is well with everyone and I hope to get around to visit over the holiday break! I can't wait! I miss you all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

I've Been Banned

2007-09-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since post or visits. I have been banned from using my computer in any way. I'm cheating now because it's driving me crazy! I have a 'frozen right shoulder'. Yep, frozen solid in June. I can use it a bit now after weeks of physical therapy, but far from being okay yet. I do basically nothing except watch people wait on me. It has proven to be one of the most frustrating positions I have been in so far.

All is great in Jayhawk Country. Blondie is in love and graduates from KU in December, Drama Queen is here with Nadia and doing GREAT, Dweeb is now in TWO bands (rock band and blues band). Hopefully in near future will post music from them.

Anyway, I'll be back as soon as I get the okay from the doctor and physical therapists. Hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all!

It's Official...

2007-06-21T20:40:00.001-05:00

Yesterday made it official. I am now a half century old and everyone made sure to remind of that fact. Signs in the yard and cute little phone calls. Well... except from my Texas Tornado who arrives Saturday at noon. He called to say "Happy Birthday Grandma!" "You're 21 today, right?" Of course I agreed with him wholeheartedly. What a sweetie. Can't wait to get my hands on that four year old! It was a day of laying around and ignoring the mark of the day for the most part. Blondie brought me a birthday cake and DQ took care of something for me which I dare not share on this blog for fear of family lurkers. hehe. The weekend will be packed with two gigs on Saturday, and gee... who knows what may happen on Sunday (rolling eyes). I will fill you in next week since it's such a big secret.

Another niece arrives tomorrow at 1 pm. Yes another baby in the family. Can't seem to get enough of those in our family. This is my middle sis' 7th. Yeah... her oldest leaves for college in August. Can we all say together.... OOPS! I will be at the hospital to photograph the arrival and meeting all the sibs. This will be a challenge people.

BTW: Malathionman? I'll keep you posted on the myth of 50 year old women. AND I may break out the TP tee shirt this weekend for the special occasion and will get a pic definitely of that. I'm so scared to wear it! Don't want to screw up that beauty!

And another month passes....

2007-06-12T18:52:00.000-05:00

Well, much has been going on around this place. A week ago I trekked back to Arkansas to load up DQ and Nadia and move them back home. It just didn't work out for her there. We are all trying to adjust to the changes around here now. Nadia is so frickin' adorable I can hardly stand it. I will be taking pics of her soon to post. I'm not sure what is in store now for DQ. Time will tell.

Top picture of myself with three of my sisters at Dweeb's latest gig. Lil Sis looks like she had a few before she got there. Baby Sis is next to me and the other sitting sister is the great artist of the family. The second picture, of course, the band. The third picture is just nice. Beautiful bloom from late May.

Dweeb is adjusting to so much time on his hands. His music has jumped to the top of the list. His band is playing quite a few gigs. Everyone loves them, so it's not just me! That is always good to know. Dweeb has been playing solo also. Needless to say, this keeps me running. Loading... unloading... making sure I'm present at every performance. Got to admit, it is fun! For those that live in the area, the band will be playing in downtown Overland Park next to the Farmer's Market Saturday, June 23rd from 10am until noon. That night they will be Spivey's on 87th Street. The bands name is 'Confusion' (rather fitting for this group). Come out if can!

Baby Sis and I have decided to make the leap with photography. The business cards have arrived and a website in the works for our business. It's pretty scary because I know how important photos, especially of babies and children, are to the parents and I don't want to screw that up! The website we are working on is nothing great, but it's a start. When we actually start making a profit, guess I'll have to give Catholic Mom a ring! The website for now is at ablesphotography.photosite.com You all can give me feedback on the pics. I will be adding more over the summer after I do the jobs scheduled so far.

Blondie is working full time this summer. First time having a real full time job is killing her. She has decided having a degree is good after working five days a week for next to nothing. One more semester and her degree will be in hand! Woo Hoo!

I screwed up my shoulder and not sure what is wrong. MRI showed nothing. Problem is being on the computer KILLS it. So I must now hit the heating pad. This is the month the big 5-0 hits and I'm feeling it!

Where Does The Time Go!

2007-05-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

Wow. Guess I've been missing in action. Life has been keeping me very busy. I thought life would slow down once the girls got older, but the opposite seems to have happened. DQ had a beautiful baby girl the end of March! Her name is Nadia. She is an angel. DQ was with us for a month and then went back to Arkansas. It doesn't look like Arkansas is going to work as we had all hoped. The people running the Maternity Home don't really know what they are doing. It is really too bad because a place like that is so desperately needed. They have no idea how to relate to or deal with girls in the situation DQ is dealing with now. It's frustrating because we cannot say anything now for fear they will put DQ and Nadia out on the street. It really is a sad situation down there.

Anyway, Blondie is a senior at KU, but will not graduate for another semester. She is doing fabulous and working her tail off. We are not sure where she will end up after graduation, but she would really like to move to Dallas. I guess we'll see about that. I'm not sure how I'll handle it if she moves further than 20 minutes from me. I'm trying to prepare myself now.

So much has been going on with hubby also. They have quite a few 'gigs' for the summer already booked! They are a great bar band, but sorry, nothing to share yet. I hope to take pictures at the next appearance. Dweeb actually had two jobs for pretty much our entire married life. Full time doc and part time administrative. Recently the administrative job he held was discontinued. Yikes was my first reaction. But, for the first time since he was a college student, he is not working 6-7 days a week. It's almost as if he is semi-retired now! It will be interesting to see if he starts walking circles around the house soon. His music is blooming though, with the extra time! He deserves the break for sure.

Okay, also included here are pics. Picture of little Nadia and the trips and Jack (all are growing like little weeds!)

Thank you all for your comments and emails! It's so nice to know I was missed! I will try to get around when I have time to actually surf the net. Holy cow, can't forget! My Texas Tornado (who is a star T Ball player now) is coming for a few days to visit in June!

Here We Go Again!

2007-03-27T10:43:00.000-05:00

No pictures today, but there will be more soon! Tomorrow is the day. Drama Queen will be delivering her baby girl bright and early. It's all scheduled. She is doing wonderful. She is healthy. Baby is healthy. All is well. We discovered from her medical records she delivered five weeks early with little Reece. Yikes. That was really early. This time, she is only five DAYS early. All should be just fine! Name you ask? That has been the most stressful. She has about five picked out and is all a dither about what it should be. I told her when she looked into her daughter's eyes, she will know. She wasn't convinced. Back up plan? She will call me and I will submit the names into a hat and draw one. Great story to tell her when she grows up.

I will be heading down south Friday to pick those two up and bring them back here for a few weeks. Give them a chance to get to know each other and let the entire family meet the new member of the family. Maybe our Texas Tornado will pay us a visit too!

Stay tuned! I shall update as soon as I know the details.

JAYHAWKS LOSE ON STEVE MCQUEEN'S BIRTHDAY

2007-03-24T21:18:00.000-05:00

You read that correctly. I know it's difficult to believe, but the Jayhawks had a difficult night. Their shooting was off and UCLA was very on. There you have it. The Jayhawk season is over. The Elite Eight is nothing to sneeze at considering the last two seasons, but it ain't the Final Four. Bright side? Brandon? Will you stick around next year... please? All of you? Please give us one more year with all of you together? That would be great!!! This was the first year this team was all together and look what they accomplished. Next year.... UNSTOPPABLE!

What does this have to do with Steve McQueen? Well, it's his birthday! Dweeb and I travelled to Slater, MO (his hometown) for the festivities to celebrate. Much memorabilia, Steve McQueen movies, tour, car show, his motorcycles, etc. In attendance were his widow Barbara McQueen (still gorgeous), his best friend and trainer Pat Johnson, and his stunt double Loren Janes. Many personal stories about Steve were shared with everyone. He was not only Mr. Cool (not to mention hot), he was just a great guy. I had a better picture, but knowing so many of you are so YOUNG you may not KNOW who Steve McQueen is (which is a sin), I posted this picture because you have probably seen his face. If you don't know, at the time of his death in 1980 at age 50 he was the highest paid actor in the world, he raced motorcycles and is in the motorcycle hall of fame, and he raced cars (the movie "Cars" named the main car Lightening McQueen after him)

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE MCQUEEN! We miss you!

