Wow, what a great night.

We finished up at our customers at about 2:00 and headed back to the hotel.  I relaxed for a bit, and then Traci came and picked me up.  She showed me around downtown Franklin (awesome town, actually.)  There are some beautiful places in the area.

After our excursion, we stopped at the store for drinks, then came back to the hotel.  Traci wanted me to experience Mellow Mushroom Pizza, but we found out that the one in Franklin doesn't deliver.  She was more disappointed than I, since I have no idea what I'm missing.  The hotel suggested Jet's Pizza, so we went with that.

Our evening consisted mostly of jabbering non-stop.  Traci brought some scrapbooks, and she shared some of her adventures with me.  That was a lot of fun, too.  It was nice to just kick back, drink a few beers, and visit, with no responsibilities at all.

This morning, we'll be meeting Sonya downstairs for breakfast, then I'll fly home.  I heard a rumor that there was a little red car sitting in my driveway.  I'll have to investigate and see if what I hear is true.

I'm in Nashville

Good, quick flight down, straight to a studio, from there to dinner, and from there to here.  I'm a beached whale.  Thank goodness I had a couple of tums in the bottom of my laptop case.  I ate WAY too much.  Tomorrow morning, we visit another studio, then in the evening, I'll be enjoying the company of Traci.  Saturday morning, the two of us will have breakfast with Sonya.

I'm stoked.

Have some pictures.

My dear Father, the eternal smart-ass

I love candles.  Especially Vanilla scented candles.  I burn candles all the time.  They are wonderful.  I am hooked, OK?

So my parents, apparently (LOL, apPARENTly) got a new sofa today.  Theirs is in great shape, and WAY better than ours, so when it was offered, I accepted graciously.  Dad brought it over, and Brett helped him bring it in.

When they got it in, they had to turn in on it's front, to put the legs back on.  As it got near the TV (covered in burning vanilla votives) Dad said, "Whoa, don't catch it on fire!"  I told Brett to blow them out.  He did, and Dad said,

"What's with all the candles?  Did somebody die?"

Sheesh.  Can't you just give me cool free stuff, without busting my chops?

LOL

I love my Daddy.

More updates

I am packing for the Nashville trip.  We're leaving tomorrow and getting back on Saturday.  I think I'm going to get to hang out with Sonya and Traci!  WooHoo!  Pictures WILL be taken.  I can't wait.

I will get the car on Saturday, but Kevin will have to keep it on Monday to get it tagged. Dang.  Oh well, I can show it off on Tuesday.  It's a 98 Neon (7 years newer than my car) and is quite cute.  

OK, sitting here isn't helping me get my bag packed.  I'll check in tomorrow night from Nashville.  Actually, it's a suburb, but I've forgotten the name of the place.  *sigh*  My memory is crap.  Or carp.  Or something.

Updates

Natalie is un-grounded.  I was aggravated that I couldn't work at home, but then I realized that I shouldn't try.  Home time is time for family.  No more homework.  If I need to do something, I'll work longer hours.  That's what I did today.  I went in early (arrived at 6:40) and got it done.  Phew!  

Jonathan (our eldest, at 22) is at a concert in KC, so they're going to stay here tonight.  They won't arrive until long after we're in bed, but at least they have a free place to crash.  That's way better than trying to drive 3 hours home after a concert.  Kevin, Brett, and the girls all got to see him.  I likely won't.  I'm just glad that they have a soft place to land.

I am going to Nashville.  Yeah, I am.  I will go to work on Thursday, and leave midday.  We'll land, check in to the hotel, change clothes, and meet with a potential customer at 4.  Then, we do dinner with this customer and another.  Friday morning, we meet with the second customer in his studio.  Friday night, I'm free.

Anyone in Nashville interested in dinner Friday night?

Saturday, I come home early-mid afternoon.  When I get here, most of the GREAT VEHICLE SHUFFLE will be done, and I'll have my shiny red Neon.  I cannot WAIT!  I will have MANY pictures to post.  It is so pretty.  I will look awesome in that car.  I'm just sayin'.

Brett's job is to start on Monday.  I thought he'd start tomorrow, but he got the drug test done today, so he'll be there Monday morning, with bells on.  Not really.  Brett doesn't look good in bells.  He'll be there, ready to work.  Whatever.

