Wow

I lost my addiction to the internet. I never thought I would. But, days come and go and things happen and add to it the fact that this computer is a piece of shoot and well, it's easier to just not get online. Most days it's too much hassle to even try. Today was a different day. The internet worked decently and I was able to get some things done. We are working hard on Ralph's campaign. In case I haven't noted here, my brother in law is running for State Rep for our district. Of course, none of us have any campaign experience and heck, most of us aren't even that political to start with. So, we are learning as we go. In the age of internet, it's easy to get hold of the info you need. We participated in our first parade on Memorial day. It was neat.

In other ventures, I have volunteered to help bring a community baby shower to our county. It is a program for pregnant women/new moms who fall into the working poor category. The program provides new and gently used baby items for the families. I haven't been able to work on that endeavor as much as I would like to be, but time is one issue, gas prices are another.

Jeremy and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on May 22nd. We went out Lucky's Steakhouse (his choice). I didn't care and I know he loves it there. It was nice to get out, just the two of us. Of course, between their good bread, my salad and one or two of the buffalo tenders Jeremy ordered for appetizer, I was not at all hungry when my meal arrived. I pushed to eat one piece of fish. Yes, fish. At a steakhouse. because I don't much care for steak. I had thought about trying the fillet but when it came down to it, i couldn't see paying $17 for a piece of meat I may not be too thrilled about.

Makenneh has 4 days of school left. Then, on June 5th they are having a "birthday/farewell party" in the park for all the summer bdays and to say goodbye. Then on the 6th is their trip to Crossroads. So, the year is about over with. I still have to get her registered for Kindergarten. I may just do that tomorrow. OF course, I just got their birth certificates a few months ago when i went down to the courthouse with my sister to pick up the paperwork for Ralph to run for State REp. DO you think I can find said BCs anywhere? NOPE. So, looks like I will have to pay another $20 to get two more copies. Grrrr. The most frustrating part is i recall leaving them in the car for a few days and saying to myself, oh better go get them and bring them and put them right here, where they will be safe. I can't for the life of me remember where the "right here" is. I have looked. I have driven myself silly looking. I give up. Will shell out more money to get more.

I will try to come here and post more often. I just usually have better things to do, if even nothing at all, than to sit here and fight with the pages to get them to load.

Well, the dog is whining at the door to go out...he is worse than the kids, i tell ya! I will get off here for now and hopefully have something fun and even exciting to talk about next time!

Wow, it worked!

My internet has been crazy. My dear husband had decided to hook up the router and run a cable back to our bedroom so he could play xbox live (online). Well, since he and his brother set that up, my internet hasn't been acting right. Most of the time, I cannot get a page to load. It is frustrating me. I will have to talk to him about finding an alternate solution. He said they did it this way so we could use internet while he was playing online. I am thinking it would be better to run it so that i can't use the net while he plays online. It seems to work better that way.

Ok enough grumbling about that...guess what?! Jeremy starts work in the morning. My uncle will be here at 645am to pick him up. That is the good news. The bad news is, well, it doesn't pay much, it's for a small company and the owner doesn't like to pay well or right. But, it will give us some money for now and hopefully something better comes along. The good side too, is that he can ride with my uncle and he lives right down the road, it's right on his way and so we don't have to worry about a vehicle for now. Major plus as the transmission is barely hanging on.

My sister and I went to Home Depot last night and got mom's Mother's Day presents. Funny huh? We got her the creeping Phlox she wanted, blueberry plants, weed kill, pots, and some other things from her list. We are doing a cookout here and then I guess we are going to Jeremy's grandma's house (his aunt is going to buy it) for a cook out. The sad thing is, they never had get togethers like that when gma was alive.....sad. I almost cringe at the very thought of going because that family always finds ways to fight and argue with each other. I can only imagine. After our cookout here (or before) we are going to help mom in her flower beds. She used to spend a lot of time (and money) on her flower beds but the dog would just dig them up. And what the dog didn't get, the ground moles would. But, we are going to get her back into it because it always brought her a lot of joy and gave her a hobby that she enjoyed.

I have decided to enroll the kids in this school district and take it from there. i need to call the school to see what steps I need to take to get Makenneh enrolled in Kindergarten. The cool thing is, she will be going to the same elementary school my mom and I went to.

My 10 yr high school reunion is in August. I don't think I am going to be able to talk Jeremy into going. He hates crowds, new/unfamiliar places and he just isn't much of a people person. He said I could go anyway, but i don't want to go without him. I teased him that I would call Craig to go (family friend) bc he graduated same class I did. Of course, Jeremy didn't care and thought that would be just fine. Ha. NO. I am going to continue to work on him and see if he will budge. If not, it's not the end of the world. I wasn't exactly a social butterfly in school anyway. But it is always interesting to see how people have or haven't changed and what everyone has been doing.

Makenneh went fishing again today and they caught a few fish that she just had to bring home to have daddy cook. I love that they enjoy something together like that and are able to bond. I think it's just great and it makes my heart swell with pride and joy. Oh and today she brought me home the art project she did in class for me for Mother's Day. It said, "I love my mommy because she gives me hugs and kisses" and then has some flowers that she painted. It's so cute. I want to get a frame for it and hang it on the wall. I love those kinds of things.

Well, I am going to get off here and get to bed. Jeremy will probably be waking me sometime before he leaves, without a doubt. Yes, I am a bad wife, I don't get up with him in the mornings. I hate mornings and I prefer to sleep. He is a big boy, capable of getting himself up and ready for work. Except when he can't find something. LOL. Then, I am woken from my peaceful slumber to help look or just offer moral support.

Good night all!

What a weekend

So glad it's over. I could bore you (or maybe more like shock and awe) you with the details, but I think I will spare you them for now. Suffice to say, the uncle who has always caused the drama has struck once again. This time, well, he was struck for it. I have realized that I am all too nice and far too forgiving, sometimes. This time, I have to wash my hands and be done. I have given him the benefit of the doubt time and time again only to be proven wrong. He is not worthy of the benefit of the doubt. He cannot change his ways, he will not change his ways and he is always going to be full of drama, over-the-top, boy who cried wolf, etc. ALWAYS. His wife has her stuff and the kids' stuff packed and trying to find a place, although, most everyone in the family has offered them a place to stay, should she want to leave him. She needs to do it before her or the kids get hurt. He is volatile. I sure hope that she realizes this now and finds the strength to do what needs to be done. IF you believe in prayer, positive thought, whatever it is, she and the girls could certainly use it all right now. As for him, I just don't know. Part of me hopes that he slips off somewhere and that's that.

