You shoulda seen it in color

Doesn't a little bit of color make all the difference? I'm writing today about Damion. I just love him. Last night I was a little mean to him so I'm gonna blog about it - in sort of an apologetic way - although we all know he will never read this, it will make me feel better.
okay so yesterday, I worked 9 hours, then went to the gym for 45 minutes then came home. I was tired, I was hot and sweaty and I had no clue what we were gonna have for dinner. Damion tends to call me before lunch daily to ask what is for dinner. Really? I have no idea. It is very rare that I will actually plan something for dinner. Why? Because most of the time 1 of 2 things happens - 1. He doesn't ever get home in time to eat dinner and then whatever I have fixed is nasty and cold or 2. He's had a big/late lunch and his stomach hurts or he's not hungry. In all reality, Damion is perfectly content with a turkey, provolone and mayo sandwich - or scrambled egg and cheese with mayo(toasted bread)he's not real picky. So last night Madison wanted shrimp scampi and pasta and EL wanted tuna. I was too hot to eat and wasn't gonna have time to eat because I had 4 reports to type. 4! I go all summer without having any and then all of a sudden I have 4 in one night! Depending on which doctor the report is for makes all the difference in the world - these were all long ones. okay so I also had a load of laundry on the table that needed to be folded, a load in the dryer that needed to come out and a load in the washer that needed to be put in the dryer. I also had a full dishwasher of clean dishes that needed to be put away and let's not forget the sweaty body that needed to be showered. Well, when Damion got home he went right to his spot - his side of the bed in front of the nicest tv in the house. I get that he's tired, he's worked all day, he's mentally drained blah blah blah. I may sound like I have no respect for him but I do, I REALLY do. I know how tired he is. I want him to sit and veg out but last night, I wanted him to fix his own dinner and fold some clothes. It didn't happen. It turns out that Madison didn't eat all the shrimp pasta I made so he had the rest of it and some cereal. You're curious as to what I had for dinner? Oh, I forgot to eat. See, by the time I finished my reports (and I only got 3 done) it was 10 o'clock and I still hadn't had a shower. Needless to say, I left all those clothes on the table and jumped in the bathtub. Emma-Leigh had fallen asleep in my bed and when I came to bed Damion rolled over and opened his eyes. I asked him if he would carry EL to her room and he just got up and went to sleep in her bed. So I was a little peeved at him. But I'm over it now and I love him more today than yesterday (well definitly more than last night haha).

It's Monday again. blah. Here's how I'm starting off my day...

The weekend was a pretty good one. Friday night Cindy and I went to see Eat, Pray, Love while Damion kept EL & Brody and Madison & Bayley went to the football game. I was glad I had read the book before going to see the movie - I think I would have been majorly confused had I not read it first - and although I did enjoy it, I didn't feel like it was as good as everyone talked it up to be. It was just nice to get away from the kids for a couple hours to go see it - we almost didn't make it in time though. We had to wait for Damion to meet us to take the little kids and he is NEVER "On Time" haha. Cheesy. Sorry.

Saturday we went to the pool. It was a beautiful day. I stopped at Sonic, Frank's Deli and Chick-fil-a for lunch (3 different places). We stayed there until about 3 or so I guess. Madison wasn't too comfortable being at the pool so it was cut short. Also, Emma-Leigh and Brody were being mean to each other (which seems to be the norm here lately) and I had had enough. There were even snide remarks from Madison & Bayley which is a bit unusual so when Madison said she was ready to go I was (surprisingly) ready to go too. So we went home, had our showers and I sat outside with the girls while they jumped on the trampoline and rode the scooter out front. It was then that I remembered Damion had gone to Nashville for the day with one of his customers - that is 11 hours in the car - in one day. So he wasn't gonna be home for a few more hours. Madison decided to have her friend Ashley come over to spend the night so we went to get her and then went to Wal-Mart for groceries.

Sunday morning we got up and it was beautiful outside! Blue sky and not a cloud in it! The girls woke up and decided they wanted to go to the pool again so I packed our lunches and we were on our way! (Madison had since found a tool to help her while at the pool.) I was a little lazy with the camera this weekend but here are a couple shots I did manage to get.


