Text Messages from a Teen

I promised text messages in an earlier post and now I'm here to deliver! I want to share them for a couple of different reasons. One is to show you what I get on a regular basis and another reason is so in future years, my child can see how she truly was.

I'll share a few messages with you with my commentary in a different color. Sometimes a scene has to be set in order to fully appreciate it.

First text:

Scene set up. I had taken Paige to the doctor as she had hurt her ankle again. It worked out because I had an appointment, too. Two birds with one stone and all that. She was out in the waiting area and I was down the hall at the lab having blood drawn for that yearly cholesterol deal and whatnot. We were there so early, I only had time to fix a cup of coffee to go. Before heading to the lab, I gave her the last half of my cup to drink because it was cool and she loves coffee, but hates hot beverages. I texted her to tell her to keep an eye out for the doctor who was bringing her a brace for her ankle and to let me know if the doctor showed up because I wanted to speak with her.

I was sitting there waiting my turn when I received the following:

Paige's Cell:
i will will and i know i know. but jees, how many ppl are you behind? btw coffee is gon and tummy realized its empty and is verbally protesting to deprivation. -_-

Next we have text #2. This was while we were in S.C. Paige lives with her Nana and Papa when visiting there. She loves to soak in all that grandparent goodness. Plus, the 50 inch television is a good incentive to stay there. She controls it when Papa isn't there. We were over at our house (Edge I) when I received this text message:

omg! im watching casanova andddd holy cow! the NUNS!=O ha ha ha ha ha ha wow. nuns?! "E-TERN-AL damnation for ONE NIGHT with CASANOVA"
-mutters and shrugs- "seems fair"

lol new fav movie ba ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Apparently this was a quote from the movie starring the late Heath Ledger. At first I thought SHE was saying "seems fair". I'm glad she cleared that up when I saw her.

Text #3. We were preparing to leave on Wednesday morning to head back to Jaw-ja. I told The Man to call her and make sure she was up and getting dressed. This is what I got around 5 minutes later.

oh em geeeeee. (I do not like for her to say OMG because I keep telling her that she's gonna call Him one day and when he shows up....she'll have a lot of explaining to do. This is her compromise. Humph.)

i was in the shower and as soon as i opened the curtain and stepped up on the stair thingy (on nanas tub) i heard "WOW!" and i was thinking "holy crap! somebody is in here! agh!" so i freaked out, screamed, and fell down the 1-2 step thingy and it was as i hit the floor that i realized it was my phone ringing. i had it set to 'donk' by soulja boy. i swore to myself i was going to kill whoever it was that was calling.

so if your husband goes missing within the next week, don't look for him. he'll be at the bottom of the st. marys river wearing cement shoes. -_-

okay so not really bc i hear you can't join the navy with a criminal record, but you get my drift.

that junk HURT.
kay...i'm done now.
call before ya'll come over. (:

I promise that was all in one text message. I don't think she took the first breath when typing. This is how she talks in real life! Nonstop wide open. And it really doesn't take alot to hurt her ankles.....she's already had a broken foot and two sprains.

This message followed within the minute:

oh wait! i forgot to insert my husky mafia voice!

All I can say is Thank Goodness for unlimited text messaging! This does not spoil my child in any way. She works to pay for it every single month. She has this fear that I will cut off text messaging. Maybe, that's because I've done it before and would not hesitate to do it again. She's the person that makes money off of the cell phone company because of unlimited texting. Girlfriend is beating the system!

As a goodie last night, I sent her the ringtone for the Carolina Gamecocks. Sorry, Chelle, she'll wear orange all day long but has issues with a tiger for some reason!

Be assured, Internets, that I will continue to share this texting goodness with you. I know I look like a complete froot loop reading these things in public because I'm laughing so hard. No need to keep all the good stuff to myself now is there?


p.s. Spell check almost blew a gasket on this post.

Alot of action in just a few days

Once upon a time I thought I was a busy person. Ha. Boy, was I mistaken. Now? I'm lucky if I get an hour or two to myself once a week. And usually I'm too tired to enjoy the time to its fullest. For the most part, I love it.

After my class at the chapel on Thursday, my partner who runs the program with me called with the news that her 2 year old was being admitted to the hospital. Long story, but the child has been sick off and on and answers are finally being found! That left her 14 month old without a place to go. So, of course, he came to me! What a sweet baby he was. He ended up spending the night with me as Mom and Dad were at the hospital with his sister.

I am too old to be doing the small baby thing again. I am so confident in the knowledge that I no longer have any type of baby fever whatsoever. None. No rise in my temperature at all. Three is perfect and my family is complete. Now, I shall VERY patiently await in laws and gran kids. I enjoy basking in the feeling of feeling the completeness in that area of my life.

Because that baby woke up every hour on the hour with the "WHERE AM I?" cry going on. Bless his heart. I was a zombie by the time I took him to the CDC (child development center) on base the next morning. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

During the day and into the evening Friday, our Navy returned to service the USS Georgia. Talk about fanfare and hoopla! It was understood that if you didn't need to be on base? Then don't go! Security was so tight, wildlife were being searched if they breached fences. Emily had to spend all day there as her hubby is now a proud member of the crew. Paige covered her home front with Noah so he wouldn't have to suffer...uh enjoy...all the speeches and dignitaries.

I had to get all gussied (that's Southern speak for "dressed up") up so that I could head to a special service down in JAX (Jacksonville, Florida) Friday evening. Carla's mom was visiting for the week and we were headed to a Christian women's seminar. I was ten kinds of nervous about driving the Hoe (uh...name for new vehicle?) down there with all the crazy drivers. With Carla as my co-pilot/navigator, all was well. We did some major teamwork and found our way where we needed to be.

Again, I'm endorsing someone by mentioning names. First off, God dropped in because 14,500 people were gathered in His name. Can I just say the Spirit is a mighty thing to encounter...but when that many people are doing some major praise and worship? All I can say is...whoa. Our speaker for the weekend (Yep, weekend because it was Friday night and Saturday morning) has got to be the most amazing speaker I've ever heard in person. Miss Beth Moore was the lady in charge and I thoroughly enjoyed her the entire time she was on stage. She is dynamite in a tiny package and when she had to take her shoes off to finish? I knew she was cool. I gotta admit, though, it made for an exhausting time as we tried to cram so much into a short amount of time.

We finished up our Saturday celebrating Jace's birthday over at Carla and John's house. There were the usual suspects involved. Emily, Jer, and Noah, us, and special guests included Carla's mom and her friend who were here visiting. It was warm enough here for a turn on the slip and slide before present opening time. A good time was had as we cheered Jace on to turning 5.

My writing is suffering this morning because I'm just dangit tired. Therefore, I find it fitting to share a picture or two or three to make up for my slackness. Now, that's fair, isn't it?

Seeing something like this is sure to move even the hardest heart. How can you not be moved by all those men who are serving our country? In dress blues??? Come on, Internets! Welcome home, USS Georgia!!!

See what I mean? That's Miss Moore on the big screen and all these people (mostly women...I'd say only around 100 men) were here to enjoy her talking goodness. It was open seating, but we preferred to sit near an exit so as to get out of dodge before everyone else got the same idea.

Last, but definately not least! Happy Birthday, Jace! With your wet hair from the slip and slide, action figure loving self!

All I gotta say is that I don't know if it's the new laptop or blogger today, but the picture part isn't working well and I had to bout lose my mind to get these things on here! ACK. I think I'm going to go play some mindless blackjack now.

The Family and all that

We made it back. Took a long time, it feels like, but we did.

Our visit to Edge I was a good one. There's always so much to do and so many people to see when we're there, that I feel like I'm caught in a whirlwind most of the visit.

Big shout out to Miss Anne and Christie (along with Tom and boys). I got to speak with them briefly at church Sunday morning and it was so good to see them both. Christie and I were gypped because it was a quick hurried conversation, but we still understand we love each other and that raising boys can be a tough deal at times. Plus, I got to hug Tom. The man has always been a good hugger and I appreciate one of those!

Easter was great although I can't, for the life of me, believe I forgot to take pictures! That's not like me at all. Kind of bites because we were all lookin' good. Nothing better than being all dressed up for church on a Sunday morning. Especially for Easter.

Now I get to tell you what MY Easter Bunny...named David....got for me. For a while now, we've been in need of a new vehicle. Our van was/is great...but her time was drawing short and we needed something bigger and more dependable to make our long trips home safe in. So, around four months ago, Fred called our friend David back home who deals with the used vehicles to see what he could do for us. Most people say not to trust a used car salesman. I'd normally agree with this. But, I got Davie. I've known him my entire life because his sister and I were great friends growing up (still are!). His wife and I are good friends. Remember my post about Stacey getting married? The one that I held the entire day when she came home from the hospital? David and Michelle's daughter. See? We got history.

Anyway, we got a call last week telling us that he had found the vehicle for us. After months of going to sales and turning away vehicle after vehicle....this was the one. He felt so sure of it..he bought it and brought it back to the shop. I was sold. Michelle started sending text pictures through the phone and I was ready to go get it.

This is what was waiting on Miss Hope when she got home this past Saturday....

Yep. That's an SUV. A gas guzzling, road hogging, big as all get out SUV.

I know there are those of you out there who believe in the hybrid. Goody for you.

All I know is I have three kids in various stages of growth that have the potential to hurt each other if kept close for long periods of time. I know I have a teenager who can pack four bags for a 2 day trip. I know I am claustrophobic and small cars make me sweat. And sweating is unattractive. I don't do sweat. If I can help it.

Just so you know, I do try to counteract my vehicle gluttony in a productive and meaningful way. I recycle. A lot. I have bins lined up with my soda cans, food cans, plastics, paper, cardboard, etc etc. See? I'm not all evil and gas guzzling. I know I have five consumers living under this roof and must do at least a little something to justify my decision to give birth three times. Because they're mine and I love them so that makes it too late to get rid of them. Downsizing is not an option, I'm afraid.

So, our trip home was filled with paperwork, visiting, and running around. Worth all the hassle, of course. Bad thing about it is now I have a temporary base pass until the tags go through and theres a big shindig happening on our base this week. I have a feeling I'll be encountering a few vehicle searches. Let 'em. That sucker is clean and they better take advantage of it before the kids put their mark on the inside. Crap. I forgot to ask how to open the hood. Might encounter a problem or two with that one.

I did get to see my Grandma twice while there. It just breaks my heart to see her suffering. I wish there was something I could do to ease it some how. In turn, I see my Daddy suffering because this is his Mama. Talk about heart breaking. Those of you who believe in the power of prayer? I would appreciate some prayers sent up for my Grandma. Do I want you to ask for healing? I don't know. I'd like for you to ask that God grant her mercy and comfort. He knows what He has planned for her and she's a fine Christian woman. Her mouth constantly moves in prayer and that in itself comforts me.

I'm off to cover my class on base. I'm sure alot of people won't be there because of the whole spring break issue...but I'm committed to it, so I shall be there to see it through!

Next post? Text messages I've received from Paige.

Easter Greetings

Just wanted to wish all of you out there in Internet Land a Happy Easter.

We're heading to South Carolina to spend the holiday with our family there. I'm ten kinds of excited about being in my home church for such a wonderful service with all my people. We girls have new frocks to wear so we can be all pretty and the boys will be dapper and handsome. I've sent that Bunny in Charge an email telling him the change of address so he'll be sure to get the goods where they need to be.

Since Spring Break is next week for the kids, we're going to hang around an extra couple of days so I can spend some time with my Grandma who is still in the hospital. We're also celebrating FIVE birthdays while there. My niece(25), Sis-in-Law(27), The Boy(2), my nephew(3), and Paige(14). What can I say? March and April were good months. (The numbers in ( )'s are the dates...not ages! Wait..Paige will be 14! On the 14th! How about that?)

There's also a little something waiting on Miss Hope that I'll be sharing with you when we get back. *chair dances* *wiggles some more*

Have a wonderful Easter, Internets, friends, and family!

*.....for He is risen....." Matthew 28:6

Reason #41 NOT to go to bed....

DAD!

I got a boo boo on my finger and I can't sleep in my bed because now I need to sleep in you and Mama's bed and........Mama? What you eating? That choc-late? I need choc-late.



*Dudes. WE weren't in bed. WE were in the living room. The Boy has a habit of sneaking past us to our room and falling asleep in our bed. I guess he was trying to get permission beforehand this time. It didn't work.*

Birthday Wishes!

Birthday Wishes to my girl, Carla! Today was her birthday and we celebrated like nobody's business. The local tea shop was our spot to meet. She was greeted with a tiara, scepter, and a lei to wear and reign over the room. A balloon bouquet adorned the table with flowing grace.

At this tea shop, a small dress up area is provided for girls. There is an assortment of hats and boas to make any girl grin. Young or old. Yes, we did. We all had hats and boas on for a short while and were right festive about it. Once the food came, though, the feathers had to GO!

The cake above is a key lime cake. Not a pie. And it was amazing. The Man was kind enough to pick up The Boy and his girlfriend from school and bring them to us so we wouldn't have to leave. That Man came right on in and sat with the hens and had a cup of soup and half of my piece of cake. The Boy thoroughly enjoyed himself in the Dress Up Room.

I think he set a new world record or something. At least I got a picture for proof!

It was just a wonderful day all around filled with howls of laughter, good food, and presents! Don't forget the presents!

Girls love dress up...no matter what the age!!!

Long live the Birthday Girl!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARLA!!! This was the best March 18 I've ever had!

Home

We (meaning my family) get together with others to share the evening meal on a regular basis. It's just a good meal with the kids running wild while the adults sit around the table and laugh and chat. I love doing this and look forward to it every single time.

Recently during one of our meals, the adults were all sitting around the table chatting.....probably about Hawaii. Talk always turns to Hawaii because out of the six adults, five have lived there. Guess who hasn't? Yep. Miss Hope. Anyway, The Man made the comment to the table at large that until I met him, I had never done any travelling to speak of. I interjected to say that I had, too, travelled. I went to D.C. for my first honeymoon and ventured into North Carolina a time or two. One guest asked how far West had I been before I met him and I shrugged and said Georgia. Shocked faces all around.

I was uncomfortable with the scrutiny and got up to start cleaning....wanting to change the subject.

I finally talked with my husband yesterday and said that when he makes a comment like that...it makes me feel like some uneducated backwoods hick that he came in and rescued. That's not the case. I consider myself educated and even have a cache of .50 words I like to bring out every now and again. I had no need to travel is all. I had everything I needed and wanted where I was. I had my people, a good home, and really nice places to visit in a 100 mile radius. I was aware of our great country and, sure, I thought about seeing some things. One day. But, I didn't come from a rich family. Let me amend that statement. My family wasn't rich with money...but we were rich in so many other ways. My Dad grew up moving 14 times during his 5K-12th grade years. He was sent to Vietnam for an extended vacation. Therefore, he's never been one to have to travel. So, we didn't. When I married the first time? We didn't have the money to travel, either. So, surely, after the divorce...being a single mom of two nipped in the bud any thoughts I might have had of seeing more than the next day.

I went on to tell him that I have something that means much more to me. I got a piece of land on this Earth that I call home. When I walk on this piece of land, my soul is soothed and I feel peace. No matter where I go, that piece of land is there waiting and the thought of it helps me when things get tough and seem hard to handle. There are trees there from my childhood that make you lean back to see the top of. I can point out particular spots that make me chuckle because that's where my brother and I got in trouble some how or another.

I know he's done some extensive travelling and seen the world. Thanks to the United States Navy and being part of a family that could travel and visit when he was growing up. He also moved alot growing up due to his Dad's job. He will say his "home" or "birth place" is Tucson, Arizona....but his Mom and Dad aren't there now.

Until I met The Man, I had no reason to travel. But, we did meet. And decide to try out that Happily Ever After Deal we had heard so much about.

I looked at him as we drove down the road and informed him.....

"You gave me the joy of seeing new places. I gave you a home."

I'd say we're about even.

Conversations

Miss Hope loves some good conversation. Add a cup of coffee and the kitchen table and I am set. It just fills my tank so to speak.

I love to know about other people's conversations. Especially if it's funny or memorable.

Take for instance:

Last night I had to take Paige to the high school to perform in some choir deal. They were showing all the local schools and Paige's school was invited to perform. The entire front sections were filled with groups of giggling 7th-12th graders. It had to be like a buffet .....teen style.

Paige was sitting with her group, beside a friend. They were eyeing all the new boys (well, new to them). The lights were low as all focus was on the stage. The friend commented on one particular boy.

Paige's friend: Paige, look! He is HOT. OMG.

Paige: Who? Oh no..EWWWWWWE. He is SO not hot. I think I know him and trust me, he is NOT hot whatsoever.

PF: I don't know him and he is too hot. Look at him!

Said boy sings and comes back to sit down. Where he then puts his glasses back on.

PF: OMG...I DO know him...and he is NOT hot!!!

Paige: See? I told you!

PF: Wow...the dark can make anyone look good, huh?

Paige: That's why so many people get pregnant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight I received a text message from a friend back home. M. sends me the occasional text to check in or let me know what's going on back at home. Tonight she sent me a picture text. It was a self portrait her son did at school and it was amazing! (It tickles me when she takes the time to do this because I appreciate it so much.) And I also consider texting a form of conversation, thanks to having a teenager.

