Jenny II: And the Original Frying Pan Named Jenny

Meet Jenny -------------->

She's a good pan. I've had her for over 15 years. (a gift from my college roommate and BFF Jenny) So, of course, we named the frying pan Jenny.

Now, I know you must think I am crazy, naming a frying pan. But, it's not so crazy when something so simple reminds you of someone you love! And that's just the way it was, every time I would use Jenny the frying pan, I'd think of Jenny.

So, let me tell you about Jenny. I met Jenny our Freshman year and we became fast friends. And very close. We had as much in common, as we didn't. But, she has a warm, loving heart. And this drew me to her.

In 1990-1991, she and I lived together. I told the story in another post here, about a hilarious joke we played on our roommate. (just scroll to the bottom of the post when you see me and a pretty, pregnant blond girl!)
**ps...this story is really funny and worth looking up to read it**

She was one of my Maids of Honor in my wedding. (yes, I had two...I just couldn't choose one of the other)

Then, later when Jenny and I were pregnant with our first children, she lived with us for a short time while her hubs was in Grenada. I was her labor coach for lamaze and with her when she gave birth.

She and I were really great friends...and after 20 years, we are still in touch! Well, after we met this Summer and I saw her for the first time in years.....we have been talking about old times. One of the things I told her was about Jenny. She had no idea I still had the old frying pan. I told her I did, but that she was falling apart. Her handle was about to fall off, she has stains on her that WON'T come off and she's all scraped up from old age (and being abused by teaching Logan how to cook.) She cracked up.....she had no idea! (Much to my husband's chagrin, I just can't bring myself to throw Jenny the frying pan in the trash!)

Now, if you remember, when I told you about Jenny in my last post, she was 8 months pregnant. Well, she had her baby in August. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Kari. And when Kari was 5 days old, it was discovered that she had a life-threatening heart condition. It's been a hard and heartbreaking road. But, Kari is doing well for now.

So, imagine my surprise when I came home from running errands one day and found a giant box on my doorstep. I had no idea what it could be....until I saw the return address on the box. And then, I burst into laughter! Because I knew what it was......

JENNY II

------->>

What a fantastic surprise! It's true, Jenny loves me. (Jenny the girl, not the frying pan) My gosh, she has a very sick baby and she still made the time to get out and get me a frying pan!

And it's a nice pan, too! It's Calphalon! So, she spoiled me, too!!

Thanks Jenny for Jenny II. I will enjoy her!

But, I love you!

Interesting photo....

When I went to take my dog out this morning, I was surprised to see the moon. The sun was up (as you can see it shining on my neighbors house) and just above the trees was the biggest, brightest FULL MOON!

It was very beautiful and peaceful.

It's cold this morning...49 degrees. But, it's forecasted to be 79 degrees by this afternoon. To be honest, I hate this particular time of year. Why? Because you have to dress for cold in the morning and hot for the afternoon, which warrants both sets of clothing to be out for each child! I cannot keep up with the laundry, nor do I have the bedroom storage for everything to be out at once! And, it drives me CRAZY!!!!!

Anyway....it's shaping up to be a busy one. I have *super fun* scrapbooking projects to finish up for The Paper Mill Store.com and get sent in. So, be looking for those very soon on the blog.

I have a lunch date with a new friend today. Exciting, but I am nervous, too. This girl's hubby works for Big Daddy and she's currently on maternity on leave. So, we decided to do lunch. The funny thing is...why am I nervous? Well, because I want her to like me, of course. But, my husband is her husband's boss....so shouldn't she be nervous?! (now that I think about it, I bet she's nervous, too.) Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to it. As I've mentioned before...I am very lonely here. (although, I love it here!)

Then, there's tomorrow. Tomorrow, I am having some female surgery. NOT looking forward to that at all. Because I. AM. TERRIFIED. IV's. Anesthesia. Possible complications. Side effects of all of the above.

I wish I didn't have to do it.

So, say a prayer for me. (and Big Daddy, too. After all, he's gonna have to deal with his anxiety-ridden freak of a wife tomorrow --and probably tonight-- while I am dreading having to do this)

I might be missing in action for a few days....but, I'll try to check in to let you know I'm fine.

xo~

Roxann

Mommy's First Addiction!

...a pink Crackberry Curve!
(I mean BlackBerry Curve....isn't it pretty?!)

You've heard me speak about the Big Daddy's Blackberry aka "Crackberry" in reference to the News Director in this post. And as much as I hated his....I ended up with one a few days ago. And now I am wondering, "HOW IN THE WORLD HAVE I LIVED WITHOUT THIS?!?!!?"

Crazy!!

But, the best part of all is.....it didn't cost us a dime!

You see, back 2 years ago when Ike bought me my first pink razor phone while we were in Savannah, we signed a 2-yr. contract w/ verizon. Well, they have this program called "New Every 2" and I actually finished out a full 2-yr. contract. For this feat, they rewarded me nicely with $100 off a phone of my desire. And with the $70 mail-in rebate on the crackberry, it made the $169 BB Curve......FREE!!!!

Woot!! Woot!! Oh, yeah!

CKC - Charlotte, NC

So...who's ready to hear about my latest travel adventure?

As I dig out from under all the things I didn't do when I was traveling the first few weeks of the month, I am finally (mostly -- I was still hoping to receive a few pic in the email, which I didn't get...boo hoo!) ready to post about my *super fun* trip to North Carolina for
Creating Keepsakes Convention - Charlotte!


Now, I was looking forward to this trip so much. Number one, because I LOVE MY JOB! Number two, because I knew I was going to teach Taste of Scraptique twice to 2 SOLD OUT rooms and that is SUPER EXCITING! And last, but NOT LEAST, I had my Bestest Buddy, Sherry coming up from Savannah to work in the booth for the weekend!!
(and we had not seen each other in a WHOLE YEAR!!!)

Now, I know you must be asking yourself, why was I so excited to see her?

