18 hours and on my way.....

This time tomorrow night we will be at the beach. I cannot wait. This little beauty in the picture (Allyssa) will not be able to go with us. In fact, she does not even know that we are going. If she did, she would have a fit. We did not tell her for that very reason. She is escorting Braydon, (the little boy in my previous posts that likes her and aggravates the mess out of her) at his homecoming football game. And if she knew we were going to the beach she would say FORGET THE HOMECOMING GAME, I am going with Papa and Nana! She loves the beach. This picture was taken during her first beach trip in February, 2005. Then we went back in July of the same year and took her and Natasha with us. Natasha was pregnant with Dakota at the time. She is now pregnant with Savannah Rayne (I hope that is the way Natasha decides to spell it) due December 25.
Not much going on here. Today was Vincent's 50th birthday. We didn't have the big celebration yet, #1 because we are leaving for the beach tomorrow and #2 because money is playing a big issue right now on everybody's part. So we are celebrating his birthday within the next 2 weeks, birthday cake and all! He had a great day. A bunch of people either called him or texted him wishing him happy birthday and he received 2 handmade birthday cards. One from my Mom and one from the church we are attending at the present time. They both are beautiful.
We took Hanzo to his temporary home until Monday. He is staying with the guy who has a german shepherd from the first litter of Hanzo's mom. Hanzo is the second litter. I really miss him. Hope he is doing ok.
Talked to Wayne and Tina who are already at the beach and they said the weather was nice right now. Hope it stays that way. But even if it don't I am going to be in RELAXATION mode. Atleast until Sunday when we come back. Just a short trip.
Well, gotta go get started packing and yes it is 10:00 PM and I have not done it yet and we are leaving when I get off of work at 3:30 tomorrow.......what am I waiting for....I need to get going!

High on the Feel Good Ladder....

Today was a really good day on the "feel good" ladder. If every day could be this good or better! I had a couple of things on the back burner that were kinda in limbo and still are to a certain point but I am a little closer to reality. Biggest one is that we may have found some land in Marietta, SC, about 3-5 miles northwest? of Travelers Rest. There are still some nuts and bolts to finalize: price, how much (between 2-5 acres), etc. but at least it is in the works. We haven't told anyone about it because everything is not ironed out yet. What the overall plan is is to pay the land off then build a house on it. Not sure what size or plans for the house right now.
Had a good day at work. I mentioned yesterday about wearing the one ear plug in my right ear, right? Well, it was not working really well and I mentioned it to one of my co-workers, who politely told me that I was suppose to pinch it together then roll it between my forefinger and thumb then insert it in my ear and then it explands (ever so gently, remind you) to the contour of my ear. What a great big difference that made. Of course, I totally felt like an idiot because I have been walking around with the ear plug poking half way out of my ear and I thought that it was because they are initially ordered for the guys in our buffing department because of the noise and they have BIG EARS!!!!! Yes I have to laugh at myself which I do rather frequently nowadays!
Would it not be nice to be as carefree as Allyssa is in the top picture? I took this picture at Dakota's birthday party. Braydon, Randy's nephew, who is about 5 years old was keeping the football from Allyssa and she, being the sweet little angel that she is, just turned around and ran back to the swing as if she did not have a care in the world, except of course for "a little boy who likes me and is trying to keep the football from me, because I am a girl and he thinks I cannot throw it"!
Then there is Dakota and Allyssa (anxiously waiting for her piece of cake). Allyssa eats just the icing off the cake and now Dakota is doing the same thing.
The picture of Dakota running.....well, she had just received this Elmo plush blanket and she did not even get it unfolded before she took off at a big run to Allyssa's room, turns the tv on (because she knows that is what Allyssa does when she goes to bed) and jumps on the bottom bunk bed and lays there!!!!! Everybody else is wondering what she is doing. She is such a baby doll. She finally came back in to the living room to open the rest of her gifts. If it was clothes she would look at them, drop them and head for the next gift until she opened a baby doll, or walmart stroller or her last gift was a Radio Flyer Tricycle from Papa Bob and Mema Linda.
Well, I am out of time again.....

Yuck, Yuck Monday.....

