Oh my gosh! What does this mean?!

Okay, its no wonder people have the impression of me that I am a total doofus much of the time. I really am pretty intelligent, I swear. But its times like tonight that I just have to laugh out loud at myself. Seems I do that a lot.

I really want an iphone. We are planning on getting one but Rick wanted to see how the reviews were going to be before buying one. He is always wanting to wait. I am a very impatient girl as I think we all already know. Its hard for me to wait for things. Well, we were watching the news tonight and they were saying that Apple's stock of the iphone had run out!!!!!! and I blurted out, "Oh No! What does this mean?!" Duh. I am always doing stuff like that, blurting out. We both laughed so hard that we had tears in our eyes! I think I should've been a blond.



Here are some of the layouts I've been workng on today. I spent the entire day in my scrapbook room. It was the perfect day!

Have a good night!

Hear ye, Hear ye.....

Well, for those of you who don't already know, ( I've been telling everybody), Leeann fell off her horse today. She was out there by herself and just fell, and got kicked in the head. I'm so glad she's okay. She called me this morning when I was at work and left a voice mail that there had been an accident and that she was going to the hospital and can I please come? So, 1 1/2 hour later, I get the message and am ready to go speeding out the door when I realize, hmmm, I have no idea what kind of accident, or where she is. I finally got a hold of Don and he told me where she was. Kudos to ParkWest ER. Usually you have to wait for hours and hours in the ER but by the time I got there, they had already been in and assessed, XRayed and gave her pain medicine. 15 mins later, they were discharging her. Very nice service. Big difference from our previous experiences with Parkwest ER. She only had a slight concussion. She did get pretty loopy with the pain meds though. I was so glad I was able to help out a little. Though it would be nice if we could stay away from hospitals for a while!

I' m actually considering going back to hospital work again. Just looking for a change for now. Or maybe home care, not sure. I'm feeling a little restless these days. I get like this sometimes...restless. Wish I could find something that I could just do from home as home is where I am the happiest. Maybe check into Legal Nurse Consulting again. There are many opportunities for nurses out there. Problem is, I'm very good at what I do and am not sure I can ever be this good at anything else. I've listed my first item on ebay this week. Who knows, maybe I could make a fortune doing that.

I'm kind of struggling with my diet this week. I won't even confess all the bad stuff I've been eating. I just have a little ways to go to my big goal. Its tough. Need to get back on track tomorrow.


Have a good night!

This is divine!

I know, Chanel, this is neither a fruit or a vegetable. Blame Leeann! You all have to try these! These have become my new scrapbooking necessity.

What a great day today!

I stole your pic Leeann. Thank you!!
I spent the day with Leeann and Katie at Dollywood and we had a wonderful time! I was kind of apprehensive about going to Dollywood since it was supposed to be 94 degrees today. We had originally planned to go to Splash Country but decided to do that next week instead. I love having Mondays off! Anyway, since it was going to be so hot, I thought Katie might have a hard time waiting in lines but she did so good! She was so patient and good natured about it, I was proud of her! Yay Katie!! And let me tell you, that kid is a thrill-seeker! She wanted to ride everything and more than once! She was my ride buddy. She wanted to sit next to me on the rides and it was great. She's so little though, I was nervous she would fall out. After the Tennessee Tornado I was afraid she would have a bruised handprint on her thigh because I was holding onto her so tight. Not an easy feat mind you, since we did the loop-de-loop at least twice(its hard to count when your eyes are squeezed shut!) I was scared to death! We made some great memories today, that's for sure! I hope that I can be an important part of Katie's life for a very long time.. I want her to be able to tell her children about all the fun memories we have made together.

Sienna stayed with me last night and we worked on her resume. We sent out at least 8 of them. I was happy she was taking the initiative to do so. I really am proud of her. She has had a lot to overcome this last year and she has really had to grow up in a short period of time. She is still having some difficulty but if she works at it, she'll be okay. I have to believe it. Both Leeann and Rick have told me basically that I need to let go a bit so I am trying to do that. Heck, when I was her age I was married and had a baby. Its hard to imagine now. I think with all the obstacles I had to overcome, I turned out okay. My girls wil too. I believe in them.

