Merry Christmas and Stuff

Today was a good day. I can't say great because of things that started yesterday and carried over to today even though I didn't think they had.

Cameron had a fantastic birthday and Christmas. Santa brought him the two Nerf guns he wanted along with a sled. Kelly did not get the camera she wanted but said she still had a good Christmas. She got a Cabbage Patch doll and that made her happy.

We had cake and presents at Beth's for Cameron's birthday and Cameron said that was nice. He picked out his cake, ordered and put the decorations on it today. A hockey themed cake again. He had the same cake several years ago.

6 days and counting

Only 6 days til Christmas and Cameron's birthday. Where have the past 10 years gone? I remember whining that I wanted him born so I could see him.

Cam went to the endocrinologist this week. He has grown 2" since June. He is now 49" and 70.4 lbs. They did not increase his shot dosage as it is working well thus far. He had follow up bloodwork and another wrist x-ray done while he was there. He is almost on the growth chart.

Kelly had her renal ultrasound. The doctor called this morning and said her bladder and kidney look healthy so they don't think that's the reason for her problems. She wants Kelly to see a gynecologist to see if there is any reason there for her problems like endometriosis or fibroid cysts. As the cysts run in the family, I would not be surprised. She is also to start taking miralax to see if it could be constipation. I guess kids and teens can void daily but still be constipated...who knew!

Over the weekend we drove out to State College for Bryan and Laurel's wedding. The ceremony and reception were beautiful. There are no words for the exquisiteness of her dress. You can't see how truly gorgeous it was from this pic but when the train was down and the blue insert was shown, it took your breath away.

Kelly completely fell in love with Ryan, Beth's baby and hogged him for most of the reception.







We are gearing up for a busy few days. Tomorrow is Kelly's cheerleading holiday party, Sunday is church, Tuesday we take Cam to the pediatrician for his ADD/ODD and visit Dr. Renk for his Christmas party and then Wednesday we will join June's family and Glenn's parents for dinner at 2:00 to eat and exchange gifts before the 4:30 service at June's church.

Kelly works all weekend then she is off until Friday.

We will be going to Beth and Michael's for Christmas dinner on Thursday. I'm looking forward to spending time with Glenn's family and the kids.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I will update this blog during the week between Christmas and New Years with a synopsis of the holiday and pictures.

We still believe in Santa

Boy the holidays sure are moving fast this year. It seems like just yesterday it was Thanksgiving and now Christmas is 15 days away.

On Saturday, Glenn, Cam, his girlfriend, Jalyne and I went to the Kid Crawl in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50215&l=f93a4&id=550377911
It was extremely cold and by the end of the afternoon it was snowing and the roads were icy. Cameron made what I believe to be his last trip to see Santa. Fortunately, he asked for easy things....Nerf Vulcan and Recon. Looks like Santa will easily make his wishes come true this year.

Kids Crawl is a day of cultural activities put on by the Cultural Trust of Pittsburgh. The kids were able to decorate cookies, make musical instruments, paper garlands and spin art. Then Cam stopped in to see Santa. Jalyne passed as she has moved passed that stage in her life. We also stopped in the Heinz Hall, where the Pittsburgh Symphony plays. What a beautiful building inside. We are watching the season guide to see if we can afford to go see a show there so that we can see the entire building instead of just the magnificent lobby.

Jalyne had never seen the outdoor ice skating rink so we walked over to PPG Place and saw the tree and rink. By then it was snowing and freezing so we headed home to eat and take her home.

As we were paying our parking in the garage lobby we turned and saw a blast from our past. MR. MCFEELY from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. He was incredibly kind with us and the kids. He even gave the kids his business card, some tapes, photos, etc. and allowed us to take a picture with him. He still does alot of children related events in the area. We rode the elevator up as we were parked on the same level. That was the best part of the day for me as Mr. Rogers was my absolute favorite show as a kid.

Kel went to Florida for 5 days. It sounds like she had a good time. She spent some time with her dad, stepmom, sister and some of my family. I think she most enjoyed seeing her Florida friends. It must be really lonely here for her. She is finally making friends her age at cheerleading. In fact, she is supposed to go ice skating with her friend on Sunday.