Why are Mondays so yucky? Today was not a good day at all. I was not feeling very good, nauseated, overall terrible, terrible. Had a small bag of pretzels and half a pepsi for first break, felt nauseated still, but hungry at lunch. Actually skipped lunch per se, but did eat another small bag of pretzels, drank the other half of the pepsi and sit there looking at a newspaper catalog of books for no more than $4.95. All kinds of books and some DVDs, CDs, James Patterson was one of the authors I seen alot of; religion, history, travel, fiction, non-fiction, children, etc. Still don't feel too much better. Had an anxiety attack a couple of times but did not take anything for it.
Mainly just tried to talk myself out of them. Which is not easy to do when the demon co-worker is trying to see if she can play her radio louder than mine and let me tell you, you can barely hear mine. I wear an ear-plug in my right ear, that is the side she is on. Can she not see the neon green THING sticking out of my ear and wonder what the heck it is there for, or maybe she does see it and wants to make my life as miserable as she can from 7:00 a.m. UNTIL 3:30 p.m. which sometimes seems like a 12 hour shift. I wanted to stuff that radio of hers where the sun don't shine and hope that the sun never comes out!
Okay, I am back to normal for right now.
The picture at the top is the chocolate fountain I was referring to yesterday in my blog. Goodness, I can taste it now. The other picture is of Mom (in chocolate-covered cherry heaven for a brief moment!) As you can see from the look on her face why I had such a hard time dragging her away. I mean the other customers in the store wanted to try it too!!!!! I am laughing too hard right now. I'm just kidding mom.
Actually I think we all three went back 2 or 3 times! It was sooooo goooooddddddd.
I came home from work, let Hanzo out and fed him, sit on the couch for about 30 minutes, ate dinner and then played with Hanzo with an old t-shirt for a while, came in, watched about 30 minutes of tv and then came in here and checked e-mails, blogs. Of course, in between times I have been up and down, taking Hanzo out to go to the bathroom, talking to Vincent, folding a load of clothes and now getting ready to rap this up and head to the shower so get ready bed just to start over tomorrow.
Texted Natasha during the day (yes while I was at work and trying not to get caught) about a couple of things that I was not to happy about yesterday at Dakota's party. You know the different lives everyone leads once they "leave the nest". Of course, I succeeded in making her a little irritable at me, Wayne texted me to touch base about this weekend beach trip, texted Mom to ask her about the Carver christmas party and that is about it. What an EXCITING LIFE I LEAD!
Well, guess I had better get off of here,

L8TR!

She Doesn't Slow Down...

Today Natasha and Randy had Dakota's birthday party. I cannot believe that she is now 2 years old. She actually turned 2 on October 11, but today was her party. I spent most of the day chasing her around getting pictures like these because she just would not be still long enough to get pictures. She is on the go all the time. If only I had 1/8 of her energy I would never have to worry about not being able to sleep at night! She and Allyssa both were giving the swing set for their birthdays. They both love to play on it, but Dakota likes the sliding board the best, I think. She was on it more than anything. She occasionally layed in the swing on her stomach but most of the time you would see her on the slide!
You know, just getting the family together is sometimes a little too much, but when you have blended families like we do it makes it a little more too much! Natasha and Nicholas' dad and I have been divorced since 1989. I remarried in 1996 to Vincent. So you have their dad, his parents, my parents, me, Vincent, my sister and her 2 teenage kids, Natasha, Randy (her second husband) and Allyssa (from her first marriage) and Dakota from her current marriage, she is pregnant with their 2nd girl together, Randy's parents, his sister and her husband and their 2 kids, Natasha and Nicholas' dad's teenage daughter from his second marriage and then you have the rest of the invitees; friends, etc. It makes it tough. You have so many different living styles, opinions, ways of doing things that are different from when you were growing up, (like respecting the elders) I know Dakota and Allyssa had a great time, but I am glad that it don't happen very often. Dakota was sitting in front of her Sesame Street birthday cake and took 2-3 swipes with her finger at the icing because it was taking her mom too long to get the candle and after she blew out the candle, she took Elmo licked the icing off of it, put it back on the cake and did it again then looked at me and said "here nana" handing me Elmo! She cracks me up.
Yesterday I met Mom and Alpha at A.C. Moore. I bought some patterned paper, (like I really need it) and some colored cardstock. The store was having some make it take it projects and they had the coolest gadget, a chocolate fountain! I was totalled amazed by it. I know I have seen it advertised but when you see it really working it is the neatest thing. It continually has melted chocolate flowing from it and you just put your piece of fruit, pretzel, cookies, anything that you want chocolate on under the the chocolate and waa-laa you have a chocolate-covered whatever! I will post a picture of it later, but I could have stayed at that table for a while, but I am sure the make-it-take-it would have been about 10 pounds added to my frame that I did not need to have to worry about "carrying out" in my hands! I had to nearly drag my Mom away from it! just kidding, mom!!!!! Alpha actually is to blame for it, she is the one that went looking around without us and come back with chocolate-covered strawberries! We made little brown halloween bags with the new Cricut machine and they had a table that was making little pumpkin earrings. I will post a picture of both tomorrow I will have to take the pictures first.
Deborah and Asheton met us at Taco Casa for lunch. We had a really good time laughing and talking, Alpha said she learned some things that she did not know before from our conversations. Of course, I am not going to repeat any of the conversations because some could be considered at least a PG rating! Then after we ate lunch as if we really needed something else to put in our stomachs we headed to Atlanta Bread Company. ABC is a almost definite stop for whoever is with us on Saturdays. Mom and I started the "tradition". But now if you are with us on Saturday you have to go with us to ABC. Of course, I have pictures of that too that I will have to post later.
Next weekend we are suppose to be going to the beach. From Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. If it pans out I cannot wait. I need a day of complete I-dont-have-to-do-anything. I could sit on the beach all day just watching people and the waves coming in and going out. Kinda of relaxing and soothing at the same time.
I got up this morning and took a bike ride. I woke up with it on my mind so I took off. Of course, I woke up yesterday thinking about going for a job (what????? me????? jog???????) I don't know where that came from and of course, I did not give in to that way of thinking. I turned over and went back to sleep! Maybe the next time I wake up with it on my mind I will take it up on it!
Well, gotta get ready for work tomorrow. Vincent went to the store since he slept the rest of his afternoon away and should be pulling back in the driveway at any time and I need to get a shower. The weather is cool at night but it gets kinda warm during the day. We turned off the air conditioning last week and have not turned it back on yet and it does not take much for me to get all hot and sweaty. I hate that.

