I almost ran Joseph over

This has been an interesting year and Christmas for me.

First, Tom's spiral out of control; then his sobriety! Yippee!

A friend now spiraling out of control on drugs and pushing everyone away - she even left home, a husband and 15 yr old son. My heart breaks for them. She won't answer my messages.

An unorganized dance schedule; job cuts and both court dates done.

With Tom on probation, we did not get to make our annual Florida trip this year to see his Dad, Brother and MY TRIP to Nokomis for the now annual reunion of some of my favorite JLand peeps. That I'm so sad about.....so sad.

We'll try to make a Spring trip.

The week of Christmas I had begged for my 4 yr old nephew to come sleep over and hang out with us. His Mom and Dad work; my Mom wanted a day off from babysitting ---- so why not? Only his parents never answered me....until the Tuesday that I wanted him.

I got a call from my brother saying they didn't want Nephew staying overnight due to "Tom's drink/drug issues - you never know if he might have made someone mad that would come to get revenge....." and how his wife just wasn't comfy with that. PLUS some of the "kidding around" we do, well, that's just not the way they are trying to raise their children.

I reminded brother dear that Tom was 11 mos sober and did he forget that his sister slept with a gun beside her and that if ANYONE should be afraid it would be any intruder! But that as a mother I could understand his wife's concerns to a point; however, ALL OF A SUDDEN????? HELL NO!

Whatever.....whatever makes her comfy. I didn't need to fight this....not just yet. It was just a couple of days until Christmas and I knew we needed to be peaceful. Besides, I would make my point, yes I would. Somehow I would get in my digs about how I would "miss him this summer while I was in my pool".......or "don't ask me to babysit".....in a gentle manner of course.

I called Mom. Filled her in. Shocked she was; she told the stepDad; he had a talk with the brother about "hurting your sister's feelings". He said he didn't mean for that to happen and he figured he had not said the right words the right way.

Ya think?

Guess who ONLY wanted Aunt Sharon all Christmas Eve and Day? Yep!! I couldn't do anything without him....he even wanted to come into the kitchen to eat Eve dinner with me rather than the others at my Nanny's dining room table. Aunt Sharon, come on, it's time for presents!.

Guess who said "I wanted to have a sleep over with you but why didn't I?".....my answer was "I know, but it's Christmas week and everything is just sooooo busy right now". Didn't satisfy him.

I said to my SIL "It's a shame he doesn't love me". (DIG)

Anywho, my Mom went upstairs to show brother a mirror Christmas Day after lunch and they had a talk! She explained to him how Tom had really changed and how much she enjoyed being around him etc.....also that Sharon protects Nephew and loves him as if he were her own. And by the way, she takes up more time with him than you or your wife EVER have with Miss T. She also asked brother if it meant that she wasn't going to be allowed to bring him to our pool this summer? He said "Is that what Sharon said?" and she said NO, it's MY question because of what you said about your kid not going to her house. In the meantime SIL came upstairs and got into the conversation.

Later brother tried to get me to go out to the garage, but I declined. Then I got a text from him, saying he wanted me to go out there so he could appologize.....for what I asked......for being an ass. Said his kid was welcome anytime at my house.

Interesting.

My Nanny, 87, God Bless Her....fried chicken, made rice, gravy, field peas, homemade choc cake, lemon & coconut pies for our Eve dinner. Awesome! Her home is truly a Christmas House, all decorated, 7 trees of various kinds and sizes, Santa's everywhere, several Nativity scenes.

I didn't decorate full out this year......wasn't in to it.

Christmas Eve I texted a dance mom "Merry Christmas" and she said no.....they were at the ER; her kid's father had a massive heart attack and died - he was only 41. SHOCKED. The kid is only 14 (she's at my house now) and I'm so afraid that she's going to turn into a rebellious kid. Hanging around with the wrong kind and all.....at least the Mom could turn to the Dad and stepMom for assistance keeping her straight. So very sad.

Christmas Day was windy here. We looked out my Mom's window and wondered where Joseph went? He had left the manger scene outside, poor Mary and Jesus all alone. Before long I realized it had gotten dark....time to go home. I began to back out of the driveway, then decided to go around the circle instead.

Was a good decision......we noticed Joseph was near the driveway, face down, lost, cold, lonely.

I left my laptop behind so I turned around to go back to Mom's....stopped by the road to let Miss T get out and help Joseph back to the Manger.

Otherwise, the story would have a different ending after all these years.

Holidaze

One would think that having the last several days off that I would have accomplished a lot.

WRONG.

Well, I did a little cooking Wed for the Thanksgiving celebration at my Mom's on Thursday. Mom cooked the turkey and ham, but the Turkey wasn't the same this year.

Friday Miss T and I braved Toys R Us at midnight.....nothing I bought was on sale! Phooey!

Last night Miss T got the tree up. Today I tackled the lights, all 1500 of them; put on a few of my ceramic and glass ornaments and the bow/streamers. Miss T is supposed to finish it. Maybe Sunday we'll finish the ornaments....it looks a bit bare right now. It's done in Red, White and Gold. Tom hung the wreath on the door. Other than that.....that's it so far.

Tonight one of Tom's "Anti-drunk" friends had a birthday party which we attended. It was a nice bash; catered food, drink variety and a DJ.

This week Tom has to do 3 of his 7 jail days; Tues 8am unitl Fri 8am. Then next week he finishes the 4 days. Aahhhh quiet! Still means I'm the TAXI/chief-cook n bottle washer while he's away. I will have Wednesday off, so hopefully I can get busy with house cleaning and finish the decorating.

On to the holidaze.......

The local radio station started playing the 24/7 Christmas music Thanksgiving Day. I love Christmas music! What is your favorite song? Mine has to be "O Holy Night" and "Carol of the Bells" and of course "Santa Baby"!

I would love to get some new decorations. Guess I'm just getting bored with the same ole same old. I didn't even put some of my old ornaments on the tree....just the special ones like "Our first Christmas Together" and Miss T's 1-5 yrs; some she made in pre-school and my Chris Mouse ornaments.

Thought about changing the color scheme, but RED is THE color for Christmas to me (and it's also my favorite color). So I have lots of RED and white lights....Tom wants colored ones -- NO! The white lights remind me of candles and stars. After all, what other kind of light did they have way back in Bethlehem?

Snowmen too! I like those....I have a blue snowman shower curtain in the hall bathroom and a snowman on the shelf. Besides, you can keep them up through January. No need to hurry up and put them away.

Speaking of putting them away.....used to the day after Christmas my tree HAD to come down. I was tired of it! My Papa used to say you had to keep it up until "Old Christmas" (when is that? Jan 7th, 9th or 12th?). He also said that the animals would face East and get down on their knees at Old Christmas too. Anyone else hear of that?

Cirque de whatever it's called is having a performance called "Holidaze" this month up in Raleigh. I have tickets for us to see the show. These are the acrobatic people who perform. Since Miss T is so flexible I thought she'd like to see it. We'll go up next Saturday, have lunch and catch the 2pm show and come home.

I've wrapped some gifts already. Got most of the "mail away" gifts; just need one more then off to the post office they go. Gotta check my list, see who's been Naughty........and Nice. I will fall somewhere in between I'm sure.

A teen in da house! Oh my!

Where did they go? All those years of sugar and spice?

13 already.......

What a change from one year to the next.

Still she is the best kid.....(hope I didn't just jinx it).

The toys have changed; the prices are larger!

Playing dress up to being dressed up, oh my!

So from now on if my post only says ARRRRGH! you'll know why.

Suggestions welcomed!

