new do

This is my before pic.
I was talking to my mom last night and was telling her about my hair appt. today. She said, "well, you are getting to that age where you shouldn't wear long hair." Hmmph. Thanks mom. Despite what she said, I did get my hair cut today and its about 6 inches shorter but so cute! I don't think it looks matronly at all. Pam at Salone Divino did it and she was wonderful. She talked me through every step because she knew I was nervous. I think it makes me look less frumpy. I had highlights put in as well as a cut. I think it turned out beautifully. It's not a dramatic change but it's different. Rick practically forbade me to get my hair cut short. And now I've gone and done it. I hope he likes it.

Whew!

Today Sienna and I spent the whole day getting pampered. Well, Sienna got pampered and I got a lot of reading done! We started off getting her hair done. and man, what a difference. I had tears in my eyes when I saw the transformation. They wouldn't let me look until she was all finished and when I saw her, my jaw dropped. She must have had 10 inches cut from her hair! You can see how beautiful she is. For some reason, everytime I go in that salon, the hair stylists are trying to talk me into cutting and highlighting my hair. So, on Tuesday I'm going to do it. Rick is none too happy. He likes my long hair and doesn't want any of it cut off but I just feel so frumpy all the time, a new do might help.

So after the hair salon and lunch we went to Ross the Boss to their spa. I was pleasantly surprised to see how wonderful it was! It is so completely relaxing and totally classy. We met some really cool girls. Amy and Kimi. Love them. Sienna had her first massage. She was so totally relaxed and then we went for a spa pedicure. I am so hooked. I didn't even have the pedicure, I just sat with her and I came out of there completely chilled. I'm so looking forward to my birthday when Leeann and I can do the spa pedicure together. Of course, not sure ours will be so relaxing, we tend to talk alot when we are together!



We then went to Wasabis for dinner. Sienna had never been to a Japanese place where they cook at your table. I think she was impressed. and this time, no vegetables in the cleavage. Our guy this time was much more tame. I kind of like the other guy better, but Rick much preferred the guy tonight.

So that was our great day. Then for some reason, I have no idea why, when we got home,Sienna got mad and left. lol. That girl! who can figure her out? Anyway, I had a fabulous day.

I have a new friend.

I have a new friend! Rick has a friend from work who married a gal from Kansas about a year ago. She is very sweet but I had only talked to her at their wedding and had only heard Rick talk about her from what Don has said. Well, last week we saw them at Five Guys, ( I know! Bad Lisa) and we chatted a while. Well tonight, we happened to eat at Five Guys again, (bad, bad Lisa) and what do you know? They were there too! So we talked and guess what? She LOVES to scrapbook! Just like Leeann and I do! I really like her a lot and I hope that we can spend more time together. I've invited her to the crop next month. Scrapbookers are just so much fun to be around. It will be a good way for her to meet more people, CKU is only 36 days away. Yay for us! Should make lots of scrapbooking friends there.

Friendship is so important. Especially friendships between women. I really wish I would make more time to cultivate my relationships with the women in my life.

Sienna got her new job! I am very excited for her. I hope she is happy there. Planning on moving to Knoxville. I think she is planning on moving into an apartment with a friend. Maybe things will turn around for her now. I've made it very clear to her today that just because she would be living close to me, doesn't mean I will be doing her laundry! : )

We met Chanel's new boyfriend over the weekend. I liked him very much. He really seems to care a lot about her. He is very funny. I asked Rick if he liked him, and he said " Well, he's not gay, so that's a good sign." That's all he would say about it. But he really did seem to like him.

Hope you have a happy Thursday!

Wow, what a difference!

We went to Chanel's today and as I was downloading the pics from today, I ran across this photo of Chanel and me in her freshman year of college. We both look so totally different! I don't even look like the same person. And what is up with that short hair? What was I thinking?!! So now Chanel has graduated college and is an official adult now. Its amazing to think about all the changes we have both gone through in the last 4 years. I handed her her last rent check today, paid her insurance for the last time and declared her officially raised. And my, what a good job we've done! So so proud of her!

Chanel has a great apartment with lots of retro, vintage stuff in it. She found this hair dryer at Goodwill, cracked me up when she showed it to me. Thought Rick could use some time under the dryer. He's exclaiming, Wait! You'll mess up my hair!" lol

Going to Dollywood with Don, Leeann and Katie. yay for us!

Have a very happy Monday!

Yay for me!

I have really gotten into this ebay thing. I've sold some things and the more I sell the more comfortable I feel about listing even more stuff. I've kind of gone a little crazy. Leeann had a great idea that I should use the money I make from ebay for trips that she and I can take together. That idea has really motivated me. Rick is all for that idea! I am pretty ditzy when it comes to computer stuff and easily become frustrated but ebay makes it so easy to list things that even I can do it. Of course, I have had a little help from Rick and Leeann. The only problem is, my office is kind of small and I have ebay stuff everywhere and no table space to scrapbook!
Sienna came over the other night and wanted to scrapbook and I just found myself frustrated because I have no room. I tried to talk Rick into trading spaces with me but he wasn't biting. I've got to get myself more organized somehow. I hope that once I get all of these Denim Days sold, the ebay stuff will be at a minimum.

Sienna's birthday in on Friday. Its hard to believe she will be 19. We are going to have a spa day. I think she will like it. She's had a rough time of it these last few months. She needs to be pampered a little bit. Don't we all?

Rick is having his 2nd HD DVR installed today. ugh! We were just reminiscing about how nice it was on vacation when we didn't watch TV for a full week. We had more time to talk, and to read and to sleep. Now that we've got this new TV there's no way we will have that experience again until our next vacation ( which is in October, yay!). However, we only have 6 weeks until CKU! Im not sure that will be like a vacation. It sounds like there will be a lot of work to do, fun work though, just not "lounging at the pool" kind of fun. It will be great to go with Leeann. I really feel like we have become closer in this last year and I will be so happy to spend lots of time with her. She's one of my favorite people!