Oh yeah.... GO UCLA!

Rock Chalk Baby!

2007-03-14T22:33:00.000-05:00

Tornado Warnings Have Begun

2007-02-28T19:41:00.001-06:00

It seems spring is trying to push it's way into the midwest, but winter just won't let go. Tonight the severe thunderstorms began. Tornado warnings have begun to the south and are headed our direction. They should arrive in the next hour or so. Unfortunately right behind that is more SNOW! GIVE ME A BREAK WITH THE FRIGGIN' SNOW! I am so sick of winter I want to slit my wrists. It won't be much snow, but it's snow none the less. *sigh*

Rusty and Blondie are doing great now that they have their car back all shiny and like new again. The wreck did some serious damage to the car, but now it's like having a new car! (especially since the body shop was so sweet and cleaned the inside of the car also! I actually saw the floor!) I know Blondie is looking forward to Spring Break which is coming soon. She is a poor college student, so she and her friends are going to park themselves down south at a friend's parents home and mooch off of them for the week. They are psyched to get out of town.

DQ... still pregnant. She's feeling it now. One month to go people! That little girl will be here soon. DQ is doing well other than being miserable (those with kids know what I'm talking about). Baby has moved down and DQ is doing some serious waddling now. We are all trying to get things together to make sure she has what she needs. After she delivers, she will probably spend a few weeks here with us while recovering. (really us girls here in town just want to hold the baby. hehehehe)

Dweeb's big gig is this Saturday at Callahan's Bar and Grill. I hope they are ready. They haven't been able to practice much due to illnesses and business trips, but I'm sure it will all fall into place I'm sure. I'm psyched for sure!!

And me. My life is with those babes and Jack. I can't really call them babes now. They will be two years old in a week! How does that happen? The triplets are little people. Jack will be 4 in three weeks! Just like my Texas Tornado who turned 4 a week ago. I have a break from this week. I do believe Baby Sis and her hubby have lost their minds. They took four kids under the age of 4 to DISNEYWORLD FOR A WEEK!!! They are nuts. Of course, not totally insane. They forced Lil Sis to go along and then coerced Chicago Sis and her hub that it would be fun if they joined them down there for vacation. Suckers. hahaha. I'm sure they are having a blast in the warm weather of Orlando, Florida. I don't know. I just keep thinking FOUR KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF FOUR AT DISNEYWORLD and I laugh.

Other than that, you know what I'm doing.... JAYHAWKS ARE ROCKING THE HOUSE PEOPLE!!! They are awesome right now! I've been watching college b ball getting ready for March Madness!

Picture of the day!

2007-02-16T22:36:00.000-06:00

Rusty is just too cute!!! Seems I've been missing lately. I'll try to get around tomorrow and see what you all have been up to lately.

Finally...

2007-01-29T09:23:00.000-06:00

It only took me over twenty years to get him to actually take some time and do this, but we accomplished it yesterday. We got four songs on track. It's not perfect, as we are still learning the equipment and we have to pace this so Dweeb doesn't throw the track recorder off the deck in frustration. But I have four songs loaded up and ready to share. The first is Billy Joel and I'm missing New York lately (probably more vacation than anything else), so he is loaded first. This is a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge (for those who don't know). We cross it at least once on foot every trip headed to Brooklyn Heights from Manhattan.

Dweeb is going to also start playing around town a bit on his own. He also made this CD of sample songs because a place on the Plaza wants to hear him as they get ready to book for summer outdoor entertainment. Not bad for a guy who taught himself everything. He had two guitar lessons as a kid. Things are moving pretty fast all of a sudden and I hope he doesn't stress himself out. The band will probably have 2-3 events a month by then (hopefully not more). Oh yeah, he does have his JOB! Can't forget that for awhile.

Anyway, the recording is not perfect, done in a couple of hours, but you get the idea. I hope you enjoy it. I will change the song in a couple of days.

We Weren't Lyin'

2007-01-23T12:09:00.000-06:00

He finally did it. Dweeb finally knows he is a great musician. The girls (Blondie, DQ, and myself) have been telling him for years he is great, but he didn't believe it. I believe I mentioned he is now in a band. They have been practicing up a storm... at our house. Good thing I love music. They really sound very good. Dweeb plays keyboards, little guitar, sax, flute, vocals. The demo has been made and this week we began shuffling around to the local establishments promoting. I know once people hear them, they will catch on locally and they will have more gigs than they can handle.

It's now time to expand that damn song list. You know what I'm talking about. THE bar list. The same old songs you hear everytime you go out to a bar with live music with a cover band. If I hear Mustang Sally, Walking On Sunshine, Johnny Be Good, etc one more time, I'll scream! Let's get some good rock-n-roll out there that people want to hear!

Dweeb is downstairs now. He is going to teach the band some Jethro Tull, Traffic, Pink Floyd, etc. Then they will stand apart from the average cover band.

Now, how was Dweeb finally convinced he is so good at piano and guitar and vocals? He tried out for another band. He had no intention of joining this other band. The other band had recorded. Recorded original music in Nashville and been on a little mini tour and was known regionally. Dweeb wanted to know if he was good enough to make this band. If they liked him, he knew he was a good musician. Well, of course they liked him. They LOVED him! They wanted him to come back. They got all excited. And he had to refuse them. Us girls shook our heads at him. He just had this big grin on his face. He now knows weren't lying.

An Update On Drama Queen

2007-01-20T18:47:00.000-06:00

So much has happened since I last gave an official update on my oldest daughter who is due to give birth this spring to a baby girl. DQ is doing well and looking well. We have been on quite the roller coaster ride the last couple of months. She moved to a maternity home in another state to remove herself from her triggers and try to put her life together. She decided she was going to place her daughter for adoption. She wants the very best for her child. DQ was told before she moved to this state that if she chose adoption, the father's signature on the paperwork is not necessary. We knew he would fight it, because in his mind you keep your children whether you are fit to raise them or not (and we know what happened when he had custody of my grandson). So this was good news for my daughter.

In November, DQ was told a blood test indicated the baby most likely had a chromosomal disorder called Trisomy 18. This is fatal over 90% within the first year of life. We were devastated. So the wait began for the amniocentesis and results from that test which are more accurate and could tell us for sure whether the baby had this disorder. We were told the baby had only a 4% chance to NOT have this disorder. Well, after waiting over two weeks and making it through Christmas, we finally called the clinic to discover the test was negative. Supposedly everything is fine. We are hesitantly relieved. Not totally convinced and scared to death they will retract their findings at any time.

We are now into January and the due date is creeping up. DQ chose a young couple that she pretty much fell in love with to adopt her baby. The next step would be for her to actually meet them, etc. She informed the director of her choice only to be told that that folder was put in the stack by mistake and that the couple had not completed the process yet. They would not be ready by birth to adopt. (too many hoops and redtape to jump through). DQ was devastated again! There were supposedly only about 9 couples who wanted a bi-racial baby and the others she was not happy with at all for various reasons (remember, we know what we are doing in this area). I couldn't believe there were only 9 couples. I know of three in my own neighborhood who want to adopt that little girl now, but they can't because DQ would lose her support system in the other state. We had this problem with another agency years ago and since then when adoption was involved in any manner with any person we knew, it was private. No agencies. Anyway... this whole paragraph is a moot point due to the fact their lawyer had to be fired for LYING! The father DOES have to sign papers for adoption!

So... DQ is in a situation where she must grow up, stay straight, and raise her daughter. She was so upset and so frightened at first. So much has been thrown at her in the last two and a half months her head is spinning. She has stayed strong. I'm very proud of her. I'm afraid I would have gone ballistic on someone at this point. Everything is working out the way it is supposed to be. Here it is in nutshell ... at least today.

DQ will deliver in the spring. The maternity home has a home for her and the baby to live in on/near the compound where she lives now. Hopefully, she will work there while she continues school and gets her degree. There is a couple who are giving her every baby item she could possibly need because they have just found out they cannot have children. How generous is that? How difficult for them. DQ will return the items or we will store them because I have a feeling God will bless them with a child from somewhere after their generosity.

