Life and Times of Pookeybear

What were you doing when...?

2011-08-08T14:00:00.002-06:00

It's one of those questions that I know will be asked of me when the boys get older. It's one of those questions that will be inevitable in time, such as "what were you doing when Kennedy was shot?" back in my parents' day. In my day, there's the question of "what were you doing when the terrorists attacks happened?"

So what was I doing?

7:30am Central time. It was during the time we lived in Omaha, NE. I had the Today show on in the living room mostly as background noise while I got ready for work each morning. I worked at Pinnacle Bank and usually didn't start until 9am so I took my time getting ready.

I remember being in the bathroom getting my make up on when the first plane hit. I remember Matt Lauer was doing some interview with someone and when I came back to the living room they were showing something about a plane. At the time they thought it was an accident. In typical fashion like watching a train wreck, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen, realizing something big just happened. While still keeping tabs on what was going on, I continued to get ready.

Then the second plane hit as I sat on the couch watching in horror. It was like watching something out of an action movie, only it was real. It was surreal. That's when everyone knew it was not a coincidence.

I continued watching the news until it was time to leave for work. When I got to work everyone was talking about it. It was a Tuesday and the bank was always slow on Tuesdays, but that day it was even more so. The customers that did come in had no idea what was going on on the East Coast. My manager brought in the TV from the employee room to the lobby so we could all watch and keep tabs on what was happening. I think we all knew back then that we were watching some major history in the making. We all watched in horror as the Towers fell, killing thousands of people.

I had a half day that day since I had to work on Saturday, so I came home at 1pm. I received a few phone calls from my mom and some friends checking up to make sure we were all ok. Bob called to also tell me (in excitement) that Air Force One flew right over him! President Bush had been flying around to stay safe and apparently ended up landing at the Air Force Base Omaha, near where Bob worked. It was quite the sight for him!

The rest of the day I spent watching the news, trying to hear as much of it as I could.

This day was also mine and Bob's second wedding anniversary. We had plans to go out to eat that night at a nice restaurant and spend an evening celebrating 2 years of marriage. Unfortunately that didn't happen as the entire city pretty much shut down in light of the circumstances. It made for a pretty crappy anniversary. Even the next few years we didn't have the heart to celebrate, knowing thousands of people lost their lives.

The attacks scared me for many months afterward. I heard lots of talk of war, and was concerned of a draft. Bob was prime material at the time for a draft, and I was terrified of losing him. We were also looking at starting a family during this time (I believe we had started trying right around this time) and I was worried about what kind of world I'd be bringing my children into. I rethought the decision to have a family.

It was a very uncertain time.

Your number is up

2011-08-06T14:14:00.003-06:00

Question: Do you have a lucky number and why is it so lucky?

Yes I have a lucky number. In fact, I have several lucky numbers. I'm one of those strange kind of people that has a bunch of lucky numbers (6 of them). Enough that I could probably use them to play Powerball or one of those silly lottery games. But technically these numbers aren't really lucky at all. They are more sentimental than lucky. I've never won anything by using these numbers or played the lottery or had anything of luck actually happen while using them. They are just numbers I like that mean something to me.

My favorite number of all of them is 28. I have a weird emotional attachment to this number. Yes I do realize that makes me sound crazy. As if one can be emotionally attached to a number. But I am. It stems from way back in high school when my BFF and I made up our own soap opera. Ah yes, those were the days! We were very creative at the time. Made up characters, stories, plots, all kinds of stuff. The only thing we weren't creative with was the name. (Dynasty II, or D2 for short). It was named after her favorite show at the time.

My favorite character of D2 was Andrew Zachary Springfield, also known as "Spike". He was a rebel without a cause. He was the rebellious, impulsive, tall dark and handsome, leather wearing, motorcycle riding, rock n roll singer with a chip on a shoulder type of guy but deep down had a heart of gold. He was the guy all women wanted to date and all the men wanted to be. He was in trouble with the law frequently and had issues with alcohol, yet there was something about him that made him irresistible. He had a rough life and an even rougher time when he made it big in the rock band. All that fame and money messed him up even more. But yet one felt bad for him because he didn't want to be the way he was. He wanted to live a normal life and live out his days with the love of his life, Surprise (yes, that was her name) and their daughter Monica, but something inside him always prevented him from being happy.

Spike was 28 yrs old. Not only was he my favorite character but I just felt very strongly about him. Not in the I'm-in-love-with-a-fictional-character sense...though that's a whole other post for another time. But we had a real attachment, a real emotional response to our plots and stories we made up. We felt the emotions of the characters, sometimes rather strongly. And I felt very strongly about Spike. He was so misunderstood.

So that is why 28 is one of my favorite numbers. It reminds me of a time in my life that meant a lot to me. Back when I was more creative than any other time. Back when the only thing I had to worry about was what plot was going to come next!

I miss D2 :)

On Writing....

2011-08-05T19:19:00.002-06:00

So if I want to keep up this blog, I'm going to have to get a bit more creative. My life is boring...at least in terms of interesting and exciting things to talk about IMO at least. Sure I can discuss what I do all day, such as make snacks and lunch for the kids, break up fights, reprimand Kyle for testing the boundaries, more snacks, break up more fights between the boys, make dinner, walk the dog, sit down and watch my soap opera. I could discuss plot lines of my soap :) lol My days are very busy, but unless you are a stay at home mom, I don't consider them "exciting' or very "entertaining" to discuss. I'm just an ordinary, every day midwest mom.

Anyway, I need to get more creative. So I figure I can use this not only to share the fun and exciting things in my life, but also to share some of what I'm truly passionate about--writing. I LOVE to write. Ever since I can remember I've always loved the written word, writing it and reading it. I've written poems, stories, and have even written a full novel. I've done NaNoWriMo twice, once actually winning it. I will be taking a writing class later this month via online. Writing is my passion.

I may not post things I have written such as poems and/or stories (due to copywrite...I don't want my stuff stolen!) but I have found a few sites with journaling topics I can use to help start off when I don't know what to write about. I'm actually pretty excited about it!

on to a new chapter in the writing process..... Stay tuned!!

I honestly haven't been in a under a rock for the last 3 years.....

2011-08-02T18:26:00.001-06:00

Wow. Really?! I hadn't realized it has been several YEARS since I have posted here. Well. A lot to catch up now on I suppose.

Ryan is now 8 (almost 9) and will be starting 3rd grade next month. Where the heck does that time go? I remember when he was a wee little one in my arms and I had a difficult time forcing an ounce of formula down him. Now the kid eats twice as much as I do! Since he's been in school he also has learned the "attitude". You know the one. The one that says "Hey mom, yeah I may be smaller than you and younger than you, but I know MORE than you do." Yeah, that one. The my-8-year-old-going-on-18-years-attitude. From what I hear from mothers with older ones, it doesn't get any better. Lucky me! lol :)

Ryan was in karate for 2 years (initially started out to help him with focus and discipline issues) but has recently lost interest in it and the issues he needed it for have improved. He does baseball every summer and has been in swimming lessons.

He is still an incredibly sensitive and caring little boy, unless of course he's fighting with his little brother. Then all bets are off.

Kyle is now 4 and will be in 4K next month. He has been in speech therapy since he was 2. He has made leaps and bounds with his speech, though still not perfect. He is still in his Terrible 2's. lol He's what I would call a "challenging" child. He has a huge attitude, along with huge temper tantrums, but has a huge heart :) He can be so difficult at times, but when he's not, he's so lovable. His favorite thing is cars! Well actually any type of transportation: cars, trucks, trains, planes, boats.... if you can get around in it, he loves it. He usually takes one of his matchbox cars to bed with him.

Kyle was in soccer this past Spring, but that didn't go over so well. He was good at kicking the ball and he seems to feel left out with all the activities Ryan is in, so we signed him up for soccer. Yeah. He's not ready for organized, team playing sports yet. All the kids would kick the ball one way and he'd kick it the opposite way. He likes to be his own person, doing things his own way which is usually the opposite of what I'd like him to do. He's VERY independent.

As for me, well I still love to write. I finished the first few drafts of my novel and am still currently editing (that never ends!). I will be taking a writing class later this month that will help in the process of editing it. I did NaNoWriMo last year and actually won! Of course I haven't finished the novel yet but I at least got up to 50,000 words :)

So life has been going well. I will see if I can keep up this blog again. Might help with my writing skills which have been lacking lately. I haven't written anything since NaNo in Nov. I could use the practice!

Glad to be back. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T13:19:00.001-06:00

I have a lot to be thankful for.....husband, children, family, home, health, etc etc.

Hope you and yours take the time to reflect on all the blessings, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Try not to eat too much!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2008-10-02T14:49:00.003-06:00

Today is my first born's birthday! He is 6 yrs old today. My how time flies. We brought in cupcakes today for his school, he came home with a crown and a sticker, and we went to the park this afternoon. Presents are to follow later.

He's getting so big.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!

Kyle sleeping

2008-09-16T12:05:00.003-06:00

Yesterday both boys actually slept in a bit. I went to go check on Kyle, and this was how I found him. Had to get a picture of that! How can that be comfortable?

Ryan's first day of school

2008-09-15T14:50:00.004-06:00

OK...I know it was 3 weeks ago. Yes, I'm behind, as usual. Darn myspace. LOL

Anyway, Ryan had his first day of kindergarten Sept 2. It was his first time going for a full day, since preschool was just 3 hours for 3 days a week. He is now going M-F 7:30am-2:30pm. It's a long day for a child who is used to napping after lunch!

He loves it! He had such a blast the first day. He couldn't stop talking (much like his mommy when excited!). He is learning all kinds of new things and new friends. Now if only I can keep him away from the bad influences......

And he's so excited to have a spiderman backpack and lunch box! LOL

I'm so glad my baby likes school :)

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-11T05:11:00.002-06:00

Today is our wedding anniversary! 9 years!

Was hoping for a nice quiet morning with each other for a few minutes before he went to work. Didn't work. Both kids awake before I even got out of the shower. Ah well. Life with kids!!

No big plans this year. Saving it for next year...the big one!

Happy Anniversary Baby! :)

Trip to St. Paul MN

2008-09-09T19:31:00.005-06:00

I just returned from my trip to St. Paul MN to visit my childhood best friend. I had such a blast! We always have a good time together

I almost didn't make it there. The trip there was a complete disaster, but it all worked out in the end. I was supposed to take the bus (it is so cheap!!), however the bus went to the wrong bus stop (seriously) and missed me!! Another woman was waiting with me. She HAD to be in MN ASAP because she is a violinist for the Minneapolis Orchestra and had a concert that night. Anyway, with much discussion and phone calls, we opted to rent a car together and drive up. It all worked out. Thankfully!!

Once that was done and I was finally there, I hung out with Marque for a while until Amy got out of work. Then we made dinner (shrimp YUM!). Then we dolled ourselves up and went out dancing! We were SUPPOSED to see Great White that night.....one of the main reasons I went up there. But the show was canceled...I'm assuming due to the venue. I'm really disappointed that we didn't get to see GW...as Amy and I used to go see them all the time back in the 90's. It would have been really cool to go together again. But alass, it was not meant to be. We went out dancing instead! Had a blast...enjoyed good drinks, good company (her 2 friends came along too), but crappy music. A lot of rap...not my style. But it was fun anyway.

The next day I actually slept until 8:30am! Woo hoo!!! Longest I"ve slept in forever! My normal day starts at 5:15am. LOL
We had a total girlie day. We went to Olive Garden for lunch, then we went shopping all afternoon--I got some really cool jeans, a shirt, very cool shoes, purse, oh..and yes, I did get something for the kids too. LOL Then we came back to Amy's and dyed our hair (hers dark, mine blonde) and did our nails. So girlie LOL That night we went out to a bar/restaurant and had some good happy hour drinks and food. When we came back to the house she made us some apple flavored martinis. YUM. My first ever martini.

I had to leave in the morning at 7am, so it wasn't a late night. (real late anyway). Luckily I made the bus this time and all was good.

I can't wait to go back again. I miss my BFF. We had such a blast. Hoping for sometime after the holidays.

Happy Birthday!

2008-09-09T15:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Michael's birthday. I just wanted to wish him a very Happy Birthday!

Yes finally

2008-09-04T10:31:00.002-06:00

I know....been ignoring the blog again. So much has been going on...where to start??

My childhood best friend got married Aug 9. It was a blast! It was a beautiful wedding, set at the War Memorial in downtown Milwaukee. It was a gorgeous day and everything was perfect.

I had another Great White concert I went to Aug 23 in Greenwood IL. at the Galt Airport. It was an incredible show! Tons of stuff to talk about there...but I don't want to share too much info about it right now. All I can say is it was incredible! Man, I LOVE that band!!!

Ryan started his first day of kindergarten Sept 2. He LOVES it! He goes all day....which is something we both aren't used to. He is used to taking a nap during the day, and I'm used to him being home all day. He seems to be adjusting well, and he really likes school. It's nice having some time alone with Kyle too, and when Kyle goes down for his 2 hour nap, I can either get stuff done around the house, or have some nice quiet time (like now when I'm on the computer LOL).

Ryan also started Awana Sept 3. He is a Sparky this year. Oh boy has he been looking forward to that!! He was bouncing off the walls last night waiting for it! He is going to have a blast. I just hope it won't be too much for him with school, since he doesn't get to bed until almost 9pm on Wed nights. We'll see how today goes at school! LOL

I'm going up to St. Paul MN this weekend to see Amy (above mentioned childhood best friend). We were supposed to go to a Great White show there in St. Paul, but it was canceled. So I'm goin anyway and we'll go out and have a great time anyway! I'll be back on Monday.

I've been quite the busy bee lately! Pictures to come!

My Road trip!

2008-08-13T18:52:00.004-06:00

Last week I went on my first ever road trip for a concert! I had such a blast! Who would I drive hundreds of miles across the midwest to go see you ask? Come on, take a guess! I bet you know it!

Yep, Great White....only the best rock band EVER. :)

So they were playing in Columbus Ohio Wed. Aug 6. My friend Julie, who lives in Indianapolis, was going, and she was going alone since her kids were going to be in Florida with their dad. I begged and pleaded with hubby, and yep, cuz I'm spoiled (:D) he let me go.
The plan: Drive to Indianapolis to meet up with Julie at her house, then to Columbus for the show, stay at a hotel, then drive back the next day. Yeah, a lot of driving, but hey, that's what a road trip is all about right.

I left at 5:30am on Wed (yes, I must be crazy to leave the early)...it takes about 4.5 hours to get to her place, plus I lose an hour due to the time zones, and I wanted to get there early enough in case of traffic issues. I was driving through Chicago after all.
The drive there wasn't bad at all. Chicago traffic really wasn't bad, and their freeway actually is nice and easy to navigate through. I like their express lanes. Once I got past Chicago there was a slight detour to get on I-65....probably about 10 miles out of the way, but it wasn't a problem following the signs. Once I got on I-65 it was smooth sailing. And holy cats....getting into Indiana is EXPENSIVE!! $3 toll!!! That's more than Illinois! Love ya Jules, but it's expensive coming out to see you!! LOL

I arrived at her place a little after 11am. I made good time. I stopped in to see her house quickly, went to the bathroom, and we were on our way out to Columbus. We popped in some Great White CD's, which we ended up not even listening to since we spent almost the whole trip talking. Get us Great White girls together and we never shut up! LOL

We arrived in Columbus about 3:30-4pm..and made our way to the hotel. We got some phone calls from Dave on the way there saying the boys were at the venue getting ready for soundcheck already. We hoped we weren't too late. Once we freshened up at the hotel, we went to the venue. We got our tickets there that were left for us via the "guest list", but they wouldn't let us into sound check. Security was really tight there. However, we found our way back there anyway! LOL Ratt was the headliner and apparently the local radio station was doing a special promo where some people won tickets for sound check. So we kinda mixed in with them. We got to see Ratt do theirs, and then Great White did their sound check.

