just me and the guys

You can help!

2009-08-08T20:33:00.000-04:00

The Race for the Cure is going a step further this year. Besides the run/walk that over the years has raised millions of dollars for breast cancer research, this year, organizers are bringing the research here. Letting YOU be a real part of finding a cure to end breast cancer.
Sheila Hauck, an organizer with Komen Evansville says "we need hundreds, thousands of women to come out, 18 years old and up. It only will take 20 minutes, a small stick in the arm."
Two tablespoons - that's all the blood they need. Your sample, along with all the others from Evansville will be sent to the IU Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis to be used in research around the world.
Hauck says the research will compare women with breast cancer to women that don't have breast cancer. "Finding the small things in the tissue and cells the genetic link that triggers what turns on that cell to divide out abnormally -- what starts that cancer."
Turning a parking lot in downtown Evansville into a donation center is a huge, unprecedented task for Komen Evansville. And organizers say the only way they can pull it off, is with your help.
"We need over 200 volunteers to make this run smoothly." Hauck says, "We need regular folks to greet and help people in to the tent and we need people trained in medical field that know what research is about and help people fill out consent forms and we need people who know how to draw blood."
Mary-Beth Owen, one of the original organizers of the Race for the Cure says, "It is a tremendous responsibility but it's a privilege that Komen has chosen Evansville as the only site in the US to do this tissue blood bank draw."

For more information-please e-mail me.

Cancer stinks

2009-07-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

'nough said!

First day of Camp

2009-06-09T19:17:00.005-04:00

If you look real close, his shirt is on inside out and backwards. I guess he was in a hurry!

Camp Carson

2009-06-07T09:45:00.001-04:00

Ty is leaving for Camp Carson today and will be gone for 5 nights. He had a book he wanted to pack and stated "Put it in there for me." I told him that he was going to be in for rude awakening this week when he had to do things for himself. His reply was "Yeah, you are right. You should probably pack an alarm clock for me."

Boonville Prom 2009

2009-05-03T20:38:00.003-04:00

Aren't they cute!!!

Extreme Hair Makeover

2009-04-16T18:43:00.002-04:00

Ty decided to style his own hair this morning into what the hairdresser called a "fauxhawk". Then this afternoon he decided he wanted all of his hair cut off . You decide which you like better :) Unfortunately the picture doesn't do this mornings hairstyle justice.

Ty received the AR award for his class for this six weeks since he read 56 books-more than anyone else in his class.

Handsome Bob

2009-03-14T10:28:00.007-04:00

Some of you know this story-others don't but it is worth telling again.

I met Handsome Bob when he came in to see me about a research study. He was not able to participate in that certain study but I asked if he would be interested in another study we had and he said Yes.

Bob has been blind since birth. He is currently 61 years old. He had been institutionalized for 8 years at the Indianapolis school for the blind. He has a cane and his clear point of focal vision HAD been two inches from his face.

As part of the study, he had to have an exam. Dr. Eric Weyer told Bob about a surgery that he might be a candidate for. Bob ultimately was not able to participate in my study but we were able to get him in to see Dr. Tharp about the possible surgery. Bob had his first surgery about four weeks ago. His vision in his left eye is now 20/70 uncorrected.

When I talked to Bob for the first time after his surgery he told me "I never knew the sky was so blue."" I am sitting in my living room watching the squirrels play in the tree." Prior to the surgery Bob said the squirrels would be a brown mass. He couldn't see their hands, faces etc....

Bob is going to have the second surgery once his left eye is completely healed. I/We are so happy that God had our paths intersect. So often we want something and we want it now! But ultimately everything is up to our Master and he will decide when the time is right, not us. Sixty one years of blindness and now Handsome Bob is able to see. We don't know the plans He has for us but we can be assured they will be GOOD!

