Some Halloween Pics

I voted! I voted! I waited almost 3 hours in the chilliness, but I still did it. And now, can the commercials please END! Anyhoo, on to Halloween pics.

Pimping Kristin

On this day after her 32nd Birthday, let's pimp Kristin, shall we?

Kristin and I have known each other since way back in 7th grade. Can I just interject again that I am so thankful to have reconnected with my high school and before friends. While I have made some great friends in Florida, there's just something about the relationships you have with people who have known you for years and years that does a heart and soul good.

When I was searching through old photos for our reunion, I found a story that Kristin and I written together about Pea Pod the Pocket Squirrel. That still makes me laugh. Remember Bob Ross, the painter on, I think, PBS? He was a great personality and always talked in such a calming, funny way and Pea Pod was his creation. I would write a section and pass it to Kristin and a few days later she would produce a chapter. This went on for a while and we partially filled a 3-ring binder.



Although it might not have been as obvious with that short story, Kristin has an amazing talent for capturing her emotion in the written word. Her entries often make me want to cry, especially the heart felt ones she writes about her father, who passed away a couple of years ago. Their love for each other shines through every word and the knowledge that she will be with him again in Heaven gives me hope and the determination to keep persevering in this often difficult life.

I'm so thankful that Kristin overcame her fear that I was a bully way back during cheerleading tryouts our 7th grade year and took a chance on our friendship. :)

Pimping Amy

Chubby Girl Running aka Amy is exactly the kind of blog I was looking for when I had the idea for pimping blogs. I stumbled upon her as I did a Blog Crawl yesterday, and now I am going to work my way through her archives.

Not only is she a highly entertaining writer, but she just completed her first half-marathon, which is a huge inspiration to me! I am not a runner, yet, well, maybe I am, but I still don't feel like it sometimes. ReadingAmy's blog is just the encouragement I need.

While I love the friends I am training with, I feel like they are just speeding right along and I'm going to keel over at any minute. I think Amy and I could have a good run together, then kick back and drink a beer afterwards.

Even if you aren't into running, Amy's writing is fun and full of real life. I look forward to going through all her archives and I'm excited that there aren't years and years of them so I may actually be able to get through them all!

Pimping Rebecca

Rebecca and I have known each other since first grade when we were both in Ms. Cockerham's class (trying learning that name as a 6 year old). Throughout the 12 years we attended school together, we shared classes, went to the same church and had a lot of the same friends. I think, though, it was chorus that really brought us closer and bonded our friendship.

Starting in 9th grade, there was a group of us in chorus that hung out and had tons of fun. A couple of the guys were older than us and I was "in love" with the one who Rebecca dated. Everyone knew it though and we all laughed about it. I remember asking one of the other guys, Jason, how everyone knew and he said it was because I was nice to Rebecca's boyfriend and so mean to him (Jason). Jason was so crazy and annoying though, it was hard not to be mean to him. ha ha

This was the group of friends who kept me honest when my boyfriend, who didn't attend our school, was pulling me in the wrong direction.

Rebecca is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet, but she can be feisty if need be. During our 10th year reunion, her little boy, Brooks, started to toddle away from her, but one sharp, "Brooks!" made him scurry back. I marveled at her parenting, as Peyton was already running me ragged. And then the baby, Reese, every time I see his picture, I see Rebecca as a little girl with her perfect ponytails and ribbons.

I'm so glad we found each other again!

Pimping Tamara

What can I say about Tamara without filling an entire blog? She is my sister, if not in blood, spirit. She is my bestest friend in the whole wide world. She is the one that even though we may disagree and piss each other off, I know she will always be there for me.

We met when we were 7 years old and became fast friends being that we were the quickest in the class and generally had extra time on our hands. We're survived her moving away and coming back, me moving away and staying, one divorce, two husbands, 4 children, cancer, death and the everyday hum drum of life.

She's coming to visit in a couple weeks for our annual get together and I couldn't be more excited. I wish I could steal her away for a whole month.





ok, guys, that's all in my queue. If you want your blog pimped, shoot me an e-mail. Tell your friends, neighbors and enemies.

Pimping Suz

Aside from Larry, Suz is the very first friend from the Internet that I met in person. Gosh, Suz and I have known each other for years. We met, ha ha, on a Dawson's Creek message board. We were both HUGE fans and wrote Fan Fic about the show. Before Suz had little Roo and she worked outside of the home, we e-mailed about 100 times a day. No lie. At that time, we kept a running commentary all day long. Even today when she has a spare moment and is on the computer, we will catch up through 5, 10, 15 e-mails before her attention is needed by her precious little girl.

Suz is great because she is not afraid to speak her mind and as per her tag line she is "Not Your Typical Mommy." Her husband is an amazing photographer and the family of three lives on a farm shared by his parents surrounded by huge space and lots and lots of animals.

