Mother Neff State Park, Spring 2007

There she goes.........

While we wait to eat............

A hiking we did go.....
LEAVE NO TRACE BEHIND!

Flag Retirement Ceremony

Offstage

Friday night at Harker Heights High School.............

Take the picture please. I have a sister to annoy!

Hmm? To sing or not to sing, that is the question.........

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops....Oh, what a rain that would be! Standing outside with my mouth open wide.......

Aagh-aagh,aagh, aagh-aagh, aagh, aagh-aagh, aagh, aagh!

Yeah, that's me. Uglier than ever.

Onstage

First chair....AGAIN!
Looking pretty spiffy...............

Caught tunin' up................

A wandering she did go............

As usual, Lauren is NOT wanting to take a nap. For a few weeks now she has been posting nap "strikes." So I decide to take her outside in the backyard. Burn some energy ya know.

We have a chain link fence. She's outside playing. I'm outside with her trying to decide what to do. So I decide to get some weed killer and start spraying weeds. Got that done. Then threw the empty bottle away. I go inside and grab this new garden hose reel I just bought. Went back outside and Lauren is still playing (digging in the dirt.) So here I am attaching the hoses together so this thing will wind up our extra long garden hose.

I'm so into what I'm doing I don't hear my chain link fence's gate open. She is so sneaky and gifted to do that with out even a "klink" when the metal hits metal. As I turn around, when I'm done (took me maybe 2 minutes), my dog is gone and so is Lauren. I notice the gate is open. I run out the gate hollering Lauren's name. At that same moment, I could give a rat's "you know what" about Daisy. Lauren is NO WHERE!

I'm screaming her name. Most of my neighbor's aren't home but at work. I'm screaming and screaming. I go to one neighbor's house, older gentleman (who I woke up from sheer fear), and tell him what is going on and he says he'll help me. So as I am running up and down the street, mind you we are surrounded by a wooded area and a heavily traveled road (a farm road that nobody seems to follow the speed limit on) that my street connects too, and I'm going nuts. Daisy appears out of nowhere. Of course, she is no use. Heidi would have tracked Lauren down....Daisy isn't that smart. Well, this man (redneck for sure) has her on his hip while holding a little boy (obviously his) and is bringing her around the corner. He said he heard me screaming and deduced that this little girl must belong to the voice that is screaming hysterically. CORRECT assumption dude! I, at that point, broke down in tears and hysterics. And the older gentleman I woke up, had just walked outside from his house. I woke him up for nothing. I was soooo sorry and thanked him generously.

I brought her back inside and then realized I still hadn't caught Daisy. LOL! I wasn't exactly in any hurry to catch her at that time. But, yes, Daisy has been caught and is in the back yard which now has locks on both gate doors for neither to escape from.

Lauren is right now on the living room table dancing, hoping her moves will earn her a cinnamon teddy graham. And my new coffee has just arrived by UPS, just in time to settle my nerves that just went through havoc.

Military Spouses Day~May 11

Among the MANY things you have been asked/expected/encouraged to do as a military spouse, you have followed…

followed the mailman to inquire on your forwarded mail;

followed the school bus to be sure your son got to his new school with ease;

followed a neighbor, secretly, to find out where the Post Office/PX/Self-Help is;

followed the directions on your new self-cleaning oven that doesn’t/won’t;

followed your soldier to the ends of the earth and back, on orders and out of a lasting love.



You have packed…

packed with a day’s notice for a move that wasn’t scheduled for weeks to find your things wouldn’t arrive for months;

packed lunches for children who weren’t convinced this new school was really going to be so great;

packed cookies you baked late, late at night to get to the Unit, to get to the Field, to get to your hero who always favored your oatmeal raisins;

packed your wedding album in an old worn towel, then wrapped in an old worn blanket, to preserve the pictures of the dress you’d worm that day you become Mrs..



You have allowed…

allowed another’s future to shape your present, and your life;

allowed the stairwell neighbor to use the washer first, despite how late you’d be up and down the stairs to get your turn at laundry chores;

allowed those lonely single soldiers a special memory when you opened your door to them at the Holidays;

allowed your soldier to believe in himself which allowed him to remain successful.



You have supported…

supported Bake Sales when your own family hadn’t seen a homemade brownie in months;

supported the young wife next door when a field problem turned into a nightmare of loneliness;

supported your soldier when you’d rather have gone back home, realizing you already were;;

supported your Country even though they’ll never understand the sacrifices that included;

supported the man you love, the marriage you’ve created and the Army you’ve now both committed to.