We left the pool at 3pm and went home. Madison and Ashley were going to Ashley's church for dinner and a kickball game so they left shortly after that. Later, Damion, EL and I - along with Shawn, April and Abigail met at Tupelo Honey for dinner. Yum!

So that's about it! This weekend the girls will be heading to Pinehurst with mom and dad to visit The Abbey's. They are very excited to go!

"modern family"

I'm a little annoyed at the media right now. Pastor Bruce is doing a new series that started this past sunday entitled "Modern Family". The media is going absolutely crazy with it!! Here is WLOS ABC 13's facebook status from yesterday: A promotional campaign for the Biltmore Baptist Church is angering some members of the gay community. The ad shares the likeness of ABC's hit sitcom Modern Family, a show the promotes diversity and acceptance of homosexuality. Do you believe it is hypocritical for a church that believes homosexuality is a sin to base their campaign on the show?

If you haven't seen the ad, go to www.biltmorebaptist.org and check it out. I do not feel in any way, shape or form that the ad was meant to mock the actual "Modern Family" television show CONTENT (YES, the ad is similar). . . but nowhere does it mention anything about homosexuality. In my mind, the ad portrays diversity - in a "modern" family - modern meaning this day and time...There are over 200 comments on that status update and my blood was boiling as I was reading them...I had to stop. What I loved most? Seeing the church full last night - on a Wednesday night! Sure didn't stop anyone from coming :)

OK on to other stuff...as most of you read in my blog entitled "Yesterday", Madison has been dealing with something this week. She's been doing a great job. However, she had a huge mess last night after Maggie got into the trashcan...it wasn't pretty.

Does she look like she would be so much trouble? YES!! Looks can be deceiving! So...Madison had a mess to clean up. She was not happy. Neither was I.

As I have already said, we went to church last night. It was the first night back to Awana and Emma-Leigh moved up to a new class. She is now in T&T - Truth & Training. She had a fun time last night! Ethan's mom (EL's "boyfriend") has graciously offered to help transport EL to Awana since Madison's games will be on Wednesday nights. I am so thankful. She also is bringing another one of their friends, Faith with her. So Emma-Leigh is really excited...not sure if I posted this picture from EL's bday party blog or not but here is the cutie pie Ethan...

We ate dinner at church then me, Cindy, Madison & Bayley went to the gym. The girls did their homework while we met up with mom and exercised! yay. I hate working out! Damion had a late game and we were all asleep when he got home. Tonight I will go to the gym after work and then head home - pretty uneventful...the best kind!

I have kinda sorta told Hannah about the things she is doing that are annoying me. I'm not good at it. I don't want to hurt her feelings but so far she has been open to anything I say. I don't really know her that well so I'm not exactly sure how she takes me. She is still learning and in her probationary period so my guess is she wants to be doing things right, she wants to keep her job so maybe I can give constructive criticism in a cheerful way - or just deal with it and get over my obsessive-compulsive quirks.

test 2

found a new application on my Droid. It's the Blogger app. neato. now if I could just figure out how to add pics. let's see if this works!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2

Yesterday

Yesterday was the day Damion turned 37. It was also the day the girls and I went to his softball game. The day they won 22 to 2. The day Damion showed all those old guys that he's still got it - and hit a in the park homerun - but stopped at 3rd because he couldn't breathe.


Yesterday was the day that Emma-Leigh took her book and read at the ball field - and the day she was in charge of the camera.



Yesterday was the day we had pizza for dinner and the girls jumped on the trampoline when we got home from the game - it was also the day when I folded clothes and got caught up on Big Brother.
Yesterday was the first day of cheerleading practice for Madison as a Cane Creek Hurricane! It was also the day that she did her homework at the ballfield and practiced back handsprings while she watched Damion play. But most importantly, yesterday was the day that my little girl became a woman.