I've been baking cookies since Sunday. Aunt Sharon asked me to make 10 dozen snickerdoodles for Bryan and Laurel's wedding on Saturday. It's hard to get that full 10 dozen done when Glenn and Cameron keep eating them. After those 10 dozen, I need to make another 10 dozen for his work friends.

Our tree is finally up and it feels like Christmas. We are cutting down on gifts this year in hopes of helping the kids realize the true meaning of Christmas.

Milo is sick right now. He has been getting sick in Cam's room so he is on the front porch tonight. You can tell he's sick when he passed up steak tonight. I don't believe he's ever passed up steak in his life.

Glenn is luckily still working alot. Fortunately, we have a decent unemployment claim until the 1st of the year. Then he will have to reapply and I know it will go down. :<

I'm just trying to keep upbeat and be here for the kids schooling. I really need to get some energy and motivation to wrap presents.

Our tree looks really empty underneath right now. I am considering not putting anything under it until Christmas eve after the kids go to sleep for the wow factor. They have always seen presents under the tree and I think it diminishes their excitement.

On Monday, Cam and I are going downtown to PPG Place for a school field trip. He is really excited. He enjoyed skating their on New Years Eve last year. The first part of the trip is touring the Santas of the World then he can skate until the rink closes at 3....or until I'm so cold I can't take it anymore! I should be able to make it. The temp is supposed to be 52/43.

Our family wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Remember the reason for the season and be sure to skip the Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings. Make everyone aware of why we celebrate by saying Merry Christmas.

Photo shoot

Tonight was the kids photo shoot at Portrait Innovations for Linda. They had a blast. Then we went out to dinner. I posted some of the 133 pictures on facebook http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48378&l=01d0c&id=550377911
If you have a problem accessing them, let me know and I'll send you some. The best part of the pictures was getting them all tonight.

After the pictures we all went to Olive Garden for dinner and closed it down. It was a really enjoyable evening.

Happy Thanksgiving

I can't believe it's only 2 days until Thanksgiving. This will be the first Thanksgiving I will spend with Kelly since 1993. Her dad always had Thanksgiving as his holiday. It will be really weird, but nice to be with her. We are going to Glenn's parents house for dinner and dessert. Glenn's brother Paul and his family are coming to town tomorrow. I have not seen them in years and I'm quite excited to see Sherry, my sister in law.

Today, we went to Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland. The highlight tour included the Polar region, ancient Egypt and Wildlife of North America. Our doucet (tour guide) was old, very slow and disorganized so we did not get a good tour. After our tour we went downstairs to see the dinosaur exhibit.
Cameron and Glenn really enjoyed it.

While upstairs at the wildlife exhibits, Kelly discovered that she matched the zebras.
All in all it was a great day despite the freezing cold and snow. We had to walk about 3 blocks to get from the garage to the museum and then past the museum and around back to meet our group. Kel did not bring a jacket...it interfered with the "cute factor." I was wearing Glenn's two part jacket so I gave her the outer part and kept the inner fleece.
As you can see I gained back a good deal of the weight I lost last year. :< I plan to really diet this year. I also cut my hair off on Thursday. It feels so much better. When I wear my glasses, the kids say I look like my mom.

Tomorrow I'll be making pies and getting ready for Thanksgiving. We have to drive to Cranberry tomorrow night to meet Glenn's brother and sister to get the kids pics taken for Linda.

I'm off to call Kel's friend, Sean's, mom to see if she can go over tomorrow night. Have a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Pre New Years Resolutions

So I've finally come to terms with the future of our nation and I'm onto now trying to figure out how it will affect my friends and family. I'm not quite sure, but, I do know that I am not going to dwell on it to the point of distraction.

I'm finding that there are a great many things that I don't like about myself. I'm not having a pity party, just finding that there are things in need of improvement: weight, mood, how I handle situations, my relationship with God, etc.

I realize it's only November, but, I'm starting my New Years Resolution list early.

1. I want to lose weight so my knees stop hurting and I don't feel ill when I see a photo of myself.

2. I want to wake up each morning and go to bed each night with a smile on my face and remember to thank God for allowing me to wake up and for allowing me to spend the day with my friends and family. Also, for guiding me to tell at least one person a day about Jesus Christ.

