Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sleeping Giants.. except Hunter!
Boy this seems to happen alot! I leave the room for a few minutes and when I come back they are all asleep! Except Hunter, who wanted to finish watching the Fantastic 4. It was almost 11pm at this point, the movie was almost over. Of course, it didn't make any change to how early they got up this morning!
Alexa with Gidget 7.20.08
We had a cookout at the stable Sunday afternoon and Alexa got to ride one of the boarder's ponies, Gidget. Hunter had misbehaved and Tristan didn't want to ride, so Alexa was in her glory. She did not want to leave! I had to remind her several times that she could NOT have the pony!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Midnight Movies..
I live between two worlds.(in more ways than one!) The world with Brianne & Chad, and the world with Hunter, Tristan & Alexa. I get to do things with the little ones often, but I have to squeeze in time for the older ones where I can. That is why I went to the midnight "premiere" showing of the new Batman movie with Chad, Brianne, and Justin last night. It was okay. Entertaining, but not something that wowed me or knocked my socks off. It actually held more to the actual comic book storyline than the other movies have. Anywho, that adventure put me crawling into bed at 3:22 am this morning. The kids got me up at just before 6 am! I may be able to juggle alot of things, but trying to give everyone quality time with me is not one of them! It seems the sides are always uneven. All I can do is what I can when I can. Midnight movies with 6 am wake up calls will not be top of my list!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pirates 7.17.08
This is what you do on a rainy day.. you play pirates! I had run out of things to do and so they decided to dress up. Usually we have a pirate, a princess, and a car mechanic all running around at the same time. Or batman, the thing, and a glittery witch. Or Prince Phillip, Buzz Lightyear, and Jasmine. I think this is one of the few times they all agreed at the same time! It won't last long, so I grabbed some pix while I could! There are a few more in the gallery, so click on this one to get there and have a sunny day!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Happy Birthday Cricket!!
Another moment worth remembering and a great way to end the day on a happier note! This pic was at the airport when Kierra was 10 months old. We had just arrived in Florida from Indiana to start our lives anew. Cricket had come with Greta to pick us up. And you know what? Cricket still looks the same!!! That was 26 years ago.
Today is Cricket's birthday. At least for another couple hours! Hope you had a great day li'l sis!
Today is Cricket's birthday. At least for another couple hours! Hope you had a great day li'l sis!
My Father, Stanley & Kie Nov 1985
This man was my father. I didn't really know him until I was an adult. He died of a fatal heart attack ten years ago today. I have some pictures of him with me as a baby, which oddly enough I could not find today. I have no memory of when those pictures were taken. But this picture holds a precious memory for me. That must be why this is the picture I did find.
We were moving to an Air Force Base in upstate New York. We stopped in Massachusetts to visit on our way up. We were able to make several visits during the years we lived there.
As you can see, Kie picked the biggest pillow. She could barely pick it up, it was almost as big as she was! No matter how many times she fell over, she went back for more! She laughed so hard she could hardly catch her breath. Most of the time she knocked herself off balance before he had a chance to. But she had to have that huge pillow, the biggest one.
I envied them their ability to joke and play. To be so open with each other. I am glad they had that. I did not have that with him. I had too much baggage from my childhood. Too many opinions from everyone else of who he was and what he was like. I wasn't given the chance to know him when I was young. So much wasted time. Too many wasted years.
The man I knew was not who I was led to believe he was. The man I knew was not the man I feared when I was young. I wish I had known him better and longer. I wish I had taken the chance and had just one pillow fight with him..
We were moving to an Air Force Base in upstate New York. We stopped in Massachusetts to visit on our way up. We were able to make several visits during the years we lived there.
As you can see, Kie picked the biggest pillow. She could barely pick it up, it was almost as big as she was! No matter how many times she fell over, she went back for more! She laughed so hard she could hardly catch her breath. Most of the time she knocked herself off balance before he had a chance to. But she had to have that huge pillow, the biggest one.
