Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Whew. I've finally recovered from 5 days away from my beloved computer. I say this as I sit here petting it like a pet. LOL Seriously, our vacation was actually quite fun.

We left 2 1/2 hours late on Wednesday. We planned to depart at 8 a.m. I woke up at 9:01 to discover that Glenn was the only one up. Kelly had still NOT packed and we were holding off on waking the beast (better known as Cameron) until the last minute. So instead of being in Hagerstown around 11 or 11:30 we didn't get there until 2 p.m. We had a great lunch with Tammy and her family. It was a surprise that John was able to bring Jessie up to join us. I just love that little girl. She makes me laugh.

After an hour and a half and some great hugs we departed for North Carolina.




We finally arrived about 11 p.m. and poor Mom had to wait up for us. Normally, she's sound asleep by 10 p.m. We quickly put up the beds, unpacked the car and snuggled down. Need I say that we were all exhausted?

Christmas Eve dawned cold and early. We were a bit concerned that Mom's normal coffee klatch would wake us up early, but they stayed home and let us sleep til around 9. Mom toured us around and introduced to just about every senior citizen in North Carolina *just kidding* and we dealt with a very excited little boy.

Around 5 we headed a few miles down the roads to McAdenville where all the houses on the main road decorate. The lake was high so they did not light up the decorations over it. While we waited for Santa, Glenn and Kelly drew a mural for Santa.



Poor Santa couldn't visit until about 3 a.m. Around 7 we woke up to see all the stuff Santa brought. There was one happy little boy who got an Xbox 360.



Christmas night we had Cameron's birthday party and one of Mom's friends has a 10 year old grandson who came. It was nice for Cameron to have someone his age to play with for a bit.



Saturday, Glenn and I had a date to Sonny's BBQ and then Sunday morning we came home. We stopped in Hagerstown again to see Tammy and exchange gifts. The kids played Rock Band on PS3 and all in all it was tons o fun!!!



So as I close I wish you all had as much fun as I did and wish you all a happy, prosperous and most especially, blessed New Year!

Merry Christmas

Well, I'm going off on Wed. for 5 whole days. NO COMPUTER!!! I haven't been this long without my computer since 2007. I feel like and addict going cold sober. Fortunately, I can access facebook and email on my phone. But, no blog and no games :<
If you haven't talked to me or read my Facebook updates I'll clue you in. We are leaving on Wednesday morning to drive to Hagerstown. I will be meeting my sister, Tammy in person. Honestly, I'm more excited to see her than I am to open presents. Then we are proceeding down to Charlotte, NC to see my mom. We haven't seen my mom since we moved to Pennsylvania in July, 2007. Yeah...I miss her!!!
We've made Cameron aware that Santa ends his visits at age 10. However, since Cameron is not technically 11 until 11:07 a.m. on Christmas, Santa will still visit this year. He took it amazingly well. I hope the fact that he is getting the major thing he asked for will make up for any sadness he is feeling inside. Well, one of the major things. He's been asking for an Xbox 360 for about 5 years. We have fought this item for 5 years and finally gave in because he wants NHL 2K10. Of course, this game is not for PS2 or Nintendo Gamecube. Only PS3 and Xbox. Since he has asked repeatedly for Xbox, that's what he's getting. He also asked for a dirt bike. Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Glenn and I figure we'd like to be in our own trailer on some property next year so maybe he can get it then.
Kelly wanted a digital camera but settled for a ticket to Florida. She will be moving back to Florida on January 6th :<. I am very sad to see her go. She has a countdown clock telling her precisely how many days, hours, etc. until we drive her to the airport. AM I THAT BAD???
While in Charlotte, we will go to a hockey game. The Florida Everblades will be in Charlotte on the 26th. Then on Sunday we will drive home via Hagerstown again. This time I will get to have dinner with Tammy and meet her family while we exchange gifts.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas. May you remember the reason for the season. In my house we don't say happy holidays as JESUS CHRIST is the reason. I'll see you all on the flip side. If I don't get back on before...HAPPY NEW YEAR, too!

She did it, she's lost her wisdom.....teeth

Kelly made it through her oral surgery fine yesterday. I have one picture of her in the recovery room on my phone but have been FORBIDDEN to post it. She was quite loopy from the anesthesia and I took great delight in laughing at her antics. Cameron and I took her to Grandma's house where she promptly laid down on the couch with the comfy blanket, her baby blanket and her Kelly doll and fell right back to sleep. She texted me a few times last night and said she felt fine other than her jaw hurt. That was to be expected as the doctor said the teeth were in there pretty tight and he had to work them out. I'll be seeing her this afternoon when we pick up Grandma for the Glenn Beck Christmas Sweater show.

Cameron is excited to be the only child at home and has complete control over the living room television. He just seems to think it means that he can stay up as late as he wants watching it. He's under the impression that with Kelly gone all rules are out the window. Glenn popped in yesterday morning to find Cameron eating a handful of Hershey Kisses for breakfast. I asked if Glenn reprimanded him and he said no. I guess he figures it's no big deal if Cameron is sugared up for a day with Mom. I, on the hand, find it to be a very BIG deal.

There was a tremendous windstorm in Western, PA yesterday and our home did not go unscathed. Physically, we survived fine, but our power went out around 1 p.m. It was all good and fine until we came home around 4:30 and it was still out so we went to dinner at Eat n Park and then to Robinson to get kerosene for the heater, in case the power stayed out ,and return a few items to Pep Boys. Glenn decided to spend about 30 minutes perusing tires and I felt that his punishment for making me endure that treacherous ordeal was a trip to the mall. Heehee. He actually agreed and I managed to get Kelly another present and Glenn a new pair of sneakers. I got my phone fixed and it was pretty awesome. Thankfully, the power was back on when we returned home.

While at Eat n Park, Cameron angrily displayed his displeasure at having no power. How would he survive the night with no TV, no game system and no computer? We tried to explain to him that as children, we had none of those things. Well, we had TV, but it had 4 channels and we did not get one in our room nor did we get to stay up late watching it. We explained that there was no such thing as Cartoon Network. He claimed we were liars because there was in fact Bugs Bunny back in the "olden days." He could not grasp the concept of Saturday morning cartoons.

This left us to wonder if our children have too much. Of course, they do. We just don't know how to change the present situation. I have decided that once the new year has come, I will be packing up the game systems and he will get one at a time for one month at a time. I will also severely limit the amount of time spent on such items. Once spring comes, he will be spending more time in the great outdoors. This is difficult for us because we live in the city and we have no yard, so he has to ride his bike in the alley. I'll need to make more of an effort to take him to the park this year so he can skate and ride his bike. I'll be able to use my time to walk. I hope I can find a park that's not quite so hilly as the one around the corner. We Florida girls don't do hills very well!

Coulda woulda shoulda....maybe kinda possibly

Yesterday morning I received a telephone call that caused me to spring out of bed like a firefighter on call at 2 a.m. Kelly's oral surgeon called to tell me since she had a heart murmur she would need to take 4 antibiotics 1 hour prior to her appointment next week. My reaction..."huh, what heart murmur?"