On to happy thoughts. I earned 4.0 in all my classes again this semester. I am so happy because I really wasn't sure about my ethics class and was even a bit doubtful on the social work/welfare programs class. My psych teacher hasn't posted the grades yet, but i know that I have a 4.0 in there. So, yay me! Another semester well done!

My aunt was out at yard/rummage sales, and found a bunk bed set for $10. She picked it up for us so the kids have a bunk bed now. They are sooo happy. WE have to go get one of their mattresses out of storage though to put on it. We had one from the bed that was here, but need the 2nd one. I have been able to get almost all of Makenneh's summer clothes from yard sales as well. I only buy clothes that look good and it saves a lot of money, especially when you consider that kids just tear them up anyway. Especially mine. They love to play outside and get dirty.

My husband and dad are going to be building a chicken coup today. Mom and dad are getting chickens. Yippee (with a touch of sarcasm...lol)! Dad has always loved farm fresh eggs and now with the economy getting worse and worse it seems, prices of everything going way up, why not now?!

Well, enough of my rambling thoughts. I don't have time to sit and think of cohesive posts anymore. I have been going to bed earlier than I used to and that cuts into my internet time. ANd can you believe that I didn't even get online at all over the weekend? Of course, with all the drama and crap that took place, wasn't time to breath at some points. My other uncle's roommate/best friend totaled his car out yesterday morning. Luckily he wasn't hurt too bad, but the car is gone. I told you it was a dramatic weekend.

ok, im off here, enjoy your Monday!

Another semester done

Yesterday was my last day for this semester. Time is flying. OF course, the summer may seem to drag out beings that I don't have school to keep me extra busy. But, Makenneh will be out for the summer soon and I'm sure the two of them will manage to find ways to keep my busy. We also have to work on planning my cousin's wedding and being as creative/money saving as possible. She set her date so that they had a bit over a year to plan. Eight months before her wedding date (and after her dress has been bought, venue booked, deposits placed on most things), her dad's shop went out on strike. Her parents are struggling to keep their house and vehicles and heat/electricity turned on. This strike is crazy. I know it's easy for people who aren't effected by it to sit and say, "they should just take the pay cut" but the reality is, these people have been making $28 and up an hour. Their lifestyle (their home, vehicles, etc) are set at that standard of living. To take a cut to $15 an hour is huge. Most of those people would lose their homes. Anyway, while out on strike, they receive a whopping $200/week. $60 or so of that is eaten up by driving down there to strike. Needless to say, there are no funds for a wedding. And as the October wedding date approaches, there is no end in sight for the strike. My cousin spends many nights unable to sleep. She is so upset. She and her fiance are trying to pay for what they can, but they had recently bought a house, so it's not like they have a lot of extra money either. I wish I had the means to just pay for it, so she didn't have to worry and stress over it. Her soon to be inlaws said they would help with what they can, but they don't have a lot themselves. My mom bought the flowers, because my sister in law's (brother's gf, actually) sister just got married a year or so ago in the fall and had all kinds of flowers she sold to us for $20. It was a whole garbage bag full and they will be enough to do my cousin's wedding. So, that was a blessing. The bigger chunks of money are the balances on the hall, disc jockey, photographer, etc. The whole things just makes me sad. And to know that many people, who had darn good jobs, making darn good money, are now having to turn to food banks, welfare, etc to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table...well, it's damn scary. It's the fall of our economy. The more i see/hear, the more sure I am that Jeremy and I may just be riding this whole economic disaster out right here at my parents'. They are talking about rations on foods like rice and flour, jobs are being loss everywhere..Home Depot is closing 15 stores I think because housing sales are down so low, the Feds just cut the interest rate another quarter percent, foreclosures are up 25%, 120%(i think) from last year, i mean the list goes on. I hate to think about it, because it's really a drag. But, the reality is, we all need to be making plans for a possible depression. My parents are looking at getting some chickens and they are putting in and even larger garden this year. Mom is going to do mass canning come fall. Things may just get interesting.

On another drab note, the transmission is going in our car. I have to be very careful driving it, as the RPMs just continue to climb, bc the transmission is not shifting. This causing overheating, so I have to watch that as well. If I am thankful for one thing, it is the "attitude adjustment" i have taken on over the past year. I don't feel overwhelmed and helpless. I don't feel stressed to the max. I just sigh and say, "it will all work out." Of course, convincing Jeremy of the same is near impossible. We are probably going to have to get a different car. It sucks, because it means that most of my student loan is going to be eaten up on a car, but it's a blessing that we have the student loan to get something different. It could be worse. If there were no loan, we would just be "up a creek" without a paddle no doubt.

He still hasn't had any luck with a job. Something will come along, it's just a matter of time. In the meantime, our needs are being met and that's enough to be thankful for. We are lucky to have a family support system. There are people who don't even have that.

My sister is planning on having Makenneh for the weekend and they will spend time with the horses, playing their guitars and all that stuff that Makenneh just loves. I have often said that Makenneh should have been Carrie's daughter. Makenneh loves the same things that Carrie does. I don't get into the farm thing and I can't strum a chord on a guitar to save my soul. (Thankfully that's not required for salvation, huh). Sebastian is being such a stinker that I would love for someone to keep him for a weekend. LOL. My goodness, he is into stomping his foot when he tries to get his demands across.

Well, hope everyone has a great weekend. I am going to lay down for a bit and relax. After I find the kitty so Sebastian can give her some treats.

What the....

snowballs? We have had lovely weather for the past week or so. 70s, even touching on 80 degrees. Beautiful sunshine, too. And then...the forecast for next week is talking about SNOW. Yes, snow. After this period of blissful, summer-like weather. I can't believe it. I guess we only need .2 inch to break our snowfall record (for the year, i believe)...so i suppose, it would be neat. But, i am done with cold and snow. I rather like my flip flops and no jackets. I hope that the forecast turns out to be wrong and we have another week of beautiful weather. Although, the lack of rainfall is making me a bit nervous...food prices have jumped enough without a lack of rain causing more hardships for farmers. So, i will take rain. With warm temps. Thank you.

I'm getting used to this low fat cooking. Well, the low fat wasn't ever the problem, so much as the low sodium. That eliminates the prepared/packaged foods. I have been going through cookbooks and websites finding new things to make. So far, everything I have made has been met with rave reviews. Even from my husband who is a cholesterol/fat KING. The greasier, fattier, junkier, the better, in his eyes. OF course, he can't really afford to lose any weight...he is quite the bean pole as it is. But, it's still good to eat better. It won't kill him, that's for sure.