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Twas the month before Christmas* *When all through our land,* *Not a Christian was praying* *Nor taking a stand.* *See the PC Police had taken away,* *The reason for Christmas - no one could say.* *The children were told by their schools not to sing,* *About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.* *It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say* * December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.* *Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit* *Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!* *CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod* *Something was changing, something quite odd! * *Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa* *In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.* *As Targets were hanging their trees upside down* * At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.* *At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears* *You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.* *Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty* *Are words that were used to intimidate me.* *Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen* *On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !* *At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter* *To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.* *And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith* * Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace* *The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded* *The reason for the season, stopped before it started.* *So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'* *Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.* *Choose your words carefully, choose what you say* *Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS , not Happy Holiday !* Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet during the holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS Christ is ¡The Reason¢ for the Christ-mas Season!

Court is Adjourned

(Sorry for the late post. I was writing this but time slipped up on me and I had to go get Miss T from school and transport her to dance.)

We were done by noon. The Atty had said (in the beginning) Tom would have to have this one. A lot of back door talking; then the Atty talked to me, asking what could I offer by way of Tom's changing, attitude etc. I said "He's done a complete 360 and is diligent" with his AA meetings etc. He asked if I would be willing to tell that to the Judge (which was a friend of a friend of mine). Of course.

Then I had to talk to the Cop......what? I felt like I was on trial lol.

Our turn, I had to stand with him, the Judge was not happy with Tom's DMV report at all esp since his last conviction in 2004. However, none of the other charges had convictions, so.....

I said what I had to say to the Judge. She wrote up her decision:

1 year no license; handed them over right then and there;
No paper license either (which means I'm back to the family taxi status)
24 months supervised probation
No alcohol or firearms in house (now I'm on probation lol - they're MY guns)
Comply with minimum 3 AA meetings per week.
$500 fine; $130 court cost
7 days jail....time served NOT counting (she said be glad I'm not giving you 60 days, you can thank your wife for that)

You could see it in her face she was NOT HAPPY!!!!

We met with a guy in the back to go over things. He gave Tom a number to call to set up his Probation appointment. We didn't have to pay anything on Tuesday, I guess that will be handled through probation like the last time (2004).

Tom was shut down for about 36 hours.....sad, but OK with the decision. He knew it was coming. By Thursday he had an outing with an AA buddy and they went around looking at boating and fishing stuff, then took in a noon AA meeting. It was a good day. It was good for him to hang out with this guy. He's 30 years sober!

Friday he was back to his aggravating normal self around the house.....he went with Miss T and me to her solo practice then out to eat.

He's trying to humor himself. Thank GOD cause I don't have the energy to do it for him!

Happy Fall Y'all

Well, Brrrr....it turned chilly here! I actually had to turn on our heat for Saturday night, was going to the upper 40's lower 50's and I knew Tom would freeze to death.

I took a picture of him earlier last week, all bundled up like the abominable snowman on the back deck. So?? The problem with that pic was that I was walking out onto the same deck in shorts and short sleeves. That's what I mean when I say he would "freeze to death". The high's are low 70's and mid 60's.

Speaking of Tom, today is his 9 month sobriety anniversary! Wooo hooo! We are all so proud of him. Tomorrow is the court date for that accident that changed his ways. He may have to pull 2 days in jail (was told up to 7 and he's already served 5 when he was arrested) so he may be on a mini "vacation" this week. We'll see. It all depends on which Judge is sitting and if the State has the blood work back yet.

Isn't that sad? A simple blood test, analyze it and send the results....9 months later. Sigh. Our government at work.

So Miss T is working on her Solo for this year. It was going OK to begin with. This past Friday though the teacher was firm with her. She told Miss T that she didn't see her having any "fun" with it.....not "looking forward to" the practice sessions. She also said that T wasn't "improving" and should have been up to this point. Also said for her to make a decision to do this or not.

Now Momma, who knows the kids routine, is thinking that she is of the personality that she will learn the steps proficiently, before adding emotion. She has always been this way. Teacher, however, thinks she should be feeling it all at the same time. That's not easy for Miss T to do.....we talked about that in the beginning of this Solo and she said "that's ok, she's at the stage and age where that will be developing, don't worry it will come"....

But Friday my kid left in tears.

Ready to give up.

My heart was breaking for her - I could hear the conversation through the closed door. When the teacher came out she looked at me and said "I'm ready to get paid and leave - she needs to decided if she wants to do this solo or not."

I'd like to have another teacher look at it.......but do I dare overstep that boundary? Do I just write this off as "teacher was having a bad day" which often she does? Maybe as this week goes on, I'll get the answer to that question.

The other thing from Friday was her bus ride home....she had found out that one of her busmates had died that morning in the Outer Banks - drowned while surfing (his tether got tangled on a piece of a pier and it held him under). He was only 15 -- a Christian boy very involved and much loved. The bus was quiet, bus driver in tears. I know the emotions that were going on....I too experienced tragedy like that when I was just a year older than she is now, and another 3 my Senior year. It's not easy comprehending death at such young ages much less the "why" that goes along with it.

Last night was the visitation for this boy. I'm told some 400 students were there...and that many gave their lives over to Jesus. Today is his funeral, praying for comfort for the family and friends.

Enjoyed my Saturday

It was a tough choice but, I had to do it. I just had to get out in the elements. My nephew wanted a boat ride with his daddy and called us. So Miss T, nephew, my bro and I piled in on my parents boat and took off to the south end of the Island.





Tom left Friday at midnight to join a group going by bus to DC to the 9/12 Taxpayer Rally. He had a great time, although it was a very long day. I sent him with a camera but he only took about 6 pics. Geeesh.....He got home last night about midnight, worn out. He said "we need to look into getting that chair" referring to the Scooter chair advertised. Poor guy, his legs cannot handle even a normal day. Even after the knee replacement surgery....you'd think that would have helped more.

Trouble is Medicare doesn't pay for the chair until you need it......that means you have to have troubles with your arms too. Funny, those people on the commercial don't seem to have arm trouble. I have a friend whose Mom had the chair....last I heard she wanted to sell it since her Mom passed away. $300, not a bad price. Maybe I'll see if she still has it.

It's another beautiful day here....guess I'll see if I can enjoy it too!!

9/11 remembering Joey

This is a COPY of my 2006 post when we were in AOL.

http://www.legacy.com/Sept11/Story.aspx?PersonID=117392

My Hero that I picked to Honor is our very own: Joseph P. Henry, age 25. Place killed: World Trade Center. 9-11-2001 Resident of New York, N.Y.

Now as Tom puts it: "I remember Joey and my daughter going to school together PS-212 and playing in the playground in the neighborhood of Waterview Towers. (Joey's sister would also babysit for Tom's daughters) Tom's family along with Joey's family and others from the area would spend summers in upstate NY, the kids rode their bikes, went swimming in a creek and a pool...it was such freedom to the kids to be out of the confines of the city and the apartment co-op. Big Ed (Joey's Dad) was the youngest Battallion Chief in the fire department at the time of his promotion. Joey and 2 of his brother's followed their Dad and Grandfather by joining the team."

Tom called his daughter that night after the towers were hit. She told him "Dad, Joey was there".....his heart dropped. Tom was already in tears because 'his city' was being attacked. Imagine his pain having found out one of "his kids" had given his all. I must also mention that my Tom is a Retired NYPD--so this truly was "his city" in all aspects. It could have easily been him, had he still been working, and even if he wasn't working, I'm sure he would have felt it his duty to respond.

http://www.fallenbrothers.org/community/archive/index.php?t-3183.html

Bay 44th forever Joey's street [Archive] - Fallen Brothers Community



This is Joey in his probation hat (on the job training). To YOU Joseph P. Henry we remember you proudly and fondly. Edward "Big Ed" & Alice Henry, Eddie Jr, Michael, Danny, Mary & Kathleen, the LaRocca's say God Bless YOU and thank you for your service to the people. NYFD & Ladder 21 lost a great American. May God continue to give you His peace that passes all understanding as you remember Joey.

Love & peace to all the families, Tom & Sharon.


Bay 44th forever Joey's street

Renamed for firefighter

By MELISSA GRACE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry was just 25 when he was killed by collapsing debris at the World Trade Center.

