The Gibson Family

New Job and New Life

2010-03-31T11:44:00.002-04:00

Well I am on my fourth week at a new job as a RN. It is definitely different than what I expected. I am not doing a whole lot of patient care, but I am learning a lot about the GI system. I have been working 3 days a week, but over the next couple of weeks I will be upping my hours to 5 days a week. The medical assistant that is working with me is leaving for another position. It should be an interesting transition.

I have also applied for my Georgia License and am waiting on the state to "get with it" so that I can apply for positions that are a little closer to home.

I am loving being a RN. It is keeping me busy and right now the position I am filling is giving me a little "mad" money. LOL!!

I am still going to the gym as much as possible and I have started running. I have managed to run a mile straight without stopping. I am working on adding to that mile over the next year so that I can participate in the Mini-Marathon in Disney next March. We will see how that goes. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and all...HAHAHA.

Spring break is next week and Mom and Don are taking the kids to the space museum in Huntsville. That should be fun. I just hate that I won't be there to see it with them, but I guess as I start this new chapter in my life as a working mom I will miss a few trips with the kids.

I hope all is well in everyone's world and I will update as soon as there is something to update.

New Year and New Me!!

2010-01-13T16:04:00.002-05:00

It has been an extremely long time since I have posted anything here. Dad said the other day that he had checked in and I hadn't posted anything new. I have been posting lots on Facebook, but I know that family doesn't check there since they aren't members. LOL!! I think it is too much for dad and mom. Anyway, 2010 promises to be a GREAT year. It is going to be a year of BIG changes for our family. First, I have graduated nursing school. As of December 11, 2009 I am a college graduate. I have my Associate Degree in Science with an emphasis on Nursing (ASN). I am so blessed that God allowed me to finish this process, granted it was stressful and it took a lot of sacrifices on behalf of me and my family, but we all made it through a little worse for wear. Next, I have to take my nursing licensure exam. I don't have a date yet, but it should be coming. I had a job interview Monday at NICU in Chattanooga. It went very well. They called about an hour after I left and asked me for background check and employment verification permission. I filled out the electronic forms and submitted them. There isn't anything hinky in my past so that shouldn't be any problems. If I pass my boards, I am pretty sure that I will be working in the NICU soon. I am soooo excited that this is a new page in my life. I have always wanted to work in NICU. I know it isn't fun and games and that everyday is life and death in the unit, but I hope that I am a light in the darkness for the babies and the parents that I come into contact with.

I know God has a plan for me and for my family. I also know that God will bless me and my decisions as I travel this road. I hope to keep updating more regularly and keeping everyone up to date as to what is going on in my/our lives.

It's been a while

2009-08-19T21:19:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I have posted anything here. I have been staying busy with Facebook and with Twitter. The summer is over and school has started (for the kids anyway).

This summer our family had several outings. We spent a week in Williamsburg, Va where we went to Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, a water park, Washington D.C., and to Virginia Beach. Talk about a busy week. We had a great time as a family though.

We managed to get a long weekend at Tybee Island, Ga to see some family and hang on the beach for a couple of days. It wasn't long enough, but it was enough to be able to get a beach fix.

The kids and I got to spend almost a week with my dad and step-mom at their newly remodeled lake house in Spring City, Tn. We had a GREAT time. The kids swam in the lake, they went jet skiing, and we got to go out on the boat. The weather was a little overcast while we were there, but it didn't dampen our spirits or our time together. In fact, Jacob made $3 by helping PaPa Jim in the garage.

Jacob also got baptized this summer in the river. It was a cool experience.

I have managed to get several "fun" books read and am about ready to start my final semester of Nursing School at Chattanooga State.

I am so excited to be finishing and starting chapters in my life. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next. I have had some glimpses and some feelings, but nothing definite yet and nothing my husband is ready to embark on either. I know that there is a "higher" reason for my finishing this degree program and entering this profession.

I am praying that God show me and my family the right way to proceed in our lives and that everyone have an open mind when the answers and blessing start pouring down. I know that there are no accidents and that NO is not even an option.

I pray that I have the strength and the will to follow God where ever he leads us.

I hope you all have a great night and keep looking for new posts!!

First Day of School

2009-08-06T17:04:00.002-04:00

Well it's official...the kids have gone back to school and I AM FREE!!!! HA HA HA Just kidding. I am now free to clean house without it getting messed up in like 5 minutes, I am now free to wash laundry and have a totally silent house, I am now free to go grocery shopping without hearing "Mom, can I have...."

I really enjoyed today! I got several things accomplished and was so excited.

The morning started off really well with the kids getting up and not complaining about why they had to get up so early. HALLELUJAH!! As we were walking out the door, however, my son asks "Mom, how come kids only get summer for vacation and parents get the rest of the year"...(me answering) "well, because parents have jobs"...(Jacob)"but you don't have a job"....(me shooting a death look)"not one I get paid for"....(Cassie my 8 year old tomorrow)"OOOOOOOHHHHH Jacob...you talk to much"

Gotta love the kids. And then I wonder how/why being a mom is not seen as a job to our kids. Maybe I do too much for them. At what point is it a good idea to make them step up and see what a BIG job it is to raise a family, do the laundry, sweep the floor, pick up their clothes, go grocery shopping, take them places, worry over them, make them do homework, take them to sports practice, and whatever else it is they do?

Wow...what a very short list for what we mom's really do.

Have a great day.

Tomorrow is Cassie's 8th birthday and I can't believe it.

Whew...It's been a while

2009-06-29T21:16:00.008-04:00

There isn't much to update from my Birthday update. We went to Williamsburg, Washington DC, and had a wonderful time. The kids got to ride the subway for the first time.

I got to see the new WWII memorial

and the Korean War memorial.

Those were absolutely awesome.

The kids also got to watch the changing of the guard at Arlington and then we went up to Fort Myers and saw the Caisson Barn.

Cassie got her picture taken with Sgt. York (he is the horse that carried President Reagan's empty boots during his funeral). She loved it.

We spent a day at Busch Gardens and a day at Water Country. Both were a lot of fun. There obviously aren't any pictures of us at the water park, but here is our family picture from Busch Gardens.

Well, that is the update for today. We had a great vacation and the kids can't wait to go back to DC. I can't wait to take them back to see the Capital and the White House.

Not Me Monday!!! (On Wednesday!!)

2009-06-03T22:20:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

As I can't remember what I did on Monday or Tuesday...I will let you know what I did not do Today...my Birthday...

I did not get up at 6:00 a.m. to tell my husband goodbye and then go right back to bed when he left leaving our children (who got up WAY too early) to watch TV while I tried to sleep a little longer.

I did not wait till the last minute to throw every swimsuit I own in the laundry so I would have a clean one to wear to the pool with Jeannette today.

I most certainly did not tell my children that the only thing I wanted from them today (as it was my Birthday) was for them to get along, not fight, and no WHINING!!!!

AND I DID NOT GO TO THE GYM AT 5:30 TO TAKE A FIGHT/AEROBICS CLASS WITH MY BFF and I am definitely not questioning that friendship right now as I am tired, sore, and feeling every one of my 33 years.

THANKS JEANNETTE!!!!! I OWE YOU ONE!!!!

Just wait...yours is coming!!!!!

Williamsburg Bound!!

2009-05-28T08:44:00.004-04:00

Cassie is ready to go! She has the dress and everything!!

Our family vacation this year is not the beach...instead we have decided to expose the kids to some historical "culture". They are very excited about going. I haven't been to Williamsburg since a 5th grade field trip.We are also going to go to DC for a day to let them see the monuments and hopefully the Smithsonian museums. They are especially excited about the Museum of Natural History since "Night at the Museum 2" is out.

I will hopefully update and submit pictures from vacation. We aren't leaving for another week so there won't be any Williamsburg update till then.
Have a great day!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!!

2009-05-26T06:30:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and remembered why we have it. Thank you to our troops who have fought to give us the right to have the freedoms we have.

Yesterday I spent the day with my mom shopping the sales at Belk and Express. Well, Express got to see us but didn't see any money from us. The deals at Belk were too GOOD to shop anywhere else. THANKS MOM!!!

The kids stayed with Don while mom and I were out. They played Wii, board games, put a jigsaw puzzle together, and Lord only knows what else. They always have fun when mom isn't around (or so I have been told). In fact I was asked when they get to go fishing and swimming at Dad's Lake house.

They haven't even been out of school for a full two days and they are in full summer mindset already!!!They are wanting to stay up late and get up whenever. Honestly, that suits me just fine....well the getting up whenever.

We have 10 days until we leave for Williamsburg, Va. I can't wait. Cassie has her colonial dress ready to wear. Jacob said he refused to wear the (oh what was the word?) girly clothing of that era. HA HA HA HA HA!!!

Well, for today Luke has returned to work. I suppose for a whole day...I guess we will see. He is still complaining of head pain. He understands and I do too that he is going to hurt, but he is ready to wake up and not have a headache. I am praying that it is just normal pain and that there isn't anything wrong. I have asked that he go get another CT scan, but (being male and being medically knowledged) he hasn't managed to make it to or ask to be taken to a facility that can do that. I ask about every 4-6 hrs or whenever he says his head hurts and he either says..."No, I am gonna hurt, but I am ready for it to stop" or "I don't know."

I give up. I guess he'll go when he feels like it. Well, that's it for this morning. I am going to read my Bible and do the study I started, eat breakfast, check out the Wii Active (I got as early birthday from Mom), and then get ready to go to the gym with Jeannette for Attack.

Everyone have a GREAT DAY!!!! Hope it's Sunny

Only by the Grace of God

2009-05-24T23:35:00.004-04:00

Needless to say my week last week was not one of the best. What most of you don't know is that after all the other crap that went on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Thursday added not only the whipped cream, but the cherry to my week.

At night, to avoid repeated interruptions in my sleep and my husbands sleep I set my phone to ring only. That way I am not hearing beep, beep, beep when emails, text messages, and whatever else is sent to my blackberry arrives. That being said I didn't change anything about my routine Wednesday night prior to closing my eyes. Why would I?...I had just hung up the phone with my hubby who was out of town and headed back the next morning. Well....at 7:30 my phone rang...it was Luke...
"Did you not get my text?"
Me: "No"
Luke:" I was in a wreck this morning"
Me (interrupting): "Are you hurt?"
Luke: "Yes..I am at Crisp Co. Hospital"
Me: " I am on my way"
Luke: OK

OK now the kids are still at home, I have not had a shower, and I am starting to scream at them to go to Ms. Keisha's house.

Ever lost your mind first thing in the morning? I did Thursday morning.

Well, I managed to get the kids out the door with lunches in hand, get a shower, call Mark (Luke's brother who used to work in South Georgia for FEMA), and get out the door in less than 30 minutes. New record for me!!!

I managed to get a cup of coffee and a muffin at Starbucks on Main Street too. And can you believe the guy at the counter...He asked if I wanted whipped cream....UH, YEAH!!! and Whole milk...Oh, and while your at it throw in an extra shot of Espresso...I have a LONG drive. Now, this may seem like an unnecessary stop to some of you, but I needed something to eat as I didn't get it on my way out the door and I thought the caffeine and sugar would help my nerves a little. No such luck.

Well, I managed to make it through rush hour traffic and head south to exit 102 (I live at 290 so that is like 188 miles, roughly 2.5-3 hrs with no traffic) I made it in the allotted time of no traffic. Yes, I did get stopped for speeding, but I think I have an out and the Supervisor of the officer that pulled me over is investigating the situation. (I will post on that tomorrow or Tuesday when I get my answer).

I arrived at Crisp Co. Hospital (no thanks to the officer that stopped me) to find my husband with a black eye, 8 stitches in the left side of his head, road rash on the left side of his face, shoulder, and blood everywhere. Talk about thankful. He looked bad, but he was alive, talking, and walking in his trauma room. The workman's comp/DOT compliance lady from his office arrived the same time I did, but that is another post too. I managed to get him settled, stitched some more (he had pulled a large piece of glass out of his cheek and that needed stitches too) 3 more to be exact on his left cheek. Ice packs applied to the face seemed to help with the pain. The hospital said that all of the x-rays, and CT scans were clear. They didn't see any broken bones, or a concussion.

We left the hospital grabbed a bite of lunch at Mickey D's and headed to see the vac truck and collect what we could of his personal belongings. When we arrived at the wrecker service to see the truck I almost lost my composure. The following is what I saw.

I don't know how my husband got out of that alive, but he did and I praise Jesus for it. Luke said that he had started to doubt that he was going to make it out as he was skidding across I-75 Northbound. I can't tell you how sobering it is to actually see the damage that is on that truck and to think that only 3 weeks ago I was in the passenger seat of that truck coming home from Houston.