After sound check we tried to make our way down to the "pit", or the area at the front of the stage. Unfortunately, the tickets we got from the guest list did not allow us down there...they were for the lawn seats!! We called Dave amist our confusion and he texted Scott (the bass player) to get us in. Unfortuantely communication was not getting back to us, and security was so tight that they said even with the band's approval they still wouldn't let us in. ggggrrrr.
So we ended up buying pit tickets and got our front row. There was no way I was going to drive all the way out there to see them way back in the lawn seats!! LOL

So the first band out was Naked Beggars. They were really good. I don't know much about them, but Julie likes them and said they are good. The lead guitarist was from Cinderella, and his wife is the singer for Naked Beggars. They had some catchy songs and did a great job. I felt kinda bad for Inga though since she was wearing all black and it was really warm that day and she was directlly in the sun! Anyway, they played probably for 45 min to an hour.

Next up was the one and only--Great White!! :)

The set list is basically the same...opened with Call it Rock N Roll. I was standing between Jack and Scott.. in perfect line of view for Michael. :) I've noticed that he never really looks directly out at the crowd in front of him, he tends to look more toward center. Anyway, right away during the first song he saw me and gave me a nod and smile :) He rocks!! hehe
They were awesome as usual...sound was good and Jack was in a good mood, joking around quite a bit. They were rushed for time since they skipped a few regular songs, and of course, since they were opening, they didn't do their extras...Michael and Mark singing. They played an hour, but it was an incredible hour!

After the show we tried to get backstage, as we were invited by Scott. But security were being jerks and wouldn''t let us in. I think part of it though was the whole radio thing....instead of the boys doing their normal meet n greet, they had a formal one with the radio station winners. So no talking with Michael this time around. However, we should have a better chance next time in Greenwood. I hope.

So Julie and I stopped at McD's, since we hadn't eaten since lunch, and then back to the hotel. We made it back to the hotel by 11pm....early night! But we stayed up until about 3am talking!! It was awesome! I loved having not just girly time...but GW girly time!! LOL I don't really have anyone else I can talk with about GW and my love for them, so it was awesome talking with her. We hit if off so well!

The next morning we got up (about 7am), got ready, and made our way back to Indianapolis. I think we got back to her place by 11am. I hung out there watching a DVD she has of the boys, and talking some more. I had planned on leaving earlier, but due to our chattiness, didn't get out until 1pm! I ran into Chicago traffic on the way home, but made it home by 6pm. Not bad. Just in time for dinner!

The drive by myself was nice...I could listen to whatever I wanted and as loud as I wanted! LOL And no whining in the car! LOL

I had such a blast and can't wait to do another road trip again. It will have to wait until next year though....after Greenwood I don't think GW will be anywhere in the midwest again for quite some time. Most of their shows in the next few months are on the east or west coasts.

Thanks Julie for a great time, and thanks to Great White for putting on a great show as always!

BTW- if anyone wants to hear, Great White will be on Rockline tonight (Wed) at 10:30pm. Check them out!

**more pics on myspace!**

Kyle's check up

2008-08-11T15:48:00.003-06:00

I'm a bit late on this....I've been crazy busy.

Kyle weighs 22 lbs even and is 31 inches long. He is in the 10th percentile....though small, he's still bigger than Ryan was!! LOL

Kyle is doing well in all areas...the doctor said he's hit all his milestones. He did recommend a speech therapist for a consultation, but I'm debating if I really want to do that yet. I've heard from many people to hold off since he does have an older brother that talks for him all.the.time.

At any rate, he's doing well! Now if only I can get him to listen and sit down longer than 5 seconds!! haha

My baby boy is getting so big.

18 months!

2008-08-01T06:37:00.003-06:00

Kyle is officially a year and half old today. My how times flies.

His 18 month check up is on Monday. In my opinion he's hitting all the typical milestones. They only thing he's not doing is talking.
I know it's normal for a second child to have delayed speech, especially if the older one is a talker. But Kyle doesn't say anything. Not even no. or dada. or mama. nothing.
He definitely gets his point across by pointing, groaning, moaning, running over to what he wants, etc.
I'm trying not to be too concerned as once they start talking, I've learned they never stop!! Well see what the dr says on Monday.

Next week is a family week....Bob is on vacation and we will be going to State Fair, Betty Brinn Children's musuem, and all kinds of fun stuff in between. Should be fun!

Happy year and a half Kyle! :)

Punk rock or Rainbow Hair?

2008-07-23T19:11:00.004-06:00

Ryan (my 5 yr old) attended Vacation Bible School last week at IBC. This year he actually loved it! We tried it last year, but it didn't work out. He cried most of the time on the first day, and he had told me he didn't want to go back. I think it was too overwhelming for him....300 kids screaming and singing...it's a lot for a 4 yr old to take in.

So this year, it worked out great....he was so excited! After the first night he literally talked the whole way home! He just had a blast.

This year's theme was SonWorld....learning about Christ through an amusement park. Each night was a "theme"...such as tacky tourist, where the kids had to dress up in mismatched outfits, or groovy night, dressing in 60's fashions. One night was crazy hair night. Since Ryan is a boy and has a short haircut, I had to get a little creative.

How's this for creativity?And mommy got into the fun too.

We were rockin the hair do's.

The 3 "r's"...reading, writing, and revising

2008-07-20T22:34:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted about my book in quite some time. Just wanted to update on the progress. Yes, progress has actually been made!

I am currently revising/editing, and am finished with Part 1! Woo hoo! That was the hardest one to revise though...I had a lot of changes to make and rewriting to go along with that.

Part 2 and 3 shouldn't take nearly as long since it's more minor changes. Then I will have Monica read through it again and make more changes. It's a never ending battle!

But yes, I still am working on it. It's slow going, but it's still in progress. Hopefully someday you will be able to pick it up at your local bookstore! :)

Pictures from the Great White concert

2008-07-17T14:46:00.005-06:00

Some pics as promised from the Glendale Heights IL show. I took almost 50 pictures, but I only put a few here. Check out my myspace page if you want to see all of them! Jack Russell, the lead singer, and Mark Kendall, lead guitarist.

Michael Lardie, rhythm guitar and keyboards, and Scott (ok, please forgive me, I don't know his last name! He's only been with the band for about 2 months), bass
Me with Michael Lardie :) He is sooooo gorgeous!! *sigh*

The party girl lives

2008-07-16T12:50:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted at all about all the concerts I've been going to. Remember back in Dec I went to Night Ranger? Yeah, well, that started it all. Then in Jan I saw Great White and actually met Michael and the rest of the band. After that, I was "hooked". If they were coming within a 2 hour distance of me, I was THERE.

I had to wait until June, but I was so there. I again saw Great White in June in Waukesha, opening for Bret Michaels. It was a good show. Not the best I'd seen, since they were opening they had a shorter set list and didn't do a meet n greet afterwards. But I did get to hang out with my friend Julie and her two teenage kids from Indiana, so that was cool.

July 2 I saw Night Ranger again down in IL. I met up with Pattie, though I didn't get to hang out with the band this time around since they had to head out for their next gig right away. But it was an awesome show....they sounded incredible and I love their new song! (check out their new CD out in stores now! LOL)

July 12...I saw Great White again..playing in IL. I was debating on going since it was a longer drive and almost all of it done in construction (IL is completely redoing their expressway....so it's a big pain to drive), but I couldn't turn down the chance to see them. Come on...my favorite band of ALL time? yeah. Had. to. go.

Good thing I did...because it was the BEST. SHOW. EVER. It was at a festival in Glendale Heights IL..a northwestern suburb of Chicago. Only takes about an hour and a half to get there. To be perfectly honest, I definitely prefer the smaller festivals/venues to the bigger ones. The smaller ones you have a better chance at front row and a better chance of seeing the band. :)

I got there about 3:30pm. I received a call from Julie telling me she was at the hotel and wouldn't be coming until about 4:30pm. no problem. I just hung out at the festival...went on a ride, had a funnel cake, walked around a bit. I was just about to sit down in the area by the stage when she got there. We hung out for a while, until we saw Dave and Gayle. We sat down by them and chatted. The worst part about going to a show is the waiting beforehand!! I always like to get there super early to secure a front row spot. I passed by the time by talking quite a bit with Gayle (great woman...she is awesome!), and Dave showed me his pics with the band. (Dave is a roadie with the band).

At 7pm there was an opening band called Backstage Pass. They actually were pretty good. They do covers of 80's rock. I love that they were really into the crowd...the guitarists came down off the stage and into the crowd, the lead singer came out onto the platform up front frequently, touching people's hands. They handed out "backstage passes" haha to people. It was just their little gimmick, but it was cute. They also handed out white roses to the females....so I ended up with a rose. Very nice.

After their set, was the one and only, Great White! woohoo!! They came out pretty much on time, and started the show with Call it Rock N Roll. They sang many of their hits, plus Mark sang Rooster, Jack sang Paradise off his For You CD, and Michael sang Lovin' Kind :) They were totally amazing at this show. The sound was perfect..absolutely no sound problems at all, Jack sounded incredible...his voice was flawless. And all the boys were in really good moods...constant smiling and goofing around on stage. The crowd was into it, which I think made the band more into it. It looked like they were just having a blast out there.
I know Michael saw me...he was looking my way quite a bit. Not that I know he was looking at me directly, but he was looking my way a lot! :) They played for about 2 hours. The best 2 hours ever! LOL

After the show we stuck around the stage for a while, then wandered our way to the merchandise table. Dave said they wouldn't be doing a meet n greet; the boys were going to go back to the hotel. I stuck around with Gayle for a while..she had to wait for Dave as he was her ride home. Good thing I did stick with her! After the police decided to kick everyone out of the festival, (it was after closing time), Dave told us to come backstage so we wouldn't get kicked out. So I followed Gayle (since I felt like a duck out of water LOL) and we went in the tent where the band was. Michael was standing behind the table and silly me didn't say anything to him at first...and Gayle looked at me like I was crazy! She asked me "Why didn't you say anything to him?" And I said "I can be shy." And at that exact moment, Jack, the lead singer, who was standing next to Gayle but had his back turned, turned around and looked at me "Shy? Aw, Why are you shy?" LOL I ended up talking with him a bit..shook his hand. But I was so taken aback at his comment I never even thought to get my picture taken with him. Duh. LOL

After that Michael was around again, and Gayle called him over. I got up my nerve and said Hi. :) I even got bold enough to ask him for a hug!! :) *sigh* And yes, I did get a hug...a very nice, long, wonderful hug, with a little squeeze. :) He is such a good hugger! I like hugging him because he's closer to my height....my chin rests on his shoulder so it's nice and comfy :)
Afterwards I asked for his picture so I got my picture taken with him. It turned out perfect...he has a nice smile on his face..and well, I'm beaming. LOL
I also asked him if he will ever reply to my message...rather bold of me but well, it was now or never. He had a dazed kinda look on his face, so I wasn't too sure he remembered me. I started to explain who I was, when he said "I know who you are!" LOL He knows me!! :) Of course, at this point in time, I don't know if that's a good thing or not!! haha But he never answered my question since he moved on to someone else. I'm not too sure he wanted to answer it....probably thinks I'm a psycho fan!! (get this crazy chick away from me!!LOL)

I also got to talk to Scott for few minutes. He is the newest member of the band...and he is so sweet. He fits in so well with them...like he's been playing with them forever.
I didn't get to talk with Audie or Mark this time. Hopefully next time.

Then it was all over. The band left, and I was on my way home. It was a late night...didn't get to bed until 2:30am, but so well worth the loss of sleep. I was running on pure adrenaline the whole next day!

I will post pics in the next post. This one is long enough!! It's taken me all day to write it! LOL

Again..the BEST. SHOW. EVER.

I will be seeing them again Aug 23 in Greenwood. They are headlining with LA Guns and Nelson opening for them. The whole gang will be there so it should be a rockin good time. Can't wait!

Are you worthy for Toby?

2008-07-05T12:28:00.002-06:00

I know, this is a silly little high schoolish quiz, but I had to.

One of my favorite shows is Degrassi (both Old school and the Next Generation), and when I saw this quiz I thought it was cute.

Am I worthy to date Toby?

Answer: You bet I am!!

Boys in a tree

2008-07-05T12:05:00.005-06:00

My boys seem to love being in trees. I guess they are training to be "Men in Trees" haha.
I have a picture of Ryan sitting like this in a tree when he was about 17 months, so we just had to do it for Kyle too. It turned out perfect. They love to be outside!

Where does the time go?

2008-06-18T12:16:00.002-06:00

Has it really been that long since I last posted? augh.

Time has been escaping me. I'm becoming horrible at time management as of recent. I have so many things I want to do, but it seems to continue slipping away from me. I find myself doing many other mundane tasks instead. Like last night for instance. After the kids went to bed, I cleaned the rat cage (it desperately needed cleaning though...it had been over a month...ick), cleaned up the kitchen, and when I finally sat down, it was already 9pm. I had planned on doing some writing/working on my book (which I haven't touched since I went to MN last month), but with it being 9pm already, it seemed to late. I like to have a large block of time to work on it. Many times I get into my groove and then it's time to quit.
So I watched my soap instead and dilly dallied online. Ok....my excuse for the soap watching....it's getting GOOD! Gosh I'm so addicted, it's sad. LOL But really....some really good storylines are in play right now and I can't wait to see how they end up!
As for the online thing....I've just been obsessed with myspace as of recent. It's been a wonderful place for me lately. I've come in contact with quite a few of my old high school friends that I lost touch with. I found Monica (an old friend) whom has been helping me with my book, and Sandy whom I think God put in my path because of what she's going through. I love myspace! LOL

Anyway, EVENTUALLY (I know I say this all the time) I will get back to writing my book (I'm hoping to tonight or sometime this week) and will make some actual posts here. I've lost quite a few readers here. It was an average of 10 readers a day..now it's 3. blah.

Now that things have calmed down a bit....I will try to post about some of the things I have been doing (trip to MN, GW concert, rummage sale, the kids). It's a matter of time management!!

ggggrrr

2008-06-04T10:14:00.002-06:00

I'm so beyond frustrated. I wrote a nice, LONG post all about my vacation in MN, including pictures and all. I was almost done...just proofreading it when POOF!! I accidently hit a button and it was......... GONE. Just like that. ggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I'm really not liking blogger anymore. Anyone else have any other suggestions that are free? I'll eventually rewrite that post. Right now I need to calm down.

I'm back!

2008-06-03T19:01:00.003-06:00

Ok...after WEEKS of not updating-- I'm here!! Hopefully I will learn to update more frequently. Seriously. honestly. I know I know. But hey, I'm here now. That's what matters right? Hello? Do I still have any readers left?
*chirp chirp*

Darn crickets.

Expect some new posts. Seriously.

Happy Birthday Bob

2008-05-22T06:18:00.002-06:00

Today is Bob's birthday.....But shhhhhhh. Don't say anything. LOL He doesn't like to make a big deal of his "day". But I do. hehe

We actually aren't doing anything exciting today. The day is actually going to be more focused on Ryan. Today is also Ryan's last day of preschool. The time has gone so fast. But that's a whole other post.

Happy Birthday Bob!! :)

I've been where??

2008-05-20T17:15:00.002-06:00

Please forgive my absentness around here. I have been MIA again. It's not that I don't want to write or that I don't have anything to write about. I just haven't had the motivation recently. I'm hoping to get it back soon as I have a lot of things coming up that will make interesting posts. I will be going on a vacation to St. Paul/Minn, MN this coming weekend...childless! A whole 5 days without kids or hubby...just a girls weekend.
I have some concerts coming up, and rummage sale. So much going on.

Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know I'm still around. I will write when I have something interesting to write about!

It's here again!

2008-04-26T12:01:00.001-06:00

The Annual PBS Great TV Auction that is!! Woo hoo!!

