My new niece!

Miss Cali was born on the 28th and her daddy (my big brother) and big brother Jase are so wrapped already!

Grandma and Grandpa might be too!!!!!!

Dear family...

Dear Mom,
Thank you so much for everything you have done for me all my life, but what all you have done this month for me really means the world to me. I don't know what I would do without you. I am the luckiest girl to have you as my mom.
Love,
Your VERY grateful daughter


Dear Toot,
PLEASE quit asking me 50 times a day if it is Christmas yet. I know you are excited but dang girl, you are driving me crazy. I promise I will not let Christmas pass without telling you. I also promise that we will make Santa cookies on Christmas so don't worry. I have everything under control.
Love,
Your pinky promising mama

Dear Smiley,
I love the way you are. You are perfect in your own little way. There is just one thing I need from ya. Now I know most parents would love what you haven't been doing but I need a little help. All you have asked for Christmas is a truck and a REAL train. I'm gonna need a little more to work with babe. So, give it some thought and let me know.
Love,
Your mama that is out of ideas

Dear Little Man,
OK kiddo. It's get that it is almost winter break and you are excited. I get that it's almost Christmas and you are excited. And, I get that you are so excited about going to Boy Scout camp right after Christmas. BUT, do ya think you could tone down the attitude a tad. And when I say tad I mean A TON. This arguing with me over EVERYTHING is getting old real quick. And so is talking to me like I am your child. I don't let adults talk to me like that and I sure as heck am not going to let you. So, just go back to your sweet self and all will be well again.
Love,
Your mama that happens to know where she can get some coal

Dear Benny,
Quit stressing. I have everything under control.
Love,
The woman who hopes you are a gullible as your daughter


For more Dear someone letters head on over to ShortMama's place. It's all warm and cozy over there. You'll love it!

This sucks!

We had a bad storm go threw a minute ago and now we have no electricity. Really bad straight line wind which is never good with all the trees we have. I went out for a second and only saw small limbs everywhere. So, I called my folks to check on them.

They have shit down everywhere. They have these tent carport things because they have so many cars (6) and she said one of them blew away. They have a corvette they are rebuilding and a 50 pound sack of deer corn was on the hood of it and the hood blew off of it and landed one of their trucks. A pine tree fell on their boat. And then a bunch of limbs down everywhere including on their power line. Ya, they don't have electricity either.

Thank goodness I have a laptop with a battery or it would be very boring and dark in here but no coffee dammit! Last time we had a storm like this (last year), it took 18 hours to get our electricity back. Hope it doesn't take that long this time!

Random randomness

So I have some stuff to say but not enough for a whole post so here is some randomness for ya.

A little back ground. My dads best friend was a school teacher for 30+ years. Over that time, he became good friends with the school nurse that is an RN. He just retired recently after his quadruple bypass. OK, now he has a B-12 deficiency and has to get a shot everyday for 5 days at home. His wife wont do it so you would think he would have his nurse friend do the shots. NOOOOO, he wants my mom to drive over there every morning and do them since Little Man gets shots everyday. He said he wants someone that knows what they are doing. Don't nurses know how to give shots? Thought so. He is just a big whiney butt.

Little Man's step mom is stuck in Germany. She went to see her hubby (my ex hubby) for a 3 day weekend 2 weeks ago and can't get back home. Is it bad that I think this is funny. She flew on a military plane to get there and is now just waiting for one she can get on to get back home. They are hoping she is home by Thursday. This made me giggle to know she is stuck alone in a different country. (Yup, sometimes I am a bitch) Don't worry though, she knows German so she should be fine. And they actually want to take Little Man over there this December. This is not the way to convince me it is a good idea!

This weekend we have a festival going on and the dental community will be there giving fluoride treatments and sealing the kids teeth for free. That is a $170 dollar treatment for free. I will be there with Toot. I had my teeth sealed when I was little and never had a cavity until I was pregnant with Little Man. Definitely worth it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I plan on it.

Dear Family

Dear Little Man,
I am so glad you finally got to come home. I hope you enjoyed your week with Grandma but now it's time to go back to normal. I do my best to keep you from getting sick because of your diabetes and sometimes that means shipping you off when we are all sick. It's all for you babe. I hope we don't have to go through that again for a long time.
The woman who missed you dearly,
Mama

Dear Toot,
I know you love your harmonica and all but it is driving me crazy! How about you only play it outside or in your room with your door closed? I don't mind if you do it in the living room as long as I am NOT watching my favorite shows. I hope we can come to an agreement on this little annoyance. And yes, I do believe you will be a superstar one day.
The woman with the ringing ears,
Mama

Dear Mom,
Thanks a ton for giving Toot a harmonica for her birthday. She absolutely loves to play it ALL THE TIME! Appreciate it.
The woman who still has ringing ears,
April

Dear Benny,
I understand that you do this every year but when it is the last weekend you are gonna have for 2 months, don't ask me if I am excited about it. You wont like the answer. I promise. Lets just not talk about it and just let me get through it. I love you and have never bitched about it so lets not mess that up this year. I will miss you and really hope you have fun so lets just leave it at that. OK?
The woman who will miss you while you party it up at squirrel camp,
April

Dear Smiley,
DUDE! Seriously! What is wrong with you?! You have already poured out 3 pounds of sugar, 5 pounds of coffee, God knows how much salt and a few boxes of cereal. Was it REALLY necessary to crack open a dozen eggs on MY bedroom carpet?!!!! I don't get it. You KNOW you are going to get into big trouble when you do it but don't seem to care, why? Can you PLEASE stop? I am really sick of cleaning up your messes while you hide from me. I am begging you know. This is getting so old!
The woman who is SOOOOO tired of the extra cleaning,
Mama

For more letters, go visit Shortmama. And if ya want to play along, make sure you go link up!