I cried. Of course I cried!! She got in the car after practice and said, "Mom, guess what happened today." So I'm thinking and say..."you broke up with Luke." She said "yeah, but that was last night." So I'm still thinking...then I discovered I missed a call from April so I called her back real quick and while I was talking to her, Damion calls. So I hang up with April, talk to Damion and then I'm back in the conversation with Madison. So I said.."you broke your phone?" She says "no." I said.."you lost something." Again, "no." Then it hit me! She was in such a rotten mood on Sunday. Her back was killing her - but no stomach pains. Then I said, "you started your period?!?" She said "yep!" and then she starts crying, and of course then I cry. I'm rubbing on her neck, rubbing her arm (I am driving) and asking her if she is okay, if it got on her clothes, what did she do...20 million questions. So she said she went to the bathroom, saw it, went to the office, was given a gargantuan pad/diaper because she couldn't find the one she had been carrying around in her purse. Then she had practice and she said "I know my base felt that diaper on me." I just laughed at that point and she laughed too so she is feeling okay now. Mostly all of her friends have started their period within the last couple months. A couple started a year ago but she has been lucky enough to get by for this long. Bayley is next! LoL. Come to think of it, I was 12 and in the 7th grade when I started too. But it just doesn't seem right. She's too little. She's my baby!

Another Monday...

Happy Birthday to the best husband anyone could ever ask for (most of the time). I love you and happy birthday Damion!!


It just happens to be Monday again...funny how they roll around so fast. The sun is shining brightly and it looks like the beginning of fall outside. Not sure what it is, maybe the decrease in the humidity, the nice breeze that is blowing and the way the leaves turn up on their ends...I can't wait for cooler weather. Fall is my most favorite time of year. I can pull out all my long sleeve shirts (no one ever asks me about my vitiligo in the fall) and start shopping for new sweaters. The only part I hate is putting my toes away. I love flip flops!

So this weekend was pretty uneventful - my favorite kind! Friday night we ended up meeting Damion, Shawn, April and Abigail at Chili's for a somewhat late dinner..we didn't get there until 8pm. When we woke up on Saturday morning it was pouring the rain ;0) you know I was loving it! I did want to take the girls to the pool but was totally fine with having a lazy Saturday. I was able to watch a movie early Saturday morning - The Last Song. It was pretty good. I'm a huge Nicholas Sparks fan and this was based on his book. Madison slept until 11am but Emma-Leigh was up pretty early and her imagination was already at work. She made a bus - out of the laundry sorter....for Maggie and Muffin.


The dogs were really good sports about riding in the bus. Muffin loved it! EL just had to tell him to come get in the bus and he came.

Shortly after the dogs got bored with riding the bus EL decided to do her own little concert. She had the "bus" all covered up with blankets and she was under them. So she pops up and starts singing "Barbie and the Rockers..." it was quite funny.

We went to mom and dad's for dinner Saturday night - beans & cornbread and fried potatoes! YUM!! After that the girls and I went to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and I bought the girls each a book. Madison HAS to read this year. In the past she was supposed to be reading 15 minutes each night. I would have to sign a homework log saying she had read. I would say 9 out of 10 times she did not actually read. This year, she has a book report she has to do when she finishes each book - and she has to read 4. So...she is very interested in the show Pretty Little Liars so that's the series she has started. EL picked Diary of a Wimpy Kid and they have had their noses in their books ever since!

I tried to sneak up on her but it didn't work!

Sunday Damion took a bit of a break and the 4 of us went to lunch at Papas and Beer. We chilled out at home for a little while which Madison absolutely hated. She actually updated her facebook status to say that she was dying a slow death because she was so bored. Her aunt Tissy gave she and EL a great idea to send Jaidyn and Ayla a letter so they decided to take her up on it. I however was enjoying myself on the back porch in the lovely weather with a new book and neglected to take a picture :( a little while later we left to have dinner at mom and dad's (again!). By this time Damion had already left to work on a few things and had not made it home yet so we left without him. We had barbeque chicken, green beans and roasted corn on the cob. It was delicious!! The girls finally got to see their Rileybug and they were so happy!


So like I said before, today is Damion's birthday...he is 37. We don't have any exciting plans for him tonight. I did get him a card and didn't wake him up this morning and he has a ball game tonight - maybe the girls and I will go - depending on what time it is. This picture is 2 years old but I like it!

Madison starts cheerleading practice this afternoon. I think she is looking forward to it!