So I will be busy all week watching the auction, seeing what I can bid on. LOL

Kyle's first hair cut

2008-04-20T18:38:00.004-06:00

So the pictures are finally here!! (I know, it's about time)

It's a month old already, but here is Kyle's first hair cut. I took him to my friend's house where we spent the night. She has a cosmotology license so I have her cut both my boys hair now. It was the best for Kyle since he knows her and he felt comfortable there with her. He ate some crackers and played with a comb while she did it.

And here's the after picture (below). He wasn't happy at the end. LOL But it looks good.

Ggggrrrrr

2008-04-17T18:43:00.003-06:00

I was finally planning on writing a blog post tonight- all about Kyle's first hair cute (which btw he got a month ago already). Unfortunately I choose the wrong night I suppose. Blogger is having issues with uploading photos. Blah.

Makes me frustrated.

So there will be new posts soon. When blogger decides to cooperate. :)

My little obsession

2008-04-07T18:41:00.002-06:00

I have a confession. I am addicted. Seriously addicted. It started way back when I was young. I would get one, enjoy it, then another, and another. In high school I loved the way it smelled, felt, even sounded. By college the addiction multiplied. It didn't help that each class I had required at least eight of them. After the classes I kept them. Even if I didn't like the class. Now, ten years later, my obsession has seriously gotten out of control. I not only have all those from back in the day, but I have tons more. I get one, and it's not enough. I need more.

I'm seriously addicted to......books.

I have three huge five shelf bookcases downstairs FULL of books. Books of all kinds....from children's books (mine from when I was little...I'm not including Ryan's and Kyle's books), to college textbooks, to the classics (Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Carol, etc), to poetry, to books about pregnancy and babies, to biographies, to Women's Fiction. My husband's books are down there too...which include computer/technical books, sci-fi, comic books. In fact, those bookcases aren't even enough...they are overflowing. I have piles of books on the side too. I have one whole shelf dedicated to VC Andrews from when I was into her books. I have a shelf dedicated to reference books (grammer and writing books), a shelf dedicated to pregnancy and baby books (a great baby name book that I just love!), I even have my high school yearbooks on a shelf there.

I can't seem to ever get rid of any books. This past year I cleaned out the basement and there were many books I read and didn't care for, but I couldn't part with them. Why? Because I just feel it's a total shame to get rid of any books! It's hard for me to part with them. Unfortunately I had to...I was running out of room and hubby said I couldn't buy anymore if I didn't read/get rid of the ones I currently have. I got rid of the ones like some of my college textbooks (like finance and spanish) that I will never use again. And various others I read once and know I won't pick up again. But it was difficult to do.

I suppose I always had an obsession/love for books. I remember being in fifth grade and my teacher would read us a chapter of a book during the last fifteen minutes of class each day. I loved sitting there listening to her read. In fact, she was the teacher I credit my love of English to.

In high school I had more of an obsessin for writing rather than books. I still read, but because we had to read quite a bit in classes, I mainly wrote as opposed to read.

In college I also didn't read much outside of class. I majored in English and didn't have time to read outside of class! Each English class usually had at least eight books per semester. If I took more than one English class a semester (which is not really recommended btw), then I would be reading about 16-20 books a semester...and that's not including the textbooks from the other classes. I was in my room or the library a lot! Most people would probably be turned off by that, but honestly, I was in my element. I loved all of it. The poetry, the drama, the American Lit, the British Lit, Eastern Lit, even Shakespeare. (I really didn't like Chaucer though). It was also the way the professors taught too....they deeply cared for the works they were teaching. It was awesome to see that passion in the way it was presented.
And of course, I graduated with a BA in English Lit.

After college I stopped reading for a while. I think I was burnt out from all the reading! Plus, I had a job and had a social life and wedding to plan. But my books always went with me wherever I went. They traveled with me when I moved in with Bob when we got married, the moved with me when we spent a year and a half in Omaha, NE. They moved back with me to Wisconsin. They made each trip with me.

The last five years or so I have been back into books (and writing). When Ryan was little I would read to him every night before bed. I wanted him to love books just as much as I do. I want him to realize how amazing reading is. He loved it until he was about four and discovered TV is so much cooler. He won't read books before bed now, but he does pick out a book once in a while and look at it. I also make a point to read in front of him. I tell him mommy is going to read now. Many times he'll pick up a book and sit down next to me and read. Well, tell a story through the pictures anyway since he can't read yet. I hope someday he will become a lover of books too.

I love going to Goodwill, or rummage sales, or book sales, and picking up books for cheap. It's really inexpensive, and I've already found some really good ones there. I found the hardcover of Jodi Picoult's Tenth circle there. Rummage sales are awesome to find new and old books.
And there is no way I can go to a book store such as Barnes & Noble. I haven't been there in years. Every time I go there, I cannot walk out of there without at least one book in my hand. I could spend literally all day in that store.

I would love to go to the library one day. However, I have to wait until my kids are a bit older. Ryan is old enough now that I can take him...but he's a very loud and rambuncious child....he talks constantly, so he wouldn't be quiet enough to take him. LOL And Kyle...well, he's quite young yet. He loves to tear pages out of books! LOL

I will never understand the whole concept of ebooks. Yes, it's good that people want to read and can get it that way. However, for a book lover, it doesn't make sense to me. I love the feel of books, the texture, the sound the pages make when you turn them, the smell, seeing the words in print. It's so much warmer and homey. Reading on a computer screen can seem cold. I honestly hope that ebooks will never take the place of real books.

So now you know my true obsession. Now, I'm off to attempt to work on reading one of my bazillion books I have!

Kyle's first time in the snow

2008-03-30T20:21:00.004-06:00

Here are the kids in the 50 billion inches of snow we got this winter. LOL I declined to take Kyle out until just recently. He wasn't too fond of the snow, I think partly because his snowsuit was too big and bulky. Poor thing could barely stand in it.

6 word memoir

2008-03-12T09:22:00.002-06:00

I was tagged with this from Shawna at This is Me.

As I read yet another book review of a memoir this weekend, my husband told me that I should write one. I said that my story would be much too short and rather boring so when I ran across the following book I decided it was just my speed. A six word memoir! Written by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I was Expecting: Six Word Memoirs by Famous and Obscure is a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were- For Sale: baby shoes, never worn. There’s a video on Amazon with examples from the book, it sounds like a fun read! I’d like to start a six word memoir meme and here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4 .Tag five more blogs with links
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

So here's my 6 word memoir:

Christ is the way to happiness.

I won't tag anyone since I can't really think of anyone who would do this....although maybe Sandy might. :)

If you are up to the challenge, feel free!

Honestly....I swear

2008-03-11T19:06:00.002-06:00

I swear I didn't forget about you....or this blog. I really haven't.

I just have other priorities I guess. My book has been a huge thing for me lately. I've been incredibly motivated thanks to a friend of mine who has offered to critique it for me. So I have been busting my butt trying to finish editing it so she can read it. I don't have too much left to edit either...so we are almost there. Then the sad part....I will have to edit some more!! LOL Edit, edit, edit. The joys of writing. :)

I've also been critiquing her book....so that comes with quite a bit of reading. So mainly if I'm not writing my own, I'm reading hers, or I'm on myspace!! haha I know. But I've really been enjoying it lately.

I had some time on Monday since Ryan spent the day (and 2 nights) at grandma's and I just had Kyle....but I opted to be the Domestic Engineer (haha) and clean the house. Or parts of it anyway. Always something to get in the way. Why would I want a clean house anyway?

Anyway, I will take time out of my busy schedule soon to update. I have some cute pictures from the church Spring musical Ryan was in. It was adorable!

It's a sad day in Wisconsin

2008-03-04T09:58:00.002-06:00

I believe my heart has just been broken. I am crushed.

Brett Favre has just announced he is retiring. Oh what a sad sad day for Packers fans everywhere.

Honestly, I suppose it is time for him to retire. He has been in the league for 18 years, 17 of those with the Packers. He has broken just about every record possible. He has mentioned that he is just not there mentally anymore to be able to play everyday at Superbowl strength. And I don't blame him. It has to be hard to be "on" every Sunday....and even before then as he needs to prepare for the games.

I will miss him terribly. I love the Packers, but honestly Brett was the main reason I watched the games.

It's the end of an era.

Good luck in the future Brett! Your fans will certainly miss you!

I'm going to go crawl into a corner now and cry for a while.

What have you been up to?

2008-02-28T13:26:00.002-06:00

Good question. Not much. Just haven't really had anything exciting to blog about recently.

I've been working on my book as much as I can. I found motivation to continue on with it and I'm so excited to finish it! I'm about half done with editing (the first time anyway) and am in the process of having a fellow writer critique it. I'm on my way!

I've been trying to read again too. I miss reading. I have been addicted to books lately (that's another post) and figure it's about time I should probably start reading some of them. I'm currently reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I haven't gotten very far yet...it's a big book so it might take me, oh, about 6 months to read! LOL

Kyle is very interactive now, walking really well, giggling, playing, etc, so I've been trying to spend time with him. He has become rather picky about eating lately. I'm not used to that as Ryan has always been a good eater.

I need to register Ryan for kindergarden next week. Yikes. I can't believe in just 6 months or so he will be going to all day school. Gosh they grow up way too fast. It seems like just yesterday he was a baby.

Oh yeah, and Kyle is now officially off the bottle. He started to wean himself. He slept through the night two nights in a row, so I put them away. Last night though he had a rough night, but we got through it. Now I'll need to start weaning onto whole milk.

That's about all for now. I'm still around....just been doing other things!

My angel has wings.....

2008-02-23T14:21:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my miscarriage. The day I lost my baby. I was 9 weeks along. I had to have a D&C done.

It still hurts and I'm still sad. I don't think it's something we ever get over. But I know it happened for a reason and I will someday meet my angel baby.

I will light a candle and say a prayer tomorrow for my angel.

Kyle 1 yr pictures

2008-02-18T20:21:00.008-06:00

Kyle's one year check-up

2008-02-18T20:15:00.002-06:00

My little chipmunk is doing great! He is 19 lbs 6 oz and 29 inches. He is in the 5th percentile. I was a little disappointed about that as he was in the 50th percentile at 6 months. But the doctor isn't worried because Ryan is small...he never made it above the 5th percentile so Kyle is right about where his brother was. LOL

He is right on target and perfectly healthy.

Our next task is to wean off the bottle (wish me luck) and to switch from formula to whole milk. I will be doing this slowly sometime in the next...few weeks or so. I'm a little nervous about taking away the bottle. He only has one bottle a day, but it happens to be in the middle of the night. Guess eventually I'll have to suck it up and deal with crying for a few nights!

He received two shots and took them very well, though he was cranky this evening.

Ryan got a shot too. He had to have the second chicken pox vacc. He was so brave...he told the nurse he was going to go first. LOL I let him have a lollipop. :)

My baby is now a toddler. Time sure flies.

First time eating cake

2008-02-16T20:16:00.007-06:00

Kyle's first time eating cake was rather interesting. He wasn't too sure of it at first, which I thought was odd as he usually is eager to get anything and everything into his mouth. I think though by this time he was tired.

Mom!!!!! What IS this?????

Hhhmmm, guess I'll put it in my mouth and see what it is.

Ok, not bad. This could be good.

oh yeah!! Bring on the sugar high!!!!

Kyle's birthday party

2008-02-16T20:01:00.007-06:00

We had Kyle's first birthday party on Sat, Feb 2. It was a small party of just family and friends. Kyle had a blast. He was in a good mood and lasted well all afternoon. I gave him an early nap and it actually worked out pretty well. He loved opening the presents...he received mainly diapers, clothes, and a few toys. A nice ride on firetruck from mommy and daddy though was probably his favorite gift.

The balloons I get every year for my children on their birthday. It's a tradition I've made for my kids. Something special I get for them for their birthday. It always matches the theme of the party. For Kyle it was just a 1 yr birthday boy party.

Ah...the best part. The cake! Ryan blew out the candles for his little brother.

I had the cake made at Pick N Save. I love the way they do it there. I just gave them a napkin with the design on it and that's what they did with it. It turned out perfect. And it was delicious!

Sorry for delay

2008-02-16T19:49:00.003-06:00

My how time gets past me these days.

I haven't been posting much due to several reasons:

Illness. This has been a bad season for my family. We all have been sick off and on for the past month. I think it's because Ryan is in school and brings home all the lovely illnesses. The achy/fever flu went through our household a few weeks ago. Once we all got over that, the stomach flu came with a vengence. I think now we are all finally back up to normal...for now. Who knows what's going to hit us next!

myspace. I have literally been obsessed with myspace recently. Funny how that happens. You go from not liking something at all to completely loving it. Actually, that's how most things in my life go. I remember feeling that way about Bob, and then I married him. I felt that way about computers (I seriously felt I had no use for computers whatsoever) and look at me now! It was the same with myspace. I refused to go on it for the longest time. Then I opted to get an account just to see what the hype was about. And then I found friends. And I realized Michael was on there and could be his "friend". And I started liking it. Little by little.
About a week ago an old high school friend whom I haven't talked to since graduation I think found me on myspace. It was so exciting to hear from her! And it really made me think. Could there be others out there? So I spent several hours searching all over myspace for other high school classmates. And it didn't stop there. No. I went on a search for friends from college. I found some from high school, but didn't find any from college. I'm not surprised as the colleges are much broader to find someone in.
So I have been constantly checking my myspace, keeping updated on it, writing messages, etc.

my book: I'm still attempting to finish editing my book. I'm half done with it now. But I have very little free time these days (and what little free time I have seems to be taken by myspace!!) so it's going slow. However, as mentioned above, I found a friend from HS whom is also a writer. She has written several books (non published) and seems to have more experience in the whole attempting to publish thing. She has motivated me to write more as we are going to exchange books to edit/read. Very exciting!

At any rate, I'm attempting to keep up on here.

Book Tag

2008-02-12T20:07:00.000-06:00

Shawna at the Homeschooling Experience tagged me with a book meme. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to do a book meme.

The Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages.

2. Open the book to page 123

3. Find the 5th sentence.

4. Post the next 3 sentences.

5. Tag 5 people

"And as they sit together in the car, his father revisits a field 209 kilometers from Howrah. With his fingers lightly grasping the bottom of the steering wheel, his gaze directed through the windshield at the garage door, he tells Gogol the story of the train he'd ridden twenty-eight years ago, in October 1961, on his way to visit his grandfather in Jamshedpur. He tells him about the night that had nearly taken his life, and the book that had saved him, and about the year afterward, when he'd been unable to move."

~The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I had just received this book from a friend of mine. She read it and recommended it to me. She likes to buy books, read them once, and then usually gives them to me. Me, on the other hand, am a book hoarder. I collect them! I haven't started reading this one yet. I just hadn't put it away yet! hahaha

I don't have many people I can tag that hasn't done this yet. So Cindy, it's all for you girl! gives you something to do while you are waiting for that baby girl to make her appearance!

Storm of the season

2008-02-06T20:04:00.000-06:00

We had a huge snowstorm last night/today. The biggest one we have had in a long time. We got a total of a foot of snow. Everything was closed: schools, churches, malls, businesses. The snow was packed up so much I could barely open the back door.

The view from the front door....you can't even see the sidewalk or road!!

Here is after Bob shoveled part of the deck so he can at least get to the shed where the snowblower is! Nice foot of snow on top of the about 8 inches we already had from last week.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

2008-01-31T17:20:00.000-06:00

Just in case I don't get to post tomorrow.....

A big huge Happy Birthday to Kyle......who will be ONE tomorrow!!! :)

I can't believe the baby that I tried so desperately for, that I spent over two years trying to conceive and wanted so badly, is now one years old. Where did that time go?

He is becoming quite the young boy already, with his very own unique personality...so different from Ryan.

He's very independant and curious. He loves to explore the world around him and that of course means getting into everything.