Then I began to recall that maybe, kinda, possibly I remember something about a possible one when she was 4. I took her to the pediatrician for a physical prior to her first year of cheerleading. He heard something but when we went back for a follow-up, nothing! He signed off on her forms and away we went into the wild world of sassy 4 and 5 year old girls.


Kelly when this all started

I've taken Kelly for a physical every year of her life. I'm that kind of mom. If there is a vaccination my kid needs, I'm all for it! Never mind the fact that they are screaming in a corner out of fear, hey, they'll get over it quicker than I will if I have to deal with a case of whooping cough or some other freaky preventable disease. Bring on the extra staff, let's hold 'em down and get this over with. Not that Kelly ever needed to be held down once she was about 5 or 6. She discovered at that age she liked needles. Dear God, it was a sign of things to come. Instead of being scared of this development, I praised her for being such a strong girl. Now look at the little pierced freak! I want to hold her down and prevent anyone from getting near her with another needle.


Kelly and her step-sister with one of their many piercings

Kelly has been approved for multiple years of cheerleading, soccer, basketball, dancing, hockey, and the ever physical sport of attitude throwing. What's that you say..attitude throwing does not need a doctor's approval? Hmmm...well when the kid rolls her eyes like a bowler with a 200 game and throws an attitude like the pitcher in the Olympic Women's Fast Pitch Softball finals, it sure seems like it should require some sort of physician's approval for such rigorous activity. Of course, I've yet to find the doctor who will provide me with an excuse to prevent her from participating in attitude throwing. Sure they'll give me one to keep her out of school or out of work, but none for that. If anyone finds one, please forward the contact information, I'll be sure to schedule an appointment ASAP.

So now I sit her pondering whether I should allow her to recuperate at Grandma's. Not that Grandma's is an unsafe place. It's just that there is minimal supervision there as Grandma is in out of the house all day for work. What if something goes wrong and noone is there to notice it? I know that a dental procedure on someone with a heart condition can be dangerous or even fatal. I worked for the American Heart Association and had to provide many brochures to patients and dental providers in my 6 years off and on there. Infective endocarditis is a serious thing. I'm not done being tormented by this young lady.

I guess time and the doctor's recommendations will tell what I decide to do. In the meantime, I'm going to keep looking for that doctor who will give me the "no attitude" pass and hope all Kelly's man-made holes close up while she's recuperating. She assures me they won't, but a mother can dream can't she?

Oh, and she gets "a" sip of water to take all 4 pills. I don't know how Kelly will get them down, but I wanted to tell the nurse "good luck with that!"

Time flies when you're having...

I can't believe it's already the first of December. I have been blessed in so many ways this year. My daughter came home, my son has grown emotionally as well as physically and my marriage is awesome. I have always been grateful to have Glenn as my husband. We may have a few rocky patches but who doesn't? Seriously, who doesn't. There are no perfect marriages or perfect families.

I used to think my family was the most dysfunctional thing on the planet, but, the more I look around, I realize that we are just NORMAL. Even rich people have messed up lives. I am rich because I have a husband whom I know will NEVER leave me. He's had his chance and chose to stay. No more chances cupcake.

Expanding our family has been a blessing. We are on new, uncharted ground and I'm enjoying the opportunity to map it. Who knows where my life may be in a year. I'm just happy to be where I am today.

I have managed to reconcile a few past rocky relationships and left some to stay in the rubbish pile. I know that God asks me to forgive, but, I'm just not ready to do it. Maybe by next year I can do it. Glenn will not forgive. He has a problem with the level of forgiveness I've doled out already.

I look forward to expanding upon the friendships and relationships I've discovered this year. I plan to try to be a better friend and family member to all.

If you read this, please take a moment to share with me in the comments your best memory of our relationship. Think of it as encouragement of my goals. LOL Yes, I'm a bit low on self-esteem and need to be told I'm loved. But, I find that I love memories and often I forget things that others find to be precious. If you take a moment to share, I'll be sure to share my favorite memory of you.

Merry Christmas. I love every one of you.

Our family grows

This week has been such a blessing for both Glenn and I. We've gained between us, three new siblings, 4 nephews and 2 nieces. It's like our family doubled. I never asked Glenn's mom, but my money is on my mom being more excited about my find. Teehee

Last weekend, Glenn's sister, June called and said she was meeting with Glenn's paternal aunt. June was extremely nervous. Turns out she stressed unnecessarily. They ended up talking for 7 hours. WOW!!! Even I can't talk that long LOL. The best part of her conversation was a confirmation that there were indeed 2 more Hazlett children out there. Holly and Jason. From what I hear, June came home and searched out Holly. They connected and the next morning, June called. By Wednesday night they were all on facebook together talking and laughing. Holly has two boys and a girl. Holly even shares a birthday with Cameron. June has been on a non-stop high since Monday night. How exciting for her. She is most happy that she has a sister. I guess growing up as the only girl will do that to you!

June's connection inspired me to make one more stab at finding someone I had always wanted to connect with. My mom had a baby when she was 16 and was forced by her mother to give the baby up for adoption. I had heard stories through the years and despite having heard that the baby wanted nothing to do with my mother, I had always hoped that if we had a chance to connect, she would not turn me away. I talked to my mom on Friday and was able to fix a few of the facts I had wrong. She did not grow up in NY, it was MD. Big difference!!! I paid for a few people searches and finally with a slight change to the last name I FOUND HER!!!! I mustered up what little nerve I had, took my shaking body to the phone and prayed that she would not hang up on me. I am absolutely thrilled to say that she did not and even knew about me. Unfortunately, she always wanted a brother and knew about my brother. She even remembered his name. Unfortunately meaning that he passed away 24 years ago so she will never have a chance to meet him. She lives 3 hours from me and despite growing up in Maryland she is a STEELERS FAN!!! How awesome is that?!?!? I am no longer the big sister. I have one of my own now. We talked for almost 2 hours and she even wants to connect with my mom. Mom said it's the best Thanksgiving present she ever had. I called Paula and told her. As she is 3 years younger than me, I did not know if she remembered hearing about Tammy. She did and cried when I told her everything I knew. Paula did not have 1/2 the facts I did (even though some of mine were wrong). So she was never able to even attempt a search despite wanting to. She wants to fly up here sometime and meet Tammy. I'm so excited that I want to get in a car and go see her. I figure if I can drive 3 hours to Disney on countless occasions, I can drive 3 hours to see my sister, who is the GREATEST dream come true in my opinion. Tammy works retail and I don't work so the meeting time is in her hands. Tammy has 2 boys and a girl and knows what it's like to freeze her patootie off in an ice rink like me. Her daughter does figure skating and my son is an ice hockey player. She was born in the same hospital as me. She joined the marines, I joined the Navy. So much to learn. I look forward to learning so much about her and having many experiences with her in the future. Tammy has an awesome family and a set of twin sisters who are my age. I am so grateful that she has a wonderful loving family who raised her with enough love to be open to more people who have always loved her, too.