I am not looking forward to my spring/summer break from college. At least not too much. I am wondering what I will do with myself. I wish I would have been organized and on the ball so that I could have signed up (and had the funds). It won't happen again, that's for sure. LOL. I am slightly considering a PT summer job. I would like a place that would allow me to have a relatively set schedule though, because the bouncing all around different days/shifts really stresses me out. And I have doing so well with my depression/anxiety that I hate to stir that pot.

Nothing exciting really to report. The kids have been playing outside every day, pretty much all day. Life is just boring, settled and simple out here in the sticks. LOL. We have a graduation dinner tomorrow for Jeremy's brother and his cousin. They are both graduating from college with bachelors degrees. His brother is going to continue on to grad school and his cousin will be looking for work in her field. She is a little older than I am with 2 kids and upcoming wedding...so she has been working already, but now she will be able to find a job in her chosen field that will pay more. The dinner is at Lucky's Steakhouse. Steak doesn't excite me in the least but they do have chicken strips...lol. Horrible, I know. but, I am not into steak. Most people think I'm crazy. Tomorrow, my sister is also having a bday get together for her step son. I won't be able to make it bc it's the same time as the dinner, but she said to send the kids with mom and dad. And tonight Makenneh asked to stay with my cousin Desiree, so that's the plan. My aunt should be here any time to pick the girls up. Sebastian is at my other uncle's house, so i will have no kids for a minute. LOL. I won't know what to do. Sebastian is just visiting though, so he will be home. But he goes to bed by 830 every night, so he will be out soon.

I am rambling. What's new. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

87 years

That's how long my grandma has graced this Earth with her presence. Today she celebrates 87 years of life. She is such a strong woman. She has given birth to 13 children. One of those children, a son named Rex, drown when he was a young boy. She survived the loss of a child. She has buried her husband. Yet, she still goes on. She loves flowerbeds, gardening and bird watching. She has hands as soft and gentle as velvet. Hair nearly as white as fresh fallen snow. A soft voice to soothe the worst of fears. She has shoveled snow, hauled wood, kept up a big yard, a home. Up until a few years ago, she did a lot of this herself. She has always amazed me. And I don't doubt, that grandma at 70 could have worked circles around me at 25. Not a doubt in my mind. The woman is strong and determined. So much so, that on Saturday, as she was feeling sick and had swollen ankles and feet (a bad sign for patients with congestive heart failure), she sat there, so sure she was dying. And to show how selfless she is, she prayed to God. She prayed that he would not take her yet, because her daughter (my aunt bev who lives with her to help care for her, the home, etc) can't keep the place up by herself, financially. She prayed, "You can't take me right now. Bev can't run this place on her own right now." Sitting there, thinking death may be near, she was most concerned with leaving my aunt in financial distress. Amazingly (or really, not so amazingly, because God is great), she began to feel better within an hour. When mom told me about this, I teared up. I am not ready for her go. I don't guess we are ever ready. But, I am still suffering the emotional pain of losing Jeremy's grandma. I don't want to go through losing my grandma right now. Of course, as I get older and wiser and she continues to age, I realize that she isn't invincible as I once thought. But, even at 87, she still gets around, she gets out of the house, she still tinkers in the yard with flowers and such, just not to the extent that she once did. She takes it easy more now. But, she certainly has earned that right. So, today, my wish for Grandma is that she have a wonderfully happy birthday, full of bright sunshine and lots of love. And may she have many more to come! I love you, Grandma!

Beautiful weekend

Despite the fact that the forecast had called for rain starting Friday night, I have to say that the weekend was totally gorgeous. We have yet to see rain (although it's quickly approaching) and the temps were in the mid to upper 70s. Hard to remember that it's actually only spring.

Saturday, Jeremy took Makenneh fishing and they actually caught their first fish. Makenneh was so darn excited she had to come home to eat him. That girl ain't right. She leaned over the bucket telling the fish she was going to take him home and put him in the oven. Most kids, especially girls, get grossed out when they realize that cows are where we get our meat from. not this kid. She realizes where her food comes from and it doesn't bother her a bit. She says she wants to "grow cows so i can eat them" and "catch fishes so we can eat them." She stood right next to dad as this fish was scaled and filleted. Nothing squeamish about it to her. On one hand, im rather proud. Because I know I would have been running and squealing like a sissy. On the other hand, I said, maybe daddy is raising a sociopath. lol. I can see the interviews now......"Well it all started this one spring day when my dad took me fishing. We brought the fish home and I watched him scale and fillet the fish. I waited in anticipation of the moment I would get to eat this fish we had just caught....." LOL. And that's what happened. As soon as the fish was filleted, in the frying pan he went. I got the joys of cooking said stinky fish. Blah. Me and fresh fish don't get along so well. I have no problems going to a reputable restaurant and ordering fish and chips, when it is specified that said fish is cod, beer battered and deep fried. But, I cannot stomach the thought of eating fish in any other fashion. I just can't do it. Can't get past the thought, smell nor the sight. NO thank you. But, i cooked up this fish fillet (which they only got 2 pieces out of) and Makenneh and daddy sat at the table and ate it. They both loved it.
Last night we had some family over and had a bon fire. It was nice. That's one thing I love about the warmer weather. We made smores, had a few drinks and lots of laughs.

Today has mostly been spent cleaning, doing laundry....the unfun stuff. But, we did manage to clean out some of this computer room yesterday. It is so much more organized and roomier. My mom is a pack rat. she throws very little away. It gets crowded quick, fast and in a hurry. So, we did some reorganizing and cleared it up quite a bit. I can breath in here now and even swivel the desk chair. Imagine that!

Well, it's time to start dinner and seems how my parents aren't home yet, I can make something without consulting fat grams and sodium levels and such. So, I am making spaghetti! Haven't had it in quite awhile.

H0pe everyone has a great week!

Semester wind down

Two weeks left this semester. I won't be going for spring or summer, this year, so I will be done until fall. I already have my financial aid filed, so that is out of the way. I am a bit more than half done with my final paper for my philosophy of ethics class. This class has been quite different. We only had two assignments the entire semester, each worth 25% of our grade. The last one is due on Monday. I hate writing these things, because he really has given us no instruction as to how to write them, just told us to write them. And writing a philosophy paper is different than writing a regular English paper. Hopefully I will do good on it.

Last night Sebastian woke up crying and couldn't go back to sleep. When he did finally nod off, he would have random fits of crying throughout the night. I slept with him, hoping it would help. I don't know what was wrong with him. He seemed to have a stuffy nose and i think it was making it difficult for him to lay down and breath. So, he would wake up, sit up, move all around, trying to get comfortable and still be able to breath. He did a tad better after I put a second pillow under his head. I hope tonight is much better.