He's already walking, though he still prefers crawling as it's faster.

He's not my "baby" anymore.....as now he's considered a toddler. My precious boy :)

Happy Birthday Kyle Michael. We love you!

Quarantined

2008-01-25T10:38:00.000-06:00

I have been grounded to the house this week. Due to illness.

The flu has not just hit our house, but it has bombarded our house with nuclear missles of disease.

Ryan first came down with it on Monday. He spent the whole day literally laying on the couch. For a very active 5 yr old to do that, you know something is wrong.

Tues I came down with it. It's some nasty stuff too. Fever, stuffy nose, achey, chills, loss of appetite and energy. Nasty bug.

Wed Kyle got it. Which actually wasn't too bad because I still felt awful, so Kyle and I were sitting on the rocking chair together, looking awfully pathetic. I sat on the chair with Kyle for at least 4 hours straight....I couldn't move.

Thurs Bob got it. Yep, it spread like wild fires in the house. I couldn't believe how quickly it went through the house.

Today we are all still trying to get over it. Kyle and Ryan seem to be close to their normal selves now. Bob and I are still dealing with the sinus part.

I wouldn't wish this flu bug on my worst enemy. Hopefully this will be the last we see of being ill for the season. Hopefully by the weekend I can get back to the land of the living again.

On to next season...

2008-01-21T20:56:00.000-06:00

The Packers lost. Need I say more?

Blah.

Actually they did really well. They only lost by 3 points.

And I'm proud of them. They had an incredible season. Going from 4-12 last year to 1 game away from the Superbowl is quite an accomplishment!

Go Pack Go!

I sure hope Brett Favre comes back next year :)

Rock N Roll Mamma

2008-01-20T15:44:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago when I went to the Night Ranger concert, I had heard on the radio that Great White was coming. I just about flipped out. First off, anyone that knows me, knows Great White is my all time favorite rock band. Secondly, I haven't seen them in concert in at least 8 years. I'd say it's more like 10 years, since the concert I remember the most is the Let It Rock tour at The Rave in 97, but I know I've seen them on the Can't Get There From Here tour in 99, I just for some reason can't remember the concert. Time slips by and the first to go is the memory!

Some background about my obsession--er--love of Great White. I first noticed them way back in 1989 (yes, back in the day of big bands and even bigger hair). I was 14 (yikes!) and I'm not sure if I first heard them during the Top 40 or whatever top billboard chart was on (I think it was the one with Casey Kasim) or if it was in my basement while I was helping to decorate for my brother's wedding reception. Either way, I first heard the song Once Bitten Twice Shy and I fell in love with it. It wasn't my style of music at the time. I was into pop, dance, top 40 stuff at the time. Things like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, many of the top 80's pop you hear now. My brothers were into rock like Rush, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC, and I got into some of that, but not enough to be a regular listener at the time. So when I heard OBTS it was very different for me. I remember hearing Michael play the keyboard and thinking wow, that sounds awesome! Then when I saw the video for the song I was absolutely smitten! I was totally in love with Michael (how is so hot!) and in fact, ALL the guys were hot. How can you not like a band that sounds awesome and are good looking?

Anyway, I picked up their cassette (yes- cassette, before the CD days) and loved the rest of their songs. I was "Hooked" from then on. And my infatuation with Michael grew with each video or picture I saw, or each new song with a keyboard part in it. In fact, in 1991, when I was 16, my infatuation grew to all time high. (could be the puberty thing). I actually started a book at that time based on a fantasy I had about him. The book I'm currently writing is actually based on that. (loosely based on him since I don't know him.....yet).

I continued to keep tabs on them, though my obsession would wax and wane depending on what was happening in my life at the time.

I saw GW several times in concert.....I'd say probably about 4 or 5 times total in the last 18 years. They never disappoint.

There's the basic background. My dream had always been to someday meet them.

So I was able to get a ticket to the concert in Chicago (technically Libertyville). I begged Bob as I was desperate to go. Since I went to Night Ranger and claimed that was the exception, this one was more difficult to get him to agree to. Plus, I'd be going alone. My childhood best friend loves Great White as much as I do, but she now lives in MN and was unable to make it for the show. I still had birthday money left from last year so that's what I used.

The concert was last night and it was incredible! A total dream come true. I got to the venue about 5pm, even though the show didn't start until about 9pm (supposedly). I was the first one to stand in line. The employees were probably thinking I was crazy as they kept telling me it was going to be a long wait. That was fine with me as I stood for close to 12 hours when I saw Night Ranger. Plus, I have two boys--I'm used to being on my feet a lot. The manager/owner of the place even showed me the room and opened the door so I got to see (sort of) part of sound check. I wasn't allowed in, but I got to hang by the door and hear it. I also met quite a few people during my 3 hour wait. (by the way, it pays to go early!!). While waiting I met Dave, a roadie for the band. I met one of the band's bodyguards (don't know his name). I met Sean McNabb! (the bass player). The waiting line is right by the bathrooms so when he came out to use it, he saw me standing there. He is sooooo sweet!! He said hi and asked me what my name is, said his name (holy crap I didn't even recognize him at the time!!!) and had a very small talk moment. I also saw Mark and Jack come out for a brief moment. And I got to peak through the door to see the sound check.

Yes, I'm a groupie wanna-be.

By 8pm it started getting pretty crowded. I got over my shyness and introduced myself to the people around me. I hung out with two women who ended up leaving before GW even came on....one of them was drunk off her butt so I'm guessing they were booted out. I met a woman named Karen who grew up with the band. I also met a woman named Gail who also knows the band. She gave me some pointers on trying to get Michael to notice me. :) I don't think it worked though. LOL It was cool to hang out with other fans, and I even got to talk with the security guard. LOL

The doors finally opened at almost 9pm. The manager/owner was right there and as the doors opened people started pushing their way past. The manager actually stopped the people and said I was to go first! So nice to have perks!!

I made my way in and just about RAN to the front, and made my little spot right in front of where Michael stands. The opening band didn't start until almost 10pm. I wasn't too fond of the opener. They were a local heavy metal band....more into the music like Megadeath. Not my thing. The first few songs weren't bad, but once they got to a song called "F&*#ing Easy" they totally lost me. It's one thing to have a song about sex, or to have a few naughty words in it, but to that extreme loses my respect. Thankfully they weren't on the stage real long.

Great White didn't get on until 11pm. That is an hour past my bedtime already!!!

Anyway, they rocked! They started with Desert Moon, a crowd fav. They were in prime form. Jack looked AMAZING. Audie was incredible on the drums.....he rocks it so hard! Sean was wonderful, and Michael......*sigh* Gorgeous and sexy as always! He is even more amazing in person. They continued on with a few other good ones, and then they played one of my favs: House of Broken Love. Incredible. I can't talk enough about how talented these guys are. They did Save your Love....a beautiful song. In the middle of the show Mark (the lead guitarist) sang a song off his solo CD. Then something totally unexpected.....Sean sang a song!!! I never even knew he sang!! He was so good!! And even MORE unexpected was Michael SANG!!!!!! Holy CRAP!! I just about lost it!! I had this cheesy smile on my face. The scary thing- he sang Lovin' Kind. I have a thing with that song. It has to do with the book I'm writing. This song reminds me so much of the characters of Michael and Becky. I absolutely picture Michael (the character) writing this song after Becky breaks up with him (in a flashback). The song TOTALLY describes them....in EVERY sense. So it FREAKED ME OUT when Michael sang this song!!! Not just that, but I had no CLUE that he even sings other than background!! Which also was great for my book because in my book the lead singer drops out of the song and Michael takes over to sing it. (so he's then singing with Becky). OMG! I just about flipped. (not to mention the big smile on my face). The only issue with the whole thing was the audio. They had lots of audio problems....and though I KNOW Michael has a great voice and sang the song well, I actually could barely hear him. It was a bummer not being able to really hear him sing, but at that point it was just enough to be able to be there, close enough that I could touch him, watching my favorite band for 2 hours. I can deal with the audio problems. I'm a devoted fan that just wants to see them live.

And of course they song all their classics: Rock Me, Can't Shake it, Once Bitten Twice Shy. They did a Zepplin song, and one of their oldest songs, On your Knees.

A fight did break out during the show. Right next to me. Two girls were cat fighting and it got a bit nasty. I just leaned into the stage and figured I'd jump up onto the stage if I had to protect myself. Security came with in a minute and kicked them out. Security was VERY tight.

They played for about 2 hours. The BEST 2 hours ever! After the show I stuck around (even though it was 1am already). The band was doing a meet N greet afterward and I wanted to try to meet them. I couldn't pass up the opportunity....a chance to meet my favorite band?!

I ended up meeting Michael first *sigh*. Oh what an incredible man he is....so nice, so sexy *swoon* I got my picture taken with him (which I'm a bit upset the pic is a bit blurry) and mentioned I'm friends with Pattie and the Rangerettes. *Thanks Pattie!!* It was a quick conversation as he was bombarded with others.

I met Sean (again) next. I got a pic with him and he signed my shirt. One of the ladies that was standing next to me told him I was there earlier than everyone...the devoted fan! (groupie wanna-be....oh yeah....I bought a tank tee and Jack's solo CD "For You" Thanks to my birthday money!! which is now depleted LOL). Then I met Jack. He seemed rushed, but I did get a picture with him and he also signed my shirt. I met Mark also and he signed my shirt, but I didn't get a pic with him. I met Audie too....unfortunately I didn't get to talk to him like I wanted to (I wanted to tell him I'm friends with Karen Dare and she says hi) but security was rushing us out. Blah. So I got a pic with him and that's it.

Oh...and I got to meet Michael a second time.....when he was talking to the girl that they grew up with. She told him that I was their biggest fan LOL.

I ended up leaving about 1:45am. I sat in the car for about 10 minutes trying to warm up. I had left my coat in the car so I wouldn't have to take it in with me so I was freezing as it was -5!! It kept me awake at least! I got home about 2:30am.

What a night! My dream finally came true....I got to be in the front row, right in front of Michael, and I got to meet him! It only took 18 years!!! LOL

So now my rock n roll days are over. I can't afford any more concerts now, and I can't handle those late nights. How on earth does the band do it....especially this week with 3 nights in a row? (I only got about an hour of sleep...if that since I was still wired and excited when I got home, and about 4:30am Ryan was crying in pain, saying his head and feet hurt. So he ended up sleeping the rest of the night with us).

Thank you Great White...for an amazing night, for making a devoted fan's dream come true. Your Rock!!!

Michael on the left with Sean playing Desert Moon.

Jack singing (oh what a voice!!) and Mark in the background playing the guitar.

Michael during Save your Love. *sigh*

Michael and I (don't we make a cute couple? hehe) Sean and I. He is such a sweetheart....and good looking!

Jack and I. The California boy is all ready for the Chicago cold! LOL

Audie (the drummer) and I. He is also a huge sweetie!

5 in a row meme

2008-01-16T15:44:00.000-06:00

Name one thing I do everyday:

Check my email.

Name two things you wish you could learn:

quilting
singing

Name three things that remind you of your childhood:

My Little Ponies
smell of homemade bread
popcorn with parmesean cheese on it (seriously, it's really good!)

Name four things that you love to eat but rarely do:

shrimp
lobster
steak
donuts
(yes I have expensive taste!)

Name five things that make you feel good:

making my children smile/laugh
a night out
studying God's Word
snuggling with hubby
family days

Go Pack Go!

2008-01-13T17:22:00.000-06:00

We did it!!! The Pack won yesterday's playoff game!! Woo hoo! It was the best game I think I've ever seen......we were down the first quarter, tied it up by the end of the first quarter, and came back to beat the Seahawks 42-20!! We kicked some major Seattle butt!!!

It was the way a football game should be played. At Lambeau Field, in the middle of a snow storm!! woo hoo! It was snowing so hard you could barely see in front of you, and you couldn't see the lines on the field at all. There was slipping, slidding, and the Pack dominated! What a game!

Now we just hope the Giants win today and we will be on our way to the Super Bowl!

Go Pack Go!!!!

We're in trouble now!

2008-01-13T17:16:00.000-06:00

Kyle took his first step on Friday by himself, but it was just once so I really didn't think much of it.

Well.......

Today Kyle started walking. on his own. 4 steps at a time before he crashes down. Without holding on.

Yep. I'm in trouble.

Ryan was a late walker. He didn't start walking until 14 months. I remember it was just before Christmas.
So 11.5 months is early for me!

I expected it though. Kyle is a go-go-go baby. He doesn't like to sit still at all and loves to stand and move around as much as possible. You can imagine what he's like during diaper changes!

Time to get my running shoes on. I'm in for a marathon!!

Mother Nature forgot it's winter

2008-01-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

There's a saying in Wisconsin that goes like this: if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change.
Though normally there are certain rules to this season thing. Snows in winter, rains in spring, about 2 weeks of hot in summer, and rain/wind in fall. Right?

Apparently Mother Nature was a little confused this week. Either that or she opted to play a trick on us Wisconsinites.

All that snow we had in just the previous pictures: Gone. Yep. 10 inches of snow, melted. Within a week. (I think it was actually less than that). The last few days have been in the 50's. Yesterday was actually 63. Umm....are you sure it's Jan? You sure it's not the Chinese new year we are on?

I think I will be sending her a map, as M.N. has forgotten her geography. See, Wisconsin is NOT part of tornado alley. At least, it's not supposed to be. We get very few tornadoes out this way, especially where I live since it's close to Lake Michigan. The coolness of the lake usually helps to weaken storms as they head toward us, and we normally just get thunderstorms. Not this time.

Yesterday afternoon I was watching the news very briefly and was informed there was a tornado warning for Walworth county (the county directly west of me). Double take. wh-huh? Yes, I said tornado warning. As in a tornado was spotted. in. Walworth. county.

It was a good thing I had decided earlier that day (before I even knew storms were supposed to happen....who's supposed to guess this stuff in Jan?) to spend the day at my parents' house. They live in Milwaukee county, luckily further north than where all this was happening. So as far as I knew, the kids and myself were safe. Who knew about our place of residence though. Now, as you may have read in my 100 things about me list, I am TERRIFIED of storms. That actually would be an understatement. I'm literally freaked out by them. So as you can imagine, if I had been home alone with 2 kids and a cat, attempting to get them in the basement while sirens were going off and a tornado passing overhead, yeah, I'd have lost my mind.

So I made sure to call hubby to let him know where I was, so he wouldn't worry. Then I continued to watch the news while grandma kept the kids busy. (thanks mom! :) ) Yep, the tornado was heading straight for my city. Oh lucky me. In fact, there was more than one. Again, I repeat, it's JANUARY. At least I knew we were all safe, but I was worried if I would have a house to come home to.

After all was said and done (thankfully by 6pm) hubby called me and told me our house is fine, we have power, and nothing happened in our neighborhood. Phew. Then watching the news, I saw where it did hit, and it's scary. It's amazing to think no one lost their life through all this, considering no one expects to deal with a tornado in Jan. Usually when the sirens go off, people think it's just a test. (at least in winter).

Wheatland in western Kenosha got hit the worst. And the city of Kenosha isn't too far behind. Very scary that it was so close.

What else does Mother Nature have up her sleeve? Snow in July?

Family Circus

2008-01-03T13:40:00.000-06:00

I think Billy from Family Circus has been in our backyard. LOL

And so this is winter

2008-01-03T13:33:00.000-06:00

For those that don't get any snow or who may be in their summer season, here are some pics to make you want to wear a nice warm sweater, drink some hot chocolate, and cuddle up with a blanket and a good book by a fire.

Ryan has been outside playing in it everyday except for the last several days when it's been 10 degrees F or colder. (-1 this morning when I took him to school!).

Anyone want a snowcone?

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T17:47:00.000-06:00

Have a happy and safe New Year!!