Now to answer the BIGGER question you are asking....WHAT HAPPENED? Apparently, as Luke was coming up I-75 North around exit 82 there is a rest stop. A white Ford minivan was starting to come up the on ramp as Luke approached the on ramp. Luke was traveling approx 65 mph in the right hand lane and the minivan(traveling approx 30 mph) decided that they were going to just enter the interstate without using the acceleration lane. They just hung a left on the interstate in front of Luke. Luke said his first thought was OMG if I hit them they are dead and he made as smooth a transition as he could to the right to use the acceleration lane as his "out". Then the idiot driving the minivan, either 1) realized what they had done 2) was on the phone or 3) had a death wish, pulled back right and slammed on their brakes (right in front of Luke again). This caused Luke to have to make a HARD left hand swerve to miss hitting them for the second time. Luke was loaded with water from the EFR (don't know what this is) he was doing in Tifton, and weighed approx 60,000 lbs. The water due to the right hand turn and then the hard left hand turn surged, caused the back tires to blow out and the vac-truck to tip to the left thus causing the above picture.

The people in the minivan did NOT stop. They kept driving. If they only understood that by Luke's evasive maneuvers they are still alive.

Anyway, 2 other truck drivers stopped to help Luke and told him they had no idea how he managed not to hit/run over that minivan. (I know...it was by the Grace of God that he didn't kill those people or himself) They even stayed after the ambulance took Luke to the hospital to give their statements to GSP, local police, and motor vehicle compliance officers. Due to the generosity of those drivers my husband has no charges, no fault, and nothing on his record. Usually a roll over like this is faulted to the driver due to excessive speed, or careless driving. None of which Luke was doing. He was under the speed limit, under weight for the truck, and the only reason he had to move out of his lane of travel was the idiot in the minivan.

I did manage to get him home after the review of what happened and it has been a long weekend.

Luke is bruised but not broken, in pain but not dead. It will be several days/weeks before he is back to remotely normal and I don't think I'll ever sleep well again when he is out of town on a job.

For those of you who knew and prayed...Thank you

For those who didn't and just said a word of praise...Thank you.

It is a good reminder that God has met us in our deepest need....just as we need him the most. God is always with us....his timing is always perfect. It is amazing the calm that I felt when I heard Luke's voice on the phone on my way to him. God was saying to me that even though he is hurt...he is alive...even though I am not right there....HE is. Thank you Jesus for being the steady rock on which I can lean and stand. Thank you for giving me peace in times of turmoil.

My weakness is your strength. My faith is small, but your are GREAT!!! I can do all things ( can go through anything) through Christ who strengthens me.

Have a great Memorial Day!!!

How do you become a bigger person?

2009-05-20T08:57:00.002-04:00

I know I promised pictures and updates on our barn, but a situation brewing in my in-law family has me asking the title of this blog.

How am I supposed to be a bigger/better person? I am so angry right now and so sad at the same time. The pettiness of people is starting to rub off on me. I wished yesterday for someone to lose their job to teach them a lesson. What kind of person does that?

I asked my husband to keep equipment that we didn't pay for (it belongs to his brother) and use it for leverage to get keep something Matthew said we could have.

Luke is doing a great job of keeping a cool head and trying to figure out how to be a bigger person and I am not doing so well. I have absolutely lost my marbles on this one.

I am studying my Bible to try to figure out how to be a bigger person in the current situation, but not finding the right verse to calm my gut. I do remember my pastor saying this past Sunday that I shouldn't trust my heart cause it is evil and will deceive me. (Hopefully this applies to everyday life and not just choosing a life long mate).

My flesh is so weak right now and I want to be very UGLY!!! and trust me I can be UGLY. At times my ugliness is a lot more apparent than not, but I have also found it is the little things I do and say that cut deeper than the large things that are most obvious.

Yesterday Psalm 63:3 said "Because your steadfast love is greater than life, my lips will praise you"

I did a decent job of trying to praise God in the storm yesterday. Fell off the boat after dark last night, but I am trying to stay afloat today.

Proverbs 20:22 says "Do not say "I will repay evil"; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you"

Father God deliver me from this cause I don't know how to be a bigger and better person without you!!!

If you are reading this please pray for me and for my in-laws. There is a large canyon between everyone right now and I am not sure how the gap will be bridged on this one. It is going to take apologies and forgiveness from everyone involved and everyone (I mean everyone) is going to have to swallow a little crow on this.

Thanks

Hope to make a new post soon.

2009-05-14T07:11:00.002-04:00

Hello All!! I have been so busy with the end of school for me and now for the kids. I have lots of new photos to post with stories and information on our whole family. Jacob and Cassie are doing great in school and I am finished for the summer. I passed the spring semester and will be returning in the fall for the FINAL SEMESTER!!!! YEA!!

Can't wait. It has been nice to have time off though. My house is slowly getting in order and I am back in the gym and exercising again. It is good to see the scale going back down instead of up. I am still below my initial goal of 150, but closer to that goal than I would like to be. Oh Well, we can't all stay at the weight we want all the time.

I will hopefully post a longer post with pictures this afternoon.

How would I deal with this?

2009-03-25T10:40:00.004-04:00

As a mother I don't know how I would deal with a very sick child. The picture above shows a baby about 4 months old who was not expected to live one day outside his mother's womb...if he made it one extra day inside the womb. The very thing that almost took his life in utero is now threatening to take it now. I have been following a blog called My Charming Kids and this is the youngest child. You can check out all of the details on her blog. I have been praying for Stellan for 2 days every morning and every evening. I should probably say a little prayer every time I think of it or have just a second. The thought of losing one of my children absolutely breaks my heart and I don't know how in the world I would survive. The faith of this mother is amazing. I know that God is in control and I know that everything works to the Glory of the Father, but accepting that my child would not be here on earth with me would be a HUGE struggle.

I am asking those of you who check this regularly to say a prayer for Stellan and his mom Jennifer. Pray for healing and that his heart slows down. He is in a rhythm that is called SupraVentricular Tachycardia. Which means that his atria are beating about 260-280 times a minute. He has been like this since Saturday or Sunday. I know with my atrial fibrillation it causes pressure and some shortness of breath that is very uncomfortable and I am an adult. This is a 4 month old baby who can't really tell anyone what he is feeling. The medications they are giving him are big medications for such a little boy.

As I see updates on Stellan I will add them here. I hope all is well with everyone and hope you enjoy the couple days worth of rain we are getting.

Talk to you all later.

Update/Catch Up!

2009-03-25T00:41:00.001-04:00

Sorry that it has been so long since I have posted anything and I know that I am WAY behind on posting some pictures of everything that is going on here in our house. Here are some updates for ya though. The farm and horses are doing great. We have sprayed our hay fields with weed killer in preparation for fertilizer and growing. Luke says that we should be cutting in like 3 weeks. I really hope it is more like 4 or 5 weeks, but I think that is up to the Master Grower and the rain he sends. Pilgrim and I are still working together on finding our actual rhythm together. Hopefully we find it soon. I would love to be able to ride him whenever I want. I have been riding a lot recently though. Not my horses, but my friend Beverly's horses. She has a young mare named Tinkerbell and since she is a little unpredictable I have been riding one of her other horses out on trails just to be an extra person around. As with all young horses she just needs seat time and I am glad to help. I love to ride. I don't care whose horse it is.

The gym thing is really working great.~~~In case I didn't mention it before...I joined a gym about a month ago~~~I am there 5 days a week taking a class or doing cardio stuff. I am excited about going and am LOVING it!!!

School is going well too. Tonight was my last OB clinical. I really had a great time. I made fun of it for a while, but I really enjoyed myself tonight. My patient was fairly easy to deal with. I hope she took some of the teaching I did to heart and will make some changes in her life for the better of her baby girl. We will see...Maybe...Well it is late and I am tired. I will try to update as soon as possible.

Just a Quickie

2009-02-26T11:43:00.003-05:00

For those of you who are checking in fairly regularly to see if I have updated I have, but this is a request of sorts. We are supposed to celebrate Jacob's birthday this Saturday with our family and a few friends. The weather is not supposed to cooperate for this. I am asking that you pray that it does. He has asked for this for several years and this is the first year I have caved and allowed him to have a party at the farm. He wants to be able to ride horses with his new saddle and to play with everyone. If it does rain we are going to go to McDonald's in Calhoun, but it won't have the effect for him. I believe that if we pray God will bless us with a break in the rain. I am asking God for no rain Saturday and that it dries out a little bit from the rain on Friday. Thank you for your help and your prayers.

New Car

2009-02-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

It has been a little while since I posted and there is much to tell, but the BIG thing for today is.....I bought a new car. I no longer am driving a minivan. I loved my minivan because I was able to transport everyone and their brother where ever they needed to go, but with all of my travels to Chattanooga for school and the farm for the horses we made the decision to downsize a little. At least get a vehicle with better gas mileage.

I got a 2008 Ford Edge. I will take a picture when it is light outside and post it. I was up at 5 this morning and haven't really stopped since then. In fact, as soon as I am done posting here I am going to shut this thing down and go watch a little TV. Then I am going to bed.

Tomorrow is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. I have a class at the gym for butt, thighs, and abs. Haven't done that before so I will let you know how that goes. Bikini Isle here I come. (I HOPE) HA HA HA HA HA. I also have school tomorrow evening and I have to meet a couple different people in Chattanooga either before class or during dinner time. Man how time flies when you are having fun. WOOHOO!!!

Well I hope all is well with everyone.

Sniffle, Sniffle, Cough, Cough, AAAACCCHHHOOOO

2009-02-14T01:25:00.003-05:00

Obviously if you happen to see the time on this you know that I am up in the wee hours of Saturday morning. For some reason I cannot sleep and here I am blogging to you.

The kids are on winter break until Tuesday when they return to school. I took them to the Tellus Planetarium and Weinman Mineral museum today. It was really cool. We got to see a show in the planetarium about all the different planets in the solar system. Now I get to explain to my kids how the "creation" theory that they used there was WRONG!!! I had to laugh a couple times during the show when the "ding dong" narrator kept saying that our sun "a relatively small star" was formed from clouds of dust particles...that it just formed on its own and appeared. HA HA HA HA And how new stars are formed from clouds of space dust and ice. People really believe that too... Well I believe in the Big Bang Theory...GOD SPOKE AND BANG THERE IT WAS. The mineral museum was really cool. We saw lots of quartz and some gold. There were several other things that were absolutely beautiful (but I can't remember the names of them). I also saw a periodic table and had cold chills down my spine. If you took science any time in high school you remember having to memorize that thing. Man...what a nightmare. Then we saw "Science in Motion". It had several replicas of old modes of transportation. The kids got to stand in an astronaut suit. I got pictures, but as usual I don't have my camera with me right now as I post. It will be up soon though. We panned for minerals and dug for fossils and then we played in the backyard (that was indoors). There was some type of magnet exhibit, an electrical current exhibit, a thing on sounds, and WOW so many things that I can't remember them all. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back.

We start our very busy Saturday in a few hours and I can't wait to go see my four legged baby. I have missed him. Maybe I will get something accomplished with him tomorrow. As it stands...I am starting to get sick. I am sneezing, my nose is running, and every now and then I cough. Sounds almost like a cold, but I think it is my allergies. It is only February...is stuff pollinating all ready???

Randomness

2009-02-12T16:56:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I posted anything. I don't really have anything specific to share with you, but I do have time to just share different things that are going on in our lives. I will start with Jacob and Cassie since most of you reading this always ask about them first.

Let's see:

The kids, Jacob and Cassie, are very busy these days. They are in school Monday thru Friday (of course) and are loving it. There are days that I hear..."Do I have to do today?", but who as a parent hasn't hear this or as a child said it? It is quite funny to hear it come out of their mouths followed by the grunt and whine when I say "Yes and Get out of bed." Tuesday's they take tumbling at DevilRays (which is a cheerleading gym here in Cartersville). This was their choice over Baseball and Softball this spring. I actually am excited about it because it is only one hour a week as opposed to 3-4 days a week with an hour or more of practice.

Is it bad that I am thinking of my schedule and time?

Anyway, they are learning so much. In a matter of three weeks they have learned how to almost do a complete backbend. They can walk backwards down the wall with their hands. Gotta love the handprints. I am sure I will treasure them later. We have managed to get a handle on keeping their rooms clean for more than 12 hours. Hopefully we can manage that for a week. Not quite there yet, but getting there. As far as our horses and the kids....Well, Jacob is riding by himself on Joy. He is doing a great job. He took a spill off of her a couple weeks ago, but got right back on. I am so proud of him. Cassie is....well...not quite there yet. She rides with me on Lady and will ride Pilgrim as long as I am leading and I have ridden him for at least an hour first so he is tired. HA HA HA. She will get more comfortable with it soon.