Have a happy Tuesday!

I am so stressed out!

If I have to hear, "well, they're adults now" one more time I am going to scream! I won't even go into it all on here but these girls of mine are going to have a hard go of it and I can't forsee anyway of stopping it. I have a sick feeling in my stomach and I can just feel things getting out of control but "they're adults now" so there is nothing I can do about it but love them and guide them as best as I can.

This is my hard week and I guess I'm a bit emotional but it will be okay in a day or two.

I remember

Okay, I've just been sitting here before bed reading everyone else's blogs and the recurring theme that I'm seeing tonight is Kids growing up. Now listen everyone, you know I've been struggling with this! Shame on you for bringing it up! I miss my girls. Rick doesn't really get it. I think for the most part he is glad to have me to himself and I love love love being with him but gosh! I'm a mom! I need my kids.

Sienna has been talking about moving to Cookeville with Chanel since she won't be going to school. That's an hour and a half away from me. There is also talk of her moving right down the road. That would be cool but maybe a bit close? Not sure yet. Chanel is talking about moving to Europe. If she were to do that, I would be devastated but I also want her to do what makes her happy. Its hard being a parent and letting go. Kids do grow up. I think my girls and I have become friends and I love that. Friends should want what makes each other happy but I can't help but be a little selfish in wanting them close by.

I am remembering all of the swimming lessons, the dance classes, the girl scout camping trips ( We Hated the tents but loved the cabins.) I'm remembering the baseball games in the front yard, the silly string, teaching them to sew. I remember the Easter egg hunts, the swings at the park, playing with the piniata at the birthday parties. ( We tried to use a plastic trash bag one year with a broom stick. It didn't work.) Most of all, I remember the love and the cuddling and the tucking into bed at night. I miss that, but hopefully someday (not too soon) I will have my grandchildren to tell all of those stories to.

Sweet Dreams!

Birthday fun

Today is Rick's birthday. We are going to do some great birthday things! Just what he wants to do. We are going to go right downstairs, plop down in our reclliners with a bag of popcorn and watch Star Wars. I can't wait!!!!!!!! ; ) That man does love to watch TV and even more so since we got all the new stuff. We were at the Apple Store today looking at Apple TV. (Thanks Don). We need one more way to watch! Its like the TV is a part of our family and we just can't wait to get home and see it everyday. LOL Its not quite that bad, but I had a very disturbing moment today. One of my patients was telling me how much she was enjoying walking everyday for exercise. I had been walking 3 miles a day to Walk Away The Pounds for months but haven't done it in a while and I just thought, "Huh, I sure do miss those girls on that DVD. Wonder how they are?." Like they were long lost friends or something! I seriously did think that and I seriously think I am losing it.

Just an update, Sienna sent Rick a Father's Day card in the mail. He was very happy with that. It really made him feel good. I am so proud!

Have a happy night!

I've never been much of a country music fan. I was raised on it. My dad is a musician. He plays the guitar, the fiddle, the mandolin and the banjo. That's how he and my mom met. He was in a band and was playing in a bar that she used to go to. Not that my mom's a lush or anything, she just liked to go and see the band play. I really enjoy bluegrass but just regular country music....I can take it or leave it. Well, this weekend in Nashville, John and Julie and I went to this little hole-in-the wall honky tonk. Sitting in the middle of the bar was a group of 4 singer/song writers. The tables and chairs were arranged all around them and man, those guys could sing! They each had songs they had written for different country music stars, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley and a couple others that I can't remember. One of them, Angela Hertz had a platinum record. I was just so in awe of their talent it gave me goose bumps and brought tears to my eyes. The name of this little dive was Douglas Corner Bar and Grill . The artists names were Angela Hertz, Wade Battle, Michael White and Aaron somebody. I can't believe I forgot his name! Some of their songs were, "I wouldn't waste a bullet" ( a love song. ; ) ) "How can something so small be so strong?","Little Freedoms". Love Love Love them. http://home.digitalcity.com/nashville/bars/douglas-corner-cafe/v-110878103

The conference was grueling. I hated it. It was fun to network. Surprisingly enough, I had a good time with John and Julie. I was a little worried about how Julie and I would carry on conversation for the entire 3 days since she is almost young enough to be my daughter but it wasn't a problem at all and I think we have become even closer friends. She is getting married in April and I was able to give her a few words of wisdom from our experiences with Chanel.