I wish everyone out there the blessings that God has bestowed upon my household this season. God bless all my friends and family. Enjoy your Christmas season and remember the reason for the season. In my house we say Christmas because Christ is in it. Oh...and it's Cameron's birthday. LOL

A playdate

I'm finally turning a corner. As I've mentioned it the past, it's quite lonely and depressing being a stay at home mom in a state where the only people I know are my husband's family. Don't get me wrong. I love my husband's family for the most part and absolutely adore his aunt who I consider to be a good and faithful friend. I can tell her anything and she does not judge me nor does she tell my secrets.

However, making actual friends my own age who are not connected through my husband's friends or family has been difficult. Two weeks ago, Cameron and I attended a school field trip to Chuck E. Cheese....don't judge me, it was a family link event that is really meant to be a social networking group for homeschool parents. Not exactly a school field trip. I met three other moms there who all have young daughters. Lisa, Jodi and Tara. Tara and I bonded over our love of Glenn Beck. I gave them each my email address and told them to contact me. I am so excited that both Tara and Lisa have contacted me to plan playdates. My first one is scheduled for Thursday morning at Chick Fil A. Are you sensing a theme here? Food and playgrounds! We discovered that we are both addicted to CFA's sweet tea. Yummy. The only place with better sweet tea is Sonny's in the south and we have already discovered there is one in Charlotte so we'll be eating there over our Christmas vacation. Yes, Glenn and I actually sat down and researched the nearest locations of our favorite restaurants. Charlotte has Sonny's, Jason's Deli and the Everblades on 12/26. It's gonna be just like being in Florida again. Yippee ki yo ki ya. Yeah I know I spelled it wrong, but I don't know how to spell it, just how to say it. LOL

Back to my point. I am absolutely excited, like a kid on Christmas Eve that I have made a friend.

The week after Thanksgiving, Lisa has planned a playdate at Chuck E Cheese again. I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure Cam will really enjoy playing the games again. He realizes that these playdates are more about mommy than him, but he said he'd be glad to spend time with the little girls so Mommy could spend time with the big girls. Isn't he sweet?

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been quite a week here at Casa Hazlett. Glenn finally got his stitches out on Monday. Yeah, I know I never posted pics but, seriously, did you really want to see it? I thought not! The wound has healed for the most part. There is still a small gap at the end of the incision nearest to his fingers. He has some residual nerve damage. The doctor said there is no way to determine when the full feeling will come back, if ever! As we all know, Glenn does nothing halfway. He is still too nervous to close his fist as he's scared it will force the incision open and his thumb could take some time to heal. The doctor said that she has seen stitches in fingernails. Yikes!!! I'll pass thank you very much. His indigestion is narrowed down to esophageal spasms. The Pepcid prescribed in September did not help at all. The doctor said we can do one of two things, put Glenn on Calcium channel blockers which could affect his heart and cause a rise (I think that's what she said) in his blood pressure or control it with diet. Since he only has a problem when he eats high starch items such as white rice and bagels, we are opting to control it with diet.

Cameron had his annual physical today and it went, well....as expected. He vehemently assured me that no way, no how, was the doctor going to check his package. By the time we made it to the doctor, undressed, redressed for the bathroom and undressed again, he consented to a full 5 second window and told the doctor to make those 5 seconds count. And did she ever. He had to get two shots which, despite having to endure a daily shot, he did not want at all. I had finally decided to get him a seasonal flu shot, but they were plum out...oh darn! I know, get to the good stuff. Cam grew a 1/4" That doesn't sound like much, but when you tell your child to get dressed and he comes out in highwaters because everything is too short, that 1/4" is a lot. That represents 2 3/4" since Christmas. We won't talk about the 23lbs. The doctor was excited to hear that he is back in hockey. I had made stick time on Wednesdays a provisional reward based on school performance but she asked me to skip the provisional and put him to work on the belly. We discussed his interest in everyone else's business, talking back and he showed her his propensity for discussing guns and violence. We decided to put him on a chore/behavioral chart and make tv/game time his reward for completing his chores and showing appropriate behavior. I am a bit concerned about his eyes. His right eye seemed to do well on the chart, but when using the left, he barely got through the first line (1/2 way down the chart) and proclaimed that his right eye saw better and just quit. I'm making him an appointment for an exam and found I can get him glasses at a reasonable price at Wal-Mart.

I've been thinking about what I'm grateful for in my life at this time of year.
1. My Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I am grateful that no matter what I do, I can ask his forgiveness and try to do better and he takes away my sin and I always get a second chance.
2. The fact that my children, husband and I am reasonably healthy with no life threatening illnesses.
3. My family near and far. I may not be emotionally close to all of our relatives, but I'm grateful that at one time or another they were part of my life.
4. I live in a free country that allows me to express my belief in my Lord and write these things for my friends and family to see.
5. Facebook because it has allowed me to reconnect with many friends from my youth and I am grateful that most if not all of them hold the same values that I do. I guess it's true when they say "look at your friends and see your future." My friends from my youth and predominantly all conservative Christians. I am happy that I chose my friends wisely even when I was still a young teen.

There are more, but, I'm tired after about 6 hours sleep and a 105 mile round trip to the doctor's office today.

What I am fearful about is...our country. The more I read and hear about what is going on, the more fearful I become for my family and our future. I was discussing healthcare reform and other issues with our doctor yesterday and she agreed that we are in need of a revolution.

But, here is something that I've not heard anyone express concern about or at least not in these terms...the Fort Hood shooter is condemned nationally by the general public for his actions. But, if you listen to our President, he does not express outrage at the shooter, he seems only to question "who knew and when." I agree that those facts are important and changes need to be made, but...the shooter is the person who is ultimately responsible for his actions and the terroristic act he committed on American soil. Our soldiers and their families should feel safe on a well-guarded base on American soil. I don't consider the shooter's ability to get on base a breach of the guards defenses. He had valid I.D. and was supposed to be on base. I don't fear a non-military terrorist's ability to get on base as I don't think they could. This president and his administration spends too much time trying to condemn and prosecute the police and military and not nearly enough time placing that condemnation where it belongs...on the criminals. Our country is falling down around our ears and we can only change it in one way VOTE!!! Follow your congressman/woman's votes over the next year and vote out the liberal voters. Vote for someone who is committed to preserve our Constitution. Vote for someone who is committed to curb spending. My son is 10 and already owes the Federal Gov't over $340,000. I told him that today and his eyes got huge and he asked if that mean that he'd make less than he should when he starts to work? I told him I don't know how it will work out, but by time he starts to work, we may be a communist country under China's rule, since they keep buying all our debt. I then went on to explain how communist rulers control every aspect of a persons life. He seem to get scared so I had to end the conversation. 10 years old is too young to worry about those things. On the other hand, I'm trying to make Kelly understand what is going on and how it will affect her. I try to choose things such as abortion and guns because those are values that she holds deep in her heart. She intends to buy a gun and she is violently anti-abortion. She does not allow me to get too deep into politics and I think she is the one who should really open her ears and eyes as to what is going on since she will be voting in 2010. She is under the impression that Florida would never allow anti-gun laws. Oh the naivete of youth! Remember when you thought the world was run by little fairies leading you over the rainbow to the Leprechaun and his pot of gold? Yeah...me neither.

