6 of us ?!?!?!?

We have had a beautiful Christmas!  I pray that you and your family did as well!

We are heading to Gatlinburg, TN in a few days to ring in the new year...Smoky Mountain style.  They have a ball drop, music, fireworks at midnight, etc.  Sounds like a fun time!

Merry Christmas and may you all have a blessed New Year!

 Luke 2:10-14
¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

    ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
    ¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

I got to meet Nicholas Sparks yesterday!   He was at Sam's Club in Winston-Salem promoting his new book, The Choice.  He was so nice!  I couldn't believe how many people turned out for the signing.  I was fortunate, though.  I got there about 45 minutes early and it turned out that he had already been there for several hours signing.  I didn't have to wait but a few minutes.   By the time my mom arrived about 25 minutes later, she had to wait in line for an hour.

My son took a picture of me with Nicholas on my camera phone.   What he didn't realize is that after you take the picture, you have to indicate if you want to save or delete the photo.  He just flipped the phone shut, so the picture (a once in a lifetime opportunity, ya know) was deleted.  Oh well.   I was on the local news though.  They had me standing in line, then getting him to sign the copy of the book I was buying for my sister-in-law.   She is having a baby shower this weekend & I thought it would be neat to get a little something for Mommy, too.

I'm excited about reading the new book.  I have to go to Jury Duty next week, so I am going to save it for the time I have to sit around the court house.  I'll let everyone know how the book is.

I got home about an hour ago after working four 12 hour night shifts.  I am officially on vacation now.

HURRAY!

We leave for the Smoky Mountains tomorrow.  I have a ton of stuff to do today, but for now I think I am going to allow myself to sleep for about 4 hours.  Otherwise, I won't be worth anything by noon.

I hope all you moms have a great weekend & enjoy next week.  Try to stay cool.  Beware, when I get back there are going to be lots of pictures to share.

PS  For those of you that know I was interviewing for a job at my work, I didn't get it.  But that is OK...there will be more opportunities.  For now, I am happy where I am.  Happier now that I'm off for 10 days.

Did anyone else catch the leonids meteor shower last night?  It was awesome!  Hubby and I drove up to the mountains to get away from the city lights and haze.   Even without the meteors, the night time sky up there was so incredible.   We didn't see as many meteors as I had hoped, but what we did see was very clear and big.

I've been doing alot of time reflecting lately about who I am...where I've been....and who I want to become.   In a day or two, I will share my thoughts.   I've got a few things to sort out still.

We leave for vacation on Saturday.  WHOPPEE!   We are renting a luxury cabin in the Smoky Mountains, near Gatlinburg.   I'm so excited.   We've got a lot of stuff planned---Dollywood, Ripley's aquarium, fishing, horseback riding.  But, even if we did nothing but hang out in the cabin, I think I would love it.  Just some time away....breathing fresh, clean mountain air is what I think we need right now. 

I work every day this week, so I'll be stressing about getting everything packed.

Have a great week, moms!

My husband went for his stress test on Friday.  They did inject the die that you mentioned Oddkids and took several nuclear photos of his heart at several different stages of activity.

I've heard lots of stories about people being sent directly to the hospital if something showed up on the stress test, so when he was sent home we were relieved.   The cardiologist called today and said they want him to come in to discuss the finding.  He said there was nothing that caused him alarm, but there are some abnormalities.  What the crap is that?  The Dr. wouldn't tell him anything over the phone & couldn't advice him as to if this could be causing his chest pains, dizziness, and shortness of breath.   In addition, he couldn't tell him if it was OK for him to be working outside in the 100+ weather.  He said it would be discussed at the appointment---which isn't until the 16th.

My guess is that if it were something dangerous or life threatening they would tell him on the phone or get him into the office ASAP.  I am also guessing whatever this abnormality is that it isn't causing his current physical problems.   But, we can't really go ahead and look in another direction until we know what they did indeed find.

His appointment is the day before we go on vacation, so regardless of what they say we will have over a week to think about everything.

I was really looking forward to vacation before, but now it can't possibly get here soon enough.  I want to know what these abnormalities are & have some time to rest & relax.  

Maybe it will get cooler before we head the mountains.   It is supposed to be around 100 here all week.  UGH!  That is too hot to even go to the pool, in my opinion.  I guess we will just hang out inside all week.  For once, I'll be grateful for the computer and video games that entertain my kids for hours on end.