I bought Bob a bumper sticker at The Vineyard and it said "I was blind but now I see. John 9:25"

The F word

2009-03-01T20:15:00.002-05:00

Picture this: a seven year old boy locked in his bedroom with the toychest blocking the door. He is crying and says " I can't believe you said the **F** word to me!" Sob,Sob.
I replied "What **F** word?"
"You know the F word?"
"What word?"
"The FR word"
"WHAT FR WORD?"
"The FRE word!"
"JUST TELL ME WHAT WORD"
"Freakin'-I can't believe you said that to me.

Yes I admit it! I said to my son "You are acting FREAKIN' ridiculous." This whole disagreement lasted about 15 minutes and was all because he wouldn't read the title of the story that he had to read. Sometimes motherhood can be so challenging.

All about Mom

2009-02-23T18:05:00.004-05:00

1. What is something mom always says to you?
What- I dunno know. Pick up your clothes (Ty) Not right now.(Cj)
2.. What makes mom happy?
Whenever I listen to you (Ty) I dont know (CJ)
3. .What makes mom sad?
What- Umm, when something bad happens. (Like what?) I dunno know. (Ty) Me moving out (CJ)
4.How does your mom make you laugh?
Whenever you say something funny. (Ty) When she trips over her own feet (CJ)
5. What was your mom like as a child?
I dunno know.
6. How old is your mom? (39)
39 39
7. How tall is your mom?
I dunno know 5'11"
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
I dunno know. Watch America's Biggest Loser
9.. What does your mom do when you're not around?
I dunno know. Seriously-I don't.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
I dunno know. Seriously-I don't Helping people
11. What is your mom really good at?
I dunno know. Disagreeing with my Dad. Being a Mom
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Cooking pizza right. (It is in the oven right now and he thinks it is burning.) Leaving work at work.
13. What does your mom do for a job?
She's a nurse. Research Coordinator
14.What is your mom's favorite food?
I dunno know. Oh yeah, Banana pudding but that's not from the food pyramid. Olive Garden
15.What makes you proud of your mom?
I dunno know. Always staying strong.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Most likely the roadrunner. I don't know
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Not very much (I think I am going to cry) Fight over kitchen space
18. How are you and your mom the same?
I don't exactly know Hard headed
19. How are you and your mom different?
I dunno know She's a girl and I am a boy
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
'Cause she gives me stuff. 'Cause she puts up with me.
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
That he's funny That she is divorced from him.
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
I dunno know Mexico or Florida
Ty's answers are in red, Cj's are in blue.
I think this was supposed to be funny, but I am not feeling it right now. I felt a little better after CJ answered.

Wonderful Winter Weather-NOT!

2009-02-01T18:28:00.003-05:00

So we have been hit by snow,ice,sleet. We lost electricity for almost 72 hours. I thought it would be nice to get back to 'normal'. Temperature today was 53 degress which means that all of the wonderful stuff that caused problems earlier will continue to cause problems. Our basement wall is now leaking. We have had to pull out the wet/dry vac to soak up the water as it seeps in on our new paneling and carpet. But hey it could be worse-we could still be without electricity and not be able to use the wet dry vac! I am attaching a picture or two that I thought were pretty with all of the ice.

A new niece or nephew!

2009-01-27T21:08:00.003-05:00

Well we have known for a few weeks that there will be a new baby in the family. We expect the arrival to occur sometime in September. I found out tonight that if it is a boy it's name will be Critter Tygra! Is that weird or what?

We love you Jamie and Chris!

The best Apple Dumplings Ever!

2009-01-18T16:02:00.003-05:00

This is the finished product. My friend Perri gave me the recipe. I have made it once for my family and once for my coworkers. Unfortunately some of them didn't get there quick enough so I am going to make another batch tonight. It is so easy.

Take two granny smith apples peeled and cored. Cut each apple into 8 pieces. Have two cans of crescent rolls. Wrap one slice of apple with one crescent role. Place the wrapped apple in a buttered 9x13 dish. Melt two sticks of butter. Add one and a half cups of sugar and barely stir. Then add one teaspoon of vanilla and stir. Pour this mixture over the apples and crescents. Then pour a 12 oz Mt. Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Be sure to let it cool or you will burn your mouth on the apples. I think it tastes better on day 2.