3. I want to remember to stop, count to 10 and then walk away before I react to situations. Keep my mouth shut even when I want to yell and scream. Not comment on a situation or problem until I have had time to form a smart, rational and helpful answer.

4. I want to have at least one positive conversation with Kelly and Cameron each and every day where we each laugh freely and smile without reservation at each other.

5. I want to make church and God a larger part of my daily life.

6. I want to remember to stop saying unkind things to my husband, even when it's right on the tip of my tongue. I will bite my tongue to the point of blood if necessary.

7. I want to make more time to talk to my mother, sister and grandfather.

These are the things I want to accomplish. I cannot promise that each will come true. I just want to make my best effort to accomplish them. I am getting onto Middle Age and realize that although I love myself, my husband, my God and my children, I am not perfect, will never be perfect, nor do I want to be. I just want to be a better person for my family. I want my family and I to become closer and work to overcome the past few years. I hate my actions and words when I am being unkind, I just can't stop myself sometimes. My husband and kids are in my mind always and I want what is best for them and to be close to them.

Happy November

So much has happened this week and it's taken me a little time to process it. First, President Obama. I can type it, but still can't say it. His news conference yesterday was something to behold. Loved how he reiterated his talking points when asked about raising taxes and ran for the hills. How much info do you think we'll ever get during these press conferences?

Sarah Palin being bashed by McCain staffers. I don't know what their deal is but the Rasmussen polls show that Sarah Palin is quite loved by the Conservative base. They make themselves look like a pack of "mean girls."

My beautiful family.

KELLY GOT THE JOB AT HOT TOPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She starts on Sunday. She is very excited. Her punishments are being slowly lifted, but not totally. I reserve the right to hold firm for the full month.

Cameron is....well.....Cameron. Just being his ornery self.

We got Milo a costume this morning. He's so cute. I'm off to enjoy my evening of no cooking while Kelly makes grilled steak, parsley pototaes and brown sugar glazed carrots. Yummy.

It has happened

Well, as I sit here pondering our future I can't help but wonder if, despite my hopes and prayers, Obama could be a good thing for this country. I can't see how based on his ideas, but, if only for racial tensions being eased, it could be a positive thing. Maybe now the african-american citizens of our country will realize that we are not a nation of racist rednecks and accept that the civil rights movement did some good. That we are not still trying to oppress them. I never wanted Obama to lose because of his race only because of his ideas. God has a plan for every nation and every person. All things are preordained by Him. He would not have pressed upon so many souls to be open to these ideas if He did not intend for it to happen. Is this the beginning of then end? We shall see.

Now, more than ever our prayers our needed for the leaders of our nation. Let any who read this remember that God has not forgotten us and we need to speak to him daily. God bless America.

The Election

I'm going to go off my normal plan of updating everyone about my family and just put my thoughts about this election in writing.

This was sent to me by Aunt Sharon.

Listen to this http://cdn.sfgate.com/blogs/sounds/sfgate/chroncast/2008/01/17/20080117-obama-interview.mp3 it tells how Obama wants to bankrupt the coal industry.

I'm unable to vote, yet I'm still an American citizen and I love my country. I do want everyone to share in the wealth that this nation has to offer, but Obama's plan to "share the wealth" is not the way to accomplish it. Every country that has ever attempted to make their citizens equal by sharing the wealth has only succeeded in making everyone poorer.

America was built on the entrepreneurial (sp) spirit. When a new town was started the citizens saw what was needed and everyone put their talents to work and made the town successful. You worked to keep your family fed and in good shelter. Yes, occasionally there was a family that the dad ran out on or was a drunk, but the rest of the family understood that the help they received from their neighbors were just that...a help up. They wanted to work to do better for the rest of the family and when they could help others, they did.

Watching the news channels last night with the sound off I saw a comment that Obama's plan is like "the teacher who takes away from someone's A to give part of it to all the C students." Kinda makes you not want to work harder and learn more to get that A, huh? Once the students discover that they need not study and learn to get a good grade, where will we be? An uneducated nation? Can we get any lower on the scale of education in this world? If Obama wins, check back next year and I'm sure that the answer is yes.

I'm in the lower economic class that Obama wants to share the wealth with. Honestly, I don't want his check, I want my husband to continue to have a job to go to everyday and collect a weekly check rather than a $1,000 check once a year. That check will only pay part of one months bills. How will I feed my family the other 11 months? I have no plans or desires to stand in a line for free cheese or anything else.