Going to Chanel's tomorrow. I sure do miss that girl. We used to talk on the phone almost everyday. Now, since we've gotten our Iphones she doesn't have a phone. She doesn't seem particularly interested in getting one either. She is a very popular girl and her phone was always ringing constantly. I think she welcomes the break.

Okay, I know this is a lot of stuff. Just wanted to catch you up on me for the week.

Have a happy weekend!

Love this girl! We had the best time at our crop on Friday. Nuthin' but scrappin' for 5 hours straight. Ahhhh, bliss. Though, it was tough to get a whole lot done because there was just so much chattin' going on. We met some very nice ladies. Its fun to spend time with women who have a shared interest. There's something special about fellowship with other women.

Tonight we went to Wasabi with Don, Leeann and Katie. I love Japanese food! It was fun to see Katie enjoy the show. I did have one of the most embarrassing moments of my life there however. You know how the chefs put on this little show and how they are always slinging little bits of food around? Well, our lovely chef decided to sling a bit of zucchini right into my cleavage! I know he did that on purpose. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were just us but there were 5 other people at the table watching me as I reached in to pick the food out of my cleavage. I was already pretty self conscious about that shirt and well, not sure if I will be wearing that again.

I was planning on going to see Chanel tomorrow but we've decided to wait until next weekend. I really miss that girl. She's always a complete joy to be with and I miss her. I'll go next weekend. It would be nice if she would get a phone so I could talk to her!! (hint, hint)

Only one more day off. I have to work this Monday. So dreading it. Not dreading the Monday so much as dreading the 5 day work week. I am so completely spoiled!

Have a happy Sunday.

Oh Happy day!

Can I just say that I have the greatest husband on this earth? This was the surprise Rick had waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Just let me tell you, this is the coolest thing I have ever seen! Its been a lot of fun. I'm glad I have 5 days off from work to play with it.






Sienna was left here alone yesterday so that she could go to a job interview. These pictures are what I found when I got home yesterday. She must have been bored. I had 28 pics like these waiting for me. Can I just say that the second one is a little creepy. : )

Have a good 4th!

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!

Its nice to be home

We're home! Its sort of bittersweet though. I love our home and especially our bed, but it would be nice if our home was on the beach in Florida. I've posted a few pics to go with my previous blogs. So you'll have to go back and look. We had a great time. My arms still look like red alligator arms but I'm hoping the rash will get better soon. Not quite sure why I had this kind of reaction, never happened before. I did get up early on the last day there and took a picture of the sunrise. You can see how beautiful it was.


There were a lot of little funny things that happened that I won't be able to remember to write in this blog, but you can see this funny picture of Rick. The place where we stayed had tile floors. Not really a good idea, I don't think, when we were tracking in sand all day. We swept and it just didn't seem to do any good. Rick couldn't stand for his socks to be all dirty. I just ran around barefoot all the time and it didn't bother me much. But it definately bothered him. He wouldn't take his shoes off until he was climbing into bed at night and he put them right back on when he got up in the mornings. Hilarious. Well, I walked in on him one evening and this is what I saw. I couldn't stop laughing!!! The whole look just screams sexy!

This last picture was at St Augustine. These indians have been in front of the Christmas store (go figure) since I was a little girl. I have so many pictures of me and my brother and sister, and of my girls with this couple. I think its so cool that they are still there after all these years. Rick decided to change up the traditional photo this year. He decided to greet the "chief" in the traditional greeting in the traditional American Indian language, " Hi how are ya, Hi how are ya.....and on in a nice little chant. OMG. He always makes me laugh.

I guess that's enough humor for now. More later. Have a happy Sunday

Pam will be proud

Pam will be proud to know that these beautiful nails of hers are such effective scratching tools. I have a heck of a rash all over me. Benedryl cream just isn't touching it. We just went to Walgreen's to get some benedryl pills in hopes that I will have some relief! Needless to say, I was out of the sun for the most part today. We did go back to St Augustine (did I mention I love that place?). We just went and saw the fort and shopped around some. I found a purse that I fell absolutely in love with. Like I need another purse. Rick offered to buy it for me if I promised not to pout for the rest of the trip. Hmmm, tough decision. You all know how much I love purses. I agreed to the terms and I am now the owner of a gorgeous purse! Unfortunately, he has had to remind me a couple of times, but gosh, I'm at the beach and I can't even go to the pool. : ( {{{pout}}}

A little too much sun

Okay now Rick can say " I told you so." I am a little sunburned but the worst part is that I have this rash all over my body, well, at least all over the exposed areas of my body. Not sure if its from too much sun, from my sunscreen or just from a photosensitivity from my medication. Its not very pleasant and I guess tomorrow we'll go do something that doesn't involve basking in the sun's rays.

Leeann has lost 100#s! Yippee! Go Leeann! I vow that tomorrow, I am going to do better with my eating. I can say all day long that it doesn't bother me to be fat, but it really does and Leeann's success has just reminded me that I need to get with the program. Its back to fruits and vegies for me. Thanks Lee for the motivation! Chanel is wanting me to walk/run with her in the Pillsbury dough boy 5 K race on June 2. I really need to get myself prepared for that. I've really slacked up on my walking and I need to get myself together and do better. It doesn't help that right across from our resort is a great little shop called iScream Creamery. Its an ice cream/ Krispy Kreme/ coffee shop. Man, talk about temptation! I am so weak!! : ) Pray that I might have strength! lol.

Love you guys.