Food for thought

2009-01-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

Mcdouble-$1.o0 Two patties, one slice of cheese
Double Cheeseburger-$1.29 Two patties, two slices of cheese.
I was curious what the difference was, so I asked.

The fourth picture thing

2008-12-17T19:01:00.004-05:00

Notice: There is no fourth picture folder! My computer died about 3 months ago and I am working off of my laptop so I dont have very many pictures. So the fourth picture is of Elvis and Lola, my mother's Pugs. Elvis is on the right and Lola is on the left. Elvis is a rescue dog that attacked my mother shortly after she got him. He was promptly neutered and now is a wonderful dog!

Up All Night

2008-12-04T05:42:00.002-05:00

I have been awake almost all night! I went to be around 9pm and was back up at 11 eating Lucky Charms. When back to be at midnight and then up again at 0230 with Charlie Horses in my legs. I have heard different things about how to cure these but nothing seems to help so tonight I tried the mustard theory. I am not big on mustard but I took two teaspoons full of mustard. Yuck!! I haven't had any more cramps but I haven't had any sleep either.
I have accomplished a lot. I was able to contact my insurance company about a bill they haven't paid. I shaved my legs. I contacted my boss about an issue I had forgotten to tell her about. Laundry is going. (I would love to vacuum but don't think my family would appreciate that)
Tonight is our ladies Christmas dinner at church and I will be there, I just hope I get a nap before then. So if I am looking a little rough, be easy on me.
PS: Is there a song named "Up All Night"?

New addition to the family

2008-11-23T08:24:00.003-05:00

About two weeks ago, we lost one of our dogs. Since that time, Buddy has whined pretty much non stop. We brought him in the house with us and he was happy but the minute he was outside, he would start whining again. I was determined not to get another dog to keep him company. He is old and probably won't live another year so I had plans to take my backyard back.

Then I met Daisy. I stopped by animal control in Evansville for my mother. She wanted me to check out a pug for her (it had already been adopted). I did a quick walk through and two hours later came home with my new yellow lab. She is approx 3 years old. She does not bark at all or at least hasn't in the past 18 hours. She is potty trained, knows sit, shake and down. She fetches too and CJ is excited about teaching her to retrieve.

She had been at the shelter since the 11th. They keep strays for 7 days then put them up for adoption for seven days. After that there are no guarantees. Her seven days would have expired Weds.

I have searched old lost adds. She is such a great dog that I can't believe someone isn't looking for her. Her one negative is that she jumps on us when she is excited but I think we can break her of this.

Buddy thinks she is pretty cool too!

Another reason to always WASH YOUR HANDS

2008-11-23T08:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C455067%2C00.html

Wonderful West Virginia

2008-10-21T19:03:00.004-04:00

I took the boys to West Virginia this weekend over fall break to visit a girlfriend. It was Bridge Day at the New River Gorge. Several people were base jumping from the bridge which is the second largest bridge in the northern hemisphere. Check out the pictures.

Long Lost Friend

2008-04-14T18:59:00.003-04:00

Have you ever met someone and just knew instantly that you could be great friends?

Nine years ago in September my husband and I were married. We went on a cruise to Mexico and New Orleans. About half way through the cruise, we met a couple from England, Claire and Matthew. We all hung out for the rest of trip. We took Matthew to Hooters (He had never been) and Claire and I purchased Boa's while in New Orleans. We had a great time together. When the cruise was over, we came home to Indiana. Claire and Matthew returned to England. We wrote letters for several months. On Christmas Eve, I returned home to find a box of red carnations on my doorstep. They were from Claire.
Claire had a baby boy. I had a baby boy. We both got busy and quite writing.
Sometime last month another girlfriend called and said that someone from England was trying to find me. I checked out the site and the posting was actually from 2003. It didn't have an e-mail address but I remembered Claire's from way back then. I sent an e-mail and waited...........