I'm not being selfish in that I don't want to pay more taxes. I live in PA, we pay alot of taxes already. I come from Florida where there are no state or city employment taxes. You just pay the federal taxes and that's it. That was nice, but gotta say the educational system is not the best. Although the roads are better. LOL

Am I a true McCain fan? No. But I am a fan of Sarah Palin. She has more executive experience than anyone else in this race. She knows what it's like to make decisions for the good of her citizens and not just get pork for them. She is the only one who is "one of us." She's not a millionaire. She had to "borrow" clothes for the campaign. So what. If she dressed in normal Wal-Mart attire, you'd have something to say about that. All of the men in the race have women to raise their families while they work. The Palins work as a team. Sometimes she's a single mom while he is on the slope and vice versa. That is more in tune with us than Obama, Biden or McCain. I don't care that she has a nanny. Fact is, we see her kids with her. Not pushed back with the nanny while Mommy has her spotlight.

Obama is not black. He wants you and I to believe that he has lived the life of the oppressed black man. He did not live in the "hood" or the "ghetto." Fact is, he lived with a white middle class family. His grandmother knows what hard work is about she worked her way up the ladder at a bank to support her family. How would he feel if we said that we should take part of her money to give to that family down the street who just sit home and collect welfare? I don't think he would have liked it. *update* My thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Dunham's family. Her passing will leave a marked void in Obama's life and as someone who was extremely close to her grandmother, I feel his pain.

I care about who he surrounds himself with. I don't buy the "I didn't know what they were up to" line. I want my leader to know who and what is around him and helping him to make decisions. I want him to know their backstory, why they feel the way they do, and why they are advising him to make certain decisions.

I certainly don't want a woman in the White House having pillow talk with our leader who has never been proud of our country until her husband was winning his party ticket. And I don't want a man who doesn't believe in the Constitution to "swear to defend the Constitution." How can you defend and uphold something you don't believe in?

In the past 10 weeks we have watched the wage of the middle class drop from 250,000 to 120,000. Even if you ignore Gov. Richardson, then $150,000 as Biden says. I don't care that Obama's plan is in writing. If it's in writing then they should be able to keep their facts straight.
Obama supported a ban on guns in Illinois. I don't own a gun or plan to own a gun, but the founders of our nation gave us the right to bear arms...2nd only to free speech. That tells you how important it was to them that we have that right. Banning guns will not deter crime. It will only keep the law abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves. I assure the criminals will still get their hands on them now. How many times do we see convicted felons arrested for committing crimes with guns that they are forbidden by law to own or carry? They don't care about the laws so passing a ban means nothing to them.

Free speech is the #1 right given to us by our founding fathers. If the democrats take control of two branches of the government then the fairness doctrine will come in to play. As it stands, there is no fairness and it leans towards the liberals. Mainstream Media is liberal. I have one TV channel and one radio station where I can hear the conservative side. How fair is that? Yet, the fairness doctrine will limit those two stations to how much time they can commit to conservative views. Scary thought!

I'll pay more taxes. But it's been found that a tax cut across the board, even to the top 10% will actually put more money in the coffers. Let's take a look at Reaganomics, it worked. I don't look forward to double digit unemployment. That's where Obama's socialistic plan will put us. I realize that the liberals have drank the kool-aid and this kool-aid seems to be addicting. They can't live without it. But, personally I prefer Pepsi!

I've never volunteered for any political activity in my life. This year, I signed up to help on election day. I will be calling people tomorrow to remind them to get out the vote. Anyone who reads this....please vote. But, before you do, read a little history of Cuba, China and Germany.

Update

I found my pots and pans. I'm so excited. I was able to cook cauliflower and mashed potatoes on the stove at one time tonight.

A new home

How does one react when she has finally moved and is without a critical box? You know, the one with the pots and pans! We finally got everything out of the old house on Tuesday night and everyone sans Cameron has been searching for that crucial box. I'm convinced that it is either behind all the Christmas decorations or gone. Every box that is accessible has been opened.

So we are finally moved and it feels great. I can't wait to get completely unpacked but it will take weeks as Glenn needs to finish painting the outside of the house before he finishes the inside. I'm hoping it will be done by Thanksgiving.