I am often in awe and admittedly slightly jealous of their non-traditional lifestyle that doesn't include 9-5 jobs or keeping up with the Jones. Recently, Suz was contacted by a local magazine and asked to share some of her entries with their readers. I couldn't be more proud and I know she has longed for an opportunity like this for a long time!

Although we don't get to see each other very often, Suz is one of my dearest friends and I couldn't imagine not having her burning bright spirit in my life.

Pimping Chelle

If you ever need a really creative, fun activity to do with your children Chelle, or Ms. Congeniality is the woman you want to call, or e-mail, or comment on her blog. This woman has boundless energy and ideas and I am always amazed by the wonderful ways she handles holidays, birthdays, and really just any weekend with her family.

The stories she tells about her Man-cub and The Girl show what an awesome mom she is and I know her kids are so very lucky to have her. Also, Chelle is just someone I would love to sit down and have a glass of wine with on a cool fall day under the roof of her huge wrap around porch.

It's funny how well I feel that I know Chell even though we've never met in person. I really don't even know how long we've been reading each other's blog, except that it's been a few years. Chell is a prime example of how you can be friends with someone that lives a thousand miles away.

Pimping Summer

Summer aka Marie, has been one of my very good friends since the 6th grade when she moved to Montgomery and began attended my elementary school. After high school graduation, she and her high school sweetheart were married and moved to Hawaii as Jay was a Marine Man.

A few years later, they moved to Tampa and we were able to get together a couple of times. Wild fun was had by all!

Now they have settled in North Carolina and have two boys, Brantley, who is now 13 (!!!) (I remember holding him not a week after he was born) and Parker, who is fast approaching 2.

Summer recently traveled to Malawi to mission and her blog Look Out shares these adventures as well as many other awesome thoughts, good causes and provoking posts.

Funny story: Up until she and Jay were married, Summer was known as Marie, her middle name, and actually, that's still how I think of her. When I went to visit her in Tampa, Summer, one of her friends and I were talking and I kept saying, "Marie this and Marie that." Finally, her friend stopped me and asked, "Who is Marie?"

Pimp Your Blog

While I love reading my very popular bloggers, I'm in the mood for some new blood. I decided, just now, that I should host a Pimp My Blog on this site. So, if you want to Pimp Your Blog, shoot me over an e-mail eldk0404 at gmail.com with the subject line Pimp My Blog and I will post a new entry a day until I run out. Tell your friends, pimp this idea on your own blog, send them here! Let's get some lesser known blogs known!

(Please send me e-mails! I will feel so very unloved if no one sends me a request!)

Also, if anyone is good at making widgets and stuff and wants to create one for this idea, feel free and I will share them here.

Injured!

Two friends and I are running a half marathon in Miami on January 25. We've been seriously training for about 6 weeks now and I have my first injury. Saturday night we ran/walked 6 miles and by Saturday night, the bottom of my foot hurt ever time I stepped down. I went to the chiropractor yesterday and about jumped off the table.

My hips and pelvis are so knotted up that it felt like he was grabbing the muscles and trying to manually untie them, which in a way, I guess he was. He said that because I was so out of whack that the pain manifested itself in my arch. As long as I stay off of it, it's ok, but as soon as I walk for longer than 5 minutes, it feels like I am walking on a very large and nasty bruise.

Not so good when I need to run 3 miles today and Thursday and then 7 this weekend.

I'm so frustrated because this has not been easy for me. I am not a runner. My friends just seem to be coasting along and I am clawing my way through every practice. I can't afford to miss a week at this point.

I'm going to "run" in the pool tonight and be grateful that I live in a city where it is still warm enough to do that. I have to go back to the chiro on Thursday for him to torture me some more and hopefully these kinks will work themselves out.

Larry and I are also going to Key West this weekend for his birthday and I have to be able to walk then too or Larry is going to get awfully tired of carrying me. ha

Family

My younger cousin and I are exactly 18 months and five minutes apart. I have a clear picture of the two of us in my mind, dressed in my grandmother's play clothes, and standing in front of a huge tree in the side yard. Two little girls, one dark like the night and one bright as the sun. At that time in our lives, our personalities conformed to the genetic coloring. I was quieter and I've been told prone to crying or pouting. My cousin, Kelsey, was a sunny little girl, at least at that young age. Divorce and possible feelings of abandonment darkened her light over the years.

My aunt painted portraits of us. I was a nymph sneaking in a broken or raised window, the night behind me. Kelsey was with a rooster, I think, and the sun was coming up in the background. Unfortunately, due to a fire, these paintings were lost a few years ago.

We shared ice cream with sprinkles using my Grandmother's long silver sundae spoons. Stayed up late into the night whispering, giggling, just being little girls.

Kelsey moved to Atlanta, oh about 15 years ago now, I guess. She gave birth to two little girls at an early age, out of wedlock, a shame to our deeply rooted southern family. I've never met those little girls, who aren't so little anymore.