About five days later, I got an e-mail from Claire. I was so excited. She is 13 weeks pregnant with her second child. She lost her father to lung cancer about 18 months ago and the baby is due on his birthday. She cried when she read my blog.

To think that we only spent about four days together (Yes I know it was my honeymoon) and have developed this friendship. I sure hope we don't ever lose contact again. Maybe one of these days I will be able to go to England to see her. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

God's timing is ALWAYS Perfect

2008-04-12T14:27:00.004-04:00

During the pizza sale, a gentleman that I do not personally know had purchased $40.00 in pizzas but written his check for $540.00. I had heard that he lost his wife to cancer. I wrote to him, thanking him for his generosity and filling him in with the good news that I had received. I assured him that the money he had donated would help others with this dreaded disease.

I had decided to share the profits from the pizza sale with others who are struggling with bills and expenses associated with breast cancer. I had one person in particular who I intended to bless but wasn't sure when or with how much. She has had to endure the full expanse of treatments for her cancer. She has had two surgeries, is currently going through chemo, will have radiation after and then on with reconstruction. She has insurance but as we all know, it is still a financial burden. I figured she could use some blessings!

She was the first person I called after my diagnosis. We had been friends before but now it is a different kind of friendship. I went to see her today at work. As I drove, God kept telling me $250.00. I figured this was a good amount, since it was half of what the gentleman had blessed me with. I was going to get cash but the bank was closed. So I wrote her a check from the benefit account. Of course she didn't want to accept it but I explained to her that it was half of the amount given to me and that I had promised this gentleman that I would help others. She relented and accepted the check.

When I arrived home, I had a letter from this gentleman. Here is a portion of it:

I lost my mother to Cancer when she was only 42 years old. I was in the Army in Vietnam at the time which made it even more difficult for me.

Then in 05' I lost my wife to cancer.

So I guess what I am trying to say is BE STRONG-Have Faith in God and cherish each day. Fight the good fight and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your boys each and everyday.
God bless you and live a long and happy life. Peace be with you and smile each day.

Also take a moment each day just for yourself to reflect on where you have been and all the great things ahead of you!

Thank you, Mr. Morris and I will do my best to follow your advice!

What a week!

2008-04-05T20:15:00.003-04:00

Well most of you already know but Tuesday I was notified that I would not have to go through Chemotherapy. My Onco typing came back that the cancer was a very NON aggressive type. My chance of reoccurrence with only tamoxifen would be 3% in 10 years. The doctor did not feel that chemotherapy could reduce this percentage. Prior to this test returning, they were saying that I had a 15% chance of reoccurrence in 5 years so this was a huge decrease. Typically this test takes at least two weeks to come back but mine came back early. I was to start the therapy on Thursday. I can't even begin to express my thankfulness to God for all of His work!

So once I found out that my hair wouldn't be falling out I figured I needed to get it professionally fixed. It is still darker than I am used to but it looks a whole lot better. For those of you who saw the black hair, I hope you agree.

Pizza Fundraiser

2008-03-30T22:05:00.004-04:00

My girlfriends organized a pizza fundraiser to help off set the time I will be off work with chemo. Barb was in charge because she has organized one before for the greyhoud rescue. Several of my former coworkers came out and helped. People from church, the Evansville Police Dept, The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Dept and Central Dispatch all bought. There were several others that bought but I can't list them all. We made over 400 pizzas in about 2 1/2 hours not including set up and tear down. But they raised over $1000 from the pizzas and then had over $1000 in donations. It was an awesome experience to be there with all of my dear friends and to know they were doing this for me. The young girls helping were friends of my friends daughter. They were a huge help. Check out the pictures of all the fun and all the pizzas we made.