Halloween was a hoot last night. Cameron dressed as an ER doctor. He went trick or treating with Jalyne and her friends.

Kelly was a surly teenager. She went to Sean's to watch scary movies. To see all Halloween photos click here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43988&l=ea5e8&id=550377911

She almost did not get to go as she had an accident with my car last week. We told her she could go see Sean if Jim and June would watch Cameron while we went to see Sarah Palin. The Daugherty's had her drop Cam at the neighbors and she was not used to driving on their steep driveway. She lost her traction and slid into the trees and scratched the car and ripped off the antenna. She lied about it and it got her grounded from the car indefinitely and from the phone and dates for a month. But, Glenn gave in and let her go out last night. I'm leaving at 2:30 to deposit the insurance check and pick her up today.

Cameron's grades are all A's and B's on his report card, verified by his teachers. Kelly is all A's B's and 1 C. Like I said before, I'll give a pass on Geometry.

Cameron went to the doctor last month and had his physical. He has grown 3 1/4" in one year and his shoe size grew 4 sizes from a 12 to a 2. Wow. His weight is still in a good place. He goes back to the endocrinologist in December.

Kelly has been to the doc three times this month. Physical, infection in her face (her gland was swollen in her neck and it made her face swell) and a UTI. The doc referred her to a urologist. She goes to UPMC Children's Hospital on November 17th.

I'm getting ready for this election and very nervous about the outcome. Please pray that the voters of America see the right future for our nation and vote accordingly.

As for me, I have a cold and I feel like crap, but I'm surviving and preparing for more snows. We had our first snow this week. The kids can't wait for the first laying snow.

Feel free to post comments below.

We are moving

I am sooooo tired. I've been packing our house for a move about an hour south. We are moving to Bridgeville, directly across from Glenn's work. Somehow I have a family of four, yet I'm the only one packing. I try to get at least 3 or 4 boxes a day done. Glenn takes the stuff down when he goes to work.

Update on the kids -

Kelly - still self-pacing at school and doing very well. A's and B's. She's making good progress. She needs to interview a photographer for her career research paper in English and Grandma Wilma for her Health class. While driving down to the new house on Sunday we saw a sign for a gym directly behind our house. Kel looked them up and they have FREE* all-star cheerleading. *free if she fundraises...so if you live nearby, beware she will be showing you stuff. So we drove her down on Monday night to start practicing. For awhile, she will practice Monday night, Friday night and 2 hours on Saturdays. She is very excited to be back in cheerleading.

Cameron-still doing well in school. All A's and B's also. We are not doing any sports right now with him. He went rollerskating last week and came home with a GIRLFRIEND. They have been on the phone several times a day almost every day since then. She came over Saturday for a playdate and he went there on Monday evening. She just sent him an email asking him to a 4th grade dance. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. Kel's 4th grade boyfriend consisted of a boy she said hi to maybe they sat together at lunch. No playdates or talking on the phone every day.

Glenn is working all the time tinting, cleaning boats and trying to get the new house painted, etc. We hope to be in the new house by Oct. 26th so there's alot to do with not much time.

I'm feeling a little anxious so I'm taking my meds again. I find myself getting angry and I hate that. I hope that once we get down to Bridgeville and start to have $$$ again I can go talk to someone again. I remember talking to someone before my grandma died and it helped alot. I sure miss her (Grammy). I used to talk to her about everything and it helped me too. It's hard having "best" friends but them being so far away. I find I have no girlfriends here and it's awfully lonely. I miss you Amy and Dani. I thought moving up here and having my dad's family and my aunt living in Pgh, I might be able to have a relationship, but I've seen neither and only talked to my aunt and my cousin once or twice. I think that's part of my anxiety and depression. Glenn said he might send my to Florida to see my grandfather in the next few months. Fortunately, if he does I can see my friend, Amy. We can have lunch at Olive Garden and really talk.

On a good note, we were looking at the Florida Everblades site last night and found that they are coming to Johnstown in November and February...road trip. YEAH

We went on a field trip last month to Fallingwater, the summer retreat of the Kauffman family (of Kauffman department stores). These pictures are from that day. It's a beautiful house, but I don't think I'd like to live there.