So, I did great in the classes that I taught, and shouldn't have worried, but there were so many changes that I was concerned.  It went fine, and I made it happen.  I don't want to do them with that much stress again, but I'm once again confident that I can BS my way through anything.

That sums up my life.  I BS through what I'm unsure about, and the rest is golden.  I'm good at what I do.  That's a good feeling.  My job is secure.  That's a good feeling.  I'm going to Nashville.  Dinner? 

LOL

Homework, last-minute trips, and kids

I made it through the web classes today, even though one of them was to be taught by someone else.  I jumped in at the last minute and winged it.  I've sat in on that class before, but the second person is usually concentrating on screen-refresh rates and chat dialog questions, so I had to just teach it because I know the software, not because I knew the "class."  I did fine, without a "second-chair" person.

After that (and teaching my own class,) I got back to my desk after lunch, and joined the VERY few folks that were actually ON the phones.  We are very short-handed this week, and that makes the calls back-to-back, instead of 2-4 minutes between each one.  OK, I can handle it, and I did. 

Then, I joined the customers who are in town for the training class, and I had a good time.  We ate ball-park themed foods and visited.  Coolio.  After that, I came home to start the great car-shuffle.  I won't go into that here, since it would take a diagram to explain it, but the wheels are in motion for me to get a new(er) car.

I have homework to do before my class tomorrow.  I planned on spending an hour here at home, and get it done before I teach it tomorrow.  Not happenin'.  Monica has a lot of things to tell me about, and Natalie is bored (due to being grounded from all things electronic...don't ask) and making up things to talk about.

After trying (and messing up) for a while, I gave up.  New plan:  I'll go to work at LEAST 2 hours early tomorrow, and get my class prepped.  That leaves the girls to beat the crap out of each other while getting ready for school, but Brett will be here to call the cops, or the ambulance.  Whatever.  Seriously, they are arguing a lot lately, and I'm getting to the point of DONE.

Wow, what a bitchy post.  Things are fine, and my class will be fine.  I will have a fine automobile in a few days, and my last-minute trip will be fine.  What?  I didn't mention that?  Oh.

There is a trip to Nashville happening from Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning.  They asked me to go and do my thing, but we were too short-handed on receptionists (of which I am a backup.  Yeah, just another hat I wear.)  It was then decided, on Friday, that I'm not going.  Today, I found out that I AM going.  OK, regroup.

There is the major car shuffle going on Friday/Saturday, and I will miss most of it, but we should be all set for that to happen in my absence.  I think.  Heck, I still don't know who is driving what for the rest of the week, but that little red beauty should be mine by next week at this time.  I think.  Maybe.

Patriotism

OK, this isn't a political post, so don't worry.  It's just about one moment of my life, that made me feel patriotic.

Someone once asked why people feel the way they do about singers/actors/athletes.  It may have been mom, or dad, or someone on JAD.  Anyway, I answered at the time that it's when they do something that moves you. (OK, that's a VERY short version of what I said.)

I'm watching my NASCAR pre-race stuff, picking up the house, and contemplating dinner when I see that Little Big Town is ready to do the National Anthem.  OK, I'm in!  I adore LBT.  The harmonies they offer are so rare these days.  I've never heard one of their songs that didn't blow me over.

So they start, and I get goosebumps.  The guys joined the girls after a few lines, and the goosebumps grew.  Oh.My.Gosh.  It was the best rendition I've ever heard, in my life, and I've been to a lot of sporting events, with a lot of artists singing this song.

I didn't cry, but my eyes burned, just a bit.  Call me crazy, but a beautiful song always moves me.  This one knocked my socks off.

Meeting another blogger

I've met a lot of people that I've met online.  Most have been from the message boards that Kevin and I belong to.  These are some awesome people from all over the country, some of whom have stayed in my home, yet still like us.  LOL

We've been to Ft. Worth, TX, Chicago, IL, Liberal, KS, and almost made it to a gathering in TN, but Natalie broke her arm and we headed home.  I've never been disappointed with the folks that I meet.  I usually have enough online time "talking" to them that I "know" them before that face-to-face meeting happens.

Other meetings have come from blogs and AOL Journals (RIP.)  I remember meeting Russ for the first time.  He was WAY more nervous than I was, but I don't know why.  I'm the one who drove to OVERLANDFREAKINGPARK to meet him.  (he he)  We had a good time, and I think he did, too.  I met Traci for a quick "hello" when they were passing through fewer than 5 miles from my workplace.