You have cherished…

cherished moments and memories from Units, countries, ceremonies and isolated assignments;

cherished the melodies of our National Anthem while on foreign soil far from home;

cherished your children even in moments when you were asked to do it all for them on your own;

cherished the time you have together, no matter how little that often was;

cherished the women the Army has offered to you to be your mentors, friends and sisters ! those precious spouses of your husband’s comrades.



You have discovered…

discovered that you can do more than you ever believed you were capable of;

discovered that when he leaves for the field, every household item senses the same and decidedly breaks down;

discovered people and friendships you might never have ever known had you not boarded that plane and left that comfort zone;

discovered that absence really DOES make the heart grow fonder, and fonder;

discovered how many meals you can stretch out of a pound of meat before payday finally rolls around.


You have given…

given of yourself, time and time again;

given advice freely whether or not it was needed;

given your mother’s recipe as your own to save the Unit cookbook;

given your last can of cream soup even though you KNEW the commissary would be out of it when you went again;

given your love to a man who looks so good in BDU’s;

given your heart to a man who stands for all this is good and honest and respectful in mankind.



You have hung…

hung curtains in more windows over time than the grandest castle might have;

hung on to your sanity by a fragile thread as the deployment wore on and on;

hung around with folks who brought joy into your life and memories into your soul ~ “Army folks”.

hung onto him with all your might, as if a long hard hug would delay a goodbye;

hung every plaque from every job he’s ever had on the wall that you’d wished held a painting;

hung the For Sale sign in from of the house you thought you’d live n forever.



The MILITARY SPOUSE – who deserves this special day of his/her own.

The Sweetest Things............

.......are sometimes those that are unexpected. Are not always an "I Love You." Are like a warm, cozy blanket on a cold, blustery day.

Bobby and I got into an argument over the phone. I won't go into the gist of it but I felt jealous and hurt at the same time. He knew it. By the end of the phone call, I was still upset but there wasn't any heated discussion involved anymore. I was drained of trying to make my point so I just shut up. It might of sounded like the silent treatment but it was better than beating my head up against his "brick wall." And I was just plain tired of arguing. There wasn't a reason anymore.

We hung up. I was still hurt. He was still hurt.

Hours later he called back. I had no clue what he wanted since the last phone call.

He said, after the hello's, "I'm sorry." That was all I needed. I went to bed feeling like a giddy teenager....all mushy inside.

Thank you!

I love you, too!

Earnhardt fans read at your own risk.

He's my soul brother. We were born on the same day of the same year. We are exactly the same age. We sat in God's waiting room, waiting for our turn to be born, together. And we entered this world....together. Yeah, I'm talking about Jeff Gordon.

Leave him alone.

What has the man done to deserve such disrespect? Why do so many love to hate him? He's never intentionally knocked anyone off the track....that I know of. He's well spoken. Doesn't say bad things about anyone...unless YOU intentionally knocked him off the track. He's in all...from what I've heard and read...a really nice guy.

He was great friends with the never-forgotten #3. They were great competitors on the track. Dale Sr. can't keep his numbers forever. Mr. Petty's numbers are those that many will have a time to conquer. Nobody can just get to a certain number and say...."Well, if I win this next race I'll pass his record, so I'll stop winning here." Come on people!! (Even the golden son of the great #3, #8...or Jr. as he's called, wasn't able to keep fans from throwing garbage at JG. He asked politely....and the people responded....the wrong way.)

HE is a Leo. Born to be a leader. So let him lead..................

Talladega Superspeedway is Earnhardt country and Jeff Gordon is considered by many an interloper.

It was no surprise, therefore, when Gordon's latest victory at the sprawling Alabama track was met with anger and flying beer cans.

Dale Earnhardt won 10 races here, and his son, Dale Jr., has won five times and inherited the popularity of his late father, who would have turned 56 on Sunday.

At the end of the Aaron's 499, in the aftermath of a chaotic and confusing finish to the latest NASCAR Nextel Cup race, Gordon was awarded his second straight victory, the latest one his 77th, moving him past the Intimidator into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time win list.

"I never caused a riot before for winning - well, maybe once or twice," Gordon laughed.

It was the same reaction he received last week in Phoenix when he tied Earnhardt's mark and flew a No. 3 flag on his victory lap. That gesture didn't sit well with Earnhardt fans, even though Earnhardt Jr. called the tribute classy and urged his supporters to stop throwing beer cans out of safety concerns.