Last week, the street he grew up on, Bay 44th St. between Shore Parkway and Cropsey Ave., was renamed in his honor.

"It's unbelievable how much I miss him. I wish he were here," said Alice Henry, the firefighter's 63-year-old mother. "I'm so proud this street was named after him. He was born and raised here. His name will live forever."

Joseph Henry - Joey, to his friends and family - grew up in the Waterview Towers in Bath Beach in a family of firefighters.

It was on Bay 44th St. outside his apartment building that Henry, a sportsman and Yankee fan, played countless games of football. It was where his brother taught him to throw lefty, and where he pitched more than a few snowballs.

Henry joined the FDNY as an emergency medical technician in 1997. In October 2000, he became a firefighter. He was assigned to Ladder 21 in Manhattan.

During a solemn, snowbound ceremony to the skirl of bagpipes Friday, Henry's mother and father, retired Battalion Chief Edward Henry, unveiled a green street sign. It reads, "Firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry Lane." Close to 300 firefighters, family, friends and neighbors looked on.

The tribute was held near a flagpole and a commemorative stone placed outside Edward and Alice Henry's apartment by their neighbors, in tribute to Joey Henry and all those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

"We never saw each other that day," said Edward Henry, 62, even though both he and his son responded to the World Trade Center that morning. Henry believes his son was in the north tower helping to evacuate people when the building crashed to the ground.

The firefighter, whose remains have not been found, has three older brothers. Two of them, Eddie Jr. and Michael, are FDNY lieutenants. The other, Danny, is a Port Authority police officer. He also is survived by two sisters, Mary, a schoolteacher, and Kathleen, a college student.

Pol lends a hand

The idea to rename the street in Henry's honor came from Arnold Belkin, 58, a neighbor of the Henry family. Belkin's son, Adam, was one of the firefighter's closest friends. Belkin set his plan in motion with a letter to City Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr. (D-Coney Island) asking that the street be renamed.

Choking up with emotion as he paid tribute to his friend, Adam Belkin, 27, said at the renaming ceremony, "I wonder what Joey would have thought of this. ... He would have done a double take, put his hand over his mouth ... and then laughed."

Originally published on December 9, 2002


http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/41764p-39404c.html

Labor Day already?

It's hard to believe.....school has started. Summer seems to have slipped out of here. In the 60's-70's at night already. 80's in the day. Even the pool is too cool. Very unusual for us. Labor Day weekend is normally very hot!

Does this mean we're in for an early Winter? I hope not. I am NOT a cold weather person. Miss T would LOVE if it would snow -- for some reason she's into that.

Tom on the other hand cannot handle cold weather....his legs ache terribly.

I am worried about him though. His mind doesn't "connect" anymore, and he doesn't eat right. He has a Dr appointment Tuesday. We'll find out then if there's more to it.



Headed over to a friends house last Friday night for some tunes and beer. It was nice to just hang out, relax and chat. At least I had my designated driver with me. Trying to get back into some real world activities.

I've changed my medicine, so I'm hoping for more energy and a happier outlook. Let's hope this helps.

So today I went out with a girlfriend....we went to see "All About Steve" then out to dinner with our kids. Should have left the kids at home lol. What were we thinking?

The movie is a bit annoying....I'd say wait for HBO or Netflix.

Otherwise, not much going on over here. Busy Dance Mom now. Miss T's solo practice is looking good. Just waiting to hear the competition dates....and fees.

I can't plan a Christmas trip just yet, not till after the October court date for Tom. But I am looking into dates to head to Florida. School's out on 12/18 and I'm trying to talk everyone into a flight out of here on 12/25. Yep Christmas Day. Wonder how that will go over? Wake up, shake the stocking and grab your luggage! Merry Christmas!

I met Ellen!

It's about time too! LOL. I finally got to meet Ellen (NY State of Mind), a fellow JLander from the days when AOL was good to us.

2 years ago Ellen was coming through our town on her way home from vacation to visit her sister in law and family. We had hoped to get together then, but our schedules just didn't allow it.

The next summer she got a different job and wasn't able to make the trip.

So finally we made plans for this year. Since her SIL's family is near me ( our kids are in the same school too), we talked via Facebook, making our plans and I followed them to Myrtle to the condo. We left about 8:30am for the 1:15hr trip.

It was like old home week, except it was one day.

TnT went with me too. Miss T didn't hesitate, anytime you say Myrtle Beach she's in the car. I told Tom that he'd enjoy meeting these people, especially since they were from his neck of the woods....NY. And talk they did!!

It's a good thing I can speak NYeese -

Ellen's husband met us all in the garage and gave us our parking passes. I went over to greet him with a hug just like "long time no see". Then it was up to the room.

Wow! Ellen is more beautiful in person. She was just as expected; warm, sincere and fun. And her kids! Double WOW. The daughter (10) accepted us into the fold and immediately took a liking to Miss T, as did the son (15).

Now about that..............

Well, let's just say - Ellen, we may have to begin saving money NOW for the wedding ROFL.

The girls played in the pool and the boys (hmmm the men count too - 5) played in the surf. The weather was beautiful and the water was perfect for wading or swimming and the guys got in some boogie board time.

Lunch was a delicious meal of bread, salad, meatballs and rotinni cooked by the Inlaws and consumed by all....twice! Guess it WAS good....

The kids stayed busy on the Nintendo's when they weren't in the water. Luckily those games interact so they could play "teams" and I learned a new trick. You can buy an adapter to house all the games in one place on a miniSD card. Thanks "J"!!

After waiting the traditional "one hour after eating" (we didn't intend it that way, we were just talking and cleaning up) we spent the rest of the evening on the beach.

The "boys and girls" played frisbee; I took pictures while us ladies (and Tom) watched the game. SHOW OFFS!!

Hmmmm that's funny. Tom is always among the ladies.....well, we all know his legs don't let him participate in much, so he's better off hanging out with us. Except we can't tell all our secrets when he's around.....

Back up to the room to shower off and get ready to leave.

Only I really didn't want to leave. I could have stayed and talked all week (I know Ellen is glad I didn't). It was the best day I have had in a long time! A much needed "me" day with some good people. I am so very glad we were able to meet!

I would post a picture of us, but trust me.....no one wants to see me in my bathing suit ROFLMAO!!!! Let's just keep that to ourselves Ellen.

Now Miss T wants to go to Long Island. Hmmmmm wonder what for?

2 months later......

Wow has it really been 2 months?

Bad me BAD ME.

Seriously, bad me. My heel spurs still hurt. The cortizone shot lasted good for about a week, then slowly lead back to the original excruciating pain. As long as I keep it stretched it's not too bad....but as soon as I sit (here to write this) for a while or sleep BAM !! Just careful to not step wrong, think I'll try accupuncture now....just got to remember to call.

In the meantime, that makes me walk funny and that throws my hip/back outta whack so it's off to the Chiro.

Bear with me, I might get long winded,

Tom is good at the no drugs/no drinking game. Continuing AA 3x a week and looks forward to it. 7 months next week FREE!! What a great accomplishment.

We went to ECity for the court date (April 08 when he did the Uturn and got stuck and DUI). Trial by jury - that's what he wanted. Went up Sunday night to be in court bright and early Monday morning 9:30am. Waited.......and waited, and...

Waited.........they picked a jury for another case and said "come back 2pm tomorrow". OK, easy enough.

NOT.

Tuesday was a bust, did not hear Tom's case, so I had to head home to work Wed & Thurs, leaving him there in the hotel room. Said I'd be back Thurs night/Fri morning or before if he needed,

Thursday afternoon they started his trial, I drove up after work, arrived around 11pm and hit the sheets saying "take the cab in the morning and let me sleep in" which is what he did. ($550 for hotel for week) I arrived 11am in time to hear the Patrolman give his testimony and our cross exam. Then Lunch.