Stuck in the 80's and partying down

2007-12-29T19:56:00.000-06:00

This past Thursday I did something I normally don't do. Something completely out of character for myself. I went to......a rock concert! *gasp* It was a spontaneous thing; I bought the ticket the week before when I found out my online friend was going. I thought it would be cool to meet her and I really needed a night out from Mommyville. As much as I love my children (more than anything) I desperately needed a break. Just one night where I'm not a wife or a mother....but just a woman that loves music.

I saw Night Ranger. You know, the group that sings Sister Christian .They sing much more than that obviously, but that would be their most well known song. Why Night Ranger you ask? I actually didn't start liking them until just recently. Michael Lardie, whom I'm totally and utterly infatuated with for the past 18 years, left Great White a few years ago and joined Night Ranger. Now he's back with Great White, but I got into Night Ranger. They are incredibly talented.

What a night it was! I met my friend Pattie there (my online friend I met at Michael's yahoo group) at 3pm with her friends. Here is me and Pattie.We went in the venue (in Chicago area) and hung out, watched the sound check, met the band, ate and talked. Pattie is friends with the band members, so I was able to be introduced to them. This is me with Brad Gillis.

The show was awesome. I was right up in the front row in between Jack (the lead singer) and Brad (the lead guitarist). Brad did quite a few solos right in front of me, and even gave me a guitar pick. They rocked! I am no longer a Night Ranger virgin, as this was my first NR show. I'm so going back again when they come back too! They were in prime form!

After the show I hung out with the ladies at the venue while we waited for the guys. We talked, took pics, had fun. Finally, we all figured out where we were going...to a restaurant just down the street. So we headed over there, had some drinks (some of us...I had water since I was driving) and had a grea time. About a half hour later or so, Brad, Kelly, and Reb joined us. I was a bit nervous at first.....hanging out with rock stars, but it didn't take me long to become comfortable and have a good time. By the end of the night I was sitting on Reb Beach's lap!

We hung out until 2am, then I drove home and didn't get to bed until 3am. What a night!

And I'm hoping to be able to do it again (sort of) next month. Great White will be coming to the area Jan 19 and I'm going. I'm hoping to be able to meet the band....or at least Michael. :) It makes me giddy just thinking about it!

It was awesome to live out a night from the 80's....all that was missing was the fashion and the big hair (though some of the ladies in the crowd did have that).

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T16:14:00.000-06:00

Everyone have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Remember, there is no Christmas without CHRIST. :)

Happy Birthday sweet Jesus.

Into the Night

2007-12-18T17:04:00.000-06:00

I've been into Nickelback for some time now. I love Chad's voice, and the lyrics are amazing....they actually make you think and are introspective. Not to mention the music is incredible.

The other day I heard this song and listened to the lyrics and fell in love with it. I knew it was Chad's voice, but the music certainly was not the style of Nickelback. So I did some research and found out it's Santana with Chad.

Anyway, amazing song. Just thought I'd share my favorite song currently.

Rock on and shake your booty

2007-12-17T15:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, I was stuck (and still am) in the 80's. Yes, I truly was headbanging! I think it was to Queen, but I'm not even sure. I can't even remember.

I used to love dancing. Still do. When in colllege I used to go to dance clubs and shake my "thang". I even had designated "dance" clothes I would wear. Remember body suits? Oh yeah, I used to have them...several. My favorite was a black one I wear with green jeans and a green silk shirt that had a few buttons open. During the wamer months I would wear a sleeveless body suit with cut off jean shorts.
At any rate, I heart dancing. You couldn't get me off a dance floor at weddings. I did all of them....Achy Breaky, Macarena, and my personal fav, the Electric Slide. I headbanged, I did "da Butt", I was Dangerous on the Dance floor.

Ever since I married Bob though, I don't dance anymore. Bob HATES dancing.....with a passion. I was lucky to get him to dance with me to our wedding song. And since marrying him and havin children, I don't dance either. I know I shouldn't let him influence me, but really, I have no friends near me that do go (Amy moved to MN so she's out), and I feel I'm too old for that, so to speak. I'm a mom of 2.

Which leads me to these pictures. What I always used to do with Ryan ever since he was a baby was put on music and dance with him. I wanted him to grow up with music and not have the fear of dancing in social situations. So I used to hold him in my arms and dance with him. He loved it. At Julie's wedding when he was 11 months old I have pictures of us dancing. I heart those pictures. And as he got older, he learned to really love dancing. At a wedding we went to a year ago he had a blast dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Every time I turn on some music he's in the middle of the living room shaking his thang. Sometimes he even tells me to turn off the slow songs.

Kyle seems to be taking after his brother. I put on music frequently and Kyle bounces up and down and laughs. Whenever he's really fussy, we turn on Crazy Frog and he calms down immediately.

All of us getting down and funky. Well, except Bob, who took the picture. Just one of the many fun moments in our house.

More about me

2007-12-17T08:27:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to remind all my old readers and inform all my new readers about my list of 100 Things about me. I keep forgetting to put it in my sidebar. Just some great info about me....though some of it is now outdated LOL

My early Christmas present

2007-12-16T20:48:00.001-06:00

Bob and I were discussing a while back what to get each other for Christmas. We both had ideas of what we wanted, but we couldn't get both of our wants this year. Being the sweet, loving husband he is, he let me have my present this year. It's a laptop! Unfortunately, I almost didn't get it.

Circuit City had one for sale at a dirt cheap price on Black Friday. Bob said he'd be willing to let me have my laptop if I was willing to go get it. Which meant I had to be standing in line by 3am in the cold to try to get this thing. Normally I wouldn't. But hey, it was for a laptop people!!! Plus, I met some nice people in line. Unfortunately I froze my booty off for two hours for nothing. They were sold out by the time I got to it. I was a bit upset, but I figured getting a laptop would be too good to be true.

Later in the day Bob and I decided to go to Best Buy to check some things out. They had some USB drives for cheap that we wanted (2G for $14.99!!), and while there we opted to check out the laptops. Most of them were sold out already. (popular item this year). But Bob checked them out and found one that he was comfortable with and knew would suit my needs (basically just internet surfing, pictures, and writing documents). It was a good deal....a bit more than what we wanted to spend, but it was a good deal.

So the new prized possession in my life now is my new Acer laptop.

Isn't she a beauty? 15.4 LCD, and so much more. (I have no idea what it all has....Bob deals with all that. Just as long as it does what I need it to). The only problem I'm having currently......Bob is hogging it!!! LOL He obviously had it the first few days to set it up for me, but even now on weekends he is on it most of the time....I tend to get it at night. He rarely takes out his work laptop anymore since mine is already set up in the living room, ready to use. What's nice is he doesn't mess up my settings since he put his on his USB drive. Ahh, I love technology.

Nice to know that my gift this year is the coveted gift of the year. :) Makes me proud. LOL

Lost, in an obvious place (and Santa hats)

2007-12-16T20:38:00.000-06:00

Be prepared!! I finally found those pictures.....dating all the way back to Sept/Oct. Pictures of Ryan's birthday, Halloweeen, Thanksgiving, and just plain cute pics. They were on my computer the whole time....go figure. They were just in a different file and that's why I couldn't find them! This blog is about to get picture happy. Gotta catch up on all the cuteness!

My Santa boys:

A baby reindeer and a lost Santa

2007-12-15T20:47:00.000-06:00

My boys at Christmas time! Every year I take pictures of Ryan with the Santa hat on....and I did it this year with him and with Kyle. Unfortunately I have misplaced the pictures! Hopefully I will find them soon....if not, then I guess I will have to take them again! Until then, this will tide you over!

Have a purrr-fect Christmas!

2007-12-11T20:42:00.000-06:00

The never ending day

2007-12-05T19:27:00.000-06:00

Ever have a day where you just wish you hadn't gotten out of bed? Or that you can use the same rules as children's games and have a "do-over"? Maybe just skip the day altogether?

Yep...that was today.

We had a snowstorm last night....well, not really a snowstorm....more like a "disturbance" as the news called it. I seriously think these meteorologists need to learn their correct terminology...or explain it to us laymen because apparently a "storm" means schools, businesses, and pretty much most of the town is closed for only an inch or two of snow, while a "disturbance" means nothing is closed, the plows aren't out, the roads are crappy and it's about 10 inches of snow. Hhhmm. Something wrong with this picture.

At any rate, the snow started around rush hour last night. Perfect time. Good thing I don't go anywhere. Oh yeah.....go figure, it was the one night I'm able to go out for the Women's Christmas banquet at church. So I go (since I paid $14 for the ticket.....darn it I paid the money I'm going to go)....and the normal 15 minute drive took me 45 minutes doing on average 30 mph in a 55 zone. Once there it was fine...it was a beautiful banquet with good food and incredible entertainment. Then I had to drive all the way back home again, in the lovely snow.

Now fast forward to this morning. Bob gets up to snowblow and afterwards as we watch tv he decides he isn't going to go in to work. His normal hour commute was averaging about 2.5 hours. Good idea to stay home. However, there was no word of Ryan's preschool being canceled. So we head out and I make it 2 miles and decide to turn back. It was still snowing really hard and the roads were horrible. It took me 45 minutes to make the 4 mile round trip. Ryan was very upset that he missed his class today, but I'd much rather have him miss a day of school than risk our lives to get there.

I think snowdays were invented to punish us parents. Ryan was just off the wall today. He had such a difficult time listening and obeying today, I just wanted to scream. Time after time all day long I would tell him to stop doing something and 2 seconds later he's doing it again. Sometimes I feel like I am talking to walls.
Kyle was also in a mood today. Not sure if maybe he felt the tension or if he didn't want his brother to be alone in the punishments, but he was getting into literally everything he wasn't supposed to, and then getting cranky when I would redirect him. He seems to have this fascination with the DVD player currently. He makes a bee line for it every time....I say no and redirect, and yep, 2 seconds later he's back at it again. Must learn from his brother.

The hardest part of the day was trying to act like Bob wasn't home all day when in fact he was sitting in my chair most of the day. He technically was working from home since he can remote in and make phone calls and all that jazz. But it's pretty difficult for the kids and I to accept that he's here but not here. Especially when I have Ryan in a time out (who was not even being good in his time out), Kyle crying in his high chair because I'm not feeding him fast enough, attempting to make dinner, plus I had to pee like nobody's business! And my hubby, whom I love more than life itself, was just sitting there typing happily away on his laptop. I know it's not his fault....just bothers me when I am struggling and could use an extra hand (or three).

So after an early dinner tonight I get Ryan ready to take him to Awana. I left Kyle with Bob and we were off. Luckily the roads were much better...made the trip just about right on time and the main roads were perfectly clear. Once we get there, I don't see ANY cars in the parking lot. Not a good sign. I called my friend whose children are also in Awana and she tells me it's canceled tonight. Wait...what? No one bothered to call me to inform me so I wouldn't have to make a 15-20 minute drive to church when I didn't have to. She apologized and said she thought the leaders were calling everyone. Apparently not. *sigh* So I break the news to Ryan, who is just as upset as he was about not going to preschool, and cries the whole way home. Get home and not only is Ryan upset, but Kyle is extremely cranky. Get both ready for bed. Watch about a half hour of tv to get everyone somewhat calmed down. Ryan went to bed at 7 (an hour early......thank you!!!!!) and Kyle about 7:10.

Ahhh. Now the house is quiet. I'm drinking some hot chocolate, in my jammies, and catching up on some internet stuff and hopefully will get to editing my book tonight. I need to unwind.

And more to come. We are supposed to get another 6 inches of snow tomorrow night. At least Ryan doesn't have school on Friday so that won't be as much of a problem.

oy. I love my kids, but somedays.............

Updates

2007-11-27T13:14:00.000-06:00

I figure it's about time I get off my butt and actually write a post. I can't even use "I'm busy" as much of an excuse, since I find time to work on my book and to visit other people's blogs. I guess I just don't know what to write about. That's rather funny considering I'm a writer.

Updates:

Kyle is almost 10 months old. Time is going so fast. He is getting so good at pulling up and cruising along furniture. He now holds on with just one hand, and yesterday he actually stood on his own for about 2 seconds. It won't be long before he'll be walking.

Ryan loves school and is doing great. I'm amazed at how smart he is...I think he's going to be a math wizard. He's already doing simple math in his head. The kid is sometimes too smart for his own good.

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We spent it at my parents house watching the Packer game. The Pack won! They are awesome this year.

I'm typing from my new Christmas present........my early one. Hubby gave me a laptop for Christmas this year! woo hoo!! I'm so excited....and I love it! It's your basic one.....no big bells and whistles. I don't need anything extravagant....all I mainly use it for is internet and writing. Now I don't have to freeze in the basement anymore while on the computer! I can sit on my nice comfy couch.

If I think of something exciting to say, I'll post more often! Right now I think I'm just in a slump of some sort. Though reading other's blogs has been encouraging for me.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T13:18:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for everything God has given to me, both good and bad.

Have a happy Turkey day!

So tell me, what are you thankful for?

I am a Christian

2007-11-20T12:55:00.000-06:00

I am a Christian

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I 'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

By Maya Angelou

It's done!!!

2007-11-16T12:57:00.000-06:00

My book that is!!!!!!!!

For nearly two years I have been attempting to write a novel in my spare time. Ha! What spare time you ask? Not much. That's why it's taken two years to finish it! But the first draft is now complete!

It started out as a project to keep my mind off from TTC (trying to conceive). I was having a very difficult time conceiving, and I was on fertility drugs at the time. I needed to find an outlet to NOT obsess about TTC, to keep my mind off from it for a while, even if it was just a few hours in the evening. Back in high school I had started a novel based off a fantasy I had about a certain celebrity. I had only gotten to chapter 3, then lost interest (Mainly because I had a boyfriend at that time).

A while back I was going through old papers and found those chapters. I was a little nostalgic since I still have a crush (infatuation....maybe even close to stalker-like) on this celebrity. I started up another fantasy in my mind about what it would have been like ten years later. And wha-la! My book was born.
I spent quite a bit of time just working on the story and plot. Without a decent plot line you have very little to go on....even if you have appealing and interesting characters. So I basically took the chapters from high school, used the same characters but aged them ten years....so it's the story of what happened ten years after, of course, assuming I would actually write the FIRST book. hahha. Eventually I do plan on making a trilogy....the before, ten years later, and even later. LOL

I made notecards and broke scenes up into who is in what scene, what the action is, any specifics like smells and looks. I spent quite a bit of time developing the characters. These characters actually have pages upon pages of data....including physical description, personality features, family structure, former relationships, life history, how they relate to other characters in the book and why, even what makes them tick. My best friend (Julie) helped me on those since I'm more of a plot person than a character person.

After all that prep work, I finally got down to the nitty gritty of writing. Two hours here, two hours there. I would mainly write after Ryan went to bed at 7:30, then stay up until about 10pm. Would I actually stay up all night to write? Heck no. I'm not that dedicated to lose my sleep....at least not yet. LOL This is something I enjoy and want to continue to enjoy! Instead of writing by chapters, which is confusing IMO, I wrote by scenes. And I started with my favorite scenes first. I read a book once that stated if you start writing a novel by writing in chapter sequence, you'd never get past chapter 3. (gee, sounds faguely familiar). So I wrote my favorite scenes first. It really got me motivated to continue to write, since I wanted to form what happened before and after that scene.

Of course, it took so long because I did end up getting pregnant and having a baby (my wonderful baby Kyle!). I discontinued writing during my third trimester since I was getting too tired and couldn't fit the laptop on my lap anymore. I was more excited about the pending birth than the book at the time. And of course, I didn't write for the first six months after his birth due to sleep deprivation, adjusting to two children, and PPD. But a few months ago I started writing again...about once or twice a week. It met my need of some "me" time along with my creativity craving. Plus, I was so close I really wanted to finish it!

So this week I finally wrote the last word on the last scene! And I'm happy with it!