Jacob turns 9 next week. My baby has almost hit double digits. BOO HOO!! Actually, it is great. I am excited that they are getting big enough that we can do bigger things together. In fact, the kids started winter break today and we are going to the planetarium here in town tomorrow. I think they are going to LOVE IT!!! Luke and I went a couple weeks ago for a Leadership summit with our church. It was AWESOME!!! You sit in these chairs that recline and they turn off the lights and start showing you the stars, constellations, and planets. It was really cool when Luke and I were there because the band from church was set up and we listened to praise songs and choruses. It was neat to see all of God's creations and listen to praise and worship songs while looking at them. It was inspiring and really peaceful.

Honestly, as far as the kids go that is about it. They are growing like weeds and are definitely showing their....dare I say...independent personalities. They love each other, but they do tend to square off quite a bit. It is amusing to see them conflict with each other.

Luke is staying really busy with Pangean. He has been out of town for 5 weeks in a row. He comes home for the weekends and is then gone Monday thru Thursday or Tuesday thru Thursday or Friday. It really stinks. I am trying to adjust, but I hate it when he is gone. I have really gotten used to him being home. I don't sleep as well when he isn't here. He seems to be liking what he is doing and he is really good at it. He is heavily relied upon by his boss and therefore he is called upon to do almost EVERYTHING. I am proud that he is an asset to his company, especially since the economy is steadily declining.

Luke has made plans to build a barn for the horses (and me). He has managed to find a way to have logs cut by his brother transformed into siding for the barn for 1/3 of the cost of purchasing it outright. I found a way to get telephone/power poles for free and Luke is going to make the stall fronts for the 7 stalls we are putting in it. The measurements, if I remember correctly, are going to be 34 feet wide by 60 feet long. I can't wait. I have wanted a barn of my own for sooooo long. We have really started putting our heart and soul into this farm/horse thing. It is important to us. We both love it. The kids love it too. I guess that is about all for Luke...Oh, wait, he has FINALLY ordered the parts to fix our tractor. It has been "in pieces" for about 3-4 months now. Matthew (Luke's brother) forgot to put oil in it and ran it. For those of you who know...that is a BAD thing. Well, it cost us a crank shaft (which is what makes the engine go). Gotta love it!!! I have actually tried to keep a positive outlook on this. Which is a lot for me to do. I could easily be a little UGLY about the whole thing.

Mentioning me....well, I am still in nursing school. I have a B average so far or at least I finished my last two semesters with a B as a final grade. I have managed to figure out that I don't want to work on a Medical-Surgical/general sickness floor as a job. As we have progressed so far I like the cardiac stuff, but I LOVE NICU. Which in a way doesn't make any sense to me. I love kids and NICU is full of very sick babies. Some of which die and that is sad. But I have had the opportunity to spend some hours in NICU for clinical and I really like it. I have also spent hours in Labor and Delivery. That was really cool too. Just the process of labor and delivery is a miracle in itself. I love watching the miracle of birth and helping mom's through it. I even stayed an extra hour and a half to help a mom deliver last week at clinical. Made for a really late night/morning since I didn't get home till 2 a.m. and Tuesday was....well....long to say the least. We aren't done with all of the different areas yet, but I know Psych isn't my thing. I am crazy enough without hanging out with psychologically challenged patients all day long. HA HA HA I just hope they don't want to keep me when we have clinical there. HA HA HA

My heart is doing OK these days. I haven't had any recurrences since last Wednesday (2/4/09). I am in the process of wearing an event monitor all day for 2 weeks. YEA!!! If I feel like I am in a-fib then I push a button and it is supposed to record the event along with a minute before and a minute after. We will see what the doc says when I am done. I have sent in a couple recordings due to a high heart rate and a weird feeling of sorts. It is hard to describe what the feeling is at times.

I am loving my horse and the farm more and more every time we are there. It is relaxing to me to be there. Pilgrim and I have hit new milestones and are working well together. We have some ground to recover and review, but I think we will get there soon.

Well, I think that is enough rambling for now. I hope you all have a great day and I hope to post pictures from this upcoming weekend later. Obviously, I don't have any taken yet. We will be at the farm and there will be good pictures to be taken.

Fireproof

2009-01-29T21:24:00.002-05:00

Well I finally rented and watched Fireproof tonight. WOW!!! is all I can say. With the struggles I have been going through over the past few months this really hit home. I learned something about myself and what I need to do in my marriage and my life. Those of you who know me should know that I am a firm believer in Christ. I don't always set the best example, but I do try. There are times that I get so tired of trying to be the bigger person and trying to be the one who always has to fight for what I want. I am tired of fighting for things. I have now been reminded that I don't have to fight alone. As long as I follow the motto of firefighters all over "Never leave your partner behind!!!" anything is possible. I have, at times, left my partner behind, but in the most recent times I have not and I can tell you that has been a blessing to me and to see the change that has happened. The credit isn't mine though...it belongs to Christ and Christ alone. I also thank our church "Oak Leaf Church" for being a church that appeals to those who have been wounded either by another church or by family. For showing that there is a place that you won't be judged for anything. A place where you can come as you are. A place where the only "agenda" is to get you from where you are to where God wants you to be. I can tell you, from first hand experience, that this church that started a little over 2 years ago in a movie theater with 25 people and is now having to run 4 services to accommodate the 1200 people coming every Sunday is an absolute God sent miracle to my family's life and to the city of Cartersville. I will learn to Fireproof my marriage and I will fight for what is mine. I have some things that I need to take care of in that matter and with that I leave you and say if you haven't seen the movie...you should. God Bless and I will update soon.

P.S. Please pray for me as Monday I start clinical rotations in Labor and Delivery. I am excited and cannot wait. Giving birth to a baby is another miracle of God. I pray for all healthy mom's and babies and if not then I pray for the strength and compassion to help patient's through it.

Update

2009-01-27T22:40:00.003-05:00

Some of you who either know me or read my blog have heard me mention my friend Ashley who adopted a little girl from India. They arrived home today with her from India. They have been there since the 18th. Everything seems to have gone well. It was absolutely awesome to see them ride up the elevator from the tram and have this little girl with them. She was absolutely precious. I am going to include a picture for you at the end of the new Ware family.

Just a little history for those of you who don't know. Ashley and I have been friends since I was in the 7th grade. That is approximately 20 years. She graduated a year ahead of me from High School. She moved to Georgia and I followed suit not too much after she did. I didn't move to Lawrenceville or to Jefferson, but at least I got us in the same state again. Ashley has 2 children (prior to the new addition) that are one year behind Cassie in age. Mason is 7 as of the 29th and Mallory is 6 as of the 16th.

I forgot how much our children like to play together until today at the airport. The girls were amazing and just started talking. They shared pizza and just loved on each other. The boys...well they were boys and preceded to run around and complain about how long they were having to wait on the "Guests of Honor". It was really funny.

Well, I am excited to say that Maddie Ambika Ware is FINALLY home and appears to be in good spirits. She is beautiful. I think she was overwhelmed at the number of people there to see her come home, but she really just sort of fell in to rhythm with all of the little girls that were there. The highlight was while waiting for baggage the girls took my phone and looked up Hannah Montana on Sprint TV and started watching. It was funny to see about 6 little girls crowded around a small little phone trying to see and/or listen.

Ashley...if you are reading this...know I love you and I am so happy for you and your family.

I made a mistake!

2009-01-24T22:23:00.001-05:00

If this posts correctly then I am on my way home from the farm. We had a great day! We managed to clean up more of the barn that we tore down last weekend. We had placed most of it on a burn pile and we burned it with a ton of old brush. Well, in the process of burning the kids were playing near the creek and of couse I (as a good mother) had said "DO NOT GET IN THE WATER!!!" And what did my daughter do? She "slipped" into the water, tried to hide it by zipping up her jacket because she was wet from middle of belly to toes. Well we marched to the house, stripped, and got a dry shirt on till her clothed could be washed and dried. Well since there is nothing sweet at the farm I decided to make a Chocolate pound cake. Nice and easy and not to toot my own horn, but I am a pretty darn good cook. Anyway, I started out great and it looked great. Well the recipe called for 1/2 cup of cocoa. There was this container on the table that had a "chocolate" substance in it. I smelled it and it smelled chocolatey, must be the cocoa that was used last weekend to make same recipe!!! Right? Wrong. The substance on the table was homemade Hot chocolate mix. I had made a Hot Chocolate pound cake. Ha ha ha laugh with me!!! Obviously my brain is already fried from 2 nights of school. For those of you asking the cake was actually pretty good. Luke and the kids really liked it. I don't make cooking mistakes often, but this one has to top all of the others.

Hope you enjoyed my mistake. I can assure you it won't happen again unless requested!!!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

How cold does it have to be....

2009-01-18T16:42:00.002-05:00

I will have to say that the past 2 days have been the coldest I have experienced in a long time. Friday was bad, but let me tell you Saturday was...well...miserable. We, and when I say that I mean Luke and I, have started a LARGE project at the farm. It was decided about 2 weekends ago that a barn on the property that was literally falling down should be torn down and removed. Great idea....unless you are the one doing the work. We have moved junk out of the rubble, taken off old siding and saved what we could for another project, made a trailer load of metal to be recycled, and burned old hay. That was just the first two weekends we worked on this "project". This past weekend we had a bobcat and a mini-excavator to help with this. It was SO COLD and honestly I wasn't in the best frame of attitude to work on this this weekend. I found other things to do inside the house as I watched my kids and husband tear down the barn. In all honesty...what was I going to do with heavy equipment. I don't know how to operate those things and I would be willing to learn if it didn't require hypothermia to do it. The wind was bitter and it started snowing mid-afternoon. Didn't last long because, of course, this is Georgia and we never see snow...not on the ground anyway. Then it changed to windy, cold, and rainy. Typical for this time of year. Cold, but not cold enough to make snow. YUCK!!! Well, after I had run out of things to do at the house I had to finally go out to see if I could do something. Well, I got to go get diesel fuel for the equipment. YEA!!FUN!! Then I got to sit in the truck and watch. I was trying to be supportive in this endeavor. Finally, I was told that we were going to take the wood that was left from the barn and place it on a pile to be burned. So I HAD to start helping. Man was it cold. In case you can't tell at this point, I hate cold weather. I don't mind some cold, but the past few days have been literal misery for me. Anyway, it took 3 full 16 foot flatbed trailer loads to remove all of the wood that was left from destruction. Talk about a lot of wood. And none of it was good to use for anything else. The property looks WAY better and our "project" is about 1/3 done. This project actually still involves siding one side a now small storage room that was left from the barn. It was the only part that was worth saving. Then siding/closing in Glory's stand alone stall and building and closing in a stand alone stall for Pilgrim and Thunder. Eventually, we will either have a barn for the mares or they will have a stand alone too. Which ever we can get first. I am so tired today. This weekend has not been restful at all and all 4 of us are walking around like zombies. The one good thing that happened was that I did learn how to operate the pieces of equipment that we had at the farm. I have a general knowledge of how to dig holes with a mini-x and how to work a bobcat. Not sure when that information will come in handy again, but at least I have it. Knowledge is power so I have been told.

For those of you who are reading this please say a prayer for my friend Ashley and her husband Keith. They are leaving tonight for Bangladore, India to pick up the newest member of their family. They have adopted a little girl named Ambika and have finally gotten clearance to bring her home. They will return on January 27. I can't wait to meet her and see them home. I have been talking with Ashley for over 5 years now about adoption, since I am adopted, and we have gone over lots of aspects from an adoptee's point of view. I have always said that they should just include that information from the beginning. It was never something that I remember was a shock to me. It was just something that was and nobody made a big deal about. I was never upset about it and it wasn't a secret. Ambika is a very special little girl and I can't wait to meet her. Prayers for safe travel and a smooth transition for Ambika. I know coming to America is a great thing for her, but it will be hard since she has been in an orphanage for almost a year now. Her story can be found here at Our Indian Angel. It is an amazing story of love and God's timing. I hope you all have a great week.

Wow! I made another post!!

2009-01-13T08:11:00.003-05:00

I am so proud of myself. I made another post. Not in a row with the other, but it is an update of sorts. HA HA HA.