Have a good week, moms!

Something is up with my hubby's health and I'm really starting to worry.

First of all, he's diabetic, so he has all the health problems & risks that goes along with that.

Secondly, he used to be a paratrooper in the Army.  He's 6'4".  Much too large of a man to have been jumping out of airplanes for 6 years. His back, knees, and feet are shot.   At 37 years old, he hobbles around like an old man most of the time.   His line of work doesn't help either.  He's on his feet, up and down ladders, and all every day.

Thirdly, for the past week he's had a feeling of pressure in his chest.  Yesterday at work, he started getting really dizzy and almost passed out.  His partner took him to the ER, and I met them a little while later.  They ran all kinds of tests and couldn't find anything wrong with his heart or lungs.   So, they just let him go home.  Still dizzy.  Still in pain.

He's at his primary Dr. right now and is going to have a stress test done tomorrow.   I feel like they are looking in the wrong area, but I'm no doctor, right?

To sum up, I'm just worried right now.    I want answers.   Saying they can't find what is wrong is no comfort to me at all.  

Today has been quite an emotional roller coaster for me.  

To begin the day, my son had birthday money to burn so we went to Best Buy.  While we were there, I saw my first "significant other".   We were together from the time I was 15 to 24.   We lived together, built a life together, tried to have children together, then in the end he wanted to "live life" for a little while.   Sow his wild oats, so to speak.   Less than one year later, I was pregnant with my first son and the ex was crying because he'd lost me forever. 

So that had me a little....out of sorts.  Just seeing him brings up so many feelings and memories.

We finished our shopping, went to lunch and came home for me to get ready for my job interview.  This interview is for a position within my company and I REALLY REALLY want it.  The interview went great.   I left feeling like I had made a very good impression.  I left on a high

However, on my way home, I got a call from my husband.   For those of you that know me well, you know that I am a HUGE Wake Forest basketball fan.    During the winter, I live for college hoops.  Well, our head coach, Skip Prosser, died of a heart attack at 56 years old.

 I was stunned.  Saddened.  Confused.  Upset.

So, after numerous phones call to friends & family discussing what had happened, I finally caught up with my best friend.   I found out she and her husband are having troubles.....he is planning to leave her.   You may remember recently I blogged about my husband's ex and her husband considering leaving.   A divorce that touches your life is somewhat like a death.  

Then, I stopped to pick up today's newspaper.  On the front of the local section was this huge picture of none other than my first "real love".  Yes, the same one I ran into at Best Buy this morning.  They had a picture of him and his son fishing at the lake yesterday.  Just what I needed to see, huh?

So, there you have it.   My day of ups and downs and crazy little turns in the middle.   Let's hope Friday is a little less eventful and MUCH more calm

Today my son is 10 years old.   It is hard for me to believe he has been on this planet for an entire decade.  It seems like such a short time ago I was infertile and thought I'd never have children.  

Austin and I went horseback riding this morning, then we all went out to eat lunch with Grandma.  Tonight we are having a small cookout with family.

Here are a couple of pictures from our ride this morning.   Happy Birthday, Austin!

 

Ladies, most of you know that I work 12 hour night shifts.   It really isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I really do miss being at home every night & weekend with my family.  I also go to school, right now taking classes online through East Carolina University. 

I have applied for a job in the office at my work.  It is Mon-Fri, 8-5.  A typical, normal job.   And I really, really, really want it.    It begins as a temp position, but very well could become permanent.  I am more than qualified for the position and honestly, not trying to boast here, think I am the perfect fit for the job.  It would also allow me to go back to night school, which I miss more than I ever imagined.

The one thing standing in my way is my attendance.    For this job, they say you cannot have missed more than 3 shifts in the past year.   I have missed 5.  I am hoping my experience and education will outweigh this, but I honestly have no idea how they weigh things. 

I am leaving right now to go take a test for the job.   It should be simple---it is just evaluating your typing and computer skills.   Say a little prayer for me....this could be really huge for our family.

I've been sick for a little over 2 weeks now.  This past Thursday I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and a UTI.    I started on a kick butt antibiotic and am now feeling some better.  Still not 100%, but I'm getting there.