You know that my job takes me to a lot of cities, but it hasn't offered a chance to meet up with any online pals.  It's either a bit too far from their home, or I can't afford enough free time, or something.  That all changes in March, though.

In a few weeks, I'll be in Pasadena, CA for the Western States convention.  I'll be close enough to Pam to meet up for dinner, and they schedule is going to allow it!  I'm so excited.  She's even offered to come to me, so I don't have to find my way around in a rental car.  Awesome, huh?  

The only scary part of the whole thing isn't scary to me.  It is scary to the great state of California.  They may not be prepared for a midwest hick like me.  HA!  Look out CA, here I come!

I'm weak.

Back in August, I cut our Dish Network programming WAY back.  I was going to cancel, but they have me a super-sweet deal on minimal channels for 9 months.  I hated missing my pre-race stuff on Speed channel, but I dealt with it like an adult.

NASCAR is back on now, and I've been moping about missing the Saturday races (the cup races are on network channels, so no problem) and today, I upgraded to get my channels back.  *sigh*  I am weak.

Kevin's weak, too!  He realized that we could have the Encore movie package for only $9 more than what I was getting, so guess what he's watching in the other room.  LOL  We'll just have the kids skip a few meals here and there to pay for our entertainment.  Fair, right?

Oh well.  The deal I made was for 9 months, and I made it for 6 1/2.  It could have been worse.  I tell myself that it's OK because we don't go out to movies.  We don't go out to dinner.  We just don't spend much on entertainment.  Now go away and leave me alone.  I have some pre-race nonsense to watch.

*sigh*

The car that I want is red.  I want that little red car.

Brett has a job.  Full time, temp-to-hire, starting Wednesday.

Natalie has troubles with a kid in her class.

Monica is reading while taking on the phone.  How does that work?

Hawkeye ran across the street in front of a car.  He's >this<> close to being chained up out there.

Simba got out for over 2 hours last night, but is inside and safe now.

Kami will meet her Dad's parent's tomorrow.  We'll see how THAT goes.

I can't get images off the S5 without a card reader.

I'm tired.

Let's see how well you really know your husband. Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then forward . . . shoot, you know what to do. The real challenge is to send it to your husband to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? M*A*S*H or History channel

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
 Blue Cheese (ick)


3. What's one food he doesn't like? Coconut


4. You go out to eat. What drink does he order? Diet Coke


5. Where did he go to high school? Carthage

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12-13, depending on width


7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Cars


8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? BBQ Brisket


9. What would he eat every day if he could? Spaghetti

10. What is his favorite cereal? Peanut Butter Captain Crunch


11. What would he never wear? a Trace Adkins shirt?


12. What is his favorite sports team? The cowboys, back in the day (not now, for sure.)


14. Who is his best friend? Brian David Hunter


15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Bitch

16. What is his heritage? american


17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? German Chocolate


18. Did he play sports in high school? High school?  I think so.  Maybe not. Jr. High for sure.


19. What could he spend hours doing? online poker


20. What is one unique talent he has? keeping me from losing my ever-loving mind. He loves me: What can I say?

Vehicular nonsense

It's quite possible that:

I will drive Kevin's truck next week.

Brett will drive my car next week (he got a job, YEAH!)

Kevin will drive Brett's truck next week.

After that:

I COULD have a more reliable car.

Brett could have my car.

Kevin could have his truck back.

And life will be good.

It's a house of cards, my friend, and we need to keep it standing.  Please don't breathe heavily.

Remembering Steve

It was a rough day, all the way around, but we made it through.  Thank God that Kevin was with his Mom.  There was a memorial at the cemetery at 3, and over 40 people showed up.  The local paper did a story about it.

One of the captains of another crew told a story.  He said that Steve was coming on to duty that morning, as he (this captain) was heading out.  Steve was pouring a cup of coffee and said, "Hey Cap., want another cup?"  Captain said, "Nah, I'll have one at home.  I'll see you in the morning."  Then, he looked around at the crowd, teared up, and said, "That didn't get to happen.  Steve was gone."

Good lordy, I've cried a lot today.  Outpourings of love and memories from message boards, facebook, this blog, etc.  Folks who never met Steve took time out of their day to give us a (((hug))) online, and that means the world.  