I envied them their ability to joke and play. To be so open with each other. I am glad they had that. I did not have that with him. I had too much baggage from my childhood. Too many opinions from everyone else of who he was and what he was like. I wasn't given the chance to know him when I was young. So much wasted time. Too many wasted years.
The man I knew was not who I was led to believe he was. The man I knew was not the man I feared when I was young. I wish I had known him better and longer. I wish I had taken the chance and had just one pillow fight with him..
Monday, July 14, 2008
The ties that bind us..
I have been noticing and thinking alot about "bonds". It started with my 2 fillies I just moved down from Georgia. They were at the same barn for a month before I moved them, but were not worked together or stalled together. Since the move they have become inseperable. Literally. I took The yearling, Reese, to the front barn to fix her halter the other day. Tortuga, the 2 year old, I left at the back part of the property. They neighed and whinnied at each other back and forth. I put Reese in a stall in the front barn to take off her halter. It may have been because she couldn't see her, but Tortuga, who is a draft horse and weighs over 1000 lbs, started running to the back of the property. I watched her and didn't think much of it until she circled around a tree and headed back toward the front fence at a full gallop. I yelled at her to stop, to no avail. I was worried she would charge the fence and hurt herself when it broke. She vaulted the fence! I haven't seen a horse jump that high before. She cleared it without touching the top rail at all! And out of the three fences she could have jumped, she was smart enough to jump the section that put her closest to the front barn. She came to me and I put her in the stall next to Reese until I was done. I made sure she didn't hurt her legs at all. It can do major damage for a horse that size to land on their front legs with all their weight coming down behind them. I am hoping she won't make a habit of it now that she knows she can do it. And I will be working them together for awhile to see if they settle down about being together. Barney & Lenny became best buds when we moved them too. It amazes me that they all have formed such a strong bond so fast.
I think of Greta and I and in turn think of Kie & Bri. I think of my friendships past & present. I think of the connections we make throughout our lives. Some bonds were made in an instant, some grew stronger over time.
Some are tested to see if they are truly strong enough and some have broken down over the years. Then there are the bonds that last longer than the lives that made them.
Bonds feed our heart, they motivate our soul. Good, bad, or indifferent, these are the ties that bind us, that hold us to the life we live and the people we live it with.
There are a select few I wouldn't jump a fence for.. but so many more of you I would jump that fence for over and over again!
I think of Greta and I and in turn think of Kie & Bri. I think of my friendships past & present. I think of the connections we make throughout our lives. Some bonds were made in an instant, some grew stronger over time.
Some are tested to see if they are truly strong enough and some have broken down over the years. Then there are the bonds that last longer than the lives that made them.
Bonds feed our heart, they motivate our soul. Good, bad, or indifferent, these are the ties that bind us, that hold us to the life we live and the people we live it with.
There are a select few I wouldn't jump a fence for.. but so many more of you I would jump that fence for over and over again!
Friday, July 11, 2008
A long road..
Randy's recovery has been a multitude of last minute miracles. Greta has been on an extreme roller coaster that doesn't seem to be over yet. He has finally been taken off the vent which means no more tubes down his throat, and he is breathing on his own with a pressure oxygen mask to help. There have been alot of close calls and complications. He had been sedated the past couple weeks to keep him calm and help his body heal. He woke up from that last night after some worry that he wasn't coming out of it as quickly as they had hoped.
He had another set back this morning and both he & Greta need all the prayers, good wishes, and candle lighting that you all can give. It is a long road they have to travel, let's give them a lift along the way.
He had another set back this morning and both he & Greta need all the prayers, good wishes, and candle lighting that you all can give. It is a long road they have to travel, let's give them a lift along the way.
Finding the lowest Gas Prices where you live..
Click on this link and find the lowest prices where you live. Every little bit helps!
Gas Prices - MSN Autos
Gas Prices - MSN Autos
An Anonymous Email Worth Sharing
Getting Older, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, close to the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70 & 80's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?
But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become.
I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70 & 80's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?
But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become.
I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)
Monday, July 07, 2008
We've Landed..