Today was another beautiful day. The weather is perfect. There is always a constant breeze off the ocean and it never feels hot which can be kind of dangerous for the skin I suppose, but with Rick looking out for me, I don't have to worry. : )

We went to Ponce Inlet today. There is a beautiful red lighthouse that is supposed to be the tallest one in FL. We attempted to climb it, 207 steps. We made it about 2/3of the way up and then Rick got a little freaked by the height so we stopped and went back down. I was totally exhausted. My legs were shaking for 30 minutes after we got back down! I thought I was in better shape than that. I think I could have made it up there, but was glad that I didn't have to.

We ate tonight at a local restaurant called Stonewood. It was a very romantic setting, at least it had the potential to be. Its tough to have romance when you are sitting next to a group of about twenty 80 yr olds. The food was most excellent. When Rick asked me what I wanted to have for dinner before we went out , I said chicken and salad. Well, I got grouper. It was very good though I don't think I would ever order it again, just not my thing, I guess. Rick got the chicken. There were a lot of things on the menu that I had never heard of, it was that kind of place. It was also the kind of place where the prices are listed in just dollar amounts, i.e. 23-, 32- etc. Again, not my thing. I miss McAllisters! Our waiter was Nick. He was a very social guy and I guess that's all I'll say about him. We haven't been eating well this trip. For some reason, our inhibitions tend to leave us whenever we go on vacation. I'm not going to stress about it too much though. I would rather be fat and happy than thin and unhappy. I am definately happy.

Tomorrow I am absolutely going to get up to see the sunrise. I've been saying that for the last 3 days but tomorrow I'm really going to do it. It's okay, Rick doesn't believe me either. I do like to sleep.

Have a good Wednesday.

Its been three days and No TV!

Can you believe it? If you know Rick and I at all, you know that we are seriously addicted to TV and to our TIVO. That is just what we love to do for leisure. You can call us anytime in the evening and ask us what we are doing and 9 times out of 10 the answer will be "watching TV". Well, we've discovered that there are much more fun things to do than watch TV! Can you imagine? We are loving walking on the beach at night and then sitting out on our balcony with a glass of wine listening to the waves and talking. Its so relaxing. This trip is just what the Dr. ordered especially to Rick. He has been working so hard the last few months and he really needed to get away to do nothing.

We went to St Augustine today. I just love that town. Its beautiful and historical and so touristy. Very cool. We ate at Harry's which is a place that we have to eat at every chance we get. Its a cajun/ New Orleans style place in an old historical house which is just beautiful and their Jambalaya is to die for! There was a couple sitting next to us who was from Michigan. He offered to take our picture and of course we let him. Its hard for us to get pictures of us together because usually its just the two of us whereever we go. I thought it was very nice of him to offer. I'll post the pic when I am at home and on my own computer. Our server was this cute little blond who looked just like Izzy on Grey's Anatomy. She attends Flagler College which is there in St. Augustine. The campus is just beautiful. The buildings are old, historical..It doesn't really look like a campus at all. Its right in the middle of Old St. Augustine. Chanel wanted to go to Flagler when she graduated HS but the tuition was exhorbitantly expensive, there was no way we could swing it.

I laid out today at the pool but only for about 2 hours. So relaxing. Its not crowded here at all and I have seen very few kids so its pretty quiet. This vacation is just what we needed.

More tomorrow

I'm a little red...

...but its fantastic! So far the weather has been beautiful. The "condo" isn't exactly what we expected. It was supposed to be a studio apartment and I guess it is, we have a kitchen and everything but the bed is a MURPHY BED! That's like a bed in the wall. Its okay and everything but we really like to take naps on vacation. So, the bed goes up and down a lot. Kind of a pain. Its not that comfortable either but with my Ambien, it just doesn't really matter!



I've been feeling sort of nostalgic today. I used to always take my mom and the girls down here to Daytona every summer. We ate lunch today at the little diner across from the resort we always stayed at. We really have some good memories here at the beach. Just the last year we all had a "girl trip" Sienna was in one of her moods the entire trip and was miserable and not very fun. Then on the way home from the trip she said some very hurtful things to me and Rick said, never again. I think if we all had known that would be our last trip together, maybe we all would've been nicer. Hindsight is 20-20. We both, Sienna and I, are different people now and have grown together in our relationship. Its just kind of sad to think of those days and remember. I love being here with Rick, but there is just something about an all girl vacation that is very special.

For some reason, Rick has made it his mission to be the protector of my skin. It seems to make him nervous that I want to spend 5 or 6 hours in the sun. Can't imagine why. lol. I humored him today and only laid out for about 2 hours total. It was heaven. Tomorrow, I'm shooting for 4.

More later.

I talked to Chanel for a long time last night. I guess she finally felt strong enough to talk about things. She seems to be doing okay, at least on the surface. I know its really tough for her trying to figure out where to go from here. She had the next 5 years all planned out and it all revolved around their life together, now I guess different plans will need to be made.

Sienna came and had lunch with me yesterday. I hadn't seen her since graduation and I missed her! We had a nice visit. She is evolving into a beautiful young woman. I really enjoy spending time with her.

Okay, if you've read Leeann's blog you know all about CKU registration and yes, I was a little out of character.....just a little glitch. Better now. lol. I am so excited about CKU. 2 1/2 days of scrapbooking! Wow! I can't wait! Its all I've talked about for the last few days. I bet Rick is tired of hearing about it!

We are leaving for our trip to the beach tomorrow morning. I hope to come back all bronzed....doubtful though, I usually come back looking like a lobster! I plan to be a devout sun worshipper for the entire next week. I bought a new swim suit today. I had ordered one in the size that I thought I should be wearing and it came and it didn't fit. :( Figures. So, I sucked it up. Went to Torrid today and saw this beautiful pink suit and I tried it on a size bigger. It did fit. I love it. So, I think I'll just cut the tags out and no one will ever know the difference! ; )

I thought I had gained some weight when I went to my parents' home last week. I was really dreading getting on the scale. But, I finally did get on them and I had lost .4 #s. I was bragging to Rick about it and he said, "what, you got a tape worm in there?' Leave it to Rick. He always makes me laugh.