I haven't even seen my cousin in 10 years; don't even know where she is.

I look for her sometimes on MySpace or FaceBook. I think it would be nice to talk to her again. Sometimes I just get sad that we're no longer a part of each other's lives. You would think that with my dad having 5 brothers and 1 sister there would be a ton of cousins running around, but not so much. The few I have are younger than me and we've never been close.

Sometimes it just hits me and I get a little melancholy.

Something to Think About

While I won't go into a political rampage on this site, I do want to offer this fact that I read in light of last night's vice-presidential debates.

There is a 32% rate throughout our presidential history that the vice-president has taken over for the president. Broken down, that is 14 of the last 44 vice-presidents.

Just something to think about.

Greater Things

25 years ago, in the home of a Coral Springs couple, Coral Baptist Church started with a few dozen people. Today, Church by the Glades hosts almost 4,000 members, has 6 services a weekend, celebrated almost 1,000 baptisms in the last two years and is ready for a bigger building! We are literally busting out of our auditorium.

I'm not sure I can really explain how amazing the growth of our church has been without having you live in South Florida for even a month. People, we are not in the Bible Belt here. We're more the stinky feet. But the pure excitement reverberating from our little corner of the world is awesome.

A couple of weeks ago, we started a new series, "Greater Things" to gear us up for the hard work ahead. The building we are shooting for will take 15 to 17 million to build. It will take 8 million just to get started. We are asking for a miracle and I am asking for your prayers.

Last night, we held a special song and prayer service to lift our request to God and thank Him in advance for the blessings He is going to rain down upon us. There were hands raising all over the place and the Holy Spirit was among us. For the last prayer, we went outside where the footprint of the new building was waiting for us in candles.

You can barely go anywhere in our town without seeing a Church by the Glades window decal and now we all have yellow bracelets as well to remind us to pray. Pray we will.

Babies, Babies Everywhere

Because everyone expressed such great interest in our baby fish (ie. Tamara), I attempted to take some photos of them the other day.

See! Look! That little, bitty blur?


How about here? See it?


Ok, well, here are the two, what I suppose to be the parents. Very protective.


Eh, well here's the duck sitting on her nest.


Can't see that either, huh. Here's a close up. See the white? That's her head.


Science lesson done for the day.

**Edited to add: Actually, if you click on the second pic and make it big, if you scroll down a bit, you can see one of the babies. Just about the size of one of the pebbles in the tank.

Did You Know?

Kristin tagged me for a meme, so here it goes.

List 6 things about yourself that most people probably don't know.

I'm not sure if I can come up with 6 things, but I will give it a whirl.

1. I never took a typing class, however, after almost 9 years of working in an office and typing dictation, I am pretty fast. I don't always have to look at my fingers and I don't use the right ones by any means, but it gets the job done.

2. On a similar note, I cannot spell deterioration unless I am typing it. For some reason my fingers know where to go even if my brain does not.

3. I am a consultant for a scrapbooking company called Close to My Heart. I don't hold parties for people, but I do have a group of women that meet every month at my house and complete 2 pages. I really like it and it's a great creative outlet for me. If I had time, I would like to branch out eventually and maybe actually make some money off of it.

4. Our house is fertile grounds lately. We have a duck nest in our front bushes and although the adult ducks in Florida are UGLY, you can't help but love the little ones. I'm excited about the babies. Also, one of our fish had babies and we have about 15-20 little, bitty baby fish swimming in our tank. I hope they don't get eaten. I think I know who the parents are because our two Convicts are hanging around them and I'd like to think they are protecting them. Hopefully, they aren't protecting them just to snack on later.

5. I really like working with my hands and I am definitely the handy one around the house. I would love to learn to work with power tools and make things, like furniture and stuff. Just one more thing to thing about when the kids leave the house.

6. I'm really glad that we had the boys as young as we did. By the time we are 50, they should be out of the house, at least in college. I would love to sell the house, maybe buy a little condo as a home base and then see the country in an RV. Our neighbor has one and I am a little bit jealous.

Hey, I did better than I thought I would.

Decorating

With Larry out of town, I've been taking care of some miscellaneous decorating stuff that I had been putting off. When we were in Nashville a couple of months ago, my parents took the boys to the museum and they painted with watercolors. I really liked the end result, so I had them matted and then framed them.

Here is Peyton's. I think he made a mistake and was going to color it all black, but I'm glad he stopped. That would have made for a very dark picture. He says Grandmommy and Poppy took the good one home. I told him it looks like a water scene and the dark is a rock. He agreed that that explanation would work.

Shey had a long explantation explaining his picture, but when he rambles like that, sometimes it is hard to understand him. The side of his picture was torn purposefully, and I hate that that didn't show after I had them mounted.