The kids have started back to school and as of yesterday my life has resumed a normal schedule...well sort of...my school starts tomorrow. I guess that will be the offical start to what we call normal around our house. School for the kids is going well and my house is getting back into order from the 2 1/2 weeks the kids were off. It was nice to have them home, but man it rained EVERY day that they were out of school. OK so maybe not everyday, but enough that they couldn't go out and play any day that they were off for Christmas break. Talk about really cruddy. We had a great time during break seeing family, welcoming a new member who you can see here at our new adventure. He is the cutest. We also spent lots of time at the farm with the horses. Luke and I have made the decision to really try to make the horse thing work for our family. The kids are really involved with it now and they are doing GREAT with their skills. Jacob has started riding on his own...or let me rephrase...he is now riding his horse Joy without any help from an adult. Luke used to have a lead rope connected to Joy's bridle and he would help Jacob with control. That no longer happens. Jacob now is able to control the horse on his own. We stay right with him of course...he doesn't have free reign to go anywhere he pleases. He isn't quite ready for that, but he is doing a great job. Cassie is still learning and getting her "seat" about her. She likes to ride with me on Lady and she rides Glory in the paddock on her own, but we don't have a horse that she can control on her own...yet. That is a work in progress. I think Lady will do really well with her, but I and going to have to ride her more than once a week or once every other week. Then again...it has to stop raining long enough that we aren't sopping through the mud too. Pilgram is progressing nicely. He and I are working on getting on the same page with each other. Riding him is nice, but getting a saddle on him is still an issue. I am trying to learn when to be "his friend" and when to be "his boss". Luke says it is all in my tone of voice. For those of you who know me...this should not be a problem, but apparently what horses hear and what we hear must be different. I thought I had an authoratative tone with him this past weekend, but it took a lot longer and a lot louder tone than I thought I would need. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't take him peppermint treats. HMMMMMM Maybe I can try that.

Bribery works right?

Well, I guess we will see...let you know after this next weekend. We have to finish tearing down the largest section of the old barn on the property and close off the section that is left. It is going to be COLD so I hear this Saturday. Pray that I don't freeze to death. I am hoping that all the work Luke has planned will keep me busy enough to stay remotely warm. I will make sure I have my camera so that I can show you what we have done. I know I have been promising pictures for a while, but I keep forgetting to move my camera from one purse to another. Well...I have to go exercise to keep the weight off and to keep losing so I will update as soon as I have new information for you.

Just another day at the farm

2009-01-03T19:49:00.002-05:00

OK so I missed a day blogging. Sorry...I am trying real hard to keep up on this for now. School starts back on the 14th so I might be a little slower with posting at that point. Well, we spent another day at the farm working on things. It was foggy, rainy, and cold...I swear it was like we lived in England. Anyway...the kids and their cousins played for most of the morning and then made Gingerbread Men with their grandmother. This was a makeup date since I was in the hospital the last planned date. They had a blast! Luke and I worked on disassembling (sp?) the old barn that sits on the property. It has been falling down for years now and no one has had the intestinal fortitude to start to take it down. We are hoping to save a lot of the wood off of it to use on our barn to be built after we get tax money back. Over the past few weeks I have really been indoctrinated into what owning a farm with 7 horses on it is all about. I honestly hurt in places that I didn't think I studied in anatomy and physiology. It is a good workout though. I don't need to join a gym for weight training or for cardio when I start riding my horse or breaking the 2-3 we have left to break/train.

We have been working with the stud colt "Thunder" and with my gelding "Pilgram". Actually Thunder has been a work in progess due to his leg injury (but that is another blog story). Pilgram is a BIG learning task for me and for him. I have never trained or broken a horse before. We have gone from him being skiddish of any human contact to me actually being able to ride him (with Luke's help of course). Like I said he is a work in progress. I love him though. He is a really lovey horse. He loves me a lot too and I am not just saying that. We have worked on this relationship for a long time. He actually became mine 2 years ago, but I have tried to love on him since he was born. Origianlly he was my brother in law's (Matthew)but when he got married in 2006 he became mine. I was so excited. It took the rest of that year and then some for him to become the sweetie he is now though.

I used to spend hours studying in a chair next to his pasture so that he would come and stand by me. I gave him horse treats and started buying him grain to have on a daily basis. He is now my "baby"!! Well, to continue with all of this horse talk...we have decided that starting the first of May we are going to start showing our Morgan horses!! Luke wants to try to make some money from them by breeding and selling the foals and the only way to do that is to show your face and to do that you have to go to shows and place. We have beautiful animals and they have great bloodlines. Now all we have to do is work them into well behaved all the time horses. That is a feat in itself. They definitely have a mind of their own and it isn't always on the same wavelength as ours as to what they need to do.

Like I said I will try to keep this up as much as possible and I will put pictures as soon as I remember to get my camera out of my purse. HA HA HA

I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and that 2009 blesses you all.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T22:27:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Day!!! The kids, Luke, and I spent the day at the farm. We had a great day!! We rode horses, cleaned tack, and just spent family time together. It was great!! We are going to repeat it tomorrow and Saturday! I am loving spending so much time at the farm with my horses. Hopefully there will be pictures coming soon. It is hard for me to take pictures when I am on the horse so as soon as I figure out how to make that happen you will have them!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

End of 2008 and HELLO 2009

2008-12-31T13:55:00.002-05:00

Well another year has come and gone. It has been a really busy year here at the Gibson house. Luke started a new job the last part of April, I started my transition program in May. The transition program, if you all remember, had me and the kids in Chattanooga from Monday night to Friday mornings. We survived. Then school started for the kids in August and for me in the actual nursing program. I was Chattanooga bound 2 nights a week (Monday and Wednesday) and sometimes 3 nights a week if we had a test. WOO HOO!!! Well I finished my semester the first week of December and made a "B" and the kids had school until the 19th of December. We had parties, teachers gifts, and horses to feed. Yes horses to feed. As you all know we have 6 horses on 56 acres in LaFayette, Ga. My mother in law usually takes care of giving them grain and hay, but for a week she was unable to do so. That week also happened to be a week that our youngest needed a leg doctored. Well , those tasks fell to me the last week of school for the kids. Like I didn't have enough to do. Well apparently my body didn't like the fact that I was soooooo busy because on Friday night (the 19th) my heart had an electrical issue and decided to beat somewhere between 185-210 beats per minute in rhythm called atrial fibrillation. Well that caused my husband to take me to the hospital and there I sat for the next 20 hours or so. LOVED IT!!!!

Well I am fine and I have to follow up with an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of your heart) and a cardiologist. Again, like I have time for that. But I do have great friends who will make sure that I do what I am supposed to and follow directions to the best of my ability.

Christmas as GREAT!! The kids got most everything they asked for and I got more than I asked for. We were busy, but it was great to see most of my family.

On the 29th I became an aunt again. My brother and his wife had their first baby at 8:24 p.m. Eli James McCarter was born and weighed 8 pounds even and was 20 inches long. I wasn't able to be at the hospital as they live about 4 hrs away and the kids aren't allowed to go to the room unless they are over 12. I have seen pictures of him and he is the cutest thing ever. As soon as I can figure out how to get the pictures from my phone to the blog I will post. They should be going home today and hopefully I will be seeing them the first of next week.

2009 brings BIG things for our family and our plans. I will be updating a lot more frequently as I want to keep you aprised of what we are doing. There are going to be great things from us this year I hope. I still have school and the kids do too, and of course Luke has work, but our family life is going to center around the horses a lot. The kids are getting better every weekend with their riding and now they have helmets (mom is very happy) and they have lariats (ropes with lassos used for roping).

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!!

Finally Finals

2008-12-09T13:00:00.004-05:00

Hi All!! I have finally joined the blog world again...or at least there should be regular updates for the next 6 weeks. I have finished finals and am officially moving on to next semester. There have been so many things going on this semester I am just glad that it is OVER!!! I have been spending my weeks studying and not cleaning so my house looks like....well there aren't words for how NASTY my house is right now. I don't even think I could pay someone to clean it up. The kids are excited because it means that they will finally have socks in their drawers instead of me fishing them out of a basket every morning. Well...at least they are clean...right? Anyway I will be spending the next couple days cleaning/picking up and doing/catching up on laundry. Last weekend we went and took pictures for our Christmas card. Below are some of the pictures and hopefully a video of my crazy husband. Hope you like the pictures.

Another Update--Go me!!

2008-11-24T10:35:00.002-05:00

Hello All...it is me again and I have another update for you. It is kind of lengthy, but there is a lot of humor.

This weekend was very eventful for our family. Staring with Friday night. Well Friday night I was able to find some medicine for Jacob's hamster Baby. She had gotten sick Wednesday. I think it was a cold, but I am definitely not a vet for little critters. Anyway, we gave her the medicine and left her in the small bathroom to stay warm (in her cage). Saturday morning we got up and went to the farm to hang out for a while. We had a GREAT time. We got Thunder out to handle him because that is what you are supposed to do with a colt. I am told the more you put hands on them the better they are when they are older. So...into the round pin we went with Luke. He wasn't on the same page as us though as he thought playing tag was fun (he was the taggee and Luke the tagger). That was really funny for a little while. Well, being the "cowboy" of the family Luke got a lariat (a rope with a lasso on the end) to "catch" Thunder and allow us to put a halter on him and let him get used to being walked around. Well, in the manner of a stallion (stud) colt he acted like an idiot and managed to cut his leg and I mean bad. So fun was over for the time being and medical attention started. Remember now that this colt has still not been caught. We still have to catch him and manage to now banage his wound. Thank goodness I had decided to buy treats when we stopped for propane. Horses apparently like peppermints and I learned today that they can have actual peppermints from the store. HALLELUJAH!!! Less money for those and it is Christmas. Looks like all of our babies are getting candy canes for Christmas. Back to the ding dong colt...Well we did catch him and manage to banage his leg. It took 3 of us and a stall to do it though. Thank goodness he had been vaccinated in the spring for tetnus. No vet needed. Another big HALLELUJAH!!

Well after that fiasco Luke told me to go catch my horse, Pilgram! I got him into the pin and managed to get him caught. We hung out for a while and I talked to him. He loved on me and I on him. I love that horse. He is absolutely the sweetest thing. So Luke comes out to the pin to inform me that we will start breaking my horse and he won't be doing the riding...I will.... HA HA HA HA HA I laughed at him. I consider myself a good rider, but breaking a horse is something that I have never done, didn't think I would ever do, didn't really have a desire to do. How wrong I was. Luke was right...he wasn't riding, I was. We got to the middle of the ring and got set. Luke started to give me a leg up on the horse (no saddle, no bridle, just shipping halter and bareback). Needless to say Pilgram wasn't real wild about it and moved. Try #2 wasn't successful either. So you know the saying...third time is a charm. Well apparently Pilgram hasn't heard that one. Third time wasn't any better than the first 2. Luke decided that it would work better if Pilgram layed down. Rodeo move 1. He loops a lead rope around his front foot and around his neck pulling it up and causing him to lay down (it wasn't as easy as that, but that is it in a nutshell). Luke then tells me to come and talk to Pilgram and pet him..I do so..and then he says get on him and he will stand him up. HA HA HA...Well I did it because he said it would be OK. We stood up and he did GREAT!!! I loved it. We rode for about 20 minutes and I was in hog heaven. He did so good. I think he was happy too. Thanks to my hubby for making that happen.

We left and came home Saturday evening. Baby seemed to be getting better so I gave her another dose of the medication. If she had an infection she needed it for probably 3-5 days...right? Well, apparently not for hamsters...Baby got worse throughout the night and died around 11:15 or 11:30 on Saturday night. I buried her. Jacob knew before he went to bed that there was the possibility that she would die before he got up. Luke and I had also told him that if she did die we would let him go get another one. I guess that makes me mom of the year for him.

Sunday morning, we got up and went to early service for the 4th week in a row (that makes me so excited). The kids get there and literally run to Sunday School. I have never seen them that excited to go anywhere. Well when we returned home from church I had missed a call from my mom-in-law. Go figure I leave my phone at home and chaos ensues. The bandage on the wound was too tight and Thunder couldn't put any weight on his leg. We had to change clothes in less than 5 minutes and back out the door. We got to the farm in record time. We managed to wash the wound and rebandage the thing and restall the colt. Then I got to ride again. I thought it was going to be a repeat of the day before. Not so. Pilgram was easier to catch than the day before and he seemed a little more lovey. Well...he should have been...he must have had a plan and worked on it all night long for when I returned. We managed to mount without laying down and we did have a bridle with a bit this time. He did manage to at some point, because this is new to him, to break part of the headstall and then manage to jerk away from Luke. Yea...I am now running toward a fence with no control what so ever. I have mane in hand with half the reins. I was not the most optimistic at this point. Well he did manage to slow down and hang a hard left at the fence line...I almost stayed on...but regrettably I did not. I hit the ground. The good news is that I am not hurt..the horse stopped and backed up so that was good. I did get back on for about 15 minutes and then I was done.
I had a good time minus the falling off part. I have figured out that hitting the ground isn't so bad, but the falling part (the air in the middle) is just the worst part. I will repeat the whole riding thing later this week and will update then, but for now that was my weekend. Have a great day

Finally!!!!