Actually Brian & I got back on Thursday afternoon. We watched the fireworks they had at The World Golf Village (across the street) on Thursday night, then Friday was a busy "catch-up" and unpack day. Bri & Justin came over and I cooked a 4th of July picnic style dinner. Then off I went Sat & Sun to pick up Tortuga and Reese (our fillies), from Georgia.
I am still trying to play catch-up, which seems to be a never ending quest. The kids are being kids and there is always plenty that needs to be done around here. I will post some pix of "the girls", Toruga & Reese, when I get a few extra minutes later. ttfn
I am still trying to play catch-up, which seems to be a never ending quest. The kids are being kids and there is always plenty that needs to be done around here. I will post some pix of "the girls", Toruga & Reese, when I get a few extra minutes later. ttfn
Monday, June 30, 2008
Taking off..
Brian & I are taking a few days off. Off from work, off from kids, off from just about everything except each other. I am not sure if I will have internet access, and honestly, I am not sure I would bother with it anyway! We will be back on Thursday. Randy might be off the vent today. They had him breathing on his own through the night, so if all his levels and vitals are good he may be taken off the machine today. It's all good!
When I said I do
These times are troubled and these times are good
And they're always gonna be, they rise and they fall
We take 'em all the way that we should
Together you and me forsaking them all
Deep in the night and by the light of day
It always looks the same, true love always does
And here by your side, or a million miles away
Nothin's ever gonna change the way that I feel,
The way it is, is the way that it was
When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do
Well this old world keeps changin', and the world stays the same
For all who came before, and it goes hand and hand
Only you and I can undo all that we became
That makes us so much more, than a woman and a man
And after everything that comes and goes around
Has only passed us by, here alone in our dreams
I know there's a lonely heart in every lost and found
But forever you and I will be the ones
Who found out what forever means
When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do
Truer than true, you know that I'll always be there for you
That's what I had in mind, that's what I had in mind,
When I said I do
Tomorrow will be our 25th wedding anniversary. I would marry him all over again!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Generations
It is part of evolution, nature's way, for there to be changes as generations pass from one to another. Some changes are good. Some seem to be not so good. There doesn't seem to be accountability, responsibility for things. There are exceptions, but they are not the majority.There seems to be a general attitude that someone else will pay for it/ fix it/ make it better. It seems there is no hesitation to use up someone else's time, spend someone else's dime.
And although they want you to fix the problem, they don't want to hear about it, nor do they want to have to contribute to the solution.
It is an "all about me" generation. We have raised them to be this way. I know an exception or two. Out of a field of about 40 young people I know personally. My own included. What will the following generation be like? It is a scary prospect indeed!
And although they want you to fix the problem, they don't want to hear about it, nor do they want to have to contribute to the solution.
It is an "all about me" generation. We have raised them to be this way. I know an exception or two. Out of a field of about 40 young people I know personally. My own included. What will the following generation be like? It is a scary prospect indeed!
A long recovery..
Randy had open heart surgery on Wednesday. They did a triple bypass due to almost complete blockage of all his arteries. There is no telling how long he has had minimal blood flow. It explains him being sick and tired all the time. The Doctors explained that he would have the roughest time with recovery due to so many health issues. They have kept him sedated and on a ventilator since the surgery. They have been slowly weaning him off meds and letting him be less dependant on the vent so they hope to let him wake up sometime today, maybe tomorrow. It has been quite a rollercoaster and he has a very long way to go. It is a grueling process for him and for Greta too. I have been at the hospital alot and barely get to the computer, so bear with me. I will let you know what is going on as we go.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Catching up..
I was looking back over some blogs the past few months and realized I never updated a couple things, sorry!
Tristan is completely potty trained, About the beginning of May it finally clicked. He has done super.. no accidents!
Lenny did not have West Nile Virus. It took over 2 weeks for the test results to come back on that.. but he did have some unknown neurological virus that seems to be gone now. The treatments would have been the same. He does get a droopy bottom lip when he is tired. He may always have that now. He has a lump, seems to be just a hematoma, on his neck, that we will work on with massage and some DMSO. The ultrasounds show nothing there to worry about. So he is back to his old self again.