So, I'll be gone for a week, I will try to blog. Rick is taking a computer so I should be able to.
Have a good week!

Chanel and Jesse have broken up. She hasn't actually told me this but according to her facebook they have. I think maybe she just doesn't want to talk about it because it is too painful. I really like Jesse and care about him a whole lot but there are some core values that the two of them don't share and you just can't have a marriage without the same core values. It doesn't work. I have cried a lot today. Not because they broke up, I feel like its going to be okay. I've cried because Chanel is in so much pain. I hate it. I, again, wish I had that magic wand. Heartache is a part of life. We all go through it, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier. It still sucks. Whenever she used to be upset when she was little, I would pull her up onto my lap and just rock her while she cried. I wish I could do that now.

I was a scoutmaster, you know

I just returned from my Mom's. She is doing fine. She's getting along pretty well with her walker. Still in a lot of pain, but hopefully that will get better with time. We weren't able to get out and do much while I was there. There are fires all around Lake City. Over 100,000 acres are burning and it is so smoky outside we couldn't breathe without coughing. It was hard to drive because we couldn't see 20 feet in front of us and many drivers were driving without their lights on. The interstates, I-10 and I-75 were closed much of the day for 3 of the days that I was there. I was able to take Mom to her favorite restaurant for Mother's day, Red Lobster. It was so good. I have not followed my eating plan while I've been gone and I am afraid to step on the scale. My dad was completely offended whenever I would say No to the food he was offering and believe me, he was always offering food. The first day I was there, he brought in 2 bags of apples and told me to peel them. Then we proceeded to make apple pies, that's pies, with an s. We made three. Then he was shoving honey buns down my throat, and ice cream. The neighbor lady was kind enough to bring us a pound cake. Aaaarrrgh! It was tough. But, now I'm home and have more control over what I'm eating, so I will get back on track. My dad made ribs and Rick really likes my dad's BBQ so he sent half of the ribs home with me, along with one of the pies, and a loaf of bread he made. Dad was afraid that I might get stuck in traffic and be hungry so he also sent me home with a paper plate, a fork and a plastic cup so I could have a meal on the road if necessary. lol! When I commented on how he just always thinks of everything, he said, " I was a scoutmaster, you know. " Cracked me up! He is definately always prepared. I would never have thought of my dad as a scoutmaster. He was married before he married my mom and I have step siblings that are several years older than me and its weird to think of him having a life with another family.

I learned a lot about my dad this trip. Mom spent a lot of time in bed and always went to sleep early and Dad and I were able to sit up and chat at night. I enjoyed listening to him talk about his childhood and about his memories of my childhood. Many things I had forgotten. It was nice to be able to get to know him a little better. So often, my dad is very gruff and intense and hard to get along with. It was pretty cool to see a softer side.

I am very glad to be home. I love this place and it is here, with Rick that I am truly happy.

off to my Mom's

I am off to my Mom and Dad's tomorrow morning. I hope that I am helpful there. I really want to be but one never knows how it will turn out. My dad and I have a very simple relationship. He is always right and I am not and so long as I remember that, everyone gets along. I think its that way with a lot of parental relationships. I know my dad means well, but everytime I am with him, I feel like I am 16 again. I hope my girls never feel that way around me. I've tried very hard to treat my girls with respect and I hope they understand and appreciate that.

So, this trip will be exhausting I'm sure but we'll be okay. I know they will be glad to see me. I will return home on Tuesday night and then on Friday, its vacation time!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to get to the beach and to just chill out with a good book. I'm reading Harry Potter again right now. I'm not sure if I will be able to blog while I'm gone, my mom does have a computer but I'm not sure if I will have any privacy. I'll try though. I'll miss you.

graduation

Well, she did it! Chanel finally graduated and I am so very proud of her. She is probably tired of hearing me say it! Graduation went off without a hitch. She looked so beautiful in her cap and gown. The ceremony was very long, over 3 hours and we ended up sitting in the uncomfortable seats but it wasn't too bad. I got just a few pictures but between Jesse and Danny and myself, I think we ended up with some beautiful photos at least enough to scrapbook! Rick did go to graduation with me. He is so stressed out at work and the idea of taking a day off was very painful to him, but he enjoyed it and was glad he went. He has a lot invested in that kid, I guess yesterday some of it paid off.

It was pouring down rain the entire morning and in our rush to get into the building, I lost my shoe 3 times. We were walking so fast that the last time I lost it, I was at least 10 feet past it before I realized it! People were having to walk around it! Flip flops in the rain just don't work.

I didn't get to take Chanel out for lunch afterwards because Danny wanted to. It just would've been too uncomfortable with all of us together. We are hoping to take her to dinner sometime soon.

Vacation is in 12 days! I can't wait!!!!!

My kids crack me up sometimes. Sienna had this whole" shopper's high" thing going the other day. I think she spent like $104. Now this is a girl on a budget. So the very next day, she calls me and asks me for money because she's spent all of hers. Hmmmmmm, I wasn't exactly born yesterday. So I suggested she take some of the stuff back that she got at Goody's the night before and she said, "Yeah mom, but I need that stuff." This coming from a girl who has absolutely no free space in her closet or in her dresser or under her bed. All I can say is the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I had to point out to her that I am grounded and if I gave her money that would be like me buying the stuff she just bought from Goody's and well, that might not go over too well here at the Rick Phillips' Bunny Ranch. I'll probably give her the money, but I'll make her sweat just a bit first.; )

My darling Chanel......there's always a story about Chanel.lol. She's such a colorful girl! She has finals this week and she really kinda has to pass her finals so that she graduates on Saturday. So what does she do the weekend before finals? She goes to Nashville and stands in line for 11 yep 11 hours for a 20 second interview for Deal or No Deal. 11 hours for 20 secs. On the weekend before finals. {{sigh}} That's my girl. ( I would never admit it to Rick, but I would have absolutely done the same thing).