Dear....

Dear Doc,

Thank you so much for all your help. Since you put me back on the Lexapro, I am feeling more and more like myself. It feels good to be me again. Also, thanks for pain pills. My neck already feels better and I know it will help with the headaches. Now I will be able to actually sleep all night and my body and kids appreciate that.

The woman who NEEDS some sleep,
April


Dear Verizon,

You really need to get all the kinks worked out soon. Also, why in the world did it take me being on the phone for a HOUR just to fix one tiny problem? I don't know how switching from Alltel to Verizon could cause so many problems, but it did. PLEASE get these fixed soon. I am still tired of my calls getting dropped on EVERY phone call I make.

The woman who would like to finish at least ONE conversation on the phone,
April


Dear Mom and Dad,

Yall have such a wonderful marriage. I am so happy I grew up in a home where the parents really love each other. I hope my marriage is always as happy as yalls. I really hope yall have a wonderful weekend celebrating your 30th anniversary. Congrats on making it 30 years and I know yall will make it forever.

Your daughter that is so lucky to have yall as parents,
April


For more letters, go visit Shortmama.

Amazing

I am a Christian but on here and in real life I do not push my beliefs on others. As with a lot of things in my life, my relationship with God is a private one. Not a secret at all, just something between me and Him. That is why I have never talked about it here. Today is a new day though and I have to tell you what happened to a friend of mine Friday night.

I know a few people who have actually heard the word of God straight from the man himself. Benny is one and my mom is another. He has also come to Little Man more than once. When my mom talked to Him, He told her to do things that didn't make sense but because of her faith in him, she listened and it all made sense in the end. It was life changing things that ended up being the best thing in the world for her at the time. A lot of people thought she was crazy but she didn't care. When He tells you to do something, you listen.


Anyway, my dads best friend that was also my biology teacher in high school had a heart attack a week ago Friday. That Sunday he had a quadruple bypass and all went well. He was sent home last Friday. He is 63 and has been a teacher for 30 years. His son came up to help take care of them and they had put a baby monitor in his room so they could hear if Gerald (my dads friend) was having problems.

Let me just say something real quick. Gerald and his wife are not religious. We actually wondered if they even believed in God but it was never brought up. Ok, back to what happened.


God came to Gerald and had a long talk with him. At one point, Gerald's son heard talking on the baby monitor and got up to go check it out. Before he got to his bedroom door, God told him to go back to bed, that He was talking to Gerald and had it all under control. So, he went back to bed.
My parents went over yesterday and Gerald sat them down and told them what God said.
God told him to retire from teaching. That it was time for him to do something else in life. God wants him to start talking to the youth of America about Him. God outlined the whole plan for him and told him exactly how to do it. God even told him what to call this mission. Youth of America.

Gerald told my parents that he was saved Friday night and that this would be the new path in his life. He has already talked to a local preacher about getting it started. Isn't that AMAZING!
Gerald was a little worried that my parents would think he was crazy. They explained that they totally understood and my mom told him about the times God talked to her and to Little Man. Gerald then said that he has always felt some presence around Little Man and that he now KNOWS that Little Man is destined for greatness and that God gave him to me at such a young age (16) and that I didn't abort him for a great reason. A lot of people have said that about my Little Man.


After Gerald told the preacher what happened, he told his church about it Sunday morning and two teens gave their life to the Lord that morning. His mission is already starting.

I am not asking you to believe anything I am saying, I just wanted to share with you the amazing thing that has happened to a dear friend of mine.

Not far at all

I love my dad. He cracks me up so much. I was talking to a good friend and warned her about his ways seeins how she will be meeting him in about 3 weeks. Then I realized, the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. Not in our case at least.

I was telling her that when she meets him, he will mess with her. And that the way to get on his good side is to take it and then dish it right back at him. I then told her that the main thing he would probably joke with her about is the fact that she is a yankee. Hmmmm, that sounds familiar. Remember this post? Anyway, with my post yesterday and then talking about him, it got me thinking. He tends to say things that could go left unsaid too (but then it wouldn't be as fun). Yes, I have a great example.

As long as I can remember, Taco Bell has been my FAVORITE fast food. I LOVE IT. Use to, I always got a bean burrito with no onions and pintos and cheese. And no, I was not a gassy child, thank goodness. We always did drive thru (probably why I still refuse to go inside).

When I was a freshman in high school my best friend was also a huge fan of Taco Bell. It worked out really good because we never argued about where to go. One day we where hanging out with my folks and we went to TB. My dad said something I will NEVER forget and still cracks me up to this day.

We ordered our usual (she always got the same thing I got) and we proceeded to the window. As always, my dad checked the bag to make sure we got what we ordered and noticed they left something out. SPORKS!!! How can you eat a bowl of beans and cheese without a spork? Ya can't!