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but it has been a challenge to cook dinner around here. Well, the cooking part isn't so bad. It's the planning dinner that sucks. My dad is on a low fat, low sodium, low carb, low sugar diet. Nothing in a box or out of a can. Nothing just quick and easy..well I have found a couple recipes that work that are quick and easy. but, it forces me to think outside the regular stuff...spaghetti, unless I make it homemade, is out...no Ragu here. To add to the problem, dad doesn't like repetition. He likes things to be mixed up. And he has always been more a meat and potato guy. Do not make him a meal sans meat. lol. Tonight I made chicken fajita salad. WE had some chicken fajita meat in freezer, i cooked it up and put it atop a bunch of leafy greens. He wasn't overly impressed. His exact words were, "this is dinner?" lol. Yep, pa, that is dinner. They are going up north this weekend, so you can bet we are gonna have us some pizza, or tacos or something that we can't normally have. Just not sure what yet. ah, actually, i just remembered Jeremy wanted hamburgers on the grill. So, there it is.

Yeah, my life is quite mundane. OH, but i have a picture to share. This is the kinda picture you save to put on their picture board for their graduation open house!!! the kind that embarrass them to tears! HE had just gotten out of the shower and the phone rang. It was for me. He really wanted to talk. He was my shadow, reaching out for the phone, repeating, I wanna talk. So, i handed him the phone and he goes off, wandering around the house, talking on the phone, without a stitch of clothing. I had to snap a picture!
Nevermind the clutter in the background...that would be the mountain of shoes and boots and flip flops and such that rest near the door. Along with the blue bench my dad made that has become a catch all....lol.

Anyway, on that note, I am gonna go. Will be ready for bed soon!

have a great weekend

Lucky

We may be seeing tough times right now, but I can't help but feel a sense of happiness. I think that I may have actually finally found true happiness within the past year. It's so hard to explain. I still have my down times, but deep inside, I have an inner peace. Life is good. I have so much to be thankful for and I appreciate it. really appreciate it.

Tonight I was thinking about how nice it is that Jeremy gets the kids to bed almost every night. They go to bed so easily for him. I come home from school to peace and quiet. Then, he gets up with them in the morning. How glorious is that? I am quite spoiled. Very lucky.

I am having a bit of anxiety as we are going to be short on money until he gets a job. The interview he went to went good but they didn't call back. I told him he needed to call them, but of course, it was almost amidst his grandma dying and none of us were on the ball with anything, going days without sleep and the emotional and physical exhaustion that accompanied the whole experience.

Anyway, just wanted to check in. I haven't been much in the mood to blog...mostly because by the time I get home from school, do some homework/studying or wait for my turn on the pc, I am too tired to put together any coherent thoughts. So, i usually decide to skip it.

Well, take care!

Five years

It's technically past midnight, but I don't count a day as over until I have gone to bed.

Five years ago today, at this moment, I was waiting to be transferred to my room after having had Makenneh. She was born at 10:31pm on April 14th, 2003. I cannot believe how fast time has flown. I held her today and asked her, "weren't you just a baby yesterday?" To which she replied, "NO, mom, I was 4!" LOL. Right, right. But, it sure seems like only yesterday. In some regards. At some times, it feels like it has taken a lifetime to get to this point.

She had a royal celebration this year. We did a combined bday party on Seb's bday, then she had her party for her friends yesterday at the pizza/game place and then today she took in cookies and such for her class. I am all birthdayed out. But she had a great time as did everyone who came to the party yesterday. Now, if only I could find how we freeze time. LOL. She is going to be off to college before I know it.

I have been so exhausted, I haven't been making it on the computer at all. Tonight I had to get some homework done. I got two papers done and so I think I deserve some fun time on here. Im currently uploading pics and as soon as I get it done, provided they all work, I will try to get them posted. I am not guaranteeing anything because my eyes are getting heavier by the minute. It has been a very long tiresome week and I am looking forward to a time when I can relax. I only have two more weeks of school and then Im done with this semester. I can't believe it. SEe, time just flies. The only bad thing is, I didn't sign up for spring or summer classes, so i have no idea what im going to do with myself. I might see about a part time summer job. But it will depend on a few other factors. Jeremy never heard back from the place he interviewed with last week. Bummer. He said he figured he wouldn't get it, just because he would sooo love to have it. Pessimistic or what?

As always, the end of the semester is hectic and full of last minute assignments to get done. My main focus now is studying for my psych test that is on thurs and also working on my philosophy paper. once those are done, it will be smooth sailing.

Well from the looks of it, my pics aren't going upload. I have no idea why not.

Anyway, hopefully i will back into blogging more often. It is therapeutic and i miss it.

WEll, everyone have a great night and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY GIRL!

A Purpose Under Heaven

The past few days have been extremely difficult. I got a call on Tuesday morning from my mother in law. She called to tell us that Grandma was in the hospital and not doing well and we needed to come. Jeremy was at his interview, so I had to wait for him to get home. He got home around 11am and we headed up to the hospital. When we got there, the site of gma in that hospital bed told it all. I knew that she would never be coming home again. This was it. We spent all tuesday and Wednesday at the hospital. Jeremy wouldn't go in the room but a few times, because he couldn't stand to watch her suffer. They were giving her meds to up her blood pressure and they were withholding pain medicine all so that the oldest son could make it up here in time from Georgia. It upset Jeremy that they would allow her to lay in pain while we waited. The one time yesterday that we went in her room, Jeremy leaned over and kissed her and told her he loved her and then just broke down...he said he had to get out of the room, he couldn't do it. couldn't watch her suffer like that. He told me how selfish he thought it was. And it was. I can understand both sides of it, because if it were my mother, I would want to be there too. But at the same time, we have the memory of watching her writhe in pain.
We stayed up at the hospital overnight and I ran on no sleep for the two days. By the time night came last night, I was mentally and physically exhausted. But, i told Jeremy we could stay or go, whatever he wanted to do. He chose to come home. WE were home about 45 mins, had just gotten into bed when the phone rang. And I knew, as soon as it did, who was calling and what they would say. Grandma passed away peacefully last night. She was getting the pain meds and the hospital staff had taken her off the meds that were keeping her blood pressure up high enough. She was 73 years old. Ironically, last night, we were standing outside and Jeremy was looking up at the stars, just taking them in. And, as it turns out, that was about the time that grandma passed away. We will all miss her, but she isn't suffering now. She is at peace, she is with the Lord and she has great things waiting for her up there, including her son who was still born, 3o yrs ago and her husband who passed about ten years ago.