My daughter is receiving so much help, friendship, support, and love from the people she has met in Arkansas. She has even met one of Dweeb's cousins he didn't know he had! How about that! It is truly a blessing she found this support system. I miss her and am looking forward to driving down there to see her.

LITTLE RUSTY

2007-01-18T08:40:00.000-06:00

Meet little Rusty! My new grandpuppy. Blondie is the proud mommy of this critter. We searched high and low for this adorable little bundle of fur and found him patiently waiting in the corner of a little cage of a pet store a week ago.

Blondie has wanted a 'little' dog for about four years now and I've pretty much poo-pooed the idea knowing how the first years of college are spent. She was still adamant about wanting her pooch this year. She is a senior and will be attacking the corporate world within the year, so I relented and agreed it was time.

The search intensified a week and a half ago. We drove from pet store to pet store. We called breeders in the newspapers. We looked at dog, after dog, after dog. Some were absolutely adorable! But they were just not the right one. Some were just plain psycho with their front paws spinning 100mph and their heads turning 360 degrees as they yipped while holding them. Those poor puppies are probably still in the cages waiting to be taken home somewhere. They were crazy! In the midst of the crazies, there was little Rusty just laying there. He was looking at them like they were crazy. They didn't seem to bother him at all. He just layed there. That looked like our kind of dog. Great temperament so far! Blondie picked him up and immediately called him "Rusty".

Well, Rusty didn't come home with us immediately. We had to search the rest of the day to make sure. No other dog during the search on any day was named while being held except this one. That pretty much told us that Rusty was ours. We made the call to the pet store and said we were on our way back. Good thing! Someone else nearly bought him! NO WAY! RUSTY IS OURS!

Now, about that pet store. You all know Blondie and her taste in designer apparel. She succeeded in finding a pet store just for Rusty with designer apparel! Land of Paws is the most awesome pet store I've ever seen in my life. They only have dogs. They only cater to dogs. IT DOESN'T SMELL! They have a doggie bakery. They sell KU JAYHAWK gear (huge plus). Rusty already has an argyle sweater and KU Jersey. For spring he will wear his black muscle tee that touts BITCHES (Picture of a heart) ME because, as Blondie and her friends say, Rusty is a Bad Ass. This pet store even has Juicy Couture dog beds. I've never seen anything like this place. Miranda, I know you can appreciate this place.

Blondie and Rusty will be in town in the next couple of days so I plan on treating Rusty to a 'treat' at the Doggie Bakery. I know.... I'm a sucker.

Fair Humiliation

2007-01-14T22:10:00.000-06:00

Okay Chris, you were correct that I did not post a fair picture. This is the picture my sister was speaking of in the comments. Anyone else use such an ancient hair dryer in their life time?? Enjoy, because you may never see such a photo again. I apologize for frightening anyone on a Monday like this.

I'm glad you are all enjoying this spectacle. It is also very clear now why I dislike my mother and I did not date until I left home. Torture I tell you! *cue the violins please....*

To Be Fair

2007-01-08T17:41:00.000-06:00

Lil Sis has a point. I should be fair and post a picture of me when I was little. I searched around and finally found one that didn't show me in a perfect light. Just look at those bangs! Mom should never have been allowed to own a pair of scissors. Pretty cute huh? I'm wondering why my hair didn't stay that red past the age of 45.

Okay sis, there you go. Picture posted.

I'm still laughing...

2007-01-06T23:30:00.000-06:00

No particular reason for posting this picture. Just came across this picture again of Lil Sis and Baby Sis and I can't stop laughing. What dorks. I just love them to death. Aren't those boots just to die for????

Out with the old, In with the new...

2007-01-05T09:59:00.000-06:00

The year 2006 is history now. Thank goodness. I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to be over. Last year was such a year of sadness, change, confusion, and soul searching for me I became exhausted! I am ready to start over now. How about you?

I feel great things are in store for 2007. I get the distinct impression I am not the only one who went through so much crap in 2006. I know a few of you out there went through periods of time you began to question your own sanity also.

Family issues were big this past year in my life. I finally gave up. I can't make everyone happy including my mother. She is the way she is. I can't change the way she behaves. I refuse to fall prey to her crap anymore. I wont instigate the fights, but if she throws anything my way, I will toss right back. No more guilt trips my way baby.

The loss of Reece was devastating at first. I now realize he was brought into this world for a purpose. That was to save his mother. Between him and his not yet born sister, they are literally saving her life. Our little angel is working mini miracles in heaven right now.

Regarding my unborn granddaughter. I've not said much. We thought she had a good chance of having a chromosomal defect known as Trisomy 18. Translation: She was going to die. Yeah... great news, huh? Over Christmas, we heard the tests came out negative, but we are still not convinced. So stay tuned. But as of now, our little girl seems to be okay! Due to arrive in March. Drama Queen will not be returning home again except for a short visit. She is starting a new life in her new state. This is GREAT news.

I have a million things I'm going to occupy my life with now that I have accepted the fact my children have basically abandoned me by growing up and don't need me as much now. Jerk kids. Dweebs band has been trying to record tid bits to get gigs and when I get my hands on it I'll put it in the player. They are sounding really good and having a blast.

So, there is the update in an extreme nutshell and as I said in the beginning....

Great things are coming in 2007! And you???

Party Like It's 2007

2007-01-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

We survived. If you have children. If you love children. If you love being around children.

The Great Wolf Lodge is for you. I'm not really sure what I am doing here.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2006-12-27T16:01:00.000-06:00

The festivities are not over yet! The Great Wolf Lodge is topping off our holiday fun this weekend and we are psyched! As Catholic Mom and Catholic Family know, the GWL is a fabulous fun spot with an indoor water park. The craziness begins with bowling at the "Martini Bowling Alley". Yeah, it shall be a blast and many a pic shall be taken. Let's hope they are not all blurred.

Fahget about it kiddos... it ain't gonna happen... this gal does not wear a bathing suit, so there will be no picks of that here! Nice try.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2006-12-20T21:50:00.000-06:00

A Merry Christmas to all! I'm sure everyone is busy getting ready for Santa Claus to visit. Everyone except Malathionman. So I've found a project for him while he is on his Vicodin Vacation. He may pick up his project at his nearest Costco. The picture above is what the final project should look like. I want pictures of his final result.

Good luck with your mission!

Six Weird Things About Me

2006-12-17T07:25:00.000-06:00

I ran, but Catholic Mom was too quick for me. I've been tagged. There are many weird things about me, but I shall limit my list to six.

1. I, too, cannot roll my 'r's. It is quite embarassing at times when trying to speak Spanish and it just doesn't sound quite right.

2. I cannot roll my tongue. This is embarassing because I seem to be the only person who cannot do this. My family says, "C'mon, mom, it's easy". Well, it's not. I can't do it.

3. When standing still and talking, I lift my right foot up onto my toe and twist my foot back and forth.... back and forth.... back and forth... which drives my children insane. I can't help it. I do it without thinking. I've caught them doing it a time or two and they didn't realize it.

4. If you say you are hungry in my home, or ask for something to eat, without even thinking I begin to list everything in the house that is edible prefaced with 'we've got'... eg. we've got Eggos, we've got chicken nuggets, we've got turkey. This is another thing that drives my children insane. No matter how many times they say they are hungry, I will repeat what we have to eat in the house. Habit I suppose.

5. I have an 'evil' eye. I don't mean to have an 'evil' eye. It is just there. When I look at someone or am concentrating, it sometimes appears that I am giving them a mean look. Please, if I do this to you, it is NOT a mean look or an 'evil' eye. Really.

6. Our home has little stacks everywhere. I don't like stacks, but they are there. Stacks of magazines, papers, coupons, etc. I tolerate these stacks EXCEPT in the living room and entryway! NO STACKS THERE! Stacks do appear on the coffee table and floor. By evening, I'm staring down the stacks and my right leg is jumping. I will pick up the stacks and move them 6 feet to the counter (where there are mini stacks) just to get them out of the living room.

So, just a little weirdness that is me. And now I shall tag Miranda, Sarah, and Sabine!