I also took picures of Peyton's walls. The boy will hang anything and everything on them. I use painter's tape, so it comes off easily. It's actually pretty cool and he groups his different items together so well. I took these last night while he was sleeping.

Ike

Allow me please to whine, complain, bitch, moan and be completely selfish for this entry.

Larry and I are independent insurance adjusters for the same company. We are the liaisons between a multitude of insurance companies who write commercial policies and their insureds. I am also the office manager for the Florida office as well as over the Tampa, Nashville and Charlotte offices. I carry a small amount of files, but as things get busier, like they are about to, my load will increase as well.

Okay, now for the whining.

During the 04-05 hurricane season when Katrina hit and Florida collided with about 8 hurricanes over the course of the two years were some of the most stressful years of my life. Shey was born December 2004 and I really don't remember much of his first 18 months. Imagine tax season for accountants, but lasting 2-3 years without a break.

I remember in the height of it all standing outside on our patio wanting to claw my skin off. I made an appointment with my doctor pretty soon after that and he prescribed me Lexipro. I stayed on the medication for about 4 months to get me through the worst of it.

The last two years have been a nice reprieve, but now Ike is bearing down on Texas and here we go. Larry is already slated for the first wave and will probably leave Monday morning for at least a week. Thankfully, I have a great admin staff working for me now instead of the string of temps that came through a couple of years ago, but it is still going to be extremely hectic and upside down.

I feel for the people in Texas, I really do. It's going to suck for them big time, I know, but the selfish part of me is crying for me too.

I just really don't want to live through that again.

High School Pics

I was going through some old photos the other day and found these three that I thought I would share. I have more and now that I know my scanner works, I will post them sometime.

Here's Tamara. I think this was at one of our graduation teas. Remember how crazy we went? EVERYONE had a tea!



Here's Jonathan and Kristin WAY before she became 3 for Momma! I think this was at Winterfest.



And here's Carrie and me. I think this was at Winterfest too. I'm not sure why I look so serious. ha ha Look at those eyebrows! Whenever I look through old photos of myself, I never freak about my hair, but I do always want to go back and wax my eyebrows.



I know I have pics of Rebecca too, but for some reason, there weren't any in the pile I was looking through. I'm going to pull out my chorus album and post some of those. That should be fun!

Feel Good Videos

I love the Discovery Channels new commercials. The Boom Di Yah Da is so catchy and the World truly is awesome. This video is awesome too, and you just can't help but smile while watching it.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Whine and Cheese

Shey is in that lovely age between baby and boy. This morning he cried and whined for 10 minutes for me to help him get dressed even though he is capable of doing it himself. The thing is, I probably would have helped him should he have asked correctly rather than screaching at me like a banchee child. As I dried my hair, he sat on the floor of the bathroom and carried on about his toe, his leg, his arm hurting. And then, just like that, he was over it. He stopped crying, asked me nicely to help him up and then got dressed.

The patience, it is wearing thin. I've been trying so hard lately to put myself in their shoes, but when I signed up for parenting, this is not what I bargained for.

And I swear they take turned irritating me. Shey was fine the whole way to school and then Peyton starts in. He's working on differentiating between weeks and months, but it just hasn't stuck. So this morning, we were talking about summer and how next summer he will be out of school as well and then he says something about two weeks of school have gone by. He stops after that and starts to correct himself and asks me what's it called? Monday through Friday. I tell him a week. He says, rather snottily, no, that doesn't make any sense . . .two weeks. I said, yes, Monday through Friday is a week. Oh, you would have thought I told him I was cutting his leg off, he carried on and kicked the seat. I tried to reason with him and ask him to help me out and I would help him with the word he wanted, but he thinks I can read his mind. It ended up week was the right word.

I just can't believe the "you don't know anything" attitude is starting already.

Happy Anniversary, Baby

Ten years ago today, Larry and I took a half a day off from work, went to the Fort Lauderdale courthouse and got hitched. We stood, just the two of us, before a female notary and exchanged our vows into an empty room. We didn't even purchase rings because it was a secret. We have one photograph from the momentous day by a camera I propped on our TV stand and ran to sit on the couch so we would both be in the screen. That night, we went to dinner to celebrate.

Over the past ten years, we have accomplished a lot. Two children, a house, successful careers, even retirement plans. I think, though, our most important accomplishment is our marriage. We've had our ups and downs like everyone else, but we continue to work together and are committed to making this marriage last. And even though there are times he annoys the beejesus out of me, he is my best friend and the one I enjoying spending my time with the most.

Monday Mention on Thursday

On Sunday, our regular pastor was away and one of the others filled in for him. While he is not my favorite and his lessons are never as dynamic to me, I had to share the link for the podcast here. In the middle of the service, the worship team performed a version of Amazing Grace that was just phenominal. It's funny how songs you have heard your entire life can just strike a cord on a certain Sunday and this one definitely did.