Now I need to edit, proofread, rewrite, and make it all one happy, cute little manuscript. That should take only about, oh, another two years. LOL

Happy Editing!

Kyle's 9 month appt

2007-11-08T12:46:00.000-06:00

He's perfect! :)

He's 17 lbs 11 oz
27 inches long.

He's right on target for everything.

I need to start giving him more textured foods so he gets used to them. And he has a bit of a cold....a small cough and weezing...just a virus.

Otherwise my baby is perfect :) But I already knew that :)

My two boys

2007-11-05T13:00:00.001-06:00

Kyle's 8 month pictures

2007-11-05T12:56:00.000-06:00

Here is Kyle at 8 months.

Ryan pictures

2007-11-05T12:49:00.000-06:00

Here is Ryan at 5 yrs old.

New pics

2007-11-02T15:50:00.000-06:00

As you can see from my profile pic, we just recently had our pictures taken. I always like to get them done in Oct. since that's Ryan's birthday (and I like getting pictures taken close to birthdays), plus, Oct is usually when JC Penny starts their Christmas pics.

I have been going to JC Penny for 5 years now....ever since Ryan was a baby. I've always been happy with the job they have done. Previous years the pictures have always turned out nicely, and have had many selections on what to order. They have always complied with what I wanted or what I had in mind.

This year, it was very disappointing. First off, they were really busy. They normally aren't so busy the first week of Oct, so I felt very rushed while taking the pictures. All the pictures have the same background (I had wanted several different backgrounds for variety along with certain themes I wanted). In the midst of the rush I had forgotten to get a picture with both Ryan and Kyle in their dress clothes. And I had a change of clothes for the boys because I wanted a sports themed (particularly Green Bay Packers) picture of the boys together. Normally they give props and various backgrounds to match what you want. Not this time. No props. Nothing. It was all very disappointing.

But at least some pictures turned out well and I received them within two weeks. So I guess I can't complain too much. Here we are as a family. Ryan is 5 yrs and Kyle is 8 months.

We got a crawler!

2007-10-29T12:13:00.000-06:00

Look out, now I'm in trouble. Kyle is now crawling. Like real crawling. Not just move arm here, move leg there, army crawl, but a real, full blown, going-to-go-get-what-I-want crawl. Crawling with intention and movitation.

It started last week. He finally went from the dry humping to hey-I-can-actually-move-my-arm-off-the-ground. But didn't get anywhere. Then he started going backwards. Yes, my child crawled backwards before he went forward. (just like me actually). Then after a few days he finally realized he could use his legs for something. Little by little he started to move.

Last night.....it happened. He spotted a toy in the kitchen from where he was lying in the family room. He decided he wanted it, and went after it. Step by step, little hands and legs moving, slowly, but still moving with intent. And the words out of my mouth: "Oh my gosh he's mobile!" Guess I'm going to have to put up that gate by the stairs now. Darn.

So now life as I knew it is over. I can no longer leave my little one on the floor in the living room while I run downstairs to grab laundry. Now I need to make sure the house is child proof. And oh the stuff he will get into!!! yikes!

So when I'm not blogging or reading others' blogs....I'll be chasing after the crawl machine!! LOL

Book Recommendation

2007-10-11T06:39:00.001-06:00

I've been getting back into reading...well, as much as I can with two little ones. I find about 5 minutes here, ten minutes there. It takes me forever to read a book, but I'm just happy to find some "me" time again...even if it is just for a few minutes.

The book I have been reading I have just fallen in love with. Down Came the Rain: My Journey through postpartum depression by Brooke Shields.

Normally I'm not into celebrity reading, but this one appealed to me. Just knowing someone famous has been through what I have and is unafraid to speak about it and write about it is very encouraging.

Reading this book was almost like reading my life story...with the exception that I'm not famous. We both went through infertility, though she had to go through IVF to get pregnant. Luckily I did not. The feelings and emotions she felt shortly after her daughter was born were so similiar to mine it's frightening. Just knowing I'm not alone in the way I was feeling and that I wasn't crazy was so helpful. Knowing I wasn't the only mom who wanted to run away made some of the guilt go away.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has gone through or is going through postpartum depression. I also recommend it to those who are currently pregnant. I was not informed on PPD at all before I had Ryan. I was so clueless, and I had never even heard of the possibility of having a crippling depression afterwards. It literally came out of nowhere. PPD affects 1 out of 10 women, ranging from mild depression to severe and even postpartum psychosis. One is more susceptible to PPD if one has gone through infertility, a difficult pregnancy or birth, a history of depression, including previous PPD. It's a common disorder that affects more women than we know and is not talked about much.

Kudos to Brooke for bringing it to light.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2007-10-02T06:17:00.000-06:00

It seems like just yesterday I was having an emergency induction. Hard to believe it was that long ago now.

We had the big celebration with the family this past Sunday. He had a football (Packers) theme this year. I'll have pics of the cake and all next time.

Today he's going to school in PJ's. Not only is it his birthday, but it's jammy day at school. Pretty cool. And I get to wear them too since I'm helping out in the class today.

Hard to believe this little bitty thing, at 4 lbs 15 oz

is now a 34 lb, hyper 5 yr old.

Happy Birthday my little sweetpea. :) (he hates me calling him that now. LOL)

Wednesday3

2007-09-19T07:01:00.000-06:00

Do you prefer to write with a pen or pencil?

Honestly, neither. I prefer using the computer. When I sit down to write my novel, I can't do anything writing unless I'm on the computer. I just don't have the patience (or the penmanship) to write "old school". But if I'm forced to write, I'd much rather have a pen. I don't press hard enough for the pencil to show up.

What was the last great movie you watched?

Haha. That's a funny question. The last movie I watched was Twister about a week ago. The last "great" movie.....or what I consider to be really great.....I don't even remember. I don't watch movies very often.

What makes you want to be with the person you are with?

Lots of things....but the one thing that sticks out the most is his sense of humor. He can make me laugh no matter what...even when I don't want to. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with him.

Date night

2007-09-17T09:30:00.000-06:00

This past Friday we had an actual "date" night to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. I had forgotten what a date was it has been so long. We either always have the kids with us or we don't have the money to go anywhere or do anything.

So on Friday I took the boys to my parents' house. We spent the day there, going to rummage sales and various other things. Then at dinner time, when Bob got out of work, I left the kids at their house and met Bob at the restaurant. Ahh...to be able to put the radio on and listen to whatever I wanted was such a pleasure!

We went to Outback Steakhouse, which is normally one of my favorite restaurants. I guess we went on the wrong night. It was somewhat disappointing. I had a peach drink (yummy!)--yes, it was alcoholic (hehe) and Bob had a beer (don't ask me what kind). Those were good. And our server was very pleasant and nice. I ordered the Outback special (an 8oz steak with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed brocoli). My steak was a bit on the tough side, and the brocoli had a nasty taste to it. The pototoes were very good though. Bob had some sort of dish with steak on top of mashed potatoes and covered with pan sauce and mushrooms. His steak was good but seared too much. It wasn't the best we've ever had, but it was nice to actually eat a dinner without interruption (and a hot one at that!). No "mommy can I have more milk?" or "mommy I don't like this" or Kyle crying because he's not being held. Ahhhh. We even tried to spend an entire dinner without talking about the kids....though that didn't last long as we ran out of things to talk about.

After dinner we went home and just spent some quality time together. It was nice to be able to not only sleep an entire night without having to feed or rock a baby, but to wake up and lay around in bed for a few hours! Ahh...life before kids. :)

Anyway, we had a great "date" night and even better morning after *wink wink*. I'm sure it will be our last one until next year's anniversary. LOL

Oh-- and thanks to my dad for paying for our meal! Kudos daddy!! :) I love you!

email GTKY

2007-09-13T15:11:00.000-06:00

Copied this off from Cindy! Thanks!

What time did you get up this morning?6:15am
2. Diamonds or pearls?definitely diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?Can’t remember…haven’t been to the cinema in many years.
4. What is your favorite TV show?Grey’s Anatomy
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? cereal and granola bar
6. What is your middle name?Jean
7. What food do you dislike?really spicy foods
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?Great White—Back to the Rhythm
9. What kind of car do you drive?2001 Buick Century (green)
10. Favorite sandwich?roast beef
11. What characteristic do you despise? lies
12. Favorite item of clothing?Grey Packers sweatshirt
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?Hawaii
14. What color is your bathroom?a hodgepodge of stuff..but mostly purple
15. Favorite brand of clothingnone
16. Where would you retire to?Possibly Omaha, NE
17. What was your most memorable birthday 26th
18. Favorite sport to watch?Football
19. Favorite saying?Totally
20. When is your birthday?May 2621. Are you a morning person or a night person?neither.
22. What is your shoe size?6
23. Pets?1 cat
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?Bob and I are going out for dinner for our anniversary this weekend.
25. What you wanted to be when you were little?gymnast, author, mom
26. What are you today?stay at home mom
27. What is your favorite candy?toss up between chocolate bars and Swedish fish
28. What is your favorite flower?Lilacs
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?Oct 2- Ryan’s birthday
30. What church do you attend?Immanuel Baptist Church (http://www.ibckenosha.com)
31. What is your full name? Brenda Jean
32. What are you listening to right now?the fish tank, Ryan playing
33. What was the last thing you ate?Cheese Its
34. Do you wish on stars?No
35. How is the weather right now?Very nice….mid 70’s and sunny
36. Last person you spoke to on the phone?my mom
37. Favorite soft drink?currently it’s Sprite
38. Favorite restaurant?toss up between Famous Dave’s and Outback Steakhouse
39. Hair color?Medium brown
40. Siblings?2 brothers and 1 sister (deceased)
41. Favorite day of the year?Christmas
42. What was your favorite toy as a child?My Little Ponies (I really wish I had a girl since they are back in again!)
43. Summer or winter?Summer
44. Hugs or kisses?I like both
45. Chocolate or Vanilla?Chocolate
46. When was the last time you cried?Saturday
47. What is under your bed?lots of cat hair
48. Who is the friend you have had the longest?Amy
49. What did you do last night?took Ryan to Awana, put Kyle to bed, Picked Ryan up from Awana, put him to bed, watched tv for about a half hour, then I went to bed.
50. Favorite smell?cookies, lilacs
51. What are you afraid of?My husband and my children never being saved (claiming Christ as their Savior)
52. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn?Ultimate butter popcorn!
53. How many keys on your key ring?
Too many to count
54. How many years at your current job?5
55. Favorite day of the week?Sunday
56. How many towns have you lived in?5
57. Do you make friends easily?Yes….though I’m quiet until I get to know someone
58. What's your favorite household chore?laundry
59. Your least favorite?Cleaning the bathtub

Happy Anniversary Sept 11

2007-09-10T11:03:00.000-06:00

It is that time again. It is mine and Bob's anniversary-- 8 years. My how time flies. And to help celebrate this momentous occasion, I thought I'd write the story of how we met and started dating. Trust me...it's interesting.

I met Bob toward the end of my senior year in high school. I was very close to a friend of mine named Lisa. We had been off again on again friends since grade school, and senior year we became very close friends again- to the point where we called each other our twin. (we were also both born in May). That spring (of 1993) Lisa and Bob were dating. Since I was close to her, I met him.

My First Impression

My first impression of him was not good. Seriously. I had heard a lot about him, but hadn't met him yet. The first time I met him Lisa and I were at our mutual friend Kathy's house. She had just been confirmed and we were hanging out at her mostly family party. Lisa of course invited Bob. When he came over he was very rude, immature, and treated Lisa like crap. I actually asked her what she was doing with him anyway. I hated him.

However, the more I hung out with him, the more I got to know him. I still felt he treated Lisa like crap, but I started seeing a different side to him. He wasn't all that bad. And he gave really good back massages. :) We as a group (besides the 4 of us there were a few others we hung out with almost every day) hung out all summer. By the time I left for college that fall, I knew I was having feelings for him. Imagine hate turning to love. Even after knowing all that went on in their relationship.....I couldn't help myself. Of course, I never acted upon it, nor did I tell anyone. I always denied it.

How we got together

Most of that year when I would come home from college I hung out with Lisa and Bob. During the early part of '94 they started having issues. Being as I was friends with both, I was stuck in the middle as they would both call me up and tell me their side of the story (which, btw, never was the same). Being young and in love I made the mistake of siding with Bob....without even realizing it. Lisa was ticked and I ended up losing her as a friend. (I would have anyway as she was hanging out with the wrong kind of people at that time and her life was taking a turn for the worse). They broke up the beginning of April. While home for break I talked with Bob and even helped him get Lisa back. (what was I thinking??).

On April 22 I came home from school since my best friend Amy was having a birthday party. While I was in town I figured I'd call up Bob and see what he was doing/how he was doing. During the conversation I mentioned I was going to a party. He invited himself along! He asked if he could go, and I said if he really wanted to hang out with a bunch of high schoolers (Amy is 3 years younger than me so she was a sophomore in high school). Apparently he didn't mind...he even dropped his friend that night to go with me.
So we spent the evening at the party. Many people asked us if we were a couple as we flirted with each other quite a bit. We both said no, we're not. And my lovely best friend that she is (I love her) even tried to get us together. She talked to me that night and had her boyfriend talk to Bob about it. LOL
Anyway, later that night (more like early in the morning...I think it was about 2am) Bob and I were laying on a couch just talking. Amy and her boyfriend were on the other couch, making if I remember correctly. Everyone else at the party had already left. I don't remember exactly what was said anymore, but I do remember Bob kissing me. I also remember Amy's boyfriend yelling at Amy to stop watching us and leave us alone. LOL

So that day (April 23) is the day we started dating. We haven't looked back since. Of course, the first year was tough as he was still getting over Lisa, but I stuck in there. At around 2 months of us dating I just "knew" we were meant for each other. We got married 5.5 years later.

So that's the story of us meeting. Not really one I'm proud of, since in essence I took another woman's man (well, after they broke up), but it's what happened...and I'm ever so grateful. He's the love of my life. :)

Happy 8th Anniversary my love.
From your Pookeybear

First day of school

2007-09-04T12:44:00.000-06:00

Today is Ryan's first day of preschool. Yep, my baby is growing up!! We went school supply shopping a few weeks ago, put his name on all the supplies, and he even decided yesterday what he wanted to wear for his first day! He was so excited.

It was only for an hour today, with the parents. The teacher just basically went through what a typical day will be like. I think Ryan will fit right in.

It seems like just yesterday he was born.....now he's in preschool and next month he will turn 5. Life sure goes fast.

Some summer pictures

2007-09-01T15:29:00.000-06:00

Since I was so busy all summer, here are some pics of what we have been up to. Just some key moments.

The two brothers on the couch. Kyle looking up to his big brother.

Ryan in the pool...we had it out many days. :)

Kyle lounging around outside, watching the action.

Ryan getting into the pool. He loves jumping and splashing.

Of course there are many others, but I don't want to bore you. There are also things we did that I forgot to bring my camera...such as the zoo, water parks, tons of rummage sales, etc. It was a busy summer.

The rest of the vacation...

2007-08-31T12:38:00.000-06:00

Alright, I put you guys through enough suspense.....time to let you know about the rest of my vacation (more like I finally found some time to type).

After our trip to Lambeau, we went to my friend Colleen's house. Colleen, as I have mentioned in a previous post, is a friend I made a few years ago from Simplymoms.com and met a few months back IRL. We have become very close friends and we all decided it would be great if we could spend a weekend together. And what a weekend it was! It was just about perfect. We knew we would have a great time, but none of us expected it to be so good. Colleen and I talked like we have known each other forever, the kids got along great like brother and sister, the babies were so cute together, and the guys hit it off pretty well too. It was wonderful.

Ryan and Alia (Colleen's 2 yr old). Brother and sister? Future couple?
Kyle and Alyssa (who is only a week older than Kyle) having an in depth conversation about the blocks.