Time for a Change

2006-12-15T08:50:00.000-06:00

I'm cleaning house, in a sense. I'm cleaning this place out and shaping it up. I'm learning the ropes little by little as I have time and I'm going to make the permanent switch over here. So if you see something a little strange or like it doesn't quite belong, it probably is and it probably doesn't. To be continued....

Humble Pie

2006-11-16T21:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry people, this is a gal with issues right now. One issue is a basketball team which has been humbled early in the season. Don't be fooled. Oral Roberts University is not a 'no name' team. Eddie Sutton's son coaches this team and they are darn good with two players who could easily be a starter for Jayhawks or Longhorns. Our boys are young hot shot All Americans and probably needed a helping of Humble Pie before we meet Florida over Thanksgiving weekend.

No snickering over there Caffeinated Librarian... I heard how close your game with Winthrop was last night. Many 'experts' are predicting our teams to meet in March Madness.

North Carolina vs Kansas

Wouldn't that be so sweet!

One more thing: Drama Queen really needs a quick prayer from each of you for her baby girl. I am not able to explain more, because I don't have enough facts yet, but I DO know prayers are needed. Thanks all you WONDERFUL people!

What Month Is It???

2006-11-08T20:30:00.000-06:00

Holy Cow! Did I miss the month of October?? I think I did. It's nice to know I was missed. Got your distress call Miranda *wink*. This was not done done on purpose by any stretch of the imagination. I refuse to be Debbie Downer constantly! Sheesh! I could of course and make you all realize your lives REALLY aren't that bad, but I'm not. Who wants to know that? We all love to wallow a bit, right? I know I love to! HA! LOVE IT! Then I feel much better and cleansed when I pick myself up and move on.

Actually, it's been a bit more life changing than that this past month, but more later on that. More important things are going on right now. GYMBOREE PEOPLE!!! PRIORITIES PLEASE! I would have loved to have taken a few of my precious moments I had to try to compose a quick note to you all, but hey.... I had to go to GYMBOREE!!! What a bit of a zoo that place is. It's more of a free-for-all for the toddlers. A place for kids to run around and throw things in climates that suck and they can't play outside basically. I hopefully will get some pictures soon *wink*.

I would have posted a few days ago, but I was trying to start getting around to everyone because I have not been able to. My issues have been regarding health and spirit, but to say they are on the mend does not do it justice. I feel as if it is a rebirth of sorts. I do hope it is and not just a flash or a tease. It something that only time will tell. So please understand that I do not wish to jinx it now by talking about it. I'm still sorting it out in my head myself. But I do definitely have more energy in the last couple of days.

Now..... JAYHAWKS RULE BABY!!!!!!!!!!! All right Caffeinated Librarian, it's on girl. I know you and Roy are ranked #2, but that won't be for long.... WE ROCK BABY! We are on your tail girl! We did have to kick CJ Giles off the team for being a freakin' moron, but no loss, we have Slim Shady baby. It looks like this year is going to be FUN! Sherry, Jayhawks are playing Florida Nov. 25 on ESPN2 in the Vegas Tourney if you happen to catch it. (I know how you are).

So in summation, I apologize for disappearing, but it was for a good reason. DQ is doing good in Arkansas, Blondie is awesome self in Jayhawk Country, Dweeb is having band practice in the other room, and right this very moment, life is good.

Burnin' Down the House(or trying to)

2006-10-22T15:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been awhile. I'm still here. I'm still alive. Just a quick update today though due to birthday dinner for my mother-in-law and hunky boyfriend. We are going to eat where Blondie works and make her wait on us. That will be a switch!

Drama Queen has adjusted quite well. She loves Arkansas. But, then again, Arkansas is absolutely beautiful with the mountains. She stopped bucking everyone who talked to her and hopefully is gaining something from the church she must attend and the people around her. The bible teacher is still constantly reminding her that she is praying for her soul. I am assuming she is a fairly new convert to that faith, as that is how most are in the beginning... pushy. She begins GED classes this week which will help tremendously. Get that brain cookin' again. Oh wait, maybe she already cooked it! (just kidding) She did find out the adoption laws in Arkansas which are drastically different then in Kansas which is a good thing. She is keeping that as a viable option (yes, there is a God). Still, we have been in this same type of place before, so time will tell.

Blondie. She went out with a guy that she actually likes! He's not annoying and a jerk. She has actually known him since high school (he went to a different school). We'll see how long he lasts. She is a whiz at school, as usual and I'm just so dang proud of her.

Dweeb is busy with his new band. Many new songs to learn and print out, so haven't seen him much. But, he is doing what he loves and that is the most important thing to me.

Me? I've been at that point in life where I'm not sure what to do next. A bit lost to say the least. After much soul searching and realizing it's time for the girls to be more on their own I've made a decision. I'm running away from home. (just kidding!) I'm going back to school. Too old to start over in college (my opinion). No credits I've earned in the past are good now. I love photography, so I'm going that route. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. I need a life!

I thought I'd have time to blogwalk today, but... there is always that but, isn't there? I was going to vacuum and mop real quick and then get to some serious reading. Two problems arose. The Swiffer wet mop stopped working. I got mad about that, so went to the vacuum. After two rooms, the vacuum started smoking. I mean smoking with possible sparks or flames shooting out from it. I quickly turned it off and threw it out on the driveway. I was seriously pissed at this point. I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon buying yet another vacuum. Why don't they last longer? No way was I going the cheap route this time. I'm buying the best. I succombed to the Dyson. When I got home and re-vacuumed a room that I had done before the old one crapped out, I could not believe the amount of dirt that it sucked up! I'm a bit happier now.

It's time for the birthday party, so must run. Oh yeah, my mother-in-law is heading back to Paris soon for three weeks or so. I'm SO happy for her. She will meet up with her brother while she is there and travel around France with him. I'll save that for later. Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Late Night in the Phog and DQ

2006-10-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Haven't been around because I've been dealing with my Drama Queen. She was unable to find a place to live anywhere around here. She was going to have to go to a shelter for the homeless if she did not find somewhere to go. After searching the internet she found a place in Arkansas that takes in single moms to be regardless of age. They were kind enough to accept her right away. So, DQ and I took a road trip this week.

The drive I was dreading, but it turned out great. We laughed so hard and got lost in the Boston Mountains that it made the trip worthwhile. We didn't arrive until close to 10 pm, but they were ready and waiting for us. This place also takes care of children in need of care and is a beautiful complex. I was quite pleasantly surprised. We were shown her room and it had a welcome sign specifically for her with a basket of goodies she might need right away. They supply everything for her. One catch? No smoking allowed. She protested, but then admitted she figured that would be the case and took it in stride. Glad I'm not in that dorm these first few days until she gets used to it. I left within thirty minutes. I spent the night in the town and headed back home early the next morning.

She has been calling (or trying to get a hold of me) ever since. I did speak to her last night and she seemed to be doing well. The first week is such an adjustment, I hope she keeps her attitude in check. She is required to attend church twice a week and take their bible classes. Being Catholic, we discussed how she needs to not react to what they may say to her. She needs to go by the rules, not laugh, and be open minded. Take from it what she can and leave the rest alone. Of course, as expected, the first bible class was the woman telling her that she was raised basically wrong (Catholic) and that we are idol worshippers. I am so incredibly sick of this perception and frankly we have stopped trying to correct this ignorance. She did as we discussed and just listened. The woman said she would pray for my daughter's soul and hope that she accepts Jesus into her life. Oye! I wish these kind of lies about Catholics would just stop, but it's open season on us. So be it. We can take it.

I had to check in with her lawyer (who was Jaden's dad's lawyer during custody battle 1 1/2 years ago). Hopefully, he can convince the judge that DQ needs to stay down there away from the 'baby daddy' and all her triggers.

Good news is that she is not in a shelter and is hours away to hopefully do some soul searching. It is still too early to know whether she leave this place too. I just never know what she will do next. I pray she stays there and makes the right decision.

So... that is where I have been. The girl has eaten up every spare moment I have had, but hopefully I can get back to normal.

I'll be around this weekend to finally catch up on everyone. Til then.. have a good weekend.

__________________________________________

LATE NIGHT IN THE PHOG!