2008-11-22T18:48:00.002-05:00

Well it has been 12 days since I posted last. Sorry!!! My life to date has been so busy I don't know which way is up anymore. To catch up....the diet I started on Halloween....I have lost 14 pounds now. I am so excited. I am walking almost everyday and I am really following what the diet (Food) is.

Nursing school is still hard, but clinicals are over. I have one more care plan to submit by Monday. I have a paper due Saturday the 29th, a test on December the 4th and the final on December the 8th. So if you don't hear from me it is because I am covered up in books and papers.

The reason I titled the entry today Finally is because we went to the farm today and I got to actually get on my horse Pilgram. For those of you who don't know, I sort of inherited this horse. My husband's family has always had horses and when I got married I got my dream....HORSES!!!...I love them and everything to do with them. Oh yeah, back to my day today and how I got this horse....About 3 1/2 to 4 years ago my brother-in-law's mare Rosie had a colt and he was named Pilgram. Well, not too long after Pilgram was born Rosie got sick and died. Matthew lost interest in the colt and he became sort of an orphan. I loved him. He was, to me, just a baby and needed love. I continued to spend time with him and love him and just try to put hands on him. It was hard because he was skiddish and just all around weary of people. Well it came time that he really needed to be fed more than just hay. When I started noticing that he wasn't being fed I questioned my mother-in-law and she said that Matthew wasn't going to feed him grain because he didn't have an interest in the colt and honestly he could just care less. I think one reason was because he had found his current wife and he was just love smitten. Anyway, they got married in May 2007 and when they did Luke (my husband) spoke with Matthew asked him about the colt and then I had papers that said he was mine.

I was so excited. He was too young at that point for me to ride. All I could do was put a halter on him, get him used to a lead rope, and maybe used to one of the kids on his back (with the help of Luke of course). I have never broken a horse before, but that is Luke's thing. He is so good at it.

Well..Now he is old enough for me to get on and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. It wasn't a long time that I rode and getting up on his back was a little tricky, but we did it and I rode for about 20 minutes...bareback...with Luke holding the halter and lead. For me to get on took a little time. We tried just holding him in the paddock and Luke giving me a leg up, but Pilgram was not real interested in that so after a couple tries Luke made him lay on the ground and I was able to get on and then let him get up. It worked pretty well and I think it sort of put him in his place. Well, we walked around a little and then I got off. We then tried again and were able to get on with him standing up in the paddock. I was so proud.

I have waited 1 1/2 years to get on my Baby and now I have FINALLY done it. Luke told me on the way home that we would go back Thursday morning before we go to mom's for Thanksgiving Lunch and then again on Saturday. The more I get on him the easier it will be for both of us.

This is the best and I am so excited that I have started riding and working with my horse.

Hope you all have a great night.

Updates

2008-11-10T12:32:00.002-05:00

Yes finally an update from me. Well, things are going well with me and my family. Nursing school is hard, but I am passing. The kids are finally finished with football and cheer. They had a great season and have made some great friends in the process. Luke is working hard at Pangean and is being given more responsibilities (I guess that is a good thing, but he is out of town for the week). We spent last Friday and Satuday in Savannah with the Johnson/Flanders family for a reunion. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone. I miss all of them. My cousin Lauren is pregnant and due in April. Her little boy John Patrick is absolutely the cutest thing I have ever seen. I have pictures, but I don't have time to upload them right now. I will hopefully by the weekend. My Aunt Margie turned 80 and Uncle John turns 90 this year. WOW!! And they look GREAT. I hope at their age I look that good.

Well, sorry to be so short and sweet, but I have a clinical at Parkridge tonight and I have to go get ready. So Adios Amigos.

P.S. I started a diet on Halloween (yes, I know a really bad day to start) and I have lost 9 pounds to date. I am working on a bikini for summer !!!! YEAH ME!!

One McMuffin coming up with Prayer!!!

2008-10-28T16:39:00.002-04:00

I don't have a lot of time usually to catch up on blog reading right now, but I have been keeping tabs on one. If you look at my blog follow list there is one called My Charming Kids. You can click on the name to go there. The lady writing this blog is due to have a baby boy named Stellan tomorrow morning at 9:30 and there were some complications during the pregnancy with the baby. She and her family have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby Stellan. They have asked for prayer for their family for the the next 24 hours for the healthy delivery of the baby. I will be praying for her and her family and I hope you will join me.

Jacob at the School Board

2008-10-24T20:43:00.004-04:00

Jacob had the chance to speak with a group of students in front of the Bartow County School Board this past week. We were able to video it from our phones and here it is. I am so very proud that my son was one of 7 chosen from his school to do this. I think it was a great honor for him. He was John Walsh from America's Most Wanted. We tried to make him look the part. I hope you enjoy watching it.

P.S. you will have to go to the bottom and pause the music so you can hear the kids. THANKS

Welcome Nibbles

2008-09-29T09:52:00.003-04:00

Ok, I don't usually post more than once a day, but since I have been out of touch I felt I could. HA HA

We have a new family member in our house and there is a little back story with this.

Cassidy had a teacher last year that introduced her class to all kinds of critters. They had rats (yes rats..you can buy them at PetSmart), a bearded dragon, a snake, and I can't remember what else in the room last year. She absolutely loved playing with all of these critters. For those of you who know me I am not a critter person. I like big dogs, big horses, and babies that I can return to parents (HA HA HA). Anyway, this year her teacher Ms. Harmon has a dwarf Hamster. It's name is Baby. Well, Cassie asked to bring it home and I agreed. We brought it home for 2 weekends. Cassie then asked if she could have one and I promptly said no. Baby was more than welcome to come visit, but I wasn't ready to have a critter in the house permanently. Well, what do all little girls do when mommy says NO? They go ask daddy. Well daddy said no at first and then when he got to play with the critter told Cassie that if she got 100 on 2 consecutive spelling tests he would let her have one. So of course she makes the 100 on 2 consecutive spelling tests and we now have Nibbles.

Cassie is loving her new critter. Jacob is having fun with it too. I have come to think it is pretty cool too. They are so funny. Our boxer thinks it is something she has to protect. She lets them crawl on her and they aren't afraid of her. It is pretty cool. Cassie wants to know when she can get it toys and I am using school goals to motivate her. If she does this.....she gets 1 toy. Probably not the best way, but I am hoping the goals get met. I will keep you updated.

Tag you are IT!!!!

2008-09-29T09:44:00.003-04:00

Here are the rules.....
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!!

Here are 6 random things about me.....

1) I used to compete running barrels and poles on horseback.

2) I love to go camping. (There does need to be a bathhouse in the remote vicinity)

3) I spent one month in Rome, Italy when I was 14 as an exchange student. LOVED IT and want to go back BAD.

4) Luke and I planned our wedding around the Tennessee Football schedule. My father told me that there was a game on the first date I picked (Sept 24) and then when I asked let me know what 3 weekends in the fall there weren't any ballgames.

5)I love farming.

6)I can drive a big tractor with a bushhog, hay baler, hay cutter, hay rake, or one of many other attachments.

I am now tagging...Jeannette, Jennifer, Ashley, Barbara, Canela, and Heidi.

Blog Giveway

2008-09-23T23:57:00.005-04:00

Cinnamon Sticks Boutique is giving this away.

Go to Cinnamon Sticks Boutique and check it out.

I won a necklace from here and I love it. Check it out.

Sorry for Neglecting you...but...

2008-09-23T23:26:00.002-04:00

Well, It has been a while since I posted, but in my defense I have been working on school work, running to the football field 4 days out of 7, and trying to keep my house from looking like it is just a dumping ground. I will have to give credit to my husband who has started doing dishes and laundry.

Let me clarify...when I say laundry I mean wash and dry and put in a basket in the kitchen. At least it is clean. It now means that I have to iron though. Have I mentioned before I HATE TO IRON!!!! Now I know some people like it and find it relaxing...I do not...this is where my ADD and OCD come out. I cannot stand to not have it done perfect. Some can give just a "lick and a promise"....I am not one of those people. I have to put creases in pants, sleeves, and whatever else. I now hate cargo pants due to the funky pockets on them. My son hates it now that I am ironing. He questioned why his T-shirt had to feel "stiff". I don't use starch so I don't know why....Anyway Mom, if you are reading this I have the ironing board in the living room and it is being used. You would be so proud. HA HA HA

On a more funny note as to where my brain is not....Most of you know that I am finishing my nursing degree, but it requires me to travel to Chattanooga two nights a week. I leave around 1:30 or 2 to be there early and then I get home about midnight. Needless to say on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I am not all together with only 5 1/2 to 6 hours of sleep. This morning I had only about 4 hours as my husband had to leave for a business trip. I remembered that I had left my lunch box in the car and needed to take some things out and put them in the fridge so I got up and grabbed my keys to unlock the car. I unpacked my lunchbox and went back to bed for a very short hour. After getting up and stumbling to the kids rooms to say get up and trying to pry my eyelids open to see enough to get some breakfast out I start packing lunches. This is a fairly normal routine. Well as the morning progressed I realized I couldn't find my car keys. I don't have a spare as they cost like $90 since I apparently have a complicated car that wants a computerized chip in the key. GEEZ...Anyway, I spent 20 minutes looking through my house. I am supposed to take the neighbor kids this morning as their mom is without a car. I start flipping out and crying (I could have passed for pregnant hormonal/crazy woman at this point). Well I called my friend Stacie who is the absolute best. She dropped her boys at school and then came to let me use her car until I could find my keys. She has a spare Miata to drive. I got the kids to school 20 minutes late (I had to sign them in wearing my PJ's which were scrubs with old paint on them, an oversized GA t-shirt, no bra, and no shower)(Heidi you can feel my pain), but at least they were there...They were planning play dates with each other for the day....I kept hearing ...."Wow, we can play school....No, why play school if we are at home....How about house?...Well, maybe, but you can be my mom she is crazy this morning." I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or cry some more.

Well, I worked on my school work, I cleaned the house. I started in the kitchen, moved to the living room, and so on. I couldn't find my keys anywhere. So my last resort at this point....point of desperation....I called my mother-in-law. I swear she can find anything. Well she drove from her house to mine and helped me look. We started looking in everyroom, picking up things I missed earlier. She then asked if I had looked in Cassie's room. I said yes, but not real well because I really thought Jacob had my keys hidden somewhere (he is my key hog). As I walked in her room I saw my keys, the ones I had been looking for all day in a tizzy, on her dresser. Can I tell you how foolish I feel that the whole time they were out in the open, not under anything, but just laying there on the dresser.

Now I know that this has been long winded, but I thought I should share my "senior moment" or for those of you who know CRS syndrome. HA HA HA I hope you all have better days

Pictures from Thursday's Game

2008-09-16T15:27:00.002-04:00

A Few Pictures of Football

2008-09-06T19:16:00.002-04:00

I am so proud of my son and his abilities on the football field. The following are a few pictures of him and his teammates practicing last weekend. Due to school I haven't had a chance to update the pictures as often as I would like. Jacob is the boy in the red socks.

Are these 8 year olds cute or what?

Vent Session....

2008-09-06T18:59:00.002-04:00

Does anyone ever wonder why you volunteer to do things when there is someone else who tries to tell you what they want done? Well, I am supposed to be the "team mom" for Jacob's team and there is this one mom who says she is too busy, but yet wants to tell me where to have the party. I swear....like I have the time to negotiate with someone. This weekend has been very off for me and I am in a sort of foul mood. I guess I should be a little more....understanding. WHATEVER
I have tried to be nice and smile and only complain to ...well...now everyone. HA HA HA Forgive me for using this as a vent session, but if I can't share it with my friends who can I share with?

Sunday Randomness

2008-08-31T15:52:00.002-04:00

Well, there isn't a whole lot to report on right now. Yesterday we had football and cheer practice. Cassie's cheer team is learning their cheers great. Most of them are 5 so I don't expect perfection (although I must admit it is hard). They have also decided to do the Cha Cha Slide as their halftime "dance". They were so cute practicing.

Jacob did great on the field. The whole team did great. They have a young team and I don't know that they will win every game, but I hope they win some. I will try to behave either way. I am really bad about being the "LOUD MOUTH" mom that everyone talks about and glances sideways at.

Jacob has been playing Left Tackle on offense and Linebacker for defense, but after practice yesteday Luke and the head coach were talking and they are going to move Jacob to center so he can snap the ball and make the block. He has the speed and the ability to block. I am sooooooo excited. I also overheard the coach saying that if Jacob really wanted it and worked at it he could be the backup quarterback. Apparently he thinks Jacob could play that position. I always pictured him as the linebacker type or the center. I guess we will see how it goes.