I am taking this time to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. May you spend your time with all those who you love most. I will be with my husband, children and my husband's family.

St. Clair Hospital...my other home

In the past 4 months, Glenn and I have jointly visited the ER 4 times. That averages out to once a month. Let me assure you, it's not me. It's Glenn!!! In June, he had shingles, in September his heart and today....he sliced his hand.

I really try to have sympathy for him. Honestly, I do. Today he decided that he did not like the bug deflector on the new truck he got because it made the truck look like it belonged to an old man. Hello, you are an old man! He was using his olfa knife to slice through the double stick tape and decided that maybe he'd see how it felt if the knife slid over and sliced through his backhand and thumbnail.

I was driving home from the grocery store and got a call "honey, I'm headed to the ER." Not the call any wife likes to hear and I really hate to hear it. I feel like I'm developing a personal relationship with the ER staff.

Glenn was wheeled into the back because he almost fainted and was so woozy from the loss of blood and having glimpsed the wound that he almost lost his appetite. I say almost because by time the NP had given him 11 stitches, his appetite was back. Unfortunately, our original date night plans of ribs or burgers had to be altered. We needed to find a meal that only needed one hand. Eureka! Olive Garden!

So date night was back on and he managed to down two plates of salad, several breadsticks, an entree of fettucine alfredo w/grilled chicken and a piece of lemon cake. I wonder what he could have eaten had he not felt slightly nauseous from his ordeal?

So, now we are home resting only slightly comfortably before we have to rise early tomorrow morning so he can direct me on how to clean boat bottoms. Do I look excited? I assure you not. But, I love my husband and don't want to lose out on our vacation that these boats are paying for.

Tomorrow, I will upload a pic of the wound that has my husband incapacitated as if he were just back from war and in need of a full time nurse.

Times they are a changing or are they?

The past few weeks have been spent battling colds, sinus infections and various other respiratory/head ailments but the real aha has been in the classroom.

Cameron is studying American History and we are up to the American Revolution. As I read the text to him, I keep wanting to compare 1765 to 2009. You ask how they compare?

In 1765, British Parliament proposed the Stamp Act to help fund the cost of providing soldiers to protect the colonists. The Stamp Act was a stamp on ALL printed materials, playing cards, legal documents, newspapers, etc.

Now, we know that the colonists did not take kindly to this tax. The tax was virtually never instituted because Patrick Henry led a revolt which had the colonists hanging effigies of the tax collector and the Sons of Liberty led protests across the colonies. I assure you these protests were unlike the one held on 9/12. These protests were highly violent. By the time the tax collectors finally arrived in the colonies, they were too afraid to actually attempt to collect the tax. Score one for the Colonists.

How is this like today? I recently heard that a key white house staffer wants to impose a tax on all electronics sold. Sound familiar?

How can we protest this tax before they get a chance to impose it? The best thing we can do is vote. Vote out the incumbents. 2009 needs to be a key indicator of what will happen in 2010 if things do not change.

The colonists proclaimed "no taxation without representation." In their case, they were not directly represented because, as colonists they did not have a duly elected representative in parliament to see to their needs and wants directly. Today, we are still without representation. Yes, we have duly elected representatives. But, we have been defrauded. This country wanted a change to get away from the unwanted war we are in. The did what we should do, vote the opposite of what we have. Representation to me means that the person serving in congress should do as we ask. Our current representatives are on a power trip to see to their own needs. They are not representing our wants. When only 32% of Americans want this healthcare bill, I think it pretty much tells you that it is not what we want and if you vote for it, you are not representing us. The only thing we can do is vote.

I foresee an American Revolution in our future. The current administration is trying for a transformation. Technically, what we would have is a civil war as it would take place within the confines of our borders, but it will highly resemble the revolution that began 244 years ago. The only way we will win is if we stand up with the Refounders Glenn Beck is asking for and take our country back. Stop being apathetic and tell the administration that this is our country. We are a democracy. A sole democracy, not to be subject to the whims and laws of other nations. No one world government! This is the United States of America, not the United States of the Earth!

I love my country and I see hard times ahead. Here is where we make our choice. Can we voluntarily take the hard times like the colonists did over 200 years ago and set our own terms in an effort to take back the country they suffered for? Or do we let the current government fundamentally transform this nation and we suffer at their hands and their terms? I'll take the former. What will you do?

There may be more posts of comparison as we delve further into the text book.

My last year

As I ponder being a parent of a senior, I think of all the things I will miss doing with my kids when Kelly is officially a "grown up" and moves out.

Technically, I should have started my year of lasts in February, but circumstances and pure laziness found me putting them off. So, here I sit, 4 months from the time of Kelly's self-imposed deadline to finish high school and move out.

We are starting our year of lasts with a trip to the pumpkin patch. When Cameron was still a mere "infant" we took the kids to the United Methodist Church in Lehigh to pick their pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.



This year, we took the kids to the pumpkin patch at the Methodist Church in Bridgeville. They've grown so much but they still have joy finding the perfect pumpkin.

Medical update on Cameron

Let me be clear...what I say here is in no way an insult to my son. I'm what the medical community call obese. But, we normal people would call me a fat-ass. So, when I discuss my son's weight problem it is not to be mean, but in fear for his health.

A year ago, Cameron was 66 pounds and 48 1/4". Sort of a normal weight for a kid his size. In the past year he has grown about 4 inches and gained 25 pounds. Seriously, he's starting chub up. If you look at him he's not obese. But he's pushing it. He's 91 pounds and 51 1/2" this week.

When he first started his meds up here 2 years ago his weight dropped from 61 1/2 pounds to 51 pounds. For a child who wasn't even 4 feet, it really showed. He was skin and bones again. We put him on pediasure and eventually changed his meds to 4 hour pills so he'd get his appetite back. It came back alright.

We know why he's so big. The kid sneaks food all day and all night. We've been through periods of him hiding food. Imagine making a bed and finding cookies and candy under the pillow. We've never denied the child food. In fact, when he's on his normal ADD meds we are pushing food on him.

We don't want him to have a weight problem so we discussed it with the doctor. We've opted to change him back to an 8 hour dose. For the sleep problems we are giving him melatonin. So far it does not help. But the bottle is old. I'll get a new one this weekend. Not real confident it will help though. Nyquil won't even put this kid out! He can sleep, but he does not get to sleep until 3-5 a.m. We'd like to get him to sleep by midnight and up by 10. Before you tell me to just get him up earlier...we tried that and he still stays up. He's just grumpier and more oppositional.

Doctor said it takes 3 weeks to change a pattern. I'll update in 3 weeks.

Beware of the flu

About a week and a half a go Glenn started to complain. By started I mean, I finally started to listen as it had been a few days of whining and finally I figured it must mean something. He started with a sinus infection. No biggie there. This happens several times a year. Dude, take an advil sinus, a pain pill and please leave me be. Can't you see I'm playing backgammon here and you're interrupting my concentration?

Tuesday he asked me to call for a doctor appt. so he could get some good stuff. Of course he had particular demands regarding appointment time. Must be early a.m. or late p.m. Seriously, I'm thinking if you're in that much pain you take what you get and run there as fast as possible.