Well, short and sweet...I love her. She's a total sweetie and we had only gotten super close in the last year I lived in Georgia. And we were seriously sad when I moved. Last Summer, she came to Topeka in June. You can read about our adventures here and here.

Then, I went to Savannah in August of last year (the plane tickets were a birthday gift from Big Daddy- yep, he rocks!) And while I was there we had a TON of fun! From shopping for Kristine's "personal" wedding shower (purrrrrr!) to eating at our favorite Mexican place to getting spur of the moment decision, matching tattoos!! Read about that here.
Anyway, as much as we are alike, we are different.

And, we are great friends!


So, when I knew we might need some reliable help....I was quick to throw Sherry's hat in the ring to my boss as a possibility. And Sherry was quick to accept the invite! Yay!

So, as the date neared, I was getting excited, but I was just so busy at home. This time I was flying from Kansas City International Airport, which is actually in Missouri. It's about an 1 and 1/2 hour drive from my house to the airport. And upon further inspection of my plane ticket, I realized that I was going to need to be on the road no later than 3:30am to make it in time to catch my 6am flight. Well, at Midnight I was still waiting on the last load of laundry to dry and by the time it did and I packed it....it was about 1am.

So, I went to bed. But, as soon as I hit the pillow....I started panicking.

What if I don't wake up?

What if the alarm doesn't go off in an hour and a half?

What if I turn it off and go back to sleep?

What if I hit snooze and I'm late and miss my plane.

Will Kim kill me? (pause) Yep, definitely.

I WAS UP.
Bottom line, I was so freaked, there was NO WAY I was sleeping!!

So, at 2am....I took a shower.

But, unfortunately for me, I slipped while shaving.
(possibly...fell asleeep?!?!)

Take my word for it...
...shaving while slipping and/or falling asleep is BAD.

(just ask my poor leg!)

So...you remember those cuts that you got when you were like 13 years old and just learning how to shave. You were clumsy and scared. And it seemed no matter how careful you were, you almost always got nicks and sometimes cuts? Well, this cut was one of those BAD BOYS! Started burning the minute it happened. Blood pooling in the shower. BAD!
And when I got out of the shower, it took me like 30 minutes and the help of about 7 bandaids to get the whole thing contained. Seriously.
(THANK GOD I DID NOT GO TO SLEEP.....I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO LATE!!!)

So, I got on the road at 3:25am or so. Went to get gas and hit the highway.

I was really exhausted. But, cold air , loud music and some major caffeine were sure a big help to me and I made it to the airport just fine, with about 50 minutes to spare.

Sherry's morning started around the same time as mine.
Sherry drove up the 4+ hours from Savannah on Thursday morning, as well. As soon as Sherry arrived in Charlotte, her first "assignment" was to pick me up at the airport. Now, it's hard to load bags and say hello and give a good solid hug at the Arrivals loop at the airport, but we did it anyway! I was so happy to see her....and we laughed to find out that we have the EXACT SAME HAIRCUT!

After we got out of the airport and headed to the hotel to pick up boxes that had been shipped to us. Well, that was supposed to be easy, after all we were following a GPS in Sherry's van. Well, not so. Every single way we tried to reach the hotel, we kept encountering
NO TURN signs. After about 10 minutes of driving in a circle downtown (which the Charlottonians call uptown) --with much frustration, we "accidentally" turned because somehow "we just didn't see that sign" and made it to the front of the hotel!

After the hotel "found" our boxes, we loaded them up we went to the convention center.
After more search and find...and another few wrong turns....we found where we needed to be. As we turned the corner at the conventions center loading dock, we came face to face with this... (blurry photo...a drive by photo shooting!)...it's the SEI semi. (And the same thing that I freaked out about seeing the first time I worked for Kim. For scrapbookers, that semi means there's good stuff in that there!!!!)
I had to laugh because I felt that way the first time I saw it...now it's just old hat to me!

When we got there, Bev and Leanne had been there for a bit working before we arrived and the grid was up. Sherry snapped this picture, because she was like WOW!(what a mess, right?! And this is only one booth space, we always have 3 or 4 booths, so it's really this mess X 4!!!) This is how it starts! See....it's ALOT of HARD WORK!
So, after a quick meet and greet...we got busy!

We worked our little buns off and the girl kept working as I set off at 6pm to teach my Scraptique class. I had 100 women signed up for class, so it was a big one!

It was a *FABULOUS* class! I had so much fun!!!! And as I was getting started, I got a shout out from a couple of girls from Savannah about 1/2 of the way back. OLD FRIENDS who drove up from Savannah to come to the convention!!!! And they were in my class!
HOW EXCITING!!!!!! (Hi Girls!!) And it was so hot in there....I made some new friends and even one who gave me her paper fan, so I am wasn't as hot as I was!!!

After class, I went back to the booth and we worked until 10pm on the booth.
(They kick you out at 10pm...we weren't done, but we had to go!)

Then we had to hoof it a few blocks back to the hotel. (with the parking costs being anywhere from $8 to $18, we did a bunch of walking this trip!)

We picked up some dinner TO GO at the sports bar in the hotel, because we were all so exhausted we just wanted to veg out. (remember, I never went to bed and it's now about 11pm) So, we find our room on the Concierge level (woo woo) and open the door.

Look at this....NICE..........and see that white thing at the end of the bed? Yep, that's one of those white hotel robes! How cool is that? (except they only gave us one....and there are TWO of us! So, we ordered up another robe for the 2nd night. We were too tired to care on this night!)
And we had a bag of nuts by the bed and mints on the pillow. Classy!

And here are the remnants of our bed picnic. We had quesadillas and nachos, which we split. (have I mentioned we BOTH LOVE MEXICAN FOOD?) And we followed that up with a piece of divine carrot cake that we shared, until we were about to burst! Not Classy! And there is also a pic of the water bottle we shared because we were completely outraged that if you weren't paying attention and drank THIS BOTTLE OF WATER.......they will charge you $4.00!! Isn't this picture hilarious?!?! I was going for "Outraged!"