Bad Hair job gone worse

2008-03-30T21:56:00.002-04:00

In preparation for chemo, I decided to get my long hair cut short. I paid $31 dollars for a haircut that is going to fall out in about 20 days anyhow. I went and bought haircolor the stylist recommended. It was OK but I didn't really like it. I did all of this on Monday. On Tuesay I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to die it blond instead. So he went to walmart and bought me a box of "real blond". It sat at the house for two days until he said "Are you going to use that box of color?" So I did. I then became pumpkin orange. It was awful. So Friday night I ran to walmart at 9pm to get a box of brown. I put it on and all it did was tone down the orange and make it lucille ball red. It was doo able but I still didn't like it. So tonight I sent Jordan (CJ's girlfriend) to get me a darker brown. Well now my hair is gothic black! My scalp is sore and I have talked to two professional beauticians who say "DON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE TO IT."
Since it is sunday night, I guess I am going to work looking gothic tomorrow. AAAARRRGGGHHH

Where do I start?

2008-03-22T23:51:00.003-04:00

Where do I start? I haven't posted in some length of time because I had been so busy with my job. I was starting to feel comfortable in my job and at least had a clue what I was doing. I had traveled to Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and Atlanta was in the forecast.
Shortly before the trip to Atlanta, I was showering and found a lump on my left breast. I wasn't too concerned because I have had cysts in the past and drink LOTS of Dt. Mountain Dew. So I checked it occasionally and had my husband feel it just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. John said it felst like a muscle. I had to teach him that women don't have muscles in their breasts and he had to remind me that he is a plumber not nurse!
After I returned from Atlanta I called and had a mammogram and ultrasound completed. The technician stated it looked like a fibro adenoma. 90% of masses in the breast are this kind. They reassured me not to worry all weekend but said for me to come in on Monday and have it biopsied. I did this on Monday and went right back to work. I was slightly concerned but not really. On Tuesday I recieved a call on my office line from the radioligist asking for me to either call him or the breast advocate back. At this point I knew it was cancer. I called him back and left a message then he returned my call and told me that it was indeed cancer. His exact words were "We found a little invasive ductile carcinoma." I thought "Is this like being a little pregnant?" and the answer is yes. You have cancer and you are pregnant(No I am not pregnant). Neither one is little.

On Weds March 5 I had a total mastectomy. I was released from the hospital the next morning and felt pretty good. The doctor said that my lymph nodes looked good and he doesn't think the cancer has spread. I do have a 6mm spot on my liver that they aren't concerned about but I am.
We are doing a Pet scan on Friday to check for any metastisis. I met wth the oncologist this past Friday and he wants me to have chemotherapy. I had been under the impession that I was not going to need this but apparently I do. I will elaborate more on that later. Please keep me in your prayers that I handle the chemo with grace and that I am not too sick. I will update more maybe tomorrow but I need to rest right now.

Willis Look-alike Meter

2008-02-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Vintage pictures - Find my lost relatives

Fall Camping

2007-10-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

This weekend was our annual camping trip to Lake Rudolph. We have approximately five families that go and always have a good time. This year was no different EXCEPT I had laryngitis the whole weekend. Those of you that know me, know I like to talk. If I had one dollar for everytime someone said "What?" this weekend, I could probably redo my bathroom. I woke up Saturday morning and could not talk. Actually, I could talk but it sounded much more like a squeek. Saturday night I thought for sure I would wake up with a voice Sunday morning but no such luck. Actually Sunday I still didn't have a voice and was starting to not feel so great. So today has been a lazy day on the couch in between loads of laundry.
Saturday John and I were in the golf cart preparing to go up to the carnival. John had already dropped off one group but there wasn't enough room so I told him to come back for me. We had just crawled in the golf cart and were in reverse when I heard this terrible CRUNCH. I looked to the side and saw a small ride on toy that had been in the street but it was still in one piece. I didn't know what we had hit. We hadn't hit anything....the large tree with the orange X on it that is to be cut down this week had cracked and fallen on top of our golf cart. This limb that had fallen was enough firewood to last most of Saturday evening. It was pretty scary but I was thankful that no one got hurt and that the kids weren't around.