Then the fever started. That got my antennae up. Never had one of them there buggers before. Had to call and reschedule for asap. They got him in Wednesday afternoon. And my darling husband stayed home and whined all morning. I swear men are the worst sick people I ever met. Me, when I'm sick, it's give me some drugs, turn down the lights and leave me be. Men, they need rubbed, coddled and well...they just need lots of attention. If they could take out a full size ad in the Pennysaver announcing that they are sick, they would!

We went in Wed. afternoon and it was determined that there was a sinus infection AND the flu. The doctor took out the H1N1 swab but knowing we were sans insurance opted to skip the test so we would not get stuck with a huge lab bill. She gave Glenn a prescription and 3 days of sample Tamiflu. Now, if you're doctor wants to give you a partial regimen of Tamiflu DO NOT TAKE IT!!! You cannot get the remaining days at the pharmacy. You MUST buy the entire 5 day regimen. Doctors new recommendation, take 3 days and you should be fine. I've been seeing these awesome commercials about FREE antibiotics at Giant Eagle. I thought sweet...free drugs. Well, not what Glenn needed. He needed augmentin at $113.00. We opted to change the script to one of the 10 free products. Not as good, but we can always hope it kicks it.

Some chicken noodle soup, loving and bed and I figured my man would be good to go by the weekend. Yeah...not so fast there cupcake! By Thursday night his fever was 103 degrees. I called the doctor, talked for a minute, he could barely hear me so he took my number promising to call me back. It's been a week and no call yet! The fever broke with that little scare and I was happy as a clam. Yeah...again, not so fast there cupcake.

Glenn woke up Saturday morning at 6:15 with chest pains. No left arm pain...okay no heart attack. No cough...okay no pneumonia. My mom had pneumonia a few years ago and ended up on a ventilator for 2 weeks so I was a bit scared. I decided to research the pneumonia on the internet and what do you know? No cough required. I yanked him up, dressed him and flew to the emergency room. I figured a few drugs was better than a big ass machine breathing for him.

He was hustled right into a room, hooked to a heart monitor, stuck with IV's in both arms...simultaneously...the look on his face scared me. Good thing I went to the bathroom before we left. Then they did an EKG and a chest x-ray. Now at this point the only test I really think he needs is the x-ray to see how his lungs. were. Doc came in and informed us that there was abnormal rhythms in ALL parts of the heart. Old man say what!?! Well, that leads them to believe it's an inflammation of the pericardium sac. Happens when you have a viral infection. But, just to be sure, lets give you some drugs and watch you for awhile. A call to the cardiologist confirmed the first docs guess. A spray of nitroglycerin showed that it was not a heart attack as the pain remained so they gave him the toredol for pain, which helped. The bloodwork showed his cardiac enzymes were up so they decided to keep him overnight to be sure he did not get worse. Yeah...we have no insurance so let's just be sure that we're kept in debt to the medical community for a good long while. But, seriously, I was glad someone cared enough to watch him rather than send him out to the stress house he calls home.

They did an echo-gram on his way upstairs. I assume there was no more information from that other than the cardiac enzymes meant he had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart itself). The nurses upstairs told him that he had given them a scare that morning. I'm glad the doctors and techs were professional enough not to scare us initially any more than necessary.

He stayed overnight and came home at noon on Sunday with instructions to stay home and rest for 2 weeks. I'm sorry, have you met my husband, the pacer? He stayed home Monday and rested but returned to work on Tuesday morning. His boss told him that he could bring a lawn chair and watch them work so he could still get paid. Sounds like a sweet deal to me. But then I'm lazy! He took his lawn chair Tuesday and picked up trash. By Wednesday he was back to working with breaks throughout the day.

He goes back to the cardiologist on Sept. 30th. They will do an EKG to see if there is any improvement at that appointment. Luckily, the EKG is only $20 and the visit should not be more than $89.50.

Today, my kids woke up with coughs and aches. I have the start of a sinus infection. Sounds like it's our turn. I imagine Glenn will vanish as our illness increases. I'll be forced to nurse Cameron through this alone while I'm sick. Kelly is much like me as she just wants to be left be.

Hope everyone reading this stays healthy. I'll let you know what the doctor says next week.

March on DC

Bryan, Laurel, Linda, Sharon, and me just before we left for home
At one point this lawn was covered with protestors


This man walked with a cast on his leg



This does not do justice to the real crowd
This was a section looking from the west lawn
You do not see all the people on the mall, the
lawn behind the portable potties, east lawn, behind
us on the west lawn, down Pennsylvania Ave or
even the ones walking the side streets pouring
into the area.

Last week, my mother in law, aunt and I marched on Washington, DC to tell our legislators...ENOUGH!!! Enough big government, enough spending, enough interference in our lives and enough corruption.

The news outlets are reporting 75,000 people attended. I beg to differ. The march was scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. in Freedom Plaza and proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol lawn. The crowds at 7:30 a.m. were so large that the march was forced to start 4 hours early. We arrived mid morning and the march was still in full force with thousands of people pouring into the city from all sides. We proceeded to haul booty down Pennsylvania to meet up with Bryan and Laurel, Glenn's cousins.

The wait for the actual program to start seemed to take forever, but the speakers scheduled for Freedom Plaza moved to the Capitol lawn to speak.

We anticipated that there would be places to sell T-shirts, hats and even food. None were to be found. Fortunately, there were about 50 portable potties lined up along Pennsylvania. Yet, the lines were 1 1/2 hour wait for use of them. Luckily, we found a restaurant nearby with no waiting. It was the University of Wisconsin Alumni meeting site and I kept hoping to spy Greta Van Sustern when I wandered through. I never did :<.

The crowd was the most fervent in their beliefs, yet, well-behaved that I had ever seen. Those who spoke with officials noted that the police commented this was a very large crowd and very well-behaved. It has to be noted that there were no arrests or citations issued the entire day. We all took our trash and left only our desires for a better country behind.

The bus ride was long, 5 hours each way. I was so tired after leaving at 3 am and returning at midnight with hardly any sleep since Friday morning. I know this blog is boring, but I mainly wanted to get some pics up.

Nope, not gonna do it

Yes, I must be on a mission today to blog for a record. I just seem to have a lot locked in my head with noone to say it to. So my faithful friends and readers, you get it all!

I've joined a social networking site for people who support and/or are going to the march on Washington next week. I've clicked on many articles and read the follow-up comments. I can't tell you which one this came from, okay I can, but to protect this idiot from future comments about his intelligence, I will not.

Post American
September 4, 2009 • 12:39 am

You do realize that in 8 days some of you will be in handcuffs, shot, billyclubbed, or even be without fingers, right?

You do realize that the good civilians of Washington DC will need to be forcefully defended from the likes of you people, right? Especially since DC has a large African American population.

For every ten of you cowards, there will be one Timothy McVeigh, James Von Brunn, or Scott Roeder in your midst. You do realize that some of you more “level headed” types will be caught in the crossfire when these whackjobs do something stupid, right?