Kevin is home, and was able to attend the gathering, as well as to offer a shoulder to his Mom.  I hate that his job is in jeopardy, and they are trying to make it tough, but I'm happy (for today) that work is slow, and he could be there for Grammy.  I'm also glad that he's home.

We miss you, Steve.  No family gathering will ever be the same.  Who will show up for Christmas and blow out my candles, with that ornery glint in his eye?  Who will tell the girls how nerdy their father was?  Who will wrestle around and play ball with the kids, when it's too cold for any other adult to join in?  

We'll make it, buddy.  Just give me that awesome sunrise from time to time, and let us all know that you're up there.  God be with you, Steve.

A rough day is coming

Tomorrow marks five years since Kevin's brother died.  It's a tough day every year, and it just doesn't seem to get any easier.  His mom is really struggling (can you blame her?) so Kevin is taking a vacation day and driving down there tonight.  In fact, he just called to tell me that he arrived safely.

Tomorrow, all of Steve's buddies from the Carthage Fire Department are going to meet at the cemetery, and Kevin and some other family members will join them.  It doesn't seem like five years ago, and I'm glad that his firefighter brothers still take time to remember him.

Natalie has already had one bout of tears tonight, and is dreading tomorrow.  She is so tender hearted.  We'll all think about it a lot, like we always do, but more so tomorrow.  I've posted some links from when it happened and from some fallen firefighter websites.  In case you've missed any of the other times I've told the story.  I don't have it in me to tell it again.

link

link

link

link

Various crap. Don't bother reading

We had a  great weekend.  Kameron was here, and she slept through the night more than my kids ever dreamed of.  In fact, when I realized how long she slept, I punched my kids in the mouth.  Just to let them know.  OK, maybe not, but it was amazing how long that baby slept.

Grammy and GG came up this weekend.  Well, they were here less than 24 hours, but they were here.  I'm not sure why the visit was cut short, but I imagine it was GG's boredom with NASCAR.  I was SO ready for this race.  It was the Daytona 500!  It sucked, though.  Russ?  Your dream was realized.  I was bored with a NASCAR race.

I have pictures of Kami, but they were shot on a pro camera, in raw, so they need to be processed.  Yeah, I don't get it either, but I'll have pics soon.  She is so fun and funny and awesome.  Enough.  I know.

My best friend in the world had surgery on her back today.  It was to be out-patient, but she's still there.  Spending the night.  Her husband assures me that all is good, but I wonder.  It wasn't just the bulging disc: they found a bone spur, too.  Still, she should be all good, but her leg is numb.

Sheesh.

Anyway, that's an update from the trenches.  Brett has a job interview tomorrow, and Kameron is to meet my ex (Brett's dad) and his wife this weekend.  We'll see how that goes.  Too much drama.  I'm not even ALMOST prepared to go into the drama right now.  We'll see what happens, then I'll update.

Chillin' out Maxin', relaxin' all cool and all....

Sorry 'bout the Fresh Prince subject line.  That's my ring tone, and my cell phone rang a bit ago.  Oh, and it's what I'm doing right now, so it's topical.  Sue me.

It is a Kami weekend, so Kevin went by to pick her up last night.  I met him over there briefly (her car seat doesn't fit very well in my car.)  It was really windy, and there was a tiny bit of sleet coming down.  I left and stopped at QT for fuel.  As I walked in to pay, it was coming down hard and fast!  It hurt when it hit my face, and the parking lot was a sheet of ice.

About 2 miles north of town, though, it was fine.  Strange.  Anyway, we enjoyed an evening at home.  The only time I would call Kami a fussy baby is for about a 2 hour stretch in the evening.  Other than that, she's happy and fun.  After her fussy spell, she went to sleep and slept for 9 hours!  I couldn't believe it.  She's only 2 months old, after all.

Today, Kevin made breakfast, which he brought to me in bed.  We gave the kids their cards and candy, and Kevin headed to the store.  Now we're all just chillin' out, which I plan to continue for the entire weekend.  I was out of town last weekend, so I'm making the most of this one.  I can't watch the Nationwide race today, because we axed that channel a few months back, but tomorrow is the Daytona 500!  I'm ready, Freddy.

Thursday

Today was much better, since I went in 1 1/2 hours early and was prepared for what was to come.  Pneumonia-ridden supervisor will be out again tomorrow (no surprise) so I had to cancel my day trip.  I was to visit a customer, and now I won't be going along.  The best part of the trip that I'm missing is the ride on the Tiger.  The pilot is taking his little plane that I love SO much.  Oh well, next time.