You heard me... it's the beginning of college hoops FINALLY! I could not make it up there tonight for the first night of practice (open to the public), but Blondie will let me know what I missed out on. AND Sunday the Chicago Bulls and Seattle Sonics are playing at Allen Fieldhouse! Yep.. we are that cool. Hinrich (Bulls) and Collison (Sonics) are former Jayhawk greats (graduated a couple of years ago) so the two teams are meeting on KU Campus! Blondie is going, of course, but I must go to the horse races because I hear Crazy A's boyfriend is possibly buying a race horse then. Must check out this horse in his race. I do believe he is as crazy as my sister-in-law.

MUCK FIZZOU!

2006-10-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

If there is one team I truly dislike, it would be the Missouri Tigers. There are many reasons why, but we won't go into that today. Yes, I dislike them even more then the Nebaska Cornhuskers (love those corncob hats people!)

I have had a bad enough week already, so I don't want to hear about today's games. Hoops will begin soon and then you Mizzou fans will all be sorry. You are all poor losers... admit it! So, leave it alone today.

MUCK FIZZOU!

Love ya.. have a great weekend!

Could We Make It Through ONE Birthday...

2006-10-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

How I wish we could get just ONE birthday of DQ's without drama and disaster.

Tuesday morning I spoke with her on the phone. Air conditioning was out at her house, so I told her she could come over to keep cool. Fine. She would finish the load in the washer and call me.

Within an hour, Dweeb called from work. DQ was on her way to the ER. He said it was something like she had lost a pint of blood already and they were leaving the 'baby daddy' place (father of Reece). WTF??? I just talked to her! She has no car! *sigh* I told him I was on my way.

When I arrive at the ER she is already headed for x-ray for her hand. It had gone through a window at the 'baby daddy' house. She went there to get her jacket and his girlfriend was there and they had a fight. Wait a minute... jacket??? It's freakin' 95 degrees outside! She didn't need a jacket. Obviously she needed a fight. She knew what she would find. *screaming at the top of my lungs on the inside*. She gets hand bandaged, we get her script filled, and I take her to her house. This took the entire day!

Tuesday evening, her girlfriend took her to dinner. They returned to their house and DQ went to bed. Soon, three police officers were at the door to get her for domestic violence and damage. OYE! They handcuff her and put her in the car. (I think next birthday I'm going to get her handcuffs to wear as jewelry. She seems to be used to this now). I go to bed and wait for the call Wednesday morning from the County Jail.

An advocate for her calls me Wednesday morning. He informs me of the official charges. I explain in 50 words or less the situation between these two people and explain about Reece. He'll try to use that if needed with the judge. I spend the day waiting and waiting for the phone call that comes after her hearing in front of the judge.

Early afternoon I get the call. The judge was not nice. (duh!) He looked at her previous record which includes kicking out the window of a patrol car, etc etc and is not happy with DQ. (duh!) He even had her juvenile record. It's quite a list, but all misdemeanors. (One point for DQ). He told her what her bond would be. She paniced knowing I would not pay that and begged him. (Charming the judge... I think's it genetic and not in a good way people). He lowered it and it only took 100 bucks to get her out.

I get in the car and head to the County Jail. I only do this because I don't want her to lose her job or lose her status at the house she is living. She is walking on thin ice as it is with the police officers showing up. Well, I made the mistake of showing up 30 minutes before shift change. Great. I spend over two hours sitting at the jail waiting for her to be released. If I left to run an errand or for any other reason, her name would be taken off the release list and not put back on until I got back. She was first on the release list and if I left she would get put at the bottom (as the tiny lobby had filled up by now). So she walks out in her jammies and gets in the car and I dump her back at her house. She knows I'm not happy at all. Hopefully, she can get moved out of this metro area this weekend and away from all of this.

I do not understand why she went over there and why she won't just stop and move on! He has made it very clear he does not want her around. But, with borderline personality disorder... *sigh* I'm thinking of running away from home!

I'll keep you posted .... next week, I'm going to try to talk about good and happy things. Blogland is too sad right now. Everyone have a great weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAMA QUEEN!

2006-10-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Drama Queen was born October 3, 1980 which now makes her 26 years old. (those numbers sure sting! Ouch!) I had trouble getting images here for some reason, so to see the positive side of my DQ go HERE.

Happy Birthday Girl!

All Right Already! sheesh

2006-10-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

The post before this one regarding my daughter Blondie has generated quite a hullaballoo!

The story is... Blondie and Cass with their friend C went to a concert that night. I was requested to be designated drop off and pick up person so they could REALLY have fun. I had no problem with this at all and ecstatic they had asked. We don't want our kids driving even after one beer. When I picked the girls up, they were stumbling out of there and Blondie was yelling "I'm in love! I'm going to marry him. NO SERIOUSLY! I'm going to marry this guy!" She always seems to think guys younger than her are cute, so we had fun with the fact he is only 17.

The entry below this one was mostly to practice putting video on my space here.

So please, family members who read this blog and have been calling me in a panic.... SHE IS NOT GETTING MARRIED! Don't worry, Blondie is still on track and not even dating any particular person!

I am notorious for writings like this as many of you already know. It's all in good fun and hopefully makes for a good read.

Thanks for all the great comments!

I Hear Bells Ringing

2006-09-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-09-26T18:12:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-09-21T14:05:00.000-05:00

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

2006-09-19T10:38:00.000-05:00

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

2006-09-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

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)

2006-09-05T18:52:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-09-03T00:22:00.000-05:00

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.

This Happens Often... NOT!

2006-08-31T22:20:00.000-05:00

I dashed up the highway to make drops at each daughters residence. Things they MUST have now. I'm a good sport. To my surprise, they were free at the same time. More like they were hungry for some decent food and mom was in town for an hour. Time for some "bonding"! An hour of bliss for all three of us. Their tummies are full and so is my heart. (boy is this pic not so good)

Nice to know my girls love me and want to spend time with their mama. Glad their manners have remained intact while becoming the independent women that they are now.

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Butterflies and Tears

2006-08-29T19:44:00.000-05:00

I was up very early this morning to travel and see Drama Queen graduate from the inpatient recovery center. It's an hour drive to the center and the entire time I had knots in my stomach. I nearly turned back twice. But I didn't. I pressed on. When I followed the map to the address, I realized this was a neighborhood I had chased her down before seven years earlier. I nearly cried right there. I tried to ignore my surroundings and get myself in the door as soon as possible.

The moment I walked in the door, DQ was there waiting for me. She looks fabulous! An addict's body detiorates with use very quickly, the acne is horrendous, body becoming more like a shell with bones protruding. They look sick. DQ was radiant. Her hair was shining and healthy. I cannot remember her face looking so smooth and beautiful in years. Her body is perfect. She is not overweight from eating too much starch (happens in some rehabs) and it is not thin (from not eating enough). And then there's that tummy. No doubt she is pregnant. My heart sank when I actually saw this.

She took me to the room where all the women residents and counselors had gathered for her graduation and closing ceremony. There is a coin with the name of the center on it. DQ is not allowed to touch it yet. One at a time, each girl held that coin and spoke. They expressed to my daughter what she meant to them. They expressed what they wish to take from her. Then expressed what they wish to give to her. What was expressed over and over is DQ's strength, her knowledge of the 12 step program, and her love of people. Of course, I know all these things. It was nice to hear about twenty other women say the same things about my girl. Then the coin was handed to her. There were many, many tears among these women. They have grown close in a short time.

DQ loves butterflies. While she was in this center, she would have a Monarch butterfly floating around her whenever she was outside. She took this as a sign that it was Reece staying close to her. Whenever the other girls were outside and a butterfly would flutter around, they come in and let DQ know that Reece was outside. DQ beamed as she told me this. She blames herself for Reece's death. She is doing much better, but has a long road ahead still.

I then drove her to the next residence she will stay for three to six months. This is what is different this time around. Usually, you finish the inpatient program and they open the door with a good luck and don't let the door hit you on the way out! This place is supervised, but not a lock down inpatient facility. It is a re-integration facility. There are counselors to help her on site. The clinic and doctor is a couple of blocks down the road. She will hopefully be looking for a job soon. She will work on finishing her GED. She only has the Math portion left to pass. Damn Math. She missed passing it the last time by two lousy points.