I also just finished The Shack by William Young, so I think I was especially tuned into Amazing Grace. Our church is big on saying, "It's a Relationship, not a Religion" and The Shack follows that same idea. I definitely recommend it.

Blessed

I have been reading Looky Daddy for at least a year now and while I may not always agree with his views, he almost always makes me laugh. Except for now. His oldest daughter Kathryn was diagnosed with epilepsy 9 months ago and the seizures have been getting progressively stronger and longer. She is in the hospital now for further testing and I just can't imagine how scary for all of them this must be.

Differences aside, we are all parents loving and worrying about our kids. The Internet can be a wonderful place, one that thousands of people draw stength from in dark times like these. Even though I will probably never meet this dad, he and his family are in my prayers and I'm hoping you will add them to yours.

Larry and I are so blessed to have two healthy children. I know I am going to hug my boys a little tighter tonight and say an extra prayer of thanks.

Happy Pig Roasting

In about 26 hours, our house will be overflowing with 60 adults and children celebrating this great country of ours. There will be a water slide, the pool will be open, the new swing set in use and a pig roasting in this lovely box I put together Tuesday night.



Hope everyone has as much fun as I anticipate having. Stay safe!

Girlfriends

Yesterday about 11:00 am, I received a telephone call from one of my friends asking if I wanted to go see Sex and the City with her and another friend. Always game for a night out, I negotiated with Larry to watch the kids and started a flurry of texting to our other two friends asking them.

Before I comment on the movie, can I just say how happy I am with our life right now? When Larry and I first moved to Florida together, we had a group of 4 couples that hung out together and had a lot of fun. Two of the couples moved and the remaining one we just don't see that often and Larry and I were sad. About 5 years went by before we really connected with anyone else. Lately though, through various work stuff and my scrapbooking group, we have once again gathered a group of 4 couples. All of us have kids of varying ages and we all get along really well. Our house has become the meeting place and almost every Saturday night, the eight of us plus kids will grill or order out and have a grand old time.

The three wives and a couple others were with me last night for the movie. It was just really nice and I hope the first of many girl's nights we get to have.

As far as the movie goes, if you are a fan of the show, go see the movie! Yes, it was a bit of an extended episode, but really, what would you expect? The dynamics though between the four characters are just so great and they stick together like girlfriends should. The 2 hours and 15 minutes didn't drag at all and there were many tears and laughter throughout. Two cosmo glasses up for me!

What's this Thing Called?

Oh, hello there. Excuse the dust. I really need to vacuum and air this place out. You see, I have been infected with the snot virus and it refuses to go away. This congestion has effectively rendered me pretty much useless as far as extra-curricular activities go, including this here little blog. I drudge through work only to plop down on the couch as soon as I get home. I finally started feeling somewhat better this weekend, but the round of antibiotics left my stomach a wee bit irritated at me, so I'm not only dealing with a stuffy head, but an angry rear as well.

See, too much information. My filter is off.

Anyway, maybe one day in the near future I will be able to form a coherent sentence again without needing a nap. One day . . .

Marco Polo

Forgive my lack of posting. I have been fighting a sinus infection for a month and I finally got some antibiotics on Tuesday. I am still really congested and exhausted. So instead, a video for you.

6 Word Sentence

My oldest and dearest friend, Tamara tagged me to write a 6 word sentence that encompasses my life, so here goes: Life will always work out, eventually.

I find that no matter how broke I think we are, how irritated I am with my family, or how lousy things are in my life (and really, they are never that bad), change comes and we continue on our merry way.

Por ejemplo(also for Tamara), the car that wrecked our hedge? We will be receiving some money from the car's insurance carrier for our damages. This weekend, our AC died. So instead of going back with 10 foot hedges, we are going to get something smaller and use the extra money for a new AC. See how that all worked out.

Here's another one. Larry has been bugging me to buy a boat for years. We don't need a boat. I know that. We have nowhere to store it and they are expensive. Larry knows it too, but he wants one anyway. Sunday, we went out with some friends who just bought a new boat. We had great fun, but after Larry helped him clean the boat for an hour afterwards, he said, "maybe we don't need a boat." And the clouds parted as sunlight fell on my head.

I could go on and on, but that's the gist of it.

Just keep on keeping on.

Happy Birthday, Peyton

My baby turned 6 yesterday. 6!! It just seems so old. I took white frosted cupcakes up the school with the little tubes of frosting, so the kids could decorate them. Then Peyton and I went to see Speed Racer. (The races and graphics were cool. The dialogue, not so much. I would rent so you can fast forward.) Tomorrow, we are having some friends over for a pool party.

Happy Birthday, baby!

Labor Day in May

Our company had Labor Day in May. A Nationwide effort to help out in our communities, and a day "off" work. Here's the write up I wrote for the company blog.