Also, Cameron went to the Military Air show at Butler Airport. I'm putting a pic of him with one of the planes here. Notice how he can stand under the wing? LOL

I'm going to sign off now and do some more packing and watch Jon & Kate plus 8. I'll update again next month after we get settled. If anyone wants the new address, just email me and I'll get it out to you.

Schools back

Well, Kel came over Labor Day weekend. We did not manage to go to Niagara Falls, but we did go to the Ribfest at Heinz Field for the Steelers Kickoff weekend. Sean, Kel's boyfriend spent the weekend and they had a great time together.

The big news is that Sean convinced Kel to move up here. We discussed the fact that she can self-pace homeschool and get her grades back on track and possibly graduate a semester to year early. She moved up here on Sept. 19th. Things are tight, but definitely worth it. She is still sleeping on Cameron's top bunk.

Also, we had a....wait for it.....HURRICANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought that moving away from Florida would give me a reprieve. Nope. Butler County Airport registered 80mph sustained winds last Sunday night. The power went out. Glenn went out to the car and found the best spot in the driveway to watch the Steelers game. So there we were, Glenn, his parents, me and Cam sitting in the car during a Cat 1 hurricane watching a Steeler game. Can't say we are not fans! We were without power from Sunday night until Wed. night.

Cameron is doing virtual school and so far is doing well. I'm hoping he likes it and can keep up. I dont' really want to go back to self-pacing him. I like my free hours to play on the internet and make phone calls.

Other than the weather drama and the full house things are going great here. Glenn is being a grump but I figure he's just becoming an old man. LOL

I'm off to make phone calls and actually do something productive for the family. I hope you all have a great week.

Summer is fun

It's been quite some time since I've blogged. So much to do...so little time. Actually, I've just been too lazy to think enough to put down my thoughts in a coherent pattern.

Cameron finally completed his 3rd grade testing just before Kelly got here in July. He has grown 1 1/4" so he is on track to grow about 3 inches with his treatment this year. The big news is.....HE CAN TIE HIS SHOES....finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Occupational therapy has been good for him.

Kelly came to visit last month and spent alot of time on the computer or sleeping...the life of a 16 year old is not very diverse. She met a young man who lives about 40 minutes away in New Castle. I drove her over and met his family and decided that it was safe for them to hang out. She has become very close to him and they talk daily. She will be flying up here the 30th to visit so she can see him again.

Glenn switched jobs again...sort of. He has been working full time driving and part time tinting. Now he is only tinting. The boss gave him double the pay of the driving job. We are finally getting caught up on things.

While Kelly was here, Glenn's parents' church had a sock hop. It was quite fun. See link here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31359&id=550377911

We are going camping with Glenn's family this weekend. Yes, I will sleep in a tent. I don't believe I've ever done so in all my 38 years. Not even for girl scouts. Cameron is sort of excited, he said he'd be more so if his dog could go with us. Unfortunately we'd have to tie him up the whole time so our neighbor will come over and let him out.

Other than that there is nothing much going on until Kel comes at the end of the month. When she comes, we plan to go to Canada to see Niagara Falls over Labor Day... before passports are required. Then Cam goes back to school on 9/2.

As for me, I am doing well on my medication and talking to someone about my anxieties. Life is getting better.

Looking forward to the months and years to come with my family.