Okay now time to vent....Hannah came back to work today. She was gone to the beach Thursday and Friday and I will admit I enjoyed the quiet time. I discovered many things while she was gone - probably won't mean anything to you but Aimee would totally understand why these things get under my skin (and she never would have done any of them). Okay here we go...she staples things that don't need to be stapled...like the new evaluation papers for new patients. I have to unstaple every single one of them. She has made copies of all the patient registration packets - instead of printing out fresh ones. So they are a mess! She makes new patient charts BEFORE the patient's get here - so when they come, I make them one and then they have 2!!! Ugh. The labels on the new patient's charts are typed in ALL CAPS. I don't do it that way. So I have a few things that bother me that I need to figure out how to explain to her...so help me! Oh and last Monday, she overbooked all but 1 patient on Dr. Puster's schedule....that CAN NOT happen!!!

Week 1 - success!

Well the first week (4 days) of 7th and 3rd grades was spectacular! I must say I am very very very EXTREMELY proud of my girls for getting up as well as they have this week, for eating breakfast every morning (not in the car on the way to school) and for having positive attitudes each and every morning. I have probably just jinxed myself for next week but I had to brag on them a little bit because it really is a big deal. Madison is NOT a morning person. . .by any means. She absolutely LOVES to sleep and is terribly grumpy when she's woken up. She has done quite well getting up to her alarm (which goes off at 5:45am) and then spending the next 45 minutes primping. She's a beauty though and I think she's real excited about this school year. On the first day of school she told me that evening that she had a boyfriend...then yesterday she had a different one. LoL. I don't like it but whatever. I just requested that maybe she keep one boyfriend for at least 24 hours so not to seem slutty. Of course I didn't say those words directly to her but you get the idea! Today was picture day for her and she had a slight makeup malfunction. She has been using this medication she got from the dermatologist on her face (she has teeny tiny acne like bumps) and it drys her face out. So when she put her makeup on this morning, it made it even worse. Anyway, with a little moisturizer she was cured in no time!

Yesterday I had lunch with Kim and her biological mother. They recently reconnected and she is here visiting so I was lucky enough to meet them for lunch. I was excited to meet her! Kinda strange referring to her as "mom" though since all I've ever known her mom to be was Jeanne but I'm happy for she and Amy that they were ready to bond with her and meet the rest of the family. Here we are at Applebee's...


The other night Damion had a softball game and needed to cut the sleeves off his shirt. So Emma-Leigh decided she needed to keep those "sleeves" for who knows what reason...this is what she came out of her room looking like...

She is so funny and creative. She said..."I can't believe Daddy's sleeves fit on my butt!" I couldn't help but laugh...only EL would do/say something like that.

I hope to take the girls to the pool this weekend...we have no other plans which to me is the perfect weekend! Have a good one!

Another great morning!

We had another smooth morning this morning. I'm so proud :) I'm wondering how long it will last! The girls got up, ate breakfast (I had menus to follow again), Emma-Leigh changed her outfit 3 times and has yet to wear anything new but we were out the door on time! I actually dropped them off earlier this morning than I did yesterday morning. Madison & Bayley got there early enough to spend 12 minutes in the gym socializing before having to go to class. They were thrilled! They were bummed yesterday though when they found out that even though they are on the same class team, they can not eat lunch together :( Maybe since yesterday was the first day, it will change here in a couple days but they aren't so sure. Emma-Leigh likes her teacher - she said she's nice and funny.
I did make it to the gym last night - and hated every minute of it. Mom wanted to stay and do weights after our 30 minutes on the eliptical but I just couldn't do it. I was worn out! No pictures to share today :( Looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning - these 5:15am mornings are killing me (and it's only been 2!).

It's all a blur!

Summertime is over! The girls are in school today and they were looking so forward to it! They both got up good, got ready and we were out the door at 6:58am. Before they went to bed last night they both decided they wanted me to fix them breakfast. Here is the note they left me.

I was actually very surprised and extremely pleased that our morning went as well as it did. Emma-Leigh did forget to do her homework last night! I totally forgot about it but she was given a paper plate at meet the teacher and was supposed to use it to describe things about herself and bring it back today. Such a great start off to the new year, right? doing homework from the night before the next morning :)

And Madison eating her breakfast..

The dress Emma-Leigh is wearing is NOT what she was supposed to wear today. She had to take the other one off because it was "itchy"...I like the blue one better :(

Don't they look great?
Here's Madison and Bayley walking into the school

and Emma-Leigh with her teacher, Ms. Harter...oops her eyes are closed!

I hope they all have a wonderful day!!