Speaking of Chanel, I was so proud of her for calling Rick for Father's day yesterday! I know the girls love him, but sometimes they are pretty self-absorbed to think about doing things like that. Even though Rick is not her father, it meant a lot to him that she called.

I spoke to my dad yesterday for Father's Day. We haven't been talking since vacation. We've both been a little mad at each other. But it was fine yesterday. The only comment he made was that it was good to hear my voice again. I want to have a close relationship with him, he just makes it hard sometimes. I understand that my parents won't be around forever so I want to enjoy them as much as I can while they are here.

Have a happy Monday.

Yay for Rick!!

Rick told me Saturday night that the TV stand exploding was going to turn out to be very expensive. I just kind of looked at him and said ,"huh?" I mean, TV stands aren't that expensive. Maybe $1000 at the most. We went to look for a TV stand at Best Buy on Sunday. And we came out with a TV!! The TV stand is on order. The TV is awesome. Just the one I wanted. (yep, I'm spoiled.) So, now with the TV, we have to have a home theater system and of course soon, HD DVRs. It has definately become a very expensive explosion. I am just so proud of Rick that we were able to go in there, pick out a TV within an hour and bring it home on the same day! So proud!

The kids were here yesterday. Chanel showed up unexpectedly and I was so happy to see her. We went swimsuit shopping for Sienna. She must have tried on at least 40 swimsuits and we finally found the perfect one. She is so cute in it. We had planned to go to Splash Country but she had to have a swimsuit first. You see, her ex-boyfriend is a lifeguard at Splash Country and she has to look her best when we go back there so that he can see what he is missing. He's an idiot anyway and I have no idea why she wants to impress him, but whatever, it was fun! We do love to shop together.

Chanel always makes me laugh. She is the kind of girl that everyone just loves to be around. I love that about her.

We were in Target yesterday and I saw after 15 secs that there was some make-up there that I just had to have so I quickly grabbed it up and tossed it in the cart. The kids sort of did a double take, I guess since I made such a snap decision, and Chanel said, "Mom! It's no wonder we are such impulse buyers, we got it from you!' I had to stop and think for a second about that comment. She's right, I'm sure they have gotten their shopping habits from me and I am not so sure that's a good thing. Once again with the guilt! Sorry to have failed you girls so!!! I'm so ashamed! lol. We definately have a good time shopping together. I think they will adjust.

I'm off to Nashville for the weekend. Leaving Thursday. Going to a conference on pain and addiction with Julie and John. NOT looking forward to it. 16 hours on that subject. I can't imagine sitting through all of that. I mean how much can be said about Pain Pill addiction? *sigh* I've gotten to where I love to spend time here in my little office on the weekends. I am going to miss that this weekend. So, anyway, I'll see ya'll when I get back.

Have a happy Wednesday!

There must have been an explosion

Today Rick and I just hung around the house. I love days like that! I worked on my CKU stuff, did a couple scrapbook pages, did laundry and caught up on a few things. We went out to dinner early this evening to Chop House. When we came home, we opened the door and there was shattered glass everywhere. In the kitchen, in the dining room, the living room, the closets, the bathroom.....everywhere! Millions of little pieces of tempered glass. Apparently the glass top of our TV stand just exploded! It had to have exploded. I'm telling you, glass everywhere. I just wanted to sit right down and cry. So, we've spent the last 3 hours trying to clean it all up. I'm glad we weren't home when it happened. Weird.