It's finally warm

Gracious, it's been a busy week. Sunday we had a bbq/birthday party for me, Alan and Wilma. Everyone turned out including Aunt Dottie. It was a pleasant afternoon and it was great spending time talking to Grandma Wilma and Aunt Dottie. Monday, June ended up having an impromptu picnic, but it ended up moving to our house as her grill is quite scary to light and use. Tuesday Cam and I got 3 days of lessons done! Wednesday was his doctor's appointment. He grew a 1/2" and gained 2 1/2 pounds. He looks great. Thursday we managed to catch up on school to have completed 6 lessons this week!!! Today, Friday Cameron, Keara and Riley had their Riverquest field trip in Pittsburgh. Up at 7 a.m. :< for June to pick up Cam about 8 then off to the shower so I could drive the van back to Bridgeville to return it. June picked me up and we had breakfast at McDonald's and enjoyed a 1 1/2 hour chat. What a pleasant experience. Then off to the Strip District. What an interesting place that is. I did find Stanley Cup/Penguin t-shirts for each of us for $5. What a steal. Now we actually have something Penguins to wear during the games this week. We picked up the kids and Cam was in a grumpy mood. Me thinks someone was hungry. He wanted McDonald's but everyone else wanted Boston Market. He was quite a handful at the restaurant. Finally, chose a meal and after eating some he cheered up. We all filed into the Chiropractor for our adjustment and the other patients thought the room looked much like a clown car as we filed out. Now I'm home for the evening. Looking forward to hanging out in bed playing on the computer and watching Can You Duet and Mobile Home Disaster (we call it Trick my Trailer). Tomorrow night we'll be settled in somewhere watching the Pens play the Wings hoping for our second win. GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glenn has been quite busy tinting windows, cleaning boats and driving truck. I think he is due for a break soon. Hopefully the boats will be done in a week or two. We are going to Kennywood next Sunday so that should be a nice break for him. Kelly is still working and trying to bring her grades up. Can't wait to fly her up here for a nice break.

Happy Birthday

Wow!!! I made it to 38. Not without a few hiccups. LOL!!! It was quite an interesting experience. I've been noticing that I have a slight case of depression so I made a point to make myself happy. I baked a cake last night but waited until this morning to celebrate with it. Glenn working nights makes it really hard to appropriately celebrate. We got up at 8:30 so Glenn and Cam could sing happy birthday to me and we had cake for breakfast...hey it has eggs and fruit so I say it's okay. Then Glenn took Cam with him to do a side job painting boat motors so I had a few hours of peace and quiet. I used the time to watch Little House on the Prairie and play computer games. Then I showered and put on makeup :> and met Glenn and Cam at Ichaban Steakhouse in Cranberry for lunch. I think Cam enjoyed it, but he was grumpy during the cooking as he was hungry. Then off to see the chiropractor and come home to wait on Linda. Lin picked us up and we went to Grove City Outlet Mall to walk around and have dinner. I got myself a new wallet with the $$ Lin and Alan gave me for my birthday. Then home for a piece of goodnight cake. This year was much better than last and I look forward to what God has in store for me in the years to come. Can't wait for 50 so June and I can go to Greece. It was also nice talking to Kelly on the phone today and receiving and Ecard from Mom and an email from Danielle. I plan to spend the weekend watching the Penguins beat the Red Wings and having a bbq with Glenn's family to celebrate my, Alan's and Grandma Wilma's birthdays on Sunday.

Mother's Day

This weekend has been jammed pack with fun so far. Glenn let me sleep in on Saturday and Cameron had fun playing in the back room. I finally got up, and opted to mow the lawn. It was fun driving the lawn tractor and even did 2/3 of the neighbors yard. She thanked me the other day for my initial run. Her mowers are all broken and she was grateful that I had jumped in to take care of it for her. Glenn finished up and then we went to Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ernie's for our Saturday night game fest.

Game night was a blast. I finally asked for a Mother's day present, DVD Scene It, TV Edition. I kicked butt at it. We started out in husband/wife teams and eventually it ended up being me against Glenn, Ernie and Sharon. I rock!!!! I won the first game and just barely lost the second game. I think I'll change the rules up a little bit next week.

Cameron had fun playing Playstation as usual and enjoyed his cheats book. He really had us all freaked when he came down and asked if he could play CandyXXX. Noone knew what that meant, but it sure had us all running upstairs to see what it was. Turns out, Candy XXX is a character that can be accessed using the cheat codes. Whew!!!

A stop at Shawn and Crissy's was a pleasant surprise. They have a cute box turtle and Cole and Cameron really enjoyed playing with it. We've decided to visit them again on Sunday night to watch the Penguin game. It should be alot of fun, at least more fun than listening on XM or the internet.

Mother's day should be pleasant. Glenn plans to get up and make me breakfast in bed. French toast and coffee. Forget the diet, it's a holiday. Then Glenn and Cameron are going to a Pgh Pirates game and giving me a few hours alone. What a gift! After the game, they'll come home, we'll have steak and baked potatoes for dinner then off to Linda's and Grandma Wilma's to deliver Mother's day cards and wishes. We'll top off the night watching the Penguins. Hopefully watching them win. :>

I got up to french toast and coffee and an internet chat with Kelly. I miss her dearly and as much as I beg her to move here I know she won't. It's a sad time, but that's the price I pay for moving away.