So my dad asked them for some and a second later she said they didn't have any. BULLSHIT! It's Taco Bell! So then my dad said "I don't care if you have to shit them but find me some!". Me being the smartass I am said while laughing "I care!". She found some along with a dirty look and we went on our way. IF I was the window chick I so would have found one, shoved it in beans and then handed it to him. But that's just me for ya. This is a memory I will always remember and laugh at.

Now you can really see where I got my 'say whatever you want no matter what' trait. I love that about him and it has made for some great memories.

Gotta give a little credit to my mom though. One time we went to the McDonald's drive thru and they asked us to pull up and wait. And wait we did. Forever! Finally, she got out of the car, went inside and asked if they had to go kill the cow. I guess my dad rubbed off on her.

My folks rock!

Too much sun.

As everyone already knows, Micheal Jackson died.

This got me thinking about something funny that happened. Not that death is funny but it reminded me of something funny.

When I was 15 we still lived in Ft Worth, TX. My mom did home health physical therapy on kids. During the summer, I would always go with her to help out. One kid quickly became one of favorites. Carlos was a 9 year old that had cerebral palsy and was super funny. Oh, and he was black (that becomes important in a minute). He was so funny and we could always joke around with him. Like when he would ask for a hug, I would say "sure, but don't slobber on me this time". He would laugh and I would get a slobbery hug (he couldn't help it). Then we would all laugh as he pointed out that he did, in fact, slobber on me.

One of the things we would do for therapy is I would sit in his wheel chair and he would push me down the road. My weight added to the resistance. He would tell everyone we saw that I was HIS girl.

One day, as we were getting ready to go outside for out stroll, Carlos said "I know how Micheal Jackson turned white!" Me and my mom just looked at each other knowing this had to be interesting. "How", we both asked. He said "He stayed out in the sun too long. LOOK! It's already happening to me!" At that point he showed us the palms of his hands and he was dead serious. We both about lost it and was laughing sooo hard. Guess he figured it worked the other way around for black folks.

I haven't thought about him in so long. I wonder how he is doing today. He would be about 22 years old now. I hope he is still as funny and loving life as much as he did back then.

Meet Bentley

We basically got the fence done. We still lack some top boards but it's OK. Mom got her horse Sunday morning. Benny spent a while working with her to figure out what all she would and wouldn't do. She is a 14 year old rescue horse so there are some slight issues that needed to be worked out. She did REALLY good.
Then, at 2pm we went and picked up my Mothers Day gift. Meet Bentley. He is a 4 year old registered quarter horse. Such a sweety. He hasn't been ridden much at all so we will be working on that. He also did REALLY good. I now call Benny the Horse Whisperer! He is so amazing with them. I did ride Bentley by myself with the saddle on but noone bothered to take a good picture. Maybe next time.





It was such a wonderful Mother's Day. I don't know how Benny will top this next year.

My Mom

I haven't written a post about my mom and I think it is because there are really no words that can describe how wonderful of a person and mother she is. She really is the best. I could not have asked for a better person to raise me. I know I wont do her justice but I will try.

Well obviously, without her, I wouldn't be here. She had a pretty fast labor and before she knew it, I was here. Her life would NEVER be the same.

She would get down and play with me in the floor and mold the person I am today.

But more importantly, she was and is ALWAYS there for me. No matter what was going on with me, I knew I could go to her and I did/do. She has been there for every big thing I have gone through.

When I was 16 and found out I was pregnant, she was the first person I told. She was so understanding and supported me all the way. She even told my dad for me!

When I was in labor with all three of my kids, she was in the room with me helping me all the way. With the first one, I don't know how I would have got through it without her.When I left my first husband, she let me move back in with her. She really taught me how to be a mom and not just any mom, but a great mom. Also, when I had to go to a wedding and pretend to be the happy wife of the man I just left, she was right there with me helping me through it.

Not only has she been there for me through tough times but also for fun times.

She actually paid for my first tattoo. Of course it was to cover up a stupid homemade one but still, she paid for it. And she gave me that kick ass shirt I am wearing. ;)

She was there when I celebrated my 21st birthday.And she was there when I met Benny and when I married him.

She is the kind of person people wish to be like. She taught me to always stand for something. To not let others get me down. To be the kind of person I would want my kids to be. To always love my family. That your family should always be your #1 priority. That you have to have the bad times to appreciate the good times. To know that it could always be worse and that it will get better. To be a great mom. To be a great wife. That you can't change anyone but yourself. To always try harder. That if you want something done right, it's usually easier to do it yourself and to do it logically the first time. To really enjoy life and not sweat the small stuff. And so much more.

She is my very best friend along with Benny. I talk to her every single day and wouldn't change that for anything. I truly am the luckiest person because I get to have her as my mom.

I love you Mom. Thank you for being the person you are.

Guest Post - By my Mom

TMM is doing it again. She wants to hear what our spouse's have to say, what they think. Well, Benny was going to write one but his weekend got cut way too short and didn't have time. Not wanting to disappoint C, I had my mom write one. Hope you enjoy. When you are done with mine go check out TMM's place because she has the Mr Linky thing up and you can read everyone else's.




April asked me to guest post today, and so I agreed, having no idea what I would talk to yall about. Then, I decided that I would talk about her! So, here is a chance to tell yall, and remind her, about our 3 favorite times that she managed to either shock us, or give us a preciously funny memory.