Now to recap the weekend...
Friday night Damion and I went to Papas and Beer with Shawn, April and Abigail...then went home. The girls were already at the lake with mom and dad so we were able to hang out and watch a movie. We watched Date Night. It was SO not good. Saturday morning, I got up and me, Cindy, Bayley and Brody headed down to the lake. It was cloudy and rainy :( but we made the most of it.



Sunday the girls and I went with Cindy and the kids to Randy's dad's house where his step-mom cut the girls hair and she rode them on the 4-wheeler. They had a fun time!

Then later, we went to Chili's for lunch but Damion decided not to go with us - he wasn't feeling well. His heartburn symptoms are getting worse every day. He eats Prilosec and Zantac like it's candy. I worry about him - he doesn't have enough time in the day to exercise and is a bit overweight. Maybe one of these days he and Shawn can get back in the routine of going to the gym - okay, routine may be pushing it. I think that only lasted for like 2 days. . . Monday was Meet the Teacher day and my day off to hang with the girls. We had a wonderful day! We started out by getting up pretty early and headed to Office Max for Madison a new locker shelf. Then to Target for her a pair of shoes. Then it was off to meet Damion at Cane Creek. We found out that Madison & Bayley are on the same team but not in any of the same classes. They were excited to be able to eat lunch together and to hang out during "energizer" time so they were pleased. After that I took them to get pedicures :) they loved it!


Then it was off to meet Cindy and her assistant teacher at Panera for lunch.

After that, we headed to Glen Arden to meet Damion for Emma-Leigh's Meet the Teacher. She has a couple friends in her class from last year but was real upset to see that Hannah is not in her class. See, I knew this - like, 2 months ago but she didn't want me to tell her - she wanted it to be a surprise. She was teary eyed and pouted for a few minutes but quickly got over it. She actually said, "I'm gonna tell Hannah to meet me up on the black top when we go outside." Sounds like a good plan to me! :) So we left Glen Arden, and dropped by to see Sarah and Riley. Riley's big girl bed was put in her new room over the weekend and we were all eager to see it. Of course, the girls couldn't help but stunt her while we were there.


So that's about it! I did manage to get to the grocery yesterday and cooked dinner last night. This morning I even put a roast in the slow cooker so dinner will be ready when I come home from . . . . . the gym! Shocking, eh? I'm not looking forward to it!!!!

Update on Hannah - she had surgery yesterday and another one today. I haven't heard from her mom but I am certain she did fine. Keep the prayers coming.

Almost Friday!

Everytime I think about little Hannah and her siblings I want to just cry. I think about them every second. I just watched a news clip from wlos.com from Monday, I think. I hadn't seen it before. It makes me so sad. I want to call Melissa and check on them daily. Mostly Hannah, of course. Not that she's the only one I care about, just that I know her, I've taken care of her, fed her, clothed her, put her to bed...all that stuff. I did receive a text message from Melissa yesterday that said Hannah had to have a feeding tube placed yesterday. She said she just wasn't eating or drinking. Poor thing. I don't want her to have to go thru any more pain.

Tomorrow the girls will leave for the lake with mom and dad. I will go down Saturday morning. It will be our last lake weekend before school starts. I can't believe the summer is already over! Today was the last day for Sarah's Summer Day Camp. She treated the girls (and Bayley) to Inflation Station and lunch at Papas and Beer. Tomorrow they will come to work with me for a little while. Dad will pick them up around lunchtime and then they'll head down to the lake as soon as mom gets off work. Sarah will go to the doctor for her glucose test - the 3 hour one. She's so lucky. She's getting good at it though - she had to do it last pregnancy too. Poor Sarah ;)

I have no pictures today.

I am off work on Monday for meet the teacher day for both the girls. I am longing for a day when I can sleep in! It will be the last one! Tuesday morning...I dread it already!

weekend recap

This is an attempt to recap the weekend...what I can remember of it at least.

Friday night we ventured out kinda late (8:30pm) for school supplies at Target. It was a great time to go - didn't have to fight the crowds at all. The girls got pretty much everything they needed except for a few things that April will graciously give them later. Those of you that do not know April, she is a coupon queen. Not just a coupon queen, a COUPON QUEEN. No joke. She can make money off stores. She also buys things when they're on sale, not necessarily when she needs them so she's got quite a stock pile of stuff. Anyway, the girls really got into buying stuff for school. They enjoy picking out their notebooks and pencil pouches. Ah, to be a kid again! They are really looking forward to school starting back next week and I am too. Not really looking forward to the 5:30am alarm clock but really looking forward to getting back into the routine - and getting back into the gym. My belly is "round" as Emma-Leigh says.