Colleen and I

So after we get there, feed the babies and get settled, we go out to Bay Beach. What an amazing place! An old fashioned amusement park where the rides are only .25 cents or .50 cents. Nice and cheap...and the kids loved it! Us adults even had some fun! Colleen and I went on the swings together...man it was like being a teen again! haha

Ryan dragged me on the slide. It was a bit scary at first but lots of fun! I went down it twice, and Ryan talked daddy into going once.

We spent the weekend at Colleen's house. I figured we would all stay in the guest bedroom (should have known cramming 4 people, including one being a baby, in one room wouldn't work!) but it didn't work out that way. I put Kyle to bed first in the playpen, then Ryan a half hour later. Ryan freaked out and didn't want to be alone and ended up waking Kyle up. It was a big mess. So Ryan ended up sleeping on a futon in small room in the basement, and Bob slept on the couch in the basement. Kyle and I stayed in the guest room. In the end it all worked out.

On Sat we went down to Appleton, WI to a children's museum. It was an amazing place for kids to play and learn and explore. It was very reasonably priced too! Ryan had a blast, and I got into it too.

The museum had a children's Kwik Trip in it! Ryan got a kick out of that. Behind it is also a convenience store. LOL
They had a water fountain there along with other water things. As you can see, Kyle was less than thrilled.
My fire-boys!

The rest of Sat we just spent lounging around Colleen's, and having a barbeque. Sat night the first preseason Packer football game was on. Unfortunately I didn't see much of it as I was either talking to Colleen or taking care of Kyle, but the guys watched it. (Doesn't it figure? LOL)

Sunday Kyle and I went with Colleen and family to her church. Bob and Ryan opted to stay at the house. I tried my hardest to get Ryan to go, but he wanted to stay with daddy. Anyway, it was incredible. My church is very small...only about 200 or so members. Hers is about 5,000 members! I was stunned by how huge the place was. And I even saw a Packer there (KGB) but didn't have a chance to say hello.

After church we went to their church picnic and had some yummy food. Ryan even got to find a toad. LOL

Once we finished lunch, it was time to head back home. Not surprisingly, both boys slept most of the car ride back home. We wore them out!

It was a wonderful vacation and though short, we crammed a lot of stuff in there. It was great to spent time with Colleen. We are already making plans to get together again.

Frozen Tundra

2007-08-24T11:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, I do realize it has been yet again, forever since I last posted. I'm hoping with fall coming soon I'll have a little bit more free time (yeah right). At any rate, I'm finally posting now about our vacation that we took 2 weeks ago now.

We (meaning Bob, Ryan, Kyle, and myself) took a short mini-vacation over the weekend of Aug. 10-12. We spent the weekend up in Green Bay, WI. Yes, I do realize we didn't go out of state or anything (we are such adventurers haha), but what can you do with a very low budget and only 3 days? I was a great vacation anyway...didn't matter where we went, it was nice to be together as a family. (awwww)

We left Friday morning...hoping to leave before 10am, but unfortunately just as we are about to go out the door (literally) Kyle had an accident. More like a fall.....yes, his first face plant onto the kitchen floor. I have a feeling it will not be his last. (I think Ryan says oww about 50 times a day). Bob put him in the carseat to put him down for a moment. He turned back to him and picked up the carseat, forgetting that just moments earlier, he didn't strap him in. So the carseat flips over and Kyle goes face first onto the cold kitchen floor from about a foot away. Kyle of course is crying hysterically, Ryan starts crying because he just saw his little brother get hurt, (and thinks daddy did it on purpose) and I'm freaking out that I just saw my baby do a face plant. It took about 15 minutes for everyone to calm down, and thankfully, Kyle was ok. Just a small red spot on his head that went away by the end of the weekend. So off we went.

Green Bay is only about 2.5 hours north of us. Not a bad drive. Of course, I've been that way a few times, as many of my extended family members live in Kaukauna, Appleton, Chilton, and other small towns nearby. Though it's been years since I've been there. I stopped going up that way once my grandma moved back down here to live with us for several months before going to a nursing home.

Since there is so much to tell about this trip (who knew you could pack so much stuff to do in just 3 days?) I will just focus on what we did for part of Friday. You ready for this? You know how much of a Packer fan I am. I haven't had a chance to write a post yet about the upcoming football season, but yes, I'm a HUGE Packer fan. Football in general too, but my heart is set on the Pack. So being Packer fans, we made the pilgrimage to yep, you guessed it, the one and only Lambeau Field. (crowd goes wild!)

It was incredible. It was so beautiful...who ever thought that a football stadium would be pretty? I guess it is to those who are fans.

So got there and took tons of pictures outside and inside.

Here we are with Vince Lambardi.

Then we finally decided to eat. There are a few choice restaurants there, but Bob had his heart set on Curly's pub. He was told it was good. So off we went (it's a restaurant on the second floor of the Atrium). It was delicious...but pricey. After lunch we stopped at the arcade and game place there. Ryan (ok, and me too) had fun throwing footballs and running through the defensive line. Bob told me I throw like a girl. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have a baby in my arms at the same time!

Afterwards we decided to check out the tours they have. They have a Hall of Fame, which is a musuem of Packer artifacts and memorialbilia or you could take a tour of the stadium. Both were about the same price, and with the two young kids with us, we opted for the stadium tour. Ryan was really excited about seeing the football field...he wanted to play in it with the Packers. LOL

The tour was awesome...well worth the money. The kids were free at least (thankfully since Kyle slept through most of it). We saw the suite seats that go for $100,000 or more. They are NICE.

We went through the tunnel that the players go through to get to the field during games. It was very exciting. And of course we saw the field. It was incredible to see it.....it's one thing to see it on tv, but it's so different and huge in person. Just amazing. We even got to sit in the bleachers just behind the goal post (the side that says Packers) and got to shout "Go Pack Go" and hear it echo back. Gave me chills!

The tunnel

After the tour Ryan got to play on some inflated things in the parking lot. There was a jumper and some football technique stuff. He has a blast.

All in all we spent 4 hours there (unfortunately we didn't get to see the Packers play or practice...they were out of town since their first preseason game was the next day at Pittsburg- Ryan was upset) and quite a bit of money, but it was worth it. Hopefully some day we will get there for a game. The waiting list is only about 73,000 people long. LOL

I thought this sign was hilarious!

More to come on the rest of our vacation!

Wordless Wednesday (a day late)

2007-08-16T08:13:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-08T08:23:00.000-06:00

Kyle's 6 month appt

2007-08-02T11:47:00.000-06:00

We had the 6 month well check appt this morning. It was the easiest well check appt I ever had. I had no concerns at all...he is totally healthy, and since I've been through it all before I didn't have any questions either.

Now for the stats:

16 lbs 7 oz

26 inches

in the 50th percentile for both!!!!!!!! Now that seems very average to most of you....but mind you....first off he was born at 5 lbs 5 oz and was in the 3rd percentile. Secondly, I don't have big babies. LOL Ryan was 17 1/2 lbs at 1 year.....so only a pound short of that at 6 months is HUGE to me!!

Dr. said he is perfect....no issues or concerns.

He received 3 shots. He cried when he got them but by the time we got to the car he was fine. Once I got home I fed him and put him down for a nap. I don't expect any problems.

My baby is growing up!

The new/old car

2007-08-02T11:39:00.000-06:00

Yesterday while I was hanging out side with the kids, I decided to try my hand at photography. I know nothing at all about photography, or how to take a decent photo or anything, but I had a little bit of time on my hands (in other words I was bored while Ryan played in the pool and Kyle sat in the bouncy seat) and thought I would take pictures. Some of those pictures are to come in future posts.

This is a picture of my new car I talked about here. It's not really new, but it's new to me. It's a great car.....dark green (I guess that would be hunter green? emerald green?) and runs so smoothly. The first few weeks I had it I was driving everywhere! I made excuses up just to drive it. Now I guess it's old news since today was the first time I drove it since Sunday (either that or the gas prices are making me realize I don't need to drive everywhere).

Isn't she pretty? :)

My boys

2007-08-01T16:05:00.000-06:00

I have finally taken some pictures and uploaded them to the computer. Yeah, I know. I just never get around to it. Though today I took a whole bunch of pics and will be showing them off! :)

Today is Kyle's half birthday. He is 6 months old today. Amazing. Time goes so fast. He's not the little baby anymore that he was....now he's full grown infant. He's rolling over, babbling, screeching, smiling, laughing, cooing, and reaches out for me when he sees me. He's showing his personality already. He's just amazing. He is such a momma's boy too. :) He only stays in daddy's arms for about 5 minutes before he's getting upset. And if daddy is holding him and I walk by, Kyle's face just lights up and he reaches for me! LOL I'm just so in love with this little boy!

Here is his 6 month pics...taken today. Normally I get pics done professionally at 6 months....but due to financial constraints and we are getting our family portraits done in Oct, I might as well wait 2 months. So these were taken by me :)

Ryan is doing well. It's so hard to believe he will be 5 in Oct!! He doesn't like getting his pic taken much anymore...so this was the best I could do. He is all inquisitive (why? why? why?) and curious. Something I'm trying not to discourage him of, but after the 500th question in an hour it gets a bit frustrating! We still play games when we can and play catch outside, take walks to the park. He's a great big brother!

*sniff* *sniff* They's growing up.

In answer.....

2007-07-29T16:05:00.000-06:00

To Shawna's question in a comment the other day.....she asked if we were TTC again.

Answer: no. Not yet anyway.

I'm actually on the fence about this one. Part of me is very much still going through the baby fever thing.....Kyle is growing up so fast already...rolling over and eating baby food and soon will be sitting and mobile. I have so much love for that little boy now that I barely let Bob do anything anymore with his care! I just love spending time with him. I've always wanted 4 or 5 kids.....so part of me is thinking 2 down, more to go! LOL Plus, I'm 32. I'm not getting any younger. I already have complications during pregnancy.....and it just increases the older you get. It took 2+ years to get pg with Kyle.....I can only imagine how long it might take this time (being as my cycle is already mirroring what it was before I got pg and I'm even on bcp).

However, part of me is just freaked at the thought of gettting pg again. My pregnancies as I just mentioned are tough....I tend to have complications. Plus, I remember being soooooo tired throughout.....it was hard with a 3 yr old....I can only imagine how hard it would be with a 5 yr old and a 1 yr old!! Yikes. Just thinking of all the work....sleepless nights again......not to mention I just got over PPD......to have to go through all that again......
Our insurance has also changed....they now cover only 80% of everything...which would mean we'd owe much more than last time. We just can't afford that at this time.

At this time I'm currently on bcp...mainly to stabelize my hormones. I'm considering going off from them as I'm not comfortable being on them....yet at the same time I'm freaked out over going off of them for fear of an "accident". I really would like to "not try but not prevent" but I don't know.

I need to pray about it and figure out what I want to do. I do have some time.

So to answer the question....currently we are not ttc. :)

So glad I'm already married.....

2007-07-19T11:13:00.000-06:00

So Amy and I went out on Tuesday to look at bridesmaid dresses. As I mentioned previously, she is getting married next year...Aug 2008. Since she is moving in less than two weeks to MN, we got together to shop for dresses and have some lunch. It was a good time. I tried on a whole bunch of dresses and she showed me the dress she is most likely getting.

She is doing something a bit different....all of us girls are wearing the same color, but not the same style. Because I'm very petite and thin (though after that Olive Garden visit I don't think I will be anymore!) and some of her other bridesmaids are.....not, she has opted to go with whatever style of dress looks good on us, as long as it's the same color...which is black. (black in an Aug wedding I think is suicide....but what can I say?)

So anyway, after spending about 2-3 hours trying on dresses and all, we finally found and agreed on a bridesmaid dress for me! It's very beautiful...here is shows blue, but of course, it will be black, with a green ribbon around the waist for accent color. Hopefully I won't be pregnant by next year at this time LOL But if I am, there are a few maternity dresses that are nice too. LOL

She also decided to tell me that I will need to find a babysitter for my kids as they will not be invited to the wedding...it is an "adult only" wedding.

Now I know she's not married yet and doesn't have children, so she's not into the whole family thing yet. But honestly, I was a little hurt when she told me that, as I was really looking forward to having my kids with me. My kids, my family are my life. They are everything to me and I don't mind being with them at all. Also, having an "adult" night is really not a big deal to me. I don't really enjoy going out drinking or dancing or any of that anymore. I honestly feel so over that these days....as she calls me, I'm a "soccor mom". And you know, I love it. My kids are my life. So anyway, I will have to figure out what I'm going to do. I refuse to pay babysitters for my children or have anyone I don't know watch them. Honestly, the only people I completely trust with my children are my parents. And they will be going to the wedding. So I have a year to figure out what to do with my will-be-then almost 6 yr old and 18 month old (and who knows if I'll have another one???).

Anyway, other than that, it was a great day. We had lunch together and talked about old times and her move coming up and wedding stuff. We may be on totally different stages of our lives right now, but when we do get together it's like we never left high school....we can talk until the cows come home! (and even after).

I'm so glad I don't have to deal with all that wedding stuff again. Phew!

Life Goes On

2007-07-13T11:29:00.000-06:00

Have you ever lost your best friend? I suppose not really "lose" them, as in you are not friends anymore, but as in your best friend has moved away?

One of my best friends is moving away at the end of the month. She will be moving to St. Paul, MN. (about 5 hours away).

Amy and I have been friends since she was 4 yrs old and I was 7. Technically I guess we were friends before that as my mom used to work with her dad, and we lived about a block from each other--not even a block...you didn't have to cross the street...just go around the corner and down a few houses.

We became very close as we got older. She has been like a sister to me. I think once we were in late elementary/early middle school is when we became "best friends." We did everything together. If we didn't see each other during the day or after school, then we would call each other and talk for literally hours on the phone. We made up the soap opera that I mention once in a while (Dynasty II). We spent several years coming up with plots and characters and scripts and so much more for that soap. It is forever burned in our memories and hearts.

In high school we discovered boys together. We would talk to them, talk about them, obsess about them. My senior year in high school was the first and only year we ever went to the same school together. I remember meeting at each other's lockers in between classes, decorating lockers for birthdays, just having a blast with each other.

As I went on to college and she remained in high school, we drifted apart a bit. I was into all things college and she was into all things high school....leaving a bit of a rift between us. We never stopped being friends...just drifted apart for a while.

When I got married she was my maid of honor. She will be getting married next year and I will be a bridesmaid (she was thinking maid of honor but didn't want to hurt other peoples feelings).

Of course, now that our lives are in different stages, we don't connect quite as much anymore. We see each other maybe once every few months. I'm married, have two children, a house, stay at home, into all things family. She is engaged, living with her fiancee, working 2-3 jobs, a very active social life. Our lives are in different places. But each time we do get together, it's like no time as ever passed since we were in school together. We find our nitch together and reminance about old times, talk about new times, the future, etc.

We've always got along well. We've had a few fights here and there, but have always made up and continued on.

I have so many memories of us laughing hysterically, crying when her grandma passed away, smiling on birthdays and celebrations, and celebrating every New Years together.

I went to her going away party in May. It's so hard to believe she is leaving in just a few weeks. But she won't be too far away...and hopefully, if I can financally pull it off, I'd like to take the train out to see her soon.

Thank God for cell phones...so we can keep in touch!!

This pic is from her tropical themed going away party. I'm on the right...the shorter of the two. LOL

I'll miss you Aimes. Love ya girl!

Land of the Living

2007-07-07T19:08:00.001-06:00

My goodness....has it really been a month?? Where does the time go?

I'm back out of hiding! hehe Not that I've been hiding...just been incredibly busy.