Why do you think Limbaugh, Hannity, and even Beck have not pushed Sept. 12 and have only thrown a few words your way only because the date is coming near? They know what is going to happen and want to distance themselves from it. I will laugh so loud when Hannity and Beck start condemning you guys for initiating violence in DC. They need you to maintain their millionaire lifestyles but do you really believe that they are going to throw their lot with a bunch of rioting white trash?

Battered, bloodied, and bruised, condemned by your very own “leaders”, and nothing will come of your efforts. Health care will pass and Democrats stay in power indefinitely.

I can’t wait for Sept. 12.

Really? This is the response that peaceful protesters are going to get? I've never protested before. I haven't even attended a tea party. And for the record, even if I had, I would not be a teabagger. Jeanine Garofolo can bite my....never mind. She's probably a real teabagger. But, I digress.

When Cindy Sheehan continually protested outside of President Bush's personal home, not the White House, his personal home, noone threatened her. I did not believe in what she was doing, but I believe in her right to do it. She lost a beautiful son in the war on terror. She chose to handle her grief as an advocate for peace. Good for her. I wish we could have peace in the world, and purple unicorns holding puppy dogs while eating ice cream. But honey, it ain't gonna happen as long as other people and even our own schoolbooks teach hatred toward our country. We have the right to defend that which our founding fathers defended. Many were lost in our fight for freedom. We will not go gently into that good night. We will fight for the rights of everyone, so that they may have a chance at the same freedoms and liberties that she enjoys by protesting against the leader of her country without the threat of being beat, dismembered or even losing her life.

Why do I not have the right to peacefully protest against a government which I oppose? Why am I a teabagger if I choose to protest? Why should I fear for my safety, freedom or life for choosing to protest? I should not have to even think about fearing for my safety. Our founding fathers promoted a tea party to protest the high tariffs the King of England was imposing on us. Should we not have the same right to protest against the high taxes this administration is imposing on us and our children. My son will not work for 5 1/2 more years, yet he knows his employment taxes will already be higher just because of the actions of today.

I will not go gently into that good night. I will fight peacefully for the rights of every American, liberal or conservative, Christian, Buddhist, atheist or otherwise. Why? Because I believe that it is my responsibility to stand up and tell the government when they are taking too much control of our lives. We each have the right to be a liberal or a conservative, to worship or not worship the God of our choosing and to raise our children as we see fit, providing we do not abuse them.

See you in Washington next week. If I don't stand up for your rights, who will?

A Pattern

I homeschool my kids now. So having them be exposed to speakers and programs that I don't agree with at school is not really a problem for me anymore.

The whole Obama speaks at schools thing scares me and I didn't quite get why. Have presidents before him spoke to children directly about staying in school? Yes. Did parents oppose it? Yes. Did parents keep their children home from school or out of class when said Presidents spoke? Probably not. So why is there such a big stink about this president speaking to the children of our future? I think I found the underlying answer.

This morning I could not sleep so I was watching Fox News Saturday. The hosts had on a mother from Texas. Although it does not matter, let me mention that she was a well spoken black woman. I only mention it so we can put the race card back in our pocket and move on. She nailed the reason for me.

This president has shown that he can't be trusted! He changes his story like Cameron changes his underpants. Well, maybe a bit more than that. I mean his story not Cam's...well you know.

We just can't trust that what he's doing and what he's saying are matching up. I considered looking for the speech on cable news to tape and watch. That way if he truly did follow the script of just encouraging our youth to stay in school and better themselves, maybe my kids could watch it. However, the transparency of this government is an oxymoron. They will release the script on Monday, a holiday and the day before the proposed speech, thereby giving the parents and administrators of our schools virtually no time to read and decide intelligently what to do. It gives no time for the parents to contact the schools and have an informed debate with the administrators to decide whether or not to have this event. This event is being rammed down the throats of our children on virtually the first day of classes for many. Overwhelming the system anyone?

I understand that the Butler School District in PA is not participating. Yeah!!! As for me and mine. We will be doing regular school. Actually, Kelly will be working during the speech so I only need to keep Cameron from CNN. Not too hard as we don't watch that channel anyway.

Happy Labor Day everyone. Remember Monday is to show gratitude to the WORKERS. I feel that pretty soon we won't need this holiday as Socialism will prevail and there will be no reason to work.

Yep, I'm over it

I am known for two things in this life. 1. My ability to sleep very, very late and 2. My lack of patience for idiots and inconsiderate people.

I have expressed my dissatisfaction with the government since the first stimulus package passed in the fall. However, to date, nothing has affected me personally. More about that later.

Yes, I watch Glenn Beck and learn much. He is taught me that Obama is a follower of the beliefs that teach "overwhelm the system." I didn't quite get it until yesterday. I am going with my mother in law and husband's aunt to Washington, DC next Saturday to march on Washington to protest the big government we are being exposed to. In lieu of carrying a sign for 22 hours (time the bus leaves to when it returns) we are making t-shirts. I pondered what it is I am protesting next week. Then it dawned on me that I am protesting so much. This administration is getting stuff half done, getting us riled, putting stuff on the back burner and moving on, rinse, repeat. We are still protesting the huge stimulus package that is only 15% spent, the cap & trade bill, healthcare reform and an all out case of perjury. To the best of my knowledge, each elected member of congress must swear and affirm on the religious book (Bible, Quran, etc.) of their choice to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. I don't see anyone upholding or defending our Constitution. They are on an all out mission to change or do away with the Constitution. Then it dawned on me...they are overwhelming the system!!!

I have seen signs on the major highways around here touting our Stimulus dollars at work. Frustrating? Yes. But, I could always find a way to get around the backups. Take another route, avoid driving to that area, etc. Now, I am being subjected to a 2 month assault on my senses. Last week, we received notice that our road is being milled and repaved. Now, in Florida we didn't have to mill and repave our roads. Was it because the contractors hired to do the job were required to do the job right the first time? Or is that the seasons take a toll on our roads? I don't know. The running joke is that Engineers in PA have a special skill....they can pave a road with potholes built right in from the start. So now I am being woke up every morning to dump trucks parked in front of my house, backing up with their incessent beeping at 7 a.m. *violation of fact 1 above,* sounds of huge barrels scraping (really it's the bulldozers digging the road, but barrels is what it sounds like to me), backed up traffic and the ever lovely sight of road crew construction guys bending over and showing me a bit too much at any given moment during the day. Yesterday, I checked my mail and looked in the truck parked on the road in front of my house. The driver had a pillow on his steering wheel and was sound asleep. Really, we are paying millions of dollars so drivers can nap? Today was the last straw for me. I came home from Wendy's and the bank. I sat in traffic 1/2 mile from my house for 15 minutes. Cameron's twisted frosty melted and my patience was gone. *violation of fact 2, above* I called Glenn, thinking that he was still at work, and told him to go out and tell the little sign man to flip or I would walk up and beat him with it. Instead, Glenn told me to turn around. Many cars opted to turn around, but, I just knew that if I did it the traffic would finally move. My response was to hang up on him. Hello, I don't need logical ideas I need someone to side with me and tell me "yes they are idiots my dear, feel free to beat them, I will bail you out." I kid! Finally, I gave in, turned around and damn if the traffic next to me didn't start to go. I tried to turn around again but the guy behind me would not allow it and decided to nap on his horn. I was forced to drive 2 miles out of my way to come in the other way. I just knew that there would be a long line of traffic that way now. Nope, I slid right through. Finally, the Gods have smiled on me. My mom called in the midst of the roundabout drive and bless her heart, she did not offer logical ideas, she just said "don't get in trouble, call me when you get home." I have decided that there is no way on God's green Earth that I am coming in via Eat n Park. Yes, most of my business is at that end of town and I hate the Greentree/Washington Ave light, but my sanity means more. I think the life of the sign guy is a bit safer if I follow my new rule. Oh, did I tell you that we have 4 sign guys. 1 at each stop point, 1 at the side street (okay, someone needs to be able to direct us out there as the other one is around a bend) and 1 in front of my house. No reason other than to give me entertainment.