Resume trial and Tom decides to testify (OMG).....the DA tried to discredit him and then the Jury was dismissed. At 3:30pm the jury came back in with a NOT GUILTY!!

Wooo hooo.............until Saturday when he received a bill from the attorney for $4,500!! Are you kidding? No one ever said that there'd be more money than the original fee.

This takes its toll on me.....working, driving 4 hrs up there, worrying, money, worrying, driving, worrying...you get the picture.

Not Tom. He sits around listening to Talk Radio and just exists. No desire for anything. In an "I've made my bed now I'm wallering in it" mood.

Sucks for me. I'm 44 and my husband is a knot on the log! Hello.....this is not fun for me. We can barely agree on doing anything...no movies (he's not into that) no live shows, no trips to remote beaches.........


Now Depression.............

I have been in such a bad funk all year...yes all year.

Need a new roof on the house, which will mean fixing the ceilings, repair, mud, repaint. Do I have the cash? Hell no. Can we get an equity line? Maybe, but there goes another $$$$ per month to pay out.

My work load is piling up, need to start working longer....try telling that to the boss. We started another 7 unit building of townhouses which is keeping us busy. In the meantime the 10 renters we had have begun to move out.....I get to go take the pictures and assess the units.

These were brand new....so you figure there's going to be a "lived in" look now. Only the boss has lost his marbles. An 8x10 kitchen with vinyl on the floor has a 1" gash in it....he wants to hold out $800 (because he'll have to replace it if someone wants to buy the unit).

HELLO! Um, normal wear and tear (in NC) does not mean return to brand new condition. So this has actually made me ill! I know it's not my money but think about it.......$1,200 security deposit and you want to keep $800 for a small cut? Speaks like a miser to me. And yes, he's known to be "gimme gimme gimme while I takey takey takey" - trust me he does not reside in the real world. Can anyone say "Ebenezar Scrooge"?

I did put a bug in the ear of the tenant's father.......ask for photos and look up the regulations. Ooops, did I say that??

It's not just that....it's the little things like "fill out this (personal) for for me" when he can clearly see that I am swamped.

Then to come home to find out no one has even remotely considered DINNER. (Um Mr Mom, retired remember? Home alone)

There was dance drama throughout the summer over silly things -- think cat fight - "why is this kid doing that and not mine?" whine whine whine.

One parent was even sooooooo close to being asked "don't bring your kid back". OMG, if that had been me I would have been so embarrassed.

Friends? Where? HA! I can't even muster up enough enthusiasm to get together with anyone. My bestestfriendinthewholewideworld Cindilouwho even threatened to divorce me, and I haven't seen her or my gal pal T since JANUARY! Bad me, bad me.

I've blamed it all on being a one car family of 3 needing to be in 3 different places at 3 different times between the hours of 7am and 9pm. Who can do it all and still have time, much less want to do anything else?

So I bought a new car July 1....an '07 Endeavor SUV. It's nice. Has plenty of room for us and Ms Dancer's stuff for her competitions.

Did that solve my depression? NO.

But a light bulb has blinked......I've been slowly getting like this ever since the co-worker left for Texas. It makes sense now....with no other interaction in the office (just me and boss) I have been slowly sinking into my own depression.

Yes, I do see my girl pals at dance...but it's not the same as hanging out at the beach or getting together for a drink or meal. We're still stuck to the kids schedule, not on our own time. And of course the dance drama.......

Miss T is growing.....GROWING you hear me. Dance starts back tomorrow. She's "graduated" to the Jr Senior groups at the studio. YAY! She'll be 13 this Fall. I've reflected back to when I was her age (OMG!) and I've got to say I am thankful, very thankful to have such a great kid, drama free (for now). I was a pistol and drove my Mom crazy. (Memo to self...pretty soon you won't know anything according to your kid...they know it all.)

7th grade will start in just over a week....hard to believe.

OK, foot feels a bit better....back to that place she calls her bedroom. I'm working on it - alone! Watch out!

Happy Day...Happy BD StepDad!

Did I tell you that about 2 months ago I took a 2 mile walk in my Keds (shoulda been my walking shoes, I know)? Well since then I've suffered with plantar faciatus and the horrible heel spur.

Today I had Dr visit #2....I had decided that I needed the cortizone shot YAY me. He walks in and says "Hey you ready for a shot?" and I shot back "Yeah, whattcha got for a chaser?".

I am sooooooooo hoping this will work long enough, at least let me have a good summer. Right now I can only take one store at a time, even if it's the grocery store - that sucks!! I'm a shopper!!!! It's my therapy!!

Then it was off to the chiropractor...needed a visit. This foot pain has me walking weird and throwing me off kilter.

Nevertheless the BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION was to continue. I picked up Rib Eyes and salad fixings and a bunch of potatoes for baking and headed to Moms. Called Nanny to come on too. NINE people plus 2 small kids....I'd say that was a nice 71st birthday party.

OH YEAH......yesterday Miss T learned (finally) how to ride a bike! Yes, 12 years old (almost 13). I had given up, thinking she'd never give it another try. She is so proud of herself....literally living on that bike.

I remember back when...........when I would live on my bike too. It was the best freedom for me, just riding, wind in my hair, sneaking down to see the boyfri....

...wait a minute! She'd better NOT!

I do remember though....nice....and I was 12, riding my bike to the end of the road so my Mom wouldn't see me talking to him. OMG!

I'm not ready for THAT!

Hmmmm funny, I've been remembering that time a lot lately. Maybe it's because Miss T is at a "crossroads" of life, one that I can relate too. Maybe I'm just remembering my first "love" fondly. Yes, fondly.

Monday Muse

We had a great weekend and Father's Day.

Saturday my nephew came over for a swim. He is going to be a fish soon....I was actually able to convince him he could float with his water wings on without the tube too. "LOOK AT ME SWIMMING" he said....LOL. He did great. We're working on the "keep your mouth" closed rule.

Later TnT&me went out to eat at O'Charley's....I do love their Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad. Would you believe that at 6pm the temps were 97 degrees still???? Gosh it musta been over 100 Saturday and close to it on Sunday.

Tom kept saying "Kohl's is having a sale" several times during the day, and I ran with it...we went after dinner. Miss T picked up some goodies, of course. Jeans were buy one get one....picked those up for the fall. So glad she's getting BACK into jeans.

Even though I tried to keep a headache all weekend, we still managed to have some fun time.

Father's Day we took Tom out to "Bonefish Grill" - it's his favorite. He enjoyed a stuffed Mahi with rice pilaf. Then an ice cream from Dairy Queen later in the afternoon hit the spot!!

Did I call my Dad? No. Did I think about it? Yes.

Did I go see my Step Dad? YES.

Afterall, he's been the best Dad for 31 of my 43 years.

But he cheats......Tuesday just happens to be his birthday. So he gets the best of both all wrapped up in one week.

That's alright.....my birthday is soon too....hehehehe.

June already and it's almost over?

Great time of day...I can't believe I haven't posted before now.

A lot going on just not all at one time.

The dance year is officially over, recital was great!! Miss T learned the value of eating before dancing. She had to come out of her acro routine because she was dizzy and began to shake. I said "seeeeeee? I told you to eat properly". Why don't they listen? Bet she does now.

We start the summer dance program June 30 with technique classes. Miss T is almost convinced to go back to clogging this year. The teacher asked her about it and she is thinking about it. She hasn't done that in 4 years.....she did for 5 - 3 years competitively.

www.clog.org

And I was hoping to cut back next year.....sigh!

Mr Man is doing great. Received his 5 month chip last night in AA. He's so proud of himself. In the past his idea of "handling things" was to drink or drug it away but now he is really trying to deal with things head on. The minor brain farts still appear, like "um you wanted me to have dinner ready?"....hmmm oh I don't know, you've been home all day while I was at work.

Go figure. It's very exasperating. Like raising another kid.