My mom had a total knee replacement today. She has seemed to do pretty well. When I talked to my sister earlier today, Mom was feeling no pain thanks to the morphine drip. I hear that its a pretty painful recovery after this surgery but I am hoping that in the long run she will be pain free. I sometimes wish we lived closer to my parents. My dad doesn't tolerate changes in his routine very well and my sister is a single mother of 5 boys and she won't have much time to help out. Mom is going to need help. I can't get away until next weekend. I'm feeling kind of guilty about that. Wish I could get down there sooner. Hopefully all will be well.

Don and Leeann have taken Katie to Disney this week. I am so jealous. I'm so hoping that they catch the Disney bug and want to go back when we go in October. Disney is my most favorite place to be ( second only to being in our great bed snuggled up next to Rick.)

Have a happy Thursday!

Shopping by proxy

Funny story. You all know that I went through the entire weekend without shopping. First time I've done that in a very long time. Well, Sienna went shopping. I guess Goody's was having a big sale and she called to tell me about it. She said,"Mom, there are so many bargains here that I'm getting all excited about it, like you always do! Its funny, I don't usually get excited about it, its not like me but tonight I'm like you always are." I was so excited for her! She was getting the shopper's high. Now I'm not sure that's a good thing but it sure feels good at the time. I even told her to buy me a few things while she was there and I would pay her back. So, technically I didn't shop, just by proxy. After Sienna had bought all of her things and had her let-down, she called me again and said "Mom, I think I have buyer's remorse." Man, that sucks when that happens. Wonder if there is such a thing as shopaholics anonymous?


have a happy Monday!!

Grounded!

I've been grounded. Usually, if I am spending too much money, Rick will gently tell me to slow down a bit. I generally do for a while. Last night he told me absolutely, in no uncertain terms, that I was not to go shopping. Now what am I supposed to do with my time this weekend?! I mean, seriously, shopping is what I do. Shopping and scrapbooking. AND this is Tax-free weekend! Do you know how many sales there must be out there? The kids were here all last weekend and I must admit, I probably did spend way too much money on them but gosh, I have a vacation coming up! I have stuff I NEED. I think it worries Rick that he hasn't had time to do my Quicken and he has no idea how much I've spent. So, that makes him a little nervous. I will try to relax and find other ways to entertain myself I guess. I could always look through Amazon. Technically, that's not really shopping, is it? ; )

The swim suit dilemma

I had to take Don's picture from last week off of my last post. {{pout}} For some reason, he doesn't want others to see that cute card nazi face. awwwww, but he is so cute!!!! I guess I'll just have to use that pic in one of my scrapbooks because nobody ever looks at them, ever.

I am slowly trying to get prepared for our vacation. I am so excited. Only 22 more days! One of the things I am trying to do before we leave is find a new swim suit. Now that is a chore! There are of course nothing but granny suits in the stores in my size and I am looking for something a little more...enticing. I mean, this is an adult vacation, with my husband who I have hardly seen in 2 months. So, I think I'll go with enticing. There are plenty of good suits on the internet, but how do I know what size to order? I have done the measurements that they tell you to do for the proper size and mind you, I have lost 27 pounds and there is no way I could possibly be THAT size. There is no way I am ordering a suit in THAT size. Remember what I've said before, numbers do matter. So, I'm in quite the quandry. Not even my suits from last year are THAT size. How can this be? So, I don't know if I should go ahead and order the size I think I should be in or just go without.

Sienna is pretty pleased with herself that she will make at least a C in her Prob-Stats class. I must tell you that when she said that I breathed a sigh of relief. She's really struggled with living an adult life over the last year. She has been under more stress than I think an 18 yr old should be. Hopefully she will pull it off this semester and be able to keep her scholarship. She wants badly to go to Tech next year but we just aren't sure she's up to it. She hasn't really shown us yet that she can make the commitment to her education. Again, I wish I could wave a magic wand for her.

Have a happy day.

This has been a wonderful weekend. I have spent it with the people I love most and that makes me very happy!

Friday night we were going to see A Flea in Her Ear. But Rick is so tired. We just decided to stay home and veg out in front of the TV.I feel so sorry for Rick. He is working so hard and will probably continue to do so until we leave on our trip on May 19.

Saturday I cleaned house and did laundry and sat out on my swing in the back yard. The weather here was beautiful. The swing always reminds me of my mom and dad as they encouraged us to get it and then helped us put it together. It doesn't look like they will be coming up this spring as they usually do because my mom is having her knee surgery on May 5. I'll be going down to help out that week when she gets out of the hospital. One more trip to FL. Then I will come back, stay for two days to get ready and we are headed back down there again. Rick doesn't like to fly so we will be doing a lot of driving. Its okay though. It gives us some good quality time to be together. Like Don and Leeann, we can fill 8 hours of drive time without the radio just by talking with each other. The IPods help too sometimes.

Saturday night we spent with Don and Leeann. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. We had a lot of fun with Don in his role as CoCo the card Nazi. (inside joke). We can always find something to talk about with them. There are never any uncomfortable silences. Mostly just humor and laughter. I have never had friends I could be so open and honest with. It feels good to have that in our life. Please go look at Leeanns blog. Go back and look at a before picture then see the now picture. She is so beautiful!