I think that catches things up.. if I have forgotten something, or have left you wondering.. let me know!
Tristan is completely potty trained, About the beginning of May it finally clicked. He has done super.. no accidents!
Lenny did not have West Nile Virus. It took over 2 weeks for the test results to come back on that.. but he did have some unknown neurological virus that seems to be gone now. The treatments would have been the same. He does get a droopy bottom lip when he is tired. He may always have that now. He has a lump, seems to be just a hematoma, on his neck, that we will work on with massage and some DMSO. The ultrasounds show nothing there to worry about. So he is back to his old self again.
I think that catches things up.. if I have forgotten something, or have left you wondering.. let me know!
Kids say the darnedest things!
Have I told you about some of the kid's funniest phrases? They give me the giggles throughout my chaotic, crazy days.. here are a few.. I have no idea where most of these came from!
Tristan (when standing at the toilet to pee) "Fire in the hoooole!"
Tristan (when something suprises him) "Wow, I did not see that one coming!"
Hunter (when showing me an outdoor bowling set) "Look mom, they have the box open at this part for demonstration purposes."
Hunter (whenever you asked him almost any question when he was younger) "Not Today!"
Alexa (when you ask her to do something.. complete with pointed finger) "Just a minute, I be right back!"
Alexa (when telling on one of the boys) "Mom, you not gonna like this!"
There are more, I will have to blog them as they say them, or as I remember.. but those are the ones that popped into my head.
Okay, I debated sharing this one, because honestly, it makes my sweetie pie seem like a cad, but it really wasn't meant in a cad like way.. and he never does this in front of the kids, so here goes.
Yesterday morning Brian was telling the twins & I goodbye when he left for work. The kids were watching TV. (Hunter is away at Auntie Terri's all week for horse camp.) Brian reached over the back of the couch and as he kissed me goodbye he quicklygroped caressed my breast. I guess it wasn't quick enough because Alexa saw him and said "He loooves you mom! He really loves you!" Just great.. at age 4 she already equates groping caressing with love! Then when we were getting ready to go out later, she thought I was staying home, so she hugs me, kisses me, grabs my breast and says I love you! Needless to say, I explained that she shouldn't do that, and that Papa hadn't meant to do that either. Oh, the lessons they learn by mistake!
Tristan (when standing at the toilet to pee) "Fire in the hoooole!"
Tristan (when something suprises him) "Wow, I did not see that one coming!"
Hunter (when showing me an outdoor bowling set) "Look mom, they have the box open at this part for demonstration purposes."
Hunter (whenever you asked him almost any question when he was younger) "Not Today!"
Alexa (when you ask her to do something.. complete with pointed finger) "Just a minute, I be right back!"
Alexa (when telling on one of the boys) "Mom, you not gonna like this!"
There are more, I will have to blog them as they say them, or as I remember.. but those are the ones that popped into my head.
Okay, I debated sharing this one, because honestly, it makes my sweetie pie seem like a cad, but it really wasn't meant in a cad like way.. and he never does this in front of the kids, so here goes.
Yesterday morning Brian was telling the twins & I goodbye when he left for work. The kids were watching TV. (Hunter is away at Auntie Terri's all week for horse camp.) Brian reached over the back of the couch and as he kissed me goodbye he quickly
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Support & good wishes welcome!
Over the weekend Greta & I took our nephew, Justin, to Universal Studio's parks in Orlando. It was a very full, fun weekend. We got back Sunday evening. Monday night (Tues. am) at about 1:30 in the morning, Greta's husband Randy was rushed to the hospital. He has had a heart attack and they are still in the process of stabilizing him to do the heart catheter procedure they need to do to help him heal. He is having other complications that are holding off the procedure. Greta is with him throughout the day and evening, but they won't let anyone stay during the night. He is in the CCU, which is the Cardiac Care Unit at Shands Jacksonville. So say a prayer, burn a candle, whatever you do, any and all support and good wishes are welcome. I am busy doing what I can just to be there for them so I haven't been at the computer at all. I will update when there is news to tell. Hug the ones you love today, and maybe be a bit more tolerant with those you don't!
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