My quiet time was cut short by a rain cancellation of the Pirates game. Instead, we met up with Glenn's parents, grandparents, and sister for dinner at Granda's in Ford City. It was nice spending time with the whole family and planning a joint bbq birthday party for Dad, Wilma and myself. We finished off the evening at the Coddington's watching the Penguins beat the Flyers making it a 2-0 series. It was great talking to Chrissie and watching another awesome Pgh team kick butt!!!

Happy Mother's day to all my friends and family who view this along with any other mother who stumbles upon. Remember that in the Book of Ruth, Naomi had such love for her mother in law Ruth that she followed her back to her homeland. May all who read this feel the love of a mother and "child" that Ruth and Naomi felt for each other.

Welcome to spring

Welcome to Spring. For all of you who don't know me, I am not, I repeat not, an outdoor girl. That being said, when we moved into this lovely farmhouse last fall, I became the official lawn mower. Glenn's dad was nice enough to find me a self-propelled push lawnmower to complete the task. Glenn was usually nice enough to weed eat since I am still scared of that contraption. But, as spring has sprung and Glenn is now working an night job, he decided that when he is not working both jobs he can do the lawn. But, guess what? One mow with a push mower and we were at good 'ole Aaron's Lease & Purchase looking for a new Poulan. He was quite depressed when he sold his last spring. We lived in a condo last spring in Florida and did not need it nor had any intention of needing it.

On Saturday we stopped in at Aaron's to get one and they were backordered. :< Well on Monday, Glenn expected me to call them and see where his was! What a doof!!! Does he understand the meaning of backorder??? On Tuesday, I got a call that the one on the floor was for a woman who decided she did not want it for another week so they were giving it to us. I had to finish up homeschooling Cam and drive down there to complete the paperwork. On Wednesday morning the mower was delivered and Glenn rushed to wax it and do a quick mow before he had to go tint a car. I asked if I could use it and NO. Amazing, when it was a push mower I could do all I wanted but with the rider it was no, I'll handle it. But, he gave in and I got to finish the backyard and it was so fun, I mowed the neighbors front yard. Without their knowledge or permission!!!! I know the neighborhood is happy though as the neighbors only do their front yard about once a month.

On a happy note, I'm excited that lovely red tulips have popped up in the garden next to the fireplace. I'm not really a tulip person, but they are beautiful and I have found a new love of them.
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I've fallen behind on my devotional and Bible reading, but still pray daily asking God to watch over my family near and far and to watch over the evangelists and missionaries who have made it their lives to bring others to know the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

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My diet and workout at Jazzercise continues, not without it's hiccups though. I started out 5-6 days a week and I'm down to 3 days a week. I cheat on the diet occasionally, but not as bad I as usually do.

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Cameron- what can I say? He's an incredibly intelligent young man with too much energy. Homeschooling is working wonders for him. We got started late and I had my own version of ADD this year. So, we are only starting month 7 of 8 of school. A little love and cooercion and I've managed to convince Cam to do two days of school each day so we can be done by the end of May or beginning of June. I'm not sure who is more tired of school? Him or Me. His current ADD med is working great he only takes 1/3 of the dose daily and I up it to 1/2 of we have a long day and his ODD is getting out of control. I've only done that 2 or 3 times since February. He seems to understand what I am saying, why I am saying it and follows the rules better. The Hgh treatment is going smoother than I expected. Anyone who has seen him with needles would expect it to be a dramatic, screaming fest nightly. But, it's not. He helps with the shot and even reminds us. I love this kid so much and I like him more and more each day.
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Kelly-now that's my one true love. I miss her daily and wish only the best for her. She is having trouble keeping her grades up and that worries me. I think she is moving past James' issues and standing up for herself. I'm starting to see the Kel I raised shine through and that excites me. I wish she were here with me so I could help her. She does not want to leave her friends and I understand that but it does not make it any easier.

To all our friends and family who read this and future posts, welcome! I started this so everyone can see how our lives are progressing and to get my feelings out. Life is getting better everyday. 10 years of marriage and I feel like it gets stronger everyday.