Today Chanel and Jesse came over. I took her and bought her 3 business suits since she has her first interview next week. She is graduating in 2 weeks!!! Can you believe it?! I am so very proud of her. Words can't express how I feel about it. I am so proud. It was touch and go for a semester but she pulled it together and now has a 4.0 in all of her major classes. Oh! one more wonderful thing, she told me today that she was accepted in to the MBA program at Tech. They have a one year program and she plans to finish it in one year with an MBA with major in international business. Did I mention how proud of her I am? We had fun shopping today, She looks beautiful in her new suits. Very Professional. Jesse was with us and he frequently offered his unique point of view on the outfits. The wedding is back on. I mean the wedding at the lake. with all of the to-do stuff. Maybe they can focus on it once school is out. Maybe I can lose some more weight by their October date.
Chanel always makes me laugh. Its fun to see her and Jesse interact together, She tries to get feisty with him and he does just like Rick does, tries to insert a little humor and it works most every time. I have had concerns about them getting married but he is very good to her and he seems to know how to handle her many moods so they will probably be fine.

I've been slacking up on the dieting since the red velvet cake. I've been corrupted! But seriously, Chanel and I have decided to get back on the fruit and vege diet. Its easy to follow and it works. We each made a goal to see who could get below a certain weight (which I will not mention for the sake of Chanel's privacy) the fastest. She seems to think she can because she's younger but it will be fun to find out. I love these challenges, it really gives me something to strive for. We are also back on the fitness challenge for the next 8 weeks.

Then, tomorrow Sienna is coming over because she needs me to buy her some shoes. Working on her feet all day is causing her feet problems. She is miserable. Hopefully we will be able to find some comfortable shoes that fit. She can't wear tennis shoes. So we should have a good day shopping tomorrow. One of the things I love to do is shop. I did spend an awful lot of money today. So hopefully my financial manager won't be too upset with me after tomorrow.

Let you know how tomorrow turns out. Sienna with be pleading her case to go to Tech next semester. We and her Dad kind of want her to stay at Walter State for one more year. But she just seems so unhappy there. The questiion with Sienna is: will she be happy anywhere? It seems these days, she is constantly grouchy. Wish I had a magic wand to wave over her to make her have a lighter, happier spirit.

Well, we had our big anniversary dinner and just let me tell you, the red velvet cake is worth every single calorie in it! YUMMY! I don't feel one bit guilty about it. We had a beautiful meal. Rick had told them it was our anniversary and they put us in a nice cozy little booth way back in the corner. It was almost like it was just the two of us in the restaurant. So romantic. Rick and I aren't used to eating big meals like that anymore so afterwards, we were so sluggish we could barely move. So we just came home, put on our jammies and veged out in front of the t.v......bliss. Just being quiet in front of the t.v. with him makes me happy. If I could only express how much I love that man, you wouldn't believe me. My love for him is so expansive its hard to even explain it to others. I mean I love him SO SO MUCH. I am just grateful for every anniversary we have together. I cannot believe that someone like him could want to spend his life with someone like me but I am so thankful that he does. He makes me completely and totally happy.

Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. More later. Have a good night!!

Red Velvet cake

My anniversary is tomorrow. 5 years. We are planning on going to Regas. Rick sent me an email the other day telling me that he made reservations. He said, "We are going to Regas on the 17th. You will be having Filet and Red Velvet cake, so plan accordingly." Concise and to the point. So perfectly Rick. Cracked me up! He makes me laugh even when he's not trying to! But he has a good point, seems like we are always having to plan our next meal based on what we have eaten already during the day. I hear that Regas has red velvet cake that is out of this world. So, what the heck, it is a celebration and I will be having red velvet cake. It will be wonderful celebrating our life together. We have been together 11 yrs but married 5. It seems like we have been together forever and that is a good thing. There is noone else in the world that I would rather grow old with.

So I've been striving to fit into this dress for the last few months. I want to wear it to our anniversary dinner. And guess what? I tried it on last night and its too big!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is a very cool thing. Not sure what I am going to wear now, but I am happy to fit into it finally. So, I think I'll go shopping today.

I just had a great day and night! We went to Courney's and we scrapbooked all day! I finally left about 10:30 and I was exhausted! We completed several projects and I got 4 additional pages done from page kits. Whew! Now that's my idea of a very good day! Courtney is so creative. I really like her style. If I could have 1/10th of her creativity I would be jumping for joy. So we had a good time hanging out with other women with our same interests and I always have a good time with Leeann no matter what we are doing.

Rick is working again today. I wish he didn't have to work so hard but a guy's gotta do what he's gotta do. Hopefully things will lighten up in a couple weeks. So, today I plan to, you guessed it, scrapbook! Its so relaxing to me. I have friends who just don't understand it but there is just something calming about working with my hands and getting those creative juices flowing. Besides, it keeps me away from the mall. Its raining here and its a perfect day to stay inside.

Leeann was telling me that the track we walk around is about 1.25 miles around. We always walk at least 2 or 3 times around, depending on Rick's foot and the amount of daylight left. I also am walking 3 miles with Leslie Sansone in the mornings. That's means potentially 6 miles a day! Now wonder I am losing weight. Rick is doing great too. Only 7 more pounds to my next goal! I am still planning on doing the Race for the Cure in October. I'd really like to walk a little faster so I can walk further at one time. Christy is planning on running the race. I'm sorry, but this body is not going to run the 5K this year. Can you imagine? lol.

Chanel graduates in 3 weeks! Yippee! Its been a long road. I am so very proud of her. The wedding date has yet to be decided. It will probably be sometime this summer. They are both too stressed out to really plan it right now. She just wants to do a spur of the moment thing, he wants to plan a little more. I just hope they take their time. She is still planning on grad school. I hope she gets in. She did take her GMAT and did pretty well considering she only had like 3 days to study.