Survivor started back up tonight.  WooHoo!  It was a good one, too.  The "old" lady is still there, even though they tried to get rid of her right off the bat.  Nothing better than a crazy old lady on Survivor!  Now, it's Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, which all run into each other tonight.  Awesome.

This weekend, we get Kami, and Grammy is supposed to come up.  I hope she makes it.  Kevin tried to call her and she didn't answer, so she's probably at work.  I hope she calls when she gets off.  Saturday is Valentines day, and there will be hugs, kisses, and chocolate.  In spades.

OK, time to finish watching my shows.  Have a great night, and a better Friday.

What a day!

After being away from the lab for 2 days, I knew that I'd be super busy today.  I figured that I was prepared for that.  When I got there, though, I found out that our supervisor was out sick.  Guess who fills in for him when he's gone.  Yup.  That would be me.

I got to follow through on 100,001 messes that he had started to work on before he got sick.  I had NO idea what was going on with any of them (out of town, remember?) and had to scramble to figure things out.  It was an impossible day in which things were left undone.  Just before 5, as I was celebrating the fact that the day was almost over, I got the call.

Supervisor has pneumonia and won't be in tomorrow, either.  AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!  JUST SHOOT ME NOW!  The worst is, I'm supposed to be out of the lab on Friday, on a customer visit.  I may have to skip that visit, if things don't change.

I've decided that I'm a "back up person" for too many people.  Today, two of them were gone, and although their stuff all got done, none of mine did!  LOL  Maybe I'll start acting stupid.  I doubt that would work, but it's worth a try.  "Ummm, duh, errr, what's a computer?"

Home and healthy

I got home at 11:30 last night.  I was absolutely exhausted, and went to sleep shortly after unpacking.  I didn't even see the girls before they went to school today!  I woke up shortly before 10, wondering what was going on.  LOL

I saw Mom and Dad for a few minutes, ran some errands with Kevin, saw Kami, shopped for a play pen or something for her to sleep in here (didn't get one) and enjoyed the 70 degree day.  Tomorrow, it's back to work.

Our last-ditch effort was K-Mart.  I knew this was a mistake, but it was worth a shot.  They had just the one we wanted, on clearance, at a much better price than we'd seen anywhere else.  Good deal!  Only, they had none in stock.  They checked the back and checked to see if any more would be coming in.  Nope.

Kevin asks A-hole manager guy if he'd sell the display.  Nope.  They can't do that.  What will they do with it?  Throw it in the dumpster!  He says that they are given by the manufacturer for display purposes, and they aren't safety regulated.  Sure.  I'm sure the Evenflo company has a special assembly plant for the unsafe display models.  Sheesh.

The worst is, even after telling us this, the super-hateful jerk manager walked away, and LEFT IT ON DISPLAY!  That way, more and more customers can think that it's available, just to be disappointed.  I think I'll stop by tomorrow to see if it's still there, and ask for the manager if it is.  I'll ask him to sell it to me.  He'll say no.  Then I'll stop by the next day.

After all, if I take a different route home, it's right on the way, and I need to make sure that he understands that he isn't the only one who can be an A-hole.  In fact, I think I'll show him how it's done, until they remove that display.

Fun.  My version of fun.

Sick

I woke up at 4am, showered, and headed to the airport.  An early flight into Charlotte, and then a short hop over to Myrtle Beach.  We found the hotel, checked in, and went down to set up our booth.

4 of 6 fluorescent bulbs were shattered.  You HAVE to have the lights with this booth.  We decided we'd go find a WalMart and find some later, no biggie.  After setup, we were hungry, and ready to find some food.  Using Dad's GPS for inspiration, we found the Firehouse Grill (or something like that.)

We passed it on the first try, and turned around.  Then, we saw that there was no entrance from this side, so I decided to turn right and make a third approach.  The right lane turned into an interstate on-ramp, and the next ramp was 9 miles down the road.  DANGIT!  We drove the 9 miles, and turned around.

That firehouse place sounded so fun, so that's what we were going to do, no matter what!  The GPS helped us find our way, and this time (30 minutes after we left) we made it into the parking lot.