Baby...it's cold outside...

Well, it is cold to me. It was 61 degrees and breezy when we came in from dinner and to me it was cold. Maybe it was because I have been cold all day at work. But it is suppose to be in the 40's tonight and that is brrrrrrrr to me.

I have not been on here lately as you can tell. I have had things going on, running out of time at night, spending most of the nights with Vincent watching movies, he is a real movie buff and that is about the only time we get to spend together and we don't even have kids in the house anymore! Trying to get this estrogen patch dosage correct, pain in the neck, I tell ya! I feel great the first couple of days and then on the day before or sometimes the day that I am scheduled to change it, I start feeling bad, plain out ole' bad, not wanting to do anything, wanting to strangle the anti-christ co-worker beside me, (more often than not!), just wanting to sit and DO NOTHING, NOT A THING! Have you realized that the word nothing looks almost like NOT A THING. Oh well, I am getting off on another trail......

We have been going to the lake every Sunday (no haven't been to church and I know that is bad) for the past 4 weeks. Breaking in motors on 2 jetskis Vincent had to replace for the same customer. It has been really nice at the lake though, no rain any day that we were there. My brother Wayne and his wife and daughters went 2 weeks ago with us and Natasha, Randy, Allyssa and Dakota went this past Sunday with us. We had a great time. It gets boring sometimes going by yourself.

The pictures are from this past Sunday's trip. Allyssa always has a good time at the lake, she LOVES the water and from the looks of Dakota, the one where she is asleep, she does too. This picture of Dakota was taken after her first ride on a sea-doo. She loved it until the humming of the motor and watching the water go by put her to sleep. Yes she actually went to sleep while I was operating the sea-doo. She and I were on one, Vincent and Allyssa were on ours and Randy and Natasha was on one.

Today the little monkey turned 2 years old. And she is really in the terrible twos! "No" to everything. Ignoring you when you are talking to her, throwing toys, running from you, you name it and she is doing it! But she is a baby doll!

Tomorrow is my sister-in-law Tina's birthday. We are going out to eat somewhere actually to finalize the beach trip for next weekend and to celebrate her birthday in a quiet sort of way! She has never been one to like the hoop-la of birthdays, she don't like her picture taken and she don't like attention drawn to her. Kinda like me in a way!

Anyway, it is 10:52 pm WAY, WAY past my bedtime so off to sleeptown I go.......Sweet dreams!