I'm still not convinced anything has changed with her. She claims she has 'gotten over' Reece's father, yet he was thinking of attending her graduation until he heard I would be there. Wise choice to not come. He is the father of the present bun in the oven. I guess time will tell. The good thing is she is not in our metro area. She is very close to Blondie, but she doesn't know where Blondie lives now. We are going to keep it that way for now. Both of my girls are now in Jayhawk Country.

I pray she makes it this time, but I already feel we are heading down the old familiar road. God help me.

My Apologies

2006-08-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I can't visit today. My mind is busy. I have decided to go to Drama Queen's 'graduation' in the morning. I am still not quite sure how I feel about this, but as her mom, I feel I need to give her some sort of support to keep her going. I'm frightened and I'm scared... for me. I just want my daughter back.

I'll be back tomorrow night, hopefully.

10 Things That Represent My Life

2006-08-26T15:38:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by Tammi and now must come up with the ten things that represent my life. Sounds simple at first, but this is booger of a list to come up with. This meme actually took some real thought! So, here goes...

1. My Family: This has to be first because my two daughters and my husband have been the center of my life for the past 26 years. They are my 'job'. My life revolves around these three people. Hubby is a physician. That should be enough said, but he works in the E.R. which means we don't know what his schedule is from month to month. His shifts change from day to day. Shifts range from day, mid-day, evening, and the dreaded night shift. These shifts don't come in groups together, they are scattered all over the place. No such thing as a 'regular' bedtime around here. DQ obviously has kept me on my toes for past ten years. Running around trying to find her, keep her court dates, visiting her in hospitals, getting her to appointments, and dealing with couples who want to adopt her 'next' baby. OYE! Blondie. She kept me busy running her around to all her athletic and dance activities. Some normalcy in my life! These three are more than a full time job. I don't know how you moms who work outside the home do it. I'm pooped.

2. My Sisters: My sisters are my best friends. I spend most time with them when I am not with my family. I couldn't get through my life without my sisters. Sure they piss me off, but there are so many of them, that there is always at least one or two I'm happy with at any given time. The beauty of a large family. (watch the comments girls)

3. Music: I love music. I love most music. It used to be just rock, but I have learned to appreciate just about anything I listen to at any given time. We have albums, a gajillion CD's, and of course my iPod. That poor little thing is packed with everything from country to rock to blues to classical to rap. And of course you know I have my own personal musician in residence who sings on command. Sometimes I have to tell him to shut-up cause it's driving me batty and I can't hear the news on T.V. Music is huge in our life and home.

4. Laptop: This probably wouldn't have made the list if my power had not been going off and on sporadically for hours on end recently. Dweeb and I first thought no big deal. It will get a bit warm, but we can live with it until the power comes back on. WRONG! I headed to my laptop and he headed to the desktop. My laptop is on battery, but it does not good if you have no electricity to hook up to the internet!! We were at a loss without our computers. I spend HOURS on this contraption a day. Searches, talking with Blondie or friends, blogwalking, downloading more music... you get the idea. Most of you are probably the same way. I realized I cannot live without my laptop.

5. Books: Books have a been a big part of my life since I was a child. I was a reader from an early age. I have shelves and shelves of books. I am getting close to having the complete collection of Pope John Paul II's writings. That will always be kept on my shelf. Others I really need to give away. You can read my mind by looking at what I'm reading at any given time. For instance, I just finished Nora Ephron's new book "I Feel Bad About My Neck". (She is my hero) Sitting on the little table next to the couch where I park my tush is "The Purpose Driven Life". I want to see what the fuss is about this book. I'll keep you posted on that. Sitting on coffee table staring at me begging to be opened is Thomas Friedman's "The World Is Flat". That book scares me just looking at it. Such committment it is going to require! The content and the number of pages! Also on the bookshelf to never be removed is Sylvia Plath and Augusten Burroughs, Carrie Fisher (she is hilarious!) and John Irving. I also have many books regarding my faith. Have a question about why Catholics do that? I probably have the answer on my bookshelf! I just love books.

6. My Home: This must be on the list because I spend so much time here. I have lived here longer than I have lived anywhere at anytime. We have lived here for 15 1/2 years. That's a freakin' lifetime! My home is a mess. It's not a 'show home' like most in our area. Most of the homes in our area you'd be afraid to touch anything if you went inside. Not here. You not only can pick it up, you can throw it if you want! And we have! We just have lots of STUFF after so many years. Dweeb began with one room downstairs for his music and it has now invaded nearly every single room in the house. My books, scrapbooking crap, camera and accessories also take space in many rooms. And the stacks! This is inherited. I swear. I have stacks. Stacks of papers here. Stacks of papers there. I have tried to organize and file and get them out of the way. It works for awhile, but I invariably find I'm back to stacks. It is organized chaos though. If that's any consolation. It's not too bad really. I just look at everyday and it's getting my last nerve again. I do love my home. Very open. One room flows into another. No doors or small doorways except on bathrooms or bedrooms. I look out my huge back windows (and there is shit load of them, fourteen to be exact) and I see a beautiful lake with a landscaped area that comes to the edge of our property. We completely lucked out by being one of the first six people to move into this area. There are now over 700 homes. We have the best lot in the area. NICE!

7. My Car: Our home is a bit out in the sticks. Civilization is growing our way, but just to get to any shopping it is ten miles one way. I can spend a lot of time in the car. It takes me to 1 - 1 1/2 hours to make a 'quick' run to the grocery store. If I have several errands to run, I map it out so I go in a circle and end up back home without having to backtrack. Backtracking can cost you another 15 minutes to half hour depending on traffic. My car hold any necessities I may need in a pinch. Kleenex, hand lotion, blanket, water, camera, and any items that need to be delivered 'just in case' I end up near the place or see the person it belongs to. I have the iPod car gadget so I can listen to it. On the radio is the sports station so I can keep up do date on the Jayhawks (of course). My car is my second home.

8. My Faith: I am a Catholic. I am an Irish Catholic. I am very proud of that. I LOVE my faith. Some would say I have every reason to hate the Church and are surprised I still love the Church, but I do. The Church didn't do anything, but show me the way. My faith has gotten me through times I thought I would not live through. I believe my religion has the answers, if you know where to look for them. I just know in my heart this is where I'm supposed to be. Adoration is where I am able to speak more directly to God and to cry out loud.... He always answers me. I realize many of you will not understand what Adoration is and I'm sorry for not explaining that now. Confession! How wonderful is that! No, we don't confess so we can go right back out and do it again, etc, etc. If you have the right confessor, you can get all that crap off your chest, be forgiven, and receive spirtual guidance. All in one swoop! When you're finished, you feel fifty pounds lighter! Okay, better move on to the next one. Getting a bit carried away here. My apologies.

9. My Birks: KM will be horrified to read this. Turn your head now sweetie or you may scream. I love my birks. That is all I wear. I have different colors and styles, but that's about it. Don't get me wrong. I love shoes. Shoes don't love me. Birkenstocks are THE most comfortable shoes I have ever worn! I can walk for miles in those puppies. My feet never hurt when wearing them. Now, when winter hits and it's freezing outside, I have a new love when I leave home. UGGS. I know! But they are SO comfy! You need to understand, my wardrobe in the winter is jeans and hoodie sweatshirt and UGGS (if outside) or Birks (if inside). Can't help it. I'm a dork.

10. My glasses: I hate them. I hate them with a passion. But I have to have them or I can't see! I had 20/20 vision until I was 41 years old. Then... yep, downhill. I became blind as a bat. Glasses SUCK! Not only that, I went from 20/20 vision to BIFOCALS! Welcome to the 'other side'. My eye problem doesn't have a 'fix'. No laser treatment. No contact lens have been perfected for bifocals yet. (besides I probably wouldn't be able to get them in my eyes) I'm stuck with these things cluttering up my face, hurting my nose and ears. They are smeary much of the time and constantly being grabbed and tugged on by the triplets (previously it was Jaden). These glasses have been through hell. If frames style change, you SOL. You keep wearing what you have until they come back in style again. But, they are a part of me. I have to have them or I wouldn't be able to visit any of you.