My heart breaks for Jeremy because I have been where he is at. It is very painful and sad. I know there is nothing I can do to make it better, but I know that just by me being there, holding him, letting him cry, sitting back and letting him do what he needs to do..that all helps. I keep thinking of this country song....i have to look it up because it has been in my head. But it goes like this:
I took this same walk with my old man, boy, I've been in your shoes.
You can't hold back the hands of time, it's just something you've got to do
so dry your eyes, i understand just what you're going through....

I don't know who sings it though.

Anyway, i feel like I am wasting time. I feel absolutely beside myself these days. I am going to get off here and work on some homework or something. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers, as they will need the strength and comfort to get through.

Daddy/Daughter time

Makenneh and Jeremy are out fishing right now. She was so excited to go. She told us she was going to catch a big, pretty fish for us to eat. I didn't have the heart to tell her I am not interested in eating fish. The only time i eat it is when it's at a restaurant, deep fried, beer battered, cod. Other than that, I am not at all interested.

I went for an appeal on the student loan denial. I had to meet with the director of financial aid. guess what? He overturned the decision and approved my loan! I walked out of there feeling so damn proud! I then went next door to advising and spoke with an advisor (who also happens to be one of my instructors) and I got some info on my career choices and laying out a plan for me. I have to get 62 credits, I have 23, not counting what I earn this semester. I have all but 2 of my general education requirements and now I just have to focus on my social work classes.

Well, mom and I are getting ready to head to the store. Just wanted to stop in. I get too busy these days.

It's supposed to be 60 degrees today! MMMMM warmer weather! Hope everyone is enjoying spring!

I'm back

And it feels good. Although, I must say that I did quite well without the Internet and wasn't overly anxious to get it back. We had a struggle getting it hooked up. I have complained before about this phone company and you can add this to my laundry list of complaints regarding centurytel. They suck to be blunt about it. The Internet was supposed to be on Friday. Yeah, well come Friday, we didn't even have a phone line anymore. Finally, in the afternoon, i use my cell to call the house phone and low and behold some stranger answers the phone. They crossed our phone lines and the ppl that had this phone number last were getting our service. I had to go rounds with the phone co. bc we needed the line back. We were dealing with a medical situation and were awaiting a very important phone call. I will get to that in a min. I'm trying to avoid chasing rabbits, with so much to say. Anyway, finally, on Saturday they got the phone turned back on. Only after I repeatedly insisted that it must be restored and why must they make it so damn difficult. But, still we had no Internet. So, i call them back again and of course, they can't have someone out til Monday by 5pm. This is Saturday evening that i call. Oh well, no big deal, other than it is frustrating that they can't get this right. Well, Monday comes and goes and still no Internet. I call back this morning and let them know that i am less than pleased with this whole fiasco. Needless to say, the net was on this afternoon. WOOHOO. I still think i might call them and request a discount for this month's services because the whole thing stinks, horribly.

Ok, back to the medical situation. First off, dad was home sick almost all week following Easter. Well, he has always had trouble with low blood sugar and if he eats a lot of sugar in a short amount of time, he becomes very ill and ornery. Mom wrote it off as an abundance of goodies over the holiday. Well, Friday, dad decides he has to go to work. (he did make it in one day earlier in the week). He gets in car to leave for work, realizes the trash needed to go out. I guess he was on the road already and turned around to come home and do that. Well, he got the trash out and then go to the car just in time to pass out. The car was still running. He came to at one point and realized that he needed to shut the car off. He shut it off and was back out. Well, he doesn't want smoking in the house, but sometimes, while he is at work, my mom will smoke inside. Jeremy was outside smoking and comes in the house to find my mom smoking inside. It's 6am. He asks her what she is doing, telling her my dad was still home. She didn't believe him bc his lunch pail was gone from its place on the counter. Jeremy told her to come see that the car was still in driveway. She say the car and shut the door and just wanted to collapse. She was so afraid to go to the car because she had no idea what she would find. Well, she gets to the car and opens the door and it startles my dad. He made it inside but not without stumbling all over. He refused to let her call and ambulance, insisting that he didn't "pass out", just dozed off. Well, call it what you want, but he typically leaves for work around 430am so he was out in the car, sleeping/passed out, for the better portion of an hour and a half. She calls the doctor and leaves a message on his answering service. Normally he calls right back. However, he wasn't returning the call. All this took place while I was still sleeping. I get up, hear what has been going on and i break down crying. I couldn't help but think how close I was to losing my dad. I get my wits about me and tell mom to call again bc i know the doctor would have called by now. Finally get through and they get cut off. This happened about 3 times. Finally was told to bring him in. His sugar was 99...so good. Doc ordered a stress test STAT and that's the phone call we were waiting on. Shortly after that phone call to doc is when the phone went out. no service at all. Anyway, dad was put on low salt diet and told to take it easy until all the test results come back. He also put dad out of work for 2 weeks. He is going stir crazy. He went for the blood work yesterday and stress test today. They told him the test seemed to go well. Hard to say what the problem is. Mom is wondering if it isn't from his sleep apnea. He quits breathing about every 3 breaths through the night. Yes, he breaths 3 times, stops, breaths 3 times, stops. Crazy.

So, that's that excitement. Sunday we had the family bday party. It went well. They devoured the food and the kids got tons of presents...it was crazy. I used my aunt's camera to take pics bc mine just plain sucks and isn't worth bothering with. I will have to see about uploading them.

In two weeks, we are having Makenneh's bday party for her friends/kids at the pizza fun place. I called and reserved some tables and we are good to go. I'm kinda excited. We will do something similar for Sebastian's 5th bday.

Makenneh is on spring break this week. Nice to have a break from getting her to and from bus stop.

Otherwise, everything is going a lot smoother here than i had thought it would. The kids transitioned nicely, they are going to bed quite easily and have been pretty well behaved. Jeremy and I are surviving..lol.

Not much in way of job. They are building a new store up here...discount home depot if you will...lol. Jeremy is supposed to ride with my aunt and maybe mom up to apply. The crazy thing is you have to drive to their other store, which is about an hour away, to apply. They should do things like walmart did. Was much easier.

I am so not worrying about things. I have actually been doing well with my stress level. I just have a strange feeling of calmness. I do get irritable at times...but not stressed about the big picture. God has a plan. I have faith that it will all work out.

I go Friday to dispute my loan denial. They denied me bc of those 2 semesters 9 yrs ago....i appealed bc i had completed a recent semester where i met all the requirements. they denied it saying the past semester didn't count. I argued that if a past semester doesn't count, how am i ever to have a semester count..as they are all "past" if they happened prior to me applying. So, now i get to appeal the decision to the head honcho in the financial aid department. I go on Friday to do that. I have a good feeling and hopefully he understands where I am coming from, sees my accomplishments and my determination and decides to overturn the decision.