The Good with the Bad

2007-09-18T19:28:00.000-04:00

With my new job, I get the opportunity to travel. I will travel approximately four times a year for 2-3 days at a time. Not Bad! I get to stay in fancy hotels fit for a king AKA: doctor, they feed us nice meals and it doesn't cost me a penny. Well two weeks ago they told me that I would be going on my first trip to Philadelphia. I leave on Sept. 27th, my 38th birthday. I wasn't overly concerned about that because I would get to sleep in a bed like the one

above, ALONE!!! But then I realized it is also the weekend of our women's retreat. Unfortunately I won't return home until late Saturday so long as I don't get delayed in Detroit.

I hate that I am going to miss the retreat but since this is a new job I didn't really feel I could tell them no. So Girls, Have Great Fun, Great Fellowship and eat lots of food for me.

What Gender is your Brain?

2007-09-04T20:12:00.000-04:00

***My Brain is 73% Female, 27% Male***
My brain leans female,I think with my heart, not my head.Sweet and considerate, I am a giver, But I'm tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of me! That is what the quiz says and I like it.
What Gender Is Your Brain?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatgenderisyourbrainquiz/

Finally found it!

2007-08-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

What was I looking for? The perfect job that would allow me to work full time, be at home in the evening for my family and have additional free time for church and other activities. Thank You God! I had written about finding a new job which was Monday through Friday. Well the insurance was not what I was told during the interview. I had been told $200 a month for the family, it was actually $565.00. Big difference!!!! Well it just so happened that Welborn Clinic had called to see if I was interested in a part time job. I explained that I had to have full time and was curious if they had filled the Research Coordinator Position yet. They had not but have now!!
I can't fully explain it on this web page but I get to spend TONS of time with my patients. Alot of times they will have something very rare and we will be working with them closely to get their condition under control. We also do studies on very common things like allergic rhinitis-seasonal allergies. The people who are in the studies get paid for their time and receive EXCELLENT medical care. Since these drugs may not be FDA approved yet we are watching closely for any signs of problems. We do blood work, EKG's and anything else we might need to be sure the patients are healthy before they start and remain healthy during the study. We have a lot of paper work but that is OK. I have meet the primary physician I will be working with and he seems to be very pleasant! I have only heard good things about him. All of the girls I work with are great, very welcomng and very helpful. I will be in orientation for 3 months...think about this. I only received 6 weeks at the hospital and then had 6-11 ill patients on my own sometimes in very serious medical condition.
I will have my own office and phone line. Plus some other perks. I am totally excited and feel like I have truly found where I belong! This is the first time since graduating from Nursing school that I have felt like this.

My handsome son

2007-07-29T15:25:00.000-04:00

Cj is sixteen now and quite the handsome young man. He is working at Holiday World this summer for his first job. A couple of weeks ago he received the Rookie of the Week award and I was quite proud of him....Last night he received his first speeding ticket...not so proud. Hopefully he will be eligible for the deferral program. He is responsible for his insurance, gas and truck repairs so it all falls on his shoulders. He was so upset that it hurt me. I told him that I was glad no one got hurt and I hoped he learned his lesson....Of course his story was shared with all the guys at church and Eric had to tell him he got three tickets in one year when he was seventeen. My only response was that he must not have been paying his own insurance.

I need a vacation from my vacation

2007-07-23T14:33:00.000-04:00

We returned Friday afternoon from our trip to Disney! To answer the main question everyone has been asking... Ty loved flying. He was a little nervous at first but luckily we had a very smooth flight. On the second leg of the flight he actually fell asleep waiting for take off. On the ride home we hit some turbulance and this was a little scary ( for myself as well) but didn't last long and the remainder of the flight was smooth. Ty was looking out the window and was able to pick out "Alcola" and the race track-Ellis Park.
It was a very nice trip and Disney definately goes out of their way to make it enjoyable for everyone but it is still very taxing on a parent. I had both boys and my mother. It was go,go,go for five days.
At just about the time that my nerves were shot because he wasn't listening and kept running off I walked near a mother whose daughter had CP. The little girl was strapped in her wheelchair. She will never run off from her mother, she will never be able to wrap her arms around her mothers neck and she will never say "MOM" fifty times until her mother finally answers just to hear "I LOVE YOU." It makes you count your blessings a thousand times over. Don't get me wrong because I am sure without a doubt that this little girl gives her mom ton's of lovin' and is a precious child but it put me in my place so to speak. I stopped and thanked God that I had a healthy, energetic little boy who was having the time of his life and just wanted to make sure he saw everything. I spoke to both the mother and the little girl and looked for them later in the trip but never found them. I had a princess pin I wanted to give the little girl, instead I will just put in somewhere to remind me of that beautiful child and to remind me to be thankful for everything I have. Thank You God!!!