I have been spending time playing on the computer with my husband....and BEATING HIM....HA HA HA HA. I don't beat him at much. He has started playing on myspace again and has found some game called Mafia Wars. It is more waiting than not, but I have more money than him and have more property too. I am not sure what the point is, but we are doing it together. I guess that is good.

HOW 'BOUT THEM DAWGS???? They played a good game yesterday. I heard part of it on the radio and saw part of it on the news.

Now for those of you who know that I bleed ORANGE AND WHITE they don't play until tomorrow night and there will be a BIG posting after that game. I just don't have a whole lot to say since there wasn't a game to comment on. (Dad, don't think that I have switched to the dark side/I swear I haven't done that)

Oh Yeah, if you haven't tried out Twitter.com check it out. It is really cool and you can update it from your cell phone. Thanks Jeannette for the information.

Well, for now I have to return to fighting people and earning more money.

fr

Thursday Thirteen...

2008-08-27T20:45:00.002-04:00

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

1.I hate busy work
2. I passed my skill checkoff at school
3. I love my friends
4. I hate to do laundry
5. I love to cook
6. I hate to do dishes
7. I love to keep in touch with friends
8. My husband works too hard
9. I miss spending time with my family
10. I want to go camping
11. SEC Football starts Saturday
12. I can't wait for Jacob's football to start
13. I LOVE TO BLOG

Cassidy's Cheetah Party

2008-08-23T17:06:00.003-04:00

For those who read regularly you know that Cassie's birthday was on August 7. Well that was the first day of school and to get everyone settled we decided that we would have a sleep over the same night as the Cheetah Girls One World movie. There were 8 girls including Cassie at the party. They ate pizza, ice cream and cake, and had a great time. Well, at least I think they did. They ran up and down my hall in my house, watched the movie and then 3 of them crashed about 10:15. Most of the girls went home because they had other parties to go to on Saturday. Here are a couple of pictures of the party. It was fun.

Thursday Thirteen

2008-08-21T21:23:00.002-04:00

In an effort to do something 2 weeks in a row...

1. Cassie is having 7 girls over for a birthday party Friday night
2. Luke is finally going to be home for a football practice.
3. I actually cheered with my daughter tonight.(Talk about America's Funniest Videos)
4. The new Cheetah Girls Movie is on Disney Friday at 8
5. School started last night and I went to bed at midnight
6. I substituted in third grade today
7. Third graders think they know everything
8. My happy place in my head is the beach.
9. I am excited about school.
10. I can't wait to get me necklace from Cinnamon Sticks Boutique.
11. I am blessed to have such great friends.
12. I love my kids and the fact that they work hard at school
13. Ate lunch at school today...school food hasn't gotten any better. YUCK!!!

Football and Cheerleading

2008-08-19T21:24:00.002-04:00

Well "the season" is in full swing. We have had 2 football practices so far and 1 cheer practice. So far so good. Jacob is LOVING football and Cassie is of course LOVING cheering. Their team is the Bears. I don't have any good pictures yet because I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Hopefully I will have some good ones next week.

For now school starts tomorrow night for me and Luke has the kids for the night.

There are several things going on this weekend and I will update later. For now just keep my family in your prayers.

How Cool is this????

2008-08-18T13:47:00.002-04:00

Six months of free babysitting? How awesome is that? Thanks Heidi for the update on this giveaway.

There are 5,075 sitters in my area (within 50 miles) and 8 within 10 miles of my zip code. You can interview the sitter and read comments from other people who have used them. This is AWESOME!!!!

Go here for the sitter website or to Chefdruck Musings for the information.

This is awesome

Family Day Saturday...

2008-08-17T09:23:00.002-04:00

In an effort to spend more time together as a family Luke and I bought bikes and helmets yesterday. I was all excited about hanging out with my children and husband. We got home and rode around the neighborhood. It was fun and the kids had a great time. I don't think I have had that much exercise in a while. It felt good. Well....I thought it felt good.

I didn't realize how unpadded the seat was until round 2 later in the evening. My back end was sooooooo sore. Now, I have been sore from riding horses too long, but this was a different kind of hurt. I went on the second ride, but I am telling you I don't think there will be any riding for me today. HA HA HA HA

In fact, Cassie informed me this morning that she, Jacob, and Luke were going later and I was allowed to go with them, but I could stay here. Staying here sounds like a good idea. I have laundry and dishes to do. It is the first time that I think doing laundry and dishes out ranks going outside. Maybe Monday I can make it out to go around the block.

2008-08-15T20:42:00.008-04:00

Fingerprint Friday...

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them?

Here is how to join in: Find where you see God's fingerprints today, post a picture and go here and link your post with others who are participating.

Olympic Opening Ceremonies....

2008-08-15T20:24:00.003-04:00

Well, Sort of....The school where my children go had their own Academic Olympic Opening Ceremonies. They were really cute. Jacob got to release balloons with a few other students to show that they scored over 900 on the reading section of the CRCT. Cassie got to "run" the torch with 8 other students because they exemplified the character education word for the first 6 days of school. I was so proud of them. It wasn't announced prior to the event and I only have pictures because I happened to be at the school helping in Cassie's class.

Obviously Cassie wasn't dressed appropriately to be running a torch, but as you can see she made the most of it.

Thursday Thirteen

2008-08-14T16:48:00.003-04:00

1. I was a substitute today for first grade.
2. I had a great day
3. I have to go to a cheerleading meeting this afternoon
4. Football and cheerleading are expensive
5. Can't wait for sports to start
6. I am fixing to make my husband a late birthday dinner
7. My children cleaned the living room for their father.
8. School starts for me next Wednesday
9. Why do our children think that when you tell them to do something they have an option to do it or not.
10. I love flip flops
11. I love Friday's
12. I love my family
13. The Olympics are GREAT!!!

Happy Birthday Luke...

2008-08-13T12:01:00.003-04:00

Yes, today is my hubby's birthday and he had to go out of town. I told him Happy Birthday this morning and he will be home tomorrow. I was going to cook his favorite dinner, but I guess I can do that tomorrow night.

Anyway, I was at the kids school today and was helping out in the classroom. It was fun. I also got hit up to sub tomorrow. I guess I better do it now that I don't have my school to worry about. I love to spend time with the kids, but I don't think I could do it for a whole school year. Every now and then is great and it gives me a little extra cash.

Football and cheerleading start next week. Can I tell you that what you pay the rec. department is never the final amount. There are so many "extras" that they say are optional, but you have to get. Oh Well, such is life.

One more week until I go back to school. I am excited, but nervous at the same time. I hope it is a little more organized in sections. This past summer all of the information was thrown at us and it was hard to keep up at times.

I was supposed to have 15 days off to get my house in order, but I have yet to finish that project. Why is it when one room gets clean and you go to the next your family insists on dirtying up the room you just cleaned? I swear...cleaning up after my husband and kids is like shoveling snow while it is still snowing. HA HA HA

Well, I think that is all for now. I have a couple photos from last weekend to post. Cassie and Luke played Barber shop.

SURPRISE!!!!!

2008-08-10T19:12:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday and we had a surprise party for her today in Knoxville. She has never had a surprise party and we pulled it off!!!! This has been planned for over 2 weeks. My children knew and they didn't blow it. I am so proud of everyone. It was great. My whole family was in on it. It was really good to see everyone. I don't get to see that side of my family a lot since I live like 3 hours away. Well, Here are some pictures of the occasion.

2008-08-09T12:40:00.001-04:00

Back To School Event

Come and join in on all the fun!! Mommies United is having an entire week dedicated to that one day the kiddos go back to school!

Plus the prizes... Yes there will be prizes to win, to get your little one started with school shopping. From educational, to clothing there are some great things to win. Just in time for school to begin, so stop by and join us.

In anticipation of our big event we are giving one very lucky blogger a chance to win one of our SURPRISE GIFT BASKETS!

Your basket will include:

V-Tech VMotion

Kraft Bagel-fuls
Gift check for Starbucks new beverage, Vivanno
Burger King Crown Cards and Kids Meal Crayola back-to-school toys
Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps and Potato Crisps

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY CASSIDY

2008-08-09T08:34:00.004-04:00

My baby turned 7 on Thurday. I can't believe she is 7. I took her to the Japenese Steak house in town (she loves Gohan/sticky rice).

This was how the restaraunt "outfits" their birthday guests. HA HA HA

First Day of School...

2008-08-09T08:19:00.003-04:00

Cassie was so excited to be going back to school and to top it off it was her birthday too.

Jacob picked out his own outfit when we went to buy new clothes for school. He absolutely loved these shorts. Doesn't he just look so grown up?

My babies are growing up. I can't believe that they are in second and third grade. I remember when.....well don't we all. Hope everyone has a great school year.

Day Before School

2008-08-06T19:55:00.001-04:00

Can I tell you how excited my children are to be going to school? Can I tell you how excited I am that they are going to school? Don't get me wrong...I love my babies, but it is definitely time for them to return to school. I knew it was time when, 3 weeks ago, my son started carrying around his math workbook from last year everywhere we go and works on it periodically. I am very proud of him. Now Cassie, my go with the flow free spirit, well I can only hope she applies herself to her studies this year. She does really well, but I really think if she applied herself a little more she could do better. Anyway, the ramblings of a mother who wants perfection. HA HA HA

Well I have to finish washing, ironing...YES MOM I SAID IRONING... and then go to bed myself. I have promised French toast and bacon for breakfast.

Oh, if you are wondering about the ironing thing, I HATE TO IRON. It is a MAJOR bone of contention with me and my mom. Actually I don't just hate to iron, I don't, but I feel for the first day of school it is necessary. And there are times that it is a necessary evil. I swear irons were invented by Satan to punish me. HA HA HA

Well off to be Betty Homemaker.

I DID IT.....

2008-08-05T22:50:00.002-04:00

I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!!!I DID IT!!!!

I am officially joining the second year nursing students on August 20 to finish my degree. I am so proud of myself (TOOT TOOT)!!! I have busted my butt all summer and it has paid off. Can I tell you how good I am going to sleep tonight? I have spent hours studying on the subjects, cried, and thought about jumping from a bridge a couple times (ha ha ha just kidding), but I survived the summer transition program. Actually, all 9 of the paramedics survived the summer transition program. HALLELUJAH!!! God does answer prayer. One of my classmates had to literally have a miracle and she got it. Not that I am that amazed, God can do whatever he wants.

Praise Jesus I am going to be a nurse.

I am so excited that I really don't have any more words for this other than

I DID IT!! I DID IT!! I DID IT!!

Frogs...

2008-08-02T13:07:00.003-04:00

OK for those of you who don't know my son, Jacob, has frogs for pets. Well while I have been away at school we have gone from 4 frogs to 2 frogs. Honestly, my heart has not been breaking. Anyway, Yesterday morning while I was getting ready Jacob cleaned his room so I can actually see the floor and I was helping him pick out clothes to go shopping in when this thing came hopping across the floor. "OH MY GOSH" what was that? Cassie starts screaming and says it is a frog. I thought...surely not they are supposed to be in the tank.

Back track a little...these frogs are frogs that live underwater. We have had them since they were tadpoles and now they are the size of the palm of my hand. You can check them out at www.growafrog.com if you want.

Anyway...Yes, it was a frog from the tank and it was under the bed. GREAT how am I supposed to get that? Well, I moved the bed got a cup now labeled THE FROG CUP and preceeded to put it back in the tank. Oh Yeah, and put a piece of saran wrap over the small but obvious escapable hole where the filter runs. No more problems.

YEAH RIGHT....This morning as I was looking at the frogs (they are fun to watch) I noticed that I was only looking at one frog not two. Well I thought...surely after yesterday....but no there was ONLY 1. So the hunt begins for Houdini. Not under the bed, not under the dresser, not in the clothes to be washed in the hall, not in the closet, not anywhere to be found. Next stop Casey's mouth...Man she has bad breath....HA HA HA HA Love my dog, but the only explanation for not finding the stupid frog is she ate it. Not on purpose because I don't honestly think she would hurt it on purpose. Well, BYE BYE froggie. Again, my heart is not breaking.

Well as I am down in the basement working on studying for this test on Tuesday and printing some forms out that are required prior to taking said exam...this thing comes hopping by across my foot. NO REALLY....IN THE BASEMENT and still alive. We are talking about at least an hour after escaping the tank. I start screaming for THE FROG CUP and trying to catch this thing and put it back in the tank. I did and he is back. This hour of studying is shot, but my son is happy and I again have 2 frogs.

Houdini is in the back...BOOGER

What a mother won't do for her kids......