Saturday we went to Charlotte for Damion, Donald and Brandon to do the racing experience again. This time it was Mario Andretti indy cars. They had a lot of fun!

We stopped in Shelby and had dinner at Applebee's then headed back home. Madison and Emma-Leigh spent the night with Vickie and Donald so that I could shop with mom alone on Sunday for my bday :)

So Sunday I got up around 9:30am (shocking, I can NEVER sleep in) and went to get mom. We went to Marshalls, Target, Old Navy and then headed to the mall. We had lunch at McAllister's Deli then went to TV Nails for pedicures!


my toes BEFORE the rub down - they are pink now :)
After that a surprise dinner was in the works for me with mom, dad, Brett, Sarah & Riley at Papas and Beer!

Surprise! haha. It was one of the best days I have had in a really long time.

Please continue to pray for Hannah Allison, her big brother and little sister. Emma-Leigh is working on a few things to send to Hannah in a care package. She's really having a hard time knowing that one of her best friends is in so much pain :( she told me this morning that if she had been at Hannah's house she would have pushed her and Abby out of the way. She has also not left my side at all. She's terrified of everything and didn't even want her bath hot last night. I can't even imagine how Hannah and her siblings felt when they were on fire and I am sure that thought has crossed Emma-Leigh's mind as well.
It can all change - in the blink of an eye.

sweet Hannah

This sweet child is a dear friend of Emma-Leigh's. Last night she and her older brother and younger sister were burnt very badly at their home. The kids were outside standing around a campfire and the brother put some kind of flammable liquid into the fire. News 13 is saying it was kerosene but I've talked to her ex-aunt who says they think it was paint thinner. Hannah's step-dad is a painter. Their burns are so bad that they have flown them to Shriner's Hospital in Cinncinnati, Ohio - the burn center here in North Carolina could not take them. My heart breaks for them, their family and everyone associated with them. My heart breaks for Emma-Leigh. This little girl was one of her best friends. They were in the same class last year and it kills me to think that this sweet, innocent face may no longer look the same. Please pray for them all.

I can't focus enough to update on my weekend. That will have to come later.

Jen and I went out for our birthdays last night. We went to Fuddruckers for dinner where we feasted on big fat hamburgers and jalapeno cheesy fries! Then we went to Grove Park and walked around for a little while before heading down to Elaine's piano bar. If you haven't been before - you must go. It is my absolute favorite! When I was younger, my parents forced me to take piano lessons...for 6 years. I wanted so badly to take one summer off - they said if I did, I would never go back and guess what happened? I never went back. I hated to practice, absolutely hated it! But I have really long fingers and looking back, I should have stuck with it. Anyway, the guys at Elaine's amaze me with their talent! Not only can they sing whatever you request - they can play it too! Amazing :) no sheet music or anything! It was Jen's first time there and I think she had a good time. We left there about 11pm and came home. I had to work today and she had a drive to Greenville ahead of her. I would love to get a group of girls together and go back one night. Thursday night is ladies night there! $5 martinis and $2 beers. ya-hoo! LoL

Yesterday I had lunch with Sarah, Riley & Emma-Leigh...

Love those girls!

I should clarify my post from yesterday just a little bit I think...Damion and I are fine - couldn't be better. As much as we've gone thru in the past 6 years, I am so proud to be by his side. What really stinks is this economy and the fact that people think they can just walk all over him. I swear I think he is the most taken advantage of person I know. He's such a good guy. He's way too nice to people - he believes that what goes around comes around...we are just waiting for his time to come around. So anyway, I feel a little bit better today.

Tomorrow we will head down to Charlotte for Damion, his dad and Brandon to do the driving school racing thing again. Mom and Dad were supposed to go too but they have a wedding to go to so they won't be going with us. Bummer. I'll take lots of pictures! I love to see the big grin on Damion's face when he gets that full body suit on. haha! Happy Friday ya'll!