One day, at the age of almost 3, while sitting in the back seat between her two older brothers, in a very quiet moment we all heard this from her mouth: "prick, prick, prick!! What's a prick?" You could have heard a pin drop, followed by uproar of laughter from her brothers. They still remember that to this day, 25 years later.

At the age of 7, while at a Texas Ranger baseball game, out pops: "Mom, when was Daddy neutered." I would love to have had a picture of the face of the men around us at that moment. Reason behind the question - A few months earlier she wanted to know why she couldn't have a baby brother or sister. We just told her that Daddy had an operation so we couldn't have any more children. She was satisfied and all was well... until, the dog across the street was gone a couple days. When she asked the owner where the dog was, they answered: "he went to the vet to get neutered" What's that she asked, their reply "surgery so he can't have puppies." I guess she put two and two together, but sure did cause Daddy to have a red face.

Then the tables were turned. At the age of 14, sitting in the stands of her brother's college soccer game she very bluntly and not so quietly said "Mom, what's sodomy?" The poor man in front of us almost busted a gut trying to hold in his laughter. After I whispered the 2 word answer (b*** F***) in her ear, she then announced "See if I ever ask you a question again!" Gee, I bet she wished that she had learned that when she was 3.

Now she has little ones of her own, and I cherish the phone calls that start with "Mom, guess what Toot just said."

Hope yall have a good day and remember to cherish every memory that you are blessed with from your little ones. They will be grown before you know it, and you will miss those moments.

I love our yard

I love it when spring gets here. Our yard smells so good. Only bad thing is the bees. They are EVERYWHERE and by the middle of summer, you can hardly even go outside during the day because of them. Anyway, the trees and flowers are blooming and I thought I would show you a few in my yard.

This tree is covered in wisteria. Within a week, the whole tree will be purple. So pretty and smells so good. When they start to drop, this whole half of the yard is covered in purple petals. It looks really cool.

Check out the vines. The kids love climbing them and hanging from them. Also, that's my closest neighbors house in the back ground. Way to close if you ask me.

I don't know the technical name of this thing but we call it a tulip tree. The flowers on this don't last long. I don't know why.

And here is the dogwood. It's actually a yellow dogwood but for some reason they look white in the pictures. And, these flowers will drop on Easter. Happens every year.

This one had the red (blood) stains but they didn't show up real good in the picture.

It's funny, my mom loves dogwoods and wisteria but can't get them to grow on her property. I don't do anything and mine grow like crazy.

I use to think...

money grew on trees.

Back when I was a kid, I use to get so mad at my parents. I mean really, who didn't. I would get mad at them for things that I thought were so important. Most of the time I got mad because I wanted something and they wouldn't give it to me.

One of the main things I wanted was my own phone line. This was before everyone and their dog had cell phones. It was an pretty big deal to have your own line and I, like everyone else, wanted my own. With a family of five, chances are someone was on the phone and I didn't like that.

We (my brothers and I) got our own ring but that still wasn't good enough. It was still the same line, just different number. I actually still remember that number to this day.

I never got why it was such a big deal. I mean, they both had jobs, so how could it be such a problem. It's not like I was asking for a car. Yet. But, no matter how hard I pushed, they wouldn't budge. I just never got it while I was a child.

And then I had kids. NOW I get it. No, one phone line isn't that expensive but when you add up all the little things, they add up to a ton. My parents had soccer stuff, softball stuff, swimming stuff, cable TV, food, gas, school lunches, clothes, house pmt, electric pmt, and everything else that comes with living to pay for. I don't know how they did all what they did but now I am so grateful for it.

Ya, I use to think money grew on trees. Now I know that someone has to work their ass off for all that money that pays all the 'little' things that add up to so much. Thankfully, my wonderful husband has taken on that responsibility all himself to allow me to stay home and raise our three beautiful babies.

Now go visit MamaKat for more posts on her writing workshop.

Hey everybody

I am stealing this meme from Carrin who stole it from Carty Party Of Three. I have had a week full of strep throat(me), stomach virus's(kids), and kidney stones(Benny). Needless to say, week from hell and you don't want the details. Trust me. Anyway, I will (I'M SO EXCITED!) be making a trip soon but I want to wait until all the details are ironed out before I tell ya. Don't ya hate it when people do that?! Anyway, since I don't want to tell you about the nastiness of this weekend or the details of my upcoming trip too soon, I'm doing this little meme. Enjoy.

1. What is in the back of your car right now? I have a pathfinder and in the back-n-the-back is 2 blankets and 2 pillows.

2. When was the last time you threw up? Thursday. I got choked on some food and threw up. Aren't you glad that was a question?!

3. What's your favorite curse word? The one I say most is SHIT!

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? Benny, Carrin and Mom.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Wishing I was still asleep. I was also feeding geese in Arkansas where we went camping.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Looking up the cost of flights. BTW, April 17th-19th is the cheapest I found! Hint hint!

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Hopefully sleeping.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes. Once where the women strip and a bunch where the men strip.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? Night night, I love you sweety (to Toot).

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Chocolate with peanut butter (this was Carrins answer). I gotta tell ya that I use to work at Baskin Robbins and I hated it when people ordered that shit. It is the hardest ice cream to scoop. Anyway, my favorite is either cookies-n-cream or mint chocolate chip.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Busch Light!

12. What are you wearing right now? A purple Mossy Oak wife beater and blue cammo fuzzy pj pants. They don't match for shit but they are sooooo comfy!