I guess that's it. Not very interesting. I'm pretty dull actually. So, what 10 things represent you? I'm tagging anyone who reads this. This means you! I see you and I know who you are.

Drama Queen Update

2006-08-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

For those that do not know already, Drama Queen is my eldest daughter. She has been a drug addict for over ten years. Her 3 month old son, Reece, passed away May 20th and she had a terrible relapse. Drugs of choice: Crack and heroin. We were forced to make her leave our home the first of July. She has now been in a women's treatment facility for a month in a city about an hour away. I had not spoken to her since we told her to leave. Now... the update:

She has been writing me letters. Blah, blah, blah is what I read. I replied with a letter to explain why I could not speak or communicate with her. I have to try to take back my life after all these years. It had gotten to the point we did nothing but enable her when trying to help her. No more. She had to do this on her own or suffer the consequences of her decisions. I was not sure how she would react to this letter. Would she accept my explanation and continue her recovery or would she bolt from the facility? It was a toss up. She did need a copy of her birth certificate, but I was not going to send it if she was not there anymore. I made a phone call to her counselor for the first time to see if she was still at the facility. Of course, I had to leave a message. No human can ever talk to you. When the phone rang I thought it would be the counselor, but instead it was DQ. She was still there. She was calm. She said she accepted my letter. She is graduating from the recovery center next week and asked if I would consider coming for that celebration. My response was that I was not going to fall back into the same traps with her and I would have to think about it, but that I was proud of her and glad she was still there. The same day she 'graduates', she will be transported to another place for about six months where she will get a job and begin to learn to live life on her own. This is where she fails repeatedly. This is when I will have to stick to my guns and refuse to help her. She must do it on her own.

Oh yeah, one more 'little' thing. She's pregnant again. I had gotten wind of this news a few weeks ago and went ballistic then. That is FIVE children now. She cannot even take care of herself! She has not decided what she is going to do yet. Adoption is still an option. She knew I was not happy about this, so that part of the conversation was very short.

Hubby and I discussed all of this and I believe I may go to her 'graduation'. Show a little support, but I'm not convinced she's changed. She always does well in controlled environments. The test will be when she is released into the wild.

And with regards to her getting pregnant over and over. With her addiction, she does not use birth control properly (obviously) and probably never will. When she had Reece, she spoke to the doctor about having her tubes tied, but because she had no children living with her, the state refused to do that. Okay, our government at work again! I'd like get my hands on them, but she is at their mercy with no health insurance. If she places this child for adoption, it will be the same answer with regards to permanent birth control. They won't do it no matter how many children she has had. Their reasoning is that she has no children living with her now. IDIOTS! I could rant about that all day, but won't.

Anyway, she seems to be doing okay, but I'm still upset with her and will keep communication at a bare minimum. She must do all of this on her own. Otherwise, my child will die.

On a lighter note, I have to get going now. My nephew (3 years old and big bro to the triplets) went an ENTIRE day without going in 'time out' or picking on the triplets, so I have to take him bowling. That was the agreement made a month ago. It took him a month to make it a day with no 'time outs', so he deserves a bowling night!

I've Got An Itch... I Need Your Help

2006-08-23T22:31:00.000-05:00

If you have not visited my MSN Space, please do NOW

This regards a subject I find important at this time. If you feel the same way, you can make a difference.

The Victims of 9/11 need a face to their names. Go to http://rock-chalk.spaces.live.com now and find out how you can make a little difference. I know how busy everyone is right now with school beginning and all the activities going on, but this will take just a little of your time.

If I have already peaked your interest, take just a single moment and check out this blog to find out just how simple this is and how important it is. This a project being done by bloggers everywhere.

Thanks.

State of Mind? Are you kidding me?

2006-08-22T23:54:00.000-05:00

I have been negligent on this little space. It will never grow and I will never make the transistion if I don't get a move on, so here I am.

As many know, this has been an incredibly bumpy summer for yours truly. I am coming to terms with the death of my grandson Reece. Really. I'm not just saying that. I visit his grave every week if even for a minute to remind him to take care of his mom, Drama Queen. Speaking of which, I spoke to her today and she is doing fairly well. This is the first time I've spoken to her since she relapsed and we kicked her out of the house the first of July. She graduates from recovery program on Tuesday. More on that maybe tomorrow. I am beginning to take my life back after more than ten years of dealing with her and her addiction. My baby girl turned 21 as everyone on earth knows. This is difficult. My baby is an adult. What does that make me? Sure I'm still a mom, but not in the same way. She is spreading her wings even wider right now and this is the most challenging of all. I have no other younger children to focus my attention.

My birthday was in June. When I turned 30, no problem. Sure it was the end of an 'era', but I wasn't devastated. Before I knew it the big 4-0 hit. Still, nothing to be upset about. I never looked my age. I always looked younger and felt younger. My focus was my girls. Turning 40 was no big deal at all to me. It was a celebration!

Let's fast forward to June, 2006. Turning 49. My eldest is turning 26 this year. My baby is turning 21. I am a grandmother to five grandchildren. Yeah, the big news I received. She's pregnant AGAIN! I'll rant about that later! Anyway... Inside I don't feel 49. Inside I don't want to be 49. Inside I don't think 49. Inside I forget I'm 49. Oh... that's a good thing? I hear you out there saying that. Liars! It's not a good thing.

I've read Oprah. I've seen the articles and books about how you are only as old as you feel. I have truly struggled with this all summer. It's all bullshit. You can think that all you want, but you are lying to yourself. At some point you have to look in that mirror! Mirrors do not lie! Forty-nine is staring me in the face. I have aged ten years in the last four years. It's not right. It's not fair. I have thought about this the past three months and now I must go on the offensive. It's time to go into the maintenence phase of my life.

Do any of you truly understand this? If you are under 45 you do not. Right now I wish I had schmoozed more with the plastic surgeon that married a childhood friend of mine. Maybe he would give me a discount. I wish my Godfather, the dentist, was a decent man and would whiten my teeth as a gift.

It's now time to start with more lotions, pedicures, possible facials, doing something about the horrible varicosities that keep recurring in the legs. It's time to begin taking more baths with bath oils to try to save this skin that was burnt to a crisp over and over growing up before sunscreen and being fair skinned and freckled. OYE! I do not like baths. I'm weird like that.

And yesterday, picking up the triplets as I've done a million times in the past year and a half I strain my back. Another reminder. Don't forget how OLD you are becoming. Time to call the family doctor and get that physical you haven't had since... well, let's just say I can't remember the last time I had real physical.

I was thinking about all this and getting more pissed off as I stopped off at the bookstore to pick up something the other day when I came across a new release. Nora Ephron's new book "I Feel Bad About My Neck". An excerpt from this little gem:

"Every so often I read a book about age, and whoever's writing it says it's great to be old. It's great to be wise and sage and mellow; it's great to be at the point where you understand just what matters in life. I can't stand people who say things like this. What can they be thinking? Don't they have necks?"

This from the woman who wrote "When Harry Met Sally", "Sleepless in Seattle", and "You've Got Mail". I love this woman. She is my hero! I now know I am not alone in my thinking.

Rockin' The Night Away

2006-08-14T23:54:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the Dweeb's 'gig'. He is pretty much a one man band at this point. It is difficult belonging to a full band with his schedule. He had a surgeon from work play bass Saturday. Dweeb played acoustic and electric guitar, electronic drum kit, drum machine, keyboards, and flute. The only instrument missing was the cymbals placed between his knees.

The party was hosted by one of the nurses from where he works. It was in a town called Peculiar. It was quite a drive to get there and I went later because I knew how long it would be to set up all of his equipment. As I pulled off the highway at the Peculiar exit, the billboard read "Peculiar... Where the 'odds' are with you". Hmm... do I really want to pull off here or should I make a quick u-turn and head back where I came from? That sounds a bit scary to me. Of course, I put on my brave face and proceeded into the place where the 'odds' would be with me.