When the Powers that Be announced Labor Day in May, the Coral Springs office immediately decided they wanted to contribute to a region specific cause. Cleaning the beach would have been an easy option (looking at you, Boston!); however, we opted for a more challenging and very sweaty endeavor: The Everglades Restoration Movement.



The crew, bright and early, before the 90 degree heat and 1000 percent humidity set in. From left to right: Breann, Denise, Cindy, Tyler (Jim’s son), Larry, Erika, Rob and David.



The Melaleuca Tree was introduced to the Florida Everglades over 50 years ago to dry out the land for the progress of civilization. Little did our Floridian ancestors know, they were also sucking up a major source of water and the Melaleuca took over hundreds of thousands of acres. The Melaleuca virtually eliminated the natural vegetation.



This is Breann and Rob. We were given machetes (!!) and herbicide. The trees were cut at the base and then sprayed with the herbicide to inhibit further growth.



The trees were then hauled to a central location and piled. Each tree can release hundreds of spores which make more trees. The Melaleuca are better at producing than rabbits.


This is what happens when you take one too many breaks. Off with her head!



We were out in the boondocks, folks and lucky to have gotten back. See what happened to the last group?



Jim’s son, Tyler, is a freshman in high school and about 10 feet tall. He’s also pretty good at welding a machete and mastered the art of chopping the Melaleuca with a single blow.



We went through 40 bottles of water and gatorade, 10 bottles or so of herbicide and about a bucket full of sweat.



The Coral Springs crew made at least five piles of trees this size and a ton of smaller ones throughout the glades.



Larry, Cindy and Denise taking a much needed break.



Larry. There’s not much else I can say about that.



Oh yeah, we’re getting dirty now. Next year, we are doing Labor Day in May in January.



The trees and the debris and the hauling and the cutting was never ending. We would clear out a section, look to the left and see more trees, look to the right, even more trees, behind us, yep MORE TREES!



This is why Denise is our best Liability adjuster. Watch out!



Where’s David?



There was no distinction between the men and the women out in the glades. We were all busting tail!



Sawgrass is nothing to mess with. All of our arms were cut up, David lost the sole of his shoe, Tyler had a larva stuck to his back and I saw two stick bugs mating. On my arm!

Oh, and there was the Red Rat Snake our guide caught.



Dirty David.



Afterwards, we were still smiling, just a little grungier. Hey, it’s nothing a beer can’t fix.

Crash, Boom, Bah

Larry, the kids and I spend Saturday night at a friend's condo only to come home Sunday morning to this.



Further inspection revealed, (that is such a phrase I use in work reports all the time) that a car with four drunken teenagers careened through about 40 feet of our eight foot hedge.



We learned through the neighbors that our cul-de-sac was full of cop and fire rescue vehicles and there were about 15-20 personnel in our yard. The kids tried to run from the accident, but being woozy and drunk, they were caught pretty quickly. Did you know if you get into a drunken accident if you are not in the car when the police arrive, they can't really charge you because they can't prove you were driving?



Thankfully, all four of the kids involved are ok, well, at least until their parents get a hold of them. (Hopefully) We are filing a claim through the driver's auto policy. Wheee! If it's not one thing, it's another.

Updates Galore

Now that I have dragged myself up from the dregs of sickness hell, I can provide updates for the recent events around here. I know you have all been on the edge of your seats.

First off, I spoke with Jim this morning and he sounded good albeit tired and still in a lot of pain. His blood levels are doing good and his kidneys seem to be picking up again, so they have quit dialysis for now. They have started physical therapy on his upper body and leg. The past couple of days, they have had him out of bed and sitting in a chair in his room. He still can't put any weight on the damaged leg, but is hopeful that by next week they will have him out of ICU and in the rehab hospital.

He is a bit overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and help that has come his and his families way since all this started. He truly is a wonderful man and friend. I couldn't ask for a better boss. Thank you again for all your continued prayers.

Next, I finally met with the principal today at Peyton's school and I think it went really well. He listened to my concerns, read the letter Ms G wrote and agreed with a lot of my issues. We also talked about Peyton and the type of personality he has. The Principal brought up Peyton's placement for next year before I did and told me he would make note to make sure he was placed with someone with the experience to work with a child like Peyton. He told me he would speak with the teacher and let me know how it went and if there were any concerns regarding Peyton's progress.

Yesterday when I was looking through Peyton's backpack I saw his reading list and the teacher's name was now Ms. G. When I asked Peyton about it, he told me they had dropped his reading level. In the course of the year, he has gone from the third level, up to the fourth level, back to the third level and now dropped to the second level. I'm not thrilled with Ms. G being is reading teacher as well now, especially with her grammatical issues and her appearant inability to provide Peyton with the structure he needs. I'm worried that Peyton's high frustration level and impatience is starting to affect his schoolwork and learning already.

I'm wondering if I should make an appointment with his pediatrician to have him tested? I wonder if it is an attention problem, or just an impulse problem? Is that the same? Anyway, all you gals with older children and my teacher friends, let me know what you think.