Wasting time

2007-07-15T07:56:00.000-04:00

I have tried to post pictures on several occasions without success. Hopefully this will work. These are old but some of my favorites.
http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa19/jact412/?action=view&current=d056386f.pbw

Preparing for take off.......

2007-07-13T23:01:00.000-04:00

Ty and I visited Dress Regional Airport today. We checked out the luggage area, games, and watched one plane take off. We discussed where they were headed and approximately how long it would take them to arrive. He decided that he is going to be sick when the plane takes off....He doesn't know it but I did get a new gameboy (his died several months ago) to help keep him distracted while waiting.
On a different note- This morning he spilled his milk on the kitchen floor and replied "It is a shame the kitten is lactose intolerant." and walks on. You have to wonder where they come up with this stuff.

Flight suggestions

2007-06-22T13:27:00.000-04:00

Does anyone have suggestions for first time flyers? We are going to Walt Disney World in three weeks and Ty (6 years old) is scared. He has made numerous comments about just staying home with Dad. John is dreadfully afraid of flying and it has rubbed off on his son. I want him to enjoy the flight but am scared of the scene once we arrive at the airport.

Come on Perri I know you can come up with something original :)

Weekend at the ball park

2007-06-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

Every year on Father's day weekend (which is also Ty's birthday weekend usually) John plays softball in the Plumbers and Pipefitters national Tournament in Cincinnati. It is always a good time and we all look forward to the weekend away. We had cake out by the pool for his birthday and will have the family over this coming Saturday to celebrate.

But back to the tournament, different locals from around the United States and Canada come and bring small metal pins for the kids to trade. Ty has more than 30 pins now and placed them all on John's straw hat.

We had excellent times for the games. The first game was at 6pm on Friday which they won. They then played at 10am on Saturday morning and won that game as well. We didn't have to play again until 7:30 Saturday night so they were able to avoid most of the heat. John's cell phone rang at 8:50 this morning and it was one of the players wondering where we were. We thought the game started at 9:30 but it was actually at 9. Needless to say we had to speed to get there in time. John ran up to the field with his sandals on, cleats in hand and no socks! One of the wife's had a spare pair of socks but he only had time to put one on. So his first at bat he had one sock on and one sock off- He hit a home run. His next at bat he hit a Grand Slam which was awesome. His third at bat they intentionally walked him. I felt like I was married to Mark McGwire. They were scared to pitch to him :). We lost the game but he played well. It was a great time for everyone.

The tale of two kittens

2007-06-08T06:31:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we decided to get a kitten. It was a little 8 week old black and white male. They said it weighed 2.4 lbs but it was TINY. Ty chose to name him Charlie. The kitten wouldn't eat so I called the adoption center and they said to take her to the vet. After hanging up with them, she began to eat. YEAH!!! Well on Tuesday night she had the worst diarrhea I had ever seen for a kitten IN OUR BED! Yes we were in it. Gross I know. So Weds morning off to the vet we go.
John checked on him Weds afternoon and the vet said he wanted to keep him a couple of days. When I hadn't heard anything by Thursday I called the vet. Well they had been so busy they hadn't had time to call to tell me that he had died.
As you all know, Ty is pretty sharp but he is only five. So I call my friend with the rescue agency to fill her in on what has happened. They have another kitten from a different litter at Petsmart if I want to check her out. I do, I bring her home and Charlie is now a she.
Ty says "Charlie is missing a spot." I responded "I don't remember a spot being there." Ty states "Where did the white go, down here? (pointing to his belly). I don't answer because I am about to start laughing hysterically. I then walk in the other room so he doesn't see me. I return a few minutes later and Ty says "Charlie's voice sounds different." To which I replied, "He is better now so his voice is stronger." I think at this point he had caught on but decided not to explore further because he was just happy to have a kitten back in the house.
Children are much smarter than we give them credit for :)