(ok, ok..I know I look like a demon spawn...but again remember....no sleep last night, flew 1/2way across the country, worked all day building booth and working on booth and taught 1 1/2 hour class to 100 women and it's now Midnight.......I WAS DEAD TIRED!!!)


Cue....passing out..............


FRIDAY MORNING....
(opening day of show)Here are Sherry and I on opening morning in my beloved Bind-It-All Section.
(Have I mentioned recently how much I Y my BIA?!?!)

This photo was taken like 5 minutes before the show opened. And as soon as the doors were opened, I heard the feet of some crazy lady running....and I was thinking....wow, she's looking for a good deal! And one moment later....she slammed right into me!
Turns out....I was what she was looking for!!! It was my old friend Trish R. from Savannah! (you see....she had emailed me quite a while back to ask if I was working at CKC-Charlotte and I told her I wasn't, because at the time my nieces wedding would be the same weekend. Well, along the way, the date got moved back a week to get the church. And at the last minute....Kim needed me to go. So, I went.)

Anyway, Trish had run into the other Savannah girls and they told her I was there teaching, and apparently she was a little excited!!!! (because, I wasn't supposed to be there!
Isn't that sweet?!?



So, that was a super happy start to my Friday! A huge hug from a good friend!


So, on Friday night, I taught Scraptique again. Another *spectacular* class with a bunch of *fantastic* ladies. Oh, man I had some sweeties in this class! Really enjoy this one!

When I was finished, we walked back to the hotel and went to get dinner.
Surprisingly, I can't remember what we ate for dinner. I have no idea.....

After dinner, we went back to our rooms. So, of course, Sherry and I had to take some silly "bathrobe" pictures, since we made sure we had 2 robes this time. Ya, were pretty much dorks! On Saturday, I was able to snap this picture with one of the "Savannah girls," my friend Joy P., while she was doing the altered clipboard make-n-take in the booth. Cute pic!
It was nice to see you, Joy!


And lastly, I wanted to include this photo with my friends from Rusty Pickle, whose booth was directly across from ours this show. It's Alaina, ME and whatever his name is?!!!!
(this is totally a joke....every single show he puts a different name on his nametag. And this show I even threw out some suggestions of what he might use as his alias next show!
I'm not naming him, just in case......)


And...I'm looking forward to next time.......

It's nice to be APPRECIATED!!!!!

One really awesome thing about working for WorldWin Papers is this....being appreciated.

I knew last month that in addition to the payment I had received for my work, I had won a design team incentive for my Haunted House album. Remember this little beauty?!

Pretty awesome to win something, huh!?!

And when I got my $50 American Express Gift Cheque, the envelope contained something even better...
...a very sweet, handwritten note from Chris L., one of the managers of the company. Now THAT really means something.......

So...I cut all my hair off.....

I'm liking it pretty well. It's definitely a lot cooler!! (although, it took me a few days and several tries to figure out the correct formula of fixing and hair product
to get it to NOT go flat like it did in this picture, but you get the idea.)

It's also a bit shorter on the front sides than I intended, but it will grow!

This is my attempt of doing a self photo of the back of the haircut.

See...it is really pretty short. Cut off like 7 or 8 inches!!

I never thought 39 was that OLD.....

...UNTIL NOW!!!!

In the less than 2 weeks I've been 39, I've gotten out of bed twice unable to move.

That's right, kids...I COULD NOT MOVE.

Last Saturday I got up and my neck was shot. Serious pain.
I took 4 Advil and a "hot as I could stand it" shower....because I had to go teach a scrapbooking class. No time for an aching neck! Luckily, that worked and all was well.

UNTIL YESTERDAY.......

When I opened my eyes yesterday, it was clear, I was in trouble.

I barely shifted in the bed to get up, and I was rewarded with the HOT FIRE PAIN surging through my neck, back and shoulders. DOUBLE OUCH!!! I had a spot at the base of my neck, top of my shoulder blades and right in the middle that was on FIRE! I about died. I took 4 Advil, hoping for the same luck as on Saturday and left to drive Jensen to Summer school. In the car I learned the hard way....DO NOT TURN YOUR HEAD TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT!!! That hurt so bad!!!
(but this restriction doesn't work real well for driving!)

So, I came home in extreme pain and went to bed.
(where I remained for most of the day because it hurt to do anything, including just sitting up!) And this was not good for getting anything done!

Around 1:30, I was really hurting...so Big Daddy told me to take a Naproxen Sodium, so I did that and laid down with Marinne for her nap. And when I got up, the Advil had worn off and I was very frustrated I wasn't feeling better.

So, I went to sit in our hot tub, which helped a little.

Then, I took another blazing hot shower, which helped more.

And for the rest of the night, I just hurt.


But, I just got up and I'm feeling fine!
(well, a little stiff...but mostly fine....that counts for something!)

Good thing, because I have too many scrappin' deadlines for this!!!!!!


HAVE A GOOD ONE!!!!

LOTS OF INFO.......

***Ok, this started out a story about the Great American Scrapbooking Convention, but has morphed into so much more........ Read on for the update on the Convention, update on Jensen and his school stuff and some reunions with old friends!***





~So, I was so excited for this convention because I have never been to GASC and it's a HUGE, 3-day convention. The vendor floor was massive and I was duly impressed. The people in charge, namely a girl named Rose were so sweet.

My job, as always, was to teach people how to use the Bind-It-All. And once they try it, they buy it. And it's really easy to demo a product that you love. (I love my Bind-It-All!!! In fact, getting ready to use it for a mini-album today!)

The worst thing about this convention was that Texas HEAT!
They say everything is bigger in Texas....and believe me, this includes the
MASSIVE HEAT!!!!!!!!!!
(just ask me how bad it sucked schlepping boxes in at 4pm from the parking lot!!!!)

And this trip was not without MASSIVE DRAMA. Fed-Ex lost a very important box that my boss had shipped to Texas for our classes. A box that contained the pieces for the Texas-shaped chipboard album class. And believe me, this was horrid! But, with grit and determination, we were able to finally get out hands on the box on Saturday and Kim and I worked our little tails off to get the albums kitted and to the women by Saturday afternoon. But, we did it!

And as bad as all that was. A certain someone had to make things more difficult for us by insisting we be moved from her room. (we were there first) So, there we were....with a million (literally) pieces of scrapbooking materials spread all over 3- 8ft. tables, frantically trying to make these album kits before the convention was over ....and this woman insisted we move, just to be nasty. Well, all I have to say is...karma, baby, karma..... and that kinda behavior will get you the bad karma!!
It's only a matter of time before she will get hers.

Ok...now on to the good stuff!

So, one of my all-time bestest friends lives outside of Dallas.
Jennifer was a Delta Zeta with me. And she was a bridesmaid in our wedding.

So, before my trip....I called her and called her and called her, with no response.
I was soooo bummed.
Finally, when I was actually on the trip, I heard back from her.

Turns out, she had just finished the school year and was moving schools, so she was swamped busy. And, she and her family (4 kids, too) were moving to a new house that weekend, as well. They were SO busy. And she hadn't received any of my messages.

I was so happy to hear from her and she happily drove the hour to come see me!!
(and the best we could figure is...we hadn't seen each other in like 7 years....it had been
so long...we couldn't even 100% pin it down exactly how long it had been!)

So, she showed up and pitched right in helping us tear down the booth.
Whatta gal!

And then, she was rewarded by going to dinner with us! (and by us, I mean, ME!) :D

So, here Jen and I are, after dinner.
Remember, we are in Texas and we had sweated ourselves silly!
(and this was at like 10pm...after a very, very long and stressful day!!!)

Then, my trip home was a complete, Texas-sized disaster!!

A MASSIVE inconvenience!

My first flight was delayed because the computer on the teeny tiny jet crashed 2 times before push-back. So, we were waiting on the computer to completely re-boot twice before we could leave. (way to instill confidence in the passengers by telling us that!)

So, once we finally did leave we were 40 minutes behind.

And I only had a 50 minute connection time.

50 min. - 40 min. = 10 minutes from landing till take-off =
ME NOT HAPPY!!!!!!

so I asked the Flight Attendant.....do you think I'll miss my connection?
Oh no.....it should be fine. The pilot will make up the time in the air.
I wouldn't worry about it. You should have plenty of time.
(ok....lesson learning time....DO NOT trust what flight attendant tells you while
in the air.....they are just trying to placate you.
DUH...you'd think I'd have picked up on that one!!!!)

Anyway.... so we land 35 minutes late and I run for a total of 30 gates to attempt to make my connection. (now...picture this...... so I have these shorts on that I hadn't worn since a year ago. And because I have mostly maintained my 30lb. weight loss, they are now WAY TOO BIG. And because I forgot my belt at home.
They don't fit. At all.

And as I am running with me two very heavy bags of scrappin' stuff.....
...my pants are FALLING OFF. Literally!!!!! FALLING OFF!!!!!

So, I am running.
Sweating my butt off. (still in Texas - Houston)
Panting.
Hauling 2 huge bags.
My pants falling off.
About to have a heart attack. Or a stroke.
Yanking my pants up again.
So tired.... from 4 days of hard work and stress.

And as I run up to the gate...they shut the door.

NO!!!!!

"Sorry miss, you're too late!" they unapologetically tell me....

WELL CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I step to the counter and say, "Well, what do we do now?"

So, the woman starts typing on her computer.
And she finally says, "Well....all the flights to Tulsa are way overbooked today. But I can get you out first thing tomorrow morning." (said like this is no big deal)

I FREAKED OUT.

"WHAT?!?! NO, NO, NO...I say!
That's not good enough. This is not MY fault. YOUR airline was late.
YOU MADE ME MISS MY CONNECTION.
I just ran 30 gates trying to make the connection. That was my part.
Your part is to figure out how to get me home TODAY!!!!!"

At this point, the exhausted and frustrated girl begins to cry.

She types more and tells me there is nothing she can do.

And I begin to sob.

I then say to her... "Ok. I am going to go to the restroom and try to calm down for a minute. When I come back, I trust the you will have a plan to get me home. TODAY.
Please figure it out....
It's not my fault I was late!
It's not my fault you have overbooked your flights.
And I have no intention of spending another night in Texas.
I have plans to see a dear friend tonight. And I have to be in Tulsa tonight."

And I then, walk off to the bathroom.

When I return, the gate agent is still on the computer.

But, within minutes...I have vouchers for lunch and a
FIRST CLASS TICKET on the next flight to Tulsa.

Oh ya, baby!!!!!!!

************************
BUT... the kicker is....my 2nd flight was delayed an hour, too........because, get this...of a broken armrest. Yep, you heard me. A broken armrest.
RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, at this point, I was laughing. I mean really....what else can you do?!

They had lined us up to load, then told us they were delaying the flight.
People were G.R.U.M.P.Y.
So, I decided to walk to the restroom to take a little break.
And when I returned to the gate, there were no chairs.

So, I spotted a spot on the floor by a nice looking guy.
I walked over and asked if he minded if I sat next to him.
He laughed and said he didn't mind.

So, I sat and we started the small talk.
"Where have you been? Where are you going? kinda stuff."
And I about fell over when he said he was coming home from a conference for his job, which is working with a Pediatric Opthamologist in Tulsa.

I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
(in fact, so much so, I gently shoved his arm and said SHUT UP! when he said it)

So, anyway...I told him....I know you probably don't wanna talk work, but I would realllllllly appreciate your insight on something. Well, then he was intrigued, so I began to tell him about the trouble Jensen has had in school with reading and everything we've been through trying to figure out the mystery of it all.
(read about that here.)

**(for that matter...I never updated about the progress with that. At the school he stayed in the afterschool program the entire year. In addition to that, I took him to a Optometrist that does extensive testing. And in April they determined that Jensen is reading nearly 2 years behind and they know that although his vision is better than 20/20, he is having trouble focusing his eyes and his eyes "stutter" at times when moving, rather than moving smoothly together.

Well, after over $500 in testing that our vision insurance denied.....
...they had recommended this "eye therapy" plan to help Jensen. And of course, our vision insurance won't pay for the 8 months of vision therapy they say he needs.
(for a grand total of over $2000)

Now, this is not about the money.......I'd do anything for this child.

A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

The trouble is....there is no guarantee it will work.
(i mean...of course they say it will work, but what if we waste all that time...
8 months worth of time....and it doesn't work?!

By then, Fourth Grade will be more than half over....

And for some reason, I just haven't had the best "feeling" about it.

It just bothers me that if it's a ligitimate treatment....WHY won't insurance pay for it?
And why is there no study that PROVES it will work?
So, I have hesitated starting him in the "therapy."
(plus we still owe like $240 for the testing phase of this, which our insurance denied)

So, back to the airport......

So, I share with him the "readers digest" version of what we've been thru with Jensen.

And I share with him the reasons for my apprehension of putting Jensen in the eye therapy program. And to my surprise, he sided with me. He told me that there is basically a "division" between the opinion of the pediatric "Optometrists" and the "Opthamologists." Well, initially, I was looking for a Pediatric Opthamologist, but I could not find one. (you see, in Kansas, there is some weird law regarding insurance and the eye doctors, in which they can't advertise themselves as "pediatric" specialists or something to that effect.....so when I search my insurance, I can't see what type of specialty they have. Weird...I know. But, it is what it is......)

So, long story longer.......

...after I finished the story of what all we've done, he basically told me that I was right, there is NO PROOF that the vision therapy plan as outlined to me will work.

....also he told me the name of what he believes that Jensen most likely has.

...and without me telling him, he knew that Jensen had migraines.
(Jensen was diagnosed at age 6)

...and he's agreed to help me find a doctor for Jensen in our area.
(most likely it will be in Kansas City - 1 to 1 1/2 hours away)

So, hopefully, we will have a new, improved plan very soon.


And, like I told him.....
"I know God brought you to me!"

And I'm so very thankful.....

...and a MASSIVE BLESSING!!!!!!!


In the meantime, Jensen was doing additional therapy afterschool for 1 1/2 hours once a week with his classroom teacher. And then, he's been in Summer school this month.
(it ends on this Friday.....and then, he gets a break)

So, I hope to get a plan in July.


**********************

Ok, back to the trip story.

Well, I eventually made it to Tulsa and they lost my suitcase.

Yep. I go to baggage claim and wait till the very end. And my suitcase is not there.

I look one way, and there is the AA baggage claim office. The other side has the Delta baggage claim office. And I look around and there is no other airline baggage office.

WELL....GREAT!!!

So, I wander over to an information desk to a lady who tells me I need to go down to the ticket counter and stand in line to try to see if they can find my suitcase.

(now...let me tell you....I won't be working till August so I came home with over $200 of scrapbooking stuff in that suitcase, between what I bought and property of SNS.
BELIEVE ME....I WAS GONNA FREAK OUT IF THEY LOST MY SUITCASE!!!!!)

So, I go down to the ticket counter and wait in line only to find out....
...my suitcase made my original flight.

Figures........

Lucky for them it wasn't lost....


So, later that night I had plans to meet up with an old college roommate, Jenny.
Jenny and I met in the Fall of 1987. And we lived together in 1990-1991. (that was so much fun!) And then, Jenny lived with Ike and I for a short time back in late 1995.
Jenny was also a bridesmaid in my wedding.

Now, just a few months ago I received a surprising email telling me that after all this time, and at age 39....Jenny is expecting her 3rd child!

Well, Jenny looks beautiful, of course. With child and everything.
And again, this photo was taken at about 11pm, after another reallllly long day! And when I took Jenny home, we stayed out talking, laughing and crying till wee into the morning hours. It was just like when we shared a bedroom.

Minus another roommate.

And seeing her and her entire family was so great!!!

Here's a favorite Jenny story. When we lived in our apartment, we had a roommate we loved, but who could be a bit bossy at times. Now, Jenny and I weren't dirty, just unorganized and messy. And when we would be in the kitchen, we would rinse the dishes, but not always immediately wash them. Well, this would infuriate our roomie.
And she'd really gripe at us about this A LOT.
You know, the whole "that's how you get bugs" and "were gonna have bugs" speeches were getting pretty old. Especially when we didn't ever see ONE BUG EVER!!
(and remember, the dishes were clean, just not washed.....)

So, Jenny and I being who we are....decided to make a point.

So, she and I made hundreds of giant bugs out of construction paper and taped them all over the kitchen. On the counters. On the cabinets. On the orange juice inside the refrigerator. On the canned food in the cabinets.

It was HILARIOUS, I'll tell you. H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.!!!!

And our roomie was furious!!!!

But, we made our point!


Ah, memories................

or should I say MASSIVE MEMORIES!!!!!! LOL!!!

THIS "Do-Over" Birthday Rocked the Casbah!!!!

So, Jensen went back to work with his daddy after lunch today. He just loves going with him and I think the special time together is good for both of them!

Anyways, they left work early, due to the working 37hours in a row....and came home with these cool balloons... ...and this, a huge ice cream cake! Super yum!
Chocolate w/ vanilla ice cream and that whipped cream icing!

Isn't this cake festive, too! (Jensen picked it out!) So, while Big Daddy lit the candles...Jensen was taking pictures. I was happy at first, until I realized that the candles must be showing 93....not 39!!!! LOL!! Jensen seemed to find this completely hilarious! Little Stinker!! So, we flipped the cake around and tried that one again! Then, in his quest to get the candle blowing shot...he got this picture. And I think it's pretty darn cool!!!!

Gives new meaning to "make a wish and blow out the candles!"

And all the kids approved of the cake...... Now, if you feel like one is missing, you're right! Logan has been in Oklahoma for 1 1/2 weeks..hanging out with the Grandparents!! (and actually....it's his birthday today!)

I've been tagged by Lain Ehmann!!!

So, my new friend, Lain tagged me on her blog right here.

So here it goes....


7 Random things about ME......


1. I worked as a waitress in a college town dance club that was opened by one of Ike's frat brothers. I thought it would be fun, until some guy grabbed my booty! I slapped that dude across the face and never went back w/out big daddy!!!

2. I suffer from major anxiety. I am on medication for it, which helps, but I still have to work very hard to keep it at bay. It's not fun.

3. I have tried to learn to knit about 3 or 4 times in my life, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. But, I still really want to learn. Then, my step-mom Janet, taught me how to crochet, which I can do. Although I started a blanket, I never finished it. And know it's been long enough that I don't know if I know how to do more than the starting chain stitch.
Anyone want me to crochet you a super long string for Christmas?!?! LOL!!! :D

4. I have a terrible bad habit. Biting my cuticles. It's bad. I can't seem to stop.

5. I love the look of well-maintained sculptured nails. And I used to have them. Before kids. Well, I had them until I had 2 kids, but it just got to be to much trouble for the maintenance. I loved the look, but I HATE the actual process. The filing and the filling and the filing and the brushing! ACK!!!! It makes me want to jump out of the chair and run away! I don't know why I hate that process so much, but I really do. And the result always made me so happy, I would just suffer through all that other. And when I am getting my nails done, it's the only time I don't bite my cuticles. Go figure.....

6. I am a super scaredy-cat. If I hear something weird around my house or if I see someone weird outside, I call 911. No questions asked. The last person I called the police on was a guy taking a picture of my house. Turned out he worked for the city and it had something to do with them refiguring our home's value.

I don't care. My daughter was sitting in the window looking out, so he got a picture of her and I was FREAKED OUT!!!!! I told the cop that next time that guy comes by...he better get his butt out of his car and ring my bell before he takes a picture or I'll call 911 again!!!!!

7. Hell just froze over. I've been actually enjoying my mother-in-law these last few months. Will it last? I don't know. But I have a feeling that when I stood up to her last June...it really made a difference. I just don't understand her, but I think she actually respects me more now for saying all the things I said. And I had to say them. I could no longer keep that stuff in. So, for now, I am enjoying it.
But, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Now....I have to tag 7 people:

1. Tammy
2. Amber W.
3. Hunzer
4. Beth
5. Catherine
6. Michele
7. Stacy A.

A Hair-Raising Haircut!!

You might remember that recently Big Daddy and I went to that auction for our town's Symphony. Well, in addition to the fantastic necklace I got....I won a silent auction for a $100 gift certificate at a salon here in town. And since I am going out of town on Tuesday to head for my first Creating Keepsakes Convention for the year, I decided it was time to get a haircut
and start chipping away at that $100 I have to spend.


So, I called the salon and was given an appointment with Judy, who I was told was available to do the haircut. Well, I wasn't too worried, even though Judy does sound like she could be an older lady. But, really, doesn't that just mean she's "more experienced?!"


Well, everything was just fine, until I walked in the door of the salon.

Everywhere I looked, I could not find anyone that was anything less than 20 years older than me. Including Judy, who right off showed me the picture of her latest grandchild, who is a month old. I was a bit alarmed, but I figured, how bad can it be?!
(well, the 65+ year old in the next chair was getting her hair set for her weekly "hairdo" before going to sit under the dryer....should have been the thing that assured me I was COMPLETELY OUT OF MY ELEMENT HERE!!!!)

So, as I sit in the chair, Judy asks me if I want a wash, haircut and a set.

A set?!?!

Um....oh my gosh, no!!

So, Judy opts to spray my hair with water, rather than wash and set, and then cut it.

So, she asked me what kind of haircut I'd like.

So, I explained to her that I'd like it just like it was....long layers, layered around the face. Shorter in the back and longer at the bottom of the face on each side.
(and I did fix my hair before going, so she can see what it looks like......)

Well, she asked me questions about how to cut it.

Um....I don't know. Isn't it YOUR job to KNOW THAT?!?!!?!

(I could have told her it's similar to Victoria Beckham's, but she probably only knows
what Betty White's hair looks like!!!)

At this point, I started to panic.

The entire haircut, I sat there about to have a complete heart attack. I couldn't just jump up and run, although, I actually thought about it!!! You see, these people knew who Big Daddy is, so I have to "behave" when I'm in situations like that. So, I knew I had to be calm and be brave.

So, at the end of the torture, I mean haircut.

She asked me if I wanted it to be "styled."

Oh my Gosh, NO!
(I can't even imagine what my hair would look like if Judy styled it!!)

Good thing, too. Because when she asked my how I "fix" my hair. I responded a straightening iron (which they didn't have) or a FAT barrel curling iron, depending on my mood. (well, after looking for about 10 minutes, they found a curling iron that was a bit bigger than a normal small curling iron! Good Grief!) After that, I just said, well you can just blow dry it.....
after all, it's 30 degrees outside and I am still a bit sick, so I didn't want to leave with wet hair.

So, she proceeds to get out the hairdryer and the mousse.

Mousse?!? Do they still manufacture that stuff?!

Yep, they do. And she coated my hair in it. Yummy!

So, at the end of all this fun....I was just ready to GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE!

At this point she offers me some hairspray, so I say sure.

I think to myself, "at this point, if I have hairspray...I can finger place the hair where I want it until I get home later and can wash all this crap out of my hair."

Well, good idea, but the minute she offers me the hairspray, she brings out a can of "Aqua Net" look-alike and proceeds to spray the crap out of my hair.

I about freaked.

So, at this point, I wanted to just go.


So, I get my purse to take care of the charges.
How much can this be?

Well, $18 for the haircut and $8 to blow dry my hair. Not fix it, just blow dry.

$26.00


So, I give her a $6.00 tip, because isn't it 20%?!

$32.00 gone from my $100.

And, I'm only going back to get a bunch of Matrix shampoo and a pedicure......
how can they screw that up?

Thank goodness, I have the name of another hairstylist to go to next time!


*I realize this post is useless without pictures! I promise to post one later!

De'ja' Vu

It's seems like I've made this post before.......

LOL!!!!!

I am better. Thanks for all the "get-well" wishes!

This one was bad, real bad!

But, the good news is I am on the mend and doing much better!!

Just making up for lost time.....

...like I said,

De'ja' Vu

So, guess where I went today?!?!

...that's right, I went to the doctor again.

Why, You ask?

I AM SICK AGAIN! (or is it still?!)

I started feeling bad again 2 days ago. Then, 2 nights ago, I came down with a wicked cough. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest and kicking me in the chest when I cough. It's stinks so bad!!

So, after 2 nights of little to no sleep, I decided to go back in to the doctor's office to see what's wrong with me now. And the verdict is...I have Bronchitis and some sinus infection.

SO, I was sent home with an inhaler, my second antibiotic in a month and some major decongestant/cough medicine stuff. ACK!!!!!!
I am so, so tired of all of this! It really does suck!!!!!

So, it's Friday and I'll be spending my weekend trying to get better.

And if I can feel a bit better, I hope to get some scrappin' done. I had some cool valentines stuff started, but I only got it partly done because of being sick. (my time to work is late at night after the kids are in bed, but when I am sick, I can't stay up to do anything. I just have NO energy!!

So, now I have to start my Design Team projects over for the month! Doggone it! So, I hope to get a bunch done this week!!

What are YOU doing this weekend?!?!

Symphony Ball

As part of Ike's job, we often need to attend community events. So, we were lucky enough to attend a ball for the symphony in our town. Here we are just when we were preparing to leave. (photography by Logan)
You know, it can be fun to get all dressed up and be something other than a mommy from time to time. And, fun, it was.

They had a silent auction and a live auction to raise money for their events. And it's nice because you know it's going to support the arts, which we all know are so important. It just kills me that the arts have become less and less of a priority in school. I can remember the days of music and art being a regular part of my curriculum. (and I can remember in elementary school when our Music teacher Mrs. McKenzie used to always have her room like and ice box....to keep us awake, she used to always say....but I can remember it just like it was yesterday. Her room was always like 10 degrees colder than the rest of the school! Back then, I didn't know about it, but now I personally think it may have been that way because she was in menopause!!) Anyway, the Arts in school used to be a priority. But, now everyone just wants to "save money," so they cut our funding to our children for these important programs. And its sad, just very, very sad. (man...who gave me a soapbox....?!)

Well, we don't usually take part in these auctions, because really, we need to spend our money on our own children. But, I saw there was a $100 gift certificate for a salon in town, and the bid was at $60. And since I haven't had a haircut since July....I could see that being a good deal. I should be able to cut 2 or 3 haircuts for that. (or I may even splurge on a pedicure!) But, that was a good deal...so I'm glad I won that auction!

I also placed a bid on Family Zoo Passes (which came with a stuffed giraffe and zebra--because it was something we will really use when Spring and Summer come.) We had the high bid on that and it was under the value. And at the last minute someone came in and sniped the bid. (big meanie!)

But, I have to admit there was something that really caught my eye....a 7-diamond "Journey" necklace, valued at $1400. It was breathtaking.
The hostess was wearing the necklace as she worked the room before the auction started. And since the hostess' boss is Big Daddy, I got plenty of opportunity to see this necklace up close.

Now, you see, the last jewelry Ike had purchased for me was over 5 years ago. The gift was diamond earrings. (which I absolutely loved!) I wore them non-stop and barely removed them, except to clean them from time to time. Well, long story short, when we went to the hospital to have Marinne in Savannah, I was wearing my earrings. Well, since they are screwbacks, I didn't really worry about losing one. (after all, screw backs are supposed to keep that from happening!) Well, after I gave birth to Marinne I had been moved to the new room and that night when I was going to sleep, I realized that one of the earrings was missing. So, ask me where I was the night Marinne was born...... Yep, while Marinne was getting checked in the nursery I was down in my birthing suite 10 hours after she was born, on my hands and knees looking for a missing diamond earring. I was just sick about it. Just sick...
Well, I never did find it. So, now I only have one earring, so it isn't worn.
(I decided to take the remaining earring and when Marinne turns 16, we'll have it set into a necklace for her. Won't that be cool?!?!)

So, as Ike was talking to his boss at the side of our table, they started the auction for the "Journey" necklace. The started the bid at $500. And, NOBODY was bidding. NOBODY. So, they dropped it to $400. Still nothing. (remember, this is a $1,400 necklace....) Finally, he dropped it to $300 to start and by then, I was about to have a conniption. When else would you be able to get a deal like that and be able to write it off as a business expense/charity donation?!?!?! So, I got Ike's attention and pointed out what was happening. He was like, do you really like that? I thought you were kidding about liking it.... UH, WHAT?!? It's diamonds and gold....what's not to like?!?! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!! (although, I will admit I prefer white gold to yellow gold.....the only fault of this necklace.....a fault I was willing to overlook due to the situation!) :D

So, by this time, someone had bid $300 and with $50 increments, it was at $400. So, Ike jumped in on the bidding. I'll have to admit it was sooooo exciting. We just figured it would go higher than we wanted to pay. Well, when the bid hit $600, we were wondering if we should do it. So, the other people bid $650. Well, Ike hesitated.....while the whole room of 200+ people waited to see what he'd do. And at that point, he said to me, "Do you really want it?"

So, how do I respond?!?!

I grab his face and lay a great big kiss on him while the whole room watched. (and yes, they had us on camera on the big projection screen, so everyone could see...!!)

When I released his face, he held up his bid card and yelled, $675!!!

And the entire room errupted in clapping and loud cheers!!!!

$675 going once....

$675 going twice....

Sold to #129 for $675!!!!!!

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!! And I was so happy!!!!
(and yet, I couldn't believe what we had done........)

So we got this necklace for less than half of it's value. But, the story gets better......

After I got it home, I found that the chain was really too short. It felt like it was choking me. (I still love it, but it was choking me.) So, I called the jeweler to see if I could exchange the chain and pay the cost difference. He was super nice!! He said, "Oh, I think they make those standard to fit a 90lb. woman. Come on in and I'll give you a new chain." Well, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! So, I went in the following day and the owner was busy. So, I was talking to another worker and told her we had won it at the auction, it was too short, and confessed to her that I wished it was white gold, instead of yellow gold. Well, this lady told me, that they could very easily accomplish this by having it dipped to make it white gold. I had never heard of that....but I wasn't wanting to spend more money than we already had.

Well, as we started the chain exchange process, she measured my neck and we determined that a chain 2" longer looked just right. Well, she want to the case and if you can believe it.....they were completely out of yellow gold chains, the length I needed! So, she suggested to the owner that they give me a white gold chain and dip the pendant for FREE and he said YES!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! I was sooooooo happy!!!!
It worked out perfectly and I got everything that I wanted!!!


So, as soon as I have a chance, I'll photograph the necklace, so you can see how much more beautiful it is in person!

I'm the luckiest girl in the world!!

Thanks a lot, Big Daddy.....even if this is my Valentines, Mother's Day, Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas Present!!!!!!!!!!

BEAUTY SHOP?????

...or little shop of horrors!?!?! OUCH!

I think we can safely say....I was a good sport!! :)

Coming out of the fog.........

....I'm baaaaack!!!!

Finally, feeling better again. But, another 6 days of being sick really stinks and really makes one run behind!!!

So, how are all of you?!?!?!

Been busy this week....

....wishing both my dad and my best friend, Michele Happy Birthday this week (ya know I love ya both!!!)

....enrolling Logan for MIDDLE SCHOOL! (eek!)

....running errands (must be done!)

....doing laundry (never ending!!)

....single momming while Ike works insane-o hours (Bluck!)

....trying to catch up on DT scrap projects (far behind...)

....working on a Mini-Album (custom job for a friend...)

....making dentist appointments for all (they can't get us in until AUGUST....can you believe that?!?!?!)

....got 10 inches of snow on Tuesday night, into Wednesday morning (that's alot of snow...the 15th for this year!)

....shoveling the walk and playing with kids in the snow (not fun when you are sick, sick, sick!!)

....kids have snow day (and drive mommy crazy being wild!!!)

....dealing with issues at school with both older boys (one appears to have forgotten that he's not to talk when the teacher is teaching and the other is being tormented by rotten girls --
anyone have advice on how to keep M from being one
of "those kind" of girls?!?!

Well, that's pretty much it!
But isn't that enough?!?!?!

COME OUT OF LURKDOM AND SAY HI!!!!!!!!

So....here's the thing....

I am sick again (or should I say still, never fully recovered, although I had been feeling better!) I cannot believe it. I hardly ever get sick like this and this is 2 times in less than a month!

ARGH!!!!

Anyway, I have been laying around being completely unproductive yesterday and today. And all I have is my tv and my laptop. And no one leaves me a comment ALL DAY LONG!

(and my site meter tells me as of right now, 46 people have read my blog today, but no one leaves a comment!!! WAH!!!)

So, I have stuff to tell and pics to post, but I am not gonna do it unless at least 10 of you, quit lurking and leave a comment!!

Ha! Ha! Ha!

So....comment away!!!!!!! :)
(and thanks to my faithful commenters...
you guys know who you are!!!)

Heh....heh...heh....lookie what I found this morning:

It's my day at Scrapbooks 'n Stickers!!!!

(copied from the Scrapbooks 'n Stickers blog: )

January 28, 2008

And Our Next Member

For the next one (and these are not in any particular order), I am proud to introduce to you a very talented girl who I had the pleasure of meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Creating Keepsakes Convention. She had e-mailed wanting to help us in our booth and not only did we have a ball of fire kicking in the booth, but I also made a great new friend. Introducing to you Roxann Walker.

Roxann lives in Kansas with her husband and four children. She is going to do some traveling with us this year, so look for her at a few shows doing make & takes or keeping the booth exciting & happy! This is a photo of a booth display that Roxann made with Fancy Pants' Holly Jolly papers. We have all of the girls making display signs for the paper lines we are carrying and are going to have you vote on the best one throughout the year!! I love hers - all that ribbon is just yummy!

Aww.....that's so nice!! Wasn't expecting that on a Monday...so the week's off to a great start!!!! And Kim!!! You rock!! See ya in a few weeks!!!!!! :)

Weight Watchers Update....

....well, I don't know if you can truly call me a real "Weight Watcher" because I haven't

been to a meeting since October. (ya, I pretty much stopped going when the Holidays hit...starting with Halloween!)

Although, I wasn't attending meetings I continued to use things that I learned at Weight Watchers and mostly ate what I wanted, but attempted to watch my portions. (basically, I'm saying, I ate pie and other goodies during the Holidays, but just ate a little, rather than pigging out!)

I thought I was doomed to gain back the 30lbs. I had lost.

Well, I am happy to report that I weighed myself this morning and I have broken into the 230's.
239.2

A total of 33 pounds.

So, I have maintained my weight loss and now lost a little more....

I'm so happy.