I am getting tired of only having one vehicle. It's such a chore to be able to get around to all the things that I do and Miss T that, we're borrowing my Nanny's car once or twice a week so that Tom can bring her to dance and get himself to AA meetings. But until the court stuff is done, I can't see buying anything just yet. Maybe in September when prices could be better and I can arrange decent lending.

Tom still wants a boat so bad he can taste it...but I've reminded him, those are luxury items. He doesn't "deserve" that yet.

I'm hoping for a great weekend....some of the girls are in from out of town, I've been invited for a night on the beach. And one of my besties invited me to the pool at her house just to catch up.

I think it's time for some ME time!!

TGIF

Thursday's are my Friday's....nice!

I get to sleep in while Miss T is at school and tomorrow Mr Man is taking my car to get 2 new front tires. It's amazing how fast you can wear out a set of tires.

Guess I shouldn't be too surprised...it's the only set of wheels we have right now and I'm not running out to buy another one. Not until this court stuff is settled.

My nephew dropped in on me Thurs morning before I went in to work. I think his Grammy put him up to it -- asking if I had any cake left. I had made the decorator's buttercreme icing -- they all love it.

When I said there was only one piece left, my Mom quickly said "What? It's only Thursday!".....I made it Monday.

Hey, I like it too!

My new camcorder arrived too! I ordered one from Tiger Direct. Since my battery in my old one was deader than a doornail and costs about $80, I looked into getting another camera. Picked up a Canon for $139 and it's so compact. I think I'm going to like it. It's charging and I plan to play around with it later.

Small enough to fit into my purse....sneak it in to recitals and competitions without much bulk. Not too bad for vacations either. Compact!

I still want a new camera.............just hate to spend THAT kind of money. Maybe I'll ask Santa to help out.

Foot pain and other stuff

A couple of three weeks ago I set out to take a walk with some other dance mom's. I didn't plan this...and I wasn't in the proper shoes. Just some Keds.

OUCH

I have a heel spur and now it's aggravated the plantar fasciatis so the Doc wrapped my foot/ankle tight and said to leave it like that for 2 days. Wrote me a Rx for super dooper anti-inflamitory and some cream. Come back in a month.

He did say he was glad I was wearing the tennis shoes I came in with (Avia's). I have enjoyed these. My NB and Nike's just weren't doing it for me.

Very glad he didn't slice my foot open and start digging around. He of course wants to avoid that. Hello! Me too!

So what's up?

I had an enjoyable 5 days off and boy was it hard to come back to work today.

Last Thursday Tom had a court date, only to be put off until June 18th - the state hadn't received the results of the lab work. So much for the right to a speedy trial.

Friday....home alone! Oh yeah! Nice.... Later in the day I did something scarey....I opened an investment account. I decided to take a certain sum and buy into some stocks...haven't made a purchase yet, waiting for the right moment. Boss daytrades, so I'm expecting some good tips from him. Still waiting....

My niece had her 1 year old birthday party (a week early) and it was beautiful weather on Saturday for that. She's been sick but she was such a good little hostess that day. Even her big brother was a trooper.

Sunday was lazy....jumped in the pool finally. All that rain in the weeks before had dropped the temps, but they were right back up to 80! Afterwards, we went out to Macaroni Grill for dinner.

Monday we grilled burgers n dogs for the family. I had invited everyone, but my niece wasn't feeling well, so her mom and brother didn't come over; the brother was working; the baby bro showed up and did his famous back flips into the pool. Mom, stepDad and Nanny joined us. We just sat around, lazy, talking, laughing.

Miss T had the dreaded EOG's last week....but she just called to say that she passed them with flying colors...I knew she would. Why do they scare those kids like that? All these tests are for is to grade the teachers...poor kids.

Now it's back to the full dance schedule. I hope we have good things coming up for the summer session.

Maybe now I can get back to PSP'ing....

Can You Hear Me?

OMG what a week....every time I spoke, hubby didn't comprehend.

I wanted to pull my hair out.


It's like his brain remained on the drink. I would say "I'm at the store" and he would say "when you leave your office....."

Huh?? It was my day off.

So I start s-p-e-a-k-i-n-g
v-e-r-y
d-e-l-i-b-e-r-a-t-e-l-y
and he wants to know what's wrong with me!

Hey, I'm just trying to make sure you hear and understand me.

Seriously, he's not "hearing" me...you know, understanding.

I'm the one with the list of things to do: work, clean, kid to dance, bathe every Sunday, you know, the normal stuff.

On another note, Tom is doing great with AA! He enjoys the meetings and looks forward to going. He doesn't even want to associate with "old" friends and I don't mean the old drunks. I mean his oldest friend from High School who lives near us. He wanted to "get together" because a mutual friend was in town from NY, but we were out of town. When we got back home earlier than expected, I said "hey, call Jim" and he said NO...he didn't want to...he didn't want to be around them (surely he mean the A-hole friend). He knew one of them would be drunk, perpetually and the other tipsy.

Wow.

4 months sober and counting.

It's a good thing!

Mischievious

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

What a clever little quiz.

Scarey, the truth in this.

Yes I do subscribe to mischief...I love a good laugh, a joke, a prank. I get it from my Nanny. The original family prankster.

Once she was stocking a walk in cooler (convenience store) and a man reached in to grab a soda, only my Nanny reached out and grabbed his hand. Imagine his shock!!

After she finished laughing her butt off, she thought "OMG, he could have had a heart attack!"....then kept laughing.

She handed an envelope of rattlesnake eggs to a stuttering customer and his response was "Oh Sh-sh-sh-sh-SHIT!" -- I'm still laughing at that one!

Friend first.....yes. I will do anything I can to help my friends and be a good one to them. I don't ask for any kudo's in return - that's what friends are for. Just knowing that YOU trust ME is kudo's enough.

I've loaned my best gal pal $$ for a car payment....she paid me back, not all in money, but in trade offs. I didn't hound her about it, I was glad to help. After all, my family helps me so I "donated" to a cause. What better cause than a friend?

I wonder sometimes if those monetary gifts from the parents come at the right time just so that I can "pay it forward" by helping someone else? If so, I try to remember that I am the lucky one and do the right thing. If not, then I've just acted on my instincts.

Thank you Shelly for posting about this quiz. I like Snapdragons!!

Good News, Whew!

Oh thank you ALL for your prayers and comments!

My Mom took Nanny to the Doc today and from his thorough exam she didn't have TIA or a stroke!! She just basically leaned over and tumbled. He said "I can't find anything wrong with you!"...I hope they can say that about ME at 87!

Thankfully she had a base tan and had rolled in the dirt cause she would have been burned to a crisp. She's taking Aleeve and staying inside resting, eating and drinking.

Normally she would have had her phone with her, but not this time. So now we're considering a cell phone on one of our plans and I'm going to get her a different phone system for the house. Maybe we should also look into an "alert" system. It's hard to think of these as her "last days" with us....her people live long and die fast, those are her words. Her sister died this year, 94; her oldest sister died some 7 years ago, 95. Long lives.....

The Divine Grace of God kept her safe, I know that. She is a Godly woman and she said I just prayed "Lord help me get up"....I said "You should have added 'soon' to the back of that!"

Yes indeed it was God's protection. Just think: 87 years young and I do mean YOUNG because she IS active - in her yard and garden and home. She recently painted 4 rooms in her house...all by herself. I can't even get up enough gumption to paint my lil ole bathroom!

ME=lazy Nanny=always busy. That's what keeps her healthy. Plus she is so vain....about her looks and dress. Her hair is naturally auburn and only has a small streak of grey in the front - NEVER COLORS IT.

ME=jealous LOL!!!!

She is the only Grand I have left...she is da bomb!

Kowabunga, but I feel like a heel now.

It was a beautiful, cloudless day. The air temp was in the 80's. I had decided that Miss T and I would spend a couple of hours outside, she needed some color for this weeks dance pictures.