This week has been a down week. I'm oversleeping, I'm hating work and I am very snappy with Dr. Robertson. Fortunately, he understands me. I at least have the insight to realize that this is a temporary thing, but it is tough to go through month after month. I have a great life and I am happy about that. Sometimes these things just happen regardless of life circumstances. I just deal with it and move on. I'm kind of coming out of it today. Feeling more like myself.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day. Leeann and I are going to spend the entire day and evening scrapbooking. Its going to be so fun! It will be fun to be around a bunch of women who all love the same thing. I can't wait!

Have a good night!

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to say happy Easter to everyone. I've been reminiscing about past Easters when the girls were little. Coloring Easter eggs the Saturday before. Easter egg hunts both at home and at church. The beautiful dresses the kids wore. Sienna inevitably got chocolate all over hers. She definately was not a fru-fru girl. I miss all of that. But I am hoping that one day, in the very distant future, I will experience all of that again with my grandchildren. I hope my kids don't move too far away from me, airfare for all of these holidays could get expensive!

Oh, just an update on the whole diet thing. While on the fruit and veges plan, I lost 16 pounds in one month. I think that's pretty good. I've actually lost 22# since October. So, I'm on the right track. Planning on going back on the fruit and vegie plan for the next month until our vacation on May 19. Would like to lose another 10# before the beach.

Have a good Easter Sunday.

We really need to get together more often.

I have been thinking a lot today about my personal relationships. Why is it that in many of my close relationships I am always saying the words, "We really need to get together more often." ?

This past weekend I visited with three of my aunts. One I hadn't seen since I was about 17. The other since the girls were very little and the other, not in 2 years. I love these women. I admire them. I love being with them, but I still say, "we need to get together more often". Aunt Pam and Aunt Karla are my favorite aunts. They are very different from each other but I see myself in each of them. When I was saying good-bye to them on Monday, I sobbed. I mean gut wrenching sobbing. It was pitiful. Like a 5 yr old. My Aunt Pam and I have always had a special bond and she just has to look at me cross-eyed and I am bawling. It's very emotional. We have a very special relationship and I really need to make an effort to see her more.

So that was Monday. Today is Saturday and three times today I have said, "We really need to get together more often."or something like that. Three times. What is wrong with us in our society that we are so busy that we cannot foster relationships with the people we love the most? I am a people person. I enjoy being around others. I don't think that makes me needy, I just love people. I love the way it feels to be in a social environment. I really need to make more of an effort to be with the people I love and with those who love me. I really need to make it a priority. I think we all should.

My Aunt Karla and I had a "sleepover" out by the pool at my Aunt Sandy's house. We pulled up the loungers and snuggled under the blanket and we talked and talked for hours. It was fun getting to know her again. I think that's how kids and teens maintain such close friendships. They have sleepovers and stay up all night telling secrets. They have intimate relationships. There's some kind of rule that grown-ups don't have sleepovers anymore. Rules are made to be broken. I think we should.

My Florida trip part 1

I just returned from a long weekend with my family in Florida and boy, there is a lot to tell! There was so much going on that I found myself taking notes. lol. So much I wanted to remember for scrapbooking and my memory is just not very good these days. I really question whether I have the early stages of alzheimers. I have to write down everything.

Friday afternoon I got in the car and made the trip to Florida by myself. The trip to my parents' house was about 10 hours. I sat in traffic from Atlanta all the way to Macon. It was stop and go for 2 1/2 hours. It usually only takes me 8 hours to get there. So, I had 10 hours to myself...to think. Believe me, I thought about everything. Religion, my attitude, marriage, kids, vacation, my job, scrapbook layouts, more scrapbook layouts...on and on and on. I've come up with lots of new philosophies which I won't bore you with here right now but maybe in the future.

On my way, I stopped at a Wendy's outside of Macon. ( I know, shame on me). While I was waiting in the drive thru line I noticed 4 women coming out of the restaurant. They all had on lime green t-shirts. One of them had on Kermit the Frog slippers! They were all dancing around and laughing. I enjoyed seeing their frolicking but the thing that touched me the most was the fact that they must have all been over 70 years old! I was like, "you go, girls!" I can so see Leeann and I dancing around like that when we are 70. I think when we go to Disney this fall, we should each buy a pair of Kermit the frog slippers to save for the next 30 years.

Saturday, I spent the morning yard saling with my dad. We took 2 of my nephews, Devin and Tristan, they are 5 and 6. We had a great time. I was reunited with a friend from high school who was having a yard sale. It was great to see her again and we both vowed to stay in touch. My dad was in a pretty good mood and seemed to be feeling well. I was wondering about how his health was doing and he seemed great. That was reassuring to me. We had a nice talk.I was so afraid that we would have nothing to talk about but it was really great. He had to parade me around to all of his neighbors and that felt good that he was proud enough of me to do that. Then I had lunch with my sister and 2 of my other nephews, Michael and Austin. They are 17 and 10. I enjoyed seeing them. They have all matured so much. I have disagreed with many many things my sister has done in her life and I have been mad at her for a while now but this weekend, I made the conscious decision to let it go. I love her and I want her to be successful and happy but she has to do it her way. I don't agree with her way, but I'm not going to waste emotional energy on being angry about it. After lunch the boys and I, all 4 of them went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not really my first choice but it was an okay movie and the boys really liked it.

Sunday, Dad and I and Devin went to church. Going to church makes me so homesick. I have a lot of old friends there. A lot of people that I grew up with are in the church. After church everyone swarmed me and it was really pretty overwhelming. I almost cried. One thing that everyone said that really touched me was that I seemed to be so happy. I was able to say that yes, I am truly happy. That I really have a good life and I am happy.