As Promised...The Beach

2008-07-29T18:59:00.004-04:00

OK. Well I am on top of things tonight. Don't plan on it the rest of the week though...I have finals this week and the first two days of next week.

Last weekend the kids and I along with Mom, Don, and Luke went to Tybee Island for a long weekend. It was a nice break for me with school and I had an absolutely wonderful time with my family. We got to see all of Don's family that lives in Savannah and hang out with them on Saturday night. I love seeing all of them.

We arrived on Friday and the kids immediately wanted to go out to the water. I took pictures and here they are. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I had taking them. My kids are hillarious.

Thursday Thirteen....

2008-07-23T23:51:00.004-04:00

Well , I have been really behind on keeping up with this so here is my list for this week. Maybe I will be able to get it up weekly since school is almost over.

1. I am finally finished with clincal hours

2. I have had a great time in clinical.

3. I got to spend time with my brother and his wife Jen.

4. I am going to the beach on Friday (CANNOT WAIT)

5. I miss my husband

6. I miss my best friend (she is in New Orleans eating shrimp YOU DOG)

7. I love all the blogs I am reading.

8. I want to know how to have cool pictures on my blog

9. The kids start school in 2 weeks

10. We have bought new bookbags for the school year.

11. I am driving myself to the beach (Luke is already there for a job)

12. I can't wait to have a normal life

13. Brad and Jen (my brother and his wife) are having a boy. Check out their blog to see the proof.

As promised...

2008-07-22T17:16:00.003-04:00

Here are the pictures from Sunday. I don't have any of Jen (she was camera happy too), but here is my GOOFY brother.

Well...OK I am trying

2008-07-21T12:22:00.001-04:00

OK so I started this with good intentions. Sorry it has been so long. I don't have any real updates other than I am swamped with Care plans, tests, and deadlines. I am going to the beach this upcoming weekend and hopefully I will have a chance to get some pictures up.

Yesterday my brother and his wife came by the house. They were in Atlanta for a baseball game and on their way home stopped by for lunch. We had a great time. I have pictures to post, but I haven't loaded them on the computer yet. I will get them up by the end of the week hopefully. HA HA HA

I hope everyone is doing well and I will post later.

A great 4th...

2008-07-05T21:30:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. The kids and I came home on Thursday night instead of Friday morning and we have had a wonderful time being home. I only have 1 more month of school and then the fall semester starts on August 20. I am very excited (hopefully). I am working really hard on my school requirements and my clinicals. This has really turned out to be sort of a challenge. Being away from my husband and my house and the work that is required is very difficult. Please keep praying for me and my family as this journey continues.

2008-07-04T15:45:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

LET FREEDOM RING!!

KEEP PRAYING FOR PEACE AND GOD BLESS OUR SOLDIERS!!!

Cassie and Jacob's Hair Salon and Spa.....

2008-07-01T20:45:00.003-04:00

Tonight the kids and I went over to Dad and Wanda's house to swim and eat dinner. We had a blast. The kids swam for about an hour while dad mowed the lawn and then we came home and had an AWESOME dinner. Wanda had made mac 'n cheese, squash casserole, country fried steak with gravy, and salad. Oh, Dad made cornbread. LOVE IT. I told Wanda that I have yet to eat at their house when she cooks and have something I didn't like. She is an awesome cook. Well, after dinner Jacob and Cassie wanted to play "Fix your hair".

HA HA HA

I have been the one playing that game so ...NO...I am not playing, and Nona played that game at Christmas.

Well, Papa Jim said that he would play....well at least until Cassie yelled (as she ran to the bathroom) "LET'S PUT MAKEUP ON HIM TOO!!!" Honestly, I have never seen my dad move so fast.

HA HA HA !!!

Well ,they didn't get the makeup, but they did get about 8 brushes and some nail files, and I am not exactly sure what else. As you can see from the pictures. They really pampered him and make him look BEAUTIFUL.

Dad you are a great sport. Love you.

OK so I am a week behind again.

2008-07-01T20:36:00.003-04:00

Colton swimming like a fish. GO COLE!!!
Nona and Savannah just hanging out
Savannah's not sure she likes the water.

I thought I was doing so well keeping up, but I took some new pictures tonight and when I put the card in the computer saw I have missed some things. These pictures are of last week when the kids and I met with my step-sister Hollie and my step-mom Wanda at the neighborhood pool. The kids and I had a great time seeing everyone. It was a blast.

Thursday 13...

2008-06-27T09:54:00.003-04:00

OK, so another blogger that I read does this on Thursdays and I know it is Friday, but I am running a day behind since I had food poisining yesterday. That was a blessing...NOT! So here is my Thursday 13 (a day late)

1. Nursing school is busy but great
2. My kids are having a great time at VBS
3. We got to see cousins this week at the pool
4. I love my husband
5. We are going to the beach at the end of July
6. I am going to be an aunt in January
7. I am going to dinner with one of my BFF Saturday night
8. I can't wait to get home to my husband
9. I can't wait to get done with nursing school
10. I love my paramedic transition classmates
11. I love my dog
12. I love that my friends call me for no reason at all (I need mindless conversations HAHAHA)
13. We are going to see Wall-E tonight as a family

Well there it is. If you are reading this you should also post your 13 either on your blog or leave them in my comment section. It is an easy way to keep up with everyone.

Have a great day and Hopefully you will get more from me next week.

Running Behind

2008-06-22T19:40:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything new in over a week. This past week was UNBELIEVABLE. My nursing class has 2 different clinicals this week; it was our final nursing home clinical (thank goodness) and our first pediatrics clinical. We have to make care plans for the pediatric clinicals and for the Med/Surg clinicals. For those who don't know care plans are approximately 20 pieces of paper that has to be filled out prior to showing up at 6:30 am. Well, I started at 6 pm and finally got finished at 12:30 am; then up at 5 am to be at the hospital at 6:30. I fail to see where the fun is. HA HA HA. Actally other than the lack of sleep (which I have been informed is over rated anyway) I had a really great time. I had a great nurse to work with and our teacher, who was a great help, I think I did OK. I really enjoyed working with a pediatric patient and their family. I was only there for 5 hours, but I learned a lot. Anyway, I will try to do better next week. If all else fails you can check out another blog that is listed. It should say the title "Fruit Loops" or "As our World Twirls". I don't know what is listed in the blog list. This is the blog that is posted for the class. There are postings from me along with the other students. Hopefully, it will help with our feelings and you if you want to keep up with us. Have a great Sunday.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2008-06-15T08:48:00.002-04:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!

2008-06-13T00:14:00.001-04:00

YEA ME!!!!

2008-06-12T23:12:00.002-04:00

Well, as I told you last night I had two tests today. I did REALLY well on my nursing exam. I only missed 2 and the teacher threw out one of the two that I missed. I was so excited. I really needed that boost in my test percentage for some breathing room. That doesn't mean I can slack off or anything, but it does mean that I don't feel so cornered anymore. I now feel like I can take a deep breath and am FINALLY out of the testing slump.

I had a meeting with my advisor for this semester and we discussed several things. I think I need to have an established routine for studying. I don't....but yet, I don't know what the best thing to do is. This time I listened to music, reviewed my slides from my notes, and I wrote out some important points. I don't know if the test was easier or if I was just better prepared. I guess I will know in 2 weeks when we have another test.

Well, I am off to bed for tonight. Have a great weekend. I probably won't blog anymore until after the weekend.

Late night thoughts...

2008-06-11T23:22:00.002-04:00

As I am reading through my notes and having some reflection time I am thinking. Yes, sometimes that is very dangerous for me, but I do have some very intense thoughts at times. Tonight I am relfecting on the whole nursing school process and what it means in my life. Right now, it means that I am away from my husband for most of the week with our children. It means that I am spending long hours studying, reviewing, and talking with classmates trying to figure out what exactly is due next. It means that I am learning how to switch my thinking process from right now to sometime down the line. Is it hard?-----Absolutely. It is rewarding?----Absolutely. I know that the end justifies the means in this process. I pray daily that God will show me that this is really all worth it. That truly the end justifies the means. There are so many opportunities as a nurse for anyone. At some point I have to think about where I want to spend my 12 hour shifts. I thought I knew where I wanted to go and for those of you who know me well...you know where that is, but I am not so sure about that anymore. I don't feel that same tug as strong as I once did. I don't know where I belong in this whole process. Right now I guess it is just figuring out where God wants me and I need to be content in that.

HA HA...me be content in a situation. Well, for now, I don't have a choice. I should rejoice that I have the chance to bless patient's as a student and then as a nurse. I have to be a student to be a teacher. I am very excited that next week we go on pediatrics rotations. That will give me a chance to see if I can see children as patient's and not bring home the emotions that go with that. Hopefully, I can with God's help.

This probably doesn't make sense to anyone, but it is very therapeutic for me to write out my thoughts and that is the purpose of blogging anyway.

It is late and I have 2 tests tomorrow. Again, more of the "What this means" category.

Love to all.

Ever wonder how nurses are trained?

2008-06-11T16:44:00.002-04:00

Well if you see the slideshow below you will see how some nurses are trained!!! HA HA HA

Here is your paramedic to RN transition students. All 9 of us.

We had extended care clinical today and when we were finished we talked our instructor into going to IHOP for our sensory/perception assignment. I thought it was a good idea to test our taste perception. We put on the "glasses" to see what it would be like to have certain vision disturbances like cataracts, macular degeneration, and others. One of us even had to put in ear plugs to see what it would be like to not see or hear. It was a great learning experience. We had a great time.

I would have posted this with the pictures, but for some reason it won't work that way. I am still learning how to get all of this "stuff" together.

I hope everyone is having a great summer. Me, well...I will be with my crazy classmates learning how to be a GREAT nurse. Love to all.

2008-06-11T16:43:00.001-04:00

Day with Cousins at the farm

2008-06-08T20:56:00.001-04:00

More baby info...

2008-06-05T22:34:00.002-04:00

I actually spoke to my brother tonight. He has been trying to call me for 2 days and everytime he has called I have been in class. The official word now is that baby and mom look great and they should know in about 10-12 weeks whether I am getting a neice or nephew. Also, everybody put them in your prayers...their house is on the market and they REALLY need to sell it prior to the arrival. It is a really cute house, but there isn't room for 3. It is a 2 bedroom/1 bath 900-1000 sq ft home in Knoxville. It is really cute for a couple who doesn't have kids or for someone who is single. They have put a whole new bathroom in and redone the kitchen. If I had a picture of it I could show you. They have found a house that is perfect for them and the new baby and by the grace of God have been allowed to put a 90 day contingency on it. I hope it all works out. Again pray for them.

On the notes of new children...one of my BFF told me tonight that she and her husband are in the process of adopting a child from India. This has been a work in progress for over 3 years for her. It has been a topic of discussion for her and I on several occasions, as I am adopted. I am so very excited for her. Her name is Ashley (yes same as my name) and her husband is Keith. They have two children ages 5 & 6. They are all very excited and are coveting our prayers for this new journey that they have embarked upon. I don't have a whole lot of details other than all of their homestudies have been completed and they have to wait on the Indian courts. I pray that God continues his speediness on their behalf and that they remain safe when they get the word and travel to receive the gift that God has provided.

Much love to Keith and Ashley. I will pray for you daily.

My birthday

2008-06-05T14:46:00.002-04:00

I know Jeannette posted Happy Birthday to me on her blog and I am not here to say Happy Birthday to me, but I thought I would say thanks to all who gave me a gift and to Dad and Wanda who took me and the kids to dinner at the Japenese Steak House. It was SOOOOOO good. Jacob ate more than I have seen him eat in ages. He ate all of his shrimp, some of Cassie's shrimp, and whatever dad gave him off his plate. We had a great time spending the day with Dad and Wanda too. I don't get to see them as much as I would like. They are retired now and they are businer now than they were when they had a 40 hour week. HA HA HA. Hopefully, since I am in Chattanooga this summer I can catch up with them too.

Oh Yeah, by the way...CONGRATS to my brother Brad and his wife...They are expecting a baby in January. I now officially have a niece or nephew from my side of the family. I have 5 from Luke's side. I am so excited. When I get any new information on whether it is a niece or nephew I will let you know. They just had their first doctor appointment yesterday and the word is everything is A-OK.

YEA!!!
Have a great day.

Fun in the Sun

2008-06-04T23:03:00.005-04:00

Jacob
Cassie (aka Miss Priss)
Taelynn (Hey how come I get all the good pics of her?) HA HA HA
The Kids

This past Monday the kids and I went to Jeannette's and hung out by the pool. We had such a great time. Jacob and Cassie don't get to play with Savannah that often, but they had fun in the sun. It is amazing to see how all of the kids play together. They have been friends and hanging out for about 5 years now. Wow, I can't believe it has been 5 years. It is amazing how time flies when you are having fun. Jeannette I love ya girl. Thanks for the pool invite. See you this Friday.