Well, i have typed quite a bit. Sure there is plenty more to type, but i have gotten into the habit of going to bed earlier than i used to. Mostly out of sheer boredom, I'm sure. LOL.

Glad to be back...see ya around

One more day

We get internet tomorrow. So, really, not even one more day. I actually haven't missed the internet as much as I thought I would. It does get boring at night, though. Everyone goes to bed by 10pm at the very latest. My dad goes around 9pm and at that time, the whole house shuts down. so, can't do anything that makes an excessive amount of noise. Most nights, after kids are asleep, I go to my uncles and hang out for a bit or make a trip to walmart. Something to prevent me from going stir-crazy. Other than that, everything is going pretty well. I am at the computer lab at college right now. Our class let out early tonight so i thought i would come in and give an update.

We are having a bday party for the kids on Sunday. I went today to get all the food for it. Just doing hot dogs, a chili dip and taco salad. Quick, easy and inexpensive.

The college is empty and me and one other girl are the only two here, except the security guard, so i am gonna go. should be back in business tomorrow evening.

checking in

I am at my father-in-laws, so thought I would check in real quick.

The move has gone ok. Still so much to unpack and organize. But, Im still not feeling completely up to par, so that doesn't help. We took the kids to see the Easter Bunny today. Makenneh sat right up there, not a problem. Sebastian didn't think it was a good idea. So, we got a pic of makenneh with him, then, I sat next to the bunny and held Sebastian and so we also have a pic of me, the kids and the bunny. Spiderman was also there, but the kids weren't too interested in him.

It is so hard for me to adjust to living w/ my parents. They go to bed so darn early and there is nothing to do, but go to bed, or sit up and watch tv. CAn't wait for internet.

We are doing dinner tomorrow. Mom has to work, but will be home around 3-4pm.

Well, there is a lot to really say, but I feel I am being highly rude by sitting in here on the computer. So, I will stop here, wish everyone a Happy Easter and a Happy Spring! Hope to be able to check in again soon! Take care!

Some kinda bug

seems to be making its way around here. Last night, I was so miserably sick. I was cold, freezing cold, colder than I had ever been, cold. And I felt like I was riding on a the spinniest, fastest carnival ride. I felt so much like I needed to vomit, yet I couldn't. Makenneh wanted me to lay down with her and I did...only to feel like the room was spinning. I tried to lay there with her for a bit, but finally had to get up. I was complaining to Jeremy about how awful I felt and he suggested a hot shower. Except I didn't have the energy to take one. I went back to the bathroom to take my contacts out and as I was washing my hands, the hot water felt so soothing. Before I knew it I was climbing in the shower, with the water as hot as I could stand it. But, it didn't take long for me to feel the need to sit down. So, i left the shower on (we have a handheld shower head) and sat back in the bathtub. The only problem was, the only part of my body that would feel warm was the part the water was spraying on...leaving the rest of me to feel freezing. I called for someone to come shut the bathroom door and turn the heat up. Huge thing for me, as I usually can't take a shower with bathroom door shut bc I get too hot and start to feel queasy. But, I couldn't get warm. The shower/bath helped some and I didn't get out until the water turned cold. I felt better afterward. Just a sour stomach. Well, today, Jeremy got hit with it. He felt so awful, he has done nothing much more than lay down/sleep.

Oh I am getting so darn frustrated with this. I had a longer post (go figure) and hit post....it wasn't doing anything. Hit refresh...anyway, get back to my list of posts and went to post it...worked like a charm...only half of the post is missing. Oh well. .

And another night

I guess it's really because we are so darn unorganized about the whole thing (could it be dread?). But, we weren't very productive today at all. We did get a couple car loads of stuff to my parents and even got the bedroom we will be staying in organized (mom is a pack rat). But, we stayed another night here at our place. It should be our last night, but who knows. I have school tomorrow, as my spring break comes to an end tonight. So, I won't be able to do much at all.

I told my mom about Jeremy's job. She didn't make the comment I dreaded she would. She didn't really say much of anything, which is probably a good thing. I didn't give her much opportunity, because I was able to tell her that I honestly feel that this happened for a reason and that better things are up ahead. I squashed any of her possible negativity before it began.

My mom is a hard one to explain. She is a great person, but she tends to get wrapped up in negativity. She always assumes the worst (of people, situations, life in general) and she tends to narrow in on the negatives. I have also noticed that as she gets older, she has become more judgmental and more vocal about her (often misguided) opinions. Sometimes, it gets to be too much and I have learned to let her know when it gets to that point. For a time, us 3 kids (her kids) didn't like to be around her too long because it was a huge depressor. Then I realized it was only fair if I told her why. And now, I will remind her when she starts to get carried away thinking the worst. She wasn't always this way, and part of proof should be the fact that she has raised 3 kids who are nothing like that. We are all more optimistic, easy going, laid back. If my dad were to lose his job (heck, even when he gets laid off) she freaks right out and starts instantly fretting over how bills will get paid and "gee, he will probably be off for a long time and how will we ever make it..." She did that this last time. "Yeah, they told him it would probably only be a couple weeks, but we know that could turn into months..." She called within days to get their cell phones shut off and was just constantly fretting. And what do you know? He was called back after 2 weeks.

Well, my family is peacefully crashed on the mattress we put down in the living room. It's rather cute. I was even laying down there, until the phone rang. I need to get back to getting things done around here or we will never be out of here. I put in for the gas and electric to be shut off on the 20th, so we have to be out by then. I need to call tomorrow to have the phone shut off.

Til next time, take care!

One more day

and we all moved out. We got a lot of it out of here today, but will move the rest tomorrow..that's the stuff that will go with us to my parents. Oh and still have the washer and dryer and fridge to get in storage. I wanted to finish up some laundry before letting the washer/dryer go though. that way Im not taking a bunch of dirty laundry to mom's. We may need to take our fridge to my parents and hook it up in the garage, bc their freezer is quite full and ours is pretty full....sooo, may need to keep it plugged in and use as a spare.

Everything still feels surreal to me. I just feel like im in a fog. Or a crazy bad dream. The whole job thing, the moving in with my parents (which is great, seems how if we had gotten our own place originally, we would be in a real bind right now). Jeremy already has a couple job leads, so hopefully it won't be long. The worst part is, he is so angry with himself and is just overall grumpy. Not extreme, but like today, while moving, he got agitated easily. And I know it's because he is stressed, mad at himself and even a bit fearful of what the future holds. I know everything will be ok.