It was about noon. I noticed that Nanny had hung out some sheets to dry at her house. Decided to take "Just A Guy" by Bill Engvall out to finish it.

Of course Miss T grumbled, "I don't wanna be outside" but I insisted. She grabbed "New Moon" and headed to the trampoline to read to get away from my radio noise. Tom had been cleaning the night critters off the pool and had the filter running.

Soooooooooo tempting.

Then I couldn't stand it anymore.

I actually said "Kow-a-bunga" and jumped in the pool!

It almost took my breath, that initial shock as hot as my body was. The pool temp was 74.5 and GREAT! Only the top layer was cool, everything else under was perfect. While I was in, I did a short stint of water aerobics. I kept looking towards Nanny's thinking I'd catch a glimpse of her or that she would show up and say "Gosh, isn't that water too cold?".

All in all we were out there about 2 hrs before deciding just to chill on the deck. Then I called Mom to see what the status of the boats (2) were. Both are here at the farm being cleaned etc....my StepDad said he'd come put the cover back on the engine and launch one so we could take a ride.

Speaking of taking a ride, my lil nephew was up in the air today with his Papa flying over our house and his house and my Mom's house then they flew to Elizabethtown to refuel and have lunch before coming back home.

After about 30 mins stepDad called back to say, wait till next weekend, too much left to do to get the boat ready, and besides the water was very choppy. Not condusive for pleasure boating.

OK fine. I hop in the shower, send Miss T in for hers. In the meantime, I am just relaxing on the couch, playing a game of "Aggravation" with Miss T. 6pm rolls around and I'm wondering "what's for dinner?"....suggestions were made.

By 7pm I'm ready already and we hop in the car. As I pass by Nanny's I notice her laundry is still on the line and I have Miss T give her a call to break her shoes about it.

She had just come in the house.

She had FELL in the GARDEN! Went out there at 10:30am, got about 1/2 of a 40' row of mustard clipped and FELL OVER! I guess she just lost her balance.

BUT SHE STAYED THERE UNTIL SHE CAME IN THE HOUSE AT 6:50pm!!!!

Do you hear this? She layed in that garden for EIGHT HOURS!!! and couldn't get up! Couldn't yell for anyone - no close neighbors - and didn't have her phone with her.

So she slept! Then eventually crawled over to the fence and basically climbed up the fencing to her feet.

No wonder I kept looking her way....something had me looking, I just wasn't looking in the right direction.

OMG! I have allowed my Nanny to lay there! Not once did I bother to call her today and see what she was up to. It didn't even occur to me that she hadn't called me. Although my Mom had called a couple of times, I thought it might be my Nanny. But still, I didn't call her.

Strangely enough my stepDad didn't spend his normal time at the farm today. He's usually there until 2pm but had gone home to help Mom with some flower planting.

I turned around and went to Nanny's to get in her laundry and had Tom gather the eggs (image: yankee/city boy in a chicken lot). When Nanny came to the door her face was black with dirt --- she was dirty from head to toe and burnt! (She already had a good base tan)

She was attempting to take a bird bath in the sink and I said NO WAY. You're getting in the tub. Got her a stool and helped her in. I washed her hair and gave her a rag with soap to wash her face. Then I washed everywhere else.

Ya know....at 87 her boobies are prettier than mine!

She said "that water feels sooooooooo good". Miss T had already called my Mom to tell her about this and to "get over here".

Nanny said she immediately fixed a glass of lemonade and then a glass of water when she came in and took 2 Aleeve. We made sure she kept drinking and Tom ran out to get her a hamburger, just to get some protein in her tummy too to keep her from getting so sick.

She dressed and I had clipped one of her Aloe plants and rubbed on her shoulders and arms and she put some on her face. You could see it in her eyes she was drained. After a bit, I heard it in her voice --she was fine, normal, but tired.

My Mom didn't want to leave her alone, but she insisted she'd be fine. Was gonna take a Xanax and go to bed. We didn't come home until 10 pm. I'll bet she sleeps all night....boy is she going to be sore tomorrow. Kept complaining about her shoulder and kept an ice pack on it.

Keep her in your prayers please, she's a trooper, an independant soul, but stubborn! No signs of anything wrong, no stroke or other weakness.

She said she'd call me in the morning....I hope she does.

I'll go up there tomorrow, fix her something to eat; clean the kitchen. Fold the laundry that I put in the wash/dry tonight for her.

I hope she will be OK. She's a very Godly woman and I'm sure she's already asked for the Lord to keep a watch over her.

I'll do the same.

T-shirt Orders for Breast Cancer

http://lvskemosharkreport.blogspot.com/2009/04/t-shirt-for-lavondas-benefit.html

Click the above link to link to the link to buy a TShirt.

A while back I posted that one of our former dance teachers was having a breast cancer battle. The Relay For Life starts off this weekend with benefit concerts and raffles and such.

In her last couple of posts, it mentions these concerts etc and the benefits going towards her financial burden of the treatments.

If anyone can order a shirt, please do. I plan to get us one, I'm already sporting the bracelet that reads "we love lv".

My (Paternal) Great Aunt Bobbie has just been diagnosed with Stage One Breast Cancer, and is following up on her test results and talking with a surgeon. She's in her 70's. Nonetheless, we'd love to see her beat this too.

My paternal G-ma was a breast cancer survivor.

Please remember LV & Bobbie in your prayers.

So far there are no cases on my maternal side....yay!!

What a beautiful day!

You could not have asked for more perfect weather. Mid 70's near 80 this week with a beautiful sky.

This past weekend was spent at a dance competition. We had a burger n dog cookout with Tom as head Chef on Saturday. It was so relaxing to be outside in lawn chairs in between dances....the kids had a blast.

We ended up spending a night in Myrtle just because....why not? The commercial always says "wanna get away"....my answer is YES.

Monday was back to reality and work...I don't know where my head was but while I was upgrading our accounting software I lost 2008 in on of our sister companies. Hope the CPA has my back up disk and emails it to me. Luckily 2008 wasn't "busy" for that particular company so even if I have to enter it by hand, it will be OK.

On our way home from dance last night the sky was gorgeous. The setting sun reflecting through the trees and clouds...it was like a Monet print! I do love God's coloring.

Too bad I had left the camera at home...would have been a perfect sky for beach shots.

But today! Wow! I couldn't stand it anymore...the pool filter was on, making splashing sounds. So I donned some tanning clothes and grabbed a book (Bill Engvall's "Just A Guy"). Sitting on the deck, hearing the pool and smelling the chemicals......oh my. I soooooo wanted to dive in. However, the pool is still a chilly 68-70. Darnnit.

Soon, I'll be on my float, soon.

I think I'll fill some floats with water and let em float around and heat up the water faster.........

Top 25 Car Theft Cities

No. 15: Myrtle Beach, S.C.

2008 Rank: 15
2007 Rank: 23

# Thefts in 2008: 1,586
Rate of Thefts: 616.21

Notes: A vehicle theft rank of 1 is the worst. The rate of thefts is determined by the number of vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants using the most current U.S. Census Population Estimates available. A higher rate means more thefts per capita.

Well this bites! I mean, we're there at least 6 times a year....bet they won't steal my lil old go cart Nissan...nooooo.

(Better clean it out now that I've said this - ya know?)

We travel to the lovely Myrtle a lot...sometimes just for fun. Hell, who am I kidding? It's always for fun whether it be for a dance competition or dinner or shopping or just lazying on the beach in July when the parents are there.

Hmmmm, I'll be close to that this weekend, I wonder.....

Spring is finally here, but where have I been?

HAPPY EASTER ALL!!

Geesh, it's like an eternity since I've posted.

What have I been up to?

Not much.....same old stuff. Having to fix a dance costume for Miss T's acro class. They gave us a black unitard and said "enhance" to match with the crazy circus theme they're doing. Having fun with that....I'll have to post a pic when it's done. Then another kid wants me to fix hers...never ending...LOVE IT!!