What have I been up to you ask? It would take forever to post everything I've been doing lately....but here's a brief synopsis:

The main event in the last several weeks......my car. Technically Bob's car. It go kaput.
Bob's car died on his way into work (this happened on a Wed...don't remember which one now). He took it to an unmentionable car repair shop (the they-screw-you-over-so-you-are-out-tons-of-money shop) where they "supposedly" (air quote) fixed the problem (something to do with the gasket and the fuel tank....I don't know). for more money than I'm comfortable with--taking up most of our savings mind you. All was good....until the next day when he was on his way home from work. It died.....again. This time in the middle of rush hour traffic. (lucky him). Had it towed to the same place (nearest location) where they said it was the engine this time and it would cost thousands to repair it. To add to that, we also cannot prove that it was the fault of the first repair....so we are out lots of money...and a car since we junked it (can't afford to get that fixed and not worth it for how old the car is).

So living off of one car for a week was so not fun. I literally was a stay-at-home mom for a while.....the only place I could go was to walk to the park that's a block away.
Though I was ok with it if that's what had to be done. I don't want to go into big debt again if we don't have to.

Then my dad saved us. (love you daddy!!). He offered to sell us his car for dirt cheap and with no money up front. We just pay him what we can afford every month. woo hoo!! Boy did I get a deal too.... a 2001 Buick Century with only 34,000 miles on it. My dad takes very good care of his cars, and it's nice and big for both car seats plus one more if need be.
So I will be driving the 2001 and Bob will now be driving my old car (a 1989 Oldsmobile Cierra). Glad that mess is over with.

Other news:

Summer is here in full force and the kids and I have been spending tons of time outside. We go to the park, play in the yard, go for walks, and today we took out the pool. I had Kyle try it but he didn't like it so much. Maybe next year for him.

Kyle is now 5 months old. My how time flies. He is huge too!! I can't believe how chubby he is! I've never had a chubby baby....it's so funny seeing his chubby cheeks and thick thighs....he's my little chipmunk. We started rice cereal in the beginning of June and did all the cereals...are now doing sweet potatoes and he just loves them. He smiles and coos all the time now. And he's such a momma's boy. :) He definitely prefers me over daddy....5 minutes of daddy and he's crying. LOL

Ryan's little girlfriend moved away. It was hard on him at first but he's adjusting. He seems to understand that she's moved...not so much the divorce part though. We went up to see them once so far...the kids had such a blast playing...and it was great to have some mommy time with my friend. This moving thing is not just hard on Ryan....I really miss them too. Many times I sit there and wish they were still around.

No big vacation this summer (due to finances) but we do plan on going up to Green Bay for a weekend next month to visit a friend of mine. We will also be going to State Fair too in Aug.

I was planning on going down to Peoria IL for a concert (my Great White is back together and celebrating their 25th anniversary! They have a new album out July 17th and are on tour this summer) on July 28th but had to scrap that idea due to the car issues and finances. Money is tight right now so no money for entertainment right now. Which makes me very upset as I haven't seen my favorite band in almost 10 years now. Speaking of favorite bands.....didn't make it to Summerfest this year either.....some great bands there too.... Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Weird Al, Collective Soul....etc.

Went to a birthday party last month for my friends Ernie and Renee's two children (3 yr old Emma and 1 yr old Tori). It was great seeing them again.....Ernie was Bob's best man in our wedding and Bob was his best man. We also got married 3 months apart. (You happy I finally gave you a shout out Ern?) Ernie was a bit upset that I not only didn't tell him I have a blog (didn't realize he was into the blog world) but that I never mentioned him. Some people and their pride!!!! (love ya anyway Ern) Anyway, the party was nice and I hope to meet up with them again soon.

Before all the crap happened with the car....we got a new patio door and a new back door and screen door. Our screen door was getting really bad...the screen kept falling out of it. LOL Time to get it replaced.

I know there's so much more but that's all I have time for right now. I only have so much time to get on the net these days.....I can usually only do one thing a day! It takes me most of my time just to check email. But it should slow down soon.....Kyle is finally in a set schedule now (at least for bedtime and feedings....naptimes are still a bit scattered....but I can predict about when he'll be tired) and both boys are in bed by 8pm most nights now. Ahh...the freedom!! So what do I do? I'm usually in bed by 9 or 9:30pm. LOL Kyle still gets up once during the night....and for some reason it still tuckers me out. Plus in 2 months Ryan starts school...that's a whole 'nother post though. LOL I can't believe my baby will be in preschool!!!! Yikes!!!

Anyway, glad I finally got you up to date. I'm still around...still breathing. Just so darn busy. I knew having a second child would make me busier....but this is ridiculous! LOl Or maybe I just had too much free time before?

BTW- Congrats to Cindy -- she's finally pregnant after 3 years of ttc!!! She is in my Yahoo group for women that have been trying to conceive since May 2004. CONGRATS GIRL!! Sending sticky vibes!

First time eating rice cereal

2007-06-06T16:09:00.000-06:00

Sunday evening was the first time we gave Kyle rice cereal. Let me tell you, it was VERY different from Ryan. Ryan loved it the first time he had it. He would have eaten the whole thing if I had let him. He never was much into the bottle....but loved his baby food.

Kyle on the other hand....well, the pictures speak for themselves.

LOL He didn't like it at first. Though now that he's had it a few times he does better with it...actually seems to like it now. I can't wait until we get to the baby food!

Neighborhood complications

2007-06-04T07:33:00.000-06:00

My next door neighbor is moving today. She has 3 children....a 5 yr old girl (Ryan's "unofficial" girlfriend), a 2 yr old (whom I have known since he was 7 weeks old), and a 6 month old. Her and I have been very close in the last 2 years she has lived here. Her and her children are like my second family.....either we are over there or they are here at least twice a week. I also watch her kids when she needs to go out. I don't want to go into details due to confidentiality (not that any of you know her, but still...it's a private thing). But basically her and her husband are going through a very nasty divorce. The situation is REALLY bad. He moved out when the baby was only 2 weeks old, and just moved back in without her permission a few weeks ago. All her family lives in Sheboygan (about an hour away) so she will be moving back up there in 2 weeks...once the 5 yr old is out of school. The house is up for sale (has been since Jan.) but I don't know if the husband will be staying there or trying to sell. I don't get along with the husband at all...not due to the situation but just because he's a difficult person to get to know in the first place.I'm just so upset not only by the idea of them moving away, but the whole situation is just so horrible. I have noticed a HUGE personality change in the 2 yr old. He is scared of other men now and no longer is the outgoing, bubbly boy he normally was. It's just so upsetting to see him change so much. And my neighbor is just going through so much stress over the situation that she gets sick. I'm just in tears for her.I haven't told Ryan yet that they will be moving. It is going to crush him. He absolutely loves these kids. Every time he's outside (several times a day) he asks to play with them. They are his first best friends. I have no idea how I'm going to tell him...and I know it's going to devastate him.I'm just so sad and upset. It's so sad to see a marriage fall apart like this....and to see the kids so disrupted by it all. And I'm losing a very close friend.Of course I'll go up and visit her as it's only an hour away...but it's not the same. During nice days out we see each almost everyday....when we see each other outside we have impromptu playdates. Now we will have to schedule days. And of course I will still be talking to her via phone...but also not the same. I know I shouldn't complain about all this since I'm not the one going through the awful situation....but I also feel her pain and so wish I could do something. I'm just so sad.

UPDATE: I wrote this a few days ago. Things have changed...they are moving TODAY. Unexpectedly. Basically her "husband" is pushing her out. He has been packing boxes up for her and taking them to her living place.....and set up a truck and time for her to move out....today. She is upset and overwhelmed, as well as stressed. I feel for her.....as I didn't sleep at all last night (I found out yesterday about this) and am so sad, upset, depressed. And it doesn't help that Ryan has been asking all morning to go over there to play. I haven't told him yet. I have no idea how I'm going to tell him.

My heart is just breaking.

Kyle's 4 month appt!

2007-06-01T16:16:00.000-06:00

He is my chunker for sure!!!! LOL

Dr. says he is a very healthy, normal little boy!

His stats:13 lbs 12 oz!!!

24.5 inches

He is in the 45 percentile for both weight and length!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! That may seem small to most of you....but Ryan has NEVER made it past the 5th percentile.....and Kyle was born in the 3rd percentile!!! to go from the 3rd to the 45th is AMAZING!!!!!!! He is my chipmunk for sure!!

Dr says that Ryan will most likely be closer to my size while Kyle will be closer to Bob's size.

He can start cereal now! Yay! I've been looking forward to that for a while now! He also got 4 shots...he did well. I have plans to go out tomorrow so we'll see if he gets cranky like last time. I may have to cancel.

I'm just so happy he's doing so well!!! Amazing how much he has grown since he was born....when the dr thought he had IUGR and was 5 lbs 5 oz.

This was taken about 2 weeks ago....I need to update!

I know I know

2007-05-31T11:20:00.000-06:00

I know I've been neglecting my blog as of recent. Which is sad since I know I have quite a few readers, a few whom are new. I'm working on it...I swear!

To let you know why I haven't been posting a whole lot...here's a brief description of what's been going on.

Bob was on vacation all last week. When he's off from work I have a difficult time sticking to any routine...not really that I had much of a routine anymore since Kyle, but I still don't do many things I normally do when he's not here (gee, like spend hours on the computer perhaps)

The first weekend he went on vacation was busy. Saturday we were at my parents house celebrating Mother's Day, my birthday, and Bob's birthday (Mine was on the 26th and Bob's was on the 22nd). Sunday was spent at church, doing things around the house, and spending some family time together.

Monday Bob and I stained the deck while my parents watched the kids (BIG thanks to them!). It was a loooooong job as it is a big deck, but we managed to finally get it done just before sunset.
Tuesday was Bob's birthday. He took most of the day off (other than cutting the grass) and I spent a good portion of the day spring cleaning.
Wed. Bob put in a new back door and screen door to go with out freshly stained deck. It was quite a project that took all day. I spent most of the time taking care of the kids.
Thursday he finished the door and we spent some family time together.
Friday I ended up getting sick (lovely). We did go to the store though and Bob is building a PVR. (it's just like DVR but from a computer and can do sooo much more).
Saturday was my birthday. I spent the morning taking Ryan to a pancake/breakfast birthday party for one of his friends. It wasn't too bad...I got to talk to a few of the other moms and had some pancakes too. (shhh...and don't tell anyone that I also had a glass of champaigne and orange juice while there.) Didn't do a whole lot for my birthday...I did get some computer time...but when you are so far behind anyway (sorry everyone for not keeping up on your blogs....I'm working on it really!!) it's so hard to keep up. I have about a bazillion places I need to go on the net that I can't do it all anymore in the short time I have now.
Sunday we all went to church as a family (FINALLY) and both Ryan and Kyle got dedicated. It was so sweet and wonderful. Sunday night my parents took the kids again and Bob and I went to a party (I will share about that in a separate post as soon as I get the pics uploaded).
Monday was Memorial Day and I spent the day cleaning and cleaning and more cleaning while Bob worked on the PVR. Then my parents brought the kids home and stayed for dinner where we had a grill out! YUM!

And this week it's been crazy trying to get back to life without Bob here all day again. Amazing how quickly we get used to things isn't it?

So that's what it's been like here. Crazy crazy.
I'll make a point to actually post about the party sometime today or tomorrow.

Oh yeah! And during my computer time I actually was able to work on my book! I wrote a page and a half!! woo hoo!!!

Another year older

2007-05-26T07:45:00.001-06:00

What's the phrase....another year older, another year wiser? LOL I'm not sure how true that is.

Today is my birthday. I'm 32. Hard to believe I'm that old already...not that 32 is really that old. It's rather young actually. It just feels weird to be "in my 30's".

No big plans today. In a few minutes I'm taking Ryan to a friend's birthday party. Nothing like celebrating my birthday with a house full of 4 and 5 yr olds!

I promise to post more about my very busy week this past week. I have barely had enough time to check email much less computer time!!!

I will let you know how my birthday celebrations go.

GTKY questions

2007-05-18T11:25:00.000-06:00

I love doing these! Thought I would share.

My childhood dream was to: Were you able to fulfill this?

My dream when I was young was to be a gymnast. My idol growing up was Nadia Comaneci. I wanted to be just like her. I was in gymastics until I turned 13. Then I had to quit because I wasn't ready for competitions or anything and it was costing too much money. But I had (and still do) the body type for it....I'm thin and petite!

When I am waking up each morning, I am looking forward to:

warm weather! Just the chance to be outside or let Ryan play outside is wonderful. It breaks up the day and gives Ryan a chance to get out his energy.

The person I most admire is: Why?

I most admire my friend Lisa. She has an amazing faith in Christ. She has been through some really difficult times yet her faith remained strong and stable. She has 3 children under the age of 5 and has survived breast cancer. (She was diagnosed with cancer when she was in her third trimester of pregnancy with her last child). I most admire her for her faith.

If I could travel anywhere in the entire world I'd go to: What would you do there?

I would go to Venice, Austria. I would see the Mozart museum and where he lived. I love Mozart and have always been interested in his life and work. I'd love to go there.

The best book I ever read was: Why did it hold your attention?

The most obvious answer of course is the Bible. But other than that one, I'd say my favorite is Redemption by Karen Kingsbury. It was the first Christian book I ever read and it held my attention because it wasn't what I thought a "typical" Christian book would be like. It's about a Christian family that goes through trials and tribulations and how it affects their faith. It's the first book in the Redemption series.

What is one way you'd like to grow spiritually in the following year?

I'd like to get in the habit of reading my Bible everyday. Having regular prayer and reading time. Unfortunately with little ones I don't get much of a chance to read and study and pray quietly. It's rather sporadic currently...but I would really like to get back to reading and studying every day.

My closest friend would describe me as most like:
a. Oscar the grouch (majorly melancholy)
b. Big Bird (naive but extremely friendly)
c. Grover (well intended but not very tactful)
d. Cookie Monster ( fixated on the good stuff)
e. Elmo (curious beyond compare)

I'd say I'm most like B. Though I'm not quite as naive as I used to be, but I am extremely friendly.

If I had one day without responsibilities or interruptions, I'd:

Write!!! I would definitely write my book. I haven't touched it since Kyle was born...and I really miss writing.

Mother's Day

2007-05-15T15:08:00.000-06:00

I had a very nice mother's day. Didn't get to do exactly what I wanted to do, but it was still a very nice day.

I slept in a half hour while Bob got up with the kids. It was so nice...especially since Kyle had been up twice that night! When I got up I took a shower and breakfast was ready for me when I got out! Eggs, toast, bacon. Yum! (I have a wonderful hubby that likes to cook!)
After breakfast I was able to read the paper...sort of. For a few minutes and then I had to feed Kyle. LOL
Before I left for church Bob gave me a gift from himself and the kids.
It's a brand new Bible!! I'm so excited....it's the Bible I have been wanting for some time now. The Bible I currently have was given to me by my mentor, my friend who helped me come to Christ. But it is getting old and worn. I really wanted to get a Life Application Study Bible....it has tons of info in it like maps, guidelines, explanations, life applications, cross referencing, etc. It is awesome! The only problem I have with using it now is all my notes and underlines are in the other Bible! LOL But it's like reading it all over again, which is awesome.

I was able to use my new Bible at Sunday School. Then during service I had to work in the infant nursery....so I wasn't able to go to service. It wasn't too bad...lots of babies but they were all good (including Kyle!). I did get a rose too....my church gives a red rose to all mothers.

After service I came home and finished reading the paper, spent some time on the computer, did dishes (yeah, I know, but what ya gonna do? LOL). I played with Ryan for a bit outside and just enjoyed sitting at home being waited on. LOL

For dinner we went out to Famous Dave's (Thanks Shawna....you had me craving that! LOL). Both the kids did well too until we were just about ready to leave. Ryan was at his limit and Kyle was getting over stimulated. But I have lots of leftovers.....which I did have for lunch today!

In the evening I just sat and vegged on the couch, watching tv. It was a nice day.

Though the one thing I really wanted to do was write my book. oh well. Guess we can't have it all! LOL

Hope you had a good Mother's Day too.