Tagged by Perri

2007-06-02T13:01:00.000-04:00

1. What is your first and middle name? Amy Sue
2.How did you get your name? Named after my Grandmother's best friend, Francis!! They called her Amy thank goodness.
3.What are your kid's names? How did you decide on your their names? Clayton James- My maiden name and his dad's first name but we call him C.J. when he isn't in trouble. Johnathon Ty-Dad's name is John William Tygre . The Tygre was from a dream that his dad was having when he was awakened and told Gayle was in labor. So we came up with Johnathon Ty.
4.Do you like your name? Could be better, Could be worse. It has worked for 37 years so I guess it is OK.
5.What was the most popular name (according to Social Security) the year you were born? Lisa was #1, Amy was #6.

Living a "normal" life

2007-05-27T19:02:00.000-04:00

As many of you are aware, for the past sixteen years I have not had a "normal" life. I know there are not many people that do but I have have always worked a job where it required working some weekend hours. John and I have been married for 7 plus years. During our first year of marriage, I worked full time and was recovering from brain surgery. During our second year of marriage I worked full time and was pregnant with Ty. During our third, fourth, fifth and sixth year of marriage I worked full time and attended school to become a nurse. I am now a nurse and just recently landed a Monday - Friday 9-5 job. This was such a blessing that after I was offered the job, I hung up the phone, thanked God, and cried. I had been working night shift five nights a week and it was NOT working for me or my family.
This was my first week of working straight days with the weekends off. IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL. Saturday we had a kickball tournament with our church, saturday evening was spent at my in-laws for a picnic. Today we went to church and hung out at home and tomorrow we are going to a pool party/graduation party for a friend's daughter. Life is Good!!

One stop shopping

2007-05-21T07:36:00.001-04:00

Many of you reading my post already know that Perri is a tastefully simple consultant. Well as I was heading home from a day at the amusement park I remembered I was to bring an appetizer to a party I was supposed to be at in 3 hours. I stopped by Perri's house to hopefully pick up the mix for a key lime cheese ball. Well I was in luck. She had an extra box so all I had to do was to stop by Walmart for cream cheese and graham cracker sticks and I was ready. It gets better...Perri just happened to have a box of cream cheese and a bag of coconut bars (kind of like graham cracker sticks). My total grocery bill was $10.50 and I didn't have to stand in line. It doesn't get much better than that....The cheese ball was a hit and a breeze to make. I definately need to stock up!

One wish

2007-05-19T07:56:00.001-04:00

If there was one thing I would love to do in this lifetime it would be to own a pumpkin patch. My favorite season is fall and my fondest memories with both boys are of going to the pumpkin patch. There was a pumpkin patch near where I used to live. It was run by an elderly man and his wife. He would have all of the pumpkins set up on the hill and I could spend hours picking out the perfect pumpkin. Unfortunately he became ill and was unable to keep up with the patch. I have not found one yet that is as close to home. We do own some land in the country. I wonder if my husband would plant me a pumpkin patch near his deer camp?

Just Starting

2007-05-18T20:05:00.000-04:00

This is my first post. I love reading all of the posts from the ladies at church and decided this would be a good way for me to remember all of the funny things my boys say. For example, today Ty was asking me about my first car that I destroyed. I didn't understand what he was talking about and asked him to explain. He went on to talk about how my first car was totaled(I have never had a major car wreck)He went into this very long story and then said "You know, the one that left the tire tracks on your stomach." He was referring to my stretch marks.....You gotta love them.