We ordered what sounded good, my choice being the fish sandwich.  When it came, I noticed it tasted a bit weird.  I couldn't tell if it was the tartar sauce, or the fish, so I took one more bite, without the bun/sauce.  Nope, no better.  It didn't taste "bad," but it didn't taste good.  I gave up on it and decided to eat my onion rings.

They tasted good, but there were really greasy, so I didn't finish them, either.  I was worried that I'd be hungry after not eating much, but boy was I wrong.  By the time we got back into the car, I knew I was in trouble.  I knew that I was SICK.  We HAD to go get light bulbs, so I decided to keep going.

2 WalMarts (both bathrooms visited,) a Home Depot, and a Lowes, and NOBODY has the right bulbs.  They have the ones smaller, and the ones longer, but nobody had the 18" (super skinny) bulbs.  We have to have light, so we opted to purchase 4 new lights with bulbs.  Gee whiz, was I feeling like crap (pun intended) while we went through this nonsense.

Finally, we headed back to the hotel, but stopped at 2 souvenir shops on the way.  I wanted to get to bed, but I also didn't want to go home to my girls empty handed.  We will probably get another chance to shop, but we didn't want to chance it.  Now, if I don't get to another shop, Kameron, Natalie and Monica are all covered.

Now, in my bed, I'm not quite wishing that I was dead anymore, but I do feel a bit like there are alien spawn in my belly.  Very loud alien spawn.  My stomach sounds like I haven't eaten for days.  It rumbles loudly, I giggle.  Poor roommate Angel.  I'm sorry you're stuck with me tonight. 

Yes, I realize that this post is TMI in it's finest form, but did you expect anything else when you clicked on that link?  Thinking about it, I think Thursday's title would have been more appropriate for this entry.

Holy Crap, Batman

What a night!  Now that we produce dog tags at work, I had one made of my beautiful granddaughter, and made two copies:  One for her dad, and one for her mom.  I was so excited that they got done a day early, that I nearly skipped out the door after work.  I stopped by her house to give her mom her "valentines gift."  She loved it.

I came home, still on cloud nine, to see that Brett wasn't here.  Odd.  Oh well.  I tried to call him, but got no answer.  I called his Dad's house, he hadn't been there.  I called his phone again, and left a message.  Around 7, he called me to say that his phone was dead enough that it barely powered up, and that he was stranded, out of gas.

*sigh*

I threw my 1 gallon gas can in Kevin's truck and headed out.  After a stop to fill said gas can, I went another 5 miles or so to where his truck died.  We dumped in the gas, and he jumped in to fire it up.  I was sitting in Kevin's truck, and saw him get back out and slam the door.  I'm surprised that it is still on the hinges.  The gas pedal had fallen to the floor and wouldn't come back up.

*sigh*

He looked under the hood while I called Kevin.  He told us a couple of things to look at, but everything checked out.  The return spring was intact, and nothing obvious was wrong.  Then, Brett laid in the floor board of the truck, shining a flashlight up, and then uttered words that I'm glad I didn't hear.  The cable had broken between the gas pedal and the dash.

*sigh*

I brought him home with me, wondering how long it would be before his truck was towed.  I mean, it was completely off the road, but it was at an intersection in Jackson county.  Yeah, it was destined to be towed.  We got home, where Kevin questioned Brett about driving when he was that low on fuel.  In his defense, he was looking for a job.  Still, you just can't take chances like that.

Anyway, Kevin thought about it for a bit, then had me call the saint-in-waiting (Jimmy John) down the road, to borrow a tow strap.  Jimmy insisted that he would get his trailer, pick up Kevin and Brett, and go get the truck.  Jimmy?  You are truly a saint.  It was 8:50 on a weeknight, and you're uprooting your plans to bail out my son.

Now, they're gone, and I'm sitting here wondering what's up. I hope it all goes well.  I hope Jimmy has room to get the trailer in front of the truck.  I guess, if they put it in neutral, it would roll backwards far enough to get the truck and trailer in front of it.  Tomorrow night, I have to pack for a convention trip, and leave town worrying.

That's what mothers do, right?  We worry.  I'm sure it will all be rainbows and unicorns when I get back.  It's just the wondering that gets to me.  I think it may be time for an adult beverage.  