The kids stayed the weekend with my aunt & uncle...they love playing with my cousins. Well, my one cousin is 16 but she loves the kids to death and they have a great time with her. But, i miss them. I wanna go get them. I had to remind myself, that I am lucky to have family nearby that can help out with them during these times. It would have been very frustrating trying to move and then being here tonight, with very few amenities, having two little kids.

Well, I need to finish my rounds on here and get back to work around here. Jeremy reminded me that we may not be able to get online at my mom's at all, depending on how she has her phone plan set up. The phone company (same that I have here, that is a bitch to deal with) charges for every "non-voice" call unless you pay an astronomical amount per month for this very unlimited plan. It's a pain. So, we will see how everything works out. I can't ask mom and dad to up their phone bill right now, bc i don't know how we would be able to pay them for it. So, i may be a little while without internet. It makes my chest tighten a bit...bc this is my outlet and the upcoming weeks are probably going to be quite an adjustment period, in which i could really use the venting/outlet. But, such is life.

So, in case I am not back on before then, Happy Easter and take care!

What gives

I don't want to go into details, but Jeremy lost his job today. It was his own fault and stupidity and I don't know what to think or feel. I feel a bunch of mixed emotions and at the same time, I feel somewhat numb and indifferent. He has apologized and he realizes that he messed up. Of course, that doesn't change much of anything, other than it did lead to a discussion that has been needing to take place. I will need all of the prayers I can get if i am to get through this. Part of me says to just leave and throw in the towel. But, the truth is, I think my marriage is worth more than that and I did vow to love him for better or worse, sickness and health, richer or poorer and well, I feel that this is one of those times in which we have to work together to overcome the obstacle placed before us. We are allowed mistakes and as a spouse, we should be there to pick the other up when he or she falls. I do love him more than life and am willing to stick it out, only because he has promised to make some changes.

The hardest part for me is the fact that just yesterday I was thinking about how good things have been going, how there is light at the end of the tunnel. Today, I realize that light was just a freight train. It's mowed me over and now I can either get up, brush myself off and try again or stay laying down and do nothing. I did realize today that maybe I am stronger, mentally, than I thought. That maybe, despite this untreated depression, I have strength to see things through.

Sadly, my biggest fear about the whole thing is telling my mom. Why? I don't know. Other than I can hear her now...."you are gonna live my life...." I hate when she says that. Partly because, if she would step out of her small box and look back in at her life from an objective viewpoint, she may realize it wasn't quite *that* bad. Secondly, because there is a huge difference in mindset btwn her and I. I don't dwell on stuff, I don't hold onto it forever until it consumes me and I am optimistic where she is pessimistic. Where she tries to go it alone, I realize the need to surrender. I realize that only God can see me through my darkest hours. I can't do it alone. Third, it frustrates me when she says that because I take full accountability for my situation. I realize that I am where I am because of choices *I* have made. Choices nobody else has ever made me make. I realize that I am responsible for me and my life. When you do this, then you have the power to make changes needed to rise above it all.

See, I love this blog. I love being able to sort it all out. I came here feeling so down and full of despair. I will walk away feeling hopeful and content. Just by writing all these thoughts down, I have realized that it will be ok, that I will tell mom simply that he lost his job and I don't wish to talk about it right now and move on. He is going in Monday to talk to his aunt who works in the MichWorks office....She might be able to help him line up a new job. And who knows, maybe this happened for a reason (everything does). That job was a dead end job. He had been there over 2 years without ever receiving a pay raise, even though they boss has always told him that his production is one of the highest in the building. So, maybe this will open a new door for a better opportunity.

We were supposed to do our moving this weekend, but my sister has several things to do tomorrow, so I won't have her truck. Unless we can figure something else out, I don't know how much we will get accomplished. We may have to cram what we can in our car (thankfully it's not a compact car) and make several trips, saving only the large stuff for Sunday.

Well, I'm done for now. I don't know how much I will be posting for awhile because once the computer is tore down and moved, I don't know when I will get on again. We were going to add internet at my mom's, bc we won't have a phone bill, but now, it will be limited to the free dial up from college and so I won't be on as much, because I can't tie their phone line up. WE will see.

Friday, already?

My spring break is almost over. The week flew by. Of course it did. It was a week off. Those always fly by. Tomorrow I am running the roads with my sister. We are taking our wedding rings in to get them cleaned/inspected then we are stopping by my college to get things straightening out on my loan application. I really hope they approve it. I so need the money.

My jewelry came in from my jewelry party. I was so excited, until I opened the box and discovered that the necklace extenders I ordered are on backorder. That means I can't comfortably wear my necklaces until they arrive. Hmph. But, I am very happy with my necklaces. The one is sooo much prettier in person than in the book. I can't wait to wear it. Who would have thought that I would be into accessories? My sister talked me into ordering a pair of earrings, at the last party. She said I need to wear them. I haven't worn earrings in years. I did wear a pair on my wedding day...but you can bet I took them out at the reception. LOL. The ones I ordered were just plain silver hoops. But, speaking of ordering those earrings...let me tell you a story of an ungrateful relative. The hostess of the jewelry party was my cousin. The one who lives by me. She ended up not getting her invites out bc she insisted on handing them out herself. So, her party wasn't a big turn out or anything. Of the handful of people who showed up, only two of us ordered. I only ordered the earrings, which were around $22. Well, she had made a comment to one of our cousins how she spent $80 (or whatever it was) at my party and I only spent twenty something at hers. I am soooo livid. I didn't realize things like this had to be a competition or whatever. She lives with her fiance, they both make more than Jeremy does and they have no kids. She can afford to blow money on things like jewelry. I can't. Period. I really shouldn't have ordered anything, but did figure I should order something. Instead of her being thankful I ordered at all, she complains that I didn't order "enough". She is young and seems to think in rather simplistic terms. She thinks everything is just simple. Raising kids? Piece of cake. She is always the first to criticize everyone and their parenting mistakes. I try to gently remind her that I had it all planned out too. Then I had kids. Boy did things change. The very things I said "I'd never"....yeah well, they quickly fell to the wayside. My kids have slept in our bed, they stay up late, they are mouthy, yadda yadda yadda. She has admitted that she is judgmental but I never realized how bad until the past few months. I actually feel sorry for her that feels life is a competition and we should all strive to keep up or better yet, outdo the Joneses. She got her engagement ring and had to be sure everyone knew how much it cost and make hurtful comments like, "I had to outdo (name of other cousin who recently married)." Funny thing is, she said this right to other cousin's mom and the truth is, the ring she had to "outdo" cost several times hers. Not that it matters. Why would you care? Why would you say something like that to someone? She has made so many comments belittling other ppl's rings, and right in front of people that it has hurt feelings. One cousin was recently engaged and her ring is a rather simple solitaire that didn't cost "lots of money". But, it was what she wanted. Her fiance feels like crap hearing what Ashley says because he feels like he didn't spend enough on the ring. I told him not to worry about it bc Rachel isn't materialistic and shallow and she loves it and that's what counts. My ring is a simple solitaire. Cost under $500...i don't care. It is exactly what I wanted. Things like this with Ashley are just really irritating me. /end rant.