The interesting thing to me is how much I slept over the weekend.   I was off Thursday-Sunday and I bet I slept between 10-15 hours every single day.   I'd sleep a good 10-12 hours every night, then take a nap of several hours during the day.

I guess I needed the rest! 

We learned yesterday that my husband's ex-wife and her husband are considering getting divorced.  This came as quite a surprise to us as we thought everything was rosy in their world.  I guess it is true you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

This brings up a lot of issues for us.  We want to be there for the kids and be supportive, but at the same time we don't want to show judgment or curiosity about their mom or step dad.   Apparently, there have been some pretty ugly scenes that had the kids quite upset.   Yesterday, my stepdaughter called us and wanted us to come get them.   She said she couldn't handle it anymore.  Of course, coming from a 15 year old, it could be blown way out of proportion.   Her mom did talk to Tim, though, and let him know that things are indeed, pretty bad.  In her words, "I'm done.  I'm going to try to make a go of it on my own."

It also has me feeling rather insecure.  I know it is silly, but when you see another blended family break up, you can't help but wonder if yours could be next.    I feel like we are rock solid, but I bet they did too at some point.  Their problems are mostly the same challenges we face.   Are we better equipped to handle them than they are?

I guess for now, we just have to be here if the kids want to talk and provide them with the most loving and stable home we possibly can.   The rest will unfold as time goes on.  It just makes me very sad....for everyone involved.

1. If you're tagged you must post the rules

2. You post your 8 random facts

3. At the end of your blog, you tag someone else and they must post thier random facts

4. You leave your chosen people a comment telling them they've been tagged

____________________________________________________________

 

1. I bought my 8 year old son his first pet today....a baby guinea pig.
2. We already have too many pets.  3 cats, 2 dogs, ferret, rabbit, hamster, an aquaruim, and now a guinea pig.
3. I love animals, so that is ok.   I think part of it comes from being an online child.  Growing up my main company was my pets.
4. I am a planner.  For example, our vacation this year is in August.  However, I am already planning our family vacation for summer 2008.
5. I am a procrastinator.  Just because I like to plan things way in advance doesn't mean I get motivated to get things accomplished.
6. My grandpa is "famous" for his police work and police badge collection.  He passed away in 2001, but his impact lives on.
7. I want to be closer to my mother-in-law......relationship wise, not distance wise.
8. My husband and I share a dream of writing a novel together---him doing the main plot and me filling in details and character development.

OK...that's it for me.   I am now tagging....dianeee,  BrenMOM2G, and momof3x2

It started with a cold a couple of weeks ago.    I thought it was going away, when I started taking a turn for the worse.    Head ache, coughing, sneezing, and so congested I couldn't hardly breath.    So, yesterday I finally went to the doctor and found out I have a sinus infection.  Of course.  I couldn't just get the normal cold like most folks....I had to crank it up a notch.

I also have a UTI.  I think I've had it for quite a while, but if I drink a lot of water it gets better.   I always put off going to the doctor until there just really isn't any choice.

Now I am on a big time antibiotic to try to knock out both infections with one punch.   I am REALLY looking forward to feeling better.   Just getting this elephant off of my head would be an excellent start to the weekend.

The kids & I are heading to Concord Mills Mall near Charlotte today.   We are going to have lunch at Sticky Fingers, mess around the mall, and maybe catch a movie.   They all want to see Harry Potter, but believe it or not, I have never seen any of them.  Even though we own them all on DVD, I have just never gotten around to watching them.    I think I will wait and let them see this latest installment later---either with someone else or  after I have seen the first four. 

After that, I am planning to get lots of R & R this weekend.  No stress and no pressure to get a whole lot accomplished.   I hope you ladies do the same!

 

 

We had a nice trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway last night.  We stopped to eat dinner at the Pirate Landing Seafood Restaurant (see picture below).  It was a very nice dinner and the kids had fun.  Then we headed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a sunset drive.   We saw more deer than any of us could count, but that was about it.  Usually we see a few other forms of wildlife, but the deer were beautiful enough.

Today we are doing some stuff around the house.  My stepdaughter and one of her friends are painting her room.   One wall is going to be red, another black, and the other two white.  It should be rather...interesting.  I'm curious to see how it turns out.

We may go see a movie later this afternoon...haven't quite decided yet.  It is supposed to be another hot one....over 90 and humid.   Days like this I just want to stay inside where it is nice and cool.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!