13. What was the last thing you ate? Beacon

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Ummmm, I don't think so. Oh wait, I just remembered something. Pink titty socks (what Benny calls them). That means socks that have the breast cancer ribbon on them.

15. When was the last time you ran? Ummm, I guess today when I was chasing the kids but I'm pretty sure I was actually just jogging. Does that count? Hell, screw it, it does to me.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? The Superbowl. That's what Carrin said but I'm pretty sure that's the last one I watched too.

17. Is your TV on? Yes. It ALWAYS is. Even if we are not home (don't want the cats and dog to get bored). Right now, The Little Mermaid is on.

18. Who is the last person you emailed? Carrin

19. Ever go camping? Ya, we went this past weekend.

20. Do you have a tan? I was told I did the other day but I don't see it. I don't ever get a fake tan. By the second weekend of summer I will have a pretty nice tan though. Don't bitch at me about skin cancer. I know all the dangers of our all powerful sun.

21. Do you miss someone? Sure, who doesn't.

22. Favorite Holiday? Gonna have to go with Carrin on this one. Thanksgiving - No gifts to buy and all the food you can eat! My mom makes the BEST Thanksgiving meal and pecan pie. That is the only day she makes pie and it is the only chocolate, pecan, and pumpkin pie I eat ever!

23. If you had to eat the same meal everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be? Taco Bell!

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Only if I got it from a restaurant. BTW, it's not a soda, it's a coke. Even if it's a Dr. Pepper.

25. What did your last IM say? The only time I IM'd was when my phone messed up a couple of months ago and I don't remember what it said but it was to my mom.

26. Are you some one's best friend? YUP

27. What are you doing tomorrow? I gotta go buy dog food (somebody please remind me) and keep Smiley on track on this whole using the potty thing.

28. Where is your mom right now? I guessing asleep but by the time you are reading this, I bet she is at work.

29. Look to your left, what do you see? Toot sleeping on the couch right next to our bed.

30. What color is your watch? I don't wear one but when I did it was silver and gold.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Koala bears. My mom loves them. Oh, and Crocodile Dundee.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery? Use to but not any more. I just can't imagine volunteering for surgery. That shit hurts!

33. What is your birthstone? Diamond

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru every time!

35.How many kids do you want? 3 is plenty! You can watch them ANY time you want!

36. Do you have a dog? 3

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? My mom.

38. Have you met anyone famous? The comedian, Gallagher.

39. Any plans today? I think I already answered that. It said tomorrow but technically today is tomorrow because I haven't gone to sleep yet and it's already tomorrow.

40. How many states have you lived in? 1 and only 1 and I don't plan on that ever changing but ya never know.

41. Ever go to college? Yup. TCC baby!

42. Where are you right now? In bed.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? My cats. I know they know the difference between a litter box and a pile of dirty clothes dammit!

44. Last song listened to? Real Good Man By Tim McGraw. At least that is the last one I remember on the radio.

46. Are you allergic to anything? Benadryl! Which Benny bought me the other day when my allergies were kicking my ass. Thanks Babe!

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Right now my boots. In the spring/summer/fall my flip flops.

48. Are you jealous of anyone? Not right now.

49. Is anyone jealous of you? I have know idea.

50. Where is your idea of a dream vacation? I don't know. I would love to vacation on some beautiful island but I really want to go to Ireland.

51. What time is it? 1:23am

52. Do any of your friends have children? Yup.

53. Do you eat healthy? Not usually.

54. What do you usually do during the day? Be a mom and blog.

55. Do you hate anyone right now? I don't hate. It's so not worth it.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Never. I always say "Hey".

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 28

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? About a million times. I grew up in Ft. Worth.

60. How did you get one of your scars? I had a lump removed out of my left booby when I was 19 years old.


I have no idea what #45 and #57 were because they were not on Carrins or Carty Party of three so don't think it's that I can't count, someone else can't.

DRINK DRANK DRUNK

There are many types of drunks. Let me break it down for ya.

Happy drunk - This person is just happy to be alive. Laughs at everything and has a good time no matter what happens.

Lovey drunk - This is the drunk that goes around tellin EVERYBODY that they love them OVER AND OVER AND OVER!

Cocky drunk - These are the guys that think they are the shit when drunk. Ya know, grow a foot and all the sudden have mega muscles. Oh ya, and a 10 inch.... One of the most annoying drunks if ya ask me.

Slutty drunk - These are the girls doing keg stands. Hate to admit but I have done one. Or two. But really, who's counting. These drunks are just as annoying as cocky drunks.

Flirty drunk - Not quite as bad as a slutty drunk. Just real friendly.

Sad drunk - These just suck!

Sentimental drunk - These remember all the stupid little sentimental things and dwell on them and cry and then dwell on them some more.

Angry drunk - These are the worst.

There is more but I'm tired of listing them.

Anyway, there is a point to all this.

My mom is a happy drunk. I vaguely remember my mom ever drinking when I was growing up. I remember her drinking at the lake but never anywhere else. That is until I turned 21. Then it was my goal to get her drunk.

On my 21st birthday I went to Billy Bobs in Ft. Worth Texas and hung out with my folks. They are really that cool. We had a ball. Ever since then, she's been a little lush. LOL! Right now she saying "WHAT!" I'm kidding, she is not a lush. BUT, she does have a kegorator in her house that always has a keg in it. Just saying. Also, her and my dad went to Nashville TN one year and I got a call saying that they had just left Coyote Ugly where she had just danced on the bar. I wish I had been there. My mom ROCKS!