I got the paper products for the kids' bday parties. I decided to do one, on Sebastian's bday, for family and will be for both of them. Then, I will do a separate one for Makenneh's friends at a local kids pizza place and no not Chuck E. Cheese, as our local one seems to include riots and well, that's not my style. Yes, riots at Chuck E. Cheese. Where a Kid can be a.....victim! Anyway, I got Hannah Montana stuff for M's bday with her friends. She loves it. She doesn't get to watch HM bc we don't have cable, but she has watched her before (when we had cable) and when she is at gma's. She loves her bc well, Makenneh wants to be a "rock star" when she grows up. I foresee the need for a sound-proof basement in my future!

So back to the bday parties. I feel kinda guilty that Sebastian has to share his party with Makenneh but at the same time, I can't afford to do hers totally separate with family at the pizza place too. And this is her 5th bday and the very first one to include friends (aside from my friend's kids by default). It sucks that their bdays are 2 weeks apart. It's too much to do 2 sep. family parties that close. I intend to make the family party more about Sebastian. More his theme decor, etc. I figure Makenneh will get her day to shine on her own party with friends. Parenting can be a giant guilt trip. It really can.

Well, we are doing the move this weekend. Already took one load of boxes to storage. The rest will be hauled out of here over the weekend. We decided to stay with my parents, as I think I mentioned in previous post. Hopefully there are no hard feelings. Shouldn't be. I have to make choices that are in the best interest of my children. Of course, staying with gma and papa may not be in their best interest (or mine) either. I can just imagine. My mom is worse than me when it comes to giving in. Thankfully papa will help balance it out. I also figure that by the time we move from there, the kids will be going to bed on time, behaving better and it will be worth it. Of course, as it is, they are going to bed so much better for me. It has been so nice to have a few hours of peace before morning. I even find that I can go to bed earlier. I have time to unwind and be alone and can get to bed early as a result. I don't always do that though, as you can see. I am still a night owl by nature. I hate mornings. No matter what time I go to bed, I do not want to see sunrise. Leave it to the chickens. They can crow all they want...i will saw logs, thank you very much. But, I must start adjusting as school schedule for kids require early mornings. In my mind, I long to be that picturesque housewife.....get up early, before the kids, drink some coffee, start some laundry, putter around, wake the children, make them breakfast, get them ready for school, send them off, come home, do housework, bake cookies, make dinner. But, I think I am missing that gene that allows one to do those things. I just don't get into it. I get up when I am woke up by one of the kids. I stumble out of bed *silently cursing the morning*, chill out for a few, waking up, go to kitchen, get them something to eat (praying they don't ask me to actually make anything....cereal anyone? banana? nooooo toast, please, i don't want to go through that many steps this early...). Sigh, get out the bread, put in toaster, get out butter, plate, toast pops up, butter it, yeah it's not so bad. Really, I'm not completely horrible. Some mornings I even make eggs or pancakes. I really don't toss em a bone and call it breakfast. although, make it a milk bone and Sebastian would be more than delighted. He loves him some dog/cat food.

In fact, have to share a funny store. he stayed at my uncle's last friday. Woke up saturday morning. TJ asked him if he wanted to eat. He said yes. she asked him if he wanted cereal, No. Banana? No. So, meanwhile, dogs were wanting to be fed, so she got their food. Went to put the dog food back in the laundry room and came back to find Sebastian, seated happily at the table with two handfuls of dog food before him, eating away. She said, you wanted dog food for breakfast? To which he proudly replied, "yep". Then he asked for a drink. One must have a drink to wash down the dog food, you know. So, she asked him if he wanted milk (she has no kids of her own...hence all the open ended choices). He said no to milk and points at her coffee cup, "want thees." "you want coffee?" "Yep". And so it was. She poured him coffee (a tad of coffee, a lot of water). He was a very happy boy and sat at the table with her chattering away about things of which she had no idea. But he was full of conversation as he enjoyed his breakfast of dog food and coffee. Strangely enough, my brother used to love to eat dog food too, when he was younger. We always joked that that's why he is so big/strong. All those milk bones and dog food. With Sebastian, I sometimes think it's a strong link to his animalistic nature. I often think he is convinced he *is* an animal. He loves to crawl around and act like a dog (and sissy encourages it: "say woof woof, doggy). He also likes to eat at the cat food dish just like the cat...on all fours, face in bowl. He has been seen doing the same with my brother's dogs...right alongside the dogs. Funny how they don't like to be bothered while eating, unless it's a blonde-haired little boy, down on all fours, eating alongside them. then, well, it's ok. I of course, stop him from doing that...bc he doesn't need to act any more like an animal than he already does. But, when I first see it, I sorta chuckle inside...as I am telling him not to do it. "Sebastian, you are not a dog/cat. You are a little boy and little boys don't eat like that." I don't think he is convinced.

My sister had put her application in at the local bank bc they had a position open. She hadn't heard anything back and was bummed that they didn't call her. She figured she must not have scored well enough on either the personality test or the application test (yeah, right). Well, today, she got a call from HR asking when she would be available for a phone interview. Right now would be fine. So, they proceeded with the phone interview. The lady really liked her and it sounds as if the job is hers. The HR lady has to call the local branch and set up a time for a face to face interview and will be getting back with her. OF course, my sister is known at the bank as my parents have banked there their entire married life and my sister has banked there. Most of them in there know her. The only issue is this will mean that her husband's family will have to pay someone to come in and care for their aunt that lives with Carrie and her husband. Aunt Helen can't be left alone. So, I told Carrie that would be a perfect opportunity for mom so she can get out of that damned restaurant. I will be so happy when mom can tell them to take that job and shove it. Sooo happy. Probably not as happy as she will be, but very happy, still. So, I really hope Carrie gets the job. I don't doubt that she will. She has excellent experience, she is a huge people person and has a personality that is just amazing. She's like a ray of light. Except when she's not...then she is pretty darn scary. LOL. Seriously though, she is a very likable person.

Well, I will end this novel here. I swear I could type here all dang night....