The home of the nurse was very nice. Huge lot (acres) with a pond and a pool. The night was absolutely gorgeous for August. Dweeb was in full swing by the time I pulled down the long gravel drive. Dweeb is known throughout his place of business for his musical abilities and everyone loves it, which is a good thing. He would play whether they liked it or not. He played beautifully all night with only a couple of songs that went a bit haywire. Happens. No biggie. The big hit seemed to be when he was supposed to be taking a break. He picked up his stratocaster, supposedly to tune or check it out, but ended up playing Hendrix riffs. This brought the crowd to the forefront begging for more. Who doesn't like that? How can he refuse his fans? He can't. For the next ten minutes he just stood there, not worrying if everything was plugged in correctly or if his sheets of information were correctly placed in front of him. He just played. And it was grand.

2006-08-12T01:47:00.000-05:00

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World Trade Center - the movie

2006-08-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

Dweeb, Blondie, and I decided last evening at the last minute to see the movie "World Trade Center" that was released yesterday. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it. Not because of the subject matter, but because it was being made by Oliver Stone. He seems to take liberties with his movies I'm not fond of. Anyway, we are giving Oliver the benefit of the doubt considering what it is about and head to the theater.

The movie was very good in my view. I don't believe he took any liberties with the subject matter. You can nick pick at little stuff, but take it as a whole and he has a very touching and moving movie. A story many people have not really heard before. And it's subject matter we need to be reminded of from time to time. I would recommend it.

I've mentioned several times over the past months my yearning to get back to NYC. This movie just made my itch worse. I'm not a 'big city' girl. Born and raised in the Midwest and that is where I'm comfortable, but there is something about that particular city that is mesmerizing. With the news this morning regarding more terroist plots thwarted, well, I think I can wait to scratch my itch.

When we go to New York City, it is only for about four days at a time. There is one particular hotel we stay in which is a couple of blocks from Times Square. No renting cars here. Everything is on foot, taxi, or subway. There are certain things we always do on each trip.

At least one Broadway show. If we can get tickets, we go to two. This is non negotiable.
We walk to the Village to see what's happening
Stroll through parts of Central Park and visit Strawberry Fields
Walk from Times Square, across the Brooklyn Bridge, over to Brooklyn Heights where Dweeb lived as an intern. At the end of his street is the Promenade that looks out over the river to Manhattan and the World Trade Center.
Little Italy for lunch at least once!
Find a new little neighborhood to explore (last visit was Soho which isn't little really)
People watch (keeping my eye out for Naked Cowboy again).

Before 9/11, the World Trade Center was on the above list as a must. In the center plaza of the buildings were benches where we would lay, looking up at the incredible structures. A trip to the World Trade Center also included a trip to the very top for Dippin' Dots. That was the lure. Dippin' Dots. Now it is a hole in the ground. A very big hole. All the hustle, bustle. NYC is NEVER quiet. Until 9/11. Now in lower Manhattan as you get closer to Battery Park and WTC it becomes very quiet. It used to be very silent, but activity has resurged a bit there. The church across the street from WTC holds memorabilia and has become a mini museum of information. It's quite beautiful.

I miss sitting on the Promenade in Brooklyn Heights, strolling through Battery Park or Central Park, the bustle of Times Square, the food in Little Italy, the Broadway shows, the people watching, smelling the smells, chatting with the cops on the corners...

There is no place like New York City.

2006-08-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I made a quick trip back to the cemetery to visit Reece (my grandson). I had found the cutest brightly painted wooden bug. The wings on the bug spun around with the wind. I planned to hang it on the mini banner post I had put there the week before. When I arrived, I noticed the in-ground vase was empty. I had carefully selectd and arranged a bouquet of bright yellow and orange artifical flowers last week and placed them in the vase. Now they were gone! I was shocked because this cemetery is not one that gets much vandalism. Also, the fact that the banners, statues, pinwheels, and toys are still there. Why would someone take the flowers? At first I was furious! So angry I began to cry. This emotional upset caused my heart palpitations, so I had to calm myself down for fear of my heart rate getting stuck at 180 beats/minutes. I scan Babyland (where all the children are buried) and I don't see his flowers anywhere. I then go the Maintenence Building thinking they fell out and are sitting down there waiting to be re-claimed. No luck there. I spoke to one of the workers and he said they have had a bit of trouble with people taking things off the graves. Okay. In my mind (beware here), I'm thinking they take Reece's artificial flowers, but leave the full, unopened bottle of wine that is laying at my dad's grave (don't ask, long story). Anyway, I'm at a loss.

Today I go back with a fresh bouquet of artificial flowers for Reece. I'm through being mad or upset about it. I'm thinking maybe it was someone who couldn't afford flowers for their loved one's grave. They may have seen all the beautiful things I've put at Reece's little place and thought I wouldn't miss the flowers. If that is the case, it's not right and it's downright creepy, but I'm okay with that. Every grave should have flowers or something adorning it. Rememberence. I hope that is what they were used for. I'd hate to think someone just took them home. Nope, not going to go there. I'm sure it was someone who just wanted something for their loved one's little place out there.

See how I stay sane? Not sure it works. I'll keep you posted.

2006-08-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

Today I've spent the afternoon investigating my new home here further. Once again, MSN spaces is completely unavailable, so I unable to blog walk over there.

It is a tad frustrating for me as this is learning a foreign language for me. I have stumbled and fallen with some pretty big boo-boos. Band-Aids are great... right? It's getting there. I'm trying.

It's Dweeb's day off, but he has a 'gig' on Saturday night so he is busy filling the homestead with all the songs he and 'the surgeon' are going to play. Practice. Practice. Practice. He sounds really good. Be prepared for pictures of the Dweeb in action. The good thing about LOTS of band practice is he doesn't give me "the look" when he sees my head buried in this contraption for hours. It all works out in the end. Right?

I best get back to my own practicing here. If you come here and see some major screw ups, just laugh at me, make a comment insulting me for a good laugh (I'll be laughing right along with you), and I'm sure I'll figure out what I did wrong and fix it. If nothing else, this has given me a good chuckle at what I've created on a few attempts.

WWF in My Own Backyard

2006-08-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

Baby sis phoned with that sound in her voice. That plea of help. In the background, I could hear THEM. The screeching, crying, yelling was a migraine in action. I don't want Baby Sis jumping out her second story window, so I jumped in the car and ran over there.

Boy... she was not exaggerating. Combination of heat, age, and irritability has lead this home to the edge. There are not many places you can go with 17 month old triplets and a 3 year old in tow. The destruction is severe and it's just plain exhausting trying to corral them. They are stuck at home a big part of the time with us adults trying to get creative as to where we can take this brood without causing havoc. Today it was indoors at home. The triplets were raging. The 3 year old is just plain sick of them. I don't blame him. They get into his things, they always require attention, and he just plain doesn't like that much.

I was only there for two hours today and I must say I was ready for a long nap when I got home. At one point, Baby Sis has 3 year old in the bathroom (potty training) and I was prying the two girls apart. The Artiste has gained much ground on the Dictator as of late. She can grab, bite, pinch, pull hair, and push as well as the Dictator now. So the girls were at it over the rocking chair. They both wanted to sit in it. They are clawing at each other and pulling each other out of the chair and I'm trying to get them both out of the chair and away from it. They are both very close to 'time out' when I look behind me. Lo and Behold Bubba decided he needed a bit of cleaning up. He is sitting on the end table with lamp knocked over. He had pulled every baby wipe out of the warmer and was washing up as he sat there precariously near the edge. So now what do you do? Keep the girls from scarring each others faces or save Bubba from falling from the table.

The entire two hours went on like this non stop. Poor Baby Sis. Word on the street is Supernanny is in our town this week and she filled out the application to get her to her home. I laughed when she told me this. I think she is doing everything fine. She just needs to remember instead of one kid at 17 months, there are three. So she just needs to accept the fact she will be in hell for a couple of more years.

2006-08-03T20:52:00.000-05:00

I am so frustrated with the other place right now I could scream! It is so incredibly slow and I cannot upload pictures now. It looks like I'm going to have to work here to try to figure this out and master it so I can make a move. It makes me sad because I liked it there in the beginning. They made it so simple for people who don't understand HTML, etc to be able to have their own place to write. So now I shall attempt an image. Wish me luck.

2006-08-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

I wonder if Blogger is better than where I am at now. I hope it's not too difficult, but I'm going to mess with this a bit and see if do it!