We ran away, again. Once we found out we didn't have to dance at the Azalea Festival after all last weekend I booked a room in Charlotte and took off for Carowinds (theme park).

Miss T hates rides....such a sissy mary. Tom loves roller coasters and we put him on about 5. Did the water rafting ride and I didn't get wet ha ha ha!! So glad too. The weather was PERFECT! Sunny and 74 - gorgeous. The tulips were blooming.

Started to go over to Asheville to the mountains, but that would have been a long ride home on Monday...sooooo....I headed up I-77.

WRONG IDEA.

Traffic! 10 miles = 1.5 hours. Road construction! How rude.

So we begged off around Hwy 421 and headed over towards the mountains, just for a peek. Stopped to stretch and turned around to head to Winston Salem for the evening.

Just touring.

No schedule, no fuss......just out and about.

Miss T has been on Spring Break this week...and bored!

It is amazing to see how green everything has all of a sudden become. Dogwoods in bloom....Red Buds too. Gorgeous.

Mom's church had an egg hunt today; my niece and nephew went and so did Miss T, to help. Then lil mr man came home with me so his mom and baby sis could nap. He continued hiding eggs in my yard and then inside.

He learned a new phrase thanks to "Alvin and the Chipmunks"....."Daddy likes to wear dirty underwear"...oh his Mom is real excited over that one.

Tom has been Pool Boy today....cover is off, chemicals are in and the water temp is 68! Won't be long. Think I'll fill some floats with water and let them heat it on up for an early dip soon. One problem...the pump seems to be leaking. Hope it's just a gasket, an easy fix. Cross your fingers.

After this week I think I'm going to have to go back to working on Tuesdays, at least for a while. Things are slipping through the cracks and I'm really getting behind! Told bossman it wasn't a great idea to cut my hours. Sigh...I will miss having that extra day, but the cha-ching will be good!

Happy Easter everyone!

Put a Cork in the Weenie Balloon The Owners are home!

Good Grief Charlie Brown!

Girls night out...hmmmm. Used to be about bar hopping and yelling from the car windows. Now a days we just crash someone's house and throw a par-tee!



Friends early birthday party at the home of another friends parents. Follow that? I'm getting the shtz talked about me because I can't go to the beach and hang out with them.

Little did this "one" know that I was at the 'rents house getting the food on the table while they drove the birthday girl around. They lure her to this house under false pretenses of dropping in for whatever, then meeting ME at a restaurant in town, and after that heading to Myrtle.

WRONG!

Party planner sticks her head out the front door and says "Come on in for a minute, I gotta pee" so birthday girl and friend 3 get out. BD girl comes in to "SURPRISE" and gets tears in her eyes. No one ever plans a party for her, so we just had to do it.

Unbeknownst to her, her daughter (who was at a game and "couldn't make it") was also on her way here. Playing a game of hide n seek with one of the kids, the BD girl was hiding and her own daughter found her! She was shocked! More tears.

So, we're all caught in the lie! Ha ha ha on her!!



Beer and wine on ice, music and laughter...food everywhere. The homeowner left for a meeting so we just kept on keeping on. One time someone said "hey were are the owners of this house?" as if we had just landed in a vacant home.

It was kinda odd, I mean, there we were having a good time and ....no owners.

I came into the room a little late (camera in hand of course) to find them trying to stuff a weenie into a balloon. Well, they got it, but it broke in half. So someone had the bright idea to stick one of the wine corks in it.



Hmmmm wonder what kinda gasses would have built up if we had let that stay? No telling who or when the cork would pop.

Well, the owners showed up (Mom & Dad to planner) and the laughter just kept roaring. Finally about 1 am, we all found our way to a spot to lay our heads. Sleep? Nope, not me....I ended up with a stiff neck and nodded in and out of sleep.

We swore that we wouldn't post any of the incriminating photos, so ...sorry, no evidence.

All in all it was a good time, much needed by all!

Love is grand!

Thank you all for snapping me back to reality. I'm just experiencing overload and it should ease up soon. (It had better!!) I should prioritize my workload better and not let it get so overwhelming. Home...that needs orgainizing too.

The new great-nephew in Hot-lanta should be home today. Got to see some email pics of him and his big brother. Such a happy family.

My niece (10 months) is finally walking on her own. Boy does she want to go everywhere RIGHT NOW! She's fearless too. Watch out mom and dad.

My nephew, Lil Mr Man, is such a joy...always full of hugs n kisses and so glad to see his Aunt. Does me good. We all had dinner together tonight at our favorite pizza joint up on the beach. So nice.

Then I headed over to the pier because the sun seemed to be in a decent position for some pictures. I hope so, I haven't looked at them yet. I do so love the beach, the sand, the shells, the smells.

Today is DAY 60 for Tom. 60 days sober.......WOW! I am so proud of him and I know this has been hard, very hard. Miss T and I both can push his buttons, so you can imagine. He seems to be taking things one day at a time, slowing down, not over-reacting...he's happier and calmer. God is good!

Tomorrow is GIRLS NIGHT and anything goes. I need a night to veg! Wine me up and watch out! Just keep the vino chilled and pouring!

There is a new blogger out there....a former dance teacher of Miss T's who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. After a mamogram something still wasn't feeling right for her so she had a MRI and low and behold...you just never know. Girls, keep pushing and insisting to your Dr to look harder if you sense something is amiss.

http://lvskemosharkreport.blogspot.com/

She is taking this like a trooper. Go over and give her a shout and keep her and her 2 small kids in your thoughts and prayers. God does work miracles...we just need to ask!

I wanna run away....

I found myself checking out an airline ticket and rental car to Florida for a quick get-away today. Not bad for 4 days....$200.

Knew just where I was heading too....

For some reason today was tough. No, not just today, but this whole week. Guessing it's all catching up with me.

Ever since Tom's accident, we've been a one car family. I work 20 miles away; which means I leave work early to drive home just to turn around again to get Miss T to dance. Before, Tom was the taxi.

This week we've looked at 2 different vehicles...the Highlander and just yesterday we found ourselves at the GMC dealership looking at a truck almost identical to the one we lost.

I think that I have not truly mourned the loss of my baby truck. It was a senseless thing; however it has lead to the much needed sobriety of Mr Man.

Everyone depends on me to do any and everything; I think for these people (even at work) and it gets next to me. ME: "Tom, did you call R for a ride?" T: "No" ME: "It's getting late, better get him before he makes other plans"....

No brainer...if you want a ride to AA....duh.

BOSS: "I paid a bill but I don't know why, find out for me"
ME: "Um, you signed up for this service in January!"

MOM: "I'm stuck in your yard"
ME: (I'm not home) "OK, I'll be there soon" in the meantime I run into my neighbor and ask him to help us.

NANNY: "Sharon I want to go get a haircut if you are going into town on your day off"
ME: (sigh.................)

Miss T: "Mom, where's my......? Oh!"
ME: It doesn't matter if it's in front of her nose she just can't see it. I swear sometimes she's a real blonde!

And then there's all these projects I'd like to start or finish, not to mention house work.

I keep hearing about this archaic word...."fun"...anyone have any idea what that's about?

Where is my ME time?

Now I feel like there is something physically wrong with me. I know it's the stress, tension and all, but in the back of my mind I can't help but wonder.....is there more?

A new Great Nephew on Patty's!

Now the Luck of the Irish was indeed upon us.

Ashton Patrick was born on ye old St Patrick's Day. I'm sure his Great Grandma would have been very proud to share "her" day with him. Maybe she was giving a "push" from Heaven eh?

Seems the real "push" came from Scalini's Eggplant Parmesean. There is tales of many a baby being born within 48 hours of consuming this "famous" dish and yes indeed, my great niece indulged! Maith thú (well done!)

www.scalinis.com/backgrounds/bambino1

A couple of pushes and all 8 pounds of hisself arrived! Shamrocks, shilelagh and all that other blarney accounted for!