Another driving lesson

Today's driving lesson involves distracted driving.  I won't even get into driving while talking on the cell phone.  I have to admit that I do that.  I usually use my bluetooth headset, but not always.  I am extra cautious with my eyes when I'm on the phone, because I'm aware of what can happen if you drive distracted.

What I'm talking about tonight are the bigger distractions.  Let's start with texting, shall we?  These butt heads who weave into and out of their lane, while trying to text, just aggravate the snot out of me.  You don't see the light change, you don't notice the brake lights in front of you, and you try to hide it in your lap, as if looking down doesn't clue us in to what's going on.  Good golly, just call the person.  I'd rather have you talking than texting, OK?

How about eating?  Sure, I munch on some fries from time to time, and you're welcome to do the same.  Maybe even a non-messy sandwich, if you can hold it in one hand and watch where you're going.  Eating out of a styrofoam container, with a fork, while merging into traffic, WITH YOUR KIDS IN THE CAR, is unacceptable to me.  Next time, opt for a biscuit.

Personal grooming?  That's another no-no.  If you don't have time at home to put on makeup, ladies, or give yourself a quick shave, men, then do it in the bathroom when you get to work, OK?  There is nothing more annoying than being stuck behind some brainless bimbo who's putting on mascara in the fast lane.

Finally, let's talk about reading while driving.  I have seen it all.  At least 3 times per week, I see someone perusing the newspaper while navigating the interstate.  WTH?  Don't you get a break or lunch time at work that would allow for reading?  This is just stupid!  And maps aren't any better.  Many folks don't have GPS, and rely on maps to find their destination.  That's fine, but pull over to read it, OK?  You're about to kill me and my co-commuters.

OK, I'm done.  Please watch the road while driving.  It sounds obvious, but so many of you aren't doing it so I feel it's my job to remind you.

Happenings 'round here...

Life is crazy and fun and busy, and there is a lot that I haven't shared.  Here are the major points:

Brett's good job ended.  He didn't lose his job.  He still knows where it is. (ROFLMBO!)  The job left town, and he wasn't chosen to join them in the next city/state.  His home was wrapped up in his job, so with the loss of job became a loss of home.  We agreed that he would stay here for one month, rent free, and if more time was needed, we'd make arrangements.

It's nice to have him around again, and it's nice to have the fun of seeing Kameron every other weekend.  So far, things are going well with this arrangement.

Monica has a head cold, with a bit of a sore throat to go with it.  The sore throat is from drainage, I'm sure, since she keeps honking her nose.  We'll just keep her hydrated and get her to bed early, and fight it off.

Natalie is doing well, and from what I saw with Kami this weekend, she's gonna make a great momma some day.  She is willing to love on the baby, carry the baby, and talk to the baby...even when said baby is asleep.  LOL

Kevin has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, to see if his shoulder is torn up again.  I pray that it's not.  If it is, he'll get patched together once again (tons of pain and lost work,) and we'll wait another year for everything to be settled.  If it's NOT torn up, his settlement hearing will go on as planned, next Tuesday.  ::crosses fingers::  

I am super busy at work, but still loving my job.  I leave in the WEE hours of Saturday for Myrtle Beach, S.C.  I will get home late Monday night, and take Tuesday as a vacation day.  After working 1 1/2 days, I leave midday Thursday for a customer visit in South Missouri, and return Friday night. 

After that, we get Kami again, and Grammy will come up to visit, and get to know this wonderful baby.  Grammy?  Meet Kami.  Kami? Grammy.  ROFL  I crack me up.

Hawkeye is showing his age more every day, and that may help to explain the reaction I had when I read the latest post by my buddy, Russ.  Good golly, I bawled like a baby.  At 6 in the morning, surfing the web, I had a breakdown that lasted a long time.  Russ?  I love ya buddy.  What a crappy ordeal.

OK, time to get the girls ready for bed, kiss my dog goodnight, and do some laundry.  Not necessarily in that order.  Well, probably in that order.  Maybe not.  Why do I think you care which order I'll do these things in?  I'm just wasting precious kilobytes now.  It's out of control.  Someone should stop me.  Seriously.  I think that....

Dinner time

Other than corn and fries, guess what we're having for dinner???

Yes, we're having sloppy joe sandwiches and it was a great excuse to share my favorite Adam Sandler song.  Sing with me!

We had an awesome weekend with Kameron.  I won't spend a lot of time on here, since I'm surrounded by family and tacos (ahem) but I'll share some of the fun: