Papa and Dakota

I think this is the only picture I have of Dakota and Papa Bob. I actually was playing with my camera when this picture was taken. I thought something was wrong with my camera because I could not see the image I was taking a picture of and I was just shooting pictures to find out what was wrong. It turned out to be the backlight that I had accidentally switched off, but the 4 pictures I took that day came out great. This is one of them.

Right now I am feeling a little tired and nauseated. I took my blood pressure pill this morning, then at 1:00 I took my depression pill. At 4:00 I took my antibiotic (GFN1000). Ate something about 30-45 minutes ago. So I am not sure what it is. Get tired sometimes just walking from the truck into the house. A lot of emotions running through me. Why am I tired..is my imagination that something is terribly wrong...why does my heart feel like it is beating out of my chest when I get tired walking from the truck to the house...I don't know...All I know right now is I want to feel better...hopefully it will come very soon. Still don't have the excitement to scrapbook, I want to but cannot get started...look at magazines and see ideas, but no desire...going for a bike ride tomorrow. Maybe I will feel better...we will see....

To be there now....

This chair needs me.....oh to be able to be sitting in it right now....just chilling, not doing anything, not going anyway, just sitting there pondering...not really thinking about anything, just a void...this chair was actually sitting in the sand on the beachy area across from the Coleman's beach house. It was taken in February, 2005, when Mom and Dad were down there for vacation and invited (boy did they have alot of guts) all of us to go down for the weekend. Me, Allyssa, Natasha, Brittni, Chandler, Wayne, Tina, Courtney and Lauren, (I think that is all). Vincent could not go because of work. I picked up Chandler after I got off of work and we headed down on Friday evening. Natasha, Allyssa and Brittni went down Thursday along with Wayne and his family. I need this chair right now. Went to the doctor today after I had lunch with Mom, (I love having lunch with her and hung out at the mall for a little bit before my appointment!) because for nearly the past year at different times I have had my blood pressure checked for one thing or another (giving blood, eye surgery) and it has been higher than normal. After my eye surgery in April, 2006, Dr. Hammond told me to come back after I had healed a bit, because the pain and stress of the weed-eating accident that lead to my eye surgery was probably contributing to the high BP. So I finally made it back today nine months later. BP 180/108 not good. So during the visit I had several things I needed to ask about, not sleeping at night, depressed most of the time, heel spur on my right heel, and possibly sinus infection. Medication given for everything but the heel spur. I don't like the idea of having to take pills everyday, but as Mom pointed out, be thankful that my problems can be controlled with medication and not the other way around. I am thankful, very thankful. That means my everyday non-taking-pill days are over, switching to everyday, pill-taking days. Of course, the sinus infection and stupid little cough can be cleared up fairly quickly with 2 antibiotics. I go back in 4 weeks to see how I am doing, but Dr. Hammond assures me that I will be feeling better. I sure do hope so. I got Allyssa out of school early today and Vincent watched her while I went to the doctor. That kept me from going back to TR. I picked up Dakota at daycare after I got finished with the doctor. Stopped by and got McDonald's 6 piece chicken mcnugget happy meal (as requested by Allyssa) and Sonic sausage, egg and cheese breakfast burrito with a large orange juice (no ice) as requested by Vincent. Dakota ate a couple of fries, believe me she knows what is going on when you are sitting at the drive-thru window, but don't understand why when you pay at the first window the guy don't give you the food.....she was not happy with him. Came home, made sure Allyssa had her "environmental print" for the letter F. She took pictures of our visit to the Fire Station that Wayne works at, Dakota played around for a little bit and then was ready for a nap at 5:00, slept until 6:05. I boxed up my Kodak camera and printer dock which I was still having problems with so I could take it back when Natasha came after the kids. Took it back, got me the Kodak C875 camera only, purchased the docking station and I am going to try to get my Epson printer working again when I get a new ink cartridge. Got my antibiotic prescriptions filled, we got a few groceries and came home. Set up my camera and the epson printer again and now I am ready to settle down, get ready for bed and head there in a little bit. Was not hungry, felt nauseated, so I did not eat dinner. Can't wait to feel better. Later......

First pictures

These are the very first pictures of Dakota Kayl, taken on March 10, 2005....before we knew she was a girl, before we knew her due date, when total chaos was going on because Natasha and Brad were separated and she was seeing someone else, (who according to Natasha started AFTER she and Brad were separated)...of course only Natasha and Randy (who is Dakota's father and Natasha's significant other and "roommate") will ever know for sure. I guess is adds up though, they separated in December, and Dakota was conceived in January...pretty close though, but I am rambling on. Anyway, Dakota and Allyssa are sisters and nothing is ever going to change that even if they do have different last names. You can raise you children the best way you know how and when they get older some of them are going to depart from their upbringing. I have 2 children that are doing just that. But I am sure that it will all work out in the end and there is no need for me to worry about it, they are adults and it just makes my life miserable trying to make it right....I love them just the same...OK enough of the sappy stuff.....

Here's looking at ya, kid.....

This picture was taken July, 2004, when Allyssa was 3 years old. She is such a funny girl. She loves the water. The other pictures taken with this one will show that fact. Today I went by Mom's house, (she keeps Dakota on Tuesdays and Thursdays all day and gets Allyssa at 2:30 when she gets out of school). I had to take Mom's sewing machine back to her. Yesterday I had told Allyssa when we were on our way home that I had something to show her when we got home, but instead I ended up having to drop them off by Natasha's work earlier than usual. We did not make it to our house. Today I asked her if she remembered that I had something I was going to show her yesterday and she said yes. I had a pair of jeans on that is one of my favorite pair. Right where the top of the pocket is sewn to the pants itself it has started a small hole and my lavender underwear was showing. I had to keep making sure that my shirt was down over it the whole day at work. I knew that Allyssa would get a kick out of "my underwear" showing so I was going to show her. So today I told her about it and she started laughing, saying "Nana, you are silly". Then when Natasha was leaving Mom's house with her and Dakota I had to go get an empty box out of my truck to put some glasses in that Mom had given me. I walked back up to the car with the box on my head and Dakota and Allyssa started laughing. Allyssa told me I was "crazy"!!!!!! She is such a silly girl, but at least I can make them laugh even on the "roughest" of my days!!!!! Love those two little girls..... I know it is hard on my Mom to watch the girls like she does. But I also know that she loves it and although it wears her out, she would not change it (maybe think about every now and then!!!!)

Watched House tonight. Right now it is all about House. I get a kick out of House's (Dr.) egotistically, arrogant, smart-tail comments that he makes. Not that I would want him for a doctor you would have to talk to, but for a doctor who can find out what is wrong with you, then I would want him for mine!!!!! Well, am kinda tired now, guess I will get ready to go to bed.

Problems....

I have had nothing but problems tonight. I had a problem trying to print the Santa pictures from Hendersonville. My camera keeps telling me that the memory card is unfamiliar...What?????....then I format it, take those pictures off, put a couple of other pictures on it to print out (pictures of Vincent and me at Mom and Dad's house Christmas) and they print out. Then my "rechargeable" batteries don't want to "charge". What's up with that? Did I have them in the camera wrong...no....checked it....so I put the regular Kodak batteries in it for now until tomorrow when I can see what the heck I am doing wrong. :-( Sometimes I feel so stupid, like I cannot grasp what the heck I am doing and I am doing the same stuff I do all the time. Does that make any sense? Then I try to copy the Christmas pics from Mom and Dad's to CD to give to Mom and I cannot get them to copy. The computer keeps telling me I don't have a disc in the "f" drive, which I do.....Vincent said maybe the computer is tired...I say maybe I am tired.....I think I will call it quits for all of it and go to bed!

Cute Pic

Looking through old pictures today trying to get inspired to do a layout and ran across this picture. I think it is so cool. Larry and Richard there with their cowboy hats on and Mom with her cute little baby doll. Grandma and Grandpa holding a picture of I am thinking Lucky and Joyce. Why were they hold their picture? Where was Pat, Cornelia and the rest of the kids? Was Joyce and Lucky stationed somewhere else and all the other kids were local? Who was taking the picture? Look at the "icicles" on the tree and the christmas cards hanging on the wall. I wonder who they were from? That cute little reindeer (I guess it is a card on the wall) at Grandpa's right elbow. I wish I had the answers to these questions.

Haven't felt very good today. Throat is sore. Took my camera and printer dock back and got a new one. Hope it works and gives me no problems. Getting ready to go eat a little soup so I can get ready to go to work tomorrow. Not looking forward to it especially if I am not feeling any better. Talked to Nick today. Vincent had gotten a text message from Ashley which said to bring some toilet paper home!!!LOL, I am still laughing about that. I texted Nick and asked him why Ashley needed toilet paper! He called me back and said that she had been having problems with her text messages, her brother had gotten some, but he said she probably don't know how to use it....he was laughing as much as I was. Never know who sees your text messages!!! Said he was going to be working in Chapel Hill all week. Natasha called me this morning and asked me if I had called her. She had a missed call from me. I told her no that I had called her last night when she was trying to get in touch with me, but not today. Technology!!! Guess I will go for now....

Play...

Seems like Allyssa has Santa all to herself....this was one of the pics that Deborah took while we were visiting Santa in Hendersonville, NC, December 16, 2006. On Ali Edwards blog which I read every day, she has challenged everyone to come up with a word that would describe how you want to incorporate in our layouts during the year, a word that we could use in our every day lives...I have come up with "play". I am going to try to "play" more that I have in the last year. There is so much that pre-occupies my mind, bills, work, making sure the granddaughters are taken care of, you know, that everyday junk that keeps us from enjoying life. So I am going to see how it goes. Had lunch with Mom, Deborah and Asheton at Zaxby's today, then Mom and I headed to do our normal Saturday "thing", going to scrapbook stores. We went to the Scrapbook Company today, soo much pretty paper and things for our layouts....wish I could have at least 1 of everything!!!!! My Kodak printer dock is going to have to be returned tomorrow, it just is not working right. Have tried 2 new cartridges in it and it still is not wanting to cooperate with me, so I have to take it back and get another one. So I will have to concentrate on pictures that I have already printed out for now....that should not be a problem. Vincent and I went to Cracker Barrel in Hendersonville, NC, to eat dinner. We rode the bike, kinda of chilly when we left, but the ride was really good, refreshing.....I enjoyed getting away for a brief spell...