Hope's Text: we're all sitting here going...WOW! he did a really good job. i hope you're going to frame it!

M's Text: you bet i am. I wish you could see on paper. it is awesome!

H T: i'll have to come by when we come home! yep...I just invited myself over.

M's T: come on sister!

HT: lol...you know i will!! Shoot. Anyone who will pray in a blog is liable to do anything!

MT: i love your blog but i always do. it is the first thing i look everyday after i check out whos been arrested.

HT: Girl. You just bought yourself a ticket into the next post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life is full of good conversations. Take a listen your own self and find out!

Tuesday Prayers

Having been raised in the church, I've always believed that those things you ask of publicly...the Lord hears, too. Therefore, I am "publicly" asking for some things to make sure The Big Guy upstairs knows my sincerity.



Dear Lord,

Please help me keep my temper in better control. It does not help when I alienate my children's doctor by telling her how badly her place of work sucks. Even though I got what Paige needed, it might be better to wait until AFTER the prescriptions have been put in before airing my thoughts, concerns, and suggestions.

Thank you for letting me realize after cooling down that I needed to apologize to the doctor, therefore returning her to my side. Being an advocate for my children is not something I take lightly and I will fight to the death for their safety and well-being. You gave me that job, and I take it seriously and will do my very best at it.

Please help me refrain from telling everyone I know, and those who read but don't comment, not to buy a computer from Dell. Because that would breaking a personal rule of mine where I keep products out of my blog. I'm sure there are many out there who have had good experiences with this company. I've even had one myself, ergo buying from them again. But a brand new laptop Cadillac shouldn't work for 6 hours and then die. It just shouldn't.

Please help me to sit back and let The Man handle things. He does do a wonderful job, but my independent take charge handle it my own self attitude can't help but hinder him sometimes. He is doing the best that he can, and I should let him without giving him a lot of grief about it. Just because I believe I know better? Doesn't necessarily make it true. But I'll never admit it.

Please help me to quit calling The Boy "bad". Because people are starting to believe it. He's not bad. He's a sweet loving baby that melts my heart and makes me laugh with his wonderful personality. So, he's being a kid with kid moments. Those moments will be gone soon enough and I'll miss them. Well, some of them. Help me to prove to those who know him that he's spirited and hard headed, yet smart and funny and loving.

Please help me doing a good job running the program at the Base Chapel. Chaps has put Megan and myself in the front and we are now responsible for it all. What an honor. What a responsibility. What a lot of work. But, we believe in it's purpose and we believe in the people who participate. Let us do our best and let our best work for those who need it.

Please help me be the best wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend I can be. I love the people you have put in my life and my path and I want to be someone they can love in return.

Amen.

p.s. Thank you, God, for 1000 tc sheets. They rock!!

I just don't know, OK?

I've had many people ask me where are we going to live once this military career is done.

That's a good question.

I normally answer with the "Where ever the money is!" and leave it at that. That's not really the case. Although, Fred getting a decent paying job would be total gravy in my book. Raising three kids on a military salary is challenging at times. Heck, raising three kids at all is a challenge.

I never anticipated even leaving South Carolina. To my way of thinking, it wasn't an option. I guess God had other plans for me. Compliance and my name normally aren't used in the same sentence. Ask my husband how hard I fought him about moving so far away from all I know. I might've had a crazy moment when he was over six months away from PCS'ing (permanent change of station) to Georgia and I might've said..Sure! Sounds like a GREAT idea. When the time was upon us, I did everything I could to get out of it. I was worse than a 3 year old who hates to go to bed. Somehow, he got that U-Haul packed up and even though I called him a few times as I followed him declaring this was a bad idea and to turn that buggy around and take it back home...he kept driving forward.

Now? It's not so bad. I even like it here. The town is not small. Some might disagree because we don't have a mall (and that is coming from the married ones under the age of 20). I disregard those comments. I dig having a Super Mart five minutes away. The ability to get things I need, be it for the home, pantry, yard, vehicle, etc, without having to drive thirty minutes to an hour is very nice. Very nice, indeed.

Dude, I come from a town that has two red lights and we still don't know why they put the second one in. It's a small town. A good town. It's my home. I love the people there. I miss the people there.

But, it's not so bad here. I'm finding my way. Making friends that I already cherish and know that are going to be a part of my life and who I am. And I dig having a Super Mart only five minutes away. (Have I mentioned that already?)

The Man keeps asking me what do I want to do? Do I want to go back to South Carolina or stay here?

I told him I could be happy here, but I could be happy back home also. I got people, so I'm good. I feel compelled to say I want to go back home because no one will make the drive to visit except for Lu. (LOVE YOU, GIRL!) There's only 4.5 hours worth of driving between us and home, but we're the ones expected to do all the driving. I guess their way of thinking is ...well, YOU moved, not US. It's kind of disheartening when people around me have family come visit that live in Massachusetts ....Virginia ......Montana, even. I've even stopped inviting them and begging because they're just not going to come. That's not how they roll. I don't get it. I don't even respect it. But, I accept that's how it goes. I'm not saying all of this to put a guilt trip on anyone. They know how I feel because I'm not one to bite my tongue. I'm not saying anything to you I haven't said to them. *I've come back to add this: That's hurt feelings talking there, you know. I talk with my family all the time. My grandma has been in the hospital over a month and they are all worn out taking care of her and her needs and I'm feeling so helpless because I can't be there to help and do my part. But, besides the past two months? My Daddy doesn't like to leave his comfort zone. I want them to SEE our lives. Not read about it or hear about it. I want them to see the things the kids are doing. I want them to see this beautiful town through their own eyes and not mine. I want to sit at my table and drink coffee with my Mama and talk about everything and nothing. So, I apologize if my hurt feelings have hurt theirs. The Man proofread and said my feelings are just that. Mine. I just felt I should come back and smooth it over a little bit.*

It's all just frustrating because we're not at the point where we can decide where we're going to end up when this Navy career is done. A little more time has to pass before The Man can do some serious head hunting. In the meantime, he's going to finish up his degree. That piece of paper might make transitioning easier for him when the time comes to bid the Navy good bye.

There's a lot going down on the Edge in the next two years. Paige is already having anxiety attacks because she has her own plans in the works. She starts high school next year and is laying groundwork so that she can springboard into grown up life and change the world. The thought of us moving and messing up her plans has her in a tailspin on a daily basis. I, too, have my own agenda in place laying the foundation of finding my way in the scheme of things.

It's like living in a gray limbo.

You float to the left for a while. You float to the right for a while. You don't know where you're gonna land so you can plant firm long lasting roots.

I hate limbo.

I've decided to be this huge freaking ostrich and put my head down deep in the sand. I told The Man to let me know when he got it all figured out and we would go from there. I'm tired of thinking about it. I'm tired of worrying about it. I'm tired of it, period.

So, those of you who have been asking and getting flip answers from me? I'm not being mean/ugly/stupid acting.

I just don't know. Okay?

Where'd That Come From?

I have some really good friends that like my girl, Paige.

One friend recently cleaned out her closet. She HAD to do this because she uses retail therapy on a regular basis. She can't justify buying more when her closets are bursting wide open.

PITA (which is what I affectionately call her) had a few pieces of clothing she thought Paige might like. I have to hand it to the lady, she has great taste and it's all so modern and snazzy.

Carla took the clothes home with her first to wash because PITA has cats. Cats and Miss Hope don't get along. At all. I had to look at all the remodeling PITA did to her home through the windows outside like a peeping tom because to walk in would guarantee me a trip to the E.R.

The clothes made it over to the Edge for Paige to decide if she needed/wanted/liked them. No hurt feelings if she didn't....Goodwill would get an awesome delivery that day.

Now that Miss Thang has new bedroom furniture on the way, she's decided it's time to clean her room and go through the clothes.

She came over wearing a gorgeous shirt that looked great. Keeper. She came around with another piece...a lovely pink raincoat.

All of a sudden, The Man looked at her and said....

"Where are you getting all these clothes from???"

Had him worried for a minute there.

Stupid us told him. Should've let him sweat it for a few more minutes.

That Time Again

Well, Internets, it's that time again. Miss Hope needs to brush off her soapbox and step up a moment.

*Flicks fancy duster over soapbox (since it's been a while)*

*Steps up, tests sturdiness*

~Ahem~

What I can't understand is why on this God's (yes I said GOD) green Earth has a majority of jobs been outsourced in this fine country we live in? It makes no sense to me at all.

We decided to purchase a new laptop from a well known name that deals with computers. All was well until there was some miscommunication between them, us, and and bank. Everything was fine, it was just miscommunication on the computer company's fault.

My husband took his entire lunch break plus 30 extra minutes he did not have today trying to speak with someone at this computer company. He was transferred to India a few times. Each time he asked to speak to someone in the United States because it is freaking impossible to understand these people. Am I putting down Indian residents? Absolutely not. Kudos to you for being bilingual. I personally only speak English and Southern English.

Because of the language barrier, even more miscommunication occurred resulting in higher blood pressure from my husband.

This man is a second generation Mexican on his father's side and third generation Czech on his mother's side. Well, he believes his father's parents were born here, just before Arizona became a state. No matter. When he's asked "What he is?" referring to his ethnicity, he replies, "I am AMERICAN."

I am quite a few generations in with the Scott-Irish on both my sides. I know my great great great grandfather was researched, so we've been here a while.

I'm saying that to say this. You have people who have put blood sweat and tears into the land we walk upon. They have lived, loved, laughed, raised families, died, and been buried in this place we call The United States of America.

So why the heck can't we keep our business here?

I won't get into politics because that's The Man's job on his blog. I just just can't fathom why we have to outsource our entire lives when there are people here who are quite capable of doing the same jobs.

I have a friend with a degree in computers. She's worked with a major company on their computer help desk. She's worked on my personal computers and we joked about how I couldn't afford her if she wasn't my friend because she was paid $25.00 an hour. I could call her at work and if she wasn't busy (which was rarely), her ability to help was amazing. She lost her job due to outsourcing. ~snaps fingers~ Her job was gone. No need for her services anymore.

Now, she's the single parent of two young children. She's begging for a job, Internets! Just about anything will do. She had an interview last week with the offer of $11.00 an hour. And you know what? She's going to have to take it so that she and her girls can somewhat survive.

Because of outsourcing.
Because our country's bigwigs want to save a buck.
Because quality over quantity has become nonexistent.
Because we are heading downhill so fast the crash is going to be stupendous.

I am so disgusted, yet frightened for my children. They represent the next two generations that will come and what examples are we showing them? What kind of mess are they going to have to clean up. Worse, what are they going to do to make it worse because they know not how to fix it?

I see my husband almost, but not quite, get a defeated look about him. He has given over 18 years of his life serving this country. He BELIEVES in this country. He LOVES this country. When I ask him if he wants to serve over twenty years, he immediately tells me "no". Politics have invaded the military and made it a wuss butt place to work. It's not about defending and protecting as much as it's about making sure no one gets their feelings hurt and holding hands of grown men and women.

I try to keep my blog here light and funny. So, you'll come back and love our lives as much as we do. But, I'm human, and I have a temper. And ya just gotta let it out sometimes.

In conclusion, all I have to say is......

What are we, as a country, coming to?

And Love was Born

Just so you know, this is another post about one of my kids.

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that Makenna was taking her first golf lesson. That happened this past Saturday. She and her buddy Braden (that would be Carla's boy) hit the course Saturday morning ready to do some learning.

They were the only two who were signed up, so they had the full attention of the golf pro. The Dads were the ones to take them because they have visions of their children playing along side of them. John and Fred hung around to see how things would go and they finally had to leave the pro to handle it because the kids kept looking at them for help/correction/instruction.

What did they do then?

Head over to the clubhouse to sit outside on the patio to smoke them a cigar. Because that's what you do when at the golf course.

Makenna had to borrow a club from the pro because we wanted to wait on that kind of purchase. We decided she needed a few lessons to establish if this was something she would want to pursue. The Man did buy her a teeny little golf glove from the pro shop because he firmly believes in a good grip.

At the end of the lesson, Makenna approached The Man with the Money and informed him she wants her own set of clubs. This borrowing was for the birds. She's decided she wants to keep on with the lessons because it's COOL. And now she's addicted to the golf game on the Wheee.

Maybe we're on to something here?

The Man didn't let me down. He snapped a few pictures for me to remember the day forever. (I'm training him well on using that camera phone of his) Carla gave me permission to share a picture of her baby, too.

And she prepares for the swing...............

Uh...apparently five years of dance is interfering with her swing. All those years of kicking up her heels makes it automatic. So she has flair. A little shuffle-ball step with a pirouette might work. Right?

I had to laugh at this picture. My girls always have to strike the pose. Isn't that glove the cutest thing? I had big issues with the black tennis shoes, though. They just didn't go with the outfit. But, again, proper footwear has to wait until she's positive.

I still think a love was born.

I'm just wondering...(edited to add something..)

Hypothetically speaking here, okay? Not saying this is the truth or not, but let's just say maybe it is? For the sake of conversation, of course.

Say you go to church with good friends of yours. People you love and think highly of.

Say the wife was home under the weather and the husband came without her.

Say the kids all went to Children's Church.

Say you and your hubby were at one end of the row and the guy was at the other end of the row because you had all the kids between you before they left. So, that might would put around 4-5 chairs between you and him.

Say you were enjoying the preacher when something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye.

Say you look over and the guy...the husband of your friend....was dozing. And not being discreet about it. Maybe he was leaning forward some and jerking back. A lot.

Say you felt compelled to help a brother out but didn't know how to without drawing even more attention to the fact that he was about to fall out of his chair in the next few minutes.

Are you with me so far?

Answer me this, if you can.

Knowing what the situation hypothetically is.....

Was it wrong to take a picture of him sleeping with your camera phone?

Edited to add:

I hear the plea for the hypothetical picture, but there's a problem, you see:

1. I can't do that to my friend. She's a good woman and I let her down by not throwing something at the man to wake him up. I had this fear that if I were to do so, he would holler or something else like that. During the sermon. Not a good thing.

2. Being super ninja stealth is second nature...except I was holding the phone upside down and you would all have to stand on your heads to see the full impact.

Again, this is all hypothetically speaking.................

We got a Thang

We got one of those thangs. You know....a gaming station that starts with a "W" and ends with a "ii"?

Yeah.

Tax time always nets us a small return. I know that order to do it correctly, we're supposed to get as close to $0.00 as possible. Okay, man. So sue us for wanting to have a little chunk of jingle. It makes it easier to get a bigger ticket item doing things that way. It's how we roll.

The Man and I decided that a Wheee would be something the whole family could enjoy. We wondered about The Boy being able to participate, but those fears were put to rest quickly.

Finding one of these suckers is the ultimate treasure hunt here. I finally decided it was time to find one. Well, don't just snap your fingers and expect one to be there, Internets. It just doesn't happen that way.

We stopped the electronics department at the Mart Tuesday evening. They had gotten a shipment in earlier that day and, of course, they were gone. The next day found Carla and I heading down to Florida to run some errands do some minor shopping while The Boy was in school. I asked at that Mart down there and they informed me that they had gotten a shipment in on Tuesday (and this was Wednesday), and they were gone. Hmmmmm. Mental note to self: The Marts get theirs on Tuesday.

As we left to head back home, we passed a Gamestop. Carla ran inside and came back to inform me that they were getting a shipment at noon. It was 11 a.m. I called The Man at work and told him the deal and that he should check the Gamestop in our town as I was almost positive they would stop there first. He called and was informed the UPS guy was due in about 10 minutes. He got up from his desk and headed out.

He got there to see someone walking out with one. The person informed him there were only six and there was a line. Carla and I were parked in front of the Florida Gamestop awaiting further instruction.

Success. He was number 6. The hunter had bagged his prey. Carla and my recon skills had paid off. We headed home then.

After work, The Man headed back to get a couple of games and accessories to go with our new toy. Then it was play time.

Makenna moved more than she has in a year. The Boy was right beside her. Oh, what joy. Oh, what fun. Paige was just as involved with wild swinging and teenage squealing.

Two afternoons straight we played and enjoyed life with the new toy.

Friday morning both girls were so sore in their shoulders, they couldn't hardly move. Awe, they got exercise and worked out. Playing tennis was a killer.

And, yes, Vitt knocked Paige out in 30 seconds on boxing. I think he's found his niche. I think his favorite is bowling. He does this wild swing thing where he ends up inches from the television (too close for our comfort) and watches until his ball hits the pins. He's got the victory dance down pat.

We had to take a break yesterday to prevent further strain on muscles. Makenna has her first golf lesson this morning and I wanted her to be able to swing.

I'm glad we were able to finally purchase this gaming goodness. Everyone I know who has one enjoys it and I don't think The Edge is going to be any different. It's finding a good balance of playing and living that'll have to be found. Because I don't like having to leave the viewing pleasure of my kids competing like lunatics and go cook supper and we can't live off of sandwiches forever. Something will have to give.

Surely, the new and fun will wear off soon?