Glenn's experience with them is no less lovely. He works across the street tinting cars in his shop. This morning he woke me up to tell me that...the road crew in their infinite wisdom dug a ditch in front of their shop. He had one car in the shop prior to said ditch digging. Two more cars were scheduled to come later. He could not get the car out nor anymore in. His boss gave him 2 options. 1) Call the customers and reschedule for Sunday. Sunday!!! Can he please have a day off? or 2) take some wood and fill the ditch making a ramp to drive the cars across it. Sounds like a cluster****, well you know, to me! He filled the ditch with wood.

I know that I have 2 more months of this. I try to find the funny, but when you have spilled twisted frosty all over your car and a husband mad about it. Funny is not easily found.

A wonderful vacation, NJ and NYC

Despite the hiccup in my last blog, the rest of the weekend went wonderful. The mechanic managed to get the van fixed by mid afternoon so there were no problems getting to the dinner and rehearsal. Aunt Sharon picked a wonderful restaurant to hold the rehearsal dinner and spending time in a Catholic Church sure brought back some memories and the good old fashioned Catholic guilt. Aunt Kim knows what I mean. We had a great laugh about it.

Saturday dawned beautiful and after a lunch at the hotel, Cameron and I had to rush and dress in 25 minutes to leave with the groom, but, we made it with moments to spare.

Cam getting ready for wedding.


A quick trip to the bakery to pick up the forgotten cake topper, and off to the wedding.


Keith checking with the bride about the topper. Remember to always check with the wife first!

Words cannot express how beautiful Fabi looked in her gown. Fabi is a beautiful woman on a regular day but add the bridal accouterments and you have a stunningly beautiful woman. I had forgotten how long a Catholic Mass could be, but, since I had never witnessed a Catholic wedding, it was quite a joy to see.


Bryan, Cam & Keith


Cam walking to front of church in processional


Mr. and Mrs. Keith Patton

The reception was 6 hours of loud music and fun. The only request Fabi had was for a Mariachi Band. At 11, when the DJ stopped for the night, Fabi's parents surprised her with an hour of a Mariachi band. Kelly did not feel well and had skipped the reception, but had returned to chauffer us back to hotel so we only stayed for 2 songs.


Keith and Fabi with Mariachi band

After a long day of wedding, we had to be up at 6:30 a.m. to leave the hotel at 8 for NYC with the whole family. 11 total in our party. Uncle Fritz, Aunt Kim, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Ernie, Glenn's parents, his niece Keara, and my family.

Our PATH train delivered us to Ground Zero. Pictures cannot express the devastation and vastness of the destruction the terrorist wreaked on the site. I never realized that there is actually a FDNY station directly across the street from the site. On the side of the station is a memorial to the firefighters who lost their lives that day.

Ground Zero and the family looking at Ground Zero


FD Memorial

We wandered around Lower Manhattan then walked down to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. She is a beautiful sight.

Kelly in Battery Park in front of Statue of Liberty

The kids had charcoal cartoon drawings made of themselves for $2 each. What a deal.


Cameron having his drawing done

Subway up to the Brooklyn Bridge. The kids and I decided to forego walking across the bridge. Everyone else walked 1/2 way. The kids and I grabbed drinks and headed back to the park in front of the Transportation building. Cameron stood up to look around right in front of our benches and a homeless guy walked over and tried to steal Cam's bottle of water. Fortunately, I was paying attention.

Brooklyn Bridge

Subway up to Chinatown. When I saw Chinatown it was how I really envisioned NYC. Crowded with open shopes lining the street. We then headed into Little Italy. Glenn and I thought we'd have great pizza in NYC, but, we still say the pizza from Bella Notte in Pgh's strip district is better than what we had.

Ernie in Chinatown

We then jumped on the subway again and headed to the Empire State Building to meet Keith and Fabi.

Cameron in the lobby of the Empire State Building

We intended to head to the top but it costs $20 per person to go up now, so we skipped it and headed to Grand Central Station.

The vastness of the station and huge dining food court underneath really lives up to its name. Keith and Fabi had their first date at GCS eating cheesecake so we stopped down and many had a piece. I don't eat it so it was a great time to rest my piggies.



Me in Grand Central Station

Aunt Kim wanted to see the American Girl Store so we headed there. It's a cute store for every little girl. I understand from Jon & Kate Plus 8 that there is a dining room upstairs. You know, from back in the day when I still watched that trainwreck.

What could possibly follow the American Girl store? FAO Schwarz of course. It was decided that we would walk 10 blocks up 5th to the store. Glenn, Kel and I got behind a little because they each stopped for souvenirs so we hopped a cab and that was quite an experience.

FAO Schwarz is a great toy store with exclusive toys. Cam opted for a stuffed seal as his souvenir. We made sure to stop upstairs and see the infamous floor piano shown in "Big."


Cameron at FAO Schwarz

Then we walked across the southern end of Central Park. No visit to the park would be complete without stumbling across a homeless man.


Cameron in Central Park

We made it all the way across CP and hopped subway in Columbus Circle to the Dakota where John Lennon was shot.


The Dakota, John & Yoko's apartment building

Let me warn everyone, if you need a bathroom up there, you better stop into the McDonalds as there is nothing else around. Everyone but me and Cam went into Central Park to see Strawberry Fields.

John Lennon memorial in Central Park

The night was complete with a few hours in Times Square. You must see it to believe it. It's wild there. Kelly really wanted the Hard Rock Cafe so we waited out front for her and another homeless man was standing there begging for not money, but, beer.



It took us several hours to get home. We sat in the subway waiting for our train for a good 30-60 minutes before Glenn read the notices and found out that not trains ran directly to WTC right now. When we got to the airport for the shuttle to the hotel, Kelly was nice enough to bolt to where we dropped off to get the shuttle to wait. We walked all the way there and found out that our pick up spot was on the other side of the airport. We left at 8 a.m. and got back just after 2. Needless to say we were all tired.

This morning, we got up and headed to Hoboken to see Carlos' Bakery featured on Cake Boss on TLC. We hoped to see Buddy, the star, but Frankie, a baker popped out instead.


Frankie and Cameron

We got a few donuts, some pics and then headed home. We arrived just after 7. I've never been so happy to see Bridgeville in my life.


Even Ziggy the bear was tired of the trip and passed out.