Anyway, since my 21st birthday I have seen her drunk and got drunk right along with her. She always says she wasn't the next day but I know better. There is another day I wish soooo bad I had been there to witness what happened.

Her and my dad were out on the boat. Now, they have a pontoon boat with a potty. Well, my dad was making bloody mary's and she was tossin em back I guess. I don't know where the hell I was because my brother in law was there too. We were always either with them or my folks. Anyway, doesn't matter. I get a phone call from my dad and he is laughing his ass off.

I immediately told Benny they were drunk (not the first time I got a phone call like this). Well Mom had decided she needed to pee and I guess this day she was too good for the potty. She grabbed the rails on the boat and proceeded to attempt to pee over the side. Now this was still early spring and she was wearing jeans that are now around her ankles. Guess what happened next.

Yup, she fell in! This is when I get the call. Dad had to call me before helping her out of the water. Sweet, ain't he.

Luckily, she is a very happy drunk and laughed about the whole thing. Well, except the part where her phone got fried. I still laugh just imagining her trying to pull up her jeans in the cold water while drunk. I'd pay good money to see that.



So what kinda drunk are you? I'm a happy, lovey, flirty, sentimental drunk. It all depends on what I am drinking and who I am with.

Have a great weekend.

I'M GETTIN DRUNK!!!!!

The Answer

If you read Friday's post, then you probably want to know what was wrong with my Mom.
Nobody got it right but TMM did guess something I forgot to say they tested twice for and that was Lyme Disease.

Is what she had was mercury poisoning.

About 3 weeks before she got sick, she had gone to the dentist to have a cavity filled. The dentist used an Amalgam (silver) filling. It doesn't cause problems with everyone but does happen to a lot. After doing a lot of research, she learned this is really a problem and that is why so many dentist's don't use them anymore.

The doctor appointment I made for her was with a dentist to have that tooth pulled. Now her body is really sensitive to mercury. That is why she has to watch what she eats kinda. She can't eat tuna anymore because of the mercury in it and had to limit herself when she eats fish. She doesn't really care for fish that much so it isn't really hard for her.

She also has to check all the medicine a doctor prescribes her because there is a lot of medicine out there that has mercury in it. Because she doesn't have a spleen, she was getting a flu and pneumonia shot every year. She can no longer get the pneumonia shot anymore because it has mercury in it.

If you or your children get a cavity filled, please make sure they don't get the silver filling. It is really not worth the risk.

Medical Mysteries - Can You Figure It Out?

Have you ever seen that show? They show you all these crazy symptoms and you get to guess what the heck is wrong with that person. Then at the end, they tell you.

That's what I am going do today with ya. If you guess it right, all ya get is a big ol' "Good Job" and a pat on the back. Oh, and you get to know that you are smarter than all the doctors in Shreveport, LA and Texarkana, TX.

On Memorial day in 2005, we went to my parents house to see them. My mom was in bed sick. This is really weird because my mom is NEVER sick. I think with her current job at the time, she had never even taken a sick day. She is not on any medication and doesn't even like taking Tylenol. She was literally the healthiest person I knew.

I went in, gave her a kiss, and left so she could rest. This went on for days and we started getting worried. She had severe fatigue, weakness, back pain, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, confusion and fever. With each day, more symptoms appeared. She got to the point that she couldn't eat, walk good, think, or sleep. Her being a Physical Therapist, this drove her crazy.

At first, they thought she had hepatitis but it wasn't. Then, they did a CT scan to see if she had a kidney infection because of the back pain. During that, they found some cysts on her lymph glands. Father's Day weekend, they said she could have lymphoma. We were devastated. Just one month earlier, she was climbing trees with Little Man on Mother's Day.

Turns out, it wasn't cancer. When she was 18, she was in a car wreck and her spleen basically exploded. The 'cysts' on her lymph glands were pieces of her spleen and were not causing any problems. We were so happy she didn't have cancer, but wanted to know what was wrong with her. She went through months of tests. They sent her to Shreveport for test and they thought it might be lupus. She had tested positive on some test that basically said her body was attacking itself.

Nope, not lupus. Whatever it was, it was affecting so many parts of her body. She also had dry mouth, mouth sores, sore throat, her vision got a lot worse, restless leg syndrome, headaches, chest and abdominal pain, red blotches on her face, and itching. Her symptoms would get worse after she ate so she didn't like eating. Hubby went out of town to work so I moved in with them to help out. Dad works nights so I needed to be there.

Then they thought she had Multiple Sclerosis. Nope, not that.

They did a spinal tap to see if that would tell them anything and it didn't. She had good days and bad days. Sometimes she seemed almost normal and others she was so sick. On her good days, she basically seemed drunk. Used the wrong words, unbalanced, and forgetful. Ya, those were her good days. On her bad days, she had to use a walker if she got up and hurt so bad and was so sick. The doctors finally decided it was all in her head and that she needed to see a shrink.

She didn't see a shrink. We all knew better.

In February of 2006, with still no answers, my parents decided to get away for a week. They went up to Arkansas for a fly fishing thing and I stayed at their house to dog sit. She called me on one of the days and told me to make her an appointment with a certain kind of doctor. I got out the phone book and made one for that Tuesday.