First Year Poopy Head

I'm sure I have written this before, but let's be clear, shall we? Peyton's kindergarten teacher is a brand new, straight out of school, no prior experience first year teacher. Her first ever kindergarten class is not so forgiving. There are several children that are a bit of a handful, Peyton included, but in the times I have helped out with parties and such, they aren't mean spirited children, just rambunctious.

That being said, Ms G has a little bitty voice to go with her small frame and does not command the respect or the attention of the kids at all. I also feel that Peyton was targeted from the beginning of the year as a "problem" child and now he doesn't catch any breaks. The parties I have helped with, he would sit on the carpet when asked and then when Ms G picked people to go to the different centers, he was often overlooked till the end.

Yesterday, Peyton tells Larry and me that his class is having a sleepover with their second grade buddies and Ms G told him he can't go. Do huh? So he hands us a letter and I wish I would have saved it to quote it verbatim, but I was so aggravated I threw it away last night.

The gist of the letter was we're having a slumber party, we (kindergarten teachers) feel that some of your children would not behave properly at a slumber party causing it to be unsafe for others and not allowing the children to sleep. If you didn't get a permission slip with this letter, then your child is one of these kids. If you speak with your child and they behave properly the rest of the week, then I may give them a permission slip.

Peyton did not get a permission slip.

You know, I am the LAST one to say that Peyton is perfect. I know he talks a lot. I know he gets frustrated easily. I know he likes to hit people on the butt to show affection, but I also know that he is not a vindictive child and if you keep him properly engaged as a kindergarten teacher should, he will do his work and be your biggest helper. Also, if they really feel he would be a problem, then ask me to chaperone. I just don't see how they can have a school event and exclude some of the kids.

You know what even bothers me the most about this whole thing? Every correspondence and newsletter, including this one, that I have received from this teacher has had at least one, if not more, grammatical errors. Larry was reading the permission slip letter out loud to me and even he stopped and said to me, "This doesn't make sense." If you are going to teach my child and have the nerve to complain about my child, then you damn well better express yourself in complete sentences.

I'm going to the school today to read with my fifth grader and I am going to find out who I need to speak with in order to ensure that Peyton has a teacher next year that properly handles their classroom and has a grasp on the English language.

Update -Part 2

I was going to head up to the hospital this afternoon, but Peyton was sick this weekend and Shey is snotty now, as well as I don't feel that great either, so it's probably best I don't go. I feel really bad about it though.

Jim is progressing well. They took him off the ventilator earlier this week. With that, they quit sedating him so he is awake more, but then he gets tired easier as well. They have been doing dialysis to help his kidneys out, but the doctors have said that this doesn't mean it will be a permanent thing, but rather there is so many toxins and fluid in his body that the kidneys just can't process it all.

I spoke with his girlfriend a little bit ago and they had brought a walked in for him to stand for a minute, so that is really good news. I even got to talk to him. He sounded really slow, but was appreciative of all the prayers. After we hung up, I cried.

I am so quick to distance myself from situations and people that are hurting so I stay neutral. I remember one time when I was still in Alabama and Larry had come into town to see me. We went with my parents to the lake and I was almost ignoring him. Mom made a comment about me doing the distancing thing then and I didn't even realize it. I'm there but I'm not at the same time.

It's hard though with this. Someone brought in a big (huge) teddy bear and it is sitting in Jim's office. Every time I see it, it hurts.

Please continue to pray for him. Pray that he continues to improve and pray that his attitude remains good. Pray for his daughter and son too. They lost their mom four years ago to cancer in the same hospital Jim's at now. I can't even imagine.

An Update

I've spent the last three days in the ICU waiting room and now Peyton is home sick, so I haven't been in the office at all.

Monday, my boss, Jim, went in to have his hip replaced. This was being done because in January, when he went in to have the right hip done, the doctor didn't account for the difference in the new hip and the hip he had replaced about 3 years ago, so his legs were about 3/4 of an inch off. (He's only 52)

So anyway, Jim decided that he would rather have the old hip redone because the technology has improved so much in the past few years. During the initial surgery on Monday, the doctor told his girlfriend, Linda, that they had to give him some extra blood, but the surgery went well and he was in recovery. A little while later, Jim started complaining that his stomach was bothering him and his blood pressure started fluctuating greatly.

They knew he was bleeding somewhere, but they didn't know where. They took him for a CAT scan, but it didn't show anything. Finally about 2:30 in the morning, they took him back in to surgery. They went in through his stomach and when they opened him up, his stomach cavity was full of blood. They also found that the artery in his leg, the one that brings the blood up from the leg back to the heart had about a four inch section missing out of it. The artery was so mangled that they couldn't repair it and instead tied it off to stop the bleeding.