9 long miles

We have embarked on a long needed family vacation. We cannot even remember the last time we had a full family vacation. That's astounding to us because we are a well traveled family. Not in the sense of traveling to far and exotic locations, but to nearby trips often. Cameron had his first road trip at 3 weeks when we took him to Disney World. We were not about to give up fun on our annual passes you see.

I was so impatient to leave that we picked up Kel at 10 last night and headed towards Hershey. We stayed in Carlisle in an awful hotel. I got the 1/2 of the bed that made me literally fear for falling out/off. This morning we got up and headed to The Hershey Story Museum. Glenn and I experienced the full factory tour years ago. Unfortunately, the factory is no longer open for public tours but the new site was interesting. We signed the kids up for the Chocolate Lab where they could learn about making chocolate, make their own candy bar and help their group make a chocolate drink. While there, the kids did a Junior Apprentice tour book and received a commemorative coin for their trouble. A fun activity for the kids was the opportunity to have a front page of a paper made with their name and picture. See the following links for their personalized front pages http://www.hersheystory.org/exhibits/your-hershey-story/Default.aspx?milton=2009741339218397545&kitty=Cameron and http://www.hersheystory.org/exhibits/your-hershey-story/Default.aspx?milton=20097413942660664707&kitty=Kelly%20mari

The kids in Chocolate Lab *look like cafeteria workers in training to me*

Then onto the Chocolate World store for souvenirs. Only my children would go to a store containing more chocolate than I've ever seen buy Jolly Ranchers and no chocolate. I don't mind because it means no melted candy for me. Glenn, on the other hand, bought and ate, while still in the store, a 1/4 pound piece of Hershey's Almond fudge. I had absolutely no sympathy when he started to complain about his stomach hurting.

Glenn and I in Chocolate World

On to New Jersey the real destination of our trip. The ride was smooth and despite the contrary comments about New Jersey, they have great roads. We made it to 9 miles from the hotel and the fuel pump (to our best guess) went out on the van. Of course we were on an interstate with no shoulder. We pulled into a median between the on-ramp and the flowing traffic and called AAA. AAA came for the van and recommended we call a taxi for me and the kids. $30 I did not plan to give away thank you very much! AAA towed our van to an abandoned restaurant's parking lot about 1/4 mile away so we were able to grab a luggage cart and make a few trips to get our things up to our room.

The room is absolutely awesome. We opted to spend the extra $7 per night and get a one bedroom suite instead of studio. We are glad we did as it will allow us some privacy at night while we try to sleep and the kids play on the computer and game system.

We anticipate problems getting to the rehearsal and dinner tomorrow. Hopefully, the wedding will be a bit easier. I was quite nervous about getting to NYC on Sunday with only one car. The hotel gave us an option that will cost about $3.50 or less per person each way and does not require us to get in our car at all. Hopefully, the garage recommended by AAA can fix the fuel pump quickly and we will not be required to spend an extra night or two here in NJ.

I'll upload photos from today on Friday and then blog and upload photos throughout the weekend.

Recent Shooting

Update: I guess this wasn't a domestic dispute. This guy hates women. He had not had a date in 17 years and no sex in 19 years. He had been planning a mass killing of women for some time. This type of thing makes me so nervous to have a young, beautiful daughter in the world. http://georgesodini.com/20090804.htm I don't know what to think of his actions or his thoughts. Clearly, he was the result of bullying. Before knowing this information today, Kelly and I were discussing bullying and what it can do to the psyche of a person. She asked what about those who kill and were not bullied. We determined that they were just psychotic.

I bring the bullying up because recently Cameron has been a multiple victim of bullying. This makes me sad because I have not raised him to be a bully. I have taught him that when another child bullys him to tell their parents but do not retaliate. His ODD nature impels him to speak out and discuss retribution quickly. I have to spend a good amount of time talking him down. The most recent act of bullying was younger children throwing rocks at him. When he told the mother she responded that "the kids don't listen to her or their stepdad." What kind of response is that? Cameron knows not to show any form of control or force over younger children. He is incredibly kind and considerate to younger children. The same parents even commented that Cameron was the most well mannered child they knew. So why would they allow their own children to try to bully that kindness out of him? Other kids have tried to force my child to smoke cigarettes and even cornered him demanding that he kiss them for his freedom. I don't want to be the mom to keep my son locked in the house. He needs the fresh air and socialization to be a well-rounded young man. Coddled boys have a hard time later in life. I don't want that for him. I also don't want him fighting or turning his lack of control from bullying out on animals or others in the future as we so often see. He told me yesterday that the younger children apologized and they are friends again. I have decided to let him play with them again as it's what he wants. I know that sometimes kids fight and make up. It's a natural cycle. This seems so off-topic, but if you read the suspect's blog, you will see my concerns about my son being the victim of bullying and my feelings.

Yes, the shooting being mentioned on the news channels occurred .56 miles from our house.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090805/ap_on_re_us/us_health_club_shooting

Just after 8, a slew of police cars from a variety of townships, boroughs and the city and county flew by our house with sirens and lights blazing. Soon to be followed by emergency vehicles and an Allegheny County Command Center. Glenn was taking out the garbage and someone mentioned that there had been a shooting and the gunman was on the loose. We locked our house, but my nebby husband and son kept wandering out to our walled in porch to watch the action out the window.

CBS/KDKA broke into programming to let us know what was going on. They also pre-empted all prime time tv from 9-11 and the local news was 90% coverage of the scene. The families of the 6 souls lost are in our prayers.

The volunteer fire department where the police are meeting with witnesses and families is literally around the corner from my house. There is a train trussel in front of my house that blocks my view or I would be able to see all the "happenings." It sounds like the helicopters have finally gone home for the night.

We are all fine. Kelly reconnected with her ex, Jake last night so she had gone to his house after work today. When he moved back from Nebraska over the weekend, he moved to Bridgeville as his mom had relocated here a few months ago. He lives about 1 mile on the other side of her employer. I called her and made sure she knew to lock up and stay in his house. His parents drove her home, before curfew, so I knew she was safe.

Kelly reconnecting with Jake was not exactly our dream scenario, but he encourages her to complete her schooling and follow our rules. I think now that he's returned, if I can manage to lay low, she'll stay and finish high school.

Cameron is rocking on school so far. He completed one day of Language Arts and all of his "getting started" assignments for each of his classes. He's enjoying his laptop computer. We had him fitted for the tux for Keith's wedding last night when we picked up Glenn's new suit. The recommended a size 14 jacket and large vest. The 12 jacket fit his shoulders, but he's got a bit of a belly that requires a 14. He looked so darling. I forgot the camera or I would have posted some pics. I'll be sure to get some at the wedding. Cameron loved to dress up in the past. I hope he still does. I only saw him in part of the tux, but imagining him in the full tux brought a tear to my eye. Before I know it, he'll be getting fitted for his prom tux, then his wedding. Of course, I don't want either of my kids to rush into weddings. I married at 20 and 28. 20 was waaaaay too young. I keep encouraging Kelly to wait til she's in her mid 20's to marry and late 20's to have kids. Glenn and I would like a few years with no kids before we become grandparents.