Within 2 weeks, she was pretty much back to normal. If she got too tired or ate the wrong food, she would show some symptoms but not bad. Within a couple of months, she was totally normal, healthy and back at work. This is not something that will ever come back but she still has to watch what she eats (kinda). We are so glad that this is behind us all.

So, can you guess what was wrong with her? I will let you all know Monday. Until then, good luck guessing.

Trust

This is long and not funny at all. Just something I needed to write. The award is right under this so if ya want to skip on down, you wont hurt my feelings.

My Mom did such a wonderful post for me but still only told you a little about me. She put in all the great things about me that I am truly proud of. She is such a great Mom and I am so blessed that I am lucky enough to be her daughter. We are really close and she is really my best friend. I believe she is the only person that I totally trust 100%. I trust Hubby but truthfully, not as much as I trust her.

I have a hard time really trusting people. Mostly men. I have been stepped on and really hurt by some men. One of which, I should have been able to really trust. It was my Mom's father.

I would go see him and my step-grandmother every summer to spend a week or so. They didn't live close to us so that's why I would stay for an extended time when I did go see them. I loved him so much and it was so special to get to spend time with him. I would always steal his seat and make him move me. It was a little game we would play. I also remember going to the golf course with him and being so excited because he let me drive the golf cart. He is a very controlling man so this was a big thing to such a little girl. He was always a very proud man. He served in the military and was always willing to talk about it. You could just see how proud of himself he was in his eyes.

I also knew that my Aunt and him didn't get along. They never did. She was kind of an odd ball and I always assumed that they just clashed in personalities and that's why they didn't talk. My mom was always a "daddy's girl". I think she always strived to impress him growing up and tried to make him as proud of her as he was of himself. I would do the same. When I was there, I would do what he asked without question. I even ate green beans and said I liked them (which I HATE green beans) to make him happy. I had total respect for him as he demanded it from everyone.

That is, until I saw the real him. In one day, he lost every ounce of trust and respect that I had for him. I now knew (without knowing it), why my Aunt hated him. He did the same thing to me that he had once done to her. I was so young and kept it all inside. I don't know why I didn't tell anyone. I know it wasn't because I thought I had done something wrong. I knew I hadn't but that he had. Maybe I didn't tell because he was so loved and respected and I didn't think anyone would believe me. Maybe because I didn't want to break my Moms heart. Or maybe, I was just so scared and didn't want to face it. Either way, I was broke inside and no one knew that was the reason. Other things had happened that year that would also cause a little girl to loose that sparkle in her eye so my Mom just thought those were the reasons.

When I was 12 years old (5 years later), I finally told someone. I told my best friend and we told my counselor at my school. Needless to say, EVERYONE found out. I now had to face it. I remember being so scared yet so relieved after that. But then came new problems.

When I talked to my Mom that night, I remember wondering if she even believed me. This was a man that she grew up loving and trusting. Now, she was hearing awful things about the man she called Dad. I blamed everyone but I don't remember ever blaming myself. I didn't blame them for what happened, but for not noticing. I had a lot of questions that took me another 5 years to ask. After that happened (before anyone knew), I would stick to my step-grandmother like glue to make sure I was never alone with him. Why didn't she notice and think it was strange? Why did she stay married to such a monster after she found out (she is still with him to this day)? Did she not believe me? Did my Mom really believe me? Why would she have me see him again knowing that I must really not want to see him? Why wasn't he in prison? Why me? They always tell you it happens to the weak, not the strong. That bothered me bad because I always saw myself as strong, so was I wrong? These were questions that floated through my head for years.

When I was 18 years old, I had a long talk about it with my Mom. She told me things I never knew before. Like the fact that I wasn't the first child he had done that too nor the last. She told me that my step-grandmother had told her to believe everything I had said when everyone found out because she had caught him doing the same to my step-cousin. She told me that truthfully, she had no idea how to handle it and took the advise (bad advise) from the social worker and counselor. She said that it had happened after other life changing things in my life (my friend accidentally killed her little sister while I was there and I had been in a car wreck) so I wasn't real strong at that time in my life. I was actually in counseling at the time and didn't even tell her. She also told me she felt guilty. She wasn't to blame for what had happened and I never did.

To this day, he has never apologised. Not really. All he said was "I hope we can move past this" but never "I am so sorry for what I did to you. That I hurt you so bad." Nor has he ever apologised to my Mom. I thinks she deserves one too. And to this day, I have NEVER forgiven him. I don't know that I ever will. He has never asked me to. I have no contact with him or his wife at all and he has never laid eyes on my daughter. He never will. He has seen Little Man twice and I was very uncomfortable about it both times. The last time was on Little Man's first birthday. The two times he did see him, I did it for my Mom's benefit. I thought that was what she wanted. Turns out, I was wrong. I learned that in our talk too.

To this day I still have questions. Like, why didn't my step-grandmother tell anyone when she caught him? Why can't he admit out loud what he did? How can my step-grandmother wake up every day knowing what lays next to her? When will he finally get what he deserves? Can, and should, I ever forgive him? When will I stop hating him? And, why do 'they' say that a lot of time people that do this horrible thing have had it happen to them? They should know better than anyone what it does to a persons heart and soul. I could NEVER do anything like that.