They had to give him 20 units of blood, apparently, the body only contains 8-10 pints, so he was losing it rapidly. Later the vascular surgeon said that he shouldn't have survived and they had to bring him back a couple of times.

Due to that amount of blood they had to give him, his organs shut down and his body had to accept and process the extreme amount of fluids they were giving him. Thankfully, it appears most of his organs are fully functioning, with his kidneys lagging behind, but they are hopeful they will recoup as well.

The blood doctor is happy so far that his body is acclimating to the new blood and is starting to coagulate and act as it should. He is still heavily sedated, with a ventilator, but he knows we are there and is aware enough to look around at us and squeeze our hands or gesture with his.

For now, he is stable, and they are watching his leg very closely. The hope is that the other capillaries and veins will take over the circulation in his leg. Right now, they have two slits cut into his leg along the sides to aid in getting all the fluid out. His poor hands and feet are so swollen. Wednesday, his stomach was also really swollen, but it had gone down a lot yesterday.

We are thankful to God that he is still alive and I know it is because of all the hundreds of people praying for him, even those who don't know him. I thank you.

My Boss

Yesterday, my boss, Jim went in to have his hip replaced and the doctor nicked a large vein. He lost a lot of blood and is in ICU fighting for his life. Larry and I are about to leave to go to the hospital. He is my FLorida dad. Please, please add him to your prayer list.

Beach Day

Sunday, in pictures

Peyton

Last night Larry and I were eating a late dinner and the boys were sitting on the couch watching TV when Peyton turned around with the blanket around his head like a shawl and made a funny face. It struck how big he is and I had a momentary lapse of reason when I longed for a baby.

Peyton is such a unique child/person that I don't even know how to describe him. He seemed to go from baby to child. There really was no in between and we've always treated him older than he is because he gives that impression even though his actions are still that of someone his age. See, even that didn't make sense. Let's see, he's always been smart, but Shey has too, and Shey still acts like a baby, or has babyish ways about him at 3. Peyton never had these baby ways. Sometimes he is very affectionate, but other times, he holds back. Like when he does programs at school and such, he acts embarrassed already that we are there.

I think all this is why it is hard to parent him at times. Sometimes he is so very reasonable and willing to help, and other times he is just downright confrontational. It's always extremes with Peyton. The boy came out of the womb high maintenance.

I worry for him as he ages, his extremes and what they will mean.

4x4 Meme

Anne tagged me to complete a meme and it's Friday, so I have agreed. Also, she has a wonderfully huge house for sale in Minnesota, if anyone is interested in moving there and freezing their tushes off.

4 jobs I have had (I'll try to offer new ones than last time): Gift wrapper at x-mas time, salesperson at an eel skin store (those were both with the same guy), Assistant to a lady selling health insurance out of her house (that one sucked big time!) and I worked for about a week, well long enough to do the training, at McRaes before they went out of business. I actually skipped town on the last one to come see Larry and called them to quit.

4 places I have been: Alaska, Mt. Rushmore, Bahamas, Yellowstone

4 shows I watch: Lost, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Grey's Anatomy and The Office, oh and Biggest Loser Couples

4 foods that I like: I made these awesomely delish jalepeno, cream cheese and bacon apps from a recipe from The Pioneer Woman last night and they were YUMMY. I like hummus, hamburgers and fish as well.

Yay for Friday! Happy Easter everyone.

My Stained Glass Masquerade

I'll admit that after reconnecting with some of my high school (and even further back) friends lately on blogger, that I have censored my posts and the information I offer to the blogging community. We went to a small private Christian school and it was an automatic response to keep certain traits and habits hidden. And while I feel I have grown tremendously in the past couple of years in my efforts to reconnect with my upbringing, there are still some activities that I do partake of and hold on to that don't coincide with the 75% of me that is trying to live a more Godly life.

All that being said, there is one habit I am ready (although maybe not all the way willing) to ditch and I am going to put it out there for your prayers and accountability.

I started smoking (cigarettes, not the other) when I was 18 and have continued to do so more on than off the past 12 years. I stopped when I was pregnant and then stupidly picked it back up again after having each boy. I've never been a heavy smoker, 3 maybe 4 a day, and if I needed to, I could go days to a week without having one and be fine, which really just makes it even sillier that I keep it up. I rarely buy my own, content to bum off my friends around me and give them money, or buy their coffee instead.

I only smoke at home when we have friends over, but Peyton is definitely old enough to be influenced and remember it now, so it is time for me to be an adult and quit. If not for my own health, then for my kids.

I haven't had one since Friday, but I also haven't felt well this week, so it's been easier. In a few days when I have my energy back and I'm bored, stressed, or whatever at work, I know I will think "one won't hurt."

So that's it, all out there for everyone to see. And no, while it's not the worst habit in the world, like crack or whatever Amy Winehouse is on, it's not the best either. Please send your thoughts and prayers this way, I'm going to need them.