Devin and I took off for Orlando after my dad cooked me the best steak and baked potato I've ever had. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive from my mom's. We had a great time. It was funny to see how much of Devin's life philosophy is based on Sponge Bob. He had so many cute expressions like he said " Oh Barnacles!" when I told him how much longer the trip would be. lol. At one point he told me to go faster and when I told him I couldn't because the cops would get me he promptly told me that cops only got killers, kidnappers and coyotes. He is so cute. I think he slept about 10 minutes and the rest of the time he talked. and talked and talked. That kid really has quite an imagination. I couldn't have made it without him though. He was my toll booth buddy. I think we went through 3 toll booths and I could have never found the money without his help. He did pretty good with the money considering he is just 5.

I guess that's enough for today. We met up with 3 of my aunts Sunday in Orlando and it was such a touching experience that I'll have to save it for another day as it will take up several paragraphs. I'll write more tomorrow.

not much going on

Not much going on with me. Just thought I would update since I haven't posted in a while. Its nice to have not much going on. I have learned to appreciate the boring times. I used to be quite a wild girl who loved to party and get rambunctious. I guess Rick has tamed me. Now, I really value the quiet moments, the general feeling of peace is wonderful. I am in a good space in my life right now. I owe most of that to Rick. We are comfortable, the two of us together, happy. That is a very good place to be!

I'm still on this eating plan and am doing pretty well on it. I feel good, I'm rarely hungry and I am losing weight. Not as quickly as I would like but its coming off. I weigh less now than I have in several years. I weigh less now than I weighed when Rick and I met. I'm exercising everyday. I have plenty of energy. I'm hoping to lose another 10 pounds before the end of May. I have also started using one of those therapeutic lights for 15 mins in the morning. It really helps give me a boost in the mornings.

Chanel has almost decided on a wedding date. She is thinking about May 12. She is still going to get married at the waterfall. I just hope that its warm enough that day. I've tried to talk her into waiting until June but she says her best friend will be in Europe then. May is going to be a very expensive month for us. Chanel graduates May 5, my parents are coming May 10, Chanel's wedding May 12, CKU registration May 16, Chanel's birthday May 18 and then, thank goodness, our vacation May 19. Whew!! Hopefully we will have some peace and quiet at the beach.

So, like I said, not much going on and that is a very good thing!

girlfriends

I am so fortunate to have close girlfriends. I have 3 girlfriends that I feel like I can share all the little bits of my life with. Only Leeann knows my deep dark secrets but the three of them know the little secrets like who I think is hot, who I think is a total idiot, who I think just really shouldn't be wearing those shoes with that outfit, you know, things like that, things that I can't just tell anybody. Girlfriends are a treasure. Its hard not to take these friendships for granted because if you have very special friends, like I do, they are always there no matter what. What has made me really think about this today is a conversation with one of my patients. I just felt so sad for her. She was tellling me that she is miserable. She has a husband who is absent, 2 daughters who are mean and 2 grandchildren that she has assumed care of and she is so sad. So I questioned her more about what is going on, does she have a support system? Does she go to church? Does she have friends she can talk to? and the answer to all of those questions is "no". She asked about maybe getting a referral to a therapist and I said: "You don't need a therapist, you need a girlfriend." And it is so true. She just cried and said, "yes, yes I do." How sad is that? I can't imagine my life without girlfriends. They are there to laugh with me, cry with me, become self righteous with me, everything. We girls should all foster relationships with other women, after all, our wonderful husbands are great and everything but they will never understand PMS no matter how much they profess to. So here's to my beautiful girlfriends. Thank you so much for loving me!!

Its spring!

Its spring and I am so happy!!!! The days have been beautiful, a little chilly some days but beautiful. The weather has made Rick and I start planning for our vacations. I really want to go to the beach and we are going to try going in May before the kids get out of school. I love kids, you have to to do the kind of work that I do, but kids are loud and sometimes on vacations its nice to have peace and quiet. I used to take the kids on vacation one month and then Rick and I would go on vacation another month. It was like the best of both worlds. I miss that but the kids each have their own lives now and are doing their own thing. And that's okay with me. I'll have grandchildren one day....not anytime soon but one day and then I can take them on vacation.
So, Rick's big project should be done May 1 and as soon as we can after that, we are at the beach

Chanel is at the beach this week. She and 3 friends are staying at a grandma's house and they really seem to be having a good time. Its sort of a last hurrah for her before she graduates and has to go into the real workforce.

My diet is going well. I really like it and if I am sure to have some nuts at breakfast and beans for lunch, I don't get hungry. I am losing weight which I am THRILLED with! And Rick has decided to get on a diet plan with me! That has been so helpful for me. We are a team and we really are more successful when we work as a team in everything we do. I really want to get in better shape for summer.

Have a good Tuesday!

Okay, so I so didn't want this blog to become about weight loss but it seems that weight loss is always on my mind. Its difficult not to think about it when everyone around me is thinking about it. It seems that everyone I know wants to lose weight, is losing weight or has lost weight. It always comes up in conversations. New diets, new exercise programs, new philosphies regarding dieting, its everywhere. Its the American way. We spend so much money on food every year, then we eat it all then we spend so much money on programs to help us get the food off of our fat bodies. Its crazy! Now that being said...

I am on a new diet. Its sort of a modified raw food diet. Its been tough, the first couple of days I was completely ravenous, but now I really like it. I'm not usually hungry between meals at all and when I am hungry, I'll have an apple or carrots and I'm fine. Chanel and I are trying it for 30 days. So, we'll see how it goes after that. I'm still working out most every day. I wish I had taken measurements before I started working out. Chanel said I look thinner and especially my arms are smaller. Yay! Its really motivating getting positive feedback from others. She has been on a vegan diet for about the last 1 1/2 months and she's lost about 15 pounds.

More later, (and hopefully not more about my weight).