As you can see, I still deal with it everyday. It is not something that I will ever forget. I think it has played a big part in some of the things I have done in my life, mistakes I have made. But they were my mistakes and I know that I ultimately am the one that made those choices. I think it has a lot to do with my self esteem problems and everything to do with my trust issues. I think it has a lot to do with the depression issues I have had. I try and not 'act' like a victim but, I am.

I'm not broke anymore though. Hubby has helped a lot with that but mostly my Mom and Dad did. I will be eternally grateful to them for that.

I really try to believe that everything happens for a reason. I blamed God for a long time for allowing it to happen. I don't anymore. I realize God didn't do it nor chose to let it happen. My Mom's father made that choice all by himself. I have looked so hard and long for something good to come out of the whole situation. Here is what I have come up with so far.

Because it happened to me, maybe I will be a little wiser (paranoid) and be able to protect my children (especially Toot) a little better.
Because it happened to me, now my brothers and cousins know what a monster he is and will not allow their children to be alone with him.
Because it happened to me, now everyone knows what really happened to my aunt.
Because it happened to me, I know what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. Eventually.

I don't know why I felt I needed to write this. Trust me, it wasn't easy. It's not that I wanted to but more that I needed to. I have felt that way since the day I started my blog. If it helps only one person, it was worth it. Even if that only person is me.

100TH POST!!!!! By Mom

What you see is what you get, but, Don’t judge a book by the cover. Contradicting statements, yet both describe my April Dee.

This is my Baby Girl’s 100 blog post and I have the honor to post for her. Over the years, I have put a lot of thought into just “who is April.” I never really came up with the answer. That is such a difficult question, as she is a complicated and diverse woman, while at the same time being simple and predictable. She places her values not in material things, but in her heart. Let me introduce you to my “Baby Girl”

April was always an adventure. She was the youngest of 5, yet the only girl. I guess she was anxious to begin the adventure of her life, because she was delivered after only 80 minutes of labor and she weighed 8 lbs 9 oz. This should have been an omen to me that I had something special given to me that day. I have heard that great things come in little packages. The largest of all my babies; she grew to a full grown height of exactly 5 feet tall.

I was a tom boy, so was really pleased that she was too. Don’t know what I would have done with a girly-girl. But, April is the best of both worlds. She is the best fisherman of all our kids, had the best balance, could ice skate in a skirt, and tear you up in fast pitch softball. She could shinny up a tree as fast as any of her brothers, and learned to stand up on a knee board behind the boat at the age of 4. April got her motorcycle license at the age of 15, and drove the bike to high school, just like the boys did. She could dress up like a princess on Friday night to go with her Dad proudly to the Father-Daughter dance, and the next day slide into second base to beat the throw. April knew more about a carburetor than most of her guy friends did. She was and still is a Daddy's Girl.

April graduated from kindergarten as valedictorian, took high school classes in Jr. High, and graduated with honors a year early from high school. I went to college when April was in 5th grade and she would help, by being my study partner. April could have passed the college Anatomy & Physiology final at the age of 10.

She has an intelligence that would make you jealous, yet loves a simple life. A night out with Hubby includes riding in the truck on back/dirt roads and stopping to dance in the moonlight when a favorite song is played on the radio. My Baby Girl is intelligent enough to have discovered at an early age, the true meaning of success – a happy and loving self and family. April has the career that she feels is right up her alley, that of wife and Mommy, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Her success is measured in the laughs and smiles on the faces of her husband and children. April’s children are raised by her, and not by a day care worker. They are raised to appreciate, cherish, and respect the love of family. I am so happy to see the joy on the face of my daughter every time she tells me of the most recent adventure with Little Man, Toot, or Smiley. Of course, I also delight in telling her that she deserves every minute of the adventure, as she sure kept us on our toes.

Here is the great contradiction: April has always felt that people should be themselves, and if others didn’t like it, then go away and leave her alone. She would do the same for you. Sort of a "what you see, is what you get" type of girl. At the same time, she also felt she had to prove a point to society. At the age of 14, my beautiful April shaved her head, wore Doc Martin boots, black: nail polish, make-up, and clothes, and walked around with a look of “attitude” on her face. This girl loved for strangers to make under their breath comments, calling her a LOOSER, so she could inform then that she was in fact, an honor student. They would then hear her smart-ass comment “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Her Dad didn’t know whether to be proud of her, or royally pissed off. He showed her the pissed off side, because he didn’t like the appearance of rebellion and didn’t want to encourage it, but was so very proud that while going thru this stage she still had self pride and kept her grades up. As much as we didn’t like the shaved head, we did find humor in the fact that she chose to do it in January – during a very cold winter. April spent most of that time wearing a stocking cap to keep her head warm until the hair grew back out. LMAO

Well, now she has Toot, a little girl just like her Mommy!!! … AND APRIL DESERVES EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Of course, my Mom tells me that April was just like me. I guess the independent adventure and love is passed down from generation to generation. Let’s all hope that Toot has one of her own some day, just like her Mommy. This is our precious Toot, and you can just see the adventurous instincts oozing out of her:

Thank you all for being April’s friends and for the honor of allowing me to join you for the 100 post of April’s blog. This is me, I guess April comes by it honestly. Mom

(Thanks Mom for the great post and for being my best friend and a wonderful Mom. I have and always will strive to be as good as you. I love you so much. What a road we have gone down the last 27 years. I'm sure the rest will be just as fun!)