Sienna has officially lost her scholarships. That's scholarships with and S. I am so so frustrated with her. She says its because she had to work so much. I know its for many other reasons than that. The reason she had to work so much was because of the choices she made. She can't seem to understand that and I'm not being very effective in explaining it. She has told me this entire year that she hates school and now that she doesn't have her scholarships, she can't imagine not going to school in the fall. I'm just not sure I am up for financing something that she isn't really motivated to do. Like I said before, being a parent is hard. I want to do what is best without being too harsh. And I want her to learn a lesson from this experience. Not sure what we will do yet. Surprisingly, Rick hasn't been as harsh about it as I thought he would be. He's still keeping an open mind.

I've been getting pictures ready for CKU. Its been a trip down memory lane and it makes me cry! I really miss when the girls were little. I wasn't the best parent in the world then, I was dealing with my own mental health issues. I wish I could have a do-over. They are strong, resilient girls and they have turned out very well in spite of me. I'm proud of that.

Have a happy Sunday!

Natural Highs

Okay, I'm not much into all the forwarded mail I get and I definately think the chain letter thing is silly but this is great. Natural highs
1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail or e-mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble b ath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Havi ng some one tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone sa y something nice about you.
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
26. Your first kiss.
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28 Playing with a new puppy.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31. Hot chocolate.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed ev ery morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

I hope that you all have many naturally high days. I know I definately do!

Have a happy day!

I am so sore! Man, I used muscles yesterday that I apparently haven't used in a very long time. Sienna and I had a great time at Splash Country. We rode the waterslides over and over. I was exhausted when I got home. We had a friend of mine and her 20 yr old daughter with us, you should have seen us old ladies trying to keep up! But we definately did. We finally did get them to float on the lazy river for awhile. I was very proud of us at the end of the day. Neither one of us got sunburned. I am actually working on a killer tan! I hope to go to Splash Country many times this summer.

Sienna sent me a message on Facebook today saying, "I am officially a college dropout." Her phone is broken and I have no way of getting ahold of her and I am going crazy! I think she may have lost her scholarship. If she has, I guess we have some decisions to make. Being a parent is Hard! I want her to succeed in life, but I want her to learn lessons too. If she has lost her scholarship, I just don't know what I will do. Rick definately has his opinions on the matter! I guess there will be a lot of conversations in the near future.

My weight loss has been kickstarted again. Yippee! I've even got Christy and Julie in on the 30 day challenge too. Its kind of fun!

Have a happy Wednesday. Yay for hump day!

Chanel

We were finally able to take Chanel out for her graduation/birthday dinner. We went to the Melting Pot. The dessert (yes, I had dessert) was divine! They have the best chocolate/peanut butter fondue. The whole meal took about 2 1/2 hours. I know that seems like a long time, and our butts did get sore, but just the experience of having that much time to chat with Chanel was wonderful. I really enjoy being with her. She has such a vibrant, fun personality. Anyone who has met her knows what a beautiful soul she is. She seems to be doing okay without Jesse and is planning to start dating again. Its been a big blow to her, but she's pretty resilient. I'm not a big religious person, but I think God knew what he was doing when he ended that relationship.

After dinner we took Rick home and Chanel and I went to a movie. We saw Miss Potter. It must not have gotten much publicity because I had never heard of it, but it was a very good movie. It was about the life of the children's book author, Beatrix Potter. It was a very touching story. I cried, but it doesn't take much for me to cry in movies.

Chanel and I are on another 30 day challenge. We both have specific goals that we want to achieve with our weight before the end of summer. We do better when we are challenging each other. Its good to have weight loss buddies. Its pretty funny though, she was talking to me about this weight loss challenge just as she was giving me a gift of a book called "365 reasons to Stop Dieting." I just had to laugh!

Tomorrow Sienna and I are going to Splash Country. I am very excited about that. I haven't seen Sienna since before vacation and I think it will be fun to spend some time together. The last time I went to Splash Country, Chanel woudn't use sunscreen and she left there with blisters from a sunburn. We will have to be careful. I think Sienna will be more cautious.

I am so looking forward to CKU in August. I have never been to a big scrapbooking thing before and it feels like I am going to Disneyworld or something, I am so excited! Spending 3 days with Leeann sounds wonderful. I love being with you, Leeann.

Have a happy Sunday!