"I thought Junior had more power," Gordon said. "I thought they'd throw toilet paper, which is what he asked them to throw. I saw maybe one roll."

With about 140,000 fans in the stands, many of them wearing Earnhardt red, the cheer that went up when Junior briefly took the lead on Sunday was so deafening it drowned out the sound of the race car engines.

When Earnhardt faded out of contention - eventually finishing seventh - the crowd became subdued. But things livened up again when it appeared there would be another in a series of great finishes after a late caution flag set up an overtime, green-white-checker finish.

But the anticipated charge to the finish never happened, thanks to a crash moments after the restart. With Gordon ahead when the yellow flag waved, he was declared the winner and the last, slow lap and a half were just going through the motions under caution.

But that also set off the barrage of beer cans and garbage.

"I certainly didn't want to start a riot, and hopefully nobody got injured," Gordon said. "But I wanted to break that record. I keep going back and forth. Why did it have to happen at Talladega?"

Really, Talladega was the perfect place for Gordon to get this win.

While most Earnhardt fans dislike Gordon, the elder Earnhardt and Gordon were friends and business partners away from the track.

"On one side I just want to jump up and down and be fired up about getting 77 here at Talladega where three-quarters of the grandstands were pulling against us," Gordon said. "And then on the other side, I respected Dale so much, learned so much from him, today being his birthday and knowing how many of those people up there wanted to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. win today - it's tough."

The finish was so confusing that Gordon wasn't even sure if he won.

Gordon, who started from the pole, ran up front early but was 14th on a restart with 10 laps to go. He stormed to the front, and with three laps to go passed Jamie McMurray for the lead a split-second before a caution came out.

It set up the overtime finish, with Gordon out front on the restart. But before the field reached full speed, a wreck far behind the leaders brought out the caution and effectively ended the race.

NASCAR makes only one attempt to complete the race in overtime, and if a caution comes out, the field is instantly frozen. So when Elliott Sadler bumped the back of Greg Biffle to trigger a wreck, Gordon was the winner.

But not everyone realized that.

Tony Stewart, embroiled in controversy all week for likening NASCAR to pro wrestling, was knocked into the wall far ahead of the first accident. He bounced off the outside wall, slid down the track and into the inside wall, then stood fuming on the apron as he waited for the field to pass. He made an angry gesture at McMurray and David Gilliland as they passed under caution.

Once he knew the victory was his, Gordon made one attempt at a celebratory burnout, which he later admitted was a bad decision because it egged fans on to throw more debris at him.
Track officials warned fans they would be arrested for throwing anything on the track, and 10 fans were detained as Gordon's crew frantically called for security help to get the team spotter out of the stands.

"It don't look like it's something you can control," Earnhardt Jr. sighed.

NASCAR condemned the debris throwing.

"It's very unfortunate a few unruly fans can ruin things for a lot of people," spokesman Jim Hunter said. "The track put a lot of effort into preventing this type of behavior. Our fans are passionate, but this type of behavior doesn't represent a majority of our fans."

At Phoenix, Earnhardt Jr. came to Victory Lane to congratulate Gordon and thank him for honoring his father. This time, he stayed away from the celebration.

"I told him this week, I said, 'You win this one and I ain't coming into Victory Lane this time. That caused too much trouble,"' Junior said. "He's a great race car driver. I knew years ago he would eventually pass my old man. I think he has the opportunity to pass a couple more."

Yep, forgot some.........

balloon~"boon"
up~"up"
down~"dow"
book~"book"
eat~"eat"
tree~"twee"
sock~"sock"
bear~"bewr"
Pooh~"pooh"
phone~"phone"

.....I'm sure there are more she knows!

Lauren's Vocabulary Words....as of 19 months old.

airplane~"ah-pain"
oh dear~"oh-deah"
okay~"okay"
stinky booty~"inky-booty"
cat~"meow-meow"
puppy~"puppy"
mommy~"mommy"
no~"no"
milk~"meeeelk"
cookie~"coooookie"
Eric~"airk"
Matthew~"mah-you"
bubba~"bubba"
What's that~"us-dat"
Who's that~"oos-dat"
daddy~"daddy"
Elmo~"eh-mo"
ball~"bah"
hello~"heh-wo"
uh-oh~"uh-oh"
ear~"e-ya"
eye~"eye"
hair~"he-ya"
teeth~"tee"
outside~"ow-side"
shoe~"shoe"

I hope I didn't forget any....................

Twice it's happened

....today!

1. I was walking this morning (4 miles total around the neighborhood)......sweating bullets (not all that pretty), my nose and ears were red and raw from the cold wind, no make-up, my hair windblown all over the place, sweat spots on my running pants and t-shirt jacket.....and a guy driving by slows down and wolf whistles at me and yells at me..."You're Hot!" and then speeds off and drives away in his Mustang.

2. There are workers outside hooking up a new home, I'm outside with Lauren letting her play in the sand, and one of the workers, after they are done, walks over and asks me..."Are you married?" Totally shocked me. Of course, I told him I was married. Then he tells me "Too bad." And then he winks at me.What the....??? I have no make-up on. I have on long navy blue running pants with racing stripes down the side, and old grey ARMY t-shirt on, with black NIKE Shox. My hair is in barrettes...no ponytail...and it's all poofy in the sides and back (my hair is extra thick, with spiral waves and does whatever the heck it wants if I don't control it).

Is it my brand new glasses?

Yeah, that must be it.

Good Riddance!!

I don't know the details with ABC but I think they caught on to the mainstream of America and wised up to Rosie's antics.

Buh-bye!

A Circle of Friends.

It has been 2 years since I last saw her. She and her family had just moved back from Germany to Ft. Campbell. Before her initial trip to Germany, we lived side-by-side on post then were neighbors in the same neighborhood. We were two peas in a pod. Only difference was I was a 245 pea and she was a 94 pound pea. I was 10 years her senior. And, her son, was born 2 days before Matthew. The day she came out of the hospital was the day I went in. But none of that made a difference. We connected on horrible circumstances. She protected me from myself. She was my rock, my tree, my solid to lean on when I felt the world crumbling all around me.

I won't go into all the details. First, it's terribly embarrassing and it's a bone in my closet that will stay in the closet. Second, it's a memory that I just don't have the heart to delve back into.

She believed in me. IN ME! She trusted me and never thought the worst of me. And eventually others around our cul-de-sac came around and became my shields. They all became my friends other than my neighbors. It was then that I realized that these women, military wives, stuck to me like glue. The funny thing out of the whole business of it all was that we were all born in August around the same time. I, on the 4th. The others.....13th, 14th, 15th, and the 16th. We had some wild birthday parties. LOL! We were all Leo's. You'd think there would have been cat fights because of the Leo persona. We would have all wanted the attention and leadership. Maybe one out of us was in the end....but nobody cared.

We were the Patio Ho's. LOL! Yeah, that's what we called ourselves. We would all eventually be sitting outside on our porches/patios talking/smoking/drinking and goofing off. I'll admit that was when my addiction to Pepsi came about. And sitting on my plastic lawn chair widened certain body parts that shouldn't have widened anymore in the first place.

That was when for the first time in my miserable life I had true blue girlfriends. I can't keep girlfriends. It's hard. It's easier for me to be friends with guys than gals. I don't like talking on the phone. But then, the phone wasn't such a bad thing. I'm not a girly girl. I like girly things but don't base my life on them. I don't like to wear make-up. I'd like to but I think I'm allergic to something in the chemical aspect because I break out so bad that I'd rather not wear the toxic stuff. But at that time, I had not just one girlfriend.....I had Tanya, Stacie, Debbie, and Alison.

Alison, was the model. Tall, blonde, and built like a model. She was the girly girl. She shopped the specialty, high-dollar department stores where we shopped WalMart. And, not only was she a military wife, she was a soldier too. Tanya, the small and skinny. She was the lucky one, at the tme so I thought. She has hyperthyroidism. She can't gain weight. She is the tough talker, no-holds-bar, and don't piss her off type. She was my fellow Texan, raised in Killeen. She was my bestest friend of them all. Stacie, the oldest. She was 10-years my senior but acted like she was 29. LOL! She was tough on the outside but had that mushy, sweet, caramelly center. A heart of gold. And, last but not least, Debbie. She was all mush. Never said a bad word. Never raised her voice. Left her heart on the outside to be easily broken. Was always helping out when she needed the help most. She could stretch a dollar for daaaaays.

Well, our circle eventually broke. Stacie and her husband got divorced and she moved back to Michigan. Debbie's husband got out of the army and they moved back to Wisconsin and are now divorced. Alison, yet again, got pregnant, out of the Army and divorced also. All of them are remarried. Tanya, is still married to her husband. She is the one just back from Germany and living back at Ft. Campbell.

The sad thing of it all is that once Tanya came back, I had changed. I was no longer 245 lbs of "flubber." I don't drink Pepsi like water anymore. I don't drink anything soda-ish unless it's diet. I don't sit and gossip and eat food for comfort. (Okay, maybe I still do, but not on a daily basis.) And, food no longer is my drowning pool. It was easy to be fat around Tanya. She could out eat me! So she was always around food and heck I never turned down a free cupcake! But I was different when she came home. I didn't want to sit and eat. Time had changed us big time. I was no longer the fat friend to the skinny friend, ya know? I don't do 3/4 of what I used to. And she knew. She even said I turned into a skinny bore. Oh, she said it jokingly but I took it as it was said. Maybe I had. No feelings were hurt.

So time had changed us. I wasn't the same. I no longer depended on her. We were still friendly when I left for Ft. Hood but we haven't spoken since. Probably best. I still have the wonderful memories with me and those will never change.

A Day in the life......................

Yes, I know it's been a looooong while since I last talked of myself or my family. Well, when you live a boring life, there isn't much to say. My life is a repetitious, monotonous, Groundhogs Day life.

It's a get up, make coffee, let the dog out, read email, go to my favorite fitness forum, drink my coffee, exericse (yoga or run a long distance), take a shower, check my email again, feed Lauren, clean Lauren, change Lauren, get the boys to school, keep Lauren from climbing everything, let the dog back in kind of morning. Every day.

Then it's a still keep Lauren from climbing, keep the living room clean, vacuum, put the dishes in the dishwasher, put a load of clothes in the washer, put a load of clothes in the dryer, fold and hang a load of clothes that are done, keep Lauren from climbing, keep the living room clean, vacuum, make my bed, let the dog back out, feed Lauren, clean Lauren, change Lauren, put Lauren down for a nap, clean Lauren's lunch mess, make my lunch, eat, check my email, go to my favorite fitness forum, watch the afternoon news, then watch All My Children, then watch One Life to Live, all while taking another load of laundry out of dryer, put another load of laundry into washer, fold and hang more clean laundry, make a snack bag for Lauren, fill Lauren's sippy cup, get Lauren out of crib, change Lauren's diaper, grab keys, put Lauren in stroller, lock house, take Lauren for a walk around neighborhood while going to pick up Matthew from school kind of afternoon.

Then it's a wait for Matthew at the front doors at school, walk Matthew home, clean the living room again, keep Lauren from climbing, check Matthew's school work, sign his schoolwork journal, help Matthew study his weekly vocabulary, turn on cartoons, watch Pokemon and Naruto (which I have to admit I'm terribly addicted to now), yell at children to do their daily chores, make dinner for kids, feed Lauren, clean Lauren, change Lauren's diaper, clean boys' dinner mess, put dishes into dish washer, keep Lauren from climbing some more, clean living room, watch a bit of Everybody Loves Raymond reruns, give Lauren a bath, tell the boys to take their showers, dry Lauren, put Lauren's pj's on her, brush her hair, make a huge bowl of air-popped popcorn (thank you Sis for the most awesome Christmas gift...which is well used), watch nighttime TV or read (depending what is on and what day of the week it is), put Lauren to bed, tell the boys to go to bed, turn off living room TV, let dog back in, I get ready for bed, turn on my bedroom TV, watch TV or read, then take glasses off, turn on alarm, turn off TV, and go to sleep kind of evening.

Oh there is the occasional trips to Walmart, Target, the commissary/PX or to the mall to break up some of the monotony. There is the occasional trips to the doctors for appointments. Or the few phone calls from Bobby, my Mom, or friends.

So there ya go.

Hell Hath Frozen Over!

Central Texas, a cold night....the night before Easter.

Easter Pictures, 2007

My view!

Rosie O'Donnell....I've lost total respect for you. I don't like you!

I watch The View and I get disgusted every times she opens her mouth. She speaks as though our government is the only government that does things behind its people's back. I'm tired of hearing how the Middle East governments are diplomatically not accountable for how ALMOST the entire world views them. Do they not blow each other up? Do they not terrorize tourists? Do they not treat them women like they were slugs? Do they not allow MOST women and girls the chance of education? Are the women not raped and beaten? Hello?

Back to Iran. Who's right? Were the English in Iranian waters or Iraqi waters? The Iranian say they were in Iranian water. The English say they have GPS proof that they were 2 miles outside the Iranian boundary waters.....safe in Iraqi waters.

I'm sorry Barbara Walters and ABC.......you made a mistake. You ruined The View. It's no longer The View. It's Rosie's view. Nobody elses. Yeah, she has improved your ratings...for now. But once we all get tired of her rants....then what will you do?

I'm sickened.

Revelations

Am I the only one worried about the latest confrontation with Iran?

I'm sick with worry. Literally.

This country is strong. We are proud. And we are the last to admit our wrongs. And this time, we aren't in the forefront but our "mother" is. But as her children, we stand behind "her" and show our muscle by sending troops out to the waters where it all began. Not sure how many English naval soldiers were taken, but they were taken by the Iranian government. So now "mother" is angry....so are we.

We are already in Iraq. Iraq was easy prey, I would say. Iran...not. If we go to war with Iran, what would the consequences be? They aren't a country divided. They are well armed, well trained. And not afraid to fight. They are well established and have most of the Middle East on their side. They are the "mother" country to all terrorists, far and wide. And...they are NUCLEAR capable. Why do you think most of the United Nations want to sanction their ass? Oh let's not forget North Korea...their allie. Geez, can this country handle going to war with Iran?

Most of our soldiers are tired and worn out. They just want to get home and chill. Relax with their families before heading out....again. We are stretched way too thin as it is. Heck, they are thinking of changing the "Don't ask, don't tell" rule. Not enough straight men and women....so let's call up the gays. So they are willing to overlook this rule. (Mind you, it's about time. They are just as capable of fighting, dying, and supporting our country as the rest of them. Thought that rule was tooooo stupid.)

So what does this country do? We are so proud. We don't back down from a fight. Do we stand up and back England? Can we afford to? Am I willing to risk having my husband go to a country that is literally mean in fighting? Iran is a threat. Once we go in.....if we do....it's a fight-to-the-death war. I don't see an end.

So here I stand. Scared shitless. Wondering............

I just hope "mother" can get out of this without calling on her children.

Gandalf

Another reason to own a German Shepherd!

Gandalf

He looks EXACTLY like Daisy! Scary...........

Amber Alert

Please God, bring little Myachel home! I pray to you God, please, please protect her and lead her home. No mother deserves this torment.

Sheer Genius!

Matthew. My Matthew!

The kid has a talent of letting you think he is a dumbo and then pulls Bill Gates out of his brain. What the....? Okay, he is only 9 years old and in 3rd grade. I'm not calling Harvard yet. LOL! "What gives?" You might be asking yourself. Thursday afternoon, he comes home and tells me he has a note from the teacher. I dig through his backpack and find an envelope. Not usually a good sign. I open it up slowly and take a deep breath. "What am I going to have to ground him for?" is the thought running through my head. I open up the letter and it's type written. Another not-so-good sign which means it could be coming from the counselor or principle. Ugh! I read the note.

He PASSED his TAKS (It's like the SAT for elementary and high school kids) exam in reading. Cool! So I unfold the other piece of paper and read the results. OMG! He aced the exam. ACED IT! Out of 2500 points, he got a 2487. He missed only 1 question. Only 1. OMG! And as I'm reading this and totally freaking out...Matthew pulls out another test score. Not the dreaded TAKS mind you but another very important exam. (Texas just loves to test the fiesta out of the children...no joke!) It was the Math Curriculum Based Assessment. He got a freaking 100%!

Then after all the hugs and high fives....I have to help him untie the knot in his shoestrings.

Running on crack...............

Aye! That's what I've been doing for about 2 months now.

I run a lot you see. I run almost every morning. Lately, not so much because I've discovered this thing called YOGA. Yeah, that is what I said. Not the "ohhhhhmm!" stuff. Not the rest-and-relaxation-meditate-till-your-brain-dead kind. Never. Not that. It's the sweaty kind. Bend-until-you-break kind. Balance-till-your-body-vibrates kind. It's awesome!

But I'm off of topic here. Well, one day while running. Something just cracked. (Figuritely and literally) My running times were waaaay too awesome and it was just getting way to easy for me. The running was just a bit "bouncier". Then it occurred to me that the tread felt about the same as it did when the first running board failed. "Not again." I thought. So after my 10 mile run, I got off. I took my shower. I got dressed. I walked into the kitchen and then stopped. Turned around and went to the now closed treadmill. I turned on the overhead light in the living room and looked. Really looked closely at the treadmill. I saw it. Oh yes. I saw the crack. But I rubbed my eyes anyway and looked again. Then stuck my hand inside, between board and rubber tread. I felt the crack. It was pretty big. "Not again." I thought. So as soon as the boys got up and ready for school and finished their breakfast and Lauren had woken and had eaten her breakfast, I called NordicTrac.

Customer service sucks. The dude thought I must have been a heifer because this was the second time I had called for the same thing in a year. No, not a heifer as my friends and family can testify too. Now if this had been 7-8 years ago...then story would have been different. Anyway, he asked my weight. I told him. I can hear by the tone of his voice he didn't believe me. "Whatever dude." I thought to myself. Then he tells me I have to pay for the new board. No, I don't. I've learned over the past 4 treadmills or so that you must buy extended warranty especially if you are me. Like I said in the second paragraph, I run a LOT! We argue a bit and then realizes he is looking at my old treadmill I used to own that was also a NordicTrac....previouslly known as "Precious". She was a good treadmill...until I ran her motor to the ground. (Okay, my friends husband finished her off! LOL!) But anyway, he realizes he is looking at the wrong serial number and he made a mistake. (Gasp!) Then he informs me that he can't help me but to call the warranty department. Okaaaaay. I call them and of course they are closed. But the next day....they were very nice once I got a hold of them and had my new board shipped that day and recieved it at the end of the week. Same day, the technician calls and we schedule the appointment for Wednesday....that just passed. Now my treadmill is fixed.

Now that I have the new board, the run is hard. My legs ache and I can barely breathe. (Could be because my sinuses are clogged. Damn spring weather!) The treadmill feels like brand new, again. So now I have to work harder to get better. The crack made the run easier. It made me faster. But in the end, it didn't help me at all. My legs are weaker and my breathing is harder. Now I have to start all over again. I have to regain the glory I once had.

So I guess the moral of this story is.....running on crack might be easy but it can mess you up in the end.

Don't show your underwear!

You know the old saying....

"Always wear clean underwear because you might be in an accident."

Well, the same saying goes for your house. Trust me, I know. Keep it clean because you might have sexy firemen called to your house to put out a fire!!

The Drive Home..............

Houston! We DID NOT have a problem!

Kemah, TX

This was the very first time for myself to see the Gulf Coast of Texas!

The Kemah Boardwalk

Homes on sticks!

The evening comes to a close! BEAUTIFUL!

The Drop Off

Only Matthew

The trip to Houston was filled with loads of drama. Yeah, D-R-A-M-A! You see this is how it began.......

We leave the house at 9am to drop Daisy off at the boarding facility. Poor Daisy. She was soooo scared. Literally shaking. I fill out the paperwork, unhook her collar, kiss her good-bye and left.

We drive to the nearest gas station to the school we are all to meet at. Bobby fills up the tank, I buy Matthew a bag of chips and all of us a soda for the trip.

We arrive at the elementary school around 9:45am (we were to be there at 10am). Matthew gets out to play with his friends while we wait for the whole group to arrive. It wasn't until almost 10:30am that we finally leave. Matthew's friend, Nathan, asks if Matthew can ride with them. Sure. I didn't care. Bad mistake!

We were maybe a half hour out of Bryan-College Station (home of Texas A&M University), the leader of the caravan (the pack leader) pulls over. Now he has everyone's cell number and we have his. The assistant leader kept the rear. So we all pull over. We didn't know what was going on. Until...........................

Nathan's dad gets out of his van. The pack leader walks directly to him. Next thing you know they are walking to our van. Uh-oh! I get out (wondering what was going on). Nathan's dad is smiling. It can't be that bad. Famous last words. He comes to me, smiling, and tells me there was an accident in his van. Matthew got car sick. We get to Matthew and he is covered in red soda and orange Doritos (the soda and chips I bought him for the trip). His uniform was ruined. The front seat (projectile) was covered. The seat he was in was covered. The floor was covered. This was NOT our van but Nathan's. I-chihuahua!! We used all of Lauren's wipes to clean up. Matthew had to put on his tomorrow clothes. The rest of the way....he rode with us. I was mortified. Embarrased. If I had a shovel, I would have dug myself a hole to China.

Nathan's dad was okay with all of this. He was laughing actually. We promised to pay the cleaning bill or we would clean it ourselves. Thankfully, he was a dad that had been there, done that.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. But I think from now on......Matthew will carry a barf bag around his neck on long trips!

February 3, 2007

He's 12!!
THE Cake!!
Make a wish!

Patrick (holding Lauren), Eric, Morgan (Harry Potter), Matthew (Peace!)

I mean.....I

Matthew (I mean I!) won 3rd place in the cake decorating contest at the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet yesterday. We made (I mean I!) made a volcano cake with moist dark, chocolate cake with milk chocolate icing. The "volcano" was stuffed with red hots (volcano has to be hot, ya know) with red (icing) lava oozing out the top and sides. Then I took mashed chocolatey-middle Oreos and sprinkled them on the sides and the base of the mountain to give it that bouldery "au natural" look.

My cake (I mean our cake) was called "Aloh-hot!"

To a "T"

Your Birthdate: August 4

You have an extraordinary character - moral, responsible, and disciplined. Your sincerely and honesty shine through in almost every situation. Driven and focused, you rarely let your emotions get the better of you. You're level headed and rational. People count on your to look at things objectively. Your strength: Your unwavering loyalty and ethics Your weakness: Your rock solid stubbornness Your power color: Navy blue Your power symbol: Shield Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Green, that's me!

Your Power Color is Green

You feel most at home in a world of ideas. You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge. You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience. Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What's Your Power Color?

Is there such thing as an ORANGE ROSE?

You Are an Orange Rose

You represent desire and enthusiasm Your vibe: Sexy yet familiar Falling in love with you: happens instantly - it's a fast ride

What Color Rose Are You?

Blue

Your Aura is Blue

Your Personality: Your natural warmth and intuition nurtures those around you. You are accepting and always follow your heart. You in Love: Relationships are your top priority, and this includes love. You are most happy when you are serious with someone. Your Career: You need to help others in your job to feel satistifed. You would be a great nurse, psychologist, or counselor.

What Color Is Your Aura?

Girl Next Door

You are Betty Grable

The ulitmate girl next door You're the perfect girl for most guys Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.

What Famous Pinup Are You?

1971

In 1971 (the year you were born)

Richard Nixon is president of the US Charles Manson and 3 of his followers are convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder An earthquake in California's San Fernando Valley kills 64 people New York Times begins publication of classified Pentagon papers on US involvement in Vietnam The $70 million Kennedy Center opens in Washington, DC A four day revolt at New York's Attica state prison ends after being stormed by 1000 state troopers A new stock-market index called the Nasdaq debuts Walt Disney World opens Intel releases world's first microprocessor, the 4004 Ray Tomlinson sends the first e-mail Libertarian party established in USA Kid Rock, Denise Richards, Sean Astin, Winona Ryder, and Ricky Martin are born Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series Baltimore Colts win Superbowl V Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is published The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premeires on television "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel wins Grammy for song of the year All in the Family premieres

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

So True

You Are Not a Cook

You know cooking isn't for you, and you wouldn't even consider trying to make a homecooked meal.And this is a very good thing. You've saved all your friends and family from unintentional food poisoning!

Are You A Good Cook?

HERO

Another reason why German Shepherd Dogs rock!!

THOMASVILLE, Ga. Feb 2, 2007 (AP)— A south Georgia woman bloodied in a car wreck says she owes her life to a German shepherd who thankfully just wouldn't stay in his yard.
Shannon Lorio says that after her car careened down an embankment, the wayward dog found her bruised and battered on the vehicle's trunk, pulled her by her shirt collar, dragged her about 50 yards through briars to a highway and let her lean against him so she could flag a passing motorist.

His new name: Hero.

"That dog is always going to have a special place in my heart," Lorio said Friday. "He's my hero."

Hero's previous owners have signed him over to the Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society since the Jan. 26 accident because he kept wandering off.

He won't be in the shelter long: Not only have at least 50 people offered to adopt him, a dog trainer has agreed to see if he has the right stuff for search and rescue work.

Lorio's car tumbled backward down an embankment in a remote, heavily wooded area. She said she lost control on a curve and was thrown onto the trunk.

"I was bleeding from my face and my nose," she said. "All of a sudden, I felt a presence a really huge presence. He was straddling me. I have watched too many horror movies about werewolves and vampires. I thought he was going to eat me."

Instead, the dog licked her face, she said.

The 2-year-old dog, weighing 70 pounds, dragged the 136-pound Lorio to the highway, then stood by to help her summon help before she collapsed, she said.

Lorio, 36, of Pavo, said she can't adopt Hero because she already has six dogs, but she's showered him with gifts including a huge bone and a stuffed animal.

"If he ever needs anything, I'll be there," she said.

Dog trainer Heidy Drawdy, of Thomasville, will take Hero next week to see if he's cut out to be a search and rescue dog.

First item on the agenda for the wandering canine: obedience training.