Never thought I would have this happen...

2008-06-04T22:44:00.004-04:00

I was at my microbiology lab tonight and there was a fire at the college.

We were sitting in class learning about some type of microorganism and the air conditioner shut off and then the lights went out and the next thing the fire alarm starting going off. The class got up and down the stairs we went out into the HOT sun. We stood in the parking lot for over an hour. We watched about 6 fire trucks come in to "search" for the problem. Apparently, there was some type of electrical fire. I was told it was small. Well, needless to say it disruped the whole class which didn't break my heart. The thought of messing with a live virus in the dark wasn't appealing to me at all.

I had my second clinical today during my nursing hours...it was fun. I got the same patient I had last week. She was a lot more talkative today too. We gave out the medications today. I had a lot more fun. I have realized that geriatrics isn't my specialty, but I also like to see the smiles on the faces of the residents when you give them extra attention and how nice it is to bring that smile to their faces.

I had the opportunity to read to my patient today too. She had a daily devotion book. It was from like November/December, but she was excited that I was willing to read it to her. Mom has several of those free Upper Room books that she gets at church. I think I will take one of those next week. We have 2 more clinicals at that facility. Maybe I will get the same patient all of the days.

Have a great night.

2008-06-04T14:07:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANNETTE!!! HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY AND GET ALL YOU WANTED.

LOVE YA!!!!! :-)

The Last Saturday of Ball...

2008-06-01T19:48:00.003-04:00

I am sad to say that ball season is over. Jacob had his ball party yesterday. Cassie's will be Thursday, but we won't get to go since I have school. Jacob got a cool trophy and some real encouraging words from his coach. I hope he can stay on top of his game over the next year and he will be an even better ball player next year. I have included some pictures from the party. All of the boys played hard in the pool. They had a great time.

Another Day at the Farm...

2008-05-25T19:31:00.003-04:00

Jacob and his Deere

Well we went to the farm again on Saturday. It is hay season for us. We cut a whole field and it has to dry for about 5 days. You have to tedd (?) the hay with a tedder which, as you pull it with a tractor, sort of flips and tosses the hay around to help it dry. We have Orchard Grass hay down right now and we have Bermuda grass in a couple of small fields and I think we have some fescue hay. It allows us to feed the horses without having to buy from other people. We do sell some to others who don't have enough land to grow their own. It helps a little with the cost of feed and expenses. Cassie played at the barn with some old cast iron pots with rocks and dirt (mud) and water. When I asked her what she was doing she informed me she was cooking. HA HA HA. Jacob mowed the yard at the house. This is his usual job when we are there. We also found some horse treats and fed them to all of the horses except the baby, who can't have any yet. There was a major breakthrough with Pilgram. He has been very skiddish about having hands on him because no one spent time with him when he was a baby. We are not making that mistake with Thunder though. He is so funny. I hope to have some great pictures of him before too much longer. He still has some of his baby coat and is looking a little ragged right now. He should shed that before to long. He is going to be beautiful. Anyway, back to Pilgram, I sat outside his gate for several minutes two or three times and he stayed right there and let me pet him and then when I stuck my face next to the gate he gave me kisses. More like bumping noses, but he did it. I hope this continues. He is really a great horse. I see great potential in him. I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Back to the grind for me on Tuesday with a test, Wednesday for Clinical and I can't remember for Thursday. I will update as soon as I can.

End of School for kids

2008-05-22T16:54:00.002-04:00

I am proud to say that the school year is finally over as of tomorrow. I am ready for the kids to be home (sort of) and to be able to play for most of the summer. My school, on the other hand, is just getting really started. We start clinical on Wednesday. I am excited about that. We also had our first test. I would like to say I made 100, but I didn't. At least I didn't fail and I know what to expect on Tuesday for the second half of the exam. We have skills check off next week too. I will be glad to be in Chattanooga and not having to get up at the crack of dawn to be there for anything. No new pictures uploaded to the computer yet, but hopefully by the end of the weekend. (If I get all my studying done) Love to all.

End of One Ball Season

2008-05-17T08:27:00.002-04:00

Well, we are finished with Jacob's ball season. It has been great and I have throughly enjoyed watching him play. Hopefully, we can keep with this same team for next season. I am very excited and Jacob had a great time playing. If we work with him over the next year he will be better than the end of this year. He has greatly improved. I hope he still wants to throw ball and hit some over the summer.

Cassie's Day at the Braves Stadium

2008-05-11T18:18:00.005-04:00

My daughter got the chance on Friday to go to Turner stadium for passing the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. She was one of 31 students at her school that passed all 5 sections of the test. I am so proud of her. The students got a chance to go behind the scenes at the stadium. They ran the bases, sat in the dugout, and went shopping at the souvenir shop. Go Braves!!!

New Pictures

2008-05-11T18:08:00.004-04:00

I just uploaded these pictures from the other day. Some are from the last ballgame. One of the pictures is of the kids friend Tyler.

Ballgames

2008-05-11T17:54:00.002-04:00

Here is the picture of the kids for ball. We just got them. Hope you enjoy.

We have had a couple of ballgames since I have last posted. Jacob has had 2 and has won both of them. The Gators are playing great. Cassie had one and it is to be determined how that turned out. The scoreboard said that they lost, but an issue has arisen since the other team apparently broke the rules. I think that comes out that we won, but I won't know for a couple of days. Jacob has another game on Monday and then again on Friday. Hopefully, it will all turn out in our favor.

I have started Nursing school and so far so good. I think it is going to be a good thing. I have also started Microbiology. It seems like an OK class. I don't feel as overwhelmed as I did the first time I ever walked into this class over 10 years ago. Hopefully, all will go well with both classes and I am on the track to the rest of my life.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T17:53:00.003-04:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOM'S

Sad News

2008-05-07T00:11:00.004-04:00

For those of you who have known Luke and I for any amount of time you know that we have horses at his mother's house and we have (had) 7 that are offically in Luke's name. Well, on Sunday night we lost Isaac. He was the stallion on the farm. He is the father of 5 of the 6 horses that are left on the farm. He was 28 years old. Over the past 10 years he has been a great horse though. He is the first horse that either one of my children ever touched or rode. He is the one that they rode by themselves for the first time. He is also the one that when Cassie was just a toddler and knew no fear (not that that has changed) wrapped herself around his legs while he was in his paddock. She climbed through the gate to get to him. As unpredictable as animals can be, he was so predictable when it came to the kids. We are going to miss him. He is better off and if horses go to heaven he will be there when we get there. Cassie does have a great philosophy on this though....she has heard the story in Revelation where Jesus comes back on the horse and so do some of the angels...she says that horses have to go to heaven so Jesus and the angels can pick which one is the best to ride. ha ha ha.. I bet Isaac is one of the best there. I don't have a picture that I can find yet, but when I find one I will post it.

It's Official

2008-05-07T00:09:00.002-04:00

I am going to RN school. I got my grade from my Nutrition instructor and I got an A. WOOHOO I am so excited. I can't wait. I start on Thursday with RN classes and Micro-biology. Say prayers because the Micro class was supposed to be a pre-req, but I got a reprieve since I said I would take it this summer. Love it!!!!

Oh Yeah! I have to take a Math class of some sort before graduation next April or May.

Love to All

Playground

2008-05-01T19:06:00.003-04:00

Today I gained two extra children. Actally they are my adopted daughters Jasper and Taelynn. You can see more of them on the Cook blog. (There is a link on this page) Anyway, Jeannette and John went out of town for their anniversary and I have the girls for tonight and tomorrow. Cassie had ball practice tonight and I took the girls to the playground. Here are pictures of them playing. Hope you see that they had a great time.

Alien Conference

2008-04-30T19:57:00.002-04:00

Today Cassie finished up her unit on Space. They had an alien conference. All of the kids from her class and another class dressed up like aliens and had alien food. They debated whether or not it was a good idea to save earth and why. The alien's on the side of saving won the debate. I didn't get to go since I was studying for my final that is tomorrow morning and I don't have a picture. Cassie was a pink alien though and her name was Casblak from the planet of stitch. She came home with gold hair spray in her hair and said that they had a great time. She has had the best time this year with her teacher. They have really done some interesting things and have tried so much. There is 17 days of school left for the kids. Cassie's final party is a Fairytale Ball and Jacob's is a Luau. Well, back to studying for me. Say a prayer for my exam in the morning.

Oh Yeah, Jacob and Cassie have had games since last Saturday. Jacob won his game. He is doing so good. (Dad let me know when you and Wanda are going to be able to come). Cassie actually got to play second base and they won their game last night. They are both hitting so well. If I could keep Cassie out of the dirt she might be able to field well too. HA HA HA.

Updates to follow soon. (With pictures I hope)

Our Weekend

2008-04-27T09:55:00.003-04:00

Hello all! Well we have had a really busy weekend. Saturday we had 2 ballgames. Cassie's team lost, but they played really, really good. Jacob's team won (and yes I had to pay another $2). Jacob is really smacking the ball. It is great to see him play. His coach is awesome. We then went to the farm where Luke worked on the tractor with Mark and the kids played. Cassie got to play with Glory and the new colt Thunder. Jacob helped with the yard work and drove the little tractor around. That is where he spends most of his time. Cassie spends her time running between pastures trying to divide her time between all 10 horses as much as possible. Her favorites are the mares (Hope, Joy, and Lady) and the new baby Thunder. Cassie got sick though and we had to leave early. She has been sick since yesterday afternoon. Just some stomach bug where she throws up. OH YEA!!! She is feeling better today. I hope every one has a great Sunday and I will write again soon. Have a great day.

Cassie's Aussie Day and Jacob's pizza party.

2008-04-25T15:51:00.004-04:00

Today was Cassie's Aussie day at school. They have been studying Australia for the past 2 weeks. They have learned about the animals, food, and people in Australia. The mom's of the class made some native food of the country. I made a meat pie, and a couple other mom's made Pavlova (like a meringue with whipped cream and berries on top), and lamingtons (angel food cake with chocolate drizzle and coconut). The kids really liked it. They also took a walk-a-bout to experience what that is. They make boomerangs, and a couple other things that I can't pronounce. They are pretty cool though. Well we have 2 ballgames tonight and tomorrow morning. Have a great night

Jacob's class won the pizza party for having the most people at CiCi's the last fundraiser night. I am so proud of them. They got to watch FernGully and eat pizza. They also had behavior party today. They are all doing so well. There is 4 more weeks of school. WOOHOO

Cassie's Ballgame

2008-04-21T20:05:00.003-04:00

Well Cassie had her second game. They played real hard. The other team was all 8 and 9 year olds, but they held them to only 11 runs. We had 6 runs. Cassie played left field and center field tonight. She touched the ball one time, but did what her coach had told her to do without thinking. I was proud. Our next game is on Saturday so no more game updates for her until then. Jacob's next game is Thursday.

Mammaw's Birthday

2008-04-20T13:17:00.002-04:00

We celebrated my mammaw's 90 birthday last Sunday. I was looking at pictures on my camera that needed to be uploaded to the computer and I think this is worth posting. My mammaw is the only great-grandparent that my children have still living. They just love her so much. Cassie always says that she loves mammaw so much. We pray for her at night and usually she is added to the prayer list at children's church. Tomorrow she is going to have surgery for stents in her legs. Hopefully this will help her circulation. I am so proud to call her a significant part of my life. Love you Mammaw and Good luck tomorrow.

Ballgames

2008-04-19T21:20:00.002-04:00

We had 2 ballgames at the same time on different fields. Talk about difficult. Well, Jacob played really well and got two hits (another $2), but the team lost. :-( He was disappointed, but his coach told the team that they played hard and he was proud of them. Cassie's team won their first game. Cassie played awesome. She hit the ball everytime she was up to bat and got out one time. I am very proud of both of my children. They are playing so well. We were supposed to go to the farm today, but ended up not going. I like going, but it was good to stay home. We will be gone tomorrow for a cookout at a friend of Luke's. More updates as they are available.

Jacob's Ballgame

2008-04-18T22:05:00.003-04:00

I am so proud of my son. Tonight was his first baseball game for the season and he did SO GOOD! He was up to bat 3 times and the last two bats he got hits to second and third base. I had told him that everytime he got a hit and on base he got $1.00. He earned $2.00 tonight. He was so cute, as he ran to homeplate he would hold up a finger to let me know I owed him a dollar. I never thought I would say this, but "GO GATORS!!!" ha ha ha We won 20-11.

We have another game tomorrow and Cassie has a game too. I will let you know how that turns out.