Congrats to the Mama & Papa!!

Happy St Patty's!

This was a decent day for a holiday.

Tom didn't want the normal Corned Beef....said it had too many bad memories. So I made Beef Stew, the "original" meal of the great Island.

Miss T and I made a Pistachio Nut Cake (delish) and she made 7 layer cookies. I had plans to make the Irish Soda Bread, but Tom said "don't worry about that".

My Mom picked Miss T up from school at the request of my nephew. They came over, and my Mom got STUCK in my back yard! (It's been raining for 3 days) Luckily my neighbor was riding behind me, and I pulled into his yard to say "hey come help me pull her out". The funny thing about this was that my nephew whipped out his pretend cell phone from his back pocket to call ME!

"Aunt Sharon, hurry come help us we're stuck in the mud"

Too funny.

And Aunt Sharon did just that!

He thinks I can do everything.

It made me remember, I miss my truck, I really miss my truck. But that was a small price to pay if it sobers Tom up and makes him well. So far so good (knocking on wood still). I am proud of him for going this far. He reaches day 60 this Friday. WOW!!!!

Keep up the prayers for him, for us...there's still court to come.

On a happier note, I've been getting to know my new sewing machine. I put together a dress for Miss T. One of those tube type dresses that are elastic banded across the bust...and added some straps, cause she's weird about "what if it falls down?". It's in a favorite pattern of hers...cherries on a black background.

Now Tom wants to make over our extra bedroom so I won't be sewing on the kitchen table. Hmmmmmm, my own hideaway. Could be nice.

G'nite, Sharon go Braless!

Brother

This is the California brother.....

Drama Mama

I must be getting old and cranky.

The rules and regs at our dance studio are relaxing and I fear it will continue to get worse if things don't change.

Some parents are wishing for more updated dance techniques (me for one). I just don't see the "pop" in ours much.

The irritation for me is the lack of respect for the presentation. We are required to present a uniform fashion: tights, shoes, eyelashes, makeup/hair color/style. I am one of those Mom's that everyone can come to for help with applying such especially the false eyelashes. They are a chore.

But what I have observed is the disregard the kids have for the efforts put out by the studio and their parents.

For instance, walking around in bare tights without shoes on concrete outside and across the street to a burger joint.
1) Tights will be ruined and dirty
2) Tights are expensive ($15 up)

Not wearing protective coverup over expensive costume while not onstage.
1) running around, playing, falling,
2) EATING! OMG! If there is a stain on that costume, I'll......

And the parents are allowing this....I watched it.

Our kids are asked/required to keep up their dance skills throughout the summer. When we were at the School of the Arts we watched very talented teachers bringing some new skills to the floor.

My question is, why aren't the teachers requied to have "continuing education" as well? We need some fresh art.....fresh steps. I spend a lot of money each year in "tuition" and, yes, she's a stronger dancer, but they are the same steps.

Time for teachers to step up too!

Home from Competition, again.

These dance weekends are showing MY age!

My aches have aches. Nevertheless, I push forth. The show must go on they say. Miss T's tap group got a judge's award "fun, fun, fun award" -- I admit they're group was entertaining.

Golden awards for the groups and solo...nice!
Saw some old friends that had moved away, that's always great.

Sunday after our last dance I did treat Miss T to the Cheesecake Factory, her one request other than shopping at the mall. The weather was awesome. High 70's even 80 on Sunday and a light breeze. Perfect Spring like weather for walking and enjoying the landscape.

Tom is still dilligently attending AA and determined to keep the demons at bay. We're all so proud of him. It is nice to see him smiling these days.

I won't be smiling come 8am Tuesday....the dreaded Jury Duty Selections! Ugh.

To snow or not to snow?

It's certainly a snow job.

Seems the weather around here doesn't know which way to go. Threats of snow Sunday night and into Monday delayed schools in surrounding counties. The sight of snow Monday night delayed our county schools 2 hrs on Tuesday.

Then the sun was out most of the day. Windy and cold for the past 3 days. 20's tonight. Going to be up in the 70's this weekend.

I'd say Mother Nature has it in for us. No one can get better; my niece and nephew are still sniffly; Miss T has a bad cough too.

I'm not the only one surprised by the latest Winter storm. Seems we were in the bubble and missed out on the worst of it. Even to the South of us it was blizzard like. My lil brother was in Charlotte trying to get back home via airplane and was delayed. He must have been one of the last planes they let out.

Lot of my Facebook friends even were amazed at the snow, in March!

So I'm thinking, "gee wonder how the weather in Raleigh will be this weekend?" since we have a dance competition. They get snow and ice! Not my cup of tea.

Speaking of cups....I broke my coffee pot this weekend. Just tipped it ever so gently off the side of the counter and it broke into thousands of pieces, luckily on my old rug by the sink. Rolled up the rug and tossed it and glass in the trash.

Gotta shop for a new rug....and coffee pot. Thankfully I had a back up coffee maker. Miss T has become a coffee drinker too. It helps with her throat in the morning. Yeah, right, she just loves the French Vanilla cream ....makes it more like a Latte than anything.

It would have been nice to have a bit of accumilation of snow this year. We barely had enough for decent snowballs. Although, I'm not a lover of snow, it is fun to watch and know the kids are having a blast in it.

Don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for some warm weather!

More treats for me

I finally bought the sewing machine. A Viking 118. I couldn't talk myself into the computerized one...too afraid it wouldn't work right or it would need "updating". LOL Just gimme a good dial in setting and I'll be fine.

This past Monday I gave it a test drive. Last night of classes and I finished up my little elastic do dad, I brought out the book and started playing with the different settings.

Did my very first "automatic" button hole and sewed the button too with the machine. Blind hem was a breeze. Amazing what the proper tools can accomplish. I'm so excited.

Now I need to clean out that space and make room for some creativity.

Another treat (for us all) is that it has now been 5 weeks of sobriety for Tom (still knocking on wood).

Still trying to be positive and looking up instead of down. But I did blow my top this past Monday when I asked if he had accomplished some things and he said NO. I've asked him to make a list....of anything, feelings or things to do or places to go. Nope, just won't do it.

Told him I couldn't take care of everyone and work and be Miss Nice all at the same time.....loudly.

I know, bad me. Hey, I can't always be Mary Sunshine ya know.

Hello from NCSA in Winston Salem

This is way too cool...

Using my very own laptop in the comfort of my own hotel room.

Nah, (ok yes, but....)

This Dance Festival is AWESOME! It's not a "festival" as in carnival and cotton candy. These kids are divided up into small groups and given extensive training by some wonderful teachers. A real live college experience included with its own country mile walk across campus.

Boy am I ever outta shape!! (Huff puff gasp wheeeeez)

Miss T is done for now. We have tickets to a show later on in the Stevens Center which is just beyond our parking deck ...how convenient!!

From our room you can see the mountain line. We have a view of the 2nd floor roof top which is covered with pebbles, so I have properly named it "Pebble Beach". As I told Tom we have a view of Pebble Beach and the Mountains...best of both worlds!

And wouldn't you know I forgot to bring my camera!! Never EVER do I do that. Miss T grabbed hers but it's in the car for now.

Speaking of the car.............

I rented a car (due to the truck...) went on Hotline, picked out a $16/day full size special...$88 bucks. Cool. Easy enough. At the rental counter I said to the lady "so what am I getting?" and she said "a Malibu". OK.

When the guy came in with the keys, she said "Oh. No it's a Town Car."

Wooooooooo Hoooooooooo!

It's just like my Mom's only black. We girls are stylin and profilin in our "mini limo". At the front of the hotel the valet guy said "for a minute I thought it was a limo" and me being me said "I know, my late husband left this to me in his will!" just as serious as I could be.

The fellow thought I was serious and I didn't tell him any different!!!!

Well, as